RTHK: 'Ukraine military base near Poland attacked'

Russia launched an air strike on a Ukrainian military base Yavoriv in the west of the country near the Polish border, local officials said on Sunday, in what appeared to be the westernmost attack of the war.

"The occupiers launched an air strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security. According to preliminary data, they fired eight missiles," the Lviv regional military administration said in a statement.

The attack was carried out at a military unit at the facility, Interfax Ukraine news agency cited Anton Mironovich, spokesman for the Academy of Land Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, as saying.

"According to preliminary data, there are no dead, but information about the injured and wounded is being clarified," Mironovich added.

The military training facility is located less than 25 km from the Polish border. (Reuters)

This story has been published on: 2022-03-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
China's military expenditure maintains reasonable, steady growth: spokesperson

16:39, March 13, 2022 By Wan Yu ( People's Daily

Wu Qian, spokesperson of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and People's Armed Police Force delegation to the 5th session of the 13th National People's Congress

Wu Qian, spokesperson of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) and People's Armed Police Force delegation to the 5th session of the 13th National People's Congress (NPC) met press on March 9, responding to hotspot issues such as China's national defense budget, anti-pandemic cooperation and the situation in the Taiwan Straits.

The Chinese government upholds the guidelines of coordinated development of national defense and economy, and appropriately determines the scale of defense spending in light of actual defense needs and economic development level, said Wu, adding that Chinas defense expenditure has increased at a reasonable and steady rate in recent years to promote defense capabilities in step with the nations economic strength.

According to Wu, China has allocated a defense budget of 1.47 trillion yuan ($233.5 billion) for 2022 (including the 1.45 trillion yuan from the central level), with an increase of 7.1 percent from the previous years executed amount.

The increased military expenditure will be used in accelerating the modernization of weapons and equipment under the development arrangement in the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25), cultivating military personnel for the new era, deepening the national defense and military reform, and improving the troops' welfare, Wu said.

China actively participates in the UNs military expenditure transparency regime, and has been submitting its annual military expenditure report to the UN since 2008. Wu said it is groundless for some external forces to hype up the so-called "hidden military spending." China's defense expenditure is kept at a low level compared with major military powers like the U.S., Wu said, noting that this is reflected through the low level of percentage the figure has in GDP and in public expenditure, as well as per capita.

Wu said China's increased defense budget is necessary both to cope with complex security challenges and to fulfill its duties as a major country. History has proved and will continue to prove that the Chinese military is always a staunch force in safeguarding the national interests of China and maintaining world peace. The reasonable and steady growth of Chinas national defense spending is justified and consistent with the trend of the times, he stressed.

The Chinese military has provided anti-pandemic materials and COVID-19 vaccines to the militaries of a number of countries since the outbreak of COVID-19. Wu said the Chinese military, while supporting regional pandemic control at home and ensuring sound pandemic control for itself, has actively joined international anti-pandemic cooperation and contributed its strength to international society. It demonstrated the sense of responsibility of the Chinese military, Wu added.

Wu said, to implement Chinese President Xi Jinpings important declaration on making Chinas COVID-19 vaccines a global public good, the Chinese military has so far provided vaccines to the militaries of more than 30 countries, including Pakistan, Cambodia, Mongolia, Equatorial Guinea, Tunisia, Lebanon, Hungary, Ethiopia, Mozambique, and Bolivia. It has also carried out anti-pandemic cooperation with the militaries of over 50 countries, in the form of providing anti-pandemic supplies, sending military medical expert teams, and holding experience-sharing video meetings. By fulfilling its international obligations and providing public security products during the pandemic, the Chinese militarys pragmatic measures have been highly recognized and widely welcomed by the international community.

There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, Wu said, noting that compatriots from both sides of the Taiwan Straits are blood relatives with a shared future.

The military upholds the policy of "peaceful reunification and one country two systems," and will make the best efforts sincerely to pursue the prospect of peaceful reunification, but will never tolerate "Taiwan independence" separatist forces to make secessionist activities, Wu said.

Military drills conducted by the PLA are aimed at "Taiwan independence" secessionist moves or interference by external force, and by no means at Taiwan compatriots, Wu stressed.

The Taiwan question is China's internal affair and brooks no external interference in any form. Wu said the political agenda by the U.S. and Japan of using the "Taiwan card" to contain China will not succeed.

"The more the U.S. and Japan make waves on the Taiwan question, the tougher actions we will take to safeguard national sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wu warned.

The Chinese military will never tolerate "Taiwan independence" separatist acts and the interference of external forces, he said.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
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Weather Alert

...MORE WINDY DAYS ON THE WAY, WITH COLDER TEMPERATURES AND RAIN/SNOW SHOWERS FOR MOTHER'S DAY WEEKEND... --Thursday and Friday-- * A pair of systems brushing through the region will bring gusty winds both days, with Friday looking to have the strongest peak winds. Anticipate wind gusts of 35-45 mph Thursday, and 35-55 mph Friday, locally stronger in wind prone locations. Winds will bring travel difficulties both in the air and on the ground. Travel restrictions for high profile vehicles are possible. Check with CalTrans/NDOT for the current road information. * Area of blowing dust are possible both afternoons downwind of the Carson Sink, possibly affecting portions of I-80, US 50, and Highway 95. In addition, backcountry and ski recreation could be impacted along with choppy conditions on area lakes. * A few light showers with minimal liquid totals are possible in far northern Nevada and northeast California. --Mother's Day Weekend into Early Next Week-- * It will remain breezy throughout the weekend, with a secondary max in wind speeds on Sunday due to a strong cold front. This front will usher in a much colder air mass and high temperatures on Mother's Day will be 15-20 degrees below normal. * There will be rain and snow showers with the front, but again, liquid amounts will be minimal. There are solid chances for snow levels to fall to all valley floors by Sunday evening, which may catch many off guard, though it is hard to get snow to stick to roadways in lower elevation valleys this late in the spring. * Well below normal temperatures and chances for light showers will continue into Monday and Tuesday next week. While still some uncertainty due to winds and cloud cover, it's possible we could have frost and freeze concerns Sunday and Monday nights.
A camel escaped from a petting zoo and killed two people in Tennessee on March 10, authorities said.
Forty-seven years ago as a freshman senator, I encountered a political establishment that limited

access to constituents. We changed government dramatically in the ensuing 30 years as we confronted challenges to voting and water rights, education, unemployment, predatory lenders and poverty.

Sound familiar? Its been 18 years since I retired from public service, and today our Legislature is still facing the same challenges. To quote Yogi Berra: its deja vu, all over again.

I want to first extend kudos to the bipartisan lawmakers efforts for increasing salaries, boosting education budgets, cutting gross receipts taxes and slashing rates that predatory lenders can charge poor people.

Nonetheless, today, New Mexicans are experiencing growing despair; theyre struggling, not only with the pandemic, but with hunger, poverty, spiking rent and food prices, and continuing education disparities.

 Were paying more for gas despite skyrocketing gas and oil resources. So, with all our natural and human assets, were still among the four poorest states in the country.

 The super rich corporations wealth is also skyrocketing but they still reap taxpayer subsidies and pay no corporate taxes here while our poor and working families struggle.

 Everyone knows education is key to our future, yet four years ago, the state was sued by Hispanic and Native Americans for violating their state constitutional right to sufficient education.

In 1975 education made up 55% of the state budget; today the budget only makes up about 45%. And our education system is still broken but a comprehensive reform plan is still not in sight.

Comes now the Invisible Majority. I seldom singled out my own community for help because I expected our Hispanic elected leaders would take care of our families. But I was wrong.

Our children outnumber all groups put together. But schools are still failing to graduate half of Hispanos who make up 62% of all school kids.

 Hispanas graduate at higher numbers than Hispanos, yet theyre underemployed and get paid 57 cents for the same work an Anglo man gets $1 for. Our Hispanic governor can only find nine qualified Hispanos for her 27 Cabinet secretaries? Parity demands Hispanics should number at least 14.

 We have Afro-American and Native American departments, but Hispanics far outnumber them and they also need attention for their myriad problems.

 In 2010 the Hispanic Education Act was passed, but its never been funded. If it had been, we would never again be called the worst state to raise a child  were currently ranked 49th.

Elected officials, especially Hispanics, and the media continue treating us as Invisible Americans even though addressing Hispanos needs will, in turn, improve the lives of every New Mexican.

Hopefully, our current political establishment will recover the passion to advocate for our current class of disenfranchised constituents. Our future demands investing in the mass majority of New Mexicans, not mainly the elite.

My 30-year career as a public servant was the ride of a lifetime, and we made fundamental changes for our disenfranchised. I had plenty of disagreements with both Republicans and Democrats along the way, but our divisions are nothing compared to the hate and divisions on the national political landscape today. Our state is still a model for the country.

Finally, my political and personal record beyond elected office has been scrutinized by all the media, as it should be.

But before its too late Im ready to tell my own story. And so Im writing my biography with the assistance of Dr. Jose Armas. It will include the good, bad and ugly chapters. And I welcome your comments about my record.

To contact Manny Aragon, email maformersenator@gmail.com.

Editors note: Manny Aragon represented Albuquerque in the New Mexico Senate from 1975 to 2004, when he left to become president of New Mexico Highlands University, a job he held for two years. He pleaded guilty in October 2008 to one count of conspiracy and two counts of mail fraud in a Metropolitan Courthouse construction scandal that siphoned off more than $4 million from the court construction project. He admitted stealing more than $600,000. He began serving his federal prison term in June 2009 and was released from a federal prison in Colorado in December 2013.
The world is watching in horror as Russian artillery lights up the sky night after night in Ukraine and innocent civilians seek shelter from Russian aggression. Unfortunately, some are using the crisis in Ukraine to score political points, increase oil and gas drilling, and slow regulatory progress on methane here in the United States. They argue higher demand for natural gas in Europe dictates looser environmental standards back home.

The fact is the time has never been more critical for strong, sensible rules to cut methane waste and pollution here in New Mexico and across the U.S.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham is right to address the states serious problem with oil and gas, methane and air pollution. For far too long, New Mexicans have been burdened with one of the nations worst pollution problems. Operators here emit over a million metric tons of methane annually. And, since methane is the primary component of natural gas, those emissions result in more than $273 million worth of wasted natural gas that would otherwise be heating and powering homes, and more than $43 million in lost revenue that could go toward public education every single year.

The standards recently enacted by the states Oil Conservation Commission and the proposed rules the Environmental Improvement Board (EIB) will consider this month will ensure operators minimize the leaking, venting and flaring of natural gas, and associated oil and gas air pollution across the supply chain. First and foremost, these requirements protect the health of local communities and our climate. These rules also safeguard our energy security and stop the senseless waste of domestic resources at a time when Putin is attacking Western allies who are dependent on Russian exports.

This conflict has shown that, to Putin, energy is a weapon he has no compunction wielding for his autocratic and antidemocratic ends. Therefore, every molecule of methane that isnt wasted here in New Mexico is one less bullet in Russias energy arsenal.

Ultimately, long-term energy security in Europe and here in the U.S. will require an accelerated transition to clean energy. Renewable energy is home-grown and virtually immune to global instability  and its creating jobs faster than almost any sector of the economy.

In the meantime, we must continue to clean up the oil and gas industry, and limit methane pollution and waste. When the EIB meets next month, it should finalize the strongest possible rules that include improvements supported by community and environmental advocates, as well as OXY, the second-largest oil producer in the state, to ensure all wells are inspected, and front-line communities are prioritized and receive the most frequent inspections.

If we dont act, oil and gas flares in New Mexicos Permian will continue to light the night sky and leaks across the state will needlessly waste our resources. Strong methane waste, and oil and gas air pollution rules are the right thing for New Mexicos bottom line, the health of our families, and our energy and climate security.
Many careers require certifications or higher education degrees. New Mexico has funding available to help achieve the training and education needed for such careers. Some refer to this as free. Others call it a taxpayer-funded investment and your investment in your future. Use it well.

Opportunity Scholarship

This program expands under Senate Bill 140 that becomes effective July 1.

Who is eligible?

 N.M. resident

 High school graduate, including home-based and non-public school secondary education program or received a high school equivalency credential. Includes adults returning to school.

 Not yet earned a baccalaureate degree.

 Enrolled in six to 18 credit hours per fall or spring semester. Enrollment in consecutive semesters to show progress.

 Maintains a cumulative grade point average of 2.5

 If used for a summer semester, enrolled in three to nine credit hours

The Opportunity Scholarship may be awarded for up to 160 credit hours or until a student completes their first bachelors degree, whichever comes first. A student could use the scholarship to attain multiple certificates, one associate degree and one bachelors degree.

A scholarship for a credit-bearing certificate may be awarded only where data indicates the certificate is in high demand by N.M. employers, as determined by the Department of Higher Education in consultation with the Workforce Solutions Department. (Healthcare, education, STEM and technical trades.) A list will be released each year.

Students with disabilities or exceptional circumstances may petition for a waiver of the eligibility requirements.

What is covered?

An amount not to exceed 100% of tuition and fees after all other state financial aid has been applied.

How long does it last?

One semester, but it can be renewed if the student meets eligibility and is provided until the eligible student accrues 160 credit hours or graduates from a four-year post-secondary educational institution or tribal college. It covers:

 A credit-bearing certificate or certificates

 Up to 90 credit hours for an associate degree or the degree, whichever comes first

 Up to 160 credit hours for a bachelors degree or the degree, whichever comes first

How do I apply?

There is no application. Work with the financial aid office at the 29 New Mexico two-year and four-year colleges in the program.

What is not covered?

Books, support materials, room and board or other costs related to attending school. Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid at fafsa.gov to see what you may qualify for. Private scholarships may help cover these expenses.

The New Mexico Higher Education Department is promulgating rules to determine which fees will be allowable under the Opportunity Scholarship. The final rules regarding such expenses will be published by July 1.

Who pays for it?

Balances of the legislative endowment scholarship fund and the college affordability endowment fund shall be transferred to the Opportunity Scholarship fund. A total of $24.5 million from those funds will be available next fiscal year. General appropriations of taxpayer funds made by the Legislature shall be transferred to the Opportunity Scholarship fund.

Lottery Scholarship

This program was created in 1996. According to the Legislative Finance Committee, Finance Facts, Lottery and Lottery Scholarship: Revenue from the various games offered by the New Mexico Lottery Authority support tuition scholarships for most state college undergraduates from New Mexico. In the 10 years from 2010 through 2019, the authority, a quasigovernmental agency supported by lottery revenue, collected about $1.4 billion in gross revenues, with about 30% of that going to the lottery scholarship fund and slightly over half going to prize-winners. The remainder was spent on retailer commissions, administration and cost of goods sold. Since its creation in 1996, nearly 135,000 students have attended New Mexico public colleges with the help of a lottery scholarship, according to the authority, and 82,000, or 61%, have graduated.

Who is eligible?

 N.M. resident

 High school graduate or received a high school equivalency credential

 Enrolled full-time at a public post-secondary educational institution in New Mexico within 16 months of graduation or receipt of a high equivalency credential and maintain continuous full-time enrollment

 Enrolled in and earn 15 credit hours per semester at a four-year New Mexico public university

 Enrolled in and earn 12 credit hours per semester at a two- year New Mexico public community college

 Maintains a 2.5 or greater cumulative grade point average

Students with disabilities may qualify for reduced credit hour requirements and additional semesters of the scholarship.

What is covered?

Up to 100% of tuition (up to an undergraduate degree) for students who meet the eligibility criteria.

How long does it last?

Begins with the second semester of enrollment at a public postsecondary educational institution. Renewed on a per-semester basis subject to maintaining eligibility. First-semester bridge scholarships are available.

How do I apply?

Contact the public post-secondary educational institutions financial aid advisor for eligibility verification  no application needed.

For further information, visit sources identified below.

Source: New Mexico Legislature at NMmlegis.gov, N.M. Higher Education Department at hed.state.nm.us
The $50 million junior spending bill Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham vetoed Wednesday provided a current-events lesson in just one of the dysfunctional aspects of our states legislative structure.

The bill provided supplemental spending for a host of purposes picked by individual lawmakers. The $50 million would come from the states general fund, even though about half of it was earmarked for capital projects, usually funded through general obligation bonds.

In vetoing the legislation, the governor noted some of the projects wouldnt get enough funding to be completed. She makes a strong point, especially considering $1.8 billion in capital outlay money remains unspent since last fall, often because projects have yet to get full funding.

Its also hard to defend a proposal that has absolutely no transparency or vetting: Each lawmaker receives a certain amount of money to spend  $600,000 for each senator and $360,000 for each House member  and their pet projects are bundled into one package with no way of knowing who wanted what.

Yet the governors veto sparked immediate blowback from lawmakers, who said they were blindsided. (After all, she signed off on lawmakers junior bills in 2019 and 2021.) Legislators on both sides of the aisle last week were calling for an extraordinary session to override the veto.

Lujan Grisham said she wasnt convinced the junior bill upholds principles of fiscal responsibility and expressed hope the veto would be a catalyst for changing the practice of supplemental appropriations.

But much more needs to change than supplemental appropriations.

We already know the many drawbacks to the states current legislative structure. Debate over modernizing the Legislature has intensified in recent years as Democratic and Republican legislators alike have proposed changes to the states system of citizen legislators and short, intense legislative sessions.

New Mexico lawmakers draw per diem payments rather than a salary; we have the only non-salaried legislature in the nation. And most of their work is handled in regular sessions of 30 and 60 days in alternating years, far shorter sessions than those of other legislatures.

Several New Mexico lawmakers weighed in on the topic during a panel discussion Monday hosted by NAIOP New Mexico.

Sen. Daniel Ivey-Soto, D-Albuquerque, said he thinks its time to ask voters  again  whether to give New Mexico legislators a salary. We limit who can serve in our state legislature to the three Rs  rich, retired and resourceful, he said.

Suffice to say that is a narrow segment of our population, Minority Leader Greg Baca, R-Belen, told the audience of commercial real estate professionals, business people and elected officials.

Consider that just last week the number of House members opting to not run for reelection hit double digits, other lawmakers have resigned midterm and many cite the difficulty in finding a work-life balance and being unable to financially support their families under the current non-salary structure.

For those juggling a career and legislative service, there is also the increased potential for conflicts of interest when someone is voting on or even crafting legislation that affects their employer or business.

Baca said paying legislators would allow other people from a variety of fields to engage in the process and that would be more helpful than increasing session lengths. Youve seen what kind of damage we can do in 30 days, he said, drawing chuckles.

We would argue much of that damage happens precisely because short sessions are so rushed. Its hard to give thoughtful consideration to complex/myriad bills introduced in such a limited time frame  and easy to use stall tactics to kill ones you dont like.

Rep. Antonio Moe Maestas, D-Albuquerque, was perhaps most forceful about the need for institutional changes. While he thinks pay for lawmakers is a means of diversifying representation, a more meaningful change would be eliminating the governors call for bills.

During the short 30-day sessions of even-numbered years, the Legislature is only supposed to take up budget-related legislation, except for bills authorized by the governor. That gives the governor virtually total control of the legislative agenda every other year. That has to end, Maestas said. We have to be able to move New Mexico forward, and we have to be able to legislate every single year.

Getting lawmakers to send voters legislation amending the New Mexico Constitution depends largely on pressure from constituents. At some point, voters must realize its time to modernize the Legislature, implementing processes that lead to better legislation and more accountable spending.

But simply paying lawmakers or expanding the time they legislate is not enough. Any new structure needs to look at transparency, staff support, session rules and funding capital outlay projects.

Its time for the Legislative Council Service to analyze other states structures and come up with recommended best-practices models. The analysis should weigh the merits of consistent 45-day sessions vs. a full-time legislature, how increased staff assistance can cut down on reliance on paid lobbyists for information and how lawmakers can best use the interim (when the Legislature is not in session) to vet and prep bills.

Its well past time for lawmakers to acknowledge what many of their constituents have shared with the Journal: The current system bars too many New Mexicans from serving in the Legislature, and rush jobs are a poor way to run a state.

The part-time, unpaid citizen Legislature envisioned by the drafters of the New Mexico Constitution more than a century ago today actually limits participation and encourages conflicts of interest. And the structure of our sessions stymies adequate vetting of real reforms.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Frances Lee McCains professional journey includes years of work in TV and film.

The Albuquerque resident is now making a jump to directing.

She will be at the helm of the Albuquerque Little Theatres next production, an adaptation of A Murder is Announced, by Agatha Christie, which begins its run Friday, March 18 through April 3.

As an actress, McCain has worked in theaters all over the country, including on Broadway, but is most well-known as an accomplished film actress.

Her resume includes hit films such as Footloose, Back to the Future, Gremlins and Stand By Me.

McCain was born in York, Pennsylvania, and grew up in many locations such as Illinois, New York, Colorado and California. She graduated from Ripon College in Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and then went on to study acting at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama in London.

Dr. Phil Clarkson was my drama professor at Ripon College and the first person to ever suggest I think of becoming an actor, McCain stated. That was the seed that blossomed into my becoming a student at Central as we all called it.

Clarkson is one of a handful of folks McCain has called an influence on her career.

George Hall, who was head of Central at the time and is still active in his mid-90s, and Litz Pisk, our movement teacher who was the first person to refer to me as an artist and advised me to know the difference and strike a balance between being demanding and in demand, McCain said.

In 2000, McCain went back to college and finished a masters degree in psychology from the California Institute of Integral Studies.

I think it is a very natural segue as a lot of actors go into psychology, McCain explained.

Then in 2010, McCain relocated to Albuquerque, which she has called home ever since.

I had originally moved here to retire from my film, television and theatre career because there were other things I wanted to pursue, McCain commented. I started a friendship with Henry Avery, Albuquerque Little Theatres artistic director, and he had constantly asked me to get involved either as an actress or a director.

After initially declining the opportunity, McCain accepted the offer to work at Albuquerque Little Theatre.

Finally, I decided to fall for it, so I took Henry up on the offer, McCain stated.

With all of McCains success as an actor, she was destined to blossom as a director.

Both acting and the work I did studying psychology have helped me a lot with directing, McCain explained. You get a very strong sense of what it means to go through a role and create a character so my heart is with the actors because I know how difficult the process can be.

A Murder is Announced begins with a newspaper headline describing a future murder at Little Paddocks, Miss Blacklocks Victorian house. The citizens believe the headline is a hoax until gunshots occur. The casualty was not one of the houses tenants, but an unknown and unexpected guest. The play includes a second death, secret identities and a dramatic confrontation that precedes the final curtain.

The play is set in 1950 in a town named Chipping Cleghorn.

I would say what makes this play unique in the canon of Agatha Christie is the time frame, which is post-World War II and later than many of the works we associate with her, McCain explained. There was great flux among the classes and people were moving about a great deal.

It was an interesting point in history as the world transitioned to the 50s.

The small villages were losing their insular feel, where everyone was known, and strangers were buying up property, McCain said. Christie points a bit of sly fun at the English xenophobia that was a hallmark of the time.

I do not think there is any Agatha Christie work that does not have a unique story, McCain said. This particular story has all of the earmarks of Agatha Christie, which is lots of possible ways this murder or murders could have occurred, along with many possible suspects.

This play will leave the audience guessing the entire time as the details unfold.

Hints and clues will lead the audience one direction or another but many of them are red herrings, McCain explained. When the time comes for the murderer to be revealed, it is usually a good surprise.

We think that Frances has had an incredible past, said Brian Clifton, Albuquerque Little Theatre marketing manager.

I am particularly impressed with this cast because we originally planned this production would play back in January, McCain said. Then a lot of the original cast had to leave because they had previous commitments so we started again with new cast members playing major roles.

Despite the time crunch, the show must go on.

I am proud to see them adapt to this play and create characters in a short amount of time, McCain stated.
Readers of Rebecca Serle are well-aware she often infuses her novels with touches of magic. In her last novel, In Five Years, a happily engaged woman named Dannie has a dream about her future where shes married but to someone shes never met. She wakes up and soon meets that same stranger and hes dating her best friend. Dannie spends the next five years trying to change the course of the dream.

In Serles latest book, One Italian Summer, we meet Katy  a bereaved daughter whose mother, Carol, has just died of cancer. Katys mom was her best friend and this loss has rocked the foundation of who she is. She leaves her husband and decides to travel solo to Italy on a trip that she was supposed to go on with her mother. Carol visited Italy years before and wanted to show her daughter all her favorite places.

Shortly after Katy arrives in Positano, Italy (to stay at the very real hotel called the Hotel Poseidon, which in this novel has impeccable service and food and makes you want to reserve a room immediately), she discovers the impossible. Her mother is there. Carol isnt sick anymore, now shes a healthy, happy 30-year-old who is visiting Italy, too. She doesnt recognize Katy as her daughter but instead as a peer and wants to show her around.

Yes, youll want to keep reading to figure out what is happening and, yes, youll have to suspend belief to enjoy the story but in these cynical times full of snark and memes, its nice to surrender to magic every now and then. Plus, the wanderlust that the book conjures is worth it as is.

One Italian Summer is a story about love, loss and that point in adulthood where we learn our parents are human, too, and not always perfect.

The book begins with a quote from the beloved TV mother, Lorelai Gilmore, of The Gilmore Girls. Lauren Graham, who portrayed Gilmore on the series, reads the audiobook version of the novel.
Pallbearers carry the casket of Officer Robert Duran into the event center in Rio Rancho Saturday afternoon before a memorial service. Duran was the first Santa Fe police officer killed in the line of duty since 1933. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Officer Robert Durans sons, Dylan and Jaxon, and wife, Kathleen, watch Durans casket being loaded into a hearse following a memorial services Saturday afternoon in Rio Rancho. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Santa Fe police Officer A. Guzman salutes the casket of fellow Officer Robert Duran during a memorial service Saturday in Rio Rancho. Duran was killed earlier this month during a police pursuit. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) A photo of Santa Fe officer Robert Duran stands near his casket during a memorial Saturday afternoon in Rio Rancho. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) A photo of fallen Santa Fe officer Robert Duran adorns the motorcycle windshield of a fellow officer during a memorial service Saturday afternoon in Rio Rancho. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) A law enforcement officer salutes the casket of fallen Santa Fe officer Robert Duran during a memorial service on Saturday afternoon at an event center in Rio Rancho. (Roberto E. Rosales/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 8 Next

Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

RIO RANCHO  The sun shone bright and warm as several Santa Fe police officers gathered around the back of a hearse outside the event center.

Solemnly, they took hold of a flag-draped casket and, on a hill framed by the distant Sandia Mountains, slowly walked into the building as the sound of bagpipes filled the air and countless men and women in uniform stood at attention.

Hundreds of mourners  law enforcement officers, local leaders and community members among them  gathered Saturday afternoon to say goodbye to a Santa Fe officer killed in the line of duty earlier this month.

The memorial service for Officer Robert Duran was filled with tears and even a few smiles as family members and fellow officers shared stories about the 43-year-old who left behind a wife and two teenage sons.

The pain of losing my brother and how we lost him and why we lost him cannot be described in words, Angela Gamino, Durans sister, said. She called the loss of her sibling so senseless and unfair.

A slideshow of photos played across a large screen throughout the hour-and-a-half service, showing Duran with relatives, fellow officers and friends  scenes of birthdays, fishing trips, goofy faces and barbecues.

Duran was killed March 2, along with retired Las Vegas, New Mexico, firefighter Frank Lovato, when he crashed during the pursuit of an alleged kidnapping suspect on Interstate 25 near Santa Fe. Duran, a senior officer who came from a large family in Artesia, was the first Santa Fe officer killed in the line of duty since 1933.

State Police have said the kidnapping was fabricated and the woman who made it up  leading Duran and at least one other officer on the deadly wrong-way chase  has been charged with murder.

During Saturdays service, Santa Fe Mayor Alan Webber said it was an honor to personally express the citys gratitude for Durans service, calling him a hero and a good man.

Our hearts are broken by the tragic loss  and our hearts are lifted by all he has given us, all he has left for us as lessons to be learned, as an example to be followed and as shoes, very large shoes, to be filled, he said.

Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham called it an unfathomable, unfair loss.

Every single day, in every corner of this beautiful state, individuals often living through their darkest hours receive the help that they need from public servants like senior officer Duran, she said. Quite frankly, I think too many of us take much of that work for granted, that selfless call to action. We get up every day and we know, that somebody else is out there watching out for us, for our children.

Interim Santa Fe Police Chief Paul Joye said Duran joined the department at 35, older than average recruits. Joye said Duran hit the ground running, seizing opportunities and growing into an amazing and natural leader who made the department better.

Joye grew emotional, stumbling slightly over his words, when he brought up Durans ever-present smile.

It wasnt a normal smile.  If he smiled at you, youre going to smile back no matter what youre doing, he said, joking that it often broke Joyes command presence during tense times. Im not saying he did it on purpose, but he knew what he was doing.

Joye turned to Durans family seated in the first row, his wife, Kathleen, and sons, Dylan and Jaxon, and apologized for their loss. The chief then faced the casket a few feet away and said: Robert, we love you, we miss you and thank you.

Santa Fe Sgt. Nick Chavez said he met his buddy Rob years ago on a graveyard shift. It was a slow night and the two spent hours swapping stories and learning how much we truly had in common.

As we grew closer I realized I earned the privilege to get to call you my friend, you generously accepted my dorky, unique sense of humor and personality, he said. Chavez said the men joined the Emergency Response Team and fought through sleepless nights and heavy workloads together.

No matter how crappy of a situation we ended up in, you always had your calm demeanor and smile, Chavez said. He appointed Duran as ERT team leader due to his natural leadership, level-headed decision making and that fatherly vibe.

He said over time he looked to Duran, who the team affectionately called salt and pepper, for answers and support when times got stressful or hectic.

Every time we hung up the phone, you left me in reassurance that I was not alone, Chavez said.

Chavez said, now, he continuously looks for Durans name to pop up on his phone for one last talk. He tries to find him at shift change, in the hopes of catching one last smile.

Theres a void in my heart. Its difficult to accept. I fight the reality but then I remember you, I remember all the moments we shared, Chavez said. I wipe my tears, I get into that unit and I remember your loyalty to me, that Im not alone and you will always have my back.

Gamino, Durans sister and best friend, said the families world has been turned upside down and forever changed. She said its hard to comprehend writing his eulogy but here we are.

She said Duran had a heart of gold, was a friend to everyone and a second dad to her children. Gamino said she would miss so much about him, like Christmas shopping together and long talks about their children and life, in general.

I need my brother here, my nephews need their dad and my sister-in-law needs her husband, she said. They still had so many dreams and plans for their future.

Duran was one of three siblings born into a large family who lived in adjacent homes in Artesia. He graduated from Lake Arthur High School and lived in Rio Rancho before moving to Bakersfield, California.

Durans wife, Kathleen, said, in a statement, that they met in California in 2003 and she immediately knew that she wanted to spend her life with him. They had two sons and eventually moved back to New Mexico, where much of Durans family lived.

Kathleen Duran said her husbands life was still not fulfilled and he became a Santa Fe Police officer in 2015.

It was not an easy decision, and we knew there were risks, she said. It came down to preserving a future for our children that compelled him to take a leap of faith and follow his heart.

Kathleen Duran was handed the folded up flag from Robert Durans casket before he was carried from the auditorium to the sounds of Amazing Grace on the bagpipes and under the salute of the hundreds he gave his life serving alongside.
Copyright  2022 Albuquerque Journal

In any given month, Ashley Charzuk says she loses about 10 clients to fentanyl overdoses. And there are no signs of slowing. She said her organization, NM Harm Reduction Collaborative, had two clients die in just the first four days of March.

The losses represent a fraction of the hundreds of New Mexicans who have perished in fentanyl-related overdoses as the deadly synthetic opiate takes over local drug markets.

But New Mexico Department of Health officials said a newly passed bill could reduce the death toll and broaden harm reduction efforts in the community.

On Feb. 28, Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham signed House Bill 52, updating the states Harm Reduction Act to, most notably, allow for the distribution of fentanyl test strips. The bill also gives the department discretion to decide what materials or services are necessary for harm reduction going forward.

We fully embrace having the ability to intervene as new public health emergencies occur, to save lives and get people into evidence-based treatment programs, state acting Health Secretary David Scrase said in a release. Scrase said the enhanced capacity to offer services will make a groundbreaking difference for those who rely on programs like Charzuks.

Every single barrier, basically, was taken down for us with the bill, Charzuk said, likening it to something of a blank check for harm reduction efforts. She said the biggest immediate effect will save lives with test strips, which are currently illegal to possess and distribute.

Officials recorded 304 fentanyl overdose deaths between January and November of 2020, a 135% increase over 2019. Unintentional overdoses account for a number of those deaths and DOH officials estimated a third could have been prevented if this bill had been passed prior to the deadly spike.

Josh Swatek, DOH Harm Reduction program manager, said test strips will be legal to possess on May 18, calling the change a huge deal.

Our community members and providers have been asking for these for two years, he said. People can finally know whats in their substances and  use harm reduction methods to make sure that doesnt become a fatal overdose.

Swatek said they are starting off with 15,000 test strips with the ability to purchase more depending on demand. The program, which serves around 18,500 people, will provide the test strips along with training on how to use them.

Swatek said the new law also allows them to provide supplies like tin foil and plastic pipe covers as they see a dramatic shift from people injecting heroin to smoking fentanyl pills.

We look at the science and we say, what do people need to reduce overdose? What do people need to reduce transmission of infectious disease? So were taking all those things into consideration, he said.

DOH Policy Director Aryan Showers said the act, which was put into place decades ago, needed flexibility built into it to adapt to drug trends and dangers, like fentanyl. She said DOH is working with state prisons and public education to reach communities outside the program, particularly young people.

We have an incredible problem with kids ODing, Showers said. Theyre not long-term drug users  theyre kids that are taking chances and being spontaneous. We want to make sure that people know whats in the substance theyre taking.

Charzuk said she knows, outside of unintentional overdoses, there are many people who seek out fentanyl as their drug of choice.

That would be naive of us to think they wont, but now we can turn our efforts to teaching them ways to stay safer if they are using fentanyl, she said.

Charzuk said having the state supplying test strips  which cost up to $1 a pop  will save the organization money that can be routed toward covering more rural areas and buying additional supplies like tents, tarps, survival items and food.
BEIJING  Chinas government responded Sunday to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service.

Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology center that abuts Hong Kong, will undergo three rounds of testing after 60 new cases were reported Sunday. All businesses except those that supply food, fuel and other necessities were ordered to close or work from home.

Case numbers in Chinas latest infection surge are low compared with other countries and with Hong Kong, which reported more than 32,000 on Sunday. But mainland authorities are enforcing a zero tolerance strategy and have locked down entire cities to find and isolate every infected person.

Shenzhen is home to some of Chinas most prominent companies, including telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Ltd., electric car brand BYD Auto, Ping An Insurance Co. and Tencent Holding, operator of the popular WeChat message service.

On the mainland, the government reported 1,938 new cases, more than triple Saturdays total.

About three-quarters, or 1,412 cases, were in Jilin province in the northeast, where the industrial metropolis of Changchun was placed under lockdown on Friday and families were told to stay home after a spate of infections.

China, where the first coronavirus cases were detected in late 2019 in the central city of Wuhan, has reported a total of 4,636 deaths on the mainland out of 115,466 confirmed cases since the pandemic started.

In Shanghai, Chinas most populous city with 24 million people, the number of cases in the latest surge rose by 15 to 432.

The city government called on the public not to leave unless necessary. It said intercity bus service would be suspended starting on Sunday.

Those who come or return to Shanghai must have a negative nucleic acid test report within 48 hours before arrival, said a city health agency statement.

In Hong Kong, a health official warned the public not to assume the territorys deadly coronavirus surge was under control as the government reported 190 new fatalities, most of them elderly people, and 32,430 new cases. Thats down from above 50,000 after stringent travel and business curbs were imposed.

Hong Kong, a crowded financial hub of 7.4 million, is trying to contain an outbreak that has killed 3,993 people, most of them in the latest surge driven by the omicron variant, and swamped hospitals.

People should not get the wrong impression that the virus situation is now under control, said Dr. Albert Au, an expert with the governments Center for Health Protection. Once we let our guard down, its possible that (infections) will bounce back and rise again.

Construction crews sent from the mainland have built temporary isolation centers in Hong Kong for thousands of patients.

On the mainland, 831 new cases were reported Sunday in Changchun, 571 in the nearby provincial capital city of Jilin and 150 in the eastern port city of Qingdao.

Authorities in Jilin are stepping up anti-disease measures after concluding their earlier response was inadequate, according to Zhang Yan, deputy director of the provincial Health Commission.

The emergency response mechanism in some areas is not sound enough, Zhang said at a news conference, according to a transcript released by the government.

Also Sunday, some residents of Cangzhou, south of Beijing, were told to stay home after nine cases were reported there, according to a government notice. It wasnt clear how many of its 7.3 million people were affected.
WASHINGTON  A U.S. official said Russia asked China for military equipment to use in its invasion of Ukraine, a request that heightened tensions about the ongoing war ahead of a Monday meeting in Rome between top aides for the U.S. and Chinese governments.

In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. We will not allow that to go forward, he said.

The prospect of China offering Russia financial help is one of several concerns for President Joe Biden. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that in recent days, Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment, to press forward in its ongoing war with Ukraine. The official did not provide details on the scope of the request. The request was first reported by the Financial Times and The Washington Post.

The Biden administration is also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for Russian President Vladimir Putins forces to attack Ukraine with chemical or biological weapons.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has shown support for Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with no limits.

In his talks with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, Sullivan will indeed be looking for limits in what Beijing will do for Moscow.

Im not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats, he told CNN in a round of Sunday news show interviews. But what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences if China helps Russia backfill its losses from the sanctions.

We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world, he said.

In brief comments on the talks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian did not mention Ukraine, saying that the key issue of this meeting is to implement the important consensus reached by the Chinese and U.S. heads of state in their virtual summit in November last year.

They will exchange views on China-U.S. relations and international and regional issues of common concern, Zhao said in comments posted on the ministrys website late Sunday.

The White House said the talks will focus on the direct impact of Russias war against Ukraine on regional and global security.

Biden administration officials say Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. They say China is effectively providing cover if Russia moves ahead with a biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians.

When Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, Sullivan told NBCs Meet the Press, its a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, on ABCs This Week, said we havent seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical or biological attack right now, but were watching this very, very closely.

The striking U.S. accusations about Russian disinformation and Chinese complicity came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged with no evidence that the U.S. was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs.

The Russian claim was echoed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who claimed there were 26 bio-labs and related facilities in which the U.S. Department of Defense has absolute control. The United Nations has said it has received no information backing up such accusations.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the claims preposterous.

There is growing concern inside the White House that China is aligning itself with Russia on the Ukraine war in hopes it will advance Beijings vision of the world order in the long term, according to a person familiar with administration thinking. The person was not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.

Sullivan told Face the Nation on CBS that the Russian rhetoric on chemical and biological warfare is an indicator that, in fact, the Russians are getting ready to do it and try and pin the blame elsewhere and nobody should fall for that.

The international community has assessed that Russia used chemical weapons in attempts to assassinate Putin detractors such as Alexei Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decadelong civil war.

China has been one of few countries to avoid criticizing the Russians for its invasion of Ukraine. Chinas leader Xi Jinping hosted Putin for the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, just three weeks before Russia invaded on Feb. 24.

During Putins visit, the two leaders issued a 5,000-word statement declaring limitless friendship.

The Chinese abstained on U.N. votes censuring Russia and has criticized economic sanctions against Moscow. It has expressed its support for peace talks and offered its services as a mediator, despite questions about its neutrality and scant experience mediating international conflict.

But questions remain over how far Beijing will go to alienate the West and put its own economy at risk. Sullivan said China and all countries are on notice that they cannot basically bail Russia out  give Russia a workaround to the sanctions, with impunity.

Chinese officials have said Washington shouldnt be able to complain about Russias actions because the U.S. invaded Iraq under false pretenses. The U.S. claimed to have evidence Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction though none was ever found.

On CNN, Sullivan said the administration believes China knew that Putin was planning something before the invasion of Ukraine. But he said the Chinese government may not have understood the full extent of it because its very possible that Putin lied to them the same way that he lied to Europeans and others.

Sullivan and Yang last met for face-to-face talks in Switzerland, where Sullivan raised the Biden administrations concerns about Chinas military provocations against Taiwan, human rights abuses against ethnic minorities and efforts to squelch pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

That meeting set the stage for a three-hour long virtual meeting in November between Biden and Xi.

Sullivan is also to meet Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, while in Rome.

___

Associated Press writer Hope Yen contributed to this report.
Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Ukraines Interior Ministry said the area has sustained intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days.

Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death. Renaud and Putzel won a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University journalism award for Arming the Mexican Cartels, a documentary on how guns trafficked from the United States fueled rampant drug gang violence.

This guy was the absolute best, Putzel told The Associated Press via phone from New York City. He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know. This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.

The details of Renauds death were not made immediately clear by Ukrainian authorities, but American journalist Juan Arredondo said the two were traveling in a vehicle toward the Irpin checkpoint when they were both shot. Arredondo, speaking from a hospital in Kyiv, told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli that Renaud was hit in the neck. Camilli told the AP that Arredondo himself had been hit in the lower back.

We crossed the first bridge in Irpin, we were going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us, Arredondo told Camilli in a video interview shared with the AP.

A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car. Hours after the shooting of Renaud, Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said journalists would be denied entry to the city.

In this way, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders, Markushyn said.

The U.S. State Department said it would not comment on Renauds death out of respect for his family members but that consular assistance was being offered to them.

The U.S. State Department condemned attacks on news professionals and others documenting the conflict.

We are horrified that journalists and filmmakersnoncombatantshave been killed and injured in Ukraine by Kremlin forces, the department said via Twitter. This is yet another gruesome example of the Kremlins indiscriminate actions.

Responding to news of Renauds death, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for an immediate halt to violence against journalists and civilians.

This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law, the committee said on Twitter.

TIME released a statement deploring Renauds death and saying he had been in the region working on a TIME Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis.

We are devastated by the loss of Brent Renaud, the statement said. Our hearts are with all of Brents loved ones.

Along with his brother Craig, Renaud won a Peabody Award for Last Chance High, an HBO series about a school for at-risk youth on Chicagos West Side. The brothers litany of achievements include two duPont-Columbia journalism awards and productions for HBO, NBC, Discovery, PBS, the New York Times, and VICE News.

Renaud was also a 2019 Nieman fellow at Harvard and served as visiting distinguished professor for the Center for Ethics in Journalism at University of Arkansas. He and his brother founded the Little Rock Film Festival.

Among other assignments, Renaud covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating 2011 earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya and extremism in Africa.

Putzel, who worked with Renaud for 12 years, paid tribute to his courage and passion.

Nowhere was too dangerous, Putzel said. It was his bravery but also because he deeply, deeply cared.

He is survived by his brother Craig, Craigs wife, Mami, and a nephew, 11-year-old Taiyo.

___

AP journalists Sylvia Hui in London and Maria Grazia Murru in Przemysl, Poland, contributed to this report.
Pexels/Liza Summer Celebrity

These notable figures, one of whom is a Ukraine native, stand in solidarity with the country and its people by pledging donations to provide aid for Ukrainian refugees following Russia's brutal attack.

Mar 13, 2022

AceShowbiz - Russia's invasion of Ukraine which began in February was shocking and unsurprisingly caught people's attention around the world. A number of celebrities made use of their big platform to raise awareness of the war waging in Ukraine with some of them pledging donations to help people affected by the ongoing crisis.

These notable figures, one of whom is a Ukraine native, stood in solidarity with the country and its people by providing aid for Ukrainian refugees following Russia's brutal attack. Some others were showing support by donating their earnings from Fashion Weeks, which took place amid the war, to support the cause.

Here's a roundup of celebrities who make generous donations for the people of Ukraine amid the crisis which has killed over 1,000 civilians.

1. Duchess Camilla WENN/Rocky Duchess Camilla was among the celebrities who showed support, both emotionally and financially for Ukraine. The wife of Prince Charles was revealed to have made a "substantial" donation to the Mail's refugee appeal. "No one could fail to be moved by the appalling scenes of Ukrainians fleeing their homes and the duchess wanted to help in whatever way she could," her rep said at the time. Prior to making the donation, Camilla and her husband Prince Charles paid tribute to the "extraordinary bravery and fortitude" of the Ukrainian people in the face of "such truly terrible aggression." She was seen in tears while speaking to representatives of the U.K.'s 70,000-strong Ukrainian community about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in their home country.

2. Bethenny Frankel Instagram Bethenny Frankel, who is known for her philanthropic actions, made use of her BStrong initiative to raise money and supplies for Ukrainian refugees. In its website, it was stated that the charity has raised $6 million so far. "BStrong and our partner Global Empowerment Mission are in Poland on the border, where people are crossing," she told The Cut. "We have 100,000 crisis kits coming in, which are survival kits for refugees. But in addition to the survival kits, we need to help people to rebuild, so money people donate will go towards cash cards, which help people rebuild their lives."

3. Queen Elizabeth WENN/James Watkins Duchess Camilla wasn't the only British royal family member who donated for Ukrainian refugees. Queen Elizabeth II was reported to have made a rare donation to support the victims of Russia's brutal attack. According to the U.K. charity Disasters Emergency Committee, Her Majesty contributed a "generous" fund. "Many thanks to Her Majesty The Queen for continuing to support the Disasters Emergency Committee and for making a generous donation to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal," the group announced on Twitter. The amount was not disclosed, but The Sun claimed that the Queen donated with her private fund. Meanwhile, the British monarch has yet to publicly comment on the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

4. J.K. Rowling WENN/Instar J.K. Rowling joined the list of prominent figures who pledged donations for Ukraine. In a tweet earlier this month, the "Harry Potter" author claimed that she "will personally match donations to this appeal, up to 1m via U.K.-based charity Lumos." In her tweet, she further appreciated everyone who had donated. "Thank you so, so much to all who've already donated, you're enabling @lumos to do crucial work for some of the most vulnerable children in Ukraine," she concluded.

5. Kim Kardashian WENN/FayesVision Kim Kardashian announced earlier this March that she and her brand SKIMS would be contributing to help people of Ukraine amid the crisis. In an Instagram post, "The Kardashians" star shared that SKIMS' donation would go to World Central Kitchen. "In light of the recent crisis in Ukraine, SKIMS will be making a donation to World Central Kitchen in an effort to support their on-the-ground efforts to aid the Ukrainian people," so the mom-of-four said. Concluding her message, she also encouraged her followers to donate for Ukraine through World Central Kitchen as well.

6. Leonardo DiCaprio WENN/Avalon Leonardo DiCaprio also pledged donations to help refugees in Ukraine. The "Don't Look Up" actor was said to have donated to the humanitarian groups CARE, International Rescue Committee, the United Nation's High Commissioner for Refugees and Save the Children in support of Ukraine. The amounts of his donation, however, were not provided. That aside, earlier reports falsely claimed that the "The Wolf of Wall Street" star donated $10 million to an organization benefiting Ukraine. It was also said that his grandmother is a Ukraine native. The claims, however, have been debunked.

7. Gigi Hadid WENN/Judy Eddy Gigi Hadid also extended a helping hand to Ukrainian people following Russia's invasion. On March 6, the supermodel announced on Twitter that she pledged to donate her earnings from 2022 fashion shows to Ukraine. "I am pledging to donate my earnings from the Fall 2022 shows to aid those suffering from the war in Ukraine," Gigi vowed in the post. The former Victoria's Secret Angel went on to add that she'll donate her earnings to "support those experiencing the same in Palestine" as well.

8. Ryan Reynolds and Blake Lively Instagram Ryan Reynolds and his wife Blake Lively were among stars who offered their help to Ukrainian people. The Hollywood power couple announced on social media on February 26 that they would match donations up to $1 million for those who were forced to leave their home amid the conflict. "In 48 hours, countless Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes to neighbouring countries. They need protection," they wrote in a joint statement on the "Deadpool" actor's Instagram account. "@usaforunhcr is providing it. When you donate, we'll match it up to $1,000,000, creating DOUBLE the support," he penned, attaching a link to the United Nations' refugee donation website.

9. Bella Hadid WENN/ATP Bella Hadid followed in her sister Gigi's footsteps in donating the money she earns during Fashion Week to provide aid to Ukraine. "To hear their stories and emotions first hand is devastating and I wholeheartedly stand with them in support. I stand along side every person that has been affected by this war and the innocent people who's lives have been changed forever from the hands of 'power,' " the model noted on Instagram on March 9. Crediting Argentine model Mica Arganaraz and her "amazing sis" Gigi, the 25-year-old beauty promised to be donating "all of my earnings from this Fashion Week directly to organizations that are providing help, refuge and medical aide to those in need on the ground in Ukraine." Just like Gigi, Bella also stated that she would continue supporting "our Palestinian people and land."

10. Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher WENN/Drew Altizer Russia's attack against Ukraine must hit Mila Kunis close to home. The "Friends with Benefits" actress and her husband Ashton Kutcher donated $3 million to her home nation amid "unimaginable" unrest. Additionally, they launched a GoFundMe page to facilitate people who want to donate for the people of Ukraine amid the crisis. "The events that have unfolded in Ukraine are devastating. There is no place in this world for this kind of unjust attack on humanity," the 38-year-old actress said, before explaining that "the fund will benefit Flexport.org and Airbnb.org, two organizations who are actively on the ground providing immediate help to those who need it most." She also shared, "Ashton and I have decided to match up to $3 million worth of donations to Airbnb.org and Flexport.org through GoFundMe.org in an effort to raise $30 million."
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It may seem odd for a farmer to go to a seed companys research plots to learn about the profitability of lower seeding rates, new planting equipment or nitrogen trials.

But this is exactly what farmers are doing as they take advantage of research and information programs some agricultural companies provide. These companies often do research that doesnt necessarily relate to the products they sell.

Several agricultural companies find a balance between the research they do to improve their products and the research to help farmers.

For example, 360 Yield Center devotes half its agronomy research work to supporting its products and half to unrelated products they sell, said John Larkin, 360 Yield Center marketing manager based in Morton, Illinois.

So, we will do plots that test the yield impact of banding nitrogen with the planter to demonstrate the value of our 360 BANDIT. But we also, for example, do a plot to learn about intercropping wheat and soybeans compared to double-crop soybeans, Larkin said. We work to keep this balance so that our meetings and presentation dont appear to be infomercials.

The founder of 360 Yield Center, Gregg Sauder, started doing large winter meetings and summer field demonstrations in the early days of Precision Planting.

We soon found that growers were anxious to get hands-on experience with new technology and spend time in the field with agronomists, Larkin said.

In the early days they used videos and DVDs to reach growers who could not attend the meetings in person. At one point they distributed more than 200,000 DVDs in a year, he said.

Over time, YouTube became a popular vehicle in sharing their demonstrations online. Having perfected these skills served them well when the COIVID-19 pandemic nixed in-person meetings.

Most of their products are tested at their Proving Grounds, a 200-acre playground in central Illinois, where their agronomy team sets up side-by-side and demonstration plots.

We are a group of farmers developing products that work on our farms, so taking other farmers out to the field to demonstrate the products made a lot of sense, Larkin said.

Testing better ideas

Likewise, Precision Planting brings farmers out to its fields to see new products and practices.

Much of the research is done at the 200-acre Precision Technology Institute research farm in Pontiac where the company tests idea, agronomic principles and equipment. Research topics are as varied as fertilizer placement, planting depth and irrigation.

They provide tours of the more than 125 plots on site for farmers in-season and held 21 winter meetings in about a dozen states this year.

Its part of our companys culture, said Bruce Baker, Precision Plantings marketing manager. The new, better ideas found here give farmers an opportunity to improve their systems.

What a farmer gets from attending a Precision Planting event may be as simple as planter maintenance guide.

A farmer may go to a winter meeting and learn that a row cleaner would be a profitable addition to his operation and then go home and shop around for the best option.

Were totally fine with that, Baker said.

Practical Farm Research

Another such resource for farmers is Becks Practical Farm Research.

Deatra Gremaux, PFR and agronomy data information specialist at Becks Hybrids, said the companys first research plot was at their home site in Indiana and has expanded to two locations in Illinois, one in Ohio, one in Kentucky and one in Iowa, with the newest one coming in Nebraska.

They also have cooperator farms in Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, Gremaux said.

With a variety of sites in different states, the company provides tested information from different soil types and weather conditions.

The products and practices which have consistent success are known as PFR Proven, she said. They must have been tested at least three years at multiple locations, and have had positive yields all three years with an average positive return on investment, she said.

The ideas of what to test come from farmers and popular trends of the day. For example, organic practices and organic transition systems have become more popular in recent years. This year, tests reflect farmer interest in managing the high costs of inputs. More than ever, nitrogen rates, timing and application are hot topics, she said.

Farmers are looking to bring value to farm.

They want to make minor changes that bring bigger returns, said Gremaux, who collects data and photos and designs charts for the annual PFR book which was almost 300 pages in 2021. The data is also online.

Gremaux said she sometimes gets phone calls from farmers who plant seed from other companies and are interested in PFR studies.

This years PFR menu includes new trials on organic crops, nitrogen, fungicides, cover crop placement, tire pressure regarding compaction and short corn, she said.

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MARIUPOL, Ukraine  The airport in Ukraines second-largest port is shut. A Moscow-led rebellion around the city in 2014 made it too dangerous for planes to fly in.

At that time, Mariupol repelled the Russian-backed rebels. But the city still sits adjacent to the front line, separated from a Russian-controlled enclave in eastern Ukraine only by military checkpoints that bar most vehicles  and by a buffer zone of wrecked seaside homes.

On a visit a week ago, as I spoke with locals and refugees from nearby Russian-occupied territory, I could easily imagine the future Vladimir Putin envisions for Ukraine. If Russia can gain control of the entire country via a second invasion, or can at least expand the eastern enclaves that Moscow already controls to include Mariupol, the outlook is grim.

Though the city is calm for the moment, the drama swirling around it is the most momentous crisis to beset Europe since the 1991 breakup of the Soviet Union. It will test whether, 30 years later, Putin can re-create the heart of the Soviet empire by threatening or using force.

To reach Mariupol from the capital, Kyiv, I had to take a 15-hour night train that passed interminable stretches of flat farmlands separated by rows of ash and cottonwood trees. The city itself is dominated by two massive steelworks and by the rail tracks on which rolled metal sheets are carried to loading docks on the Sea of Azov.

The citys port is operating at only around 50% to 60% capacity because Russia now illegally controls the narrow entrance to the Azov and often blocks the entry of international ships that export Ukraines steel and grain to the world.

In better days, Mariupol was a tourist destination, with modest beach resorts and a small, attractive historic downtown centered on the Greek revival-style drama theater in the main square.

Then came 2014, when Russia sent thuggish Ukrainian separatists from Moscow to eastern Ukraine to lead the rebellion against the Kyiv government. (During a 2014 visit to nearby Donetsk, I interviewed some of the separatist leaders and they made no secret of their Moscow affiliations.)

Separatist militias lobbed shells at a market place in the eastern section of Mariupol in 2015, killing dozens of civilians. I stopped at two poignant stone memorials on the spot where the innocent victims were blown apart as they shopped at vegetable stalls, including a mother who famously died saving her small daughter, though the child lost an arm.

Local fighters drove out Moscows armed minions at the time. But when I interviewed Kseniya Sukhova, secretary of the Mariupol City Council, I learned that her office is still in a temporary location, because the original city hall remains a wreck, gutted by the invaders. Unfortunately, we have been living for the past eight years under a slow-burning conflict, she told me. She is gamely trying to promote Mariupol as a model city under difficult circumstances, promoting better health care and new universities, fixing up the marina and parks, and holding cultural festivals. Sukhova praised USAID, the American foreign aid agency, for its support of some of the citys projects.

But new business investment is hard to come by when no one knows if Putins proxies, helped by Russian soldiers, might try again to take the port. That is one of several scenarios Ukrainians envision as possibilities for the Russian troops assembled on their countrys borders.

Under this option, Putin could recognize the independence of the occupied territories in Ukraines east, which border Russia. He could then have their leaders openly invite in more Russian troops who would no longer have to pretend they werent there.

The object would be to permanently destabilize Ukraine, making NATO or European Union membership impossible. As part of this option, Russia might try again to occupy Mariupol port.

Vladyslav Serbin, one of the refugees from the city of Donetsk, described to me the awfulness of life under occupation.

Serbin was a university student in Donetsk when armed men appeared there, destroyed the airport, and took over the city administration. I saw Russian army forces on the streets. They werent even hiding it, he recalled. His voice shook under his woolly muffler, as we walked in the cold.

Donetsks coal mines (formerly subsidized by Kyiv) are being shut, he said, while factories are disassembled and their machinery sent to Russia. Non-uniformed men with guns roam the streets, and no one dares criticize the Russian-backed, Mafia-style leaders.

The new regime has some support, Serbin admitted, from Ukrainians who had served in the Russian army or elderly Russian speakers nostalgic for the Soviet Union. But businesspeople, those who are educated like himself and his mother, and those who resent the repression have fled to Mariupol or elsewhere in Ukraine.

People who live there do not hope for tomorrow, he told me bitterly, while recounting the story of his grandma who couldnt leave and died alone there of COVID-19. Ukrainians who are armed can take whatever they want.

This is the nightmare most residents of Mariupol want to avoid at all costs. Civic activists are mobilizing to be ready in case the worst scenario materializes. Kateryna Sukhomlynova was one of thousands of civilians who rose to the occasion in 2015 when the separatists attacked an unprepared Ukrainian army that was barely functioning, without uniforms or food. We tried to help any way we could, she said. We cooked borscht and soup for them, she added, starting to cry at the memories.

Now, aided by the Maltese Red Cross, she has organized several projects to ensure that volunteers are prepared to aid a far better organized Ukrainian army as well as local civilians, in case of another invasion.

The reality is so different now, she said, standing in her office under paintings of civilians tortured and murdered by the invaders in 2015. People from all over Ukraine are sending food. Even babushkas [grannies] are sending the last [cents] from their pensions.

Medical aid is now being sent from Germany and Poland, she continued, to help train local people in first aid in case another war starts. Were not as helpless as we were in 2014.

However, Sukhomlynova is worried that City Hall has not notified citizens schoolkids, or teachers of where they can shelter in case of an air attack.

Yet, she said, locals will not flee if the fighting starts again. We would like the world to know this is our land, our hometown, and we are not leaving, she said firmly. Then her tears began to fall once more.

Rubin writes for the Philadelphia Inquirer: trubin@phillynews.com.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  After last year saw the cancellation of the event due to coronavirus concerns, the Western Farm Show was back in person at the American Royal Complex Feb. 25-27, celebrating 60 years in Kansas City. Exhibitors say they were glad to be able to meet with customers at the event again.

Dennis Blair, who works in sales at the Ag-Power John Deere dealership in Richmond, Missouri, was at the show Saturday.

I thought it was excellent, he says. Had a great crowd. I thought it was great to be in person. It was very crowded and everyone was very enthusiastic.

Blair says he sold a piece of equipment while he was at the show. He says peoples interest in equipment has been all over the board, with several items in demand. He says many farmers are looking to buy.

Weve had interest in everything we have on the lot, he says.

This was the first Western Farm Show for show manager Jami Applegate. She says it was a full show in terms of exhibitors. The event is held annually in the West Bottoms area of Kansas City near where the old Kansas City Stockyards used to operate.

After not having the show in 2021, it was great having everyone back with sold-out exhibitor space and more attendance than the show in 2020, Applegate says. The feedback has been very positive and encouraging for the show in 2023. Im determined to continue building the show and bringing more new things in the future.

Danny DesCombes, with Des-Combes Agri-Business in Clinton, says it was a fairly typical crowd for the show.

It was a good crowd, he says. I didnt know what to expect coming off (the canceled show last year).

DesCombes says the show is a good opportunity to display the newest equipment, and he says show attendees were interested in used equipment as well.

The used market is really red hot, he says.

Blair says it seems to be a buying time for a lot of people, looking to upgrade equipment after years of good farm revenues.

There are lots of people looking to buy, he says.

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Emporia, KS (66801)

Today

Thunderstorms during the morning will give way to steady rain this afternoon. High 56F. Winds E at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thundershowers overnight following a period of rain early. Low 53F. Winds ENE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall possibly over one inch.
OKLAHOMA CITY  Because of a generous donation from the Corporate Aircraft Association, five Oklahoma high schools will receive a flight simulator to be used to enhance the classroom implementation of the AOPA You Can Fly High School Aviation Curriculum.

Each of the five schools, Durant, Alva, Bartlesville, Duncan, and Lawton, was selected by the Oklahoma Aeronautics Commission as a recipient of the gift because of their willingness to serve as leaders in the building of high-quality aviation programs in their regions of Oklahoma.

The Corporate Aircraft Association (CAA), is a member-funded association that partners with select Fixed Base Operators (FBOs) at airports throughout the US and Canada, to offer jet fuel programs and other aircraft services to their members. Their leadership selected Oklahoma for this donation because of positive interactions they had at airports within the Oklahoma Airport System. They worked with the Commission to determine the most effective way to benefit students interested in aviation.

We appreciate the Corporate Aircraft Associations gift to Oklahoma schools, stated State Director of Aeronautics, Grayson Ardies. By providing flight simulators, CAA will help school districts implement the You Can Fly curriculum with fidelity and will ensure that Oklahoma continues to lead the way in equipping students to enter the aviation industry.

CAAs mission is to support and to preserve corporate and general aviation. I cant think of a better way to reach so many students. We hope these simulators help inspire an entire generation to consider a career in aviation, said Bob Bordes, president of CAA.

The designated high schools are just five of the nearly 30 Oklahoma schools that are teaching the You Can Fly curriculum during the 2021-2022 school year. Developed by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), the free program offers schools the opportunity to teach two aviation pathways of curriculum to students in Grades 9-12 and prepare them for a career in aviation.
A representative from Legal Aid Services of Oklahoma provides information to an attendee of the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City's expungement fair on August 21, 2021. Photo courtesy of the Urban League

Hundreds of people lined up outside the Urban League of Greater Oklahoma City last August in 90-degree heat, hoping for a fresh start.

The advocacy organization was hosting an expungement fair aimed at providing resources and information to people with nonviolent felony and misdemeanor convictions. Expungement can help people with arrests or aging convictions pass background checks and secure stable housing and employment. Most don't take advantage of the relief it offers. The Oklahoma Policy Institute estimates that 93.5% of expungement eligible records remain unsealed.

The greatest barrier to expungement is cost, criminal justice reform advocates say. While it's possible to seek expungement without an attorney, the petition process is complex and typically takes months. The Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation advises that applicants will be held to the same standard as a legal professional and "strongly suggests" that they hire an attorney.

"It is impossible to do this on your own," said Jabar Shumate, a former state lawmaker and the Urban League's vice president of community convening and social justice. "You can only achieve an expungement through the support of hiring a lawyer that would probably total you - if you had a very minimal case - around $1,500. Most cases could take up to $5,000 just because of the time involved, coordinating all of the agencies and getting all of the sign-offs."

The State Legislature is considering a solution that would leverage technology to make expungement more accessible. The proposal, House Bill 3316 by Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, would authorize the state to create a computer algorithm identifying expungement eligible cases and automatically initiating the records clearing process.

The bill unanimously cleared the House Criminal and Corrections committee last month and is eligible for a full House vote.

"I believe that government itself should not be in the business of erecting barriers to people getting on with their lives and being productive members of society," Miller said during an August interim study on expungement reform. Miller declined an interview request, saying that she was still finalizing the bill's language.

The push for expungement reform comes as individuals with criminal records struggle to find stable employment despite a national labor shortage. In some instances, they may be removed from consideration after disclosing their record or fired after the offense appears on a background check.

"I had a graduate in my office last week who was fired from her job because the background showed a deferred probation sentence, which is not a conviction," said Rachel Delcour, the criminal justice director for the Women in Recovery program in Tulsa. "She's coming up for expungement this year, but she's not eligible yet, so they let her go."

Michigan, Pennsylvania and Utah have passed automatic records clearing legislation, also known as Clean Slate laws. The legislation received strong bipartisan support in all three states, particularly in Utah, where lawmakers in 2019 unanimously voted to authorize automatic expungement of many low-level offenses.

Automatic expungement legislation is generally received positively, said Jesse Kelley, national campaign manager for the Washington, D.C.-based Clean Slate Initiative.

The central point of contention among lawmakers is often how far the reform should go. For example, half of the legislature may believe that non-conviction arrests and misdemeanors should be automatically cleared but draw the line at expunging felony offenses.

Oklahoma's proposal, which would not modify expungement eligibility but simply automate the process, has yet to receive significant opposition. A cross-section of statewide policy and advocacy groups, including the conservative Oklahoma Council of Public Affairs, Right on Crime and Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, have expressed support for House Bill 3316.

"Republicans and Democrats can all agree that people who are no longer a threat to society, who haven't committed any sort of public safety violation for a certain number of years, deserve to live a full life," Kelley said.

Building an Automatic Expungement System

If the Legislature approves House Bill 3316, Oklahoma could start creating its automatic expungement system by year's end. It would likely take at least one year to build the necessary technological infrastructure.

"You have to develop a software that will communicate across multiple systems across multiple counties," Kelley said. "What's great is that the Clean Slate Initiative is working with another group, Code for America, which will work with and advise state agencies about how they can successfully tailor their software to implement an automatic bill."

One benefit of Oklahoma's clean slate bill is that there's no break in automation from the initiation to completion of expungement, Kelley said. Arresting and prosecuting agencies would be notified of pending expungements and given 45 days to object. If no objection is made, the names would be forwarded to a judge for final approval. The records would be removed from public inspection but remain accessible to law enforcement.

Damion Shade, the justice and economic mobility project manager for the Oklahoma Policy Institute, believes the state could start automatically expunging records by 2024 if legislation passes this session. State officials could use American Rescue Plan dollars to fund the creation and maintenance of the system through 2026 at an estimated cost of $3 million to $5 million, Shade said.

"Of course, there will always be the cost to maintain that system in the future," Shade said. "But the law enforcement and court agencies that are involved in this, they're going to have to build new data systems anyways because their technology is super old."

The overall economic benefit of clean slate legislation far outweighs the cost of maintaining the system, proponents argue, as more people are able to secure higher-paying jobs. A University of Michigan study found that state's expungement recipients were 22% more likely to be employed and earned 11% more one year after their records were sealed.

Barriers Could Persist

For people with a prior conviction or arrest, expungement is a significant step towards moving on in life. But it's not always a catch-all.

Third-party background check websites may reveal criminal records that have been sealed for months. A Google search can turn up an old news article about an arrest - even if it never resulted in a conviction - long after the fact.

A handful of states are reviewing their contracts with third-party background check providers and stipulating that the data must be kept up to date, Kelley said. The process is far from flawless.

"In a perfect world, it would be quickly reflected that this record isn't usable anymore," she said. "But human error and human influence can derail the perfection that we're seeking in technology."

The third-party issue may not be as pressing in Oklahoma, Shade said, because most employers in the state use background check providers that pull records from Oklahoma State Courts Network and other open data sources. OSCN is funded through court fines and updated daily.

"As we upgrade and build these systems out, we will be able to affect the vast majority of education, housing and employment searches," he said.

A handful of media organizations allow people to request that a news article documenting a prior arrest or conviction be taken down. In 2018 the Cleveland Plain Dealer released a short web form that asks for a name, story to be taken down and an explanation for why. The Boston Globe and Atlanta Journal-Constitution have followed suit. Generally, articles about public figures or violent incidents won't be removed.

"It always comes back to, is this better? Is the value of taking it down higher to the people making the request than the value to society of keeping it up? And almost always the value is greater to the person who's making the request," Chris Quinn, editor of Cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer, told NPR last year.

Who Stands to Benefit

Delcour, with the Women in Recovery program, has helped dozens of women navigate the expungement process.

The organization has built relationships with judges and public defenders in Tulsa, Creek and Rogers counties and typically has no issue scheduling an expungement hearing. Those who receive expungement through Women in Recovery might save a few thousand dollars in legal fees, but the long-term social and economic impact is even more significant, Delcour said.

"When someone has a conviction on their record or even a deferred sentence, those things are huge barriers to getting the job that really pays enough to live on or getting safe housing that requires a background check," she said. "We want to save people money, but more than that I want people to get better jobs and better housing and remove some of those barriers."

A significant benefit of House Bill 3316, Delcour said, is that it would apply to everyone in the state no matter where they were convicted and what resources are available to them.

"We have staff here who are going to help our women try to seek those benefits," she said. "But not everyone is in a program like ours."

With the assistance of pro-bono attorneys, Shumate said the Urban League is processing hundreds of expungement applications, a process that usually takes at least six months to complete. He hopes the organization soon won't have to carry such a heavy load.

"It has been an overwhelming process because of the way things are structured in this state," Shumate said. "I can guarantee you that once this bill passes, more agencies that help those that are justice-involved will be able to step up to the plate and help people because it's more achievable."

Oklahoma Watch is a nonprofit organization that produces in-depth and investigative journalism on important public-policy issues facing the state. The organization's website is at http://www.oklahomawatch.org.
We must mourn the death of leadership in America.

In 1962, President John F. Kennedy cautiously but brilliantly managed the United States  nay, the world  through the Cuban Missile Crisis on the brink of a nuclear World War III. Watching Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, I felt compelled to watch again the movie Thirteen Days bringing these moments to life. I believe that every American and certainly every decision-maker should re-watch this excellent movie.

If your writer may offer my over-simplified distillation, it is this: JFK and his brain trust rejected the choice between Option A, surrender to a missile platform in Cuba that could strike most of the United States with nuclear warheads, and Option B, provoking a nuclear war. They relentlessly demanded and sought an Option C (or several other options). Pushing back against strident voices, they searched for a different path relentlessly.

If we watch videos rather than read books, documentaries about the Cuban Missile Crisis ought to remind us of the qualities of leadership  leadership sorely lacking in my beloved country's decaying society today. If we believe the self-serving accounts  and here I do  every move was stepping cautiously through mine fields. There was no false or stupid bluster, no reckless bull in a china shop roaring forward. Every moment was painstakingly debated, analyzed, thought through, and gamed out.

This author strongly leans toward the beliefs that this is not our war, we should not fight for Ukraine, Europe is pathetic, and it is time for Europe to stop expecting the USA to wipe its nose and clean up after it. I started in politics fighting Soviet imperialism, politically expanding into Central America and at Gen. Daniel Graham's High Frontier and at the Center for Peace and Freedom launched by the Heritage Foundation.

But, on the other hand, reality is reality. Western leaders helped create this mess. Many books need to be written. But no matter how much America First conservatives may hate it, the facts are that we are in a mess. We should either cease and desist and let Russian invaders take over Ukraine quickly and easily with a minimum of loss of life...or take genuine action.

Here is what the USA should do:

1) The USA should demand a vote within NATO that Ukraine will never join. Historically, Russia and Ukraine were the same country for 1,100 years. NATO membership was always a deliberate, insane provocation motivated by hatred for Russia.

2) Ukraine is a sovereign country despite being part of Russia since 917 A.D. International ships have a right to dock, refuel, visit, and enjoy shore leave in the port of Odessa if allowed by the government of Ukraine. The U.S. Navy should respond to an invitation to dock in the port of Odessa, refuel, resupply, and let sailors enjoy shore leave, of course armed for their own protection. Every ship internationally has that right to dock at a port if invited by the country owning that port. Putin cannot fire in the direction of U.S. naval vessels. And the ships have an international maritime right to dock there.

But, you will say, this is a risk. Yes. Like JFK, it needs to be handled extremely carefully. It must be done with transparent advance warning and open lines of communication. (Can Slow Joe handle that? No.)

Of course this is a risk  a risk that Putin too cannot ignore. But either we stop the silliness of hashtag/meme warfare and shutting down Netflix to Russians or we actually do something real. Your choice. Real? Or fake?

3) For the same reason, nuclear-powered, nuclear-armed ballistic missile submarines should be parked on the bottom of the Black Sea (which is not terribly deep), supplied to sit undetectable for months.

4) The President should warn Russia very publicly, such as in the United Nations, that if the conflict does not end within ten days, he will order a U.S. super-carrier battle group into the Black Sea. The Black Sea is international waters, except close to the shores. Any nation's ships have a right to navigate those waters. Order the battle group on a slow cruise toward the Bosporous Straits at Istanbul with embedded news crews providing continuing camera views of its progress.

5) Like JFK's masterful handling, this must be approached as aimed toward a resolution. If we had a president, he should say "This stops here. Now. We will work to de-escalate this situation. But we are not going to allow the U.S. to be at risk. This crisis ends now. So let's talk."

6) I don't think anyone can imagine a resolution in which Russia gives back all of its conquered territory. That is awful. It means rewarding worse than criminal behavior. It is unforgivable and inexcusable. But Putin will escalate to nuclear war if the only option is the destruction of Russia.

The only thing that our bumbling, empty-suit president can offer today is to try to bully a bully by treating Putin, a veteran of the KGB, like Biden's mythical character "Corn Pop." (In Biden's many self-delusions, Biden fancies himself a tough guy. He tells a high school story of a bully "Corn Pop" whom Joe stared down. The name is clearly invented.) Putin is a thug. Biden is a thug at heart. Biden is a cowardly thug, however. Putin is not.

The fact that we all have to state the obvious, including that Putin is a ruthless former KGB thug with a psychopathic personality and no regard for the rights or well-being of others, is sad. Yes, Putin is responsible. No, Putin is not solely responsible. Whole libraries should fill the books that need to be written about how war-mongers continued to fight the Cold War long after Reagan won the war for us. If you wave a red flag at a mad bull, it is the bull's fault for mauling you with his horns. But perhaps you shouldn't have spent 30 years throwing rocks at the bull and waving a red flag. The idea that events have only one cause or contributing factor is an ignorant and dumb symptom of the dark ages we have entered.

Citizen Donald Trump has been loudly proclaiming since the 1990s, at least, that the United States is suffering from pathetic leadership (my wording). Trump has used every occasion for decades to illustrate how the U.S. needs better leaders, needs to up our game, needs to stop pretending everything is okay, and get serious. It should not confuse us today when Trump and his followers point out how other countries have effective (if evil and criminal) leadership while our U.S. leaders are skilled only at repeating avoidable failures. As Dark Helmet proclaims in the delightful, goofy comedy Space Balls, "Evil will always win because Good is dumb." Fortunately, the good guys do win there in the end. Let's hope here also.

Image: mwitt1337 via Pixabay, Pixabay License.
The leftist media has once again resorted to attacking Supreme Court justice Clarence Thomas and his wife Ginni Thomas, actions which only magnify their unprofessionalism and dishonesty regarding critical matters before the country.

Over the last several weeks, a flood of vicious attacks on Justice Thomas and his wife have been published. The clearly coordinated assault includes over a dozen major outlets, such as The New Yorker, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Business Insider, The New Republic, CNN, NPR, and ABC News.

They are not hiding the purpose of their effort. They want to force Justice Thomas to recuse himself from a broad range of upcoming Supreme Court cases. Once again, they are claiming that Ginni Thomass involvement in conservative groups requires her husbands recusal.

For decades, Ginni has worked with organizations that bring together conservative leaders and groups, helping them share ideas and information. These mainstream media articles attempt to portray her involvement as dangerous and rant hysterically with blatantly false facts. Fortunately, these lies are quickly being exposed for what they are.

The medias foul attempt at intimidation will ultimately go nowhere. There is ample legal precedent allowing spouses of judges to be politically active -- and spouses of the leftist judges have been especially so.

Lets look at a recent case where Supreme Court justices refusal to recuse themselves when required led to horrible consequences for the nation -- and the media simply ignored it because it suited their ends.

In the 2015 Obergefell v. Hodges case, the Supreme Court invented a constitutional right of so-called same-sex marriage. It was decided by a mere 5-4 vote. Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Elena Kagan both voted with the majority.

The federal law on recusal (28 U.S. Code  455) for the lowest courts up to the Supreme Court states:

Any justice, judge, or magistrate judge of the United States shall disqualify himself in any proceeding in which his impartiality might reasonably be questioned.

Before Obergefell, Justices Ginsburg and Kagan had publicly performed same-sex weddings. Obviously, they were not impartial on the issue.

Ginsburg performed three such weddings in 2013 and another in 2014. Ginsburg told people that the acceptance of same-sex marriage reflected the genius of our Constitution. Shortly before the Obergefell hearing in 2015, she told Bloomberg Business News that she believed Americans were ready for gay marriage.

In 2014, Justice Kagan presided over the wedding of her former (male) clerk to another man. Moreover, Kagans aggressive advocacy for LGBT rights goes back to her years as Dean of Harvard Law School (2003-2009), and was thoroughly documented in a MassResistance report.

In the months preceding the April 28, 2015 hearing on Obergefell, numerous pro-family groups tried desperately to bring up the legal imperative that Ginsburg and Kagan recuse themselves. But the groups were ignored by both the Court and the mainstream media.

Finally, on the day before the April 28 hearing, the Foundation for Moral Law filed a formal Motion for Recusal of Ginsburg and Kagan laying out the issue in detail. It was followed by another Motion for Recusal filed by pro-family activist Dr. Steven Hotze. These documents were also made available to the media. These efforts were ignored as well.

Paradoxically, Supreme Court justices are usually scrupulous in avoiding the appearance of impropriety. They regularly recuse themselves from cases based on relatively mundane issues, such as comments they have previously made or their own past employment. For example, Kagan recused herself from several cases involving the government because she had previously served as Solicitor General.

Obviously, same-sex marriage was such a profound issue that its advocates felt they couldnt let federal law and the requirement of an impartial Court to get in the way of progress. And so The New Yorker, the Washington Post, the New York Times, Business Insider, The New Republic, CNN, NPR, and ABC News, and all the rest blatantly ignored it. Yet now they are wailing over the flagrantly phony charges against Justice Thomas.

It should also be noted that, shamefully, the conservative media have overwhelmingly avoided reporting on this -- both in 2015 and in the current context. Unlike the Left, they arent overtly promoting same-sex marriage. But they are revealing their cowardice (they dont want to appear homophobic) and collaboration (they have no problem with sodomy). However, the truth still needs to be told.

Brian Camenker is Executive Director of MassResistance, a pro-family activist group that helps people fight culture war battles across the country.

Image: Supreme Court
Trevor Noah, originally from South Africa, came here and embraced American leftism with the same fervor we see in Steven Colbert and others on TV who endlessly insult conservatives and signal their woke virtue. Once given Jon Stewarts former platform, The Daily Show, Noah dutifully defamed Trump and, at most, gently teased Democrat politicians. Now, though, Noah seems to be nibbling away at the red pill (as is Bill Maher) for hes suddenly realized that America is in a very dangerous place thanks to Bidens ineptitude.

In a monologue last week, Noah, after attacking Bidens short workdays, said that the refusal of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to take Bidens phone calls would never have happened to Trump:

You have got to be kidding me, Noah told viewers Wednesday night. Apparently, Saudi Arabia wont even pick up the phone for the president of the United States. I mean, look, I know its hard to arrange those calls. You know, Riyadh is eight hours ahead, Biden is asleep by 4 p.m., its a narrow window to make it work, but still: That must have been really embarrassing for Biden. Can you imagine? He phones them and they dont pick up? Noah continued later: Now, according to the White House, this story is totally untrue. They deny it, which I would too. But either way, man, there is no denying that Saudi Arabia isnt playing ball with Joe Biden. And you know what? You can say what you want, but this would have never happened to Donald Trump. Never. No one was ever ignoring Donald Trumps calls. Cause if you ignored Donald Trumps calls, you didnt know how he would respond. Maybe hed send an angry tweet, or maybe hed just, like, ban your country from everything. You dont know. Thats why I bet, in these situations, Biden actually wishes that he could hire Trump to step in as President Wild Card. You know, just keep everyone on their toes. Cause if Trump was calling, you best believe the UAE, theyd be racing to pick up the phone.

The above is neither clever nor witty nor even funny, which is pretty much par for the course when it comes to left-leaning late-night comedy shows. What it is, though, is accurate. Biden is a shuffling nincompoop who, at best, is not taken seriously, and at worst is deadweight destroying American prestige.

Image: Trevor Noah. YouTube screen grab.

It turns out that this prestige, which leftists so derided and wanted to destroy, meant something. When America doesnt project powerand Trump was a master Alpha power projectorthe world very quickly devolves into a dangerous place, one in which brutal, terrible things happen to innocent people. All the time leftists were talking about ridiculous policies and politicians for the children, it was Trumps projection of real power that protected the children in Ukraine from being blown to bits.

Part of me despises people like Maher and Noah who made Biden possible. During the Trump years, they were on board with everything: the Russia hoax, the pee-pee tape, the fine people hoax, the Biden is a functional human being hoax, the vaccines are the only approach to COVID hoax, etc. After the election, they insisted all was fair and above board, and after January 6, they were happy to promote the canard that a protest that got out of hand (or a very carefully played set-up to trap Trump and his supporters) was an insurrection. Currently, Noah is dutifully spreading the lie that gas prices, which almost doubled last year, have now actually doubled because...Putin.

Still, the calculating part of me says that, in the coming war for control of America, its useful to have people like Maher and Noah be honest and be red-pilled. Theyll never recant or apologize, of course. However, even though their cultural power is severely diminished by alternative media platforms, they still have bully-ish pulpits. If theyre going to turn on Biden, challenge woke ideology, and even acknowledge Trumps virtues, thats good for America.

Put another way, I may not like these comics but America may need them. So, lets keep an eye on Trevor Noah and see if he has any other moments of honesty and insight. We need all the help we can get to turn this ship of state before Biden, rather than scraping by the iceberg (which is damaging enough), charges at full speed into the iceberg, ending forever the great American experiment.
While global focus has been on Russia's scorched earth campaign across Ukraine, Iran's malevolent mullahs haven't been napping.

According to the Washington Post:

BAGHDAD  Iran claimed responsibility Sunday for a barrage of ballistic missiles that hit northern Iraq just after midnight, striking several kilometers from a U.S. compound and drawing sharp condemnation from the Iraqi and U.S. capitals. The semiofficial Fars news agency said that Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps had launched powerful missiles in response for what it described as recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime, an apparent reference to the killing of two of its members last week in Syria, which it has blamed on Israel. The attack appeared to mark a significant escalation in proxy and political conflicts on Iraqi soil as talks between Iran and the United States over the future of a 2015 nuclear deal shattered by President Donald Trump falter.

Other reports say that it was a U.S. military base or U.S. military/intelligence complex inside Irbil airport, as the WaPo reports, that got hit. Whatever it was, it was close.

Which is some amazing timing given that Joe Biden is poised to give the mullahs the deal of a lifetime with his determination to revive the Obama-era Iran deal, known as Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), even if he's got Vladimir Putin brokering it. President Trump scrapped it and took out Iran's terrorist leadership instead. It's not know why Biden is still sticking to this bad idea, especially with Putin involved. Perhaps the mullahs think Biden will give them their pallets of cash without the deal. But most likely, they smell weakness from the White House and are comfortable giving handsy Joe a beating. One is certain, though: The attack shows that they have absolutely no fear of Biden or losing the deal he wants to hand them.

But Biden is indeed planning to get that deal through, attack or no attack, and despite his current disputes with Putin, who wants sanctions exemptions for Iran trade that Biden doesn't want to give. According to the Wall Street Journal, the show must go on:

European officials say Russia had promised to respond with its precise demands for guarantees in the next few days. The U.S. official said if Russia presses its guarantee demands or doesnt reply in the coming week, Washington would need to very quickly consider an alternative path.

Which is to say carrying on without Russia's tender and even-handed mediation services.

Here's what the blasts looked like:

BREAKING: Multiple videos show a ballistic-missile attack on the U.S. consulate in Erbil  within the Kurdistan region of Iraq.



Here is the first video, showing the size of the blasts.  pic.twitter.com/VBkHeWp4UT  Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) March 12, 2022

And what does the Biden administration have to say about this?

Biden State Dept rationalizes Iran terror attack on US consulate  as Team Biden plans to give Iran nuclear bomb https://t.co/DBUgTu4fGz  Lee Smith (@LeeSmithDC) March 13, 2022

Nobody wanted their name on that statement.

There's a lot of downplaying of the idea that the U.S. was the target, with various characters saying it was some kind of tit-for-tat activity with Israel.

But a lot of evidence suggests the target was us:

UPDATE: The State Department says there was "no sign the attack was directed at the United States."



In reality, the missiles struck the only city in Iraq outside of Baghdad where the U.S. has a diplomatic mission. https://t.co/BAAh5uHtUz  Clint Ehrlich (@ClintEhrlich) March 13, 2022

The attack happened on or nearly on the birthday of Qasem Soleimani, the Iran Revolutionary Guards terrorist chieftain who was rubbed out by President Trump in 2020, and the Guards have long said that they are planning revenge. Coincidence? Well, we know they like anniversaries.

The Guards were open about their violence, apparently suspecting that doddering Biden was incapable of recognizing anything subtle. Iran denied the matter at first, but rapidly changed their minds and brazenly declared that they did it after the mealy-mouthed U.S. response.

But White House spokesweasel Jen Psaki has kept radio silence. The White House has said nothing. The State department has put out some mealy-mouthed palaver. The whole thing is being narrated as a non-story while the Biden deal with Iran goes on.

Which all suggests that maybe they want that deal a lot more than the trigger-happy mullahs do.

If Joe Biden had a scintilla of self-respect or advocacy for America, he'd cut off those Iran deal talks right then and there. You don't negotiate with thugs still trying to kill you on the side.

But what we see is a downplaying of the fiery missile attack that was at least close to the U.S.'s very few presences now in the Middle East, which is sure to invite more missile attacks. Yet they don't want to say anything. It's redolent of Benghazi 2012, where another U.S. installation was attacked by terrorists and Obama-era officials such as Susan Rice, made the television rounds to insist it was nothing more than an overexcited mob and an insulting-to-Islam video, not a planned attack. Of course, it was planned, and Obama was running for re-election. That coverup was appalling as it was based solely on domestic political considerations and too bad about the dead diplomats. Rice, of course, is now a top Biden advisor.

Now we have this, and a Biden administration determined to get its wretched deal with the mullahs through. Suddenly, they are looking the other way on that attack in Irbil. What's wrong with this picture?

Image: Twitter video screen shot
Christianity is not based on historical truth.  The historical accounts in the Gospels might  be demonstrably false and yet [religious] belief would lose nothing by this  because historical proof  is irrelevant to [religious] belief. This message (the Gospels) is seized upon by men believingly (i.e., lovingly).

--Ludwig Wittgenstein, in Culture and Value, 1937

In a discussion with Bill OReilly, Bill Maher, wearing his usual expression of bored sanctimony to those who dont share his undergraduate-level views, gives several reasons for his contemptuous attitude towards Christianity, calling Christians morons. If the Bible is the literal word of God then, first, why are there untruths in it, and, second, why are there immoral things in it? Maher gives the Noahs ark story as an example of an untruth and the view, which he locates in Deuteronomy, that it is a law that if one sees ones neighbor working on the Sabbath, one should kill him, as an example of immorality. Faith in the Bible is nonsense, Maher claims, because faith is the purposeful suspension of critical thinking. OReilly responds that the Bible is filled with allegory and parables to teach a greater truth, to which Maher replies, I thought it was the word of God. I thought it was literal .

In fact, although some scholars defend a literalist interpretation of the Bible, many others hold that many Biblical statements must be understood metaphorically or symbolically. Even so central a figure in Roman Catholicism as Thomas Aquinas holds that many religious statements must be understood symbolically or metaphorically because, roughly speaking, finite human intelligence cannot understand the transcendent (Summa Theologica, Q1, Art. 9), a view prefigured in Platos pre-Christian ontology (Republic, Book VI, The Divided Line).

There are also other possibilities. Wittgenstein, influenced by the Danish 19th century existentialist philosopher Sren Kierkegaards view that Christian faith is not a rational belief but a passion, holds that Christianity says is that all sound doctrines are useless, that you have to change your life (Culture and Value, 1946) The point of Christianity is not that one believes certain propositions but that one lives a certain way, e.g., the Biblical views about Noahs ark are not a history lesson but an attempt to convey a certain spiritual moral about life (which is not to say that there may not also be some historical truth in it).

This same idea is also illustrated in Wittgensteins illuminating remarks on the controversial theological views of the Trinity: [T]he words you utter  are not what matters so much as the difference they make  in your life.  [This] goes for belief in the Trinity. (Culture and Value, 1950) Religious belief is about changing ones life, not proving assertions. Since Maher sees no proofs for Biblical statements, he rejects them, thereby missing the moral or spiritual point of the remarks.

Mahers claim about Deuteronomy is also false, or, at least, misleading. First, the passage to which Maher refers is not in Deuteronomy but in Exodus 31-15. Further, there is no mention there of any law that one neighbour must kill another. The Douay-Rheims translation of the passage reads: [T]he seventh day is the sabbath, the rest holy to the Lord. Every one that shall do any work on this day, shall die. This does not say that if Bill sees Bob working on the Sabbath, he must murder him. In fact, if Biblical passages are actually an attempt to convey a moral lesson, one natural candidate would be that it says substantially the same thing as The wages of sin are death. (Romans 6:23)

The point about the translations is significant because the current editions of the Bible in English are translations of translations of copies the original text that is lost to us. Any representation of the meaning can, therefore, only be approximate. That is, even if the Bible as originally received is the word of God, the original pristine message was not available to the scribes who translated the Greek Vulgate Bible into the English-language versions. One cannot, therefore, justify reading any very specific meaning into that Exodus passage, certainly no law that Bob must kill Bill if Bill works on the Sabbath. By the way, did Maher mention how many Christians have killed their neighbor recently because they saw them work on the Sabbath?

Mahers mistakes boil down to the fact that he has an extremely simplistic dichotomy expressed in his statement that faith is the purposeful suspension of critical thinking. Maher thinks that there is genuine knowledge, which involving critical thinking, on the one side, and faith, which is evidence-free belief, on the other. But is religious faith the same kind of belief involved in science minus critical thinking? Is the belief in God comparable to the superstitious belief that one can cure terminal cancer by chanting?

Wittgenstein doesnt think so: Religious faith and superstition are quite different. One of them results from fear and is a sort of false science, the other is a trusting (Culture and Value, 1948). When Bob says he trusts his wife completely, it is not because he has done a scientific investigation and concluded on the basis of critical reasoning that she is trustworthy. In fact, if Bob needs to do a scientific investigation to reach that conclusion one can be quite certain that he does not trust her and no scientific investigation will change that. On the contrary, Bob trusts his wife because he feels he knows her heart in a different sense. Similarly, religious faith is not and cannot be the result of critical reasoning. Religious faith has to do with a certain attitude towards life (if Wittgenstein is correct, a certain kind of trusting attitude that even if we cannot always prove it with evidence, things are for the best and the way they must be).

In, roughly, Thomas Kuhns sense of the word, Maher has a naive paradigm of religious belief. Maher sees religious beliefs as akin to superstitious assertions of fact. There are, however, many sophisticated alternative interpretations within the philosophical traditions about how religious assertions are to be understood. Aquinas view is one. Kierkegaards and Wittgensteins is another. It would be nice if our overpaid talking heads actually knew something about these issues before they start pontificating, but Mahers typical bored sanctimony when he discusses this (and other) issues is based on ignorance, not genuine knowledge of the issues. In brief, Maher, like so many TV personalities, is a comedian, not a philosopher or a theologian. The problem is that he does not know how funny he is to serious people.

The contempt Maher expresses for Christians, as opposed to Christianity, is an entirely different matter. One wonders if a Maher, who makes his money by delivering mostly infantile tasteless jokes on stage, holds that other Christian believers, genuine creative geniuses such as Descartes, Leibniz, Kant, Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Kierkegaard, Wittgenstein and Barth, are also morons?

No man is a hero to his valet, not because the hero is no hero, but because the valet is a valet.

--G.F.W. Hegel

Note: All references to Culture and Value are to the year Wittgenstein recorded the remark.

Image: Pixabay / Pixabay License
I had a scary dream last night. The United States was at war with a Russian-Chinese alliance. While the prospect of any war is scary, this one was even more so. The "woke" U.S. was fighting the enemy utilizing only green energy.

The communists were coming at the U.S. with fighter jets and bombers loaded with jet fuel. We were fighting back with our newly developed solar-powered drones. Unfortunately, while the solar panels on the drones provided enough power to allow it to fly, the weight of the bulky batteries prevented the unmanned vehicle from carrying any actual armaments. Its maximum speed of 85 mph wasn't helping, either. We were clearly losing the air war.

The enemy landed on our shores, bringing tanks and armored personnel-carriers fueled, once again, by fossil fuels. They claimed that the air war was such a "no-contest" that they decided to come and fight on the ground, thus saving some infrastructure for them after the war.

The U.S. land forces, led nobly by General Mark Milley, fought hard but continued to lose ground. Milley ventured that the U.S. cause was being hindered by their use of rubber bullets and paint gun capsules. "The men have to be so careful with the paint capsules. We already are led by a rainbow flag, and we don't need any more color on our banners. We are also somewhat disadvantaged by the fact that the enemy appears to be using lead bullets. Our guys are getting holes shot in them."

World peace secretary John Kerry, speaking in the same rich, dulcet tones that he had once used before the U.S. Senate while mispronouncing the name of Genghis Khan, urged the citizenry to remain brave. "The windmills are nearly up and ready, and when they are, those commies had better watch out. Here I thought we were all friends."

Kerry spoke from the basement of President Joe Biden's Delaware home. "It seems like the right place to be, here with the president," said Kerry in reference to Biden's cadaver propped in the corner. Biden had actually died a year and a half earlier, but through the miracle of Dr. Jill Biden's magic skin moisturizer, he looked no worse than he had while in office. Ventriloquist Jeff Dunham was brought secretly to the basement once a week so Biden could address the nation. The public was amazed at the improvement in POTUS's delivery, though some noted that he didn't move much or use his old gestures when he spoke. Dunham, at first reluctant to take the job, finally relented upon being informed that Achmed the dead terrorist would be given a full presidential pardon  posthumously.

Meanwhile, in the recently seceded state of Florida, the government in exile, led by President Donald Trump and Vice President Ron DeSantis, were preparing to defend their own states. Refusing to succumb to the green initiatives had led to the peninsular state's secession. Trump and DeSantis had declared their independence and had rejected all green energy. Florida had been joined in the new alliance of fossil fueled states by Texas and Oklahoma. Their national guards had retained weapons, which fired real bullets, just like the enemy. "Let's just see them try to invade us," declared a defiant Trump. "We will kick the stuffing out of them. We'll hurt them so bad that even Phony Tony Fauci won't be able to help them."

Fauci, quoted from his prison cell in the Colorado Super-Max facility, said, "As soon as I get out of here, I will infect the enemy with one of my leftover viruses. They won't know what hit them. And I'm going to give Trump a dose, too."

At that point, my alarm went off, and I awoke to a world where Biden is still president, and the war is being fought in Ukraine. Maybe Jeff Dunham really could be brought in to improve Biden's delivery. I'll keep looking for an Achmed pardon in the news. Meanwhile, I hope I can continue the dream tomorrow night. It was just getting interesting.

Image via Piqsels.
Maryland Senate Bill 669, a.k.a. the Pregnant Persons Freedom Act of 2022, could effectively allow babies to be left to die for as long as the first 28 days after birth, according to analysis from a pro-life attorney. Senator William Smith, a Democrat, sponsored the repulsive legislation, which is slated to have a hearing on March 15.

American Center for Law and Justice attorney Olivia Summers stated in her analysis of the bill that it proposes a revision of the fetal murder/manslaughter statute that would serve to handcuff the investigation of infant deaths unrelated to abortion. This is due to the fact that the legislation would prohibit investigations and criminal prosecutions for women and medical professionals for a failure to act in relation to a perinatal death.

Summers added, In other words, a baby born alive and well could be abandoned and left to starve or freeze to death, and nothing could be done to punish those who participated in that cruel death.

Disposable?

She noted that the bills language is unclear, allowing for the possibility that the law could be interpreted to prevent investigations into the death of infants at least seven days AFTER their birth and may extend to infants as old as four weeks!

Whereas The Maryland Code does not define perinatal, a law passed in 2020 defines perinatal care as the provision of care during pregnancy, labor, delivery, and postpartum and neonatal periods.

A definition on MedicineNet, a website owned by WebMD, defines it as the 20th to 28th week of gestation to 1 to 4 weeks after birth. And the Merriam-Webster definition of neonatal is: of, relating to, or affecting the newborn and especially the human infant during the first month after birth. The first month after birth.

This proposed bill is not only revolting and inhuman, but entirely unnecessary. According to the Maryland Department of Human Resources: Under the [states] Safe Haven law, a distressed parent who is unable or unwilling to care for their infant can safely give up custody of their baby, no questions asked. Newborns can be left at hospitals or law enforcement stations.

Nah. Lets just let them die, alone and unwanted. Seems like a better option.

It has never been clearer that the terms pro-choice and abortion advocates are really euphemisms for infanticide supporters and holocaust proponents. The Pregnant Persons Freedom Act of 2022 is such an abhorrent moniker that it defies description. Its preposterous insinuation that it is not just females who can get pregnant pales in comparison to its vilely implied assertion that abortion equals freedom.

Leftists claim those seeking real freedom from government tyrannysuch as those comprising the Canadian truckers Freedom Convoyare terrorists, but that those wishing to exterminate innocent young human beings for their own convenience are freedom fighters.

This is nothing short of a crime against humanity. And sanity.

Democrats are always pushing to broaden the scope of legal abortion. First trimester? Check. Second trimester? Check. Into the third trimester? You bet. Up until the moment of birth? Damn straight! Maybe a little after? Yes! 7 days after birth? Hell, yeah! 28 days after the kid was born? Now thats what Im talkin about! Its just after-birth abortion.

28 days? 28 weeks? 28 months? Whats the difference?

In an appeal to their base, Democrats should just blend two of their favorite causes together into one truly progressive bill (666), which would simultaneously raise the age to which children could be aborted and lower the age at which a person could vote. Logically, they should be one and the same. A twofer! Say, maybe, at 6-years-old.

Photo credit: marjohnhorn Pixabay license
If theres one constant with leftists, its that theyre humorless. In 1939s Ninotchka, Greta Garbo played a relentlessly serious Soviet commissar who heads to Paris, where she leaves communism behindand, with that, she laughs. In 2022, leftist humorlessness has extended to censoring one of the funniest men alive, John Cleese. His sin? Pointing out that Blacks are not the only people who have experienced slavery.

John Cleese appeared in Austin, Texas, at the South by Southwest festival. He was on stage participating in a comedy panel with other comics when he pointed out, accurately, that we are currently witnessing cultural competition with the winner emerging as the most oppressed thanks to colonization. The comic, educated at Oxford back in the day when students actually learned things, pointed out that the history of the world is that the strong have dominated the weak:

History is a history of crime. Its a history of people who were stronger beating up people who were weaker and its always been that. Its deeply, deeply distasteful. But to pretend that one lot were worse than another  you do know the British have been slaves twice, right?

At this point, the other comics on the stage, tried desperately to keep Cleese from talking. The 82-year-old comic legend, however, had a riff and he wanted to complete it. Undeterred by their humorless interjections, Cleese continued. The Hollywood Reporter, which believed that something that would have made a perfect Monty Python sketch was super cringey, describes it this way:

[People] get competitive about this business of being oppressed, Cleese said (seemingly unaware he was doing exactly that). We were oppressed, the English, by the Romans for 400 [years], from about 0 to 400. Youre really going back, marveled [Dan] Pasternack. This is getting so uncomfortable, [Ricky] Velez said dryly. [Is this the new] Dave Chappelle special? I dont want to have a struggle competition, [Dulce] Sloan said. I want reparations from Italy, Cleese said drawing shocked gasps.  and then the Normans came over in 1066  they were horrible people from France and they came and colonized us for 30 years  we need reparations there too, Im afraid.

I cant even imagine an audience gasping in horror over whats a damn good joke. Perhaps I like it because I often point out that I too am the descendant of slaves. After all, theres a whole book in the Bible devoted to my ancestors escape from bondage. Personally, I dont have to go back that far for my borrowed victim status. My mother was a slave in a Japanese concentration camp...and never got reparations either. (Rim shot.)

Image: John Cleese, comic genius (edited). YouTube screen grab.

Pasternack then made a joke, which The Hollywood Reporter did not transcribe, about playing the Jew card. (Heres an older post of mine about the incredible self-loathing that characterizes Americas modern Jewish comics.) When Cleese would have responded (and the story doesnt say how), Sloan stood up and confiscated Cleeses microphone (temporarily, at least). She justified it by claiming I saved a comic whose career I respect. She and Cleese hugged later.

I decided to check out the woman who would seize John Cleeses microphone and discovered that shes mildly amusing, incredibly vulgar and, to the extent shes sharing a stage with John Cleese, really is, as she said of herself, an affirmative action hire. That she would grab the microphone of a man so senior to herself and one of the geniuses of modern comedy tells you everything you need to know about her. That Cleese would handle it graciously tells you everything you need to know about him.

The most ridiculous thing about all of this is that Cleese, although a leftist, has made it clear that he has no patience with the world of woke:

John Cleese has criticised the stifling effect of political correctness on creativity  saying there is no such thing as a woke joke. [snip] He told BBC Radio 4s Today programme: PC stuff started out as a good idea which is, Lets not be mean to people. and Im in favour of that despite my age. I think Jesus Christ would have agreed. The main thing is to try to be kind. But that then becomes a sort of indulgence of the most over-sensitive people in your culture, the people who are most easily upset. I dont think we should organise a society around the sensibilities of the most easily upset people because then you have a very neurotic society.

Leftism is a completely puritanical religion, the goal of which is to control people. In fact, its more puritanical than the Puritans themselves were, for it offers no hope to sinners. The concepts of remorse, repentance, and redemption dont exist. Transgressors are dispatched instantly and forever. There is no oxygen for comedy in this world.

As a palate cleanser, here are two of my favorite, very politically incorrect, John Cleese moments:
After cackling her way through Europe and embarassing America on its most critical international challenge since World War II, Kamala Harris is back home to give a pep talk to her fellow Democrats:

Vice President Kamala Harris told Democrats at the party's winter meeting on Saturday that the winning midterm message is to "remind" voters that they got what they voted for.



"I know, and I believe we know, when we show what we have accomplished just in a year, and when we show it as because the American people voted, I believe we will meet the moment again," Harris said on Saturday at the Washington Hilton. "But that is our task. Our task is to show people that, in many ways, they got what they ordered. Right?"



"They said this is what they wanted," the Vice President continued. "They stood in line. They took time from work. It was difficult. And a lot of what they demanded, they got."



"So lets get out there, as we do, and remind them of that. Because we know that they will show up again," Harris said.

Got what they ordered? Only if making America a global laughingstock by foisting her onto wartime Europe was somehow the voters' idea.

Harris burst into cackling when asked by a reporter about accepting Ukrainian refugees. She suggested that Ukraine was part of NATO. She stared blankly when asked about high prices at the pump, a garrulous person with no answer to the most pressing issue Americans face right now.

Here's how SkyNews characterized her gaffe-tastic jaunt across Europe:

The cackling nincompoop Kamala Harris has cemented her place in United States history as the worst vice president after her performance this week, Sky News host @RitaPanahi says.https://t.co/Ly1HhRCiAR  Sky News Australia (@SkyNewsAust) March 13, 2022

Tim Blair, of the memorable "head-tilt" fame, also an Australian, described her as "the Californian Cackler." You can't beat Blair for coming up with an observant nickname.

California Cacklers Bucharest Bungle https://t.co/3NM85QYeio  Robot Tim Blair (@RobotTimBlair) March 13, 2022

In Ukraine, the locals weren't impressed, either -- there was this news item from a few days ago -- here's a Hannity screen grab:

It all has a basis, and these examples were far from the only ones that demonstrated that Harris not ready for prime time. Washington Post #neverTrump columnist Kathleen Parker once made a big deal about Sarah Palin being "not ready" for the national political stage. Parker's still obsessed with Palin, actually, having written a hostile column about her about a month ago. But speaking of "not ready." Now here's someone who's really not ready for either the national let alone international stage by any sane measure. Parker, of course, is curiously silent. She's an emblem of why Harris gets away with it, which is press complicity. It doesn't work so well on the international stage.

Kamala meanwhile, has created an ad for the Republicans in her self-deluded claims that voters got what they ordered with her. Let's see about that.

Image: YouTube screen shot
At a Tony Robbins seminar I attended many years ago, a lady in the audience told Tony she had trust issues, she couldnt trust anyone. This, of course, kept her from ever feeling content or happy. Mr. Robbins responded that the woman was fully capable of trusting, she simply needed to work on growing that capacity.

Every time you drive, Tony told her, You trust that complete strangers driving in the opposite direction wont cross the center line and kill you. Mr. Robbins further elaborated on this theme, and by the time he finished, the woman in question wore a smile and allowed that, in time, she was fully capable of becoming a trusting and happy person. My thought at the time was, thank God, theres lots of people and institutions I trust and believe in.

Fast forward to today, and I now ask myself, almost hourly, whom can I trust?

Certainly not the media. Regarding the vast majority of talking heads I see on TV or in videos, if their lips are moving, theyre lying---or misdirecting, mischaracterizing, or simply omitting things that actually happened. After watching a CNN hack proclaiming a BLM riot was mostly peaceful as a building burned brightly in the background, I now assume everything the mainstream media tells me is a lie until proven otherwise. See scam, Russia Collusion.

I was raised Catholic, and while I still believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ, Ive no use for the Catholic Church. Worldwide, the Church has spent almost four billion dollars compensating or muzzling victims of pedophile priests. Meanwhile, our socialist Pope spends his time decrying capitalism, guns and walls, all while enjoying the finest food, drink, and armed security behind the high walls of the Vatican. Surely Jesus weeps.

For most of my life, I trusted and respected police. Not anymore. Watch video of cops standing around idly as BLM-ers blocked traffic, burned buildings, looted stores and assaulted innocents. Then compare that to the Capitol police brutally beating peaceful protestors on Jan. 6, 2021, even going so far as shooting and killing an unarmed woman, and to date, getting away with it. Equal application of the law is now nothing but a sick joke.

And when it comes to law enforcement, I always considered the FBI to be the best of the best. But now, after discovering that the FBI ran a coup against the best president in my lifetime, not to mention their involvement in staging the abduction of Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer and the Jan. 6 insurrection, I consider them an enemy of the people. Hopefully, I wont be the subject of a heavily-armed, pre-dawn raid for saying that.

At present, our court system is no better than our law enforcement. Folks carrying no weapons who wandered in and around the Capitol building on Jan. 6, are being demonized, denied bail, denied their right to a speedy trial, and receiving draconian multi-year sentences merely for trespassing. Meanwhile, Jussie Smollett tried hard to start a major race riot in Chicago, and received only 150 days in the pokey for his trouble. Seems Lady Justice is not only blind, shes also deaf and dumb.

Of course, we all trust the medical profession, right? Well, I dont, not after the COVID-19 public health fiasco. Why were untested, highly ineffective and potentially dangerous vaccines jammed down the throats of trusting Americans? Why, after two years, have no reasonable therapeutics been developed and promoted to treat COVID-19 patients? How much did Dr. Faucis considerable bank accounts grow as he ran this tyrannical scam? Ive got lots of questions about why more Americans died from COVID-19 after the vaccines were available than before they existed, but I doubt Ill get any answers.

And how about U.S. educators who used the COVID-19 crisis to close schools unnecessarily while pretending that kids could learn remotely and masks dont damage their pupils psyches? Teachers as a whole have also embraced teaching Critical Race nonsense and bizarre gender constructs to their young, impressionable charges. Meanwhile, Johnny cant read and Suzy cant add or subtract. There simply arent enough Tony Robbins seminars for me to ever trust teachers again.

As we potentially face WW III, do I have any faith in our diplomats, idiots like Tony Blinken and Kamala Harris, who were so pathetic on the world stage that they probably hastened Russias invasion of Ukraine? No.

How bout our military, led by the equally paunchy and woke Gen. Mark Milley? That would be the same Gen. Milley who purposely undermined his commander-in-chief, President Trump, and then promised China he would warn them in advance of any Trump military actions against the fine folks who gave us the Wuhan Flu. I have zero confidence in the military leaders who responded to a terrorist attack in Kabul that killed thirteen U.S. service members by droning an innocent Afghan aid worker and his family, including seven children. Zero.

My screed would not be complete without mentioning our current commander-in-chief, the helpless, hapless, witless Joe Biden. Forget the long list of failures hes produced in only his first year in office, and ask yourself this.

Would you trust Joe Biden to babysit your child?

Would you let him walk your dog?

Would you allow him to fix your toilet or paint a closet?

Of course not!

Hes frail, senile and incompetent, not to mention dumb as a rock and corrupt as a Clinton. Folks, if Joe Bidens all that stands between us and nuclear winter, wed better start building our fallout shelters, assuming anyone has any building materials in stock.

Despite the efforts of the estimable Tony Robbins, I can now count the number of people I trust implicitly on my fingers, and maybe have a pinky left over. The trust I formerly had in the Catholic Church, the media, police, FBI, the courts, doctors, teachers, diplomats, generals, and the White House, turned out to be merely a mirage, a pleasant, comforting dream to help me cope with reality. But now that Ive awakened from that dream, I realize that the world is, and always has been, a very scary, precarious place.

And based on the way people have been driving since the COVID-19 shutdown, I no longer trust the complete strangers driving in the opposite lane to stay there. Call it paranoia, but I could swear some of them are trying to kill me!

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Hailey Bieber is sharing her experience after doctors discovered a blood clot in her brain.

The model, 25, who is married to Justin Bieber, 28, took to her Instagram Story on Saturday, March 12 to detail the health scare, writing, On Thursday morning, I was sitting at breakfast with my husband when I started having stroke-like symptoms and was taken to the hospital. They found I had suffered a very small blood clot in my brain, which caused a small lack of oxygen, but my body had passed it on its own and I recovered completely within a few hours.

She called the experience one of the scariest moments she had ever been through, but said that she is home now and doing well.

Im so grateful and thankful to all the amazing doctors and nurses who took care of me, she continued. Thank you to everyone who has reached out with well wishes and concern, and for all the support and love.

Hailey Bieber shared she is recovering after doctors discovered a small blood clot in her brain. (Photo: Michael Tran / AFP) (Photo by MICHAEL TRAN/AFP via Getty Images)

While Justin did not specifically post about his wifes recent health scare, he did post an Instagram photo of her on the day of her hospitalization for International Womens Day, writing in the caption, Everyday is womens day. love u hails and mom.

Bieber recently opened up to The Wall Street Journal about feeling pressure to move forward with her family life now that she and Justin, who she wed in a courthouse ceremony in 2018 before having a larger celebration the following year, are settled into married life.

Theres this thing that happens for women when you get married, she explained. Everybody always assumes its: First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes the baby. Well, what about all the things I want to accomplish in my business? I think I had it ingrained in my head that I was going to want to have kids right away and I was going to want to have kids super, super young. Then I turned 25 and Im like, Im still super, super young!
Joe Biden got heat for rejecting a deal for Polish jets because of serious threats from the Kremlin sending forces headlong to free Donbas and Lugansk. He was called timid for succumbing to escalation from Russia if NATO placed boots on the ground. But, arming the Ukrainians with portable weapons given by the US and NATO has only made problems worse in the conflict.

Biden Vetoes Plan To Send MiGs to Ukraine

According to a source, the US had a plan to arm the Ukrainians with MiG-29s from Poland stationed in an American airbase located in Germany, reported Express UK.

President Biden is under fire from the Republicans who thought he shouldn't have stopped the 'rent-a-MiG' plan, adding that Putin scares him a lot.

This was a chance for Kyiv to face off in old cold war era jets against modern Russian fighters as better than nothing. The said jets were based in Ramstein, Germany.

Out of 50 Senate GOP members, about 40 endorsed a letter to continue the deal with Poland, noted the Telegraph.

Biden thinks it would worsen and escalate the events already happening in Ukraine, and sending the jets won't make a difference in the outcome.

GOP senator Mitt Romney stated that the US is seen as afraid of the Kremlin. Instead, Putin should be the one worried about what could be done by his opponents, cited The New York Times Post.

He added that the Russians are not having an easy time in Ukraine getting bogged down, as their troops do not have enough food running out of gas, which makes them vulnerable. But Joe Biden is still under fire for the Polish jets that never came.

Read Also: Joe Biden Net Worth 2022: How Wealthy Is the 46th President of the United States?

The senator stressed that the Moscow show is worried about what can be done by NATO forces. According to another GOP senator, Tom Cotton from Arkansas, the planes would make a difference despite the escalation. Furthermore, the intelligence says these planes will not cause escalation there.

Both are for bolstering the Ukrainians, which is not acceptable to NATO considers going all the way for Kyiv as out of the picture. The fast track has been slammed and changing the tone of the conflict. It is sad to see the commander in chief put down quickly whenever Putin says 'boo.' Cotton expressed dismay that the Russian president keeps on intimidating the White House, adding they are looking weak.

Poland Would Not Send Fighter Jets

US defense department officials are dismayed by the answer of the Polish government that made the administration look bad by prematurely announcing a claim not verified.

The defense department spokesperson John Kirby said the proposal had a concern and was not unworkable, pointing to Warsaw's alleged jet proposal.

Eurasian Times reported that Poland refused to send jets but would aid refugees. Much to the dismay of the US Department of Defence when the Poles stated the alleged offer to the US was not legitimate. Warsaw releases their opinion that the claim of the US administration that they provide MiG-29s that would fly to Germany is genuine because it's not okay with NATO.

Polish officials said how the US could make a claim when an offer was never made. The US got caught unprepared because of the miscommunication of Biden's Department of Defense. Other than that, Biden is caught up by the Polish jets' issue, but the late application of sanctions hurt the US, as he does not comprehend the EU will not risk a war on behalf of Washington.

Related article: Poland Berates Reports of Sending MiG-29 Fighters to Ukraine; Says Claims Provokes War Despite EU Hesitation

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William Hurt, who became a top leading man in the 1980s, winning an Oscar for 1985s Kiss of the Spider Woman and starring in The Big Chill and Body Heat, died Sunday of natural causes. He was 71. Hurts death was confirmed to Variety by his friend, Gerry Byrne.

His son Will said in a statement, It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday. He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.

Hurt was nominated for four Oscars over the course of his long career, scoring two best actor nominations for Broadcast News and Children of a Lesser God and a supporting actor nod for less than 10 minutes of screen time in A History of Violence. He was one of the most heralded performers of the 1980s, becoming something of a cerebral sex symbol and a reluctant, albeit bankable, movie star. Hurt later transitioned into character roles in the 1990s and successfully alternated between big screen projects and television, scoring Emmy nominations for his work as a whistleblower in Damages and his portrayal of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in Too Big to Fail.

More recently, Hurt became well known to a younger generation of movie lovers with his portrayal of the no-nonsense General Thaddeus Ross in 2008s The Incredible Hulk. He later reprised the role in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.

Hurt was born March 20, 1950 in Washington, D.C. His mother, Claire Isabel, worked at Time Inc., and his father Alfred Hurt (19101996), was a career bureaucrat, working for the United States Agency for International Development and the State Department. His parents separated when he was 6 years old, and his mother remarried Henry Luce III, the son of Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce.

Raised in relative privilege, Hurt went on to attend Tufts University, where he studied theology, before moving to Juilliard to study acting. After appearing on stage, Hurt secured a lead role in Altered States, playing a troubled scientist in Ken Russells offbeat film, a notable entry in the body horror genre. But a year later, Hurt achieved a new level of prominence, appearing opposite Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, a steamy noir that updated the kind of treachery and double-crossing seen in the likes of The Big Sleep and Double Indemnity with a bracing sexuality. It transformed both performers, who positively ignited on screen, into major stars. Hurt followed that with another lead role in Gorky Park and was part of the ensemble of The Big Chill, a drama about a group of friends reuniting that became a touchstone for the baby boomer generation.

That was all a lead up to one of the most stunning periods of dominance ever enjoyed by a movie star. From 1986 to 1988, Hurt was nominated for three consecutive best actor Oscars, winning for his portrayal of a gay window dresser in Hector Babencos The Kiss of the Spider Woman. Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun Times, praised Hurts work, crediting him with creating a character utterly unlike anyone else he has ever played  a frankly theatrical character, exaggerated and mannered  and yet he never seems to be reaching for effects. His Oscar-nominated work in Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News, playing a teacher at a school for the deaf and an affable, slightly dim-witted newsman, showcased his range. The commercial and critical success of those films rocketed Hurt to the A-list, but he didnt seem to relish the celebrity.

Its not right that my privacy is invaded to the extent that it is, Hurt told the New York Times during a 1989 interview. Im a very private man, and I have the right to be. I never said that because I was an actor you can have my privacy, you can steal my soul. You cant.

Perhaps it was that aversion to notoriety that led Hurt to turn some major movies over the course of his career, with the actor passing on opportunities to star in the likes of Jurassic Park and Misery. His time in the spotlight also coincided with a period of personal trouble for the actor, one in which he struggled with drugs and alcohol.

I was utterly miserable and, finally, I had been miserable enough, long enough, and I said, Im finished, I cant hack it, cant do it,' Hurt told the Washington Post in 1989, remembering the time before he went to rehab.

A relationship with Marlee Matlin, his co-star in Children of a Lesser God, was troubled. Matlin later wrote in a memoir that Hurt was emotionally and physically abusive to her. In a statement at the time, Hurt, through a spokesperson, said: My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives. Of course, I did and do apologize for any pain I caused. And I know we have both grown. I wish Marlee and her family nothing but good.

The 1990s proved to be a less fruitful time for Hurt professionally. He earned raves for his work in The Doctor as an arrogant surgeon who undergoes a change-of-heart after experiencing health struggles, but other films such as Second Chances and Until the End of the World failed to generate much attention. A rare attempt at popcorn entertainment with 1998s big-screen adaptation of Lost in Space was a modest hit, but didnt earn enough money to spawn a franchise and Hurt looked miserable throughout the movie.

He also appeared in the TV mini-series version of Dune, in Steven Spielbergs A.I. Artificial Intelligence and in M. Night Shyamalans The Village.

As the aughts dawned, Hurt, his blonde hair thinning, seemed to settle into life in supporting roles, scoring scenery stealing turns as an urbane spy in The Good Shepherd, a demanding father in Into the Wild, and, most memorably, as a sinister mob boss in A History of Violence. His role in the latter film, in which he admits to his hit man brother that when mom brought you home from the hospital, I tried to strangle you in your crib, was a master class is doing a lot with a little bit of screen time.

Hurt was married to the actress Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982 and was married to Heidi Henderson from 1989 to 1991.

Launch Gallery: William Hurt's Life and Career in Photos

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Jane Campion arrives Saturday at the 2022 Directors Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills. (Jordan Strauss / Invision/AP)

"The Power of the Dog" writer and director Jane Campion has responded to actor Sam Elliott's derogatory comments about her Oscar-nominated western drama.

In a red-carpet interview with Variety at Saturday's Directors Guild of America Awards, Campion rejected Elliott's scathing take on the acclaimed Netflix film. Then she won the top prize at the Beverly Hills ceremony for her work on "The Power of the Dog."

"I think Sam ... he was being a little bit of a b," Campion said.

"I'm sorry to say it, but he's not a cowboy. He's an actor. And the West is a mythic space, and there's a lot of room on the range."

Elliott  who made a name for himself acting in westerns  drew sharp criticism earlier this month for complaining about "The Power of the Dog" and its "allusions to homosexuality" on comic Marc Maron's podcast.

He also doubted Oscar-winning writer and twice-Oscar-nominated director Campion's authority over the genre, asking, "What the f does this woman from [New Zealand] know about the American West" and "Why in the f did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana?"

"I think it's a little bit sexist ... if you think about the number of amazing westerns that were made in Spain by Sergio Leone," Campion told Variety.

"I consider myself a creator. And I think he sees me as a woman or something less, at first, and I don't appreciate that."

Campion isn't the first person from "Power of the Dog" to challenge Elliott's statements about the movie, which is nominated for 12 Oscars  more than any other title this year  including director and best picture.

Without naming names, Benedict Cumberbatch  who stars as proud rancher Phil Burbank in "The Power of the Dog"  called Elliott's stance on the film "very odd" during a BAFTA Film Sessions interview last week.

After Elliott dismissively likened the cowboys in "The Power of the Dog" to Chippendales dancers, Cumberbatch condemned the performer's denial that anybody could have anything other than a heteronormative existence because of what they do for a living or where theyre born.

He also denounced a massive intolerance within the world at large towards homosexuality still, towards an acceptance of the other, of any kind of difference, and no more so than in this prism of conformity in the sense of what is expected in a man in the sort of western-archetype mold of masculinity.

Representatives for Elliott did not immediately respond Sunday to a request for comment.

Im here because I care about women having voices," Campion said Saturday during her DGA acceptance speech, according to the New York Times, "and Im so excited about the next generation of filmmakers."

In addition to Campion's victory for "The Power of the Dog," Maggie Gyllenhaal of "The Lost Daughter" received the DGA award for first-time feature film, while Mark Mylod ("Succession"), Lucia Aniello ("Hacks") and Barry Jenkins ("The Underground Railroad") claimed the top TV prizes.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Nicolas Cage and Pedro Pascal, from "The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent," pose for a portrait at the L.A. Times Photo Studio at SXSW on Saturday in Austin, Texas. (Jay L. Clendenin/Los Angeles Times)

Nicolas Cage brought his own distinct brand of movie stardom to the Paramount Theatre on Saturday night for the world premiere of The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which Cage plays a movie star named Nick Cage.

Its a movie with everything fans love about the screen persona of Nicolas Cage  absurdly funny, earnestly sincere, a bit out there and a lot of fun.

In the film, Cage plays an aging movie star, grown distant from his ex-wife (Sharon Horgan) and teenage daughter (Lily Sheen) and who would like to retire if he didnt have massive debts such as the $600,000 bill from the hotel he has lived in for a year. He often has conversations with his younger alter ego, known as Nicky, who brings out his vanity, ego and worst impulses. Cage begrudgingly accepts an offer to attend the birthday party of an olive grove magnate named Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal) in Majorca, Spain, for $1 million.

Cage is soon enlisted by two U.S. government agents (Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz) who say the affable Javi is actually a dangerous international arms dealer and they need the actors help to save a kidnapped politicians daughter. As an excuse to stay at Javis fortress compound, Cage agrees to collaborate on a screenplay idea and it becomes more evident, particularly after the two take LSD together, that the movie itself is the script they are writing.

The movie is filled with references to Cages prodigious filmography, from The Rock, Leaving Las Vegas and Face/Off to Captain Corellis Mandolin, Guarding Tess, Mandy and The Wicker Man. There are also references to lots of other films, including The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Paddington 2.

After the film, director and co-writerTom Gormican was joined onstage by co-writer Kevin Etten, plus actors Jacob Scipio, Alessandra Mastronardi and Sheen. (Sheen makes her grown acting debut with the film and her mother, actor Kate Beckinsale, was in the audience.) Pascal and Cage also joined, each stepping onstage to wild applause.

Gormican admitted that he had never met Cage before the project and said of its origins, We just started writing it, its a colossally stupid decision that worked out nicely.

Cage said when he was first told of the idea, his initial response was, No, I am not doing that. But after a letter from Gormican, Cage said, I realized he wasnt trying to do like an Andy Samberg SNL sketch mocking whatever so-called Nic Cage is, but that he actually was interested in some of the earlier work and wanted to showcase that and brought some in  the references to gold guns and some of the other movies. So I thought, okay well this guy is serious and hes intelligent. So I wanted to do it."

Adding another layer to the evening, a number of times during the Q&A, Gormican would recall something Cage said, doing an impression of the actor in front of him. Cage seemed unphased.

Pascal also declared himself a huge fan of Cage, much as his character is in the movie, saying that in his conversations with Gormican and Etten, I knew more about Nicolas Cage movies than they did. He also noted how he and Cage would trade off horror film recommendations for each other.

During audience questions, a fan presented Cage with a single rose, which he held onto for the rest of the night, gesturing with it, sniffing at it, considering it, adding an unexpected lyrical quality to many of his responses.

One of the main reasons why I wanted to make this movie  and there was a little more of this character in some of the earlier cuts  was I loved the Nicky character. I named him Nicky. Originally it was just young Nick Cage and I saw an old interview I did in England on the Wogan show, where I was literally front hand-springing, I was promoting Wild at Heart, front hand-springing, doing karate kicks, throwing money out into the audience and I thought, Well, that guy is a really obnoxious arrogant madman, I think he needs to be in this movie.

That was Nic, thats Nic in 1990. Im so glad Im nothing like that person anymore, he added. (Adding to the slippage or confusion between what's real and what's onscreen, the character of Nicky is credited to Nicolas Kim Coppola, Cage's birth name.)

Cage received strong reviews for his performance last year in the drama Pig, and he added, As you hopefully may have noticed, Ive been trying to get back into my dramatic roots and back into independent films, which is my base, Im always going to go back to that. And I was thinking a lot about Tony Curtis, how Tony Curtis could play the Boston Strangler and then he could be in movies like Sweet Smell of Success and Some Like It Hot and Id think, well, that guy has range, lets get back to some comedy, lets flex a little bit and do the comedy and the drama. So thankfully Kevin and Tom allowed me to do that with this.

Cage also said the moment when Nick Cage kisses his younger alter ego was his idea. As Gormican added, its the thing you only get with Nic; he comes to you and says, Tom, Id like to French kiss myself.

It was so symbolic of what was happening, explained Cage. Im actually making a movie about two versions of myself, what am I doing? Its like making out with yourself in the weirdest way. So we might as well do that symbolically and have them kiss each other.

Cage also referenced a line of Jeremy Irons in Reversal of Fortune  You have no idea  as to what it was like playing a version of himself written by someone else.

It was a high-wire, it was terrifying, no muscle in my body told me to play any version of myself in a movie, and because it scared the crap out of me I knew I had to do it, Cage said.

As the Q&A wrapped up, the festivals Janet Pierson presented Cage with an outsized belt buckle in recognition of 40 years of massive talent.

Im gonna wear this, Cage said. Im gonna wear it to dinner, Im gonna wear it at the grocery store, Im gonna wear it at 7-Eleven. And this is going to encourage me to keep trying to surprise you and entertain you.

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Ukraine's capital of Kyiv prepares for all-out war as Russian invaders bombard its neighboring cities.

Continued Russian attacks on the cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mariupol, and Sumy prompted the air raid sirens sounding majority of Ukraine's territories on Saturday. Among the victims of the heavy attacks by the Russian military was an iconic mosque in Mariupol, a port city. As per Al Jazeera,

Ukrainian forces reported that around 80 civilians, mostly Turkish citizens, hid in the sacred structure that the Russian military had shelled. The battle between military troops also happened downtown, with explosions occurring almost simultaneously. According to the mayor's office, since the start of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, more than 1,500 people have been killed in Mariupol. Burying the dead has been a great challenge for the authorities and families due to continued attacks halting the procedures.

Humanitarian organizations also report that attempts to deliver relief goods and basic needs for the 430,000 stuck civilians have been blocked. According to a Ukrainian official, Russian soldiers ransacked a humanitarian convoy attempting to enter Mariupol and halted another. Russian forces reportedly stormed Mariupol's eastern suburbs, intensifying their siege of the important port, according to Ukraine's military.

Taking Mariupol and other Azov Sea ports could allow Russia to open a land corridor to Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014, per ABC News.

Russia's New Stage of Terror

The dire situation in the city neighboring Kyiv brought by Russia's aggression was described by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy as "a new stage of terror." Images captured by a satellite of Maxar showed fires and extensive damage to infrastructure and houses. Zelensky said in a video message that Russians are bombing Mariupol "24 hours a day, launching missiles."

"It is hatred. They kill children," the Ukrainian President said during a video address.

Once again, Zelenskyy condemned NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine had sought ways to procure air defense assets. United States President Joe Biden earlier declared an additional $200 million in aid to bolster Ukraine's defenses, with an additional $13 billion included in a bill already approved by the House. The legislation is expected to be passed by the Senate in the upcoming days.

However, NATO has noted before that implementing a no-fly zone over Ukraine could further complicate the ongoing war.

Meanwhile, risks of direct conflict between Moscow and NATO heightened as Russia issued a warning to the US that it would launch an attack on weapons shipments to Ukraine, according to CNN.

Read Also: WHO Urges Ukraine To Destroy Pathogens in Health Labs Amid Concerns of Russia's Bioweapons

On-Going War Continue To Displace Civilians

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has entered its third week with thousands of civilians fleeing from the war zone as fighting intensify as Russian President Vladimir Putin shows no indication of pursuing peace, according to France.

Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said some 13,000 people were evacuated from various Ukrainian cities on Saturday, nearly double the number who were able to leave the day before. In an online statement, Vereshchuk said that no one had been able to leave the besieged city of Mariupol, blaming Russian soldiers for the blockade. Moscow had previously accused the Ukrainian military of trapping people there on purpose.

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 New York City politics, three months can make a world of difference.

In a little less than that span, weve gone from seeing a focus on getting New Yorkers vaccinated for COVID-19 to one where were now largely preoccupied with establishing a new, post-pandemic normal  one where kids dont have to wear masks in public school classrooms and restaurant patrons arent required to show proof of vaccinination to sit for a meal.

Like it or not, you can thank the citys new mayor, Eric Adams, for that.

New York City Mayor Eric Adams





New York City Mayor Eric Adams (Ed Reed/Mayoral Photography Office/)

The change in tone from de Blasio to Adams is not exactly night and day, but theres certainly a marked difference.

Whereas de Blasio held COVID press briefings regularly and remotely  most days at 10 a.m.  Adams has abandoned that approach, instead opting to take long rambling tours in places like the East Village and Brighton Beach, fielding questions, riding a skateboard and vowing to get his nose pierced as he goes.

And while Adams has emphasized the importance of getting vaccinated along the way, that is not the primary message hes trying to convey.

Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio





Former New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (Wilfredo Lee/)

We have to open up, he said just a few days into his new term. We spent $11 trillion on COVID. We dont have another $11 trillion. Every variant cant be another $11 trillion. Its time to open up and feed our ecosystem, our financial ecosystems. Thats what I am telling my employees.

Its not just employees hes conveyed that message to, though  hes making it clear to pretty much anyone who will listen. And many New Yorkers are all ears.

Part of the reason for this is that vaccine rates  thanks in large part to de Blasio  are high in the city, and with the omicron variant now on the wane, new cases are low.

But there are also politics to consider.

Adams base is much more working class than de Blasios was. His base is not as highly educated as de Blasios was. Its much harder for Adams to get his base to make sacrifices. And given his connection to the business community, he finds it easier to relax restrictions, said Ken Sherrill, professor emeritus of political science at Hunter College. Its not just a matter of what the rate of infections are, its also a matter of how they view themselves as leaders and what the political pressures on them are.

In many ways, Adams is the beneficiary of the difficult decisions de Blasio was forced to make at the height of the pandemic. Mask mandates in public buildings. Vaccination mandates for city workers. Vaccination requirements to get into restaurants, bars and gyms.

All of these moves were fraught politically, but de Blasio, who was term-limited out of running for mayor again, ultimately made them happen.

Since taking over in January, Adams has rolled back the requirement that kids wear masks in class as well as Key2NYC, which required patrons of restaurants and other private businesses to provide proof of vaccination. But he has kept the vaccine mandate for city workers in place and hes suggested hes still mulling the possibility of instituting a vaccine mandate for public school students.

Some have expressed concerns with the change in tone and worry that its risky, given the possibly of other variants emerging. But others have embraced it and believe its necessary to both jumpstart an ailing economy and heal a traumatized city.

Im worried that as far as the public messaging that we should be prepared goes, its being diluted by the message that we should make the city fun again, said Dr. Jay Varma, one of de Blasios top health policy advisers.

Dr. Jay Varma, former top medical advisor to Mayor de Blasio.





Dr. Jay Varma, former top medical advisor to Mayor de Blasio. (Jeff Bachner/)

Varma has publicly opposed Adams lifting of the Key2NYC requirements, arguing that they offer protections that dont pose an undue burden to the general public.

What I disagree with is taking away a layer of protection which I dont see as burdensome in any way, he said. I dont think they give people a negative impression of the future either.

Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, which represents business leaders in the city, has a different perspective. She said Adams messaging needs to be clear  and that it is.

Kathryn Wylde of the Partnership for New York City.





Kathryn Wylde of the Partnership for New York City. (Mark Bonifacio/New York Daily News/)

Eric recognizes that New Yorkers are exhausted with COVID at this point and we have to look forward, she said. Weve got to move forward. The disease will be with us, but we shouldnt be fixated on it. I think thats very important for everyones mental health. We need positivity.
Polands president has called on the rest of Europe to open its borders in response to the Ukrainian refugee crisis.

Andrzej Duda told BBCs Sunday Morning programme that his country could end up taking in up to 2.5 million Ukrainians.

About 1.5 million people are thought to have fled to Poland since Russias invasion began.

President Duda requested that other European countries open their borders to what he called the worst refugee crisis on the continent since the Second World War.

Volunteers prepare to load a van with donations for Ukrainian refugees which will be driven from the Lewisham Polish Centre in south London to Poland (Rick Findler/PA)

It is the biggest crisis since the Second World War, definitely, he said.

I would request that the borders are opened and refugees are accepted.

He added that he is deeply grateful to the Polish people.

I am really deeply grateful to my compatriots because what they have shown so far, Im talking about ordinary people, they come to our borders with transport saying Ill take four people, I will take a whole family to my home, he said.

Just imagine that 1.5 million refugees have crossed the Polish border and we have not built even a single refugee camp because all of them have been accepted in private houses, in hotels, in guest houses, in motels, and in resorts.

Jackie Crawford (left) and Amanda Findlay pack items into boxes at Glasgow Forge Shopping Centre to send to refugees fleeing the conflict in Ukraine (Andrew Milligan/PA)

However, he warned that up to five million refugees could end up fleeing Ukraine.

According to experts, in an extreme situation it could be up to five million people, he said.

Of course we are not the only country who is receiving them because Romania, which shares a border with Ukraine, is also getting refugees. Hungary has a border with Ukraine.

More than half of all refugees who have left Ukraine are in Poland. So, if there are five million, just imagine that we get 2.5 million.

It came as Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove announced the new Homes for Ukraine programme, which will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to bring people escaping the war to safety  even if they have no ties to the UK.

So far more than 3,000 visas have been issued to Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK

Britons offering accommodation to people fleeing Ukraine through the new route will receive a thank you payment of 350 per month.

Sponsored Ukrainians will be granted three years leave to remain in the UK, with entitlement to work and access public services.
The land in Sandy Springs between Dunwoody and the Chattahoochee River has at one time or another been part of Henry County, DeKalb County, Milton County, and now Fulton County.

DeKalb County was created from portions of Henry, Fayette and Gwinnett counties in 1822. Fulton County was established in 1853, however the land between the Chattahoochee River and Dunwoody Club Drive (then known as Martins Ferry Road) remained in DeKalb County.

In 1857, the area north of the Chattahoochee River, which included Alpharetta, became Milton County. DeKalb County gave the strip of land south of the river and known as Grogans District to Milton County in 1859. The 1860 census confirms that families such as the DeLongs, who lived along present-day Spalding Drive, resided in Grogans District of Milton County.

Local historian Jim Perkins speculated why the strip of land became part of Fulton County in 1926 rather than returning to DeKalb County. He believed, It was virtually a wilderness, unsuitable for farming due to the rough terrain. It was also a long way from Decatur over dirt roads mostly. Flooding along the Chattahoochee River was common before Buford Dam was built in 1957. (The Writings of Jim Perkins, by Jim Perkins and compiled by Bill Drury)

A notice in the January 26, 1926, Atlanta Constitution outlined the intention to apply for a change in the county line between Fulton and Milton counties, including the whole of Grogans District in Milton County, Georgia and containing approximately 6,000 acres.

On Oct. 14, 1931, Fulton County voted on a potential merger with the remainder of Milton County. The General Assembly had already approved the merger and the citizens of Milton County had already cast their votes in favor.

The following day, the Atlanta Constitution headline read Fulton-Milton Union Approved 1,939 to 1,078 Merger of 3 Counties Effective January 1. The third county was Campbell County, which also became part of Fulton County by vote.

Once Milton and Fulton counties merged, the Cobb County town of Roswell also became part of Fulton County, connecting the upper and lower sections of Fulton. All that was necessary was for the grand juries of Cobb and Fulton to be in favor.

To review, the area that was once considered by many to be part of Dunwoody and is now often referred to as the Sandy Springs corridor was in the counties of Henry (1821), DeKalb (1822), Milton (1859), and Fulton (1926).
Two employees of the Museum of Modern Art in New York were rushed to the hospital after getting stabbed by an attacker who was a former member of the museum in the heart of midtown Manhattan.

Investigators of the NYPD have identified the suspect in the attack of two women employees: a 60-year-old man whose membership got revoked a day earlier for two recent incidents of disorderly conduct.

According to Reuters' report, the suspect was trying to gain access to see a film screening late on Saturday afternoon in the museum but got denied.

When the man was barred from entry, he jumped over the reception desk out of frustration, and then stabbed two employees-- a woman and a man both 24 years old-- multiple times.One witness saw the attacker stab one employee in the back, the other one in the neck. The security guard came to pick up and threw a huge binder to the attacker.

When the suspect inquired about the security guard's gun, he was still carrying his knife as per The New York Times.

NYPD Deputy Commissioner John Miller has disclosed to the members of the press that the museum has sent to the suspect revoking his membership on Friday. Authorities believe that the attack was not random as the suspect was "known to employees" of the museum. Miller said that the suspect ran away but was caught on camera wearing a black jacket and a blue surgical mask.

As of present writing, the police are pursuing the culprit and have launched an investigation into the incident.

Read Also: Stimulus Checks: Soaring Gas Prices Prompt Americans to Seek for Another Federal Aid, But Expert Warns It Contributes to Inflation

Attack Witnessed by Museum Visitors

On social media, users shared videos showing several people fleeing the museum due to the attack, per ABC News.

The New York Post published photos of the victims being transported outside the museum on gurneys to ambulances.

The City Deputy Editor Alyssa Kats tweeted that she was about to meet friends at the museum when she noticed "people running out."

Went to meet friends at @MuseumModernArt. Greeted with a stampede of people fleeing. Museum being evacuated. pic.twitter.com/vronWvY2Ky  Alyssa Katz (@alykatzz) March 12, 2022

Among the witnesses of the incident was David Dujerko from Chicago, who was inside the museum filled with visitors during a late winter storm the moment the attack occurred.

He said that the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) was suddenly announced as closed and "people started running." There was also panic on escalators and Dujerko heard people shouting to get out of the place "for your safety."

Isolated Incident

Minutes after the stabbing, Fabien Levy, press secretary of Mayor Eric Adams mentioned on Twitter that the mayor was briefed about the incident and mentioned that the attack on MoMA seems to be an "isolated" incident. He also announced that Adams is monitoring the situation.

Authorities also advised the public to refrain from going to the area near West 53rd Street and 6th Avenue, which were closed when the police responded.

MoMA, which opened in 1929, is one of the most popular museums in New York City. It is located on 53rd Street. It houses an evolving collection of almost 200,000 modern and contemporary artworks.

"At The Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1, we celebrate creativity, openness, tolerance, and generosity," its official website reads.

Related Article: IRS Reveals Plan To Address 20 Million Backlogs: Hire 10,000 New Workers

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Mann said the swearing-in ceremony will be held at 12:30 pm on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village Bhagat Sing

New Delhi: Aam Aadmi Partys Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday met the Governor of Punjab, Banwarilal Purohit, to stake claim for government formation in the state. But before taking charge he has already begun work. Mann has ordered the withdrawal of security from 122 former ministers and ex MLA in the state belonging to Congress and Akali Dal saying police is needed to secure people not VIPs. However, security of the Badal family, and former CMs like Captain Amarinder Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi have not been removed given high threat to them.

"On one hand, police stations are lying vacant, while on the other, security has been given to the leaders by setting up tents in front of their houses. We will take the load off the police. The safety of three and a half crore people is more important. We will take only police work from police force, Mann said.

Among those whose security has been withdrawn is Manpreet Singh Badal, former finance minister of Punjab, Raj Kumar Verka, Bharat Bhushan Ashu, Brahm Mohindra, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Randeep Singh Nabha, Ajaib Singh Bhatti, Rana K.P. Singh and Razia Sultana.

Mann, who is set to take oath on March 16, said the entire Punjab is invited in his swearing in. I met the Governor and handed over a letter of support from our MLAs and staked a claim to form the government. He told me to tell him wherever we want to hold the swearing-in ceremony. It will be held at the native village of Bhagat Singh, Khatkar Kalan at 12.30 pm on March 16 We will have a good cabinet, historic decisions -that were never made before - will be made. So, you will have to wait, said Mann after meeting the Governor. He added people from across Punjab will come to the ceremony and also pay tribute to Bhagat Singh.
Ahead of the roadshow, the two leaders visited Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple and Jallianwala Bagh memorial

AAP's Punjab Chief Minister-elect Bhagwant Mann with Delhi CM and party convenor Arvind Kejriwal offers prayer at Golden Temple, in Amritsar. (Photo: PTI)

Amritsar: Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal along with Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann hold a roadshow on Sunday in Amritsar to thank the people of the state for entrusting AAP with a sweeping majority.

Flocking the road with the tricolour and AAP flags in their hand AAP workers and supporters have come out in large numbers to get glimpses of AAP senior leadership.

Ahead of the roadshow, the two leaders visited Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple and Jallianwala Bagh memorial.

"We will take the blessings of Guru Sahib to fulfil the promises we made to the people of Punjab. Our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is coming to Amritsar (for roadshow) today to thank the people," said Mann ahead in the day.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.
Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accompanied him in the open jeep

Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves towards supporters during his road show in Ahmedabad, Saturday, March 12, 2022. (PTI)

Gandhinagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a Gujarat visit, on Saturday held a roadshow in Gandhinagar, his second such event in the state in two days.

The roadshow was conducted between Dehgam town in Gandhinagar district and the Rashtriya Raksha University (RRU) at Lavad village, wherein Modi waved to people standing in large numbers on both sides of the road.

Before the roadshow, Modi had left the Raj Bhavan here in a car and shifted to an open jeep on reaching Dehgam. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel accompanied him in the open jeep.

People thronged to greet the prime minister along the 12-km route of the roadshow. They welcomed him with garlands and flower petals. The roadshow ended when the vehicle reached the RRU.

This is Modi's second roadshow in his home state for the second consecutive day. On Friday, he had held a roadshow from the Ahmedabad airport to Kamalam, the BJP headquarters in Gandhinagar.

These roadshows are being seen as Modi kickstarting his party's campaign for the Gujarat Assembly elections scheduled in December.

Modi, who began his two-day visit to Gujarat on Friday, will address the first convocation event of the RRU. In the evening, he will inaugurate Khel Mahakumbh, a sporting event.

Modi's visit to his home state came a day after the BJP registered a resounding victory in the assembly polls in four states, including in Uttar Pradesh.

Assembly elections in Gujarat are scheduled to be held in December. The BJP is facing the challenge of retaining power in the state.
According to the sources, the party high-command has given a free hand to Mann to decide his Cabinet colleagues

Chandigarh: Ahead of the swearing-in of the new government in Punjab, speculations are rife over the likely constitution of the Cabinet amidst reports of the top brass of the Aam Admi Party (AAP) giving a free hand to its Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann to choose his ministerial colleagues.

Notably, Mann and Arvind Kejriwal are holding a roadshow in Amritsar on Sunday.

According to the sources, the party high-command has given a free hand to Mann to decide his Cabinet colleagues.

Raghav Chadha, who was also present as an observer on behalf of the party in the legislature party meeting, said while speaking to the media said that it is the prerogative of the Chief Minister to decide on the faces of the Cabinet who would be sworn-in as Ministers.

"This is Bhagwant Mann government. He will decide who will take oath as Ministers," Chadha said.

After the conclusion of the legislature party meeting on Friday, ANI reached out to ministerial probable, but they refused to divulge details.

According to the sources, Mann would rest his faith in MLAs who stood with the party during tough times. The sitting MLAs who were re-elected as MLAs are likely to find themselves in the Cabinet of Chief Minister-elect Mann, sources said.

Among the probable is Harpal Singh Cheema, who won a second consecutive term. He was the leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly while being the face of the party in posters and hoardings during the election campaign. Before Mann was made the CM face, there used to be three faces on the posters of the Aam Aadmi Party in Punjab -- Arvind Kejriwal, Bhagwant Mann and Harpal Singh Cheema.

Cheema is most likely to become an important face of the Mann Cabinet. It is also being said that he may be rewarded with the post of Deputy Chief Minister.

Kultar Singh Sandhwan is also among the probable. He won from the Kotkapura constituency for the second term in a row. Kultar Singh is the big face of the AAP in Punjab and he is believed to be almost certain to be included in the Cabinet.

Aman Arora can also take an oath as a Minister, sources said, adding that he is also considered close to Mann. Gurmeet Haher's name is also included in the list of possible ministers, sources said, adding that he's known as Meet Haher in Punjab. The AAP's youth wing president Gurmeet has become MLA from Barnala for the second time in a row.

Unlike Delhi where the Arvind Kejriwal-led Cabinet does not include a single woman minister, a strong representation of women can be seen in the Bhagwant Mann AAP government of Punjab, sources said, adding that the names doing the rounds include Baljinder Kaur and Jeevan Jyot Kaur, who defeated Congress state president Navjot Singh Sidhu and SAD leader Bikramjit Majithia respectively.

Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh, who became an MLA for the first time after defeating Akali candidate Anil Joshi from the Amritsar North seat, may also get an important position in the Mann cabinet, sources said. Former IPS officer Kunwar Vijay Pratap Singh has been an investigator of the famous Bargari sacrilege case of Punjab.

There will be a total of 17 Ministers in the new government of Punjab, including Mann, sources said. However, only six or seven ministers will take the oath on March 16, it has been reliably learnt.
The meeting saw a freewheeling discussion on the reasons for the debacle faced by the party in all the five states

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who chaired a five-hour-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee here on Sunday to ascertain the reasons for the partys widespread losses in the recent Assembly polls, indicated -- as widely expected -- that the Gandhi family was ready to step down if the CWC so demanded. The CWC, again as expected, said it resolved to fight the BJP under Sonia Gandhis leadership. However, the internal election process is now going on and the date to elect a new Congress president has been set for August 20 this year. The meeting saw a freewheeling discussion on the reasons for the debacle faced by the party in all the five states.

The party has decided to hold another CWC meeting soon. This will pave way for a Chintan Shivir, or brainstorming session, after the remaining part of the Budget Session, which will begin on Monday This Chintan Shivir sometime in April will decide on the future course of the party and will focus on the remaining Assembly elections before the crucial Lok Sabha elections in 2024.

The high command had prepared well for the CWC meeting. The Delhi Congress leaders had been instructed to bring in large crowds outside the AICC headquarters where the CWC meeting was held. They shouted slogans in favour of the Gandhis, and were also holding placards and Congress flags. Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot held fort for the Gandhis and reached out to members of the G-23 group who are in the CWC seeking their help in rebuilding the party. This ensured that the status quo remains in the party.

Speaking to reporters, the partys communications chief, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, read out the statement of the CWC. He further added: Though internal elections are going on, the majority of the rank and file want Rahul Ji to the party president.

The general secretaries in charge of the poll-bound states presented their reports to the CWC for the reasons for the partys defeat. Mr Ghulam Nabi Azad said at the meeting that perhaps the then Punjab chief minister, Capt. Amarinder Singh, was not removed in proper fashion and hence the disastrous results in Punjab. Insiders claim that after Mr Azads assertion, Mrs Gandhi replied that it was her fault and she should have acted earlier on the issue. Some leaders in the CWC also said that accountability should be fixed about who was at fault in this debacle.

Interestingly, none of the state unit chiefs or the general secretaries in charge of the poll-bound states tendered their resignations because then Ms Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who was in charge of UP, would also have had to resign. Several leaders also suggested that if instead of remaining in charge of Punjab, had Mr Harish Rawat been sent to Uttarakhand, the results in the hill state might have been different. Insiders claimed that some organisational changes will also happen soon.
Yogi Adityanath also met vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu

New Delhi: In his first meeting after the BJPs sweeping victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, as the party returned to power with an absolute majority, chief minister-designate Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met the BJP top brass, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, party chief J.P. Nadda and Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. Yogi Adityanath also met vice-president M. Venkaiah Naidu. During his meeting with Mr Shah at the latters residence, the BJP president was also present.

The UP CMs meeting with Mr Modi at the latters official residence lasted for nearly two hours. Mr Modi, who was personally invited by Yogi Adityanath for the oath-taking ceremony of the new government in UP that is likely to take place on March 19, expressed confidence that he will take the state to new heights of development in the coming years.

Had a meeting with Yogi Adityanath today and congratulated him over the historic win in the Uttar Pradesh polls. He has worked tirelessly to fulfil the peoples aspirations in the last five years. I have full confidence that he will take the states development to new heights in the coming years, the PM later tweeted. Yogi Adityanath is the first Uttar Pradesh CM to be re-elected to office after 37 years.

Earlier, Yogi Adityanath also met BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santosh and Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

The UP CM is in the national capital to discuss the composition of his new ministerial team, which is expected to have many new faces and also the representation of BJP allies Apna Dal (S) and Nishad Party in the new government. Speculation is rife in Lucknow that the new Cabinet could make take important decisions, including on stray cattle and free electricity to farmers, after its first meeting. The fate of two deputy CMs in the previous government -- Keshav Prasad Maurya, who lost the election, and Dinesh Sharma -- is also to be decided by the partys central leadership.

In Uttarakhand, meanwhile, another state where the BJP has retained power, the new government is likely to take the oath on March 20. The senior BJP leaders from the hill state are likely to meet the partys top brass on Monday over the formation of the government.
The North Atlantic Treaty organisation (Nato) brought into existence in April 1949 with the United States as its fundamental linchpin

The post World War-II rivalry between the United States and the erstwhile USSR inaugurated a Cold War or rather an icy peace in Europe that became the principal battleground of this confrontation that soon enveloped the rest of the world as well. (representataional image/ AFP)

Europe witnessed unprecedented devastation during both the First and Second World War. It grappled with the spectre of the rise of Fascism, Nazism and Stalinist Terror in the interregnum between the two Wars. It bore mute testimony to the holocaust in which millions of Jews were put to death with clinical efficiency in the most horrendous manner possible.

Post 1945, the victorious Western Allied Powers, principally the United States and Great Britain, set about creating a new international system with the founding of the United Nations in October 1945. No sooner had this process commenced that an Iron Curtain descended across Europe. In the words of Winston Churchill, From Stettin in the Baltic to Trieste in the Adriatic, an iron curtain has descended across the Continent. Behind that line lie all the capitals of the ancient states of Central and Eastern Europe. Warsaw, Berlin, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Belgrade, Bucharest and Sofia; all these famous cities and the populations around them lie in what I must call the Soviet sphere, and all are subject in one form or another, not only to Soviet influence but to a very high and, in many cases, increasing measure of control from Moscow.

The post World War-II rivalry between the United States and the erstwhile USSR inaugurated a Cold War or rather an icy peace in Europe that became the principal battleground of this confrontation that soon enveloped the rest of the world as well. However, with the doctrine of Mutually Assured Destruction (MAD) as the key theological foundation of a nuclearised world, the peace in Europe, by and large, held. While there were conflicts like the one in Northern Ireland that were violent, things generally remained tranquil.

This calm was shattered from 1991 to 2001 by what is loosely referred to as the Yugoslav Wars or the Balkan Wars. However, the horrors of this conflict got drowned in the larger euphoria of the collapse of the erstwhile Soviet Union and East Europe. Even as wars and conflicts continued to rage across large parts of Asia, Africa, Latin and South America, the Europeans concentrated on building institutions that would integrate the nations of Europe much more closely with each other. Beginning with the European Economic Community in 1957, it soon led to a range of structures, the European Union, European Parliament, Euro as a currency and the European Council, to name but a few.

However, what was missing was a common and unified European Security architecture. The North Atlantic Treaty organisation (Nato) brought into existence in April 1949 with the United States as its fundamental linchpin continued to be the security guarantor of the first and last resort even after the Soviet threat temporarily receded post its dismemberment in 1991.

Buoyed by the end of history rhetoric penned by Francis Fukuyama in which he stated what we may be witnessing is not just the end of the Cold War, or the passing of a particular period of post-war history, but the end of history as such: that is, the end point of mankinds ideological evolution and the universalisation of Western liberal democracy as the final form of human government, Nato started expanding eastwards and in three large waves accommodated within its ambit many of the erstwhile Soviet republics and satellites that Moscow once regarded as its own sphere of influence.

While Germany retained membership of Nato post its reunification, Czech Republic, Hungary and Poland joined the alliance in 1999. In 2004, Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia hitched themselves to this treaty organisation. In 2009, Albania and Croatia were assimilated, in 2017, Montenegro was accommodated and in 2020, it was also North Macedonia which jumped onto the bandwagon.

Way back in 2008, when Ukraine and Georgias Nato aspirations were formally recognised by the Alliance at its Bucharest summit, Vladimir Putin had warned, No Russian leader could stand idly by in the face of steps toward Nato membership for Ukraine. That would be a hostile act toward Russia. Russia reiterated its concerns repeatedly and far more emphatically ever since Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko replaced a Moscow acolyte Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych as President of Ukraine in the wake of the Maidan revolution of February 2019.

Moscows misgivings got further exacerbated when Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy replaced Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko as President in 2019. It, in part, also had to do with the rather sharp satire that Mr Zelenskyy used against Mr Putin in his very popular sitcom, Servant of the People, aired between 2015 and 2019 that propelled him to power.

However, the West chose to ignore these warnings, the latest one articulated very publicly in the Joint Statement of the Russian Federation and the Peoples Republic of China on the International Relations Entering a New Era and the Global Sustainable development issued in Beijing on February 4, 2022. With a hundred and fifty thousand odd Russian troops backed by a formidable war machine surrounding Ukraine on three sides Presidents Putin and Xi Jinping warned explicitly, The sides are gravely concerned about serious international security challenges The sides reaffirm their strong mutual support for the protection of their core interests, state sovereignty and territorial integrity, and oppose interference by external forces in their internal affairs.

Then came the nailer: The sides oppose further enlargement of Nato and call on the North Atlantic Alliance to abandon its ideologised Cold War approaches, to respect the sovereignty, security and interests of other countries, the diversity of their civilisational, cultural and historical backgrounds, and to exercise a fair and objective attitude towards the peaceful development of other States.

However, the European Powers were unwilling to invest in their own security, a fact that Donald Trump repeatedly reiterated at the cost of much opprobrium. They rather chose to rely upon an exhausted and depleted United States, opting to overlook the warnings imprinted on the wall. They collectively believed that Mr Putin would, notwithstanding his portentousness, not disturb the long peace of Europe.

As a consequence, they, too, to a great degree, do also bear responsibility for the unbridled human catastrophe unfolding in Ukraine. This, in no manner, should be construed as absolving Russia that would for a long time bear the cross for its reprehensible conduct qua Ukraine. A new world order has stated evolving rather rapidly. Underpinned by the autocratic and authoritarian regimes of Russia, China and Iran and supported by their myriad proxies, this world order has thrown the gauntlet to the liberal and, to a certain extent, rules-based global order that has held sway for the past seven decades.
Camay Lam, gravely ill with cancer, made hundreds of greeting cards using Chinese characters for Chinese New Year. the proceeds from the sale were earmarked for a youth centre in Vientiane and other works in the Apostolic Vicariate of Pakse. The most important thing now is to do my part and continue to do more evangelisation work, she told the Sunday Examiner.

Hong Kong (AsiaNews)  Thanks to her strength and courage, a woman seriously ill with cancer has given new impulse in recent weeks to a bridge of solidarity between a Hong Kong parish and a small Christian community in Laos.

For the past two years, Camay Lam has undergone intense chemotherapy that has had serious side effects; yet, this hasn't stopped her from devoting herself to those most in need, Hong Kongs Catholic weekly Sunday Examiner reports.

On the occasion of the last Chinese New Year, she and Fr Nicolas de Francqueville of the Paris Foreign Missions Society (MEP[*]), pastor at the Church of the Holy Redeemer in Hong Kong, made a thousand greeting cards using Chinese calligraphy. The proceeds from the sale went to support some works of the Church in Laos.

Time in our lives is a gift from God which we should make good use of," she told the Sunday Examiner. The characters for peace and joy that appear on the cards are the most important thing for everyone, and this is what cancer patients and I have realised after we get sick.

Speaking about her illness she said that her heart is at peace. The most important thing now is to do my part and continue to do more evangelisation work, she said. When I am drawing or painting, I am concentrated on thinking what God wants me to express. And I feel closer to him, she added.

For this reason, she also opened a Facebook page titled Footprint of Grace, through which she spreads her message.

The initiative in Hong Kong for Chinese New Year raised HK$ 110,000 (US$ 14,000) for the Church in Laos, this despite the difficulties linked to the new pandemic wave.

Fr Andrew Souksavath Nouane Asa, apostolic administrator of the Vicariate of Pakse, expressed his gratitude in a letter to Fr Francqueville, Holy Redeemer parish, and all donors for their support.

MEP missionary Fr Guillaume Lepesqueux manages the funds in Laos, which support the Nazareth Centre in Vientiane, set up by Sister Anne Latsamy Thavivanh and other nuns of the Sisters of Charity of Saint Jeanne-Antide Thouret.

Currently, the facility offers accommodation to more than 50 young residents. About 20, mostly girls from low-income families, unable to finance their studies, receive vocational training in sewing. While some work, others attend secondary schools or universities.

The funds will also support the construction of a church in Pakse and help low-income families.

Already during Lent last year, the Church of the Holy Redeemer raised 70,000 Hong Kong dollars (US$ 9,000) for the Church in Laos, specifically for the Seminary of Saint John Vianney[] in Thakhek, the renovation of a church in Pakse, and the Nazareth Centre in Vientiane.

[*] Missions etrangeres de Paris.

[] Born Jean-Baptiste-Marie Vianney.
China's government officials warn countries providing military support to Taiwan that they will face "the worst consequences" a day after Chinese President Xi Jinping had a diplomatic discussion with Australia that aims to mend international ties.

Australian Defense Minister Peter Dutton declared that Australia with taking all necessary steps to stop China's aggression towards Taiwan. However, China's Ministry of National Defense in response blasted Dutton's statement, saying that "no one and no force" could stop Beijing from seizing the independent island country according to a Sky News Australia report.

With Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the distance, China's relations with Taiwan draw attention, with the island upgrading its defense capabilities since the war began in preparation for mainland attack.Taiwan's defense ministry earlier announced its plan to increase its annual missile-production capacity this 2022, following the approval of an extra $8.6 billion for military budget for the next five years.

Gets More Aggressive as Russian-Ukraine War Continues

Taiwan is not recognized as a sovereign country by Beijing, but rather a breakaway province that can be taken back into China by force if required, as per Fox News.

Late last year, China took a more hostile attitude against the Democratic Nation of Taiwan, sending a record number of fighter jets into Taiwan's air defense zone.

In February, nine Chinese aircraft breached Taiwan's air defense zone as Russian tanks advanced into Ukraine, triggering a public warning from the island nation.Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, observers are seeing equivalents in the situation between Beijing and Taipei.

The New York Times reported that the slogan "Today, Ukraine, tomorrow Taiwan!" had trended online when the war in Eastern Europe started.

Taiwan's recent concerns in the aftermath of Moscow's war in Ukraine were met with skepticism by the Communist Party, which suggested that Taiwan's overblown rhetoric was intended to make Beijing appear hostile.

Taiwan's President has recently paid a visit to army reservists undergoing training as part of a new program to improve war preparation.

The program was prompted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which parallels China's hostility toward the island.

Read Also: Russia Attacks Ukrainian Port City as It Advances Towards Kyiv; Issues Stern Warning to US

US' Solid Support for Taiwan

Last month, as per a Al Jazeera report, former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met President Tsai Ing-wen in Taiwan. His visit shows the bipartisan "rock-solid" US support for Taiwan and the close Taiwan-US friendship, it added.

Pompeo's visit was followed by a visit by U.S. President Joe Biden's delegation of former senior defense and security officials to Taiwan, as a sign of support.

The visit, headed by former Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Mike Mullen, comes as Taiwan has increased its alert level, due to concerns of China exploiting a distracted West to increase aggression towards the island country.

According to the report by Reuters, Mullen, a retired Navy admiral who served as the top U.S. military officer under former US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, will be accompanied by Meghan O'Sullivan, a former deputy national security advisor during Bush administration, and Michele Flournoy, a former undersecretary of defense during the Obama administration.

Related Article: VP Kamala Harris' Poland Visit Proves US Commitment to NATO as Washington Sends Missiles to Warsaw Amid Russian Invasion of Ukraine

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At the Angelus Francis renewed his plea for an end to the ruinous war in Ukraine. Faced with the barbarism of the killing of children, and of innocent and defenceless citizens, there are no strategic reasons that hold up, he said. Calling on all dioceses in the world to devote more time to praying for peace, he turned his thoughts to refugees and Mariupol, the city that bears Marys name.

Vatican City (AsiaNews)  At the end of the Angelus prayer, on ninth anniversary of his election, Pope Francis made another impassionate plea for peace for Ukraine.

In the name of God, the pontiff said, listen to the cry of those who suffer, and put an end to the bombings and the attacks! Let there be real and decisive focus on the negotiations, and let the humanitarian corridors be effective and safe. In the name of God, I ask you: stop this massacre!

Before the many faithful gathered in St Peters Square, he said: we have just prayed to the Virgin Mary. This weekend, the city that bears her name, Mariupol, has become a city martyred by the ruinous war that is devastating Ukraine.

Faced with the barbarism of the killing of children, and of innocent and defenceless citizens, there are no strategic reasons that hold up: the only thing to be done is to cease the unacceptable armed aggression before the city is reduced to a cemetery. With an aching heart I add my voice to that of the common people, who implore the end of the war.

I would like once again to urge the welcoming of the many refugees, in whom Christ is present, and to give thanks for the great network of solidarity that has formed. I ask all diocesan and religious communities to increase their moments of prayer for peace. God is only the God of peace, he is not the God of war, and those who support violence profane his name. Now let us pray in silence for those who suffer, and that God may convert hearts to a steadfast will for peace.

Before the Angelus, Francis commented the passage on the Transfiguration of Jesus (cf. Lk 9:28-36) from today's liturgy, focusing on the sleep of Peter, James and John who realised what was happening only upon awakening. This sleep seems a discordant note at such an important moment, but reading the text carefully one sees that they fell asleep before.

We may think that at the beginning they too were praying, until tiredness prevailed. This is similar to what we, in the evening at home or in prayer, might experience. We would like to be more awake, attentive, participatory, not to miss precious opportunities, but we cant, or we manage it somehow but poorly.

We might think that it was the light of Jesus that reawakened them. Like them, we too are in need of Gods light, that makes us see things in a different way: it attracts us, it reawakens us, it reignites our desire and strength to pray, to look within ourselves, and to dedicate time to others.

In this Lenten time, after the labours of each day, it will do us good not to switch off the light in the room without placing ourselves in the light of God. To pray a little before sleeping. Lets give the Lord the chance to surprise us and to reawaken our hearts.

We can do this, for instance, by opening the Gospel and letting ourselves marvel at the Word of God, because the Scripture enlightens our steps and enflames the heart. Or we can look at the crucified Jesus and wonder at the boundless love of God, who never tires of us and has the power to transfigure our days, to give them a new meaning, a new, unexpected light.
by Stefano Caprio

The grotesque and tragic Russia described by Vladimir Sorokin in his 2006 novel Day of the Oprichnik unravels the tormented soul of a country that is always its own first enemy, and for this it needs to feel at war with all the others. It almost seems that the political and religious leaders of present-day Russia feel the duty to turn the nightmares of literature into facts.

I went to Moscow for the first time in 1986, at the start of Gorbachevs perestroika. I had recently become a priest, and in previous years I had been in Leningrad, where people were slightly freer to meet than in the oppressive capital of a dying empire.

With some friends we ventured to go to Moscow that year because we had been told that we could meet the mythical Father Aleksander Men, the chaplain of dissent, the first who inspired Russias religious rebirth, even before the fall of the Berlin Wall.

We settled in for a few days at the Hotel Intourist, an ugly skyscraper within walking distance from the Kremlin, whose demolition came to symbolise the end of totalitarianism, not far from Pushkin Square, the historic location of major events, from Stalin's funeral to dissidents rallies, in the centre of a ring of boulevards, where Muscovites go for a stroll downtown.

Here we could have a bite at a huge self-service restaurant, where local dishes were hastily served in summarily cleaned dishes and crockery. I did not trust Russian soups of cabbage, meat and potatoes, which I later learnt to appreciate in the homes of the pious Babushkas who worshipped in the few Orthodox churches that were open, and later in the Catholic churches that we managed to reopen.

I ordered meat with spaghetti, the thing closest to my culinary habits on the menu, and I was given some indigestible beef dressed with mushy spaghetti knotted together, sprinkled with strawberry jam. There and then, I saw the gastronomic gap between East and West.

Four years later I was officially living in Moscow as chaplain at the Italian embassy, and I joined the cheering crowd in Pushkin Square happy to see the end of Soviet-style cafeterias and the opening of the first McDonald's. People waited in line for hours to try chips and hamburgers that are not really much better than spaghetti with strawberry jam, but it felt like the start of a new world.

We spent hours with young people at McDonald's discussing religion, culture and sport, and no one fathomed that one day we might go back to the greyness of the previous world.

Today the Mayor of Moscow, Sergey Sobyanin, pledged that within a year the shuttered McDonald's would be replaced by "patriotic catering networks", certainly much tastier than the rations of the past, but standing melancholily apart in the new cold distance between spaghetti and cabbage, between young and old, between believers and secularists: two worlds that shall no longer meet for who knows how many years.

In 2006, a modern Russian writer had guessed how it would end, and described it in the dystopian novel Day of the Oprichnik (Rus:  , Den' oprichnika), which has now become very topical today.

In this book, Vladimir Sorokin writes about the typical day of Aleksander Komyaga, the guardsman (Rus: , Oprichnik) whose task is to ensure that people follow a moral and patriotic lifestyle, an early metaphorical reference to todays metaphysical ideology of Putinism, to use a recent turn of phrase by Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill of Moscow.

The Oprichnina (Rus: ) was the imperial bodyguard created by Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible in 1560, when, after a period of reforms, he developed a political-military obsession that the whole world was at war with Russia, convinced that the war was also religious because he was the only defender of the true faith.

The similarity is striking with the actions and words of Putin the Terrible, who is threatening the world in order to defend the purity of Russia, and to this end attacks Ukraine just as Ivan did when he went to war against the Baltic peoples.

Sorokin describes an imaginary mid-21st century guardsman, serving Gosudar, the new Tsar Nikolai Platonovich who restored the true Russia, erecting new walls in the West and East to exclude the stranger on the outside, and stifle the devil in the inside.

As soon as he wakes up in the morning, he must first take care of crushing the cockroaches, that is, going after all the malcontents, the lawless and the weirdoes, burn their homes and hang them from some column in the street, for educational purposes.

After this, he has to organise Russian mask exhibits, to delight and distract the masses, so that they don't think about unpleasant things. Then he takes a supersonic plane and flies from Moscow to Tobolsk in Siberia, to consult Praskovya, Gosudars clairvoyant and top adviser.

In a single day Komyaga accomplishes other missions, all meant to build up public morality and counter any internal and external threat, before retreating back to Moscow to dine with Gosudar's wife enjoying an all-Russian menu. Finally, he relaxes in the sauna with other Oprichniki, getting drunk and letting off steam by gang raping young women, so that they can remember the superiority of real men.

Sorokin's grotesque and tragic Russia echoes many writers and poets of the past, who presented the tormented soul of a country that is always its own first enemy, and for this it needs to feel at war with everyone else.

It almost seems that the political and religious leaders of present-day Russia feel a duty to turn the nightmares of literature into facts. Indeed, it is almost as if they got their inspiration for the aggressive words and solemn utterances that accompany the terrible special military operation in Ukraine, something as incomprehensible to Westerners as to Russians. Nothing appears more like a war against oneself than the invasion of a land where one's own people originated.

Putin's explanations re-write history and turn them into fanciful fables, stressing the shared origins of Russians, Ukrainians and Belarusians as well as the contradictions of the Soviet 20th century, as if they were contemporary and connected events.

Even more absurd are Patriarch Kirill psychotic sermons, his calls for war against gay marches the way medieval monks urged the tsar to exterminate sodomites and the Hagarenes, who represented dangers to the true faith and the salvific universal land.

Last Wednesday, 9 March, was the first of day during Lent when the Orthodox Church celebrates the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts, a rite without Mass, to commemorate fasting and the Passion of Christ, communion with the bread of the previous Sunday.

Wearing black vestments, Kirill led the service inviting the faithful to pray to be freed from the slavery in which we have plunged. He warned that there are those who spread lies and distort the facts; from this, men become enemies, and sometimes conflicts explode because of the interference by third-party strangers who want to pit brothers against each other.

For the patriarch, the devilish father of lies" is the true instigator of the war between Russians and Ukrainians, someone who has found a way to divide us, we who are one people, linked by a historical destiny, arising from the baptismal font of Kiev. For Kirill, Rus' is bit one country, one people, which neighbours have tried to divide fearful of its strength.

Among the devil's servants, Kirill includes certain religious organisations which have very little religious in them, whose sermons stand on their shields to fight against the Russian people.

This is a holy war of religion, in which the Russians lump together Hagarenes and Greek-Catholics, Evangelicals and Mongolian shamans, in an apocalyptic vision of the advent of the Antichrist, which only Holy Russia can resist for the salvation of the world.

Some call Kirill the Z-patriarch, a reference to the Z of Putin's support for the war, the new swastika in the slogan For victory! (Rus:  ! Za pobedu!), and the military operation Z, that is, against the West (Rus: , Zapad), slave to devil. Before this, this title had been given to Putin's spiritual father, Z-Metropolitan Tikhon (Shevkunov), now metropolitan of Pskov.

As usual, Tikhons Lenten sermon was entirely centred on describing the geo-political situation (some suggest that the metropolitan is one of Putin's main speechwriters). It ended saying that even if we are forced to carry out actions that are hard for us, even more than for them, we must in no way fail in our love for our Ukrainian brothers, even if they look at us in a hostile way Everything will come to fruition, reconciliation and peace.

The metropolitan also spoke about the shared history of Russians and Ukrainians, "from ancient to Soviet times until, in 1991, "we", he stressed several times, freely left our assets and technologies to them, to preserve good relations between neighbours and brothers.

Yet, for Tikhon, the Ukrainians are the real aggressors, who allowed the formation of neo-Nazi parties and begun to redefine their identity and their history in a completely different way. But we didn't object, even when they said they wanted to join the European Union when outsiders inspired and organised the 2014 coup and put Nazis in power.

The metropolitan ended his homily saying that Russia but, above all, Ukrainians deceived by devil must be protected, not from now, but since the mid-19th century when the ideal of the Ukrainian nation was born, inspired by poets and writers, also evidently in the pay of the West.

In his address, Tikhon went on to talk about strategic and military issues, as if he were a Kremlin spokesman, noting that we shall restore Gods justice on earth.

The words of the patriarch and the metropolitan, together with other statements by members of the Russian clergy, certainly will not encourage Pope Francis to confirm this years meeting with Kirill, scheduled for the summer. The Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, was forced to admit that such remarks threaten to make an increasingly serious conflict worse.

Since the historic meeting between Patriarch Kirill and Pope Francis in Havana in 2016, important joint humanitarian, cultural and spiritual projects were undertaken by the Patriarchate of Moscow and the Catholic Church. Now that has become a casualty of this war.

Following the Russian Revolution, many intellectuals were expelled from Russia during the interwar period (1919-1939). In 1922 some boarded so-called philosophers ships. One of them was Nikolai Berdyaev, a thinker who embodied his time. For 20 years, he became the main point of reference for intellectuals in Paris.

He was able to show everyone the way to overcome the tragedies of those years, amid wars and revolutions, with a famous lecture in which he spoke about the New Middle Ages, the nostalgia for the past that forces us to rewrite the future.

Today we are at such a point again: Russia is returning to spaghetti with strawberry jam, and the West is unable to know how to prevent a tragedy that could affect the economy, security and the very life of the entire world.

For Berdyaev, In history, as in nature, there are rhythms, a rhythmic succession of ages and periods, a shift of cultural forms, of arrivals and departures, of rises and falls. Rhythm and periodicity are typical of all ages. We speak of critical and organic ages, of nocturnal and diurnal, sacral and secular ages. We have been given to live in the historical time of change between ages.

It is up to us, especially the young, to think about the era of the future. The new Middle Ages is upon us: the middle earth between the 20th century of good and bad people and the 21st century of new upheavals. Last century a world war broke a bit earlier, let's not let another one break out now.
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Athens, TX (75751)

Today

Cloudy early with isolated thunderstorms developing this afternoon. High 87F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

A widely scattered shower or thunderstorm is possible this evening. Then cloudy skies overnight. Low around 70F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 40%.
Inspired by the E12 M535i that weve covered in a previous article, the E28 M5 was initially manufactured at the Preussenstrasse facility. Later on, it was moved to Daimlerstrasse in Garching. Production came to a halt in 1988, totaling 2,241 examples of the breed. These cars are split between five regional variants, of which the North American model is the most numerous, with 1,340 copies under its belt. The E28 M5 for the Japanese market, by comparison, numbers 30 units as per the production records.Just like the M635CSi, the four-door sedan had its battery relocated to the trunk for better weight distribution. Sitting on the same 2,625-millimeter wheelbase as lesser versions of the E28, the M5 flaunts MacPherson struts up front and semi-trailing arms in the rear. Bilstein shocks front and rear are joined by anti-roll bars that measure 21 and 14 millimeters.Gifted with forged alloys wrapped in Michelin-supplied rubber shoes, the M5 stops on a dime thanks to 300- and 284-mm brake rotors. A 70-liter fuel tank feeds the M88/3 engine up front, a six-cylinder lump derived from the 3.5-liter mill that equips the midship M1 . Based on the race-spec M49, the M88 is the first BMW road-going engine to feature dual overhead cams.There are, however, some notable differences compared to the M1s engine, chief among which is the wet-sump lubrication system. The 24-valve motor also rocks Bosch Motronic engine management, different conrods and pistons, and a 10.5:1 compression ratio compared to 9.0:1.Equipped with a crossflow cylinder head and six individual throttle bodies, the M88/3 brings the point home with the M Power script. The cast-iron block is complemented by aluminum alloy for the head. From 3,453 cubic centimeters attributed to a 93.4-mm (3.7") bore and 84-mm (3.3") stroke, the straight-six engine peaks at 282 ponies (286 ps) and 251 pound-feet (340 Nm) of torque.For the Canadian and U.S. markets, the Munich-based automaker used a detuned M88/3 internally known as the S38B35. The biggest difference between these siblings comes in the guise of the catalytic converters.Also featured in Japanese cars, the S38 flaunts the BMW M Power script, a simplified exhaust manifold instead of equal-length headers, and a 9.8:1 compression ratio. Whats more, we also have to mention the double-row timing chain versus the single-row timing chain of the M88. In this configuration, it makes 256 hp (260 ps) and 243 pound-feet (330 Nm).Coupled with a five-speed manual transmission supplied by Getrag , the M5's motor puts those ponies down to the ground with the help of a limited-slip differential. Extremely similar to every other E28, the M5 boasts a matte-black plastic air dam that incorporates cooling intakes for the radiator and front brakes. The interior, meanwhile, differs from other 5ers by means of the Motorsport divisions colors on the steering wheel, gear knob, and front sport seats. The 8,000-rpm rev counter also incorporates the M logo.Tipping the scales at 1,430 kilograms (3,153 pounds), the first-ever M5 can accelerate to 100 kilometers per hour (62 miles per hour) in 6.3 seconds. Top speed? Make that 245 kilometers per hour (152 miles per hour). BMW introduced the M-Technic body kit to the options list in September 1985.Extras further include a driver airbag, metallic paint, leather upholstery, air conditioning, cruise control, and a rear sunblind. Come February 1986, BMW improved their pride and joy with M5-specific springs for the rear wheels.The Bavarians upgraded their go-faster sedan in October 1986 with even thicker anti-roll bars: 25 millimeters (1") up front and 18 mm (0.7") for the rear end. As you'd expect from the rarest M5 of them all, finding a good one is hard.But on the upside, prices arent as high as other collectibles from this era. The pictured car, for example, is a 1988 model that sold on Bring a Trailer for $46,500 in January 2022. At the other end of the spectrum, the auctions website sold an original-owner 1988 model for a cool $77,500.
Introduced in 1967, the AMC Rebel joined the muscle car wars in 1969 thanks to a 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 rated at up to 325 horsepower. But the nameplate didn't reach its full potential until the Machine arrived in 1970.Not only fitted with a beefed-up 390 V8 good for 340 horsepower, but the Rebel Machine also arrived in a white livery adorned with blue and red stripes. 'Murica!A one-year-only offering, the Rebel Machine is AMC's most recognizable muscle car. But it's often overlooked because 1970 also gave us a long list of cool muscle cars, including the Dodge Challenger and Plymouth Barracuda, as well as some of the best iterations of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Chevelle and Camaro.Launched in 1959, the Dart went through short full-size and midsize phases before it morphed into a compact. And needless to say, it was far from impressive performance-wise in the mid-1960s.But that changed toward the end of the decade when Dodge began offering it with increasingly larger V8 mills under the hood.The Dodge Dart Demon was born in 1971 when the brand gained a version of Plymouth's popular Duster. Advertised as a high-performance car, the Demon was available with hood scoops and black accents. When ordered in Demon 340 trim, it came with the 340-cubic-inch (5.6-liter) V8 good for 275 horsepower.The second AMC on this list, the SC/Rambler arrived in 1969, and it was, in many ways, the spiritual predecessor of the Rebel Machine.Based on the third- and final-generation Rambler American , the SC was developed in cooperation with Hurst Performance. Just like the Machine, it also sported a white body with blue and red stripes.Fitted with a 390-cubic-inch (6.4-liter) V8 rated at 315 horsepower, a limited-slip differential, race-spec mirrors, and Magnum 500 steel wheels, the SC/Rambler was AMC's most outrageous package ever until the Rebel Machine debuted in 1970. AMC built only 1,512, so these muscle cars are also rare to find nowadays.GMC has been offering upscale and rebadged versions of Chevrolet SUVs and trucks since the 1920s. But did you know that the company also produced its own version of the El Camino?It was called the Sprint from 1971 to 1977 and the Caballero from 1978 to 1987.The first-gen Sprint was introduced for the 1971 model year, right when muscle cars were starting to lose power due to the oil crisis and new fuel economy regulations. But GMC had just enough time to introduce the Sprint SP, a rebadged Chevrolet El Camino SS.While it wasn't offered with the wild LS6 V8 that produced a whopping 450 horsepower in 1970, the Sprint SP did get the LS5, good for a solid 365 horses.Not only forgotten, but this GMC is also rare. It's believed that only 25 examples were fitted with the 454-cubic-inch (7.4-liter) V8 and that only 16 of them still exist.Oh look, yet another AMC on this list! And the second AMC with a "Machine" badge. Well, not exactly.Discontinued after just one year on the market, the Machine did return in 1971 when the Rebel was replaced by the Matador. But instead of a stand-alone trim model, it was just an optional package.Called Go-Machine (or Machine Go, according to some sources), it included many of the Rebel Machine's features, including a stripe package. However, AMC did not revive the red-white-blue livery, so the Matador Go-Machine is nowhere near as flashy.But it was powerful nonetheless thanks to a 360-cubic-inch (5.9-liter) V8 good for 285 horsepower and a 401-cubic-inch (6.6-liter) V8 rated at 330 horses. AMC sold only about 50 of them in 1971.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

MBAG was informed by the supplier about a possible production error on June 23rd, 2021. Remedial measures were subsequently implemented, including quarantine of the potentially affected vehicles. Merc also launched an investigation to evaluate the safety risks associated with the incorrectly assembled torsion bar. Come October 2021, engineers determined that a failure may occur between the linkage and torsion bar.Such a failure would cause the light commercial vehicle to tilt more outward while cornering, which is pretty darn scary in a van. According to documents filed with the, the shim on the rear torsion bar was incorrectly installed between the nut and the torsion bar rather than between the ball stud and the torsion bar.A grand total of 2,153 vehicles produced for the 2021 model year are potentially affected. Known customers of the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter will be notified at the beginning of April, which is rather late if you remember that the supplier implemented revised work instructions in June last year.And now, heres the big one: no fewer than 42,132 units of the Mercedes-Benz Metris for the 2017 through 2022 model years are called back due to an insecure connection that may result in a fuel leak. The automaker has been aware of this problem since March 2018, when it received a preliminary evaluation request from the federal watchdog regarding leakage reports.Vehicles affected by this condition were produced between March 15th, 2017, and December 10th, 2021. Dealers have been instructed to check the correct mounting of the upper and lower fuel hose connections. If necessary, the service tech will replace the clamps and fuel hose of the Metris van.Merc admits that a new process was implemented in the Charleston production plant to verify proper attachment of the upper and lower fuel hose connections and secure installation of the clamps. In November 2021, this production process change was also implemented in the Vitoria production plant. As mentioned time and again, the German automakers woeful quality control doesnt reflect its promise for the best or nothing
The first Camaro's generation was in its final year and received a mild facelift. At the front, the most distinctive part that was changed was the new V-shaped grille. Apart from these, the cowl induction hood was part of the Z/28 package, which provided more power and improved performances. The car you see here is a rare burgundy-colored vehicle with black stripes and a black vinyl top. Chevrolet sold more than 20,000 Camaro Z/28 in 1979 , and not so many of them with this color combination. Last but not least, the 15" Rally-Style wheels are restored and wrapped in BFGoodrich Radial T/A white-letter tires.Inside, the red interior was not a common sight for the '69 Camaro. It was also restored ad features some new amenities such as the push-button vintage-look radio. While it is not original, it is not some part that you couldn't replace if you want it to take the car in its exact original, factory-spec shape. The three-spoke wooden steering wheel fronts a 120 mph (194 kph) speedometer and an odometer that shows almost 70k miles (112,654 km) and approximately 1,200 (1,931 km) were added by the current seller. Yet, the total mileage is unknown.Under the hood, Chevrolet installed the famous 302 cid (4.9-liter) V8 engine good for 290 hp (294 PS) mated to a four-speed manual. The pcnut1 seller said that the rear axle ratio was changed from 4.11:1 gearing to the 3.40 gear set with a revised locking differential, which should be good for drag racing . This is also not a standard part, which might disturb the buyer. Also, the four-speed Muncie was replaced. That might be a problem for someone who wants an all-original 1969 Camaro, but it shouldn't be a problem for someone who'd buy this car and use it as a daily driver instead of a garage queen.If you want to see this car in real life, you should go to Rawson, Ohio , and check it out for yourself. But you might want to call your bank before because you might really want this last-year Z/28 from 1969 and bid for it. You have time until March 19th to get it, and with six days to go, the price was already at 20,000 USD.
NHTSA





On March 7, a Tesla Model 3 was driving on the National Highway 3 near the Daxi Interchange in Taoyuan City. His driver activated Autopilot and later confessed to the police that he was doing other things in the car and did not pay attention to the road anymore. A while later, the vehicle failed to detect the road repair truck against which it crashed at 9:51 PM, local time. The Model 3 spun to the middle of the road.According to UDN and the pictures shared by the National Highway Police Bureau, it was a bright yellow truck with large reflectors. It also had a digital warning sign to prevent precisely what happened with the Model 3. The 46-year-old Tesla driver reportedly only hurt his hand in the crash. His last name is Jiang.The road engineer at the location tried to protect the middle lanes by placing crash warnings before the crashed Tesla as soon as possible. About 20 seconds after that, a BMW driver also named Jiang failed to see the sign and hit the engineer and the Tesla. The road engineer died. His name was Yu.In this case, the fatal victim was not a direct responsibility of the Tesla vehicle. Ironically, it was a preventable situation had the BMW driver paid due attention to the road conditions just as much as the Tesla driver. Distracted driving is a massive problem all over the world with nasty consequences. Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done to prevent it apart from more rigorous driver training. It is not under investigation. Tesla Autopilot is.Theoretically, the system should be able to see a bright yellow emergency truck right in front of it. It should be able to brake the car to prevent a crash. Above all, it should not allow a driver to feel so confident it will handle everything to the point this person confesses to the police that was exactly the case.Soon after Tesla released the software update that was supposed to prevent its vehicles from crashing against emergency vehicles, its advocates and investors started asking if the press would write about that and about how fast the company solved the problem. Rest assured that you will not hear them talk about this crash in Taiwan or similar situations in other countries, especially if it happens again in the U.S. NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) allowed that to happen 11 times, 7 of which ended up with injured people and one dead. Unfortunately, this case in Taiwan is out ofs jurisdiction, which does not prevent the safety agency from contacting Taiwans National Highway Police Bureau to understand what happened at the National Highway 3 on March 7. Lets hope international cooperation is not an issue in this case.
The Hubble Space Telescope has undoubtedly opened everyone's eyes to the wonders of space and the celestial objects in the universe. Thanks to the technology that was included in the telescope, it has been possible for the Hubble to photograph these objects to send back to Earth.

One of the numerous photographs that the Hubble Space Telescope has snapped includes one that features awe-inspiring gas clouds inside a nebula compex known as The Running Man.

Nebulae are a favorite subject of the Hubble to photograph and these pictures have given scientists a better idea of what they are like.

Here is what you need to know about this particular Hubble snap:

Hubble Space Telescope's Photo of the Gas Clouds in NGC 1977

The Hubble Space Telescope snapped this photo that features a Herbig-Haro object known as HH 45. The photo was shared by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) just last year.

According to NASA, "Herbig-Haro objects are a rarely seen type of nebula that occurs when hot gas ejected by a newborn star collides with the gas and dust around it at hundreds of miles per second, creating bright shock waves."

"In this image, blue indicates ionized oxygen (O II) and purple shows ionized magnesium (Mg II)," NASA adds.

This particular Herbig-Haro object is located in the nebula called NGC 1977. This particular nebulat is actually part of The Running Man, which is a complex made up of three nebulae. The other two nebulae that are part of The Running Man are the NGC 1975 and NGC 1973.

These three nebulae have been described by NASA as reflection nebulae. They do not emit their own light and instead, they reflect the light of other stars.

What is a Nebula?

You might be wondering what a nebula is to begin with. A separate NASA post defines a nebula as "a giant cloud of dust and gas in space."

Some nebulae are formed due to the explosion of a dying star, which causes the gas and dust to be expelled. Other nebulae, on the other hand, are actually where new stars beginning to come to life.

Read Also: #SpaceSnap: Very Large Telescope's Photo of Spiral Galaxy NGC 4535

Hubble Space Telescope

The Hubble Space Telescope is large orbiting telescope that was launched on April 24, 1990. The telescope is named after astronomer Edwin Hubble, who discovered that the Milky Way galaxy is just one of the many galaxies in the universe.

The space telescope was launched into orbit by a space shuttle named Discovery and it is currently moving at a speed of five miles per second while in orbit. It is currently about 547 kilometers above our planet.

The Hubble has five scientific instruments on it: the Wide Field Camera 3, Advanced Camera for Surveys, Cosmic Origins Spectograph, Space Telescope Imaging Spectograph, and Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer.

Related Article: #SpaceSnap: The Hubble Space Telescope and Chandra X-Ray Observatory's Photo of the Eta Carinae
EV

FSD

A person I know got Model Y delivered with a seemingly significant safety defect missed by QA.

So I wondered how comon this sort of a defect is with other vendors. Got a bunch of hits on Google, and after following one link thought I accidentally got to some Tesla forum. pic.twitter.com/HKP1dPdaNh  green (@greentheonly) March 10, 2022

I did not talk to the person who did this post because they would probably not like to discuss with me the points they raised in their post. I will also not name them because what this person wrote represents several other customers that probably feel the same but are too afraid to express these views: the almost guaranteed backlash makes them refrain.Curiously, other Tesla owners in that Facebook group supported the venting, and thats what led me to write more than anything. What this person had to say was more than relevant or accurate: it was accepted by a community that used to fight anything negative about the company.As someone who owned a Model 3 Standard Range Plus for more than a year and a half, this Tesla consumer felt the need to say the car is not the solution for all problems like most fans like to make these vehicles seem. The post they made shows many of the reasons why their criticism points were necessary and welcome.The first one was about range. This is something we have brought up more than once and that Edmunds also demonstrated with road tests. Very few Tesla vehicles really accomplished to run as much as the certified EPA range said they would. Thats an exception compared to all other electric cars, which easily exceeded it.This Model 3 owner was pretty specific about their experience as well. Instead of the 240 miles of range, they thought they would get, their best shot was 170 mi  even with everything working in the cars favor. In cold weather, the Model 3 would not exceed 130 miles. Thats pretty close to what EPA said the Mazda MX-30 could get. Tesla fans made fun of the Japanese company when this number came out.The Tesla customer then states that this range is only suitable for urban use, not long distances. Although they recognize that Supercharging stations are handy, thats not enough. The post writer does not recommend that anyone buys a Tesla without knowing they will have to stop every hour and a half to recharge.The second reason for this Tesla client to be upset with thewas the cost of electricity. Although it is cheaper than running a car with a combustion engine, their electricity bill got $150 more expensive than it used to be.To be fair with Tesla, this customer should have compared that amount to what they used to spend filling up a gas tank. Despite that, their testimony shows that expenses are still there for those who think an EV is some sort of perpetual motion device.This customer actually thinks that one of the brands main advantages, according to Tesla advocates, is maddening: OTA (over-the-air) updates . They are fed up with the constant changes and give an example that makes the why pretty clear: Once I get used to the UI and where things are, it changes. I shouldnt have to pull over to find where the wipers have gone. Indeed. Many owners have sided with this person. Some never get used to not having buttons or levers to control crucial vehicle functions.The Tesla customer then complains about two of these functions: automatic wipers and automatic headlights. According to them, the first never matched the necessary speed to keep rain or snow away from the windshield. The second just did not turn on and off when it was supposed to. That makes the automatic part of these functionalities inconvenient and, therefore, useless.The final topic of criticism from this customer is phantom braking . According to them, it happened only once but scared the hell out of them because it could literally get you killed. This Tesla customer gave up on using Autopilot and does so only sparingly.This Facebook post ends with this person hoping to help those who want a Tesla to have the right perspective on what that represents. However, I feel many other aspects were left out of their testimony, probably because they have not experienced them.The first is the quality issues Tesla cars present. Recently, the white hat hacker GreenTheOnly shared a post about how people criticizing another brand felt exactly like one of those we see about Tesla. It said that the automaker in question  which GreenTheOnly does not disclose  is notorious for bad quality. The sad bit is that this also suits Tesla pretty well.The second is how much time it takes for these quality problems to be sorted out because Tesla Service Centers are so crowded with people complaining about the quality problems they find. With Tesla still pumping out more vehicles with these flaws, there is no sign that things will be easier anytime soon.The third is how Tesla seems to take customers, journalists, and even its own advocates for fools. It keeps repeating that defective cars are within specs, that known and well-documented defects were never seen before or are anecdotal evidence, that it promotes inclusive work environments while racism lawsuits pile up, that it is protecting the environment while it commits emission violations at its factories, or that Autopilot andmake cars safer based on deceiving statistics. Coherence is not something Tesla can brag about.Luckily, more people are noticing that. Regular customers with no financial interest in the company are asking Tesla to be upfront to its promises and allegations  just as they would do with any other car company. That is a sign of maturity. Sadly, it relates more to how customers view Tesla than to how the worlds most valuable carmaker (when it relates to market cap) treats them.
EV

kWh

kW

WLTP

Better late than never, though. So, late night on March 9th, 2022, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and Volkswagen Passenger Cars joined forces to reveal the 2023/2024 ID. Buzz after Type 2 fans waited a longreinvention time. With help from Ewan McGregor, who came for the first time to Wolfsburg, Germany.He was not in search of the higher ground (Star Wars fans will easily catch this Obi-Wan Kenobi  Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader reference) and instead wanted to help showcase the all-new member of the sustainable mobility ID. Family. The long- and eagerly-awaited ID. Buzz is now official. So, let the EV California Dreaming begin...We are pretty sure that many fans are eagerly awaiting the first units to arrive on the driveway or in the garage to begin the customization work. Hey, automotive pixel masters have already started making it a darling, even coming up with quirky  Nanobus  sliding three-door interpretations mere hours after the official introduction. But we are not here for the virtual realm. Instead, we want all the real-world goodies.The new ID. Buzz lineup is comprised of a trio of versions. The first two  the family carrier and ID. Buzz Cargo panel vans  are naturally heading to Europe. On the Old Continent, the initial variants will carry a large 82-battery pack, as well as a powerful 201-horsepower electric motor. They go on sale later this year (third quarter), and North America should fret not.Volkswagen has also announced the better-late-than-never arrival at nationwide dealerships of a long-wheelbase passenger model slated to debut next year and go on sale in 2024. As such, all the pictures in the gallery accompanying this article are notably showing the smaller Euro-spec ID. Buzz passenger van and ID. Buzz Cargo. Alas, we do not expect major changes between those and the LWB spiritual successor of the legendary Type 2 when it hits U.S. soil.All three of them will ideally hark back to the iconic Microbus design and formula of maximum space on a small footprint. And we have all seen enough OEM and aftermarket conversions of Type 2s and its successors to know that VW and its future partners are not kidding themselves. Hopefully, by then, the energy crisis will see a natural resolution and honest switch to renewables. This planet is suffering, seriously.Anyway, just like with other members of the ID. series, Buzz models ride on the VW Groups Modular Electric Drive Kit (MEB). Aside from the 82-kWh pack (77 kWh net), more options are coming next year. And it will be interesting to see if Americas 2024 summer road trips will be hindered with a 90-mph (145 kph) top speed limit, just like the European ones. Oh well, it is not like others (read Volvo) are so much faster...In return, charging will be zippy. Well, not when using alternative current (AC) because that one is capped at 11. Alas, DC fast-charging stations (CCS connection) will be capable of sending up to 170 kW down the cables for a 5% to 80% SoC (state of charge) in as little as half an hour. Just enough to sip a cup of coffee and plan the next stage of the family overlanding adventure, probably.And while on the subject of figures, we also must note that neithernor EPA range estimates have been advanced. Not even the zero to 62 mph time has been given any consideration. Still, we do know the exact dimensions of the rig. Wheels go between 18 and 21 inches. Meanwhile, the body is 4,712 mm (185.5 in) long and 1,985 mm (78.1 in) wide, as well as 1,937 mm (76.3 in) tall. That would be with the standard wheelbase configuration of 2,988 mm (117.6 in), of course.
Kara Trainor poses for a picture with a photo of her son, Riley, 11, after making a statement, Thursday, during a hearing in New York. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic.
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A freelancer who previously worked on New York Times projects was killed covering the war in Ukraine, the Times and U.S. State Department confirmed on Sunday.

What they're saying: "We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renauds death. Brent was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years," the Times wrote in a statement emailed to Axios.

Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine," the statement said. "Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago."

A State Department spokesperson confirmed Renaud's death on Sunday, but declined to give specifics "out of respect for his family's privacy."

Driving the news: It's the first known American journalist to be killed in the war in Ukraine. Renaud was an award-winning video journalist that had also worked on projects for PBS and HBO.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS the killing is "obviously shocking and horrifying. ... I just learned about it as I came on the air here." Sullivan said, adding that the U.S. will be consulting with Ukraine to "measure and execute appropriate consequences."

"I will just say that this is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship and they have targeted journalists."

The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The big picture: The war presents an enormous risk for journalists, both in Ukraine and Russia.

A Ukrainian camera operator was killed when a TV tower was shelled last week.

Russian forces opened fire on Western journalists from Sky News last week.

The Times said it would pull all of its journalists out of Russia last week, given the threat of a new fake news law, but it kept journalists on the ground covering the war in Ukraine, as did other news organizations.

Be smart: Journalists are considered civilians under international humanitarian law. More than two dozen governments, including the U.S., have spoken out in support of press freedom surrounding the war.

We are shocked and saddened to learn of the death of U.S. journalist Brent Renaud in Ukraine. This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law, said Carlos Martinez de la Serna, a program director at the Committee to Protect Journalists.

Russian forces in Ukraine must stop all violence against journalists and other civilians at once, and whoever killed Renaud should be held to account.

Time in a statement said it was devastated by the loss of Renaud, who "was in the region working on a TIME Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis."

"Our hearts are with all of Brents loved ones. It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine," wrote Time Editor in Chief and CEO Edward Felsenthal and President and COO Ian Orefice.

Editor's note: This post has been updated with additional details throughout.
Top Democratic operatives see expanding defections by Hispanic voters to the GOP, worsening Democrats' outlook for November's midterms.

Why it matters: Democrats had hoped this might be a phenomenon specific to the Trump era. But new polling shows it accelerating, worrying party strategists about the top of the ticket in 2024.

A Wall Street Journal poll last week found that by 9 points, Hispanic voters said they'd back a Republican candidate for Congress over a Democrat.

In November, the parties were tied.

What's happening: Democrats saw evidence of this shift in 2020 in House races in south Florida, Texas and southern New Mexico.

Key factors, operatives say, include skepticism among Hispanic voters about programs they view as handouts. And many Hispanics are social conservatives, with what L.A. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano has called a "rancho libertarianism streak."

operatives say, include skepticism among Hispanic voters about programs they view as handouts. And many Hispanics are social conservatives, with what L.A. Times columnist Gustavo Arellano has called a "rancho libertarianism streak." The national party also needs to do better with messages that distinguish among Americans whose families hailed from Cuba, Mexico, Puerto Rico or Central America, several Democrats tell me.

Our thought bubble: Latinos, especially Mexican Americans, still lean Democratic. But Democrats have been losing ground among these voters in recent elections because the party hasn't been paying enough attention to them.

Democrats talk about climate change, but dismiss the fact that many Latinos work in lucrative oilfield jobs in New Mexico and West Texas.

climate change, but dismiss the fact that many Latinos work in lucrative oilfield jobs in New Mexico and West Texas. Democrats talk about diversity. But by pleasing white progressives, they push out moderate Hispanic candidates.

But by pleasing white progressives, they push out moderate Hispanic candidates. Democrats target Latinos by talking about immigration. But polls show immigration ranks 5th or 6th among the issues most important to these voters. The economy is usually the top concern.

New Mexico Democratic political consultant Sisto Abeyta said he's been ringing the alarm bells for months that Democrats in his state were losing Hispanic men: "And everyone has been ignoring me."

Republican consultant Mike Madrid, based in Sacramento, told Axios: "As Democrats start to focus more on white, cultural, progressive cultural issues, they're losing the fastest segment of the non-college-educated population, and that's Latinos."

Democratic strategist Chuck Rocha, based in D.C., told Axios his party keeps hiring political consultants for U.S. House races who know little to nothing about Latino voters:
A big-time Maryland donor recently raised a lingering question in some corners of the Democratic Party: Can Black candidates run for and win statewide races?

Why it matters: Democrats rely on Black voters as a lifeline for their party, but Black candidates in 2022 are still plagued with electability questions.

"Consider this: Three African-American males have run statewide for Governor and have lost," Barbara Goldberg Goldman wrote to fellow party insiders in December. "This is a fact we must not ignore."

The big picture: The question posed by Goldman isn't just being asked in Maryland.

Black candidates in places like Illinois, Pennsylvania, Arkansas and Wisconsin say they're navigating similar racial dynamics.

The questions come despite unprecedented representation by officeholders and candidates, from the vice president to members of Congress and mayors.

A snapshot: There are 57 Black U.S. House members, the most ever; Black women are mayors of seven of the 100 most-populous cities; three Black candidates were among the primary contestants for the Virginia governor's race last year, and three are currently competing in Maryland Democratic gubernatorial primary.

The questions also remain despite Black voters boosting Democrats  particularly in long shot elections in states like Georgia, and during presidential contests.

One consistent comment relayed to Axios in conversations with over a dozen Black candidates, campaign staff and Democratic strategists: The skepticism doesn't usually come from voters.

Instead, it emanates  behind the scenes  from donors, state party leaders and even D.C. pundits.

Driving the news: Axios obtained a December email written by Goldman explaining why she endorsed Tom Perez for governor of Maryland.

The former Democratic National Committee chair is among a 10-person field that includes three Black candidates.

Goldman is the state Democratic Party's deputy treasurer and a longtime party donor.

In a chain with other party insiders, Goldman explained her thinking: "Which candidate(s) have a better chance in the General election of beating an attractive female [Larry] Hogan team member for whom both Dems and Repubs have expressed genuine likeability [sic]?"

"Consider this: Three African-American males have run statewide for Governor and have lost. Maryland is not a Blue state. It's a purple one. This is a fact we must not ignore. In the last 20 years, only eight have been with a Democratic Governor. We need a winning team. IMHO."

Past performance is a valid index to use when considering future successes.

The invocation of race as a determining factor, though, takes the discussion beyond pure politics.

The idea that there would be skepticism about a candidates electability because they are Black should have no place in the Democratic Party in Maryland  a state with both incredible diversity and disparities  or anywhere else in America in 2022, said a spokesperson for the Wes Moore campaign.

Moore, the former CEO of the anti-poverty nonprofit Robin Hood Foundation, is also running for Maryland governor in the 10-person primary.

In response to questions about her email, Goldman, who is white, told Axios: "I regret making the statement. It neither accurately expresses nor depicts my views, and does not represent my lifelong commitment to supporting Democratic causes and candidates.

A spokesman for Perez's campaign said: "These hurtful and ill-conceived comments do not reflect the values of our campaign  as evidenced by Tom's entire career to advance civil rights and expand opportunity."

"Our campaign is building a geographically, demographically and ideologically inclusive coalition focused on electing a Democratic governor who is ready to serve all Marylanders."

What they're saying: John King, who served as Education secretary under former President Obama, is one of those running for Maryland governor.

He said Democratic Party insiders have told him: "'Oh, well, if there are multiple candidates of color, then its impossible for one of them to win. Certainly, people have made that remark to me."

"In Maryland, we have a very diverse state and a diverse electorate, so we are well-positioned to have our first African American governor," King told Axios.

King also pointed out that because of the diversity of the primary field, the state could end up making history if it elects its first Latino or Afro-Latino too.

"Having served in the administration of our first Black president, one would have hoped wed be further along in these conversations," he added.

Rushern Baker, former executive of Prince Georges County and the third Black candidate in the Democratic primary for Maryland governor, told Axios: While I dont agree, its a fair criticism understanding we havent seen it happen yet. ... Although those candidates didnt win, its not impossible. They just werent the right candidates at the right time.

What they're saying: "We have to challenge that" electability narrative, said Kina Collins, who's running to replace Rep. Danny Davis (D-Ill.). "Democrats say Democrats love Black women  until it's time to elect us."

Chris Jones, a gubernatorial candidate in Arkansas, is not only running in a state that's never had a Black statewide representative but one the Democratic Party has been reluctant to invest in because of its political makeup.

"Democratic party stakeholders are, and need to be, ready to fund new types of candidates and new ways of funding if they want to win and maintain democracy in this country," said a spokesman for his campaign.

Pennsylvania state Rep. Malcolm Kenyatta, who's running for U.S. Senate, "has been hounded by doubts about whether a Black, openly gay, 31-year-old state representative from North Philadelphia can win Pennsylvania," the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote.

Kenyatta tries to turn his identity into a positive, often saying in campaign speeches: Do you want someone who says, 'Vote for me because you have no choice'? Or, 'Vote for me because I understand your life'?

In western Pennsylvania, U.S. House candidate Summer Lee is seeking a seat only ever held by white men.

She made history in 2018 when she won a state representative race in southwestern Pennsylvania by beating a 20-year incumbent.

Nonetheless, she told Axios she still combats doubts about electability.

"It absolutely comes from within the party and from without," Lee said. "The policies that we lift up are things that bring in more people and engage our base in different ways."

Lee and other candidates argue that when Black candidates run, they're able to mobilize members of Black and brown communities who might not otherwise participate  as well as white voters.

"If theres an opportunity for an African American to be a Democratic nominee, I believe they are uniquely positioned to bring along Democrats, Republicans and independents alike," Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist who's worked with several campaigns, told Axios.

So far this cycle, several Black candidates in statewide and congressional races have been outperforming fundraising expectations and clearing their crowded primary fields.

Anyone doubting a Black candidates electability should check the scoreboard," said Maddy McDaniel, communications director for Wisconsin U.S. Senate candidate Mandela Barnes.

Go deeper: Read the email.
Nearly a dozen rockets struck Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, late Saturday night local time, Iraqi and U.S. officials told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

The latest: A U.S. official told Axios that there is no indication the strike was directed toward the United States; nor were the reported explosions near U.S. facilities or personnel.

Driving the news: "There is no damage or casualties at any U.S. government facility," a State Department spokesperson told Axios.

The State Department spokesperson said the incident "is being investigated by the government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government."

"We condemn this outrageous attack and display of violence," the spokesperson added.

Of note: State broke ground on a new U.S. consular compound in July 2018 with a move-in date eyed by the end of 2022.

A career diplomat, Robert Palladino became consular general in Erbil in July 2021.

Editor's note: This story has been updated with new information about the strike.
Russian President Vladimir Putin announced in a combative, hourlong address on Monday that he will recognize two breakaway "republics" in eastern Ukraine as independent.

The latest: In a decree recognizing the independence of the Donetsk People's Republic (DNR) and the Luhansk People's Republic (LNR), Putin ordered the Russian military to conduct "peacekeeping operations" in the occupied Ukrainian territories.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations called Putin's "peacekeeping" description "nonsense" during Monday night's U.N. Security Council meeting on the crisis.

The big picture: The separatists don't hold all of the territory they claim so recognition could swiftly evolve into war unless Russia limits its operations to the separatist-held areas.

Analysts have also warned that Moscow could also use any attacks on its troops in eastern Ukraine  real or fabricated  as a pretext for a broader war.

The separatists declared independence in 2014 and have waged a low-scale war against Ukrainian forces since then, with military backing from Moscow.

The fighting has escalated since Thursday, with Kyiv accusing the separatists of persistent shelling across the line of contact.

What they're saying: Western leaders swiftly denounced Putin's move as a violation of international law and Ukrainian sovereignty.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement that the U.S. would prohibit investment in the separatist republics and that further sanctions would be coming that were separate from the "massive" package promised if Russia invades.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Charles Michel said in a statement that "[t]his step is a blatant violation of international law as well as of the Minsk agreements. The Union will react with sanctions against those involved in this illegal act."

Putin used his speech not only to announce recognition of the separatist republics but to make a broader argument that Ukraine is not truly a separate country from Russia, that the West is responsible for this standoff, and that Ukraine will bear responsibility for any "future bloodletting."

Between the lines: It's unclear whether the Russian troops will seek to secure only the territory the separatists currently hold or the entirety of the areas they claim (see map).

At a time when the White House continues to warn of an imminent, large-scale invasion, Putin's latest moves could be interpreted as a sign that his immediate military focus is on the eastern Donbas region and not on the capital, Kyiv.

Michael Kofman, an expert on Russia's military capabilities at CNA, contends it's more likely the first step in a broader military operation that won't be limited to the Donbas.

Data: Mapbox/OSCE as of Feb. 14; Map: Will Chase/Axios

Background: Russia's Duma voted last week to ask Putin to recognize the DNR and LNR as independent.

The separatist leaders echoed that request earlier on Monday, before Russia's most senior officials took turns making the case for recognition in an extraordinary televised Security Council meeting.

The Kremlin claims Ukraine is preparing for a major military offensive in the east, which U.S. and Ukrainian officials have dismissed as absurd. More than 150,000 Russian troops are massed on the borders.

Zoom out: Russia claimed earlier Monday that its forces had killed five Ukrainians with anti-tank weapons after their vehicles crossed into Russian territory. The head of Russia's FSB intelligence service later claimed one Ukrainian soldier had been captured.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba denied the allegations and called on Russia to "stop your fake-producing factory now."

Worth noting: The justifications Russia appears to be building for war closely track with the playbook the Biden administration predicted Putin would follow.

They also seem choreographed in advance. Independent Russian network TV Rain noted that Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu's watch showed a time five hours earlier than the purportedly "live" Security Council meeting was aired.

Previously, separatist leaders had released videos announcing an emergency civilian evacuation which turned out to have been recorded two days before they were released.

Go deeper: Biden and Putin fight to control of Ukraine narrative

Editor's note: This story has been updated with additional details from Putin's televised address, Western leaders' reactions and information on the Russian president's decree.
China maintains world's largest manufacturing hub for 12 consecutive years

16:44, March 13, 2022 By Wang Zheng ( People's Daily

China has maintained the world's largest manufacturing hub for 12 straight years, said the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

The country's value-added output of the manufacturing sector in 2021 reached 31.4 trillion yuan (about $4.97 trillion), accounting for 27.4 percent of its GDP.

China's value-added industrial output grew to 37.3 trillion yuan last year from 20.9 trillion yuan in 2012. In particular, the value-added output of the manufacturing sector surged from 16.98 trillion yuan to 31.4 trillion yuan. It obviously indicates the improved international competitiveness of China's manufacturing sector.

A technician debugs a robotic arm at a workshop of a car maker in Qingzhou, east China's Shandong province, March 1, 2022. (Photo by Wang Jilin/People's Daily Online)

China is the only country in the world that has all the industrial categories listed in the UN industrial classification, and is the world's largest producer of over 220 types of industrial products.

Last year, the added value of industries above designated size increased by 9.6 percent over the previous year, with an average growth of 6.1 percent in the two years.

The innovation capability of China's manufacturing sector has been significantly enhanced. The photovoltaic, wind power and ship making industries are seeing increasing international influence. The production of containers surged by 110.6 percent, and that of chips also jumped by 33.3 percent. Besides, the country has also made phased achievements in the new display, machine tool and new material sectors.

The structural optimization of the manufacturing sector is accelerating. The output of the high-tech manufacturing industry went up 18.2 percent year on year, while that of equipment manufacturing increased 12.9 percent. They have contributed 28.6 percent and 45 percent to the growth of industries above designated size, respectively.

Photo taken on March 1, 2022 shows a container terminal of the Lianyungang Port in Lianyungang city, east Chinas Jiangsu province. (Photo by Wang Chun/People's Daily Online)

The energy consumption per unit of value-added output of industries above designated size deceased by 5.6 percent from a year ago.

Digital transformation of the manufacturing sector has speeded up. China has built the world's largest fiber-optic and mobile communication networks. It is home to over 1.425 million 5G base stations and 520 million connected 5G terminals.

The numerical control rate of key processes in Chinese enterprises reached 55.3 percent and the penetration rate of digital R&D and design tools came in at 74.7 percent.

MIIT Minister Xiao Yaqing recently introduced the status quo and prospects of China's manufacturing sector centering on the government work report at a press conference.

He said China is the only country in the world that has all the industries classified into 31 divisions, 207 groups, and 666 classes, and it has offered firm support for the country's industrial and economic development. The MIIT will expand its investment the manufacturing sector and keep a stable ratio of the sector in the country's industry, he added.

Wind turbines are loaded onto an ocean-going ship at a terminal in Lianyungang, east China's Jiangsu province, Dec. 31, 2021. (Photo by Wang Chun/People's Daily Online)

Xiao believes that China needs to support the development of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) so as to pursue further progress of its industrial clusters, as the development of SMEs is fundamental to the development of the manufacturing sector.

The manufacturing sector consists of numerous SMEs and features an ecology in which large, medium and small enterprises are inter-dependent and mutually reinforcing, he said, adding that China must make efforts to further protect and nurture the ecology.

Xiao said China will further expand the group of "little giants," or leading small and medium enterprises that specialize in niche sectors, and pave newer paths of development for these enterprises at national level. This year, the country plans to nurture over 3,000 national-level and 50,000 provincial-level "little giants," Xiao noted.

He said leading small and medium enterprises that specialize in niche sectors have set an example for the development of SMEs, hoping that their development can bring further inspirations to other SMEs.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
A 23-year-old from Australia has been able to invest in real estate and now owns a $314,000 property thanks to his carefully planned cryptocurrency investments. Among the cryptocurrencies he invested in are Bitcoin and Ethereum.

The investor is said to have followed an investment strategy known as dollar-cost averaging when it comes to his crypto portfolio. Other factors have contributed to his success, including the COVID-19 pandemic.

23-Year-Old Acquires $314,000 Worth of Property Thanks to Crypto

A 23-year-old from Australia named Loi Nguyen "played the long game of accumulating Bitcoin (BTC) and Ether (ETH) over several years to eventually overcome the soaring real estate prices during the 2020 bull run and own his dream home," according to an article by Cointelegraph.

Per the publication, Nguyen began investing in cryptocurrency back in 2017. Using a few hundred dollars, he invested in the two aforementioned cryptos along with traditional stocks. Unsurprisingly, his interest in crypto eventually grew even more.

Nguyen cashed out his cryptocurrency investments in order to purchase real estate last year. According to Cointelegraph, he decided to do this at a time when Bitcoin reached the high of $69,000.

"In total, the young Aussie sold less than half of his crypto portfolio, leaving him around $31,400 (43,000 Australian dollars) to show the bank as a part of the down payment," says Cointelegraph.

With that money, Nguyen purchased an apartment that is worth $314,000. The apartment is located in city of Brisbane.

Read Also: Metaverse Bitcoin Game: Release Date, How to Play and Earn

How Did He Do It?

So how did Nguyen manage to do all of that with his crypto? According to Cointelegraph, he actually followed a dollar-cost averaging (DCA) investment strategy.

Investopedia defines DCA as "an investment strategy in which an investor divides up the total amount to be invested across periodic purchases of a target asset in an effort to reduce the impact of volatility on the overall purchase."

Nguyen said he also took a lot of risks with his effort to diversify his portfolio. The COVID-19 pandemic likewise worked in his favor as the collapse of tradition markets caused him to focus more on crypto.

Crypto Investing Tips

Considering investing on cryptocurrency yourself? Forbes has some useful and practical tips for you.

According to Forbes, one of the most basic and yet one of the most important things you have to do is to do your research first. It is a good idea to read the whitepaper of the coin you are planning to invest in.

It is also recommended that investors should diversify their portfolio.

Forbes also suggests that cryptocurrency investors should use an alternative personal email instead of the one regularly being used by the investor for work and other personal reasons.

The publication likewise suggests being careful when it comes to mobile wallets. Forbes says, "Trading or storing large sums of any cryptocurrency via mobile phone is simply too great a risk."

Related Article: Is Bitcoin a Safe Investment? Major Benefits, Negatives, Price History, and More
The inauguration ceremony took place at a special session of the Armenian parliament boycotted by its two opposition factions.

After 2015 amendments in Armenias constitution transforming it into a parliamentary republic the countrys president has largely ceremonial powers. Still, the president is considered to be the head of state.

Khachatrian was nominated for presidency by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinians ruling Civil Contract party after a sudden resignation in January by Armen Sarkissian, who had occupied the post of the countrys president since 2018.

Civil Contracts faction in parliament later installed Khachatrian as president in a two-round vote boycotted by the opposition Hayastan and Pativ Unem factions.

In his speech today Khachatrian acknowledged that he was assuming office at a pivotal time for Armenia amid complicated regional and international challenges.

We are witnessing rapidly changing geopolitical developments as a result of which current global security systems are being transformed. Today, more than ever, we need wisdom, confidence, stability and unity, the new Armenian president said.

Khachatrian, 62, is an economist who had served as mayor of Yerevan from 1992-1996 during former President Levon Ter-Petrosians rule. He was a staunch political ally of Ter-Petrosian until agreeing to join Pashinians government last August. Khachatrian quit the Ter-Petrosian-led political party before being nominated as a candidate for president who, under Armenias constitution, must not have any party affiliation.

Under Armenias constitution, the president is elected for a term of seven years and the same person may not be elected as president more than once.
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Economists say the recent jump in fuel prices, if sustained, may lead to big changes in Kern County, but they disagree on how much that might 
Nearly two years following a chemical plant explosion, a Southeast Texas community once again saw black plumes rising from a facility into the sky on Wednesday in Port Neches.

But this time, emergency officials say, the flares and smoke clouds were a sign that a petrochemical plants safety measures worked.

The Southeast Texas Alerting Network, along with emergency and city officials from Port Neches and Groves, reported shortly before 2 p.m. that the Indorama Ventures facility lost a unit and steam production, which resulted in a flare and black smoke. No emergency was reported as the facilitys crews worked to resolve the issue and shut down operating units.

Flares are safety devices that allow us to safely burn excess gasses, Indorama said in the STAN alert. The safety of our employees, contractors, and the surrounding community is always our primary focus. No action is needed.

Groves Fire Chief and Emergency Management Coordinator Lance Billeaud informed the community that the flares would continue until the production units returned online and that there was not any product release of any kind and no danger to the public.

They will continue to monitor this throughout the process and keep in contact with local officials, Billeaud said.

About an hour later, Port Neches Fire Chief Eloy Vega told The Enterprise the situation appeared to be under control. While there were some flare flames from the units, he said there was no longer black smoke. Fire officials received an update from Indorama that assured crews were working to get the units back up. He said, as of press time, it was unclear if the units were 100% back online.

From what we have learned in discussing this with our counterparts here at the Indorama facility, the loss of steam that is used to produce their product, that production decreased so they lost steam, Vega said. That tripped a safety mechanism to relieve pressure from their line. When it relieves pressure, it goes out toward the outlets that point to the sky, resulting in that flame and excess product being evaporated and resulting in the black smoke.

From what we have learned from the technicians at Indorama, the system worked as it should have, which again resulted in black smoke so that pressure was relieved from their lines, he continued. They assured us that there was no on-scene emergency and no immediate threat to the surrounding communities.

On November 27, 2019, the Port Neches community awoke to an explosion  that at least one man described as the sun exploding  from the TPC Group Chemical Plant that burned for nearly a month. Area residents previously told The Enterprise that the explosion remains in the back of their mind and has made them nervous about seeing industrial flares.

It depends on what day it is, but it can be an emotional roller coaster, Susan Miguez told The Enterprise a year after the incident. Some days you go about your business and not think a lot about it at all, but I get freaked out when I see the big flares. I cant help but wonder if they are going to keep getting bigger.

Related: Port Neches residents still living through TPC explosion one year later

Vega said the officials strive to keep the concerned community safe and informed.

There is no doubt when anybody would see the volume of smoke and flames coming from any facility, especially after the TPC incident, any community member would rightly inquire or ask what is going on, and they are entitled to know what is going on, Vega said. That is our job to number one, find out about the nature of this situation and two, resolve it as needed.

Vega assured the community that emergency officials in Port Neches and their colleagues in the neighboring cities work closely with representatives from the local industry.

When there is a situation like this, we have immediate contact with them to get a report of the situation, whether it is a routine flare up or whether it is a situation where there is a machine down or a system down that causes this type of situation when there is black smoke or possibly an emergency, he told The Enterprise on Wednesday. We are either notified or we reach out to them and through these lines of communication we exchange information and if we need to take any action, we do so immediately, whether it is responding or putting information out to the community to let them know what is going on like it happened today.

Situations like these whether it is like a technical, man-made or natural event those of us in the public safety sector are definitely monitoring the situation night and day, he continued. So, we are on it for sure.

meagan.ellsworth@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/megzmagpie
The headquarters of KB Financial Group located on Yeouido, Seoul / Courtesy of KB Financial Group

By Anna J. Park



The Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS), one of the global major proxy advisory firms, advised KB Financial Group shareholders to vote against the nomination of an outside director recommended by the group's union at the financial giant's shareholders' meeting scheduled for March 25.



"We recommend to a vote against director nominee Kim Young-su, as the union came short of building a compelling case to justify the addition of their proposed nominee to the board," the ISS' latest report on proxy analysis and benchmark policy voting recommendation of KB Financial stated.



In February, KB Financial's labor union recommended Kim, former Export-Import Bank of Korea (Eximbank) Vice President, to become one of the group's outside directors.



"Nominee Kim has built his career expertise on overseas investment for over three decades, since starting to work at the Eximbank in 1985, assuming various key positions, including at the bank's Hong Kong subsidiary as well as international finance divisions," the labor union's recommendation read.



Yet, the U.S.-based proxy advisory firm pointed out in its report that despite the union's recommendation that Kim's overseas expertise would bring about a valuable change in the board, Kim's core strength seems to be in the realm of the banking business.



The report went on to criticize Kim's banking business acumen as a common attribute shared by other outside directors or director nominees, while it is doubtful whether Kim's expertise would contribute to enhancing the financial group's extensive overseas business that runs the gamut of various financial products and assets.



Founded in 1985, ISS has been publishing reports on corporate governance, responsible investment solutions and shareholder meeting agendas. More than 70 percent of global institutional investors are known to refer to ISS' reports prior to exercising their shareholders' rights.



Compared to 0.55 percent stake of the group's shares owned by the labor union, foreign investors hold over 72.3 percent of KB Financial's shares. ISS had previously published negative views on outside director nominees recommended by the labor union throughout 2017 to 2020, and the nominees were not approved at the shareholders' meeting.


Bennington, VT (05201)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 57F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Rain showers this evening with overcast skies overnight. Low 47F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 50%.
Hana Financial Group chairman-nominee Ham Young-joo, center, answers reporters' questions after he was found not guilty of being involved in an illegal hiring scandal at the Seoul Western District Court in Mapo District, Friday. Yonhap



Record profits, rising dividends also in favor of Ham ahead of shareholders' meeting on March 25



By Yi Whan-woo



The latest court ruling that acquitted Hana Financial Group chairman-nominee Ham Young-joo of being involved in an illegal employee hiring scandal has cleared him of any legal risk as he looks to take the helm of the nation's third-largest financial group. Ham was tapped as the sole candidate for the post, Feb. 8.



On Friday, the Seoul Western District Court found Ham not guilty of charges that he unfairly influenced Hana Bank's recruitment processes when he was CEO of the group's flagship division in 2015.



A separate court decision awaits him, Monday, concerning a fiasco involving derivative-linked funds (DLFs) in which the Financial Supervisory Service (FSS) imposed sanctions against him in 2020 for mis-selling high-risk DLF products.



However, market observers expect Ham to be found not guilty, noting that Woori Financial Group Chairman Son Tae-seung won a similar case against the FSS last year.



"The court acquittal, Friday, has cleared a major legal hurdle for the nominee," Hana Financial Group said in a statement, Sunday.



The trial lasted for more than three and half years, and has been considered a major stumbling block for Ham to be officially appointed for a three-year chairmanship during scheduled meetings of shareholders as well as the board of directors, March 25.



"We anticipate Ham to lead the group's rapid growth and help to take a quantum leap," the group added.



In a separate announcement after the court ruling, Ham said he will "thoroughly explain the outcome of the trial to shareholders" to ensure the March 25 meetings will go ahead undisrupted.





Ham Young-joo, third from left, then CEO of Hana Bank, and Kim Jung-tae, fourth from left, chairman of Hana Financial Group, pose with labor union chiefs of Hana Bank and Korea Exchange Bank (KEB) during a ceremony to mark the merger of the two lenders in front of Hana Bank headquarters in Seoul in this photo taken in Sept. 1, 2015. Korea Times file



Meanwhile, Hana Financial Group is highlighting the nominee's highly-decorated credentials as well as his character.



Born in 1956, Ham climbed his way from the bottom of the ladder to the top, after coming from extremely humble beginnings in the 1980s as a teller at Seoul Bank, a predecessor of Hana Bank.



A high school graduate and a son of a poor farmer in South Chungcheong Province, Ham had business acumen and insightfulness that pushed him to outpace university graduates and to be recognized for his management skills as he moved upward.




Elizabeth Baer is a teacher who loves to spend time in the kitchen. She also posts recipes and musings about food on her blog, culinursa.com/blog and can be reached at culinursa@gmail.com.
Cops and Courts Reporter

Amanda Burke is Cops and Courts Reporter for The Berkshire Eagle. An Ithaca, New York native, she previously worked at The Herald News of Fall River and the Fitchburg Sentinel & Enterprise.
The Outlook is today's look ahead at the week's weather, its impact on the Berkshires and beyond. Clarence Fanto can be reached at cfanto@yahoo.com.
Billionaire George Soros is after Presidents Putin and Xi of China. He wants them canceled right this minute. The 92-year-old Soros recently wrote an internet column saying they were enemies of democracy. The Soros line that caught my eye: "We can only hope that Putin and Xi will be removed from power before they can destroy our civilization." Well, this is rich, pun intended. The shadowy currency-trader is outraged by the two totalitarians. In the column, Soros claims he is promoting "democracy." How nice. In the real world, George Soros is sieging America, donating untold millions of dollars to destroy the criminal justice system and influence voting patterns. According to Forbes Magazine, Soros is worth $8.6 billion and recently pumped $125 million into something called "Democracy PAC," run by his son, Alexander. As you may know, but most Americans don't, George Soros is a driving force behind electing far-left prosecutors. He champions their insane soft on crime policies like "no bail" laws and failure to enforce criminal statutes at all. If you follow the news, the situation is dire. Thousands of Americans have been killed in cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Philadelphia because violent criminals are often not prosecuted by corrupt DA's - many of whom received significant campaign donations from the Soros organizations. So, while the radical leftist is railing against violent foreign leaders, his cash is fueling dangerous American streets. Whether it's open borders, massive intrusions from homeless drug addicts, demonizing the police, or a permissive view of narcotics, George Soros and his heavy wallet are on board the pain train. I have no doubt that Soros wrote his condemnation of Putin and Xi as an attempt to rehabilitate his image in the United States. The damage this man has done to our society through his "Open Society" Foundation is incalculable, in my opinion. And it's all completely legal. His battery of lawyers knows every comma of the "non-profit" industry guidelines. Putin and Xi are obviously dangerous to the world, just as Soros is a danger to America. His unlimited money is quietly used to advance the most radical politicians and causes; there is no question about that. Again, few truly understand how pernicious this man really is. I call him the Prince of Darkness and if you don't believe me, look him up on Google. Then think about the horrific rise in violent crime, the collapse of civility and public safety, the porous border where migrants and fentanyl pour in on a daily basis while George Soros writes another check. So it is absolutely hideous to see this guy "virtue-signal" over the Russian and Chinese dictators. I know what you're doing, George. Bucks instead of bombs.

But both are agents of destruction.




A North Korean propaganda machine slammed South Korea on Sunday for denouncing what Pyongyang claims were recent satellite launch tests as efforts to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile, arguing it is a double standard to take issue with space projects that all countries are entitled to undertake.







South Korea and the United States have recently announced their assessment that Pyongyang's purported satellite tests on Feb. 27 and March 5 were part of efforts to develop a new ICBM system ahead of a possible full-range rocket launch.







The North has claimed the launches were for "reconnaissance satellite" development.







"Many countries launch military satellites," Uriminjokkiri, one of the North's propaganda websites, said in a commentary. "It is a shameless and brigandish act to maliciously defame only our reconnaissance satellite launch preparations and talk even about sanctions."







It also said the South's denunciation is nothing more than "paranoiac convulsion."







The outlet also claimed that the reconnaissance satellite project is part of the country's five-year defense science and weapons system development plan.







"It is wrong for South Korean authorities, who are bent on developing various missiles and space launch vehicles targeting us, to put a double standard on our legitimate space development plans and exercise of our self-defense right," it said. (Yonhap)


Mainly Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province & Ringing Trips to Bahrain
The Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCASA) are assisting with the advertising of this event to South Africa.The conference will be hybrid to accommodate both physical and virtual participants. As the world is currently navigating the Covid-19 pandemic, the APCA and partners decided to focus on the theme:Palliative care experts, researchers, health workers, carers, donors, and people living with palliative care needs will all find content of interest at this conference. It is also expected to attract several country ministers of health and dignitaries as well as government technical officials. Previous conferences have been very successful and this will be the first conference to held in pandemic context.The APCA invites participants to submit abstracts for the conference.Abstracts may include research, best practice models developed over the pandemic and recommendations to help us respond better in similar situations in the future. There are six broad conference tracks.To submit, participants must please register here . Once registered, you can submit your abstracts here The organising committee for the 7th International African Palliative Care Conference invites interested individuals or organisations to submit a workshop proposal for the conference. All workshops will be virtual, and we recommend that all speakers join the session live if possible. If necessary, speakers may record their presentations in advance for the moderator or workshop organiser to play during the live session.APCA is co-hosting the conference in partnership with the Worldwide Hospice and Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA). The conference is co-sponsored by the International Childrens Palliative Care Network (ICPCN), Palliative Care in Humanitarian Aid Situations and Emergencies (PallCHASE), The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC), and Global Partners in Care.
Welkom's schools and community centres are looking decidedly more leafy, thanks to the addition of 1,020 new trees planted by Konica Minolta South Africa in partnership with Food & Trees for Africa.

Pupils alongside an educator planting trees at Hoerskool Riebeeckstad in Welkom, Free State. | Source: Supplied

Small efforts, big results

The greening of the Free States second largest city kicked off with a planting ceremony hosted by Konica Minolta Welkom at the Hoerskool Riebeeckstad, which took place on 2 March. With the six trees taking root at the school offering a shade for learners, Konica Minolta South Africa is poised to change the outlook of the school.Its such a privilege for us to be able to take part in this greening project, said school principal, Mrs Betsi Schoeman. We know that the conducive environment created by planting trees will have a wonderfully positive effect on our children.Many more children and community members are set to benefit from the plantings which will take place at 19 more schools and four community organisations. In fact, the 1,020 trees to be planted in total will have a significant impact on the city as a whole, helping to offset 376.38 CO2e throughout their lifetime.The company has, to date, donated 59,339 trees in locations throughout the country, offsetting 21,896.31 tCO2e in the process. The project represents an ongoing effort to green the country, in line with Konica Minoltas belief that continued small efforts make the world of difference in benefiting nature.Frans Wessels, director of Welkom Dealership commented: We all know that greening the environment helps to reduce pollutants in the air and soil, which is naturally important for our long-term wellbeing.However, we are also concerned with the more immediate benefits of living in a treed environment: studies have shown that green surroundings have a positive effect on mood, helping to relieve stress and anxiety. Given the trials that all South Africans experienced during the past two pandemic years, this is something that we can all value.
The Cannabis Expo returns to Cape Town after a two-year pandemic break. This time, the event is hosted on the back of President Ramaphosa's recent SONA address, in which he announced government's renewed focus on this flourishing industry and plans to review current frameworks and polices to help the cannabis sector grow.

Source: Supplied

Source: Supplied

Source: Supplied

Whats new?

What to expect

Hosted at GrandWest from 24 to 27 March, The Cannabis Expo Cape Town is the largest cannabis-focused trade and consumer expo on the African continent and includes over 150 exhibitors, networking and entertainment spaces, The Cannabis Food Market where visitors can buy foods, drinks and treats with a cannabis buzz, as well as The Cannabis Convention that hosts moderated panel discussions and presentations from global industry leaders.With a huge selection of cannabis-related products and services already legally on the market, The Cannabis Expo hosts businesses and professionals from all sectors of the industry: agriculture, healthcare, medicine, technology, product retailers and innovators, legislation groups and government departments.Throughout the event, visitors are able to participate in talks, presentations and panel discussions with cannabis industry leaders, experts, activists and government representatives on a variety of cannabis-related topics. Attendees can get clued up about the laws around cannabis, how to get a grower's permit, what tools, lights and fertilisers are needed to grow the best crops, the wide range of health benefits of cannabis, the vast business opportunities the cannabis industry has to offer, and so much more.Its great to be back in Cape Town, and after the recent government moves to further open up the cannabis industry we have seen a huge increase in exhibitors with new cannabis opportunities on offer, says expo director Silas Howarth. Whether youre interested in cannabis and finding out about the latest cannabis products, or just want to have a good time with cannabis vibes, or if youre serious about getting into the cannabis industry, you need to be at The Cannabis Expo.New to the upcoming Cape Town event, The JuicyFields Freedom Festival at the expo is the ultimate space for cannabis enthusiasts, providing a vibrant outdoor festival environment where visitors, delegates and exhibitors to the accompanying cannabis expo and convention events congregate throughout the four days.The festival includes a Festival Stage hosting popular bands, artists and DJs throughout the event, comfy relaxation areas and catering spaces including The Cannabis Food Market where visitors can browse and enjoy the latest in cannabis-infused and cannabis-inspired culinary delights. The festival and food market is accessible at no charge to all visitor and VIP delegate ticket holders who attend the expo. Over 150 exhibitors - Representing the entire cannabis industry The JuicyFields Freedom Festival - A vibrant outdoor festival environment hosting bands, artists and DJs The Cannabis Food Market - Browse and enjoy cannabis-infused meals, treats and drinks The Shroom Expo - A first in Africa, find out more about all things shrooms The Convention Stage (Thursday and Friday) - Global industry leaders presenting talks and taking part in moderated panel discussions The Expo Stage (Saturday and Sunday) - Presentations around cannabis-related topics that cover health, agriculture, legislation, finance and more A private space at The Cannabis Expo where members can legally use cannabisFind out more at TheCannabisExpo.co.za.
This requirement is buried deep into the 2,741 page bill on page 1,408 and is part of the Title VII General Provisions of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2022.

The bill states: Democracy programs supported with funds appropriated by this Actshould, as appropriateincludeefforts to combat weaponized technology, including the misuse of social media to spread disinformation or incite hate.

While this is the main requirement in the bill related to disinformation, theres also another reference to disinformation on page 1,848 that states:

Funds appropriated by this title under the heading Economic Support Fund may be transferred to, and merged with, funds available under the heading Diplomatic Programs for activities related to public engagement, messaging, and countering disinformation.

The Economic Support Fund heading makes $6.47 million available until September 30, 2024 while the Diplomatic Programs heading makes $125 million available until September 30, 2024 with the provisions that up to $15 million may be transferred to, and merged with, funds available under the heading Capital Investment Fund for cybersecurity and related information technology investments and that the funds shall be made available, as appropriate, to enhance the capacity of the Department of State to identify the assets of Russian and other oligarchs related to the situation in Ukraine, and to coordinate with the Department of the Treasury in seizing or freezing such assets.

We obtained a copy of the bill for you here.

The way the final text of this massive spending bill was released in the middle of the night, hours before a final vote, has been criticized by numerous US politicians.

The final text of the bill was published just before 3 am Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Wednesday morning and the final vote for the bill in the US House of Representatives was set for 1:30 pm EST on Wednesday, giving representatives less than 11 hours to read the final text before voting.

A day later, the final vote for the bill in the US Senate was held, giving Senators around 24 hours to read the nearly 3,000 pages in the bill.

Literally in the DARK OF NIGHT, the Democrat controlled Rules Committee met at 1:30 am  2:30 am and passed the HORRENDOUS $1.5 TRILLION Omnibus bill, Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene tweeted. They did NOT tell anyone or announce this debate on the bill until after midnight! We woke up to 2,741 pages and we vote today!

Senator Rand Paul added: Do you think there is a single person in the U.S. who believes that Congress is filled with speed readers capable of digesting thousands of pages in a matter of hours? The 2741-page omnibus with a $1.5 trillion price tag that was released in the middle of the night is a perfect example of why Congress needs time to read the bills.

This isnt the first time a huge spending bill has been used to push new online rules. In December 2020, a controversial copyright reform that proposed up to 10 years in prison for unauthorized streaming was buried 2,540 pages deep in the 5,593 page Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021. Despite its huge length, this bill passed both houses of Congress and was signed into law by then-President Donald Trump within six days.

The addition of requirements to fight online disinformation in this federal spending bill is the latest of many examples of the federal government targeting online speech. The Biden White House has admitted that it flags content for Facebook to censor and proposed that If youre banned for misinformation on one platform, you should be banned from ALL platforms. Members of Congress have also threatened to hold Big Tech companies accountable if they dont censor misinformation.
On March 8, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland commented on a recent Russian Ministry of Defense announcement it had obtained documents proving the existence of biological weapons programs in laboratories financed by the United States in Ukraine.

Sen. Marco Rubio: Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons? Victoria Nuland: Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, were now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how we can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach. Sen. Marco Rubio: Im sure youre aware that the Russian propaganda groups are already putting out there all kinds of information about how they have uncovered a plot by the Ukrainians to unleash biological weapons in the country, and with NATOs coordination. If there is a biological or chemical weapon incident or attack inside Ukraine, is there any doubt in your mind that 100% it would be the Russians behind it? Victoria Nuland: There is no doubt in my mind, senator. And in fact, it is a classic Russian technique to blame the other guy for what they are planning to do themselves.

Until yesterday this was fake news and conspiracy theory. Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland just confirmed that #Ukraine has biological research facilities, when asked if Ukraine has bioweapons. She also said US is worried Russia may get those research materials pic.twitter.com/xY2a7KuUCG  Dilyana Gaytandzhieva (@dgaytandzhieva) March 9, 2022

Until then, the US government and media outlets had dismissed evidence of biological research laboratories as Russian disinformation and QAnon conspiracy theory.

Despite Nulands confirmation, Biden Administration officials continue to insist the claims are false.

White House spokesperson posted a lengthy Twitter thread calling the claims preposterous and disinformation, however declining to address the comments made by Nuland.

We took note of Russias false claims about alleged U.S. biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine. Weve also seen Chinese officials echo these conspiracy theories.  Jen Psaki (@PressSec) March 9, 2022

Journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva has spent years investigating US-funded biological laboratories in Eastern Europe.

She spoke with MintPress News Dan Cohen about her investigations into similar Pentagon-funded laboratories.

Gaytandzhievas reports have proven that Pentagon-funded laboratories have conducted potentially lethal experiments on thousands of soldiers in Ukraine and Georgia.

.@dgaytandzhieva revealed in January 2022 that the US conducted potentially lethal biological experiments on 4,400 soldiers in Ukraine and 1,000 soldiers in Georgia. https://t.co/4BASAor35A pic.twitter.com/jEaVccQnZm  Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) March 9, 2022

If this is not of concern, if these are just simple viruses and pathogens, why are US officials so worried, she wondered.

If this is not of concern, if these are just simple viruses/ pathogens, why are US officials so worried?  journalist @dgaytandzhieva on Russia potentially controlling Pentagon-funded biological labs in Ukraine. Full interview here: https://t.co/4BASAor35A via @MintPressNews pic.twitter.com/Ai2SFZOZnA  Dan Cohen (@dancohen3000) March 9, 2022

Gaytandzhieva reported in 2018 that the US embassy in Tbilisi, Georgia, was complicit in secretive military programs and that Pentagon scientists had transported frozen human blood and pathogens as diplomatic cargo for a secret US military program.

These scientists were given diplomatic immunity to research deadly diseases and biting insects at the Lugar Center  the Pentagon biolaboratory in Georgias capital Tbilisi, she wrote.

Cohen and Gaytandzhieva also discussed censorship policies implemented in the European Union, and the recent pledge of Bulgarian Prime Minister Kiril Petkovs comments that Russia looks like a Petrol station with rockets.

Despite Petkovs remarks, he has asked that the European Union exempt Bulgaria from sanctions on purchasing Russian gas and oil, which his country is totally reliant on.

Petkov also offered to send Bulgarian military equipment to Ukraine.

After Bulgaria joined NATO, we were told to destroy everything so we would be totally reliant on NATO, Gaytandzhieva explained.

Featured Photo: State Department Under Secretary for Political Affairs Victoria J. Nuland speaks during a briefing at the State Department in Washington, Jan. 27, 2022. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, Pool)

Dan Cohen is the Washington DC correspondent for Behind The Headlines. He has produced widely distributed video reports and print dispatches from across Israel-Palestine. He tweets at @DanCohen3000
An analysis of millions of insured persons data from the BKK company health insurance company comes to significantly higher figures for side effects than the Paul Ehrlich Institute. The new data is an alarm signal, says BKK board member Andreas Schofbeck. reports German news outlet Welt.de.

For the first time, the figures from a large German health insurance association are available on the side effects of Covid vaccines. The board of directors of BKK ProVita, Andreas Schofbeck, had the data of millions of insured persons of the BKK group analyzed.

Using the companys nearly 11 million insured participants, they ran a query using International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes for vaccine side effects. Looking at just the first half of 2021 and about half for the third quarter of 2021 found that 216,695 people had already been treated for vaccine side effects from Covid vaccination. BKK board memberSchofbeck sent a letter detailing this alarm signal to the Paul Ehrlich Institute  the agency of the German Federal Ministry of Health responsible for vaccines and medicines regulation.

The letter continues, with regard to the number of vaccinated people in Germany, this means that about 4-5% of the vaccinated people were under medical treatment for side effects of vaccination.

This event marks the first time that a private insurance company has audited its data to challenge a governmental heath agency on the widespread underreporting of vaccine side effects.

MORE  The letter from Schopfbeck, BKK board member, on the subject matter to the Paul-Ehrlich Institute, an agency of the German Federal Ministry of Health. The English version is auto-translated (Yandex Translate). h/t @Tim_Roehn pic.twitter.com/gVgLM9XLuL  Disclose.tv (@disclosetv) February 23, 2022

Upon deeper inspection, it has been consistently found that vaccine side effects are chronically underreported. In the United States, a study funded by Health and Human Services conducted by Harvard Medical School tracked reporting to the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) over a three-year period at Harvard Pilgrim Health Care involving 715,000 patients and found that fewer than 1% of vaccine adverse events are reported.



A U.S. House Report similarly stated: Former FDA Commissioner David A. Kessler has estimated that VAERS reports currently represent only a fraction of the serious adverse events.

Meanwhile, during the Covid pandemic, myocarditis has presented as one of the first line vaccine injuries to garner worldwide attention. A recent study published in JAMA used VAERS to look at myocarditis cases after vaccination and found a several fold increase after the second dose in young boys. The authors concluded:

as a passive system, VAERS data are subject to reporting biases in that both underreporting and overreporting are possible.38 Given the high verification rate of reports of myocarditis to VAERS after mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination, underreporting is more likely. Therefore, the actual rates of myocarditis per million doses of vaccine are likely higher than estimated.

Another study tracked rates of Myopericarditis after mRNA vaccination in the Kaiser Permanente health system and concluded:

We identified additional valid cases of myopericarditis following an mRNA vaccination that would be missed by the VSDs search algorithm, which depends on select hospital discharge diagnosis codes. The true incidence of myopericarditis is markedly higher than the incidence reported to US advisory committees.
In Joe Bidens first year in office over 2 million illegal aliens from dozens of countries walked into the United States across the southern border.

The numbers this year look even greater.

Joe Biden and DHS Secretary Mayorkas immediately opened up the US southern border after they came into office.

Biden also set another record. Only 59,011 illegals were deported his first year in office. This was the lowest number since 1995.

It should be obvious by now that Biden intends to destroy the US before he leaves office.

Now Mayorkas is working on a very important project. Rather than shut down the border, Mayorkas released new rules on extremism.

The new guidelines on extremist behavior include those who question the fraud in the 2020 election and anyone who question the regimes talking points on COVID and its treatments including the mandates.

A March 2021 unclassified threat assessment prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), Department of Justice, and DHS, noted that domestic violent extremists who are motivated by a range of ideologies and galvanized by recent political and societal events in the United States pose an elevated threat to the Homeland in 2021.3 The assessment pointed to newer sociopolitical developments such as narratives of fraud in the recent general election, the emboldening impact of the violent breach of the U.S. Capitol, conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and conspiracy theories promoting violence that will almost certainly spur some [domestic violent extremists] [sic] to try to engage in violence this year.4

Over half of the US population question the results of the 2020 presidential election.

Another half of the public questions the ever-changing COVID talking points coming from the medical elites including Dr. Fauci who lied under oath about his funding of gain of function research in Chinese labs.

If you mention this you may end up on their list.

These are really bad people.

Here is a copy of the new DHS guidelines against speech by the criminal Biden regime.
A medical worker looks at COVID-19 rapid antigen test results at a screening center in front of Seoul City Hall, Friday. Yonhap



Daily infections above 350,000 for 2nd day; 251 more COVID-19 deaths reported



By Lee Hae-rin



The government has decided to temporarily accept rapid antigen test results by medical professionals to confirm COVID-19 infections without conducting PCR tests, as the number of daily cases surpass 350,000.



The Central Disaster and Safety Countermeasure Headquarters announced Sunday that the positive results of rapid antigen tests conducted at medical facilities will be counted as equal to that of a PCR test for a month, starting Monday.



Health authorities explained that the rapid antigen test has become more accurate as the COVID-19 caseload grew, with its prediction rate reaching 94.7 percent.



As the country faces a shortage of medical resources, the government plans to limit conducting PCR tests and focus on providing timely treatment and preventing deaths, especially for critical cases among people aged over 60 and unvaccinated minors.






Ambassador of Italy to Korea Federico Failla, left, and Kim Chae-won, Busan University of Foreign Studies student who was selected for the "Ambassador for a Day" program, speak during a board meeting with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ITCCK) at High Street Italia in southern Seoul, March 7. Korea Times photo by Kwon Mee-yoo



By Kwon Mee-yoo



Commemorating International Women's Day, which falls on March 8, the Embassy of Italy in Korea invited a senior at Busan University of Foreign Studies (BUFS) to experience a day as an ambassador, giving her a chance to learn about diplomacy as well as the important agenda of the European country.



Kim Chae-won, who majors Italian Language and Culture and Diplomacy at BUFS, won an essay competition hosted by the embassy and was awarded with the opportunity to spend a day with Ambassador of Italy to Korea Federico Failla and his team at the embassy.



Failla said the "Ambassador for a Day" program aims to share the important agenda of the Italian government  gender equality and climate change.



"This program has double objectives. The first is to offer young Korean students a possibility of seeing what an embassy does, because very often embassies remain 'mysterious' and people are not very clear about what an embassy does in a foreign country and we are offering a possibility of seeing what our daily job is," Failla told The Korea Times.



"The other thing is that Italy is very committed to gender equality. It is one of the main points of Italian foreign policy, together with the environment. So on the occasion of the International Women's Day, we wanted to do something concrete, trying to promote gender equality and the possibility for a young woman to have this kind of experience. We think that gender equality is the basis for each initiative and try to promote a better world."



Kim won the contest after presenting an essay presenting concrete ideas to pursue a greener strategy in the work environment.



"In my essay, I addressed the role of national policy, corporate responsibility, and the importance of individual practice," Kim said.



Kim, clad in a new suit, started her day at the Italian Embassy in Seoul with a staff meeting on March 7. Kim said the meeting provided her with an idea of how the embassy operates.



"In the conference room, everyone sat around the ambassador for a staff meeting, and it was very impressive to see representatives and experts from each field gathered to brief political, science, technology, military, and cultural issues and discuss the daily schedules," she said.



Then she moved to High Street Italia in southern Seoul for a board meeting with the Italian Chamber of Commerce in Korea (ITCCK). The ambassador and the ITCCK president Francesco Fussi along with other members discussed various plans, such as the upcoming Italian Design Day and the Italian Cuisine Week.



After a meeting with Frank Rijsberman, director of the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI), in the afternoon, Kim emphasized the importance of international cooperation on climate change.



"Climate change affects the lives of everyone around the world. It's not just someone or some nation's matter, but it's a matter affecting all of us. Therefore, we have to think about how to create a more sustainable future, and unite to tackle climate change as the top priority," she said.



Kim took part in a video conference with Elena Bonetti, Italy's Minister for Family and Equal Opportunities and Giuliana Del Papa, president of the Diplomatcia Women Association of the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, later in the evening.



"Since a lot of efforts have been made in the past, Italian women's advancement into human rights, politics, and diplomacy has considerably improved compared to the past, but it is still difficult for women to enter high-level positions, diplomacy and politics, and the proportion of men in those fields is higher even today," Kim said.



"I also learned that Italy is currently working hard to realize gender equality and women's empowerment in all areas of society by establishing the 2021-2026 National Strategy for Gender Equality."



Wrapping up the day, Kim picked communication skills based on an excellent understanding of the culture and history of other countries as the most important trait of diplomats.



"The ambassador is the representative of the country whose primary duty is to maintain diplomatic relations with the receiving state. Furthermore, with communication skills, an ambassador must be able to discuss diplomatic issues to protect national interests," Kim said.


A swathe of Australians are expected to hand in their notices over the next two months when they start to collect their bonuses in the latest wave of the Great Resignation, as employers struggle to convince workers to come back into the office.

Experts say employers hoping for a return to the status quo are making a mistake, as workers now crave novelty, a sense of adventure and enjoyment after two years in survival mode.

Workers clean the entrance to an office building in Parramatta as people start returning to work in offices. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Recruitment company Reo Group chief executive Stella Petrou-Concha expected resignations to peak in March.

What Ive heard based on the interviews Im doing is that people are waiting for their bonuses, and then theyre going to resign, she said.
Iranian refugee Hossein Latifi said he was one of 18 detainees still left at the Park Hotel. On Friday night, the 32-year-old had waited anxiously to see if his name would be called. Hossein Latifi, 32, remains in detention. I thought maybe my name is on the list. When they said it was only these nine people, other people got very upset, very disappointed, he said. Earlier that night Ismail Hussein had been lying on his bed with no hope, depressed. When released, he was taken with another five men to West City Motel in Ardeer, where he has accommodation for a few weeks. He said he would receive $150 a week for three weeks, and was placed on a final departure bridging visa E, which allows him to stay for six months and work while he applies to migrate to another country.

The visa does not provide a path to settlement in Australia but does give him access to Medicare. After six months he will need to reapply for the same visa if he has not found asylum in another country. Mr Hussein said two people were placed on community detention orders, which allowed them to stay but not work. He still did not know why he was released. He arrived by boat and was detained on Manus Island, where his mental health crumbled after many years in detention. In late 2019 he was brought to Australia with kidney and bladder issues, PTSD and high blood pressure. He was first housed at another hotel for a year before being taken to the Park. The Asylum Seeker Resource Centre, which plans to support the recently released refugees, said it had been in constant contact with the federal government asking to be notified of any release so it could respond with help. The centres director of advocacy, Jana Favero, said that to release the detainees at 9pm on a Friday before a long weekend without notifying support agencies was unfair.

To be dumped after nine years with such little timing, we want them to have the best possible entry into freedom as they can and the government still exerts their power and cruelty, Ms Favero said. She said there was no rhyme or reason as to why this group had been chosen and that since 2020 there had been 210 people released from detention. I do think there will be more releases because there is almost no reason to keep people detained. Unfortunately, [officials] manage to make a stress and mess of it. Mohammed Joy Miah, 41, from Bangladesh, has been released from the Park Hotel but many of his friends are still detained. Bangladeshi Muhammad Joy Miah, 41, also had his first taste of freedom in almost nine years on Friday night. He arrived in 2013 by boat and was taken to Christmas Island, where he lived for 10 months, then to Nauru for six years before he was brought to Australia in 2020 under so-called medevac laws relating to bringing unwell asylum seekers to Australia for treatment.

He is now staying on a bridging visa at UniLodge in Melbournes CBD and expects to receive documentation on Wednesday. We dont know what is going on and how long we will stay here, he said. The limbo continues for those left behind at the Park Hotel. Mr Latifi said he was happy to see his friends released and that after such a long time together they were like family. We are always wondering, What about us? What is the difference between us and them?

He cant open the windows in his room, so he hardly gets fresh air. Now no one left their rooms, Mr Latifi said. He said people who committed a crime would get a sentence and a release date. But in our situation almost nine years, without any crime, no one says, OK, you guys, next few weeks you will be out.  A Home Affairs Department spokesman said he would not comment on individual cases but the Australian governments policies had not changed and asylum seekers arriving by boat would not be settled in Australia. Individuals released from immigration detention are provided transitional support through the Status Resolution Support Services program including caseworker support, accommodation and financial assistance, he said. Mr Hussein said he felt like a human being again.
Thirteen years as a mental health nurse has given Alyce Kirk insight into how people respond to those trying to make them do things. What shes learned can be useful to parenting, too, she says.

Dont try and manipulate [patients], she says. You actually have to have communication with them, and give them a bit of control ... why would parenting be any different?

Mental health nurse Alyce Kirk and her husband, Chris Hows, use supportive autonomy in raising their daughters April (left) and Violet. Credit:Janie Barrett

Ms Kirks instinct that giving people personal power, rather than trying to force or cajole them, brings out their best is backed by a three-year study by positive psychology expert Dr James Donald and his team at the University of Sydneys business school.

Published last week in the American Psychological Bulletin, it concludes the traditional, carrot and stick method of raising children  and managing people in workplaces  encourages self-interest and even anti-social behaviour, but giving them freedom unlocks peoples good sides.
A senior constable has undergone extensive surgery overnight and remains in an intensive care unit after he and four other people, including two more officers, were injured in a two-vehicle crash north of Brisbane while responding to a stabbing.

Police were called to a Moon Street address at Caboolture South, about 50 kilometres from Brisbane, about 2.45pm on Friday after a man had allegedly been stabbed.

The wounded man was rushed to hospital in a serious condition.

Just before 3pm, a crash between a police vehicle, responding to the incident, and a separate driver, a man believed to be connected to the stabbing, crashed nearby on River Drive.
A severe thunderstorm warning for the Melbourne area was cancelled late Sunday after heavy rainfall triggered fears of potential flash flooding.

Other areas remained on alert for possible flooding with warnings still in place for several places, including Frankston and Rosebud.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) had earlier flagged that significant storms were identified on the rain radar in waters off beaches at Mornington and Rosebud beach, as well as central parts of Port Phillip Bay.

At 11pm, the bureau said severe thunderstorms were no longer affecting the Melbourne area.

The immediate threat of severe thunderstorms has passed, but the situation will continue to be monitored and further warnings will be issued if necessary, the bureau said.
A former Paralympic skier now working as a physiotherapist has been charged with attempting to covertly film a female student during a consultation at Geelong Grammar last year.

Cameron Rahles-Rahbula, 38, was charged by detectives from the Geelong sexual offences and child abuse investigation team following a complaint by the private school on October 20.

Cameron Rahles-Rahbula competes in the 2010 Vancouver Winter Paralympics. Credit:Getty Images

Mr Rahles-Rahbula, who was a flag-bearer for the Australian team at two winter Paralympics, was providing treatment to a senior student at the schools Corio campus. He was detained by police soon after the alleged incident.

A Victoria Police spokesman confirmed that a 38-year-old man from Belmont had been charged with knowingly using an optical surveillance device and attempting to commit an indictable offence.
A bankrupt property developer who styles himself on Wall Street character Gordon Gekko has failed to pay rent on a luxury home in Hawthorn, with his wife now facing bankruptcy proceedings in the Federal Court.

Anton Joseph Wilson and wife Melinda Wilson signed a lease for the $15,000-per-month rental property in 2017, just months after Mr Wilson was declared bankrupt with debts of more than $61 million.

Anton Joseph Wilson (right) looked up to Wall Street character Gordon Gekko, as played by Michael Douglas.

Despite telling the bankruptcy trustee he had no assets, just $8700 in the bank, and resided in a caravan park in Geelong, Mr Wilson and his family spent almost three years in the five-bedroom home, replete with a theatre room, swimming pool and designer garden.

Mr Wilson, who co-opted Gekkos slicked-back hairstyle, distinctive dress sense and even his signature catchphrase greed is good, was involved in a string of failed property developments and investment schemes.
One of the countrys largest aged care bodies says raising wages across the sector will cost the federal government $4 billion a year  an assessment it hopes will expose the enormity of the problem to major parties in the election lead-up.

UnitingCare Australia national director Claerwen Little said the aged care network, believed to be the first to have put such a monetary quantum on the staffing crisis, undertook the analysis to emphasise the scale of the challenge, alongside a call to immediate action.

UnitingCare Australia national director Claerwen Little says the federal government needs to fully fund aged-care wage rises. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

What will it take to recognise the value of care? Ms Little asked. How much longer will we accept the status quo? When will we truly care about aged care? We must act now.

She added the crisis was a gender equality issue as well, given around 86 per cent of the workforce in direct care roles identify as female.
In the left photo, President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol speaks with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida by phone at the People Power Party headquarters in Seoul, Friday. Right is Japanese Prime Minister Kishida during a press conference in Tokyo, March 4. Yonhap





By Kwon Mee-yoo







President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative People Power Party (PPP) was immersed in a flurry of diplomatic activity with the United States, China and Japan on his second day after winning the presidential election.







He had a phone call with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, followed by courtesy visits from the Chinese ambassador to Korea and charge d'affaires at the United States Embassy in Seoul, Friday.







According to Kim Eun-hye, a spokesperson for Yoon, the President-elect had a phone conversation with Kishida for about 15 minutes on Friday morning.







After sending condolences to the 11th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake, Yoon proposed to improve and strengthen bilateral ties as well as the trilateral relations between Korea, Japan and the U.S.







"Korea and Japan have many challenges to cooperate in the future such as security issues in Northeast Asia and economic prosperity, so we should work together to promote friendly cooperation between the two countries," Yoon was quoted as saying during the call with Kishida.







Yoon and Kishida also exchanged ideas about North Korean issues including missile provocations, denuclearization and the abduction of Japanese citizens by North Korea.







Kishida expressed hope that under Yoon's leadership, Korea-Japan ties can improve. According to Japanese media, Yoon and Kishida agreed to meet in person as soon as possible.






Over the weekend, Dan Brockwell and some of his friends went looking for a share house in Wollongong, or maybe four.

The goal is to create a series of homes that host young, smart and ambitious people who live and work together, posting snippets from their lives on social media.

To that extent, it resembles US influencer houses, a living arrangement made famous by the Hype House that launched the careers of several TikTok megastars and was featured in a Netflix show this year. But rather than emphasising interpersonal drama, beautiful people and viral videos, the Wollongong project is a local outpost of another overseas phenomenon: start-up houses that cater to people in the technology sector building new companies.

Earlywork founders (l-r) Dan Brockwell, Jono Herman and Marina Wu have gone full time, putting in the hours at a WeWork in central Sydney. Credit:Rhett Wyman

It is called Earlyhome. James Tynan, a principal at venture capital firm Square Peg, sees a younger version of himself living there to surround himself with people who reinforce each others ambitions. In a minute, Tynan says. Like I would absolutely.
If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory. NATO territory. On the homes of citizens of NATO countries, Zelensky said, urging Russian President Vladimir Putin to meet with him directly, a request that has gone unanswered by the Kremlin. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, centre, hands out a state medal to a wounded soldier during his visit to a hospital in Kyiv, Ukraine. Credit:Ukrainian Presidential Press Office The attack near the Polish border came as five rockets hit a plant making chemical coke, fueld used for heating and cooking, in Avdiyivka, near Donetsk in eastern Ukraine. Heating supplies to the neighbouring town were cut, the Ukraine general prosecutors office said. Ukrainian government official Musa Magomedov wrote on Telegram on Sunday night (Monday AEDT) he didnt have a single decent word to describe what is happening in Avdiyivka. Unfortunately, everything repeats itself. Deja vu ... Today, the orcs [Russian soldiers] fired on Europes largest coke chemical plant, my native Avdiyivka coke plant, he wrote.

The Avdiyivka coke plant that was hit by Russian rockets. The coke plant is one of Europes largest. Credit:Kate Geraghty The Kremlin earlier said Western supply lines into Ukraine were legitimate targets for its forces to attack. But general staff of Ukraines armed forces claimed Russian troops had not made major advances over the previous 24 hours despite expanding strikes to the west. They accused Russian forces of setting up firing positions and military equipment in churches and other civilian infrastructure so that Ukrainian forces cant fire back. The accusation could not be immediately verified, though Associated Press reporters have seen Russian armoured vehicles in residential areas. With Ukrainian forces stretched across the country trying to hold back the Russian invasion, Ukrainian forces are battling to hold the line against the Russian-backed separatists in the countrys east.

Avdiyivka coke plant burning after a rocket attack in a photo provided by the Ukrainian Attorney-Generals office on Telegram. The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age were in Avdiyivka on Friday and Saturday and could hear constant firing between Ukrainian and separatist fighters. Multiple houses in the village of Kamyanka were shelled on Saturday morning, and the local administration had to organise an evacuation of residents on Sunday. Meanwhile a pregnant woman, who was photographed being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher last week in images that circled the world epitomising the horror of an attack on humanitys most innocent, has died. The woman was rushed to another hospital, yet closer to the frontline, where doctors could not save her. Medics delivered the baby via cesarean section, but it showed no signs of life, the surgeon said. Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from the maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol, Ukraine, on Wednesday. Credit:AP

Also on Monday, Australia announced fresh sanctions on 33 Russian oligarchs, prominent business people and their immediate family members, Minister for Foreign Affairs Marise Payne said in a statement. Those targeted include Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, Alexey Miller, chief executive officer of gas giant Gazprom, and Bank Rossiya chairman Dmitri Lebedev. The measures reinforced Australias commitment to sanction people of economic and strategic significance to Russia, Senator Payne said. A Ukrainian army position at Avdiyivka, in eastern Ukraine. Credit:Kate Geraghty Russia asks China

Britains Defence Ministry said Russias navy has established a distant blockade of Ukraine in the Black Sea, effectively isolating the country from international maritime trade. And in a sign of expanding links between the Ukraine war and a broader geopolitical struggle, Russia has reportedly turned to China for military aid in the weeks since it unleashed its attack. The Washington Post and The Financial Times reported on Monday that anonymous US officials confirmed the request had been made and that the Biden administration was communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences if China agrees. The Washington Post said the unidentified US officials did not state the kind of weaponry that had been requested or how China had responded. CNN reported that Russia was seeking drones among other equipment. Loading

In addition to military equipment, the US official quoted by the New York Times said Russia had also asked China for additional economic assistance to help counteract the battering its economy has taken from broad Western sanctions. Talks are set to begin between Beijing and Washington in Rome on Monday night AEDT as the US ramps up pressure on China to use its influence over Russia to end the war. A fourth round of talks between Russia and Ukraine is to be held via video link from at 10.30am Kyiv time (7.30pm AEDT) to discuss getting aid to cities and towns under fire, among other issues, Ukrainian presidential aide Mykhailo Podolyak said. With Reuters, AP
The World Health Organisation (WHO) and two other United Nations agencies issued a joint statement calling for an immediate stop to attacks on healthcare facilities  also viewed as war crimes. An elderly woman shelters in basement, where there is no electricity or heating, in Irpin. Credit:AP WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and the executive directors of UNICEF and UNFPA, the UNs childrens fund and its population fund respectively, called for healthcare to be shielded from all acts of violence. Attacks on healthcare facilities and services since the start of the war have led to at least 12 deaths and 34 injuries, and affected access to health services, they said. These horrific attacks are killing and causing serious injuries to patients and health workers, destroying vital health infrastructure and forcing thousands to forgo accessing health services despite catastrophic needs, they said.

Second mayor kidnapped Loading The head of the Zaporizhzhia regional administration said the mayor of the town of Dniprorudne, Yevhen Maveyev, had been kidnapped by Russian forces. If confirmed, he becomes the second local leader to be taken by Russian troops after the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fyodorov, was seen being marched out of government building on Friday. Russia on Sunday installed a new mayor in Melitopol on Sunday  potentially the first signs of a so-called puppet government being introduced in Ukraine.

Despite the violence, both sides said they thought progress could be made at bilateral talks that have been held periodically since Russia invaded on February 24. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively, Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in a video posted online. I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days. A Russian delegate to talks with Ukraine, Leonid Slutsky, was quoted by RIA news agency as saying they had made significant progress and it was possible the delegations could soon reach draft agreements. Neither side said what these would cover. Three rounds of talks between the two sides in Belarus, most recently last Monday, had focused mainly on humanitarian issues. Air strikes near the Polish border

The attack on the Yavoriv International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security, a base just 25 kilometres from the Polish border that has previously hosted NATO military instructors, came a day after Russia warned convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine could be considered legitimate targets. Ukrainian soldiers take cover from incoming artillery fire in Irpin on Sunday. Credit:AP Regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the facility, adding that some were intercepted before they hit. At least 35 people were killed and 134 wounded, he said. The statement could not be immediately independently verified. Nineteen ambulances with sirens on were seen by Reuters driving from the direction of the Yavoriv base and black smoke rose from the area. Britain said the incident marked a significant escalation in the conflict. US President Joe Biden has said NATO would defend every inch of its territory if Russias invasion spills over into member states of the Western defence alliance.

Loading Russia confirmed it had attacked the Yavoriv training facility, adding the strike had killed up to 180 foreign mercenaries and destroyed weapons supplied by outside nations. Defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told a briefing that Russia would continue its attacks against what he called foreign mercenaries. While Western nations have sought to isolate Russian President Vladimir Putin by imposing harsh sanctions, the United States and its allies are concerned NATO will be drawn into the conflict. Even so, they have committed to continuing to send what they call defensive military supplies to Ukraine. Drone that crashed in Croatia carried explosive device

Meanwhile, Croatias defence minister confirmed that a military drone that flew over three NATO states before crashing in Zagreb was armed with an explosive device. Ukraines second city, Kharkiv, continues to come under heavy Russian bombardment. Credit:AP The Soviet-made aircraft crossed Romania and Hungary before entering Croatian airspace and slamming into a field near a student dormitory late on Thursday. Traces of explosives and clues suggesting that this was not a reconnaissance aircraft were found. We found parts of an air bomb, Mario Banozic said at the crash site. He said the drone could have belonged to either Russia or Ukraine. Croatian officials have criticised NATO and called into question the readiness of the military alliance to respond to a possible attack.

NATO said the alliances integrated air and missile defence had tracked the objects flight path, but Croatian officials said NATO only reacted after the event. Ukraine claims Russia used phosphorus bombs Ukraines human rights monitor said Russia used phosphorus bombs in an overnight attack on the town of Popasna in the eastern Luhansk region, calling it a war crime. She shared a photograph purporting to show the alleged attack, but did not say if Ukraine had concrete evidence. The claim could not be immediately verified. In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops were trying to surround Ukrainian forces as they advance from the port of Mariupol in the south and the second city Kharkiv in the north, the British Defence Ministry said. The city council in Mariupol said in a statement that 2187 residents had been killed since the start of the invasion. Again, that toll could not be verified.

Loading Kharkiv has suffered some of the heaviest bombardment. Videos from one resident, Teimur Aliev show bombed buildings lining streets, burnt cars riddled with shrapnel holes and debris strewn around. We will stitch up the wounds and the pain of our country and our city. We are ready to build it and we are ready to renew it when the war is over. Were not going anywhere, Aliev, a 23-year-old musician, said of his food distribution network, which now has dozens of volunteers. British intelligence also said Russian forces advancing from Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, were trying to circumvent Mykolayiv as they look to drive west towards Odessa. Air strikes on Mykolayiv killed nine people on Sunday, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim said online.

In Chernihiv, around 150 kilometres north-east of Kyiv, firefighters rescued residents from a burning building after heavy shelling, video from Ukraines emergency service showed. The office of Ukraines Prosecutor General said at least 85 children had been confirmed killed since the start of the Russian offensive, but that number is believed to be much higher. Moscow denies targeting civilians. It blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities, an accusation Ukraine and its Western allies strongly reject. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday nearly 125,000 people had been evacuated via humanitarian corridors agreed with Russia. The Kremlin describes its actions as a special operation to demilitarise and deNazify Ukraine. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of choice.
Baghdad: As many as 12 missiles struck Iraqs northern city of Irbil on Sunday near the US consulate, Iraqi security officials said. A US defence official said missiles had been launched at the city from neighbouring Iran.

No injuries were reported. Officials in Iraq and the US gave different accounts of the strike and the damage it caused. A second US official said there was no damage and no casualties at any US government facility, and that there was no indication the target was the consulate building, which is new and currently unoccupied.

The new US embassy compound in Irbil, Iraq.

The US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because information was still coming in, said it was still not certain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed.

An Iraqi official in Baghdad at first said several missiles had hit the US consulate and that it was the target of the attack. Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistans foreign media office, said none of the missiles hit the US facility but that areas around the compound had been hit by the missiles.
The war lends urgency to Bidens climate change agenda, reinforcing the need for more reliance on renewable clean energy over the fossil fuels that fill Russian coffers. Yet it has already generated new pressure to increase the short-term supply of oil from the likes of Venezuelas isolated dictatorship and Saudi Arabias authoritarian monarchy. And it creates a powerful new incentive for the United States to find ways of prying President Xi Jinping of China away from Putin, who is likely counting on diplomatic and economic lifelines from Xi amid crushing Western sanctions. But some administration officials see China as a lost cause and prefer to treat China and Russia as committed partners, hoping that might galvanise policies among Asian and European allies to contain them both. While some experts warn that a renewed focus on Europe will inevitably divert attention from Asia, several top White House officials say the United States can capitalise on how the war has convinced some Asian governments that they need to work more closely with the West to build up a global ideological front to defend democracy. What we are seeing now is an unprecedented level of Asian interest and focus, Kurt M. Campbell, the top White House official on Asia policy, said at a talk hosted by the German Marshall Fund of the United States.

And I believe one of the outcomes of this tragedy will be a kind of new thinking around how to solidify institutional connections beyond what weve already seen between Europe and the Pacific, he said. Americas approach to the world was already undergoing a major shift, with the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq concluded, and conversations over Islamic terrorism no longer at the fore. Many war-weary Americans welcomed calls for a reduced military footprint overseas by President Donald Trump, who questioned NATOs relevance and even flirted with withdrawing from the alliance. Biden sought to rebuild US alliances, but did so largely in the name of confronting China. The Russian invasion has expanded his mission dramatically and urgently, setting the stage for a seismic geopolitical shift that would pit the United States and its allies against China and Russia at once if they form an entrenched anti-Western bloc. But it also gives Washington a new and nobler sense of purpose, Rhodes said. Weve been trying to get to a new era for a long time, he said. And now I think Putins invasion has necessitated an American return to the moral high ground.

Playing Hardball Over Energy Early signs of how the new US priorities are creating diplomatic quakes have already emerged. On Friday, the United States and its European allies agreed to pause talks with Iran that just days earlier seemed on the verge of clinching a return to the 2015 deal that limited Irans nuclear program. Western nations are refusing a demand by Moscow, which is a party to the Obama-era agreement from which Trump withdrew, for guarantees that its future transactions with Iran be exempted from the sanctions imposed on Russia in recent weeks. Its been clear since last weekend that negotiations to revive the Iran deal could not be walled off from the Ukraine war, Dalia Dassa Kaye, an Iran expert at the Rand Corp., said Friday. Last year, Biden made a new agreement a core goal of his foreign policy. It is unclear whether one can be struck without Russia, which is a member of the commission that supervises compliance with the deal and would take control of Irans excess enriched uranium.

The United States is also looking at Venezuela from a new angle. Senior Biden administration officials travelled to Venezuela two weeks after the Russian invasion, becoming the first to visit the country in years. Venezuela, a partner of Russia, is under heavy US sanctions imposed years ago to weaken the repressive government of President Nicolas Maduro. In 2019, the Trump administration imposed additional sanctions on the state oil company, central bank and senior officials to pressure Maduro to step down. Now, with Biden looking to increase global oil supplies to bring down prices, US officials are talking to Maduros government about buying his oil again. The idea has drawn some sharp criticism in Congress, however, where Bob Menendez, chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, fumed that 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. Loading The same imperative on oil is reshaping US diplomacy with Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, two Persian Gulf nations that some Biden administration officials view with suspicion or hostility because of their autocratic systems and leading roles in a war in Yemen that has resulted in a humanitarian catastrophe. Brett McGurk and Amos J. Hochstein, two senior administration officials, travelled to the Gulf days before the Russian invasion to discuss security and energy issues. However, Saudi Arabia has declined so far to increase oil production, while the United Arab Emirates waited until Wednesday to ask the OPEC nations to do so. US officials were also furious with the UAE for declining to vote on a United Nations Security Council resolution to condemn Russia, although it did support a similar resolution later in the UN General Assembly.

The unreliability of the two nations and Russias place in the oil economy have increased momentum within the Biden administration to enact policies that would help the United States more quickly wean itself off fossil fuels and confront the climate crisis. This could lead future administrations to devote fewer diplomatic and military resources to the Gulf nations in the long term, even if US officials want them to help on oil now. We may see more fundamental questioning about the value of these partnerships, Kaye said. These states already believe the US has checked out of the region, but their stance on Russia may only strengthen voices calling for a further reduction of US forces in the region. Israel, the closest US ally in the Middle East, has also staked out a neutral position on the Ukraine war, largely because of Russias presence in the region. But US officials have been more forgiving of Israels stance as Prime Minister Naftali Bennett conducts shuttle diplomacy. He met with Putin for three hours in Moscow on March 5 and then spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky by phone before returning home. US officials said Bennett consulted with them about the talks, and Secretary of State Antony Blinken said this past week that they appreciate the efforts. Zelensky told reporters Saturday that Jerusalem could be a site for peace talks between the leaders of Ukraine and Russia. Juggling Allies in Europe and Asia

In Europe, Russias invasion has supercharged the Biden administrations efforts to restore the morale of a NATO alliance that Trump undermined. But the alliance includes three nations  Poland, Hungary and Turkey  whose democratic backsliding has troubled the Biden administration. Hungary and Turkey were pointedly excluded from Bidens global democracy summit in December, and the European Union has cut billions of euros of funding to Poland and Hungary for what it sees as erosions of legal and democratic principles. Now all three countries are participating in the coalition against Russia. Loading In times of crisis, there is sometimes a tension between our values and our interests, said Andrea Kendall-Taylor, a senior fellow at the Centre for a New American Security. In the short term, were going to have to prioritise pushing back against Russia, at the risk of taking our foot off the gas on the democracy and human rights concerns that had been at the front and centre of the Biden administrations agenda. In the Asia-Pacific region, several important US partners and allies are working with Washington on sanctions and export controls on technology against Russia. These include Japan, South Korea, Taiwan, Singapore and Australia. Some Asian nations have agreed to long-term gas swaps with Europe to help relieve a potential Russian shut-off of energy exports. And Australia has committed to spending $US50 million to send weapons to Ukraine, including missiles and ammunition.

However, India  the most populous US ally in the so-called Quad coalition of democracies in Asia  has refrained from condemning Russias invasion because of decades-old security ties with Moscow. That stance undermines Bidens insistence that democratic nations band together against autocracies. But it is the other Asian behemoth, China, that presents the biggest diplomatic challenge for the United States. China is Russias most powerful partner, and their bond has strengthened in recent years. Even as the Russian military decimates Ukrainian cities and kills hundreds or thousands of civilians, China has signalled that it stands by Moscow by issuing anti-US declarations and amplifying the Kremlins propaganda and conspiracy theories. Xis persistent support of Putin, with whom he shares a drive to dilute US power, has made administration officials wonder whether there is any way to pull them apart on Ukraine. On Thursday, CIA Director William Burns told US senators he believed that Xi was unsettled by the war. Some China analysts say that if Beijing wants to salvage its reputation with Western nations, particularly in Europe, it might agree to take steps to help Ukraine without directly breaking from Russia.
Latest News Big four banks lift variable interest rates Increases across board for home loan customers

Commercial lending market flourishing 40% to 50% uplift, says brokerage

With many Australians continuing to face challenging conditions or in varying stages of recovery due to the catastrophic floods in Queensland and New South Wales, the Australian Taxation Office is reassuring flood victims that support is available.

Andrew Watson, ATO assistant commissioner, said flood-impacted Australians should not worry about tax and focus on current concerns. Those who are able can contact the ATO or their tax professional if they are struggling to meet their tax obligations or if they need additional support.

We want to assure the community that support is available if and when you need it, Watson said. We understand the lasting impacts disasters like this can have for affected communities. We are committed to assisting people to get back on track.

There is support available for small business and individual taxpayers in affected LGAs in Queensland and NSW who need to lodge business activity statements and instalment notices with original due dates of Feb. 28 or March 21.

There is no need for taxpayers impacted by floods in these local government areas to call and request a deferral for business activity statements that are now due, Watson said.

These taxpayers have until March 28 to lodge relevant returns. If unable to lodge by that date, they or their tax professional can apply for a deferral, which will be granted on a case-by-case basis.

ATO also has a range of practical options available to support flood-impacted Australians. The office will develop a tailored plan for both individual taxpayers and small business owners, depending on their individual circumstances.

The payment due date of these lodgements will not change, Watson said. However, we will take an empathic approach to your situation.

For taxpayers whose records have been damaged or destroyed during a disaster or incident, ATO can re-issue copies of income tax returns, activity statements, and notice of assessments. If they have lost their tax file number, the office can use another method to verify the person and help them access their tax information.

If the individuals tax circumstances have changed because of floods, they can change their GST reporting cycle to monthly reporting and payment and vary their PAYG instalments.

For more information, visit ato.gov.au/NaturalDisasters or call ATOs dedicated emergency support line at 1800 806 218.
Latest News Big four banks lift variable interest rates Increases across board for home loan customers

Commercial lending market flourishing 40% to 50% uplift, says brokerage

New research shows that Australian women lag behind men when it comes to residential property ownership.

The 2022 Women & Property Report, released by CoreLogic on International Womens Day, found that females own 26.6% of residential property in Australia compared to 29.9% of males. It also revealed that men own 36.4% of all investment properties while women own 29.1%, meaning about an extra 105,500 investment properties owned by men.

Women own more units than houses and fewer investment properties than men, where houses historically appreciate in value faster than units. CoreLogic confirmed women own 35.2% of units compared to 34.7% for men.

Co-authors of The Female Investor Nicola McDougall (pictured top) and Kate Hill (pictured below) said the research highlighted the increasing disparity between wealth outcomes for men and women.



Kate Hill

As is mentioned in the report, given that most peoples wealth is tied up in their homes, this means that if you dont own a property  or have to purchase a unit rather than a house due to affordability reasons, then you will forever be on the back foot financially, said McDougall.

Read more: Borrowers urged to invest in homebuying in 2022

McDougall and Hill created The Female Investor website to provide expert advice to women on how to create wealth, security and freedom through property.

The Female Investor provides an overview of everything that women need to start to understand about strategic property ownership. This includes advice on how to save, where and what to buy, how to hold for the long-term, as well as information on how to grow a portfolio with or without a partner McDougall said.

CoreLogics home value index as of January 2022 showed a 10-year annualised growth rate for Australian house values of 6.2% per annum, compared to unit values increasing 4.1% per annum.

The vast majority of investors  female and male  own one or two properties as well as their own home, said McDougall. Some of the reasons why can be because they may have purchased, or inherited, inferior properties that didnt allow them to reuse equity to add to their portfolios. In essence, its the concept of using other peoples money  that is, the banks  to improve your own personal financial future over the medium- to long-term.

Hill shared her concerns about men owning 105,000 more investment properties that women in Australia, which accounts for nearly 70% of the discrepancy between male and female ownership.

The higher percentage of unit ownership by women was not surprising given the more affordable buy-in prices, however, women may struggle to ever upgrade to a house. The new research highlights why its so important for women to take charge of their financial futures as well as improve their overall financial literacy so they understand the serious role that property ownership plays in their long-term financial security and stability, said McDougall.



Our book provides a significant step in the right direction as it will enable readers to gain a better understanding of how they can create wealth, security, and freedom through property. There is also a plethora of information by women for women on our website, podcasts and across our social media channels.
Latest News Big four banks lift variable interest rates Increases across board for home loan customers

Commercial lending market flourishing 40% to 50% uplift, says brokerage

Aggregator National Lending Group is partnering with broker educator Accendo Financial to subsidise brokers who commit to its short-course series and commercial literacy mentor program.

As part of a new strategy and rebrand, NLG is focusing on broker support, growth, and subsidised education initiatives, along with extending its training and career tracking programs to support the development of brokers and their businesses.

Business plans that provide development of custom and measurable business plans for brokers along with an opportunity to upskill are also included.

NLG Partnerships director Steve Lake (pictured) has more than 30 years experience in the financial industry.

NLGs vision is to be recognised as the leading provider of finance and broking services to accountants and the preferred boutique aggregator to brokers in Australia, Lake said.

This will be achieved by facilitating unrivalled growth opportunities via forming closer strategic alliances between the brokers and accountants to boost lead generation, extend their service proposition, and deliver exceptional client outcomes.

Read more: How broker education is helping businesses to get ahead

The partnership with Accendo Finance began in late 2021 after NLG recognised brokers require commercial training.

Our first training session in February was commercial lending skills, and this week we have mastering cashflow. Accendo Financial are extremely good and work at a very high level, said Lake.

NLG was committed to providing brokers back-end support with loan processing, sales, and marketing training, It also planned to continue to maintain a high BDM to broker ratio, ensuring consistent levels of one-to-one interaction and customer service.

Each BDM will have a portfolio of no more than 50 agreement holders.

Due to the complexity and external challenges the of the industry, the training was designed for broker mentoring in-house and included day-to-day scenarios and software training.

Having our people available to brokers is critical to our business. It starts with a business plan when first meeting a broker which gives us an understanding of their educational requirements along with breaking down business development requirements and further client management, Lake said.

Accendo co-founder Financial Trent Carter said the partnership with Accendo Financial would help NLG brokers to embrace diversification and become more confident in their discovery process, financial analysis skills and writing a successful credit submission.

Were confident that this program will help build value in the brokers business by creating stickier clients, increasing revenue, and driving repeat and referral opportunities,  Carter said.

NGL is holding a virtual open day where knowledgeable brokers who are backed by robust companies or those who look at their brokerages as a business can register for an alternate choice which may not be available on market. You can register for the event here: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_pqeY2rrOSGivGBEZ_Jlg4w
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People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo is likely to lead the transition team of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, a source close to the matter said Saturday.







Yoon's chief secretary Chang Je-won and Rep. Lee Tae-kyu, a close aide to Ahn, were said to have temporarily agreed that Ahn would lead the transition team and the agreement would be announced Sunday, according to the source.







Ahn, an entrepreneur-turned-politician, has been mentioned as a favorite to lead the transition committee following Yoon's win over the Democratic Party's Lee Jae-myung in Wednesday's election.







He announced his candidacy merger with Yoon about a week before the election, saying the two would cooperate over the constitution of the transition committee and a joint government.







Yoon and Ahn held a closed-door meeting Friday.







Besides Ahn, veteran politicians Kim Byong-joon and Kim Han-gil have been mentioned as possible candidates for the committee chief. Both worked for the People Power Party's election campaign committee.







Meanwhile, Rep. Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson for the president-elect, said in a media briefing Yoon will set up a special task force to promote balanced regional development in the upcoming transition committee, expected to be comprised of seven standing subcommittees.







She said Yoon will start work at his office in downtown Seoul from Monday. (Yonhap)


The Trials of Harry S Truman: The Extraordinary Presidency of an Ordinary Man, 1945-1953

Author: Jeffrey Frank

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Price: $32.50

Pages: 528

In a happier and perhaps more democratic era, the belief prevailed that every American came equipped with such reserves of decency and good sense that each of us could make a pretty darned good president if we had to.

Though on eight occasions a presidents death has abruptly elevated his vice president, the myth of the accidental president enshrouds Harry Truman as it does none of the others. Franklin Roosevelt kept Truman in the dark about virtually everything before dying only three months into his fourth term. The new president then faced crises that would have left an ordinary man whimpering  bringing World War II to an end, designing a postwar order and confronting Soviet aggression without triggering World War III. A very crafty fellow, Truman encouraged the idea that he brought nothing more to the job than old-fashioned American horse sense. Im a homegrown American farm product, Jeffrey Frank quotes him telling an audience in his beguiling new biography. And Im proud of the breed I represent  the completely unterrified form of America democracy.

This Frank Capra routine was just true enough to work. Truman never attended college, helped run the family farm and after World War I started an unsuccessful haberdashery. He climbed up Missouri politics thanks to the Kansas City boss Tom Pendergast, barely left a mark during his decade in the United States Senate and proved a perfectly unobjectionable candidate when Roosevelt needed a running mate after he decided to dump Vice President Henry Wallace. Yet as Frank points out, Truman had the native self-confidence that marks out a man as a leader. And he was far more bookish than many of the nations better-educated presidents, a student of history who applied, and misapplied, his understanding of the past to the issues of his own time.

Mr Frank does not so much puncture the Truman myth as let out just enough air to settle the man back to earth. Though Truman spent dozens of hours in Joseph Stalins company at Potsdam, he misread Stalin almost as egregiously as George W Bush did Vladimir Putin. Truman generally described Stalin as a wily and bighearted incarnation of Mother Russia undermined by the Politburo.

Yet Trumans tenure coincides with the golden age of American statecraft, when the country embedded its unrivalled power in institutions like the United Nations, NATO and the International Monetary Fund, giving real meaning to the Wilsonian dream of a world governed by law rather than power. Truman signed off on the Marshall Plan, an initiative that is still cited as proof that the United States is an exceptional rather than merely self-seeking global power. How to explain the paradox that a figure with virtually no prior international experience presided over the creation of a world order that survives  if just barely  to this day?

Franks answer: Truman appointed the right people, though often after hiring the wrong people. He fired the showboat James F Byrnes to make George C Marshall, a revered five-star general, his secretary of state; and then fired the tempestuous Louis Johnson to make room for Marshall at Defence. He appointed the highly dependable Dean Acheson secretary of state after Marshall. Frank emphasises Trumans deference to both these men; the president appears not to have read in advance, or even known about, the Harvard commencement speech in which Marshall announced the momentous aid programme that rightly bears his name. Frank, a former editor at The New Yorker (where, almost 30 years ago, he sometimes served as my editor), composes charming and often penetrating sketches of the men around Truman, including the glamorous and deeply troubled defence secretary James Forrestal and Acheson himself, an Anglophile with a lovingly waxed moustache who served for Redbaiters as almost the cartoon version of the parlor pink.

What did Truman do? First, he made tough calls when he had to, dropping the atomic bomb, ordering American troops into Korea, canning the demigod Douglas MacArthur. Though his Cold War rhetoric was bellicose, his judgments were generally prudent: When the Soviets imposed a blockade on Berlin in 1948, he refused to shoot his way in, as some of his generals advised; instead, he staged an airlift that prevented American and Soviet troops from confronting each other.

Biographers have a built-in bias toward giving their subject credit for anything within reach; Frank leans almost in the opposite direction. He has very little to say about the Fair Deal, Trumans domestic agenda. He describes the State of the Union Message that Truman delivered after his miraculous victory in the 1948 election as turgid and routine. The almost complete failure of Fair Deal legislation, and above all of the civil rights package Truman had bravely introduced, would set back liberalism for a generation. How much of that, if any, was Trumans fault?

Franks interests lie elsewhere; and he deserves credit for judiciousness on the tormenting decisions Truman was compelled to make. He ultimately accepts the logic both of Hiroshima and of Korea, though he argues that Truman could have preserved the independence of South Korea without approving MacArthurs insane decision to cross the 38th parallel in order to take on Chinese as well as North Korean forces. Beyond that, Frank gives us this ebullient, often cantankerous man in full. He quotes the magisterial Walter Lippmann as observing that while it was very easy to get mad at Truman, neither he nor his critics and opponents were able to keep on being angry. For when he lost his temper it was a good temper that he was losing.
With upturn in the capex cycle and infra investments, India Finance Company (IIFCL) expects to disburse Rs 50,000 crore in the next financial year (FY23).

While it visited the market after a gap of eight years to raise Rs 1,500 crore via last week, the government-owned finance company is looking to raise up to Rs 3,000 crore before March-end, to fund the sanctioned credit.

P R Jaishankar, managing director (MD), IIFCL, told Business Standard that the projects are such that bulk use of sanctioned credit happens in the second year onwards and goes on in the third and fourth years.

He said, Now onwards, we will see a bulk of the disbursement from the sanctions we have done. IIFCLs book was a little static till 2020, but with the sanctions and approved credit lines awaiting use, it is Rs 2.12 trillion now. And, almost 30 per cent of these loan sanctions have happened in these two years. The company intends to grow loan approvals to Rs 3 trillion by the end of March 2023, he said.

Outstanding advances stood at Rs 37,688 crore at the end of September 2021. They rose from Rs 33,637 crore in March 2020 and Rs 36,647 crore in March 2021, according to ICRA.

In November 2021, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) allowed the company to invest in and investment trusts (InvITs).

This area will be approached with greater focus in FY23 and contribute to top-line growth, he added.

Along with growth in overall funding to the sector, the quality of IIFCLs assets has also improved.

The share of A, AA and AAA rated exposure has risen to 60 per cent now from just 20 per cent two years ago.

The portfolio quality has improved because of emphasis on refinancing completed projects and a lot of due diligence.

Also, it has put in place an integrated management framework, which has been important for taking larger exposures, digitisation and online monitoring.

The company opted for focussed approach to recoveries as termination payments were not forthcoming.

The NPA (non-performing assets) situation has been brought under control and increased provision coverage, Jaishankar said.

IIFCL hopes to reduce gross NPAs to below 10 per cent by this month from 14.2 per cent in March 2021. It hopes to pare net NPAs to below 4 per cent by the end of this financial year from 5.8 per cent in September 2021.
Even as the Congress struggled to come to terms with its defeat in the Assembly elections, the has put off selecting chief ministers and cabinet formation in four states until after Holi (March 18).

MLA and former minister Dhan Singh Rawat was a frontrunner for Uttarakhand CM post, along with Satpal Maharaj.

UP CM-designate Yogi Adityanath, had a meeting with the PM to discuss the council of ministers.

The AAP, on the other hand, took out a massive road procession in Amritsar.
The mortal remains of Major Sankalp Yadav, who was killed in an Army helicopter crash in north Kashmir, were consigned to flames with full military honours here on Saturday.

Yadav, 29, was the co-pilot of the 'Cheetah' helicopter that crashed on Friday near the Line of Control in Gurez sector while undertaking a rescue sortie to evacuate a sick Border Security Force jawan deployed in the forward area in the mountainous region.

The helicopter's pilot was injured in the crash.

Yadav's mortal remains arrived at the Jaipur airport on Saturday. From there, they were taken to his residence in Nandpuri in a decorated truck.

Yadav's uncle said his death was not just a loss for his family but also for the nation.

"He was the pride of our family," Yadav's uncle said.

A large number of people paid floral tributes to Yadav and raised slogans like 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'.

Army officers also laid a wreath on behalf of the Army chief and the Army commander, according to defence spokesperson.

District administration officials and police officers also attended the young pilot's last rites that were conducted at the cremation ground at Ajmer Road.

(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.)
SpiceHealth and the Airports Authority of India (AAI) are putting the onus on each other for the "contamination" of COVID-19 testing machines at the airport that led to approximately 64 percent of the passengers on two international flights falsely testing positive on arrival in January.

SpiceHealth, which was then operating in the airport's arrival area, had on January 6 and January 7 tested 469 passengers who arrived on two charter flights from Italian capital Rome and found 298 of them to be COVID-19-positive. This led to turmoil at the airport as passengers started protesting against the test results.

SpiceHealth - which is owned by SpiceJet's promoters Avani Singh and Ajay Singh - told PTI that it conducted an investigation in the matter with the testing machine manufacturer 'Thermofisher Accula' and found that the testing machines got contaminated as they were kept in an open space in the arrival section of the airport.

SpiceHealth then informed AAI about these findings and "advised that the docks (machines) be protected and test performed in a covered space and not directly exposed to conditions favouring contamination", it said.

However, the Centre-run AAI, which owns and runs the airport, told PTI that it does not agree with SpiceHealth's assessment on this matter.

The AAI said the site for setting up of registration counters, sampling and testing facility was chosen by SpiceHealth, and the arrangements for the set-up of machines were made by the company only.

"The issue of space and environment was not raised by SpiceHealth after January 6 (first day of the incident) and January 7 (second day of the incident)", the AAI noted.

The issue regarding the space provided and the adjoining environment was raised by SpiceHealth for the first time on January 12, and in its report, it was recommended that the internal environment of the airport should not be exposed to at risk' passengers, the AAI stated.

The authority added that it is yet to receive the official report of the aforementioned joint investigation.

After winning the bid for the facility, SpiceJet had started testing flyers in the arrival area of the Amritsar airport from December 27. After the January 6-7 incident, the AAI cancelled its contract on January 20.

PTI accessed various AAI documents related to this matter that revealed fresh details about the chain of events.

At 11.20 AM on January 6, a charter flight from Rome landed at the Amritsar airport with a total of 179 passengers.

Since Italy was then considered an 'at-risk' country, 160 passengers - who were above five years of age - underwent Rapid RT-PCR testing on arrival in line with the Union health ministry's regulations and 125 tested positive.

The high number of COVID-19 positive test results "created nuisance" between these passengers and staff of airlines, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), AAI and government authorities, the AAI's documents noted.

This led to a "squabble situation" and "turmoil" at the Amritsar airport, the documents added.

When the AAI on January 6 asked SpiceHealth about "such a sudden rise" in COVID-19 positive test results, the company "verbally informed that the test results were accurate", the documents noted.

However, the company's claims about accuracy were put on test the next day itself.

At 12.12 PM on January 7, another charter flight arrived from Rome to Amritsar with 290 passengers. A total of 285 passengers (above five years of age) were tested and 173 were found positive.

Thirty-seven passengers tested negative, while "no result was declared by SpiceHealth" for 75 passengers, the documents noted.

Due to "continuous high positivity rates" on two subsequent days, the AAI called for an immediate meeting in the office of Amritsar Airport Director V K Seth at 5 pm on January 7.

Three SpiceHealth officials - Vice President and Head of Operations and Quality Partha Roy, Principal Advisor Ravi Gaur, Assistant Vice President and Business Head Radha Arora - were present at this meeting.

"In this meeting, it was decided to put on hold the services of SpiceHealth...as it was admitted by Partha Roy...that the present machines cannot be used for testing purposes," an AAI document noted.

The AAI then requested government authorities to manage the testing services, but they replied that it would take them "around 8-10 hours to provide the test results for one flight".

Therefore, considering the immediate requirement of the next international flight, city-based Dr. Bhasin Path Labs was asked to start testing services at the airport.

Thirteen days later, on January 20, the AAI cancelled the contract with SpiceHealth to test passengers arriving from 'at risk" countries at the Amritsar airport.

In this January 20 letter, the AAI said the licence was awarded to SpiceHealth for Accula Rapid PCR testing for international passengers arriving at the Amritsar airport from countries deemed "at-risk".

"However, you have stated about contamination of Accula machines installed in the arrival area and shortage of Accula testing kits due to non-supply for the same from the manufacturer itself," it added.

"Therefore, you are hereby given five days' notice to handover the vacant possession to the AAI," it noted.

When asked about the January 6-7 incident, SpiceHealth told PTI that it conducted a detailed technical investigation and decontamination and stopped testing at the arrival terminal of the Amritsar airport from January 8 to 10.

Testing was resumed in the arrival area from January 11, it said.

"However, there was a sudden shortage of Accula testing kits due to rising cases in the US and the manufacturer was unable to provide kits," it noted.

The contract specifically mentioned the use of only Thermofisher Accula and one more machine, it said.

"SpiceHealth, which uses the former, had to hence stop testing at the arrival terminal," it mentioned.

SpiceHealth and Thermofisher Accula conducted a joint investigation and an on-ground assessment and checked the entire lot of instruments and processes, it said.

"The investigation concluded that the contamination of the docks located in the arrival area had occurred due to aerosol contamination," it noted.

"As the setup of these machines was done in open space under the low roof AC structure of airport arrival terminal, exposure of these docks to a high viral load of likely CovidOmicron variant lead to aerosol contamination," it stated.

In view of the high level of contamination, SpiceHealth informed Amritsar Airport authorities and advised that the docks (machines) should be protected and tests performed in a covered space, not directly exposed to the conditions favouring contamination, it stated.

SpiceHealth is currently providing COVID-19 testing services at the Varanasi airport.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The is likely to interview candidates for the post of managing director on Monday and Tuesday, as the incumbent Mangu Singh's term comes to an end on March 31, 2022, official sources said.

A meeting of the selection committee, which is headed by Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, is likely to be held on Monday. Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot is also a member of the selection committee, the sources said.

As many as 25 candidates have applied for the post, they said.

The interviews of candidates for the post of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) MD are likely to be conducted on Monday and Tuesday. These will be conducted by the selection committee, a source told PTI.

The had invited applications for the post in February.

The tenure of Singh as the managing director of was extended till March 31, 2022, in September last year. He had been given multiple extensions in the past.

In an advertisement issued by the transport department, the had said that the applicant for the post should be at least 45 years old. The upper age limit was fixed at 58 years for external candidates and 60 years for internal candidates.

The last date of filling the application was March 4.

The managing director of either has a five year stint or attains superannuation at the age of 65 years.

Singh's tenure as the DMRC managing director began from January 1, 2012, after E Sreedharan had handed over the charge to him on a day earlier. He got multiple extensions in the past.

The Delhi Metro managing director is a nominee of the Delhi government. The DMRC comprises 17 directors, including a chairman.

It has five nominees each of the Centre and the Delhi government that have equal stakes in DMRC. The managing director is designated by the Delhi government, sources 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.)
Union Civil Minister on Sunday said that regular will resume from March 27 as the coronavirus situation in India has improved now.

Due to the outbreak of COVID -19, scheduled international flight services were suspended on March 23, 2020. However, special have been operating between India and about 35 other countries since July 2020 under air bubble.

"I have already given a direction that restrictions on international flights, which were imposed due to COVID-19, be lifted," Scindia said on the sidelines of an event here.

"The international flight services would be fully restored from March 27 as they were before the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic," he added.

The minister also said that the Modi government held talks with the heads of Ukraine's neighbouring countries, like Romania, Moldova, Slovakia and Poland, and set up a corridor for the evacuation of 18,000 Indian students from the war-hit country under the 'Operation Ganga'.

It was for the first time that so many Indians were rescued from a war-ravaged country, he claimed.

"Apart from the Indian students, we evacuated some citizens of our neighbouring countries like Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal, from Ukraine," Scindia 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.)
The government is looking at creating a fund for agritech startups, Commerce and Industry Minister said on Sunday.

The government is looking at significant participation of in defence R&D as huge opportunities are there in drones, defence and technical textile sectors for entrepreneurs, the minister said at a webinar.

Technology and innovation will be the key driving force for India and its economy, he said.

"We are looking at significant participation of in defence R&D. We are looking at creating a fund for agritech startups," Goyal said.

India has the third largest startup ecosystem in India with over 65,000 registered in just five years.

"It is these startups that will fuel India's Atmanirbhar drive," he added.

At another function, the minister stated that one can find many opportunities, like even in the current war crisis.

"The present Ukraine-Russia crisis is a wakeup call for all of us, not to be dependent on crude oil and defence equipment," Goyal has 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.)
A team of the BKC cyber police in Mumbai recorded senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis's statement for almost for two hours at his residence in connection with a case of alleged illegal tapping of phones, an official said.

IPS officer Rashmi Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID. Former Maharashtra chief minister Fadnavis had cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department.

The letter also had details of intercepted phone calls, leading to an uproar with leaders of the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permission.

Following a complaint lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID), a case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at the BKC cyber police station in Mumbai last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents.

Before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra chief secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that Shukla had leaked the confidential report.

On Sunday, a team comprising Deputy Commissioner of Police Hemraj Singh Rajput, Assistant Commissioner of Police Nitin Jadhav and two inspectors, reached Fadnavis's bungalow 'Sagar' around noon. They recorded the BJP leader's statement for about two hours and then left his residence, an official said.

Heavy security was deployed outside Fadnavis's home, where a number of BJP leaders gathered, including MLA Nitesh Rane, MLCs Prakash Lad and Pravin Darekar, and party leader Kripashankar Singh.

The police had issued a notice to Fadnavis in connection with the case and BJP workers on Sunday staged protests and burnt copies of the notice in parts of the state, including Pune, Pandharpur (in Solapur district), Nagpur, Chandrapur and Sangli.

BJP MLA Ashish Shelar said, Let them record it (the statement). The truth never hides and it can never be defeated."



In fact, has brought to light corruption in this case. It was expected that those who engaged in corruption or are facing corruption allegations were probed in this case. But, the Maharashtra government is somewhere trying to use pressure tactics on the opponents, he told a news channel.

Leader of Opposition in the state Legislative Council Pravin Darekar told another channel that, "He (Fadnavis) brought before the people corruption in transfers (of officials)now this (state) government is trying to counter that allegation."



Darekar claimed the MVA government (comprising the Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress) was facing embarrassment in Maharashtra due to the corruption allegations levelled against it and therefore, making the poor and unfortunate attempt to target Fadnavis.

However, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut in a Twitter post asked, Why some people and political parties think of themselves as being above the law?"



"The central agencies summoned several ministers and public representatives in Maharashtra for probe out of political vendetta and they appeared before the agencies..No one has special rights in democracy. All are equal before the law. Why this drama then? asked the Shiv Sena's chief spokesperson.

Maharashtra minister Aaditya Thackeray claimed the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government does not use its agencies against the opponents as campaign machineries like the Centre does.

We just take forward the legal process. I don't want to comment more about it, the Sena leader said, when asked about instances of complaints being filed against each other by the ruling and opposition parties in Maharashtra.

He also claimed the BJP was frustrated, and hence staging protests on various issues.

But, Maharashtra BJP chief Chandrakant Patil said the allegations of the Centre misusing probe agencies to target political opponents need to be challenged in court, which has been supportive such action of these agencies so far.

Leaders like Anil Deshmukh and Nawab Malik (both of the NCP) continue to be in jail since they are unable to get bail from courts, as the action taken by the probe agencies is based on evidence, he said.

"If there is a misuse of central agencies, the court will rap them, like recently, the court rapped you (MVA) in cases pertaining to Anil Deshmukh, (dismissed police officer) Sachine Waze and even (former Mumbai police commissioner) Param Bir Singh," he said.

Citing Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speech on March 10 after the BJP won Assembly polls in four states, Patil pointed out that the PM had said "doubting independent agencies and the court is harmful to the core of democracy".

Patil claimed the Maharashtra government was afraid of initiating action against Fadnavis as it knew lakhs of people will hit the streets in protest.

"You (MVA) are afraid, so now you are going to his (Fadnavis') home to record his statement," he said.

Patil also said that their fight was against corruption and not the Shiv Sena.

Fadnavis last Tuesday submitted a pen drive containing video recordings to state Assembly's Deputy Speaker Narhari Zirwal, saying the footage showed how conspiracies were hatched by police and MVA members to frame BJP leaders, including himself and Girish Mahajan, in false cases.

To a question on this, Patil said, "If you are saying central agencies have been used for the video recording, then why are you not talking about what has been recorded.

(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.)
Kim Eun-hye, spokesperson of President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, speaks during a press briefing, March 13. Yonhap



North Korea should return to dialogue for complete denuclearization, a spokesperson for President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol said Sunday, as Pyongyang accelerates efforts to develop a new intercontinental ballistic missile.



Kim Eun-hye made the remark during a press briefing, but she declined to discuss details, including what was discussed when national security adviser Suh Hoon briefed Yoon on pending issues a day earlier






Prime Minister is chairing a high-level meeting to review India's security preparedness and the prevailing global scenario amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

The meeting was attended by a number of Cabinet ministers, including Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.

Security Advisor Ajit Doval and Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Srhingla also attended the meeting.

Earlier, PM Modi had chaired several high-level meetings to review 'Operation Ganga' to bring back stranded Indians from Ukraine.

Amid the fast-developing crisis in Ukraine, Jaishankar will be making a statement in the second part of the Budget Session in Parliament on 'Operation Ganga'.

He will also speak on India's stand vis-a-vis the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Central government launched 'Operation Ganga' on February 24 to bring back stranded Indians stuck in Ukraine.

Four Central ministers, Kiren Rijiju, Hardeep Singh Puri, Jyotiraditya Scindia and General VK Singh, were sent by Prime Minister to Ukraine's neighbouring countries to coordinate the efforts for the rescue of the stranded Indians.

So far, has been able to rescue around 20,000 stranded citizens in more than 80 special evacuation flights.

Through 'Operations Ganga', has also been able to rescue several citizens of the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and Nepal.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister on Sunday chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on Security to review Indias security preparedness and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Modi, official sources said, emphasised on integrating latest technology in the security apparatus and reiterated that every effort must be made to make self-reliant in the defence sector so that it not only strengthens our security but also adds to the economy.

Modi was also given a detailed overview of global tech usage in the defence sector and Indias advances in it, they said.

An official statement said Modi was briefed on latest developments and different aspects of India's security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain.

The prime minister was also briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of neighbouring countries, from Ukraine, it said.

Modi directed that all possible efforts should be made to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, who died in Kharkiv.

Shekharappa, an Indian student studying in Ukraine, was killed in shelling following the Russian invasion of the country.

has been able to evacuate most of its citizens, a large chunk of them students, from the war-hit country.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar were among those who attended the meeting. NSA Ajit Doval and other senior officials also attended the meeting.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister on Sunday chaired a Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) meeting and took stock of global technology usage in the and also India's advances in the same, sources said.

The sources said the Prime Minister emphasised on integrating the latest technology in India's security apparatus.

According to sources, PM Modi reiterated that every effort must be made to make India self-reliant in the so that it not only strengthens the country's security but also enhances economic growth.

The Prime Minister today chaired the CCS meeting to review security preparedness and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

During the meeting, PM Modi was briefed on the latest developments and different aspects of India's security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain.

The Prime Minister was also briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of 'Operation Ganga' to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of India's neighbouring countries, from Ukraine.

Prime Minister Modi directed that all possible efforts should be made to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, who died in Kharkiv.

(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.)
Just three days after AAP marked its maiden stupendous victory in Punjab, party convener Arvind Kejriwal, accompanied by Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann, on Sunday paid obeisance at the holiest Sikh and Hindu shrines in the city and later in a victory road show thanked the people for giving thumping win to the party.

Stressing that three crore Punjabis have ushered in an "inquilab" (revolution), the Delhi Chief Minister said for the first time after so many years, has got an honest Chief Minister.

"'Tusi kamaal kar dita' (you did wonders). I love you . The whole world knew that Punjabis bring revolution, but still could not believe that such an incredible 'inquilab' could sweep. All were defeated, Sukhbir ji, Parkash Singh Badal ji, Manpreet Badal got defeated, Channi defeated on both the seats, Majithia ji, Navjot Singh Sidhu ji tasted defeat," he said.

"Now all the money will be spent on and its people. We will fulfill all the guarantees and make a 'rangla' or happy Punjab," he added.

The road show passed through various areas with AAP supporters led by legislators showering flower petals on both Kejriwal and Mann, who stood atop an open vehicle.

Thousands of supporters, many of them holding the tricolour and party flags, comprising elderly and women, greeted the AAP leaders amid cheers and loud applause.

Earlier, Kejriwal and Mann paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Temple and prayed for the prosperity and peace of Punjab.

They also paid a floral tribute at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, close to the Golden Temple complex.

At least, 16 councillors of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation joined the road show amidst the presence of party leaders Manish Sisodia and Raghav Chadha and Amritsar Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu.

The AAP wiped out the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine by defeating stalwarts like sitting and former Chief Ministers like Charanjit Singh Channi, Parkash Singh Badal, and Amarinder Singh.

Chief Minister-designate Mann will take oath alone on Wednesday, party sources said.

The oath ceremony of his cabinet, which may comprise 17 members, will be held later, a source told IANS.

AAP has won 92 seats in Punjab -- up from 20 in 2017 with its vote share rising to 42.4 per cent.

A day earlier, Mann met Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the Raj Bhawan here and staked claim to form the government.

He is set to take oath as the 17th Chief Minister of Punjab at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, on March 16 at 12.30 p.m.

Addressing the media outside the Raj Bhavan on Saturday, Mann said: "We also informed the Governor about the place and time of the swearing-in ceremony. I have invited all the people of Punjab to come to Khatkar Kalan for this historic occasion. On March 16, not only us and our ministers, all the people of Punjab will take an oath to make Punjab prosperous again. We all together make Punjab prosperous."

In his directive to newly elected party legislators, Mann asked them to spend maximum time in their constituencies, not in capital Chandigarh, and not to hanker for Cabinet berths.

"We have to work for all those places where we went to seek votes. All MLAs must work in the areas from where they have been elected, not just stay in Chandigarh," Mann was quoted as saying after he was elected the leader of the AAP Legislative Party -- a formality ahead of his swearing-in.

--IANS

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(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.)
Days after its drubbing in five states, the Congress' top decision-making body on Sunday unanimously decided that party president should continue till organisational polls after she expressed readiness to "make any and every sacrifice" in the party's interest.

The Working Committee, during its nearly five-hour meeting, reposed full faith in her leadership, urging her to effect immediate corrective changes to strengthen the party and meet the political challenges ahead of the next round of elections.

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said every worker and leader wants Rahul Gandhi to lead the party, but as the process of organisational polls is underway, the next president will be decided through it.

Amid calls for large-scale reforms to revive the party's dwindling electoral fortunes, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal, at a press conference after the CWC meeting, said the party president will immediately take corrective measures to revamp and re-strengthen the organisation.

The will hold a 'Chintan Shivir' (brainstorming session) soon after the Budget Session of Parliament and the CWC will meet again before that, Venugopal said. The session is scheduled to end on April 8.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suggested that the 'Chintan Shivir be held in his state.

Later, leaders said this brainstorming session of three-four days would chalk out the future roadmap and strategy in order to address challenges.

Several leaders, after the meeting, said that Gandhi in her introductory remarks said she is ready "to make any and every sacrifice as Congress workers and the CWC wish in the interest of the party".

These comments were seen by many as her readiness to even quit if required and felt necessary by the party leadership.

She listened to all leaders at the and left the decision to the wisdom of the members, including those of the G-23, who reposed full faith in her.

"Every single member of the CWC wants to guide the party till organisational elections are held," Surjewala said, adding that the new Congress chief will be elected between August 21 and September 20.

The CWC members also said that the BJP-RSS attack the Gandhi family only to weaken the Congress.

Former party chief Rahul Gandhi at the meet talked about ways to strengthen the organisation and win back the faith of the people.

AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, K C Venugopal, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, party's leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and P Chidambaram were among those who attended the meet.

The general secretaries, in-charges and senior observers of states where polls were held including Priyanka Gandhi, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, senior leaders Chidambaram and Jairam Ramesh made detailed presentations and submitted reports.

They listed reasons behind the party's defeat and its shortcomings while suggesting measures to revive its electoral fortunes.

Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik were the only three from the Group of 23 leaders who participated in the meeting of the CWC, which has a large number of Gandhi family loyalists.

The G-23 leaders said they were part of the organisation and would remain so and would do everything to strengthen it to ensure its success at the hustings, sources said.

They also blamed the media for creating a hype about the so-called G-23 grouping, saying they never formed any separate group.

Surjewala said the CWC discussed what went wrong in assembly elections and senior leaders including Azad and Digvijay Singh gave suggestions.

A statement adopted by the CWC said the recent assembly election results of five states are a "cause of serious concern" for the party.

The Congress accepted that due to shortcomings in its strategy, it could not effectively "expose the misrule" of BJP state governments in four states -- Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa -- and overcome the anti-incumbency in Punjab in the short time after effecting a change of leadership.

Few months before the polls, the Congress had removed Amarinder Singh as Punjab chief minister, replacing him with Charanjit Singh Channi.

The sources said Punjab in-charge Harish Chaudhary listed infighting and the late removal of Amarinder Singh as the main reasons for the party's decimation.

Priyanka Gandhi said there was nothing in the name of organisation in Uttar Pradesh when she took over and the steps taken now would "bear fruit" in the future.

"Congress represents the hopes of millions of Indians against political authoritarianism prevailing in the country today and the party is fully conscious of its immense responsibility," the CWC said.

While humbly accepting the electoral verdict of the latest round of assembly elections, the Congress assures its workers and the people of India that it will continue to remain a vigilant and vibrant opposition, the statement said.

The Congress will be fully prepared to face the electoral challenges in the election going states in 2022 and 2023 as well as in the Lok Sabha elections 2024, it said.

The CWC also "unanimously" reaffirmed its faith in the leadership and urged the Congress president to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh did not attend the meeting. Senior party leader A K Antony was also not present as he has contracted Covid.

The Congress lost Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party, could not wrest Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur from the BJP and the party's tally in politically crucial Uttar Pradesh fell to its lowest.

While Sonia Gandhi has not been actively campaigning for some time, Rahul Gandhi, along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, had been the star campaigner for the Congress in the polls, with the brother-sister duo also playing a major role in key decisions of the party.

Despite a high-pitched campaign led by Priyanka Gandhi, the Congress could manage to win only two of the 403 assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh with the vote share plummeting to a meagre 2.33 percent and most of its candidates losing security deposits.

Ahead of the meeting, the chorus for making Rahul Gandhi the Congress president again grew louder as several leaders and workers voiced support for him to take on the mantle of party chief.

Gehlot said no one was taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Rahul Gandhi does and was fighting resolutely.

"All of us want that Rahul ji should take on the mantle of party leadership," he told reporters.

Rahul Gandhi had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in general elections in 2019.

Sonia Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party again as interim president, had also offered to quit in August 2020 after strong criticism by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.

(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.)
Chennai will host an international festival called the toilet festival on April 2 and 3 to create awareness on toilets and to study their working structure.

The event will be conducted by Recycle Bin and Cheer team in collaboration with the Greater Chennai Corporation, Dutch ministry, International Institute for Infrastructural Hydraulic and Environmental Engineering (IHE Delft, Netherlands), and Dot product solutions LLP.

The toilet festival, according to the organisers will comprise of mapping of toilets, toilet fellowship, toilet festivals, and toilet expo.

The toilet mapathon and will be done through an android app called, "Kakkoos App" across 15 zones that come under the Greater Chennai Corporation. Mapathon volunteers will collect the ground data about the number of public toilets and their qualitative aspects.

Toilet fellowships will have two parts, seven-day toilet training for 30 fellows and three-month fellowships commencing from May to July 2022 for ten fellows. The fellowship will provide an opportunity to explore, observe and learn about the public toilet network and sanitation conditions of the city.

The organiser of the programme, Ganga Dileep in a statement on Sunday said that the mapathon and fellowship will analyse different aspects of sanitation including gender, inclusivity, safety, hygiene, governance, toilet economy, management, maintenance, and health. She also said that the water management report and strategy for the city of Chennai will act as a potential space for deriving other similar projects.

--IANS

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(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.)
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh on Sunday, in his first visit to the capital after the party notched up a comprehensive victory in the assembly polls.

Adityanath is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi next, and BJP president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh thereafter.

Set to take oath as the chief minister for a second term, Adityanath's talks with the top party leadership, including Shah and Nadda, are likely to centre around a host of issues related to the government formation besides being a formal exercise.

He is likely to be here for two days, sources said.

The BJP won 255 seats in the 403-member assembly. Its two allies secured another 18 seats.

Political watchers believe that Adityanath's stature has received a boost with the win as his leadership was at the centre of the BJP's re-election bid.

(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.)
Former chief minister is reluctant to contest the 2023 assembly election in the state from the Chamundeshwari assembly segment in Mysuru district where he had lost in 2018.

As the sitting chief minister back in 2018, he chose to contest from Chamundeshwari and vacated his 'safe seat' of Varuna in Mysuru district to son Dr Yathindra .

While his son emerged victorious, the senior lost to JD(S) leader G T Deve Gowda with a margin of about 34,000 votes in Chamundeshwari seat.

People are calling me to contest from four to five places. I have not decided yet, Siddaramaiah told reporters here.

When asked whether he would try his luck from Chamundeshwari seat in 2023, the Congress leader said, I will not contest from there.

Replying to a query on the possibility of elections being held ahead of schedule following the BJP's victory in four out of five assembly polls recently, Siddaramaiah said he did not think it will happen.

He added that Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai, senior BJP leader B S Yediyurappa and other leaders have also ruled it out. Calling such questions speculative, he said there was no reason for holding early elections when the polls are due in April 2023.

However, Siddaramaiah, who is Congress Legislative Party leader said: In case there are early elections, we are ready to face. People are in our favour.

To a query on the rumours that many Congress leaders were ready to switch sides, the CLP leader asked people to wait and watch to see many BJP leaders joining the Congress.

Siddaramaiah also claimed that the Janata Dal (Secular) MLA G T Deve Gowda has spoken to him seeking ticket for himself and his son. I have told him that I have not yet spoken to the party high command, the CLP leader said.

On the possibility of BJP and the JD(S) forming an alliance, the former chief minister said: "We are not bothered if they form an alliance, come to an understanding or even go for match fixing.

Regarding former Union minister C M Ibrahim's allegations, who resigned from Congress and is expected to join the JD(S), Siddaramaiah said there was no need to give value to the allegations made by a person who has quit the party.

"Ibrahim was given ticket to contest the assembly election from Bhadravathi assembly constituency by denying ticket to a sitting MLA Sangamesh in 2013 but he lost. I made him, a defeated candidate, planning board chairman. Further, I made him an MLC. What injustice has happened to him from the Congress?" Siddaramaiah hit back.

These things happen when a man becomes overambitious, he said.

The former chief minister also said there will be no effect on the party after Ibrahim's exit.

Siddaramaiah said Ibrahim wanted to be the leader of the opposition in the (Legislative) Council but the party gave B K Hari Prasad the responsibility.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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Chief Minister met Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Sunday, and it is believed they discussed the broad contours of government formation and the structure of the new state cabinet.

Tweeting about the meeting, which lasted for over one and a half hours, Modi said he met and congratulated Adityanath for his historic victory in the assembly polls.

The BJP stormed back to power in Uttar Pradesh, retained Uttarakhand, Manipur and was the largest party in Goa in the recently concluded assembly polls.

Earlier in the day, in his first visit to the capital after the party notched up a comprehensive victory in the assembly polls, Adityanath met BJP general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu.

Adityanath's visit also comes in the backdrop of several ministers of the previous cabinet, including Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, losing in the polls.

"In the last five years, Adityanath tirelessly worked for the development of Uttar Pradesh," Modi said in a tweet after the meeting, adding that he is fully confident that in the coming years, he (Adityanath) will take the state to greater heights of development.

After meeting Modi, Adityanath met BJP president JP Nadda and is scheduled to meet Defence Minister Rajnath Singh thereafter.

Set to take oath as the chief minister for a second term, Adityanath's talks with the top party leadership, including Nadda, is believed to have centred around a host of issues related to the government formation besides being a formal exercise.

He is likely to be here for two days, sources said.

According to the sources, the oath-taking ceremony of the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh is likely to be held after Holi.

The BJP won 255 seats in the 403-member assembly. Its two allies secured another 18 seats.

Political watchers believe that Adityanath's stature has received a boost with the win as his leadership was at the centre of the BJP's re-election bid.

(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.)
President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol, right, and People's Party chief Ahn Cheol-soo clap their hands in the main opposition People Power Party's election monitoring room at the National Assembly in Seoul, March 10. Yonhap



President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol named his candidacy merger partner Ahn Cheol-soo chairman of the presidential transition committee Sunday.



Yoon also tapped his campaign chief, Rep. Kwon Young-se of the People Power Party, as vice chairperson of the committee.






announced detailed plans to zero out by 2050, a target that puts it two decades ahead of Indias national goal and makes it the first city in South Asia to set such a timeline.

In the plan announced on Sunday, has proposed exhaustive changes to the way it manages energy, water, air, waste, green spaces and transport for its 19 million residents.

We dont have the luxury of time, said Aaditya Thackeray, environment minister of .

Without intervention, the effects of could cost India $35 trillion over the next 50 years. By 2050, rising sea levels are expected to flood those parts of the city. In total, unabated could cost the city $920 million. Drawing on inputs from officials, citizens, researchers and companies, Mumbais plan lists changes across six domains.



This includes investments in housing, electrifying public transport and more walkable roads; flood-resistant drainage and water conservation apart from adding open spaces, investing in clean water and sanitation, and rooftop solar capacities.

may consider raising funds through green bonds announced by the federal government, said Saurabh Punamiya, government adviser. It will receive funding from Maharashtra, which also plans to raise funds for climate mitigation projects through the Union government and global lenders, said Tanmay Takle, policy advisor to the state government.

This access to investments, along with a $6-billion annual budget, give the city an advantage over peers to implement climate targets. The policies are actually opening the doors for such investments to come in, Thackeray said.
The University Grants Commission (UGC) has plans to introduce a system under which industry experts can teach as full-time or part time faculty members in central universities, according to an official.

It has also been proposed that the experts will be eligible for teaching in universities without a Ph.D or NET qualification.

The official said special positions -- professor of practice and associate professor of practice will be created.

Under the proposal, experts who are willing to teach can be hired as full time or part time faculty members depending on what the university needs, the official said, adding that those who have retired at 60 will also be eligible for these positions and will be able to work till the age of 65.

This came up for discussion at the meeting of the chairman with the vice-chancellors of central universities on Thursday.

The will form a committee to look into how this can be done and it will submit its report, the official said.

There are also plans to set up a portal that will act as a single point for those willing to apply to a university.

Delhi University Professor Abha Dev Habib criticised the move saying the government is "freeing itself of the pressure of giving jobs to qualified teachers on permanent basis".

"Teachers who have been teaching for past several years are not "experts" and cannot be made permanent or even be shortlisted for permanent interviews (as is the case in many Delhi University departments). But people labelled "experts" by BJP-RSS can be parachuted into any system," she said in a Facebook post.

Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union president Aishe Ghosh tweeted, "A step towards dismantling higher ."



According to the minimum qualifications for appointment of teachers and other academics, a Ph.D is mandatory to get into a university as a professor or an associate professor.

(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.)
Despite general perception that Muslims were voting against it, the has succeeded in getting at least eight per cent Muslim votes in a bipolar and highly polarised Assembly election in .

The CSDS-Lokniti has come out with its survey that of the 20 per cent Muslim votes, the Samajwadi Party secured around 79 per cent and at least eight per cent votes went to the BJP, which is an increase of one per cent over the 2017 Assembly elections.

The survey indicates that the community is willing to support the BJP, but indicated that there needed to be "two-way traffic" and the BJP's posturing should translate into action.

The main reason for this shift in the Muslim votes towards the is that Muslims have benefited as much as Hindus from the various welfare schemes during the last five years in .

The study suggests that Muslims should explore the possibilities of opening up to the . Supporting the non-BJP governments out of fear of the BJP bogey has not helped them as their socio-economic condition has gone from bad to worse over the decades.

"The community's condition is worse than Dalits," the Sachar committee report had noted.

According to a survey of 'Religion, Caste, Nationalism and Attitudes in India' by the US-based Pew Research Centre, around 20 per cent of Muslims voted for the Bharatiya Janata Party in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

"One out of five Muslims voted for BJP," the survey noted.

A CSDS-Lokniti survey of 2019 had indicated 14 per cent support for the BJP. When CSDS posed a question to the community before the 2019 Lok Sabha election on whether they supported another term to the Modi government, 26 per cent said "yes", whereas 31 per cent of the Hindu respondents felt that the Modi government should not get another term.

--IANS

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(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.)
Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraine's western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people. The strike followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia's grinding invasion.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling training facility that is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraine's western Lviv region. is a key location for routing Western military aid to Ukraine.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lviv had largely been spared the scale of destruction unfolding further east and become a destination for residents escaping bombarded cities and for many of the nearly 2.6 million refugees who have fled the country.

The training center in Yavoriv appears to be the most westward target struck so far in the 18-day invasion. The facility, also known as the Peacekeeping and Security Center, has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other NATO countries.

It has also hosted NATO drills. As such, the site symbolizes what has long been a Russian complaint: That the NATO alliance of 30 member countries is moving ever closer to Russia's borders. Russian has demanded that Ukraine drop its ambitions to join NATO.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the missiles fired Sunday were shot down because the air defense system worked. The ones that got through through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Ukraine's border with Slovakia and Hungary, an attack the city's mayor said was intended to sow panic and fear. The airport, which includes a military airfield as well as a runway for civilian flights, also was targeted Friday.

Fighting also raged in multiple areas of the country overnight. Ukrainian authorities said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and refugees were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

Another airstrike hit a westward-bound train evacuating people from the east, killing one person and injuring another, Donetsk's chief regional administrator said.

To the north, in the city of Chernihiv, one person was killed and another injured in a Russian airstrike that destroyed a residential block, emergency services said.

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east. Chief regional administrator Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces appeared to trying to blockade and paralyze the capital with day and night shelling of the suburbs.

Kuleba said Russian agents were operating in the capital and its suburbs, marking out possible future targets. He vowed that any all-out assault would meet stiff resistance, saying: We're getting ready to defend Kyiv, and we're prepared to fight for ourselves.

Talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire again failed Saturday, and the U.S. announced plans to provide another $200 million to Ukraine for weapons. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned other nations that sending equipment to bolster Ukraine's military was "an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to break his country apart, as well as starting a new stage of terror with the alleged detention of a mayor from a city west of Mariupol.

Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land, Zelenskyy said during his nightly address to the nation Saturday.

Russian soldiers pillaged a humanitarian convoy that was trying to reach the battered and encircled port city of Mariupol, where more than 1,500 people have died, a Ukrainian official said. Ukraine's military said Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening their siege of the strategic port. Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

An Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday. A worker shot in the hip survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating: Electricity was reserved for operating tables, and people with nowhere else to go lined the hallways.

Among them was Anastasiya Erashova, who wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood.

No one was able to save them, she said.

In Irpin, a suburb about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of central Kyiv, bodies lay out in the open Saturday on streets and in a park.

When I woke up in the morning, everything was covered in smoke, everything was dark. We don't know who is shooting and where, resident Serhy Protsenko said as he walked through his neighborhood. Explosions sounded in the distance. We don't have any radio or information.

Zelenskyy encouraged his people to keep up their resistance.

We do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be, he said. Later Saturday, Zelenskyy reported that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the Russian invasion began Feb. 24.

The first major city to fall, earlier this month, was Kherson, a vital Black Sea port of 290,000 residents. Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a pseudo-republic in the southern Kherson region, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk, two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014. One of the pretexts Russia used to invade was that it had to protect the separatist regions.

Zelenskyy again deplored NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he didn't elaborate. U.S. President Joe Biden announced another $200 million in aid to Ukraine, with an additional $13 billion included in a bill that has passed the House and should pass the Senate within days. NATO has said that imposing a no-fly zone could lead to a wider war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president also accused Russia of detaining the mayor of Melitopol, a city 192 kilometers (119 miles) west of Mariupol. The Ukrainian leader called on Russian forces to heed calls from demonstrators in the occupied city for the mayor's release.

Moscow has said it would establish humanitarian corridors out of conflict zones, but Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of disrupting those paths and firing on civilians. Russian forces have hit at least two dozen hospitals and medical facilities, according to the World Health Organization.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said just nine of 14 agreed-upon corridors were open on Saturday, and that about 13,000 people had used them to evacuate around the country.

French and German leaders spoke Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a failed attempt to reach a cease-fire. According to the Kremlin, Putin laid out terms for ending the war. For ending hostilities, Moscow has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and adopt a neutral status; acknowledge the Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014; recognize the independence of separatist regions in the country's east; and agree to demilitarize.

The Russian invaders appear to have struggled far more than expected against determined Ukrainian fighters. Still, Russia's stronger military threatens to grind down Ukrainian forces.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians, including at least 79 Ukrainian children, its government says. At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

One is Elena Yurchuk, a nurse from the northern city of Chernihiv. She was in a Romanian train station Saturday with her teenage son, Nikita, unsure whether their home was still standing.

We have nowhere to go back to, said Yurchuk, 44, a widow who hopes to find work in Germany. Nothing left.

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Seven Ukrainian civilians, including a child, died when shelled a humanitarian convoy of refugees and forced them to turn back, Ukraine's Ministry of Defense said.

The seven were among hundreds of people who tried to flee the village of Peremoha, 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Kyiv. An unknown number of people were wounded in the shelling, the report added.

Moscow has said it would establish humanitarian corridors out of conflict zones, but Ukrainian officials have accused of disrupting those paths and firing on civilians.

On Saturday, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said just nine of 14 agreed-upon corridors were open on Saturday, and that about 13,000 people were evacuated on them around the country.

At least 2.5 million people have fled since the Russian invasion 17 days ago, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency.

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To justify invading Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has painted Russia as a hegemonic power re-asserting its rightful claim to imperial greatness. Yet even before the invasion, Russias economic capabilities were hardly capable of sustaining an empire.

Now, with foreign sanctions presiding over a plummeting Russian ruble, Russias economic standing has fallen further still. If measured at todays exchange rates, Russias economy would be the 22nd largest in the world, with a gross domestic product (GDP) not much larger than the state of Ohios.

Author provided

Thats a far cry from the past, when was a true world power. According to data assembled by the late economic historian Angus Maddison, it was the fifth largest in the world in 1913, behind the United States, China, Germany and Britain. By 1957, when the U. S. S. R. outpaced the United States to launch the first satellite into space, the Soviet was the worlds second largest after Americas.

Putins quest for greatness

Putin was elected president following the chaotic disintegration of the Soviet Union and the 1998 financial crisis in which Russia defaulted on its debt and abandoned its fixed exchange rate.

At the time, Russias market-value GDP had bottomed out at US$210 billion, making it the worlds 24th largest economy, behind Austria. (All contemporary GDP figures are from the October 2021 World Economic Outlook published by the Monetary Fund.)

Putin established an informal social contract with the Russian people based on his ability to deliver strong economic growth. Under Putins rule, and buoyed by a commodity price supercycle that would stretch well into the 21st century, Russias GDP in market exchange rates rose tenfold, returning to global relevance and providing purchasing power to its middle class.

However, Russia researchers argued that as Russias economy began to flag, from a peak in 2013, Putin sought new legitimacy to govern through foreign policy actions to re-establish Russias status as a great power. These efforts were epitomized by the Crimean annexation of 2014.

Russias invasion of Ukraine, against the backdrop of Russias market-rate GDP losing a third of its value between 2013 and 2020, represents a doubling down of Putins strategy to seek legitimacy from great power status, rather than economic performance.

Yet the Wests unrelenting financial and economic sanctions have only accelerated Russias economic downfall.

(AP Photo/Dmitri Lovetsky)

Russian stocks traded on the U. K. market have fallen by 98 per cent, wiping out US$572 billion of wealth, while stocks on Russian exchanges remain suspended.

The Russian currency has fallen to 155 rubles per dollar  a drop of more than 50 per cent from 75 rubles per U. S. dollar before the invasion. If not for recent captial controls and the rising prices of commodities  brought about by the sanctions themselves  that make up the majority of Russias exports, it would fall even further.

Domino effect

A countrys market-rate GDP is its GDP converted to a global currency like the U. S. dollar.

While there are other ways to measure GDP, when it comes to global trade and investment  and economic power  the market rate is what matters.

Russias market-rate GDP in 2021 was US$1.65 trillion, enough to make it the worlds 11th largest economy, behind South Korea. If we crudely convert Russias 2021 estimated GDP by March 7, 2022, currency rates, rather than the average exchange rate used last year, and place it against the 2021 market-rate GDP table, the rankings change and slides to 22nd place, falling between Taiwan and Poland.

This drop is likely an underestimate. While a falling ruble lowers Russias exchange rate of its GDP to U. S. dollars, its weakening economy lowers its ruble GDP directly. And Russias isolation will erode its economic competitiveness, widening the economic gap further in the medium term.

Ukrainians confronted with the oncoming Russian army were wise to Putins chimeric strategy. Dont you have problems in your country to solve? Are you all rich there, as in the Emirates? one elderly man heckled Russian soldiers.

Putins next move

Robert F. Kennedy famously observed that GDP failed to account for many things that we care about  like health and education. The fall in Russias market-rate GDP cannot begin to describe the human tragedy playing out in both Ukraine and Russia.

But what these figures do make clear is that Putins claim to legitimacy through economic performance is all but destroyed. With great power status tied closely to economic power, Putins back-door source of legitimacy from stirring up nationalist pride now seems closed as well.

Putin may have led Russia from one Times of Troubles, but he has delivered it to another one. Thats cold comfort to the Ukrainians, and indeed to the rest of the world, who are wondering Putins next move.

Eric Werker, William Saywell Professor of International Business, Simon Fraser University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
China's high-tech Shenzhen city, which has a population of over 17 million, was the latest to shut down to control the surge of COVID-19 cases, as the government scrambled to contain the worst outbreak of virus cases in the last two years.

Shenzhen will seal all communities, villages and suspend bus and metro services from Monday to Sunday due to the latest COVID-19 outbreak, state-run Daily reported on Sunday.

Shenzhen which has been battling an Omicron surge since late February, will carry out three rounds of citywide COVID-19 tests next week.

In a statement, city authorities urged the residents to work from home and to step out only to buy daily necessities.

After topping 1,000 new cases for two days in a row, new locally transmitted cases in surged to more than 3,100, the National Health Commission reported on Sunday. This is the highest in two years.

All outbound travellers from Shenzhen must submit negative nucleic acid test results taken within the previous 24 hours, Hong Kong-based South Morning Post reported.

The situation is such that China is on the brink of its biggest COVID-19 crisis since Wuhan, the Post report said.

The first broke out in Wuhan in December 2019 before it spread to almost all parts of the world, claiming over 6 million lives so far.

It is significant that cases in China are on the rise when most of the countries are opening up following decrease in cases.

China's Zero COVID-19 case policy is coming increasingly under stress in the past few weeks as several cities including Shanghai and Beijing are witnessing fresh wave of cases.

It came as 16 provinces reported new infections, as did the four mega cities - Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai and Chongqing.

Some local health authorities have attributed the surge to the Omicron variant, which is more transmissible but causes less severe symptoms than the original COVID-19 virus, the Post report said.

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday urged regions experiencing severe epidemic outbreaks to clear COVID-19 cases among the general public in the shortest time possible.

As part of its COVID-19 responses, China has added antigen detection as an option for COVID-19 testing among the public, in efforts to boost the early discovery of COVID-19 cases.

Shanghai asked the people of the city not to leave and those who do must hold a certificate for a negative nucleic acid test results taken 48 hours before departure, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The big spikes in cases came after a top Chinese official claimed on March 4 that China is one of the best performers in curbing the COVID-19 pandemic and attributed the success to its stringent zero-case policy of restricting national and travel with proactive local lockdowns wherever the virus surfaced.

China's dynamic zero-COVID approach has worked in the country's context, Zhang Yesui, spokesperson for National People's Congress, the country's Parliament, told media.

Meanwhile, the situation continues to deteriorate in Hong Kong where officials confirmed 27,647 new Covid-19 cases, including 11,858 positive, the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported on Sunday.

The former British colony also reported 87 COVID-related deaths taking the overall toll to 3,729, the report said.

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has once again resorted to mass shutdowns of its cities, including schools and markets as the country experiences the most significant surge in COVID-19 cases since the early days of the pandemic, media reports said on Saturday.

The Chinese authorities have shut down the city of Changchun in Jilin province, a city of nine million residents, The Age reported. At the same time, the authorities have ordered the construction of makeshift hospitals in the city, and also in the eastern port city of Qingdao.

Meanwhile, an outbreak of the omicron variant in Shanghai saw schools shuttered again, while officials are said to be looking at diverting all flights away from the financial centre to ease pressure on quarantine hotels.

isolates all virus cases, including those in the community, as part of its COVID Zero policy, the report said.

The situation is not at ease even in the autonomous region of Hong Kong. About 300,000 Covid-19 patients and their close contacts in Hong Kong are now under home quarantine, according to the city's Chief Executive Carrie Lam. The city chief also highlighted that it would be challenging for the authorities to keep up if the cases keep rising at the current rate.

According to China's National Commission, on Saturday reported 1,807 new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases.

Domestic infections topped 1,000 on Friday for the first time since the peak of the original Wuhan outbreak, a tally that has ballooned from just over 300 cases a day in less than a week.

Of the total infections, 1,412 were reported in the North-eastern province of Jilin.

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placed all 17 million residents in one of its biggest cities under lockdown on Sunday, as virus cases doubled nationwide to nearly 3,400 and anxiety mounted over the resilience of its zero-Covid approach in the face of the worst outbreak in two years.

The southern tech hub of Shenzhen told all residents to stay at home as it struggles to eradicate an Omicron flare-up linked to the neighbouring virus-ravaged city of Hong Kong. The lockdown and a suspension of public transport will last until March 20, a city government notice said, adding that it would launch three rounds of mass testing.

The move extends an earlier lockdown imposed on the citys central business district. The surge in infections across has also prompted authorities to close schools in and lock down multiple northeastern cities, as 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict zero-Covid policy enforced with swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged. But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is testing the efficacy of that approach.

had been spared a citywide order to stay at home, but individual housing compounds were being locked down.




Irans Revolutionary Guards claimed responsibility for a dozen ballistic missiles that struck Iraqs northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, Irans state media reported, adding that the attack was against Israeli strategic centres in Erbil.

The missile attack comes as talks to revive the 2015 nuclear deal face the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations for an undetermined time despite having a largely completed text.

The missiles, which targeted the US consulates new building, caused only material damage and one civilian was injured, the Kurdish interior ministry said.

Irans Revolutionary Guards released a statement taking responsibility for the missile attack against Israeli strategic centres in Erbil, Irans state media reported.




Chinese vice premier urges strict measures to stem COVID infection in shortest time

Xinhua) 17:01, March 13, 2022

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, speaks at a national teleconference of the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19 on March 12, 2022. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday urged regions experiencing severe epidemic outbreaks to clear COVID-19 cases among the general public in the shortest time possible.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a national teleconference of the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19.

She called for resolute measures to put outbreaks under control as soon as possible.

Efforts should be made to expand the coverage of nucleic acid testing, accelerate epidemiological screening and patient transportation and isolation, and apply quarantine measures in a strict way, said Sun.

Top priority should be given to preventing imported cases, with ports of entry as key areas and areas subject to closed-loop management as the key link, she added.

Sun also asked schools to strengthen daily health monitoring, ramp up the proportion of random nucleic acid testing and guard against clusters of infection.

The Chinese mainland on Friday reported 476 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases, the National Health Commission said Saturday.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
Higher private tutoring cost shows failure of school education



Private education expenses hit a record high of 23.4 trillion won ($18.9 billion) last year, up 21 percent from 2020, according to a survey by Statistics Korea. The rate of participation in after-school classes among elementary to high school students rose from 67.1 percent to 75.5 percent over that period. The average length of private tutoring also increased by 1.5 hours to 6.7 hours per week. In conclusion, not only has the time spent on private education grown, but the total amount of spending and rate of participation also increased.



It is difficult to consider surging private tutoring costs separately from poor public education. The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic might have sped up the deterioration in the quality of school education, but the pandemic should not bear all the blame. Nor can the increase of one-child families or overzealous college entrance exams explain soaring private tutoring expenses because these are long-standing problems. The fundamental reason is that schools, of all levels, are not functioning properly. It is hard to know how high the amount spending will go up this and next year.



Looking back at a series of education policies, the crisis in public education is inevitable. Due to the government's rejection of education that encourages academic excellence, schools have been standardized with low expectations.



In responding to COVID-19, the government was also mired in controversy over unscientific quarantine while neglecting substantive countermeasures, such as internet lectures and remote classes. As a result, the gap continued to widen between classes offered by schools and private academies.



It is incomprehensible that educational authorities are failing to normalize school education amid a declining number of students and rising educational outlays.



Despite numerous petitions, 20.79 percent of the internal tax revenue goes to regional education offices in the name of local education financial grants. Where did they spend the astronomical amount of 60.33 trillion won last year? Worse yet, the number of students with below-standard academic levels is rising, widening the educational divide. All this shows why normalizing public education ought to be one of the top reform tasks of the incoming administration.


Former US President says the Ukraine conflict continues and could escalate even further because, under the administration of US President Joe Biden, the US does not have "anybody to talk to" Russian President .

"Despite all of Biden's weakness, cowardice and incompetence, there is still a path for him to end this tragedy in Ukraine, without getting Americans snared in a gruesome and very bloody war. By the way, this could lead to world war three," Trump told his supporters at a Saturday rally in Florence, South Carolina.

Trump suggested that Washington should threaten Moscow with "blistering consequences," such as permanently eliminating Western dependence on Russian energy.

"We don't have anybody to talk to him [Putin]. You had somebody to talk to him with me," Trump said, emphasizing that "my personality is what kept us out of war."

In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched what it called a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) allegedly appealed for help in defending themselves against the Kyiv forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbas, "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years."

In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow, which includes airspace closures and restrictive measures targeting numerous Russian officials and entities, media, and financial institutions.

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Malaysian Prime Minister Ismail Sabri's Malay party has defeated its allies in the ruling party and the opposition to score a landslide victory in a second state election that could presage early national polls.

Saturday's big win in southern Johor state by the United Malays National Organization, or UMNO, mirrored its victory in another state election in November and will embolden supporters to escalate demands for early general elections, which are not due till July 2023.

The UMNO-led National Front coalition governed for 61 years until its shocking ouster in 2018 due to a multibillion-dollar financial scandal. But the reformist alliance that won those polls collapsed in 2020 due to defections and the National Front made a comeback as part of a new government.

The new government, however, is plagued by infighting with the National Front, going up against some of its allies in both state . Although the parties have agreed to share power until the next general election, factions in UMNO are anxious to capitalize on its victories and revive its former rule.

This is a confirmation of recent trends. People voted strongly for the National Front because they want stability" following political turmoil in the past few years, said James Chin, an Asian expert at Australia's University of Tasmania.

A low voter turnout and a highly divided opposition were in UMNO's favour, he said.

Ismail Sabri will be under tremendous pressure now to call for general . UMNO wants to build on the momentum generated by its state victories. A big win in the general election will also mean that UMNO can rule on its own without a messy coalition, Chin said.

Ismail was greeted with chants of dissolve Parliament when he arrived at a National Front centre in Johor late Saturday ahead of the announcement of full official results. The Front secured 40 out of the 56 state seats. Its allies in the ruling coalition only won three seats while the opposition took 13.

Chin said UMNO itself is divided and the premier, who is a second-tier leader in UMNO, is likely to try and delay national polls as he may be replaced if the National Front wins.

Ismail took over the helm just seven months ago after his predecessor, from another party in the ruling coalition, resigned due to defections. UMNO's president can't take the top job as he is fighting a corruption charge. Ismail's government has a thin majority, and he has inked a pact with the opposition for support in case there are defections.

The state victories also appeared to be a remarkable turnaround for former Prime Minister Najib Razak, who was a key figure in the campaigning despite his conviction and 12-year jail sentence for corruption.

Najib is out on bail pending appeal and is also fighting dozens of other graft charges related to an scandal involving the 1MDB state fund that has sparked public anger and led to his defeat in 2018 polls.

The people's voices are loud and clear. This is a people's referendum ... They want stability. They want prosperity and development," Najib wrote on Facebook.

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A new mayor has been appointed in Ukraine's Melitopol city after the elected mayor was detained by the Russian forces, according to Zaporizhzhia regional administration.

The elected mayor, Ivan Fedorov, was detained by Russian forces on Friday.Galina Danilchenko, the newly installed mayor was introduced on local TV, CNN reported citing the statement published on the Zaporizhzhia regional administration website.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has posted a hard-hitting statement on its Facebook account that calls the detention of the Melitopol mayor a "war crime."

Foreign ministry further urged the community to react immediately to this incident and also to increase pressure on Russia to end its barbaric war against the Ukrainian people," the statement said.

"The fact of the abduction of the Mayor of Melitopol, along with hundreds of other facts of war crimes by Russian occupiers on the Ukrainian soil, are being carefully documented by law enforcement agencies. The perpetrators of this and other crimes will be brought to the strictest responsibility," the post said.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with German chancellor Olaf Scholz, French president Emmanuel Macron and Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and sought help in the release of detained mayor.

On February 24, Russia began a military operation in after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in defending themselves.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West, however, denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in .

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Amid escalating war between Moscow and Kyiv, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Saturday expressed his readiness to enter into negotiations with in Jerusalem.

Zelenskyy said that he requested Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett to mediate peace talks.

"We spoke with (Israeli Prime Minister Naftali) Bennett, and I said that today it is not right [to hold] meetings in Russia, in Belarus. I'm not talking about technical meetings - I'm talking about leaders' meetings. Do I think that Israel can be such a land, and Jerusalem? Yes, I think so. And I told him that," RT News quoted Zelensky as saying.

So far, Russian and Ukrainian delegations have met three times in Belarus to discuss the ongoing conflict.

Apart from reaching some understanding on establishing humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from the combat zones, the two sides have failed to achieve any tangible results, RT News reported.

Meanwhile, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron have urged Russian President to call an immediate ceasefire in .

"Scholz, Macron urge Putin to call an immediate ceasefire in . German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron made the proposal during a call with on March 12," The Kyiv Independent tweeted.

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US Vice President highlighted the unity between the US and its NATO and European allies and warned that Russia's military operations in pose a threat to all democracies.

"Russia's invasion threatens not just Ukraine's democracy; it threatens and security across Europe," CNN reported quoting Harris who was speaking at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting on Saturday in Washington.

Speaking about her recent trip to Poland and Romania, Harris said that she emphasized that the "greatest strength" of the alliance is its unity.

"The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance," Harris said further.

On March 10, US Vice President announced nearly USD 53 million in new humanitarian assistance to support civilians affected in .

"During her trip to Warsaw, Poland, today, U.S. Vice President announced nearly USD 53 million in new humanitarian assistance from the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for Development (USAID), to support innocent civilians affected by Russia's unjustified invasion of Ukraine," the White House said in a statement.

According to the statement, this additional assistance includes support to the UN World Food Program (WFP) to provide lifesaving emergency food assistance to meet immediate needs of hundreds of thousands affected by the invasion, including people who are displaced from their homes and who are crossing the border out of .

In addition, it will support WFP's logistics operations to move assistance into Ukraine, including to people in Kyiv.

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Russian forces fired eight missiles at a Ukrainian military facility near the Polish border on Sunday, officials said, in what appeared to be the westernmost attack of the war, and air raid sirens again woke residents in the capital Kyiv.

"The occupiers launched an air strike on the Center for Peacekeeping and Security" in Yavoriv, the Lviv regional military administration said in a statement. "According to preliminary data, they fired eight missiles." The administration did not say whether the training facility was hit or offer further details.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has warned Russian forces they face a fight to the death if they try to occupy the capital Kyiv, as air raid sirens again woke residents on Sunday morning.

"If they decide to carpet bomb and simply erase the history of this region ... and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves," Zelenskiy said on Saturday.

The president, who has repeatedly appeared on social media from the capital, said some small towns no longer existed in the third week of Russian attacks, the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two.

Russian shelling has trapped thousands of people in besieged cities and sent 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing to neighbouring countries.

Ukraine accused Russian forces on Saturday of killing seven civilians in an attack on women and children trying to flee fighting near Kyiv. France said Russian President had shown no readiness to make peace.

The Ukrainian intelligence service said the seven, including one child, were killed as they fled the village of Peremoha and that "the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back."

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report and offered no immediate comment.

Moscow denies targeting civilians since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24. It blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities, an accusation Ukraine and its Western allies strongly reject.

Zelensky said Moscow was sending in new troops after Ukrainian forces put 31 of Russia's battalion tactical groups out of action in what he called Russia's largest army losses in decades. Reuters could not verify his statements.

"We still need to hold on. We still have to fight," Zelenskiy said in a video address late on Saturday, his second of the day. Saying about 1,300 Ukrainian troops had been killed, he urged the West to get more involved in peace negotiations.

The United States said it would rush up to $200 million in additional small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine, where officials have pleaded for more military aid.

The Kremlin describes its actions as a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and unseat leaders it calls neo-Nazis. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of choice that has raised fears of wider conflict in Europe.

Zelenskiy discussed the war with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged Putin to order an immediate ceasefire.

A Kremlin statement on their 75-minute call made no mention of a ceasefire.

A French presidency official said: "We did not detect a willingness on Putin's part to end the war." Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the United States of escalating tensions and said the situation had been complicated by convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine that Russian forces considered "legitimate targets".

In comments reported by the Tass news agency, Ryabkov made no specific threat. Any attack on such convoys before they reached Ukraine would risk widening the war.

Crisis talks between Moscow and Kyiv have been continuing by video link, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, according to Russia's RIA news agency. He gave no details, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would not surrender or accept any ultimatums.

HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS

Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region, Interfax Ukraine quoted its mayor as saying.

The exhausted-looking governor of Chernihiv, around 150 km (100 miles) northeast of Kyiv, gave a video update in front of the ruins of the city's Ukraine Hotel.

"There is no such hotel any more," Viacheslav Chaus said, wiping tears from his eyes. "But Ukraine itself still exists, and it will prevail."

Britain's defence ministry has said Russian ground forces were massed 25 km (15 miles) from the centre of Kyiv, while Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and the key Black Sea port of Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling.

The general staff of the Ukraine armed forces said had slowed its offensive and in many places its forces had been stopped. The military's Facebook post did not give details.

Ukrainian officials had planned to use humanitarian corridors from Mariupol in the south as well as towns and villages in the regions of Kyiv, Sumy and some other areas on Saturday.

Around 13,000 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities on Saturday, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

The Donetsk region's governor said constant shelling was complicating bringing aid into Mariupol. Fires were burning in the western section of the city and dozens of apartment buildings heavily damaged, according to images taken on Saturday by private U.S. satellite firm Maxar.

At least 1,582 civilians in Mariupol have been killed as a result of Russian shelling and a 12-day blockade, the city council said on Friday. Reuters could not verify casualty figures.

"There are reports of looting and violent confrontations among civilians over what little basic supplies remain in the city," the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

People were boiling ground water for drinking, using wood to cook food and burying their dead near where they lay, a staff member for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) in Mariupol said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Russian air strike on a large Ukrainian military facility near the border with member on Sunday killed 35 people and wounded 134, a local Ukrainian official said, as other officials reported intense Russian attacks around the country.

Ukraine said foreign military instructors have previously worked at the Yavoriv Center for Peacekeeping and Security, which is 25 kilometres from the Polish border, but a official said there were no personnel from the alliance there. Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the centre, adding that some were intercepted before they hit. The centre is one Ukraines biggest and the largest in the western part of the country.

Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Sunday that Russian troops had destroyed 3,687 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities so far. It was not possible to independently verify his statement.

Ukraine, on Sunday; a fire burns at an apartment building, after it was hit by shelling, in a residential district in Mariupol | Photo: AP/PTI

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said the country had already lost access to almost half of its reserves and saw more risks to President Vladimir Putins war chest due to increased pressure from the West on China.

The total volume of our reserves is about $640 billion, and about 300 billion are in such condition that we cant use them now, he told state television in an interview on Sunday.

US journalist, award-winning filmmaker killed in Ukraine

An American journalist and award-winning filmmaker was shot and killed by Russian forces in the town of Irpin in Ukraines Kyiv region and another journalist was wounded, Kyiv regional police said.

One of the dead journalists, Brent Renaud, was initially thought to be working for The New York Times. However, the Times said that the journalist was not currently working for it.

Instagram users in Russia told service will cease from midnight

Instagram users in Russia have been notified that the service will cease from midnight on Sunday after its owner Meta Platforms said last week it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as Death to the Russian invaders.
Russian forces pounded the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, shelling its downtown as residents hid in an iconic mosque and elsewhere to avoid the explosions. Fighting also raged in the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, as kept up its bombardment of other cities throughout the country.

Mariupol has endured some of Ukraine's worst punishment since invaded. Unceasing barrages have thwarted repeated attempts to bring food, water and medicine into the city of 430,000 and to evacuate its trapped civilians. More than 1,500 people have died in Mariupol during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

Talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire again failed Saturday, and while the US announced plans to provide another USD200 million to Ukraine for weapons, a senior Russian diplomat warned that Moscow could attack foreign shipments of military equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused of employing a new stage of terror with the alleged detention of a mayor from a city west of Mariupol.

Russian soldiers on Saturday pillaged a humanitarian convoy that was trying to reach Mariupol and blocked another, a Ukrainian official said. Ukraine's military said Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening their siege of the strategic port.

They are bombing it (Mariupol) 24 hours a day, launching missiles. It is hatred. They kill children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a video address.

An Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday.

In Irpin, a suburb about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of central Kyiv, bodies lay out in the open Saturday on streets and in a park.

Zelenskyy encouraged his people to keep up their resistance.

We do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be, he said. Later Saturday, Zelenskyy reported that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the Russian invasion began.

Zelenskyy again deplored NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defence assets, though he didn't elaborate.

NATO has said that imposing a no-fly zone could lead to a wider war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president also accused Russia of detaining the mayor of Melitopol, a city 192 km west of Mariupol. The Ukrainian leader called on Russian forces to heed calls from demonstrators in the occupied city for the mayor's release.

In multiple areas around Kyiv, artillery barrages sent residents scurrying for shelter as air raid sirens wailed. Britain's Defence Ministry said Russian forces that had been massed north of the capital had edged to within 25 kilometers of the city centre and spread out, likely to support an attempted encirclement.

A convoy of hundreds of people fleeing Peremoha, about 20 kilometers northeast of Kyiv, were forced to turn back under shelling by Russian forces that killed seven people, including a child, Ukraine's defense ministry said Saturday.

Moscow has said it would establish humanitarian corridors out of conflict zones, but Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of disrupting those paths and firing on civilians.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said just nine of 14 agreed-upon corridors were open on Saturday, and that about 13,000 people had used them to evacuate around the country.

Ukraine's military and volunteer forces have been preparing for an all-out assault on the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday that about 2 million people, half the metropolitan area's inhabitants, had left and that every street, every house is being fortified.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russia would need to carpet-bomb Kyiv and kill its residents to take the city.

They will come here only if they kill us all, he said. If that is their goal, let them come.

French and German leaders spoke Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a failed attempt to reach a cease-fire. According to the Kremlin, Putin laid out terms for ending the war.

For ending hostilities, Moscow has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and adopt a neutral status; acknowledge the Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014; recognise the independence of separatist regions in the country's east; and agree to demilitarise.

Zelenskyy told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday that he would be open to meeting Putin in Jerusalem to discuss an end to the war, but that there would first have to be a cease-fire. Bennett recently met in Moscow with Putin, who has ignored previous offers of talks from Zelenskyy.

In Mariupol, the Ukrainian government said Saturday that the Sultan Suleiman Mosque was hit, but an unverified Instagram post by a man claiming to be the mosque association's president said the building was spared when a bomb fell about 750 yards away.

Russian forces have hit at least two dozen hospitals and medical facilities, according to the World Health Organization.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians, including at least 79 Ukrainian children, its government says. At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

(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.)
Russian forces struck a military training base in western Ukraine on Sunday morning, bringing their offensive closer to the border with .

Eight rockets were fired at the Yaroviv military range, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of Lviv, the regional administration said, without offering any details about possible casualties. The range is 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Ukraine's border with .

Since 2015, the US has regularly sent instructors to the military range, also known as the Yaroviv Peacekeeping and Security Center, to train Ukraine's military and the facility has also hosted NATO drills.

On Saturday, Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine, pounding Mariupol in the south, shelling the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, and thwarting the efforts of people trying to flee the violence.

In Mariupol, which has endured some of the worst punishment since Russia invaded, efforts to bring food, water and medicine into the port city of 430,000 and to evacuate civilians, were prevented by unceasing attacks. More than 1,500 people have died in Mariupol during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

Talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire again failed Saturday, and while the US announced plans to provide another USD 200 million to Ukraine for weapons, a senior Russian diplomat warned that Moscow could attack foreign shipments of military equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to break his country apart, as well as starting a new stage of terror with the alleged detention of a mayor from a city west of Mariupol.

Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land, Zelenskyy said during his nightly address to the nation Saturday.

Russian soldiers pillaged a humanitarian convoy that was trying to reach Mariupol and blocked another, a Ukrainian official said.

Ukraine's military said Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening their siege of the strategic port.

Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

An Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday.

A worker shot in the hip survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating: Electricity was reserved for operating tables, and people with nowhere else to go lined the hallways.

Among them was Anastasiya Erashova, who wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood.

No one was able to save them, she said.

In Irpin, a suburb about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of central Kyiv, bodies lay out in the open Saturday on streets and in a park.

When I woke up in the morning, everything was covered in smoke, everything was dark. We don't know who is shooting and where, resident Serhy Protsenko said as he walked through his neighborhood. Explosions sounded in the distance. We don't have any radio or information.

Zelenskyy encouraged his people to keep up their resistance.

We do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be, he said. Later Saturday, Zelenskyy reported that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the Russian invasion began February 24.

The first major city to fall, earlier this month, was Kherson, a vital Black Sea port of 290,000 residents.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a pseudo-republic in the southern Kherson region, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk, two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014.

One of the pretexts Russia used to invade was that it had to protect the separatist regions.

Zelenskyy again deplored NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he didn't elaborate. US President Joe Biden announced another USD 200 million in aid to Ukraine, with an additional USD 13 billion included in a bill that has passed the House and should pass the Senate within days.

NATO has said that imposing a no-fly zone could lead to a wider war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president also accused Russia of detaining the mayor of Melitopol, a city 192 kilometers (119 miles) west of Mariupol. The Ukrainian leader called on Russian forces to heed calls from demonstrators in the occupied city for the mayor's release.

In multiple areas around Kyiv, artillery barrages sent residents scurrying for shelter as air raid sirens wailed. Britain's Defense Ministry said Russian forces that had been massed north of the capital had edged to within 25 kilometers (15 miles) of the city center and spread out, likely to support an attempted encirclement.

A convoy of hundreds of people fleeing Peremoha, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Kyiv, were forced to turn back under shelling by Russian forces that killed seven people, including a child, Ukraine's defense ministry said Saturday.

Moscow has said it would establish humanitarian corridors out of conflict zones, but Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of disrupting those paths and firing on civilians.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said just nine of 14 agreed-upon corridors were open on Saturday, and that about 13,000 people had used them to evacuate around the country.

Ukraine's military and volunteer forces have been preparing for an all-out assault on the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday that about 2 million people, half the metropolitan area's inhabitants, had left and that every street, every house is being fortified.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russia would need to carpet-bomb Kyiv and kill its residents to take the city.

They will come here only if they kill us all, he said. If that is their goal, let them come.

French and German leaders spoke Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a failed attempt to reach a cease-fire.

According to the Kremlin, Putin laid out terms for ending the war. For ending hostilities, Moscow has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and adopt a neutral status; acknowledge the Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014; recognise the independence of separatist regions in the country's east; and agree to demilitarise.

In Mariupol, where electricity, gas and water supplies have been knocked out, aid workers and Ukrainian authorities described an unfolding humanitarian catastrophe. Aid group Doctors Without Borders said residents are dying from a lack of medication and are draining heating pipes for drinking water.

Russian forces have hit at least two dozen hospitals and medical facilities, according to the World Health Organisation.

The Russian invaders appear to have struggled far more than expected against determined Ukrainian fighters. Still, Russia's stronger military threatens to grind down Ukrainian forces.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned on Saturday that his country could attack foreign shipments of military equipment to Ukraine. He said sending equipment is "an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets."



Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians, including at least 79 Ukrainian children, its government says. At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

One is Elena Yurchuk, a nurse from the northern city of Chernihiv. She was in a Romanian train station Saturday with her teenage son, Nikita, unsure whether their home was still standing.

We have nowhere to go back to, said Yurchuk, 44, a widow who hopes to find work in Germany. Nothing left.

(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 Russian delegate to talks with Ukraine was quoted on Sunday as saying they had made significant progress and it was possible the delegations could soon reach draft agreements, although he did not say what these would cover.

RIA news agency quoted Leonid Slutsky as comparing the state of the talks now with the situation when they first started, and saying there was substantial progress. His comments came on Day 18 of the war which began when Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24.

According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing, Slutsky said.

It was not clear what the scope of such documents might be. Ukraine has said it is willing to negotiate, but not to accept any ultimatums. Three rounds of talks between the two sides had focused mainly on humanitarian issues.




A wood market in Seoul. Circa 1900. Courtesy of Diane Nars Collection



By Robert Neff



For many residents of Seoul, hiking is a great way to get away from the confines of their apartments, workplaces and schools and get out into nature. It is a great outdoor activity during the pandemic as it maintains social distancing (although some of those mountain paths can be quite crowded). Seoul is blessed with an abundance of tree-covered mountains and hills but it hasn't always been like that.



In 1896, poachers prowled the mountain slopes around Seoul  especially the mountain known as Namsan  harvesting timber and brush to sell in the city markets. The Independent (a newspaper published in Seoul) declared:



"For the last two years the pine forests on the hills about Seoul have been encroached upon by wood gatherers and much timber has been cut without permission. If this continues the hills will eventually become denuded."



It happily reported that police had arrested four poachers who were caught in the act of carrying away stolen timber from the hills near Yongsan.





Gathering timber and wood in the early 1900s. Robert Neff Collection



The following month, in a letter to the editor of The Independent, a Korean resident echoed the fear that the mountain might soon become denuded of trees:



"This beautiful spring weather induced me to go up Nam San (South Mountain) the day before yesterday. Upon reaching the top I heard the sound of wood being chopped in that neighborhood. I went in the direction from which the sound came and found four Japanese cutting down large elm trees several hundred years old. I desire to know whether these Japanese received permission from the government to cut down these old trees or whether they are doing it on their own account. It strikes me as a bad policy in either case as the beautiful South Hill will soon be bare if this is allowed to go on."



The paper investigated and discovered that the Japanese legation was allowed to cut down the trees so that the wood could be used to make instruments needed by the Japanese soldiers to conduct their military drills.



However, in the following month (June), a Chinese man was arrested by Korean police for cutting trees on Namsan  possibly to sell in the market or for personal use. As he was a foreigner, the Korean authorities could not punish him so he was turned over to the British legation and subsequently punished  what punishment he received is unclear; likely nothing more than a stiff fine. The British legation at this time was responsible for Chinese residents in Korea  the Chinese legation was closed for several years following the Sino-Japanese War (1894-1895).





Cutting timber circa 1900-1910. Robert Neff Collection



A lot of timber used in Seoul was imported from other regions of the country. In August 1896, The Independent reported:



"Building activity is noticed all over the city. Several large rafts of logs were brought down the river lately and snapped up by large purchasers the day they arrived."



Most of the logs  if not all  were probably obtained legally but there were some government officials who used their position to enrich their own pockets. The Royal Grave Keeper in Gwangju (Gyeonggi Province) sold eighty large pine trees belonging to the Royal Graves. He was subsequently arrested and charged with robbery.



Sometimes it wasn't greed that compelled people to cut down trees  it was a holy calling. On the northern bank of the Han River near Yeoju City (Gyeonggi Province) stood "a venerable tree centuries old." According to the newspaper, "It [was] held in great veneration by the common people of those parts" and they were abhorred when they learned that a local Roman Catholic priest had commanded his followers to cut it down.



The people pointed out that the tree belonged to the government and, unless permission was received by the local authorities, it could not be cut down. The newspaper "sympathized with the desire to put away all objects of idolatry from Korea and these sacred trees are doubtless such" but was also surprised that a foreigner "would order the demolition of property not his own."





A cart and its load of wood circa 1900-1920s. Robert Neff Collection



Unfortunately, we don't know if this tree was spared or not but Yeoju still has a couple of very old trees with interesting histories  and legends.



According to Tales of Gyeonggi Province (2013), there is one zelkova tree along the banks of the river that is over 500 years old. Legends claim that many years ago (perhaps when tigers were learning how to smoke), an elderly man peeled off some of the tree's bark and was suddenly attacked by a horned snake. Within a few days, the man died and his family was financially ruined. The tree soon gained a reputation as being holy. I am not sure why a horned snake would be associated with fertility but according to the guide, the tree is "well known as a place where women go to pray for fertility."



Judging from the legends of other zelkova trees in the area, peeling off the bark is not something you should do if you want to have a long and prosperous life.



The ancient gingko tree at Silleuksa Temple also has a legend that might have outraged the foreign priest. During the Goryeo Dynasty a famous Buddhist priest stopped at the temple and left behind his walking stick. The stick  apparently unmolested in its resting spot  eventually grew into a large ginkgo tree. The temple and the tree were badly burned during the Japanese invasion of 1592. Like the temple, the tree revitalized and three new branches poked up from its burnt remains. According to Gyeonggi Province legend, "As a ginkgo tree is supposed to have two branches, one weak branch was cut out and the remaining branches grew to become this 600-year-old-tree."





The ancient ginkgo tree at Silleuksa Temple in Yeoju. April 2020. Robert Neff Collection
Prominent editor Mark Bernstein has been detained in for editing articles about Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The Main Directorate for Combating Organized Crime and Corruption of (GUBOPiK) has arrested Bernstein, according to Belarusian publication Zerkalo.

The Verge reported that Bernstein's social media accounts, handle and place of work had been shared in GUBOPik's channel on Telegram messaging app.

A video of Bernstein's arrest was also posted, along with his photo and personal details.

In the photo, Bernstein is accused of "distributing fake anti-Russian information".

Bernstein is one of the top 50 editors of Russian Wikipedia.

A Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson said: "The Foundation's Trust and Safety and Human Rights teams have been monitoring the ongoing crisis in Ukraine.

"We are in close touch with our communities in the region to ensure their safety and respond to their needs."

In the Russian Wikipedia channel on Telegram, users in and Russia were also advised to hide personal data and to only edit articles about the war from other accounts, according to reports.

Belarus has offered logistical support throughout the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a law that punishes people spreading "fake news" with up to 15 years in prison.

A Wikimedia Foundation spokesperson said the group was watching the situation closely.

"The Foundation's Trust and Safety and Human Rights teams have been monitoring the ongoing crisis in Ukraine," the spokesperson said, adding "are in close touch with our communities in the region to ensure their safety and respond to their needs".

--IANS

na/ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The government announced that it will offer 350 pounds ($456) per month to households if they host refugees fleeing from the war-torn Ukraine, a media report said on Sunday.

Under its 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, the government called on people to "offer a spare room or an empty property to a for a period of at least six months", the BBC report said.

According to Micheal Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, the government will launch the new scheme on Monday, and "will initially enable someone - a sponsor - to nominate a named Ukrainian individual or family to stay with them in their home, or in a separate property, for six months".

Sponsors will not be required to know them in advance - they might find them, for example, through posts on social media.

Applications would be made online, with both sponsors and refugees having to go through a home office vetting procedure. The sponsor would get a "thank you" payment of 350 pounds a month.

In a later phase, organisations such as charities and churches will be able to do the same, though there is no start date for this yet, the BBC reported.

Announcing the plan on Saturday, Gove said: "The crisis in Ukraine has sent shock waves across the world as hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been forced to flee their homes, leaving everything they know and love behind.

"The stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour and the British public understand the need to get as many people to safety as quickly as we can."

The development comes after the government has faced widespread criticism for its slow response to the Ukraine crisis.

So far, only 1,000 refugees have been given UK visas, the BBC said, adding that only those with family connections have been able to make an application, via the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, over two million people have the war-torn nation.

The UN has termed it as the fastest-growing crisis since the Second World War.

--IANS

ksk/

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Deputy Prime Minister Dominic Raab will visit the Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague on Monday to offer "practical support" from the for investigating alleged war crimes in .

Raab will meet ICC Prosecutor, Karim AA Khan QC, its Registrar, Peter Lewis, and President of the Court, Judge Piotr Hofmanski. The Ministry of Justice, in a statement, said Raab will emphasise UK support for the Court and respect for its independence.

Dominic Raab, who is also country's Lord Chancellor, and Secretary of State for Justice, said: "Tomorrow I will go to The Hague to offer the ICC UK technical support in bringing those responsible for war crimes in to justice - including support with the immediate priority of gathering and preserving evidence."

"Russian commanders carrying out war crimes should know they cannot act with impunity. Like Radovan Karadzic and Charles Taylor before them, their actions risk landing them in a jail cell."

Separately, Dominic Raab will meet ambassadors from a range of countries to build a coalition able to provide extra assistance and cooperation to the Office of the Prosecutor to investigate war crimes in .

The visit follows a virtual meeting last week with Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, and Attorney General Suella Braverman to discuss what help the country needs to collect and preserve evidence of war crimes.

This is the latest in a series of efforts to provide Ukraine with economic, diplomatic, humanitarian and defensive support alongside lethal aid. The UK Government is also investigating how to stop Russian oligarchs using the British legal system to intimidate and silence their critics.

Separately, last week the Attorney General, Suella Braverman, signed a statement with the Ukraine's Prosecutor General which reaffirms the UK's support for holding Russia to account for war crimes committed in Ukraine.

Russia launched a "military operation" in Ukraine on February 24, which it claimed was a response to calls from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk for protection against attacks by Ukrainian troops.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

(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.)
Ukrainian defence ministry on Sunday said that Russians fired at a convoy that was evacuating women and children in the Kyiv region, killing seven people including one child.

"Russians shot at a column of women and children in Kyiv region, who were trying to evacuate along a previously agreed "green" corridor. The result of this brutal act - seven dead. One of them is a child," the Ukrainian defence ministry said in a Tweet.

Media outlet The Kyiv Independent reported that the attack took place on March 11 as a column of women and children was leaving the village Peremoha in Kyiv Oblast, using the approved corridor.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of targeting a humanitarian corridor.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba today said that Russians are trying to organize a sham separatist "referendum" in Kherson, mimicking what they did in eastern and Crimea in 2014.

"Following 2014 playbook, Russians now desperately try to organize a sham 'referendum' for a fake 'people's republic' in Kherson. Given zero popular support, it will be fully staged. Severe sanctions against must follow if they proceed. Kherson is & will always be Ukraine," Kuleba tweeted.

Notably, Kherson has been under the control of the Russian forces.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President's aide Mykhailo Podolyak said that the negotiations with Russian delegation are underway in a continuous video format.

Among the top priorities of the talks is expanding and setting up humanitarian corridors, especially for the city of Mariupol, according to the state-run media.

However, the delegations met in person three times, with no conclusive results. The last meeting on the war took place on March 7.

(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.)
will publish individual sanctions against the West in the near future, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday.

"The lists are ready," Ryabkov said on Russian broadcaster Channel One, adding that the sanctions will be made public soon, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to Ryabkov, Moscow sees no indication that the was ready to continue dialogue on Ukraine.

The diplomat also warned Washington against transferring weapons to Ukraine, adding that these weapons will become legitimate targets for the Russian forces.

--IANS

int/pgh

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The UN human rights office says at least 596 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since the start of the war, and at least 1,067 have been injured.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights said Sunday that 43 of those killed were children, while 57 were injured.

The Geneva-based office had documented 579 civilian deaths and 1,002 injured a day earlier.

It said most recorded civilian casualties were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, such as shelling from heavy artillery and missile strikes.

U.N. officials said they believe the actual number of casualties is considerably higher than so far recorded because the receipt of information has been delayed and many reports still need to be corroborated.

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US President Joe Biden authorized USD 200 million for additional arms and equipment to Ukraine, White House said on Saturday (local time).

"Today, President Biden authorized $200 million for additional arms and equipment to

. This unprecedented fourth drawdown in less than one year brings the total U.S. security assistance to to over $1.2 billion since January 2021," White House said in a Tweet.

Biden's decision brings total US security aid provided to to USD 1.2 billion since January 2021.

Meanwhile, Secretary of State Antony Blinken tweeted: "I have authorized a drawdown of up to $200 million for additional arms and equipment to Ukraine. This unprecedented fourth drawdown in less than a year will bring total US security assistance provided to Ukraine to more than $1.2 billion since January 2021."

CNN reported that an administration official said the USD 200 million drawdown will provide "immediate military assistance to Ukraine." Which will include "anti-armor, anti-aircraft systems, and small arms in support of Ukraine's front line defenders facing down Russia's unprovoked attack," the official said.

Earlier in the day, Ukraine said that Russian forces fired at a convoy that was evacuating women and children in the Kyiv region, killing seven people including one child.

"Russians shot at a column of women and children in Kyiv region, who were trying to evacuate along a previously agreed "green" corridor. The result of this brutal act - seven dead. One of them is a child," the Ukrainian defence ministry said in a Tweet.Media outlet The Kyiv Independent reported that the attack took place on March 11 as a column of women and children was leaving the village Peremoha in Kyiv Oblast, using the approved corridor.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of targeting a humanitarian corridor.

Ukrainian President's aide Mykhailo Podolyak said that the negotiations with Russian delegation are underway in a continuous video format.

Among the top priorities of the talks is expanding and setting up humanitarian corridors, especially for the city of Mariupol, according to the state-run media.

However, the delegations met in person three times, with no conclusive results. The last meeting on the Russia Ukraine war took place on March 7.

(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.)
Kyiv Region police says a US video journalist has died and another journalist was injured when they were attacked by Russian forces in .

The police force said Sunday on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on the car of Brent Renaud and another journalist in Irpin near the capital. It said the injured journalist was being taken to a hospital in Kyiv.

A New York Times spokesperson said Renaud, 50, was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years. It said he was not working for the publication at the time of his death.

The police force said: Of course, the profession of journalism carries risks. Nonetheless, U.S. citizen Brent Renaud paid with his life trying to highlight the deceit, cruelty and ruthlessness of the aggressor.

Asked about the reports, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News that the U.S. government would be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and would then execute appropriate consequences.

This is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians, where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship, and they have targeted journalists, Sullivan 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.)
Russian President had a telephone conversation with French President and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, and urged them to influence the Kiev authorities to stop "criminal acts" of Ukrainian "nationalist battalions," according to the Kremlin.

Macron and Scholz urged an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, the German government said in a statement, noting the 75-minute talk as part of the ongoing efforts to end the conflict, Xinhua reported.

Putin gave a "detailed account of the series of talks held via videoconference by Russian and Ukrainian representatives over the past days," and the three leaders reviewed issues pertaining to the agreements being worked out concerning the implementation of the earlier Russian demands, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin informed Macron and Scholz of "the real situation on the ground" in response to the issues raised by them "regarding the humanitarian situation on the territory of the military operation to protect Donbass," the Kremlin said.

Putin cited "multiple facts of gross violations of the humanitarian law by the Ukrainian army and police: extrajudicial killings of dissenters, hostage taking and the use of civilians as human shields, deployment of heavy weaponry in residential areas, in proximity to hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and so on," according to the Kremlin statement.

"Nationalist battalions regularly sabotage rescue operations and threaten civilians when they attempt to evacuate," the Kremlin said, adding that Putin urged Macron and Scholz to influence the Kiev authorities to stop such "criminal acts."

The three leaders agreed to continue contacts on Ukrainian issues, the Kremlin said.

Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday morning, and learned about Zelensky's assessment of the current situation. The two agreed to keep in touch, according to the German statement.

--IANS

int/pgh

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Ukraine voiced hope for positive results from Israels bid to broker peace with Russia, denying a media report that suggested Israeli Prime Minister had tried to nudge Kyiv into caving to Moscows demands.

Bennett, acting at Ukraines behest, held a three-hour Kremlin meeting with Russian President last Saturday. He has since spoken twice with Putin by phone and four times with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (pictured), officials say.

I believe (Bennett) can play an important role, because is a country with a lot of history and parallels, as well as having a large migration of Jews from Ukraine, Russia, and Belarus, Zelenskyy said. Earlier on Saturday, a top Ukrainian adviser denied a report that had suggested that Bennett had urged Ukraine to give in.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Applicants take the Global Samsung Aptitude Test in the second half of 2021. / Courtesy of Samsung Group



By Kim Hyun-bin



Samsung, Hyundai Motor, SK, LG and other large business groups have begun large-scale hiring of entry-level workers, marking a dramatic shift from an industry-wide halt over the past two years amid the raging COVID-19 pandemic, according to company officials Sunday. Samsung Electronics and other affiliates said Sunday that they are accepting resumes to hire new employees during the first half of 2022.



Samsung, the only one among the top five business groups that continues to maintain regular entry-level recruitment numbers, will accept resumes by March 21 and conduct a written test, known as the Global Samsung Aptitude Test (GSAT), in May.



"The large-scale recruitment is in part to hire 40,000 new workers for three years from 2021 and to expand job creation for young people," a Samsung Group official said.



Samsung announced last August that it would directly hire 40,000 people over the next three years. Of these, 10,000 are expected to be employed mainly in the high-tech industries.



Other major conglomerates are also following Samsung's lead.



LG Group's major affiliates are recruiting entry-level staff with college degrees in the first half of this year.



LG Electronics is recruiting interns and will receive applications through this month, followed by online personality tests and interviews in April, while internships are set to start in May.



The internship period is a minimum 4 weeks and the final admission is decided based on the evaluation of the tests and projects that were completed during the internship.



Other affiliates, such as LG Display, LG Energy Solution (LGES) and LG U Plus are also recruiting new employees.



LG withdrew from the mobile phone business last year and some affiliates have been separated into LX Group. However, the company plans to hire a total of 30,000 staff over the next three years.



Hyundai Motor Group is in the process of hiring new employees for affiliates Hyundai Motor Company and Kia Corp.



Hyundai Motor Group also announced that it will directly hire 30,000 people over the coming three years, while 16,000 of the positions will be created through talent development and start-up support.



POSCO Group affiliates, such as POSCO, POSCO International, POSCO E&C, POSCO Terminal and POSCO Chemical, are also hiring new employees in the first half of 2022. The steelmaking conglomerate also promised to create 25,000 jobs over the next three years.



SK hynix started hiring new employees in February. The chipmaker plans to expand the number of new hires compared to the previous year to reflect an improvement in semiconductor industry conditions and rising facility investment.



SK Group has decided to create 27,000 jobs for young people over three years by expanding the number of new hires from 6,000 a year to 9,000.



"After the transition to on-demand hiring, large corporations that were mainly recruiting experienced workers are starting to resume the recruitment of new employees this year, creating a boom in the employment market, which has been frozen for a while due to COVID-19," an official from a major business lobby group said.


The Russia-Ukraine war is not only sending commodity prices soaring but also disrupting operations of the global shipping industry. This has already slowed international trade and can hurt the prospects of quicker global economic recovery from the pandemic. About 140 ships with over 1,000 seafarers are stuck in the Black Sea, as the ports in the region have suspended operations.

Five ships have already been hit by missiles resulting in casualties. The ships are not sailing out of fear that they will be hit by missiles or underwater mines. The crew have no option but to stay on board ...
Punjab chief minister-designate will submit his resignation as a member of parliament on Monday, party sources said here.

Mann is a two-time Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur parliamentary constituency.

The 48-year-old leader will be sworn-in as Punjab's chief minister on March 16. The oath-taking ceremony will be held at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in the Nawanshahr district.

The romped home by winning 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab assembly.

It decimated the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine.

Mann won from Dhuri assembly seat after defeating Congress candidate Dalvir Singh Goldy by a margin of 58,206 votes.

convener Arvind Kejriwal and Mann led a roadshow in Amritsar on Sunday to thank voters and celebrate the party's landslide victory in the Punjab assembly polls.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Indian voter has always been capable of throwing up surprises and the will also get to know about it one day, leader said on Sunday.

His remarks came in the backdrop of the party's debacle and drubbing in the just-concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur.

The could have done much better in Uttarakhand, and in Goa, "we had very good chances of being the single largest party", Tharoor said at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).

"But mind you in both the states the number of voters are relatively small, and that perhaps contributed," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

In the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, despite a high-pitched campaign led by general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party could manage to win only two of the 403 assembly seats with the vote share plummeting to a meagre 2.33 per cent and most of its candidates losing security deposits.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did remarkable and energetic campaigning for the party, and "from my point of view, I don't think that the Congress per se can be faulted because on the grounds of one person's campaigning", Tharoor said.

"I think the issues are rather larger for the party as well as for party viability in some states where our presence has been systematically going down," he said.

On Priyanka Gandhi's campaigning, the MP said, "You would have seen her everywhere, including getting arrested a couple of times by the Uttar Pradesh Police. You have seen her very much on the spot and running through the state."



The 66-year-old leader also expressed surprise over political analysts describing the results as a "foregone conclusion", saying very few predicted BJP's victory until the exit polls came out.

"If it was a foregone conclusion, all the pundits should have been saying that for the last five-six weeks of election campaign. Very few, if any did, it was only when the exit polls were coming out that the tale turned and people said is going to win.

"Until then there was no question in my mind that most of people were expecting a very, very close fight, and some were saying anecdotally that Samajwadi Party was ahead," Tharoor said.

The Indian voter has the capacity to surprise and one day, they will also surprise the . "But right now they have given the BJP what it wanted," he said.

The JLF's 15th edition started here on Thursday and is being held in a hybrid format for the first time since its inception in 2006. It was held virtually from March 5 to 9 because of Covid.

Turkish bestselling novelist Elif Shafak, American writer and 2002 Pulitzer Prize for fiction finalist Jonathan Franzen, South African novelist and 2021 Booker winner Damon Galgut, Australian author and 2003 Booker winner DBC Pierre, English actor-writer Rupert Everett, and eminent Jamaican poet Kei Miller are among the 250 authors participating in the JLF this year.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
American tech giant will now be adding Air Strike alerts for its Ukrainian Android users amid the ongoing Russia- crisis.

According to GSM Arena, this update comes as part of Google's Play Services and reportedly, the company is enabling it at the request of the Ukrainian government.

The feature is supposed to be supplemental to the already existing raid alert systems. The company's VP of Engineering said that has used the same low-latency system that it uses for detecting earthquakes.

Earlier, shortly after the Russian military operation in commenced, the company had announced that it would disable some of its Maps features in such as traffic information and crowd data. Their argument was that the data could be used as military intelligence.

(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.)




By Kim Hyun-bin







The Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), once the mighty business lobby group representing the country's conglomerates, has been sidelined since it was embroiled in a major corruption scandal that led to the impeachment of former President Park Geun-hye five years ago. But now all eyes are on the FKI to see if it could regain its lost status under the "business-friendly" conservative Yoon Suk-yeol administration, according to industry watchers, Sunday.







In the past, the FKI took the lead role in the business world, but for the past five years has been neglected by the Moon Jae-in administration, including being excluded from key economic meetings hosted by Cheong Wa Dae, due to its involvement in the corruption scandal that put former President Park and her close confidantes behind bars.







Federation of Korean Industries Chairman Huh Chang-soo

The FKI is a lobby group established in 1961 funded by the voluntary participation of major companies, and in the past was known to exert the greatest weight and influence within the business community.







It has served as a window to discuss the direction of economic development, and convey it to related organizations, including the government. In particular, the FKI took on the role of planning and organizing business events when the president was representing the country on state visits overseas.







However, after the corruption scandal, the status of the FKI continued to deteriorate. FKI was suspected of helping to raise money through Mir and K-Sports Foundation, which was established by the FKI, to aid former President Park. Then FKI Vice Chairman Lee Seung-cheol was arrested and convicted leading to a quick collapse of the lobby group.







Due to the incident, the number of current member companies has also decreased from 639 to about 450, and in particular, all four leading conglomerates  Samsung, Hyundai, SK and LG  responsible for more than half of the membership dues have withdrawn. The number of employees also decreased from 200 to 80.







After that, the FKI was excluded from various events throughout the time of the Moon Jae-in administration, while the Korean Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) hosted all business-related events in its place.







In the past, when the FKI took the lead, the rest of the major economic organizations followed. But now, the FKI encounters major difficulties to restore its once dominant status within the business world.







However, the FKI stresses the need to regain its past status as it claims to be "the only organization that best represents large corporations" as 98 percent of KCCI consists of small and medium-sized enterprises, and the Korea Enterprises Federation specializes in labor-management issues.







"The FKI has played a key role as an advocate for the interests of large corporations, but failed to play its part under the Moon Jae-in administration for various reasons," a senior business lobby group official said. "The role of the FKI is expected to be strengthened in the next government, but it is difficult to predict."


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Cheryl Juaire holds photos of her sons, both of whom died from overdoses, Sean Merrill, left, and Corey Merrill, after making a statement during a hearing in New York, Thursday, March 10, 2022. Victims of opioids and those who have lost loved ones to the addiction crisis are unleashing their emotions on members of the family they blame for fueling the deadly epidemic. Thursday's unusual hearing is being conducted virtually in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in New York. It is giving people the chance to confront members of the Sackler family who own OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma and tell them about the lasting pain that addiction and overdoses have had in their lives. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)




Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that Russia, which invaded his country Feb. 24, had adopted a "fundamentally different approach" in talks to end the conflict.







In a media briefing, Zelensky said that the approach was in contrast to earlier talks at which Moscow only "issued ultimatums," and that he was "happy to have a signal from Russia" after President Vladimir Putin said he saw "some positive shifts" in their dialogue.







Putin indicated previously that negotiations are "now being held on an almost daily basis."







Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have held several rounds of talks since Putin sent in troops to the country.







Turkey hosted the first talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers since the invasion, Thursday.







The talks have led to the opening of several humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from combat areas. Both sides have accused each other of blocking these efforts. (AFP)






FILE - Former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) Friday, Feb. 25, 2022, in Orlando, Fla. The State Department says it's paying more than $2 million per month to provide 24-hour security to Pompeo and a former top aide, both of whom face serious and credible threats from Iran. That's according to a report sent to Congress last month and obtained by The AP on Saturday, March 12. (AP Photo/John Raoux, File)
Chapeks contrite letter admits that he misplayed the situation by viewing the new Florida law as just another bill and not a challenge to basic human rights. Chapek went on to say that effective immediately, the company would pause all political donations in the state of Florida. The company has donated nearly $250,000 to members of the Florida legislature in the past two years, as well as $50,000 to Florida governor Ron DeSantis (R), according to Popular Information.

Chapek also said that hell continue to engage with the LGBTQ+ community so that I can become a better ally, and that the Disney Company will announce more concrete actions in the coming weeks.

Here is the full text of Chapeks memo to employees, which was also released to the media:
I had an idea to create a play that would have an important visual component and I thought it could be animation, Covarrubias told Cartoon Brew. But I had no idea how to do stop-motion animation, so I started researching. Back then the internet wasnt what it is today, there wasnt as much information, but I found some digital and physical books to learn about this technique.

For its concoction of innovation and ingenuity, Maleza garnered significant attention among Chiles artistic community, leading to further animation jobs for the burgeoning director. In those early years, Covarrubias directed two stop-motion literary adaptations of unnerving tales by Latin American authors: Feather Pillow based on the story by Horacio Quiroga and The Night Face Up from Julio Cortazars text.

Considering the tone of his work, it may seem evident that Covarrubias cites the macabre undercurrents in the oeuvre of Czech animation masters such as Jiri Trnka and Jan Svankmajer as a major influence. I started to develop an aesthetic that centered on the darkness within human beings, and by aesthetic I mean both in the narrative and the visuals.

In 2016, Covarrubias was a co-creator Paper Port, a tv series aimed at young audiences that blends stop motion and 2d animation. Around the same time Covarrubias connected with Diaz, a filmmaker from the documentary world who had often implemented animation in his work as a compelling storytelling device. Bestia is their first collaboration.

Following the first-ever Oscar win for Chile with the animated short Bear Story, the success of Bestia reaffirms a hope for a rapidly growing industry in the South American nation. Speaking via Zoom from Santiago, Covarrubias and Diaz walked us through the thematic labyrinth that their uncompromising short represents. The interview is accompanied by behind-the-scenes photos from the production of the film.

Carlos Aguilar: In this search for telling psychological complex stories with a layer of darkness, how did you land on the figure of Ingrid Olderock as your chosen subject? Is her story particularly well known among Chileans?

Hugo Covarrubias: She wasnt actually that well known before. Now thanks to the short film a lot of people know about her. A few years ago author Nancy Guzman released a book titled Ingrid Olderock, la mujer de los perros. She conducted a rather exhaustive investigation on Ingrids life. There were also other texts about her by Claudia Donoso and Alejandra Matus. Guzman and Donoso actually interviewed her. There was information about this figure, but it was still a bit obscure.

A few years ago we had an idea for a series about figures in Chiles political history who were still not as famous. Another one of those figures was [Antonio] Ramon Ramon, one of the first anarchists in Chile who was actually from Spain. Among them was Ingrid Olderock, who was mentioned in multiple stories and since she was a more contemporary character than the others we were considering, she captivated our attention. There is also a certain parallelism between her story and our current times. During production the most recent social uprising in Chile took place, and everything about this short made more sense.

So when the series didnt pan out, you gravitated towards Ingrid to make a short film, from all the figures you had considered?

Tevo Diaz: The character of Ingrid is very interesting to tackle in stop motion, especially the relationship with her dog. Originally we were planning eight episodes of stop-motion animation, but with the limited funds we have in Chile we only had the opportunity to make this one short film.

Since you used historical evidence as foundation for your work, how much of her real-life story is in the finished product and how much is fiction?

Covarrubias: Its a mostly fictionalized take. We decided to approach in a way that was slightly more cartoonish, particularly in her relationship with the dog. At first we find the dog adorable. Of course, the scenes where they eat together at the table are part of our fictional exaggeration of that relationship.

Diaz: The relationship with the dog is very interesting because it shows her quotidian life and her loneliness. The dogs presence tells us about Ingrid as a character. Also, the dreams and the sequences that let us into her inner life are of course our interpretations of who Ingrid was.

Covarrubias: Animation let us into what happens in her head; its a medium that benefits those mental images. All of the surrealist and dreamlike elements that the short film explores exist because of the animation.

Society tends to associate violence with masculinity, but in Bestia we learn of what Ingrid was capable of. There are also scenes where she looks at herself in the mirror as if questioning who she is. Tell me about the significance of this identity crisis.

Covarrubias: We wanted to represent this woman as someone who isnt sure about her place in society in relation to gender. This relates to the role that women had during the Holocaust, specifically the role that Nazi women had in juxtaposition to the Nazi men and to the Jewish women they murdered. Ingrid only tortured women, and she taught other women how to torture women. This creates a strange binary, because Ingrid in the end was almost like another man. Since she was a woman she was tasked with torturing women and instructing women, but what the women she tortured felt was that Ingrid was just like the men. We wanted to portray that inner conflict in the scenes where she tries to discover or recognize herself in her private life.

As she looks at herself in the mirror we imagine that she is asking herself, Am I really a woman or am I only a woman when Im in my room because outside Im just another military person without gender in the eyes of society? Of course a lot of this is open to interpretation, but these are the things we questioned about her. I cant speak about feminism because Im a man, but thinking about gender, Im conscious that she is a woman, but she was carrying out evil acts that were genderless. So we imagine she perhaps used those intimate moments she had alone to reaffirm her identity as a woman.

Why did you decide to approach the story without dialogue, considering that in your previous work characters often speak?

Covarrubias: We made that decision given how much she could express with her body. We also wanted everything to be psychological and expressed through mental images only. At some point we considered using a narrator, but we decided not to approach it like a documentary, but to make a journey to the darkest corners of the human beings mind. We did base our story on historical elements from the existing texts to give the film a historical foundation, but on top of that we built a fiction where we invented many places and situations that didnt necessarily happen in reality.

Diaz: It was difficult because the figure of Ingrid is made of a resin that looks like porcelain and has fixed facial gestures. She only has six different expressions.

And what was the reasoning behind limiting her expressions from a practical and narrative perspective?

Covarrubias: We had one base or neutral expression for her, because we wanted the character to really have a single expression. People say that in real life Ingrid didnt show much emotion with her face. Her expression was the same while walking down the street or when she was torturing people. It seemed logical for us to maintain that notion with this single facial expression for the doll.

The expression we selected was one that we felt could cause different reactions from the audience depending on the context, even if the face was the same. But we did have a few other faces to use when she is really frustrated, one that shows amazement, and a sad one for the period where she experiences sorrow, which is when one might empathize with her briefly, but that feeling rapidly vanishes. We created these additional expressions to enhance these feeling she had, which in the end werent all that real. Thats partly what we fictionalized. In reality she always had the same face, so when we show her being sad, that may have not happened in reality.

Hugo, can you elaborate on the design choices behind the figure of Ingrid and deciding to make her and the other human characters resemble porcelain?

Covarrubias: When we were first working on the series project, we had decided each of the episodes would have a distinct aesthetic. With the art director Constanza Wette we arrived at the conclusion that perhaps an aesthetic that resembled dolls and dollhouses could be pertinent to tell this story. When we decided to make the short film we kept some of those ideas, but I decided to clean it up and create contrast between backgrounds that were slightly more realistic and mundane, versus porcelain dolls that relate to Ingrids German ancestry. Her parents were Nazi Germans. Making her a porcelain doll was a reference to that past.

At the same time we wanted to show in a seemingly innocent way this doll as a kind of matryoshka with many layers, and for that the material was integral. The material also has a certain aesthetic and narrative qualities. For example, ceramic is cold, just as cold and as calculating as the character was for the acts she committed. Its also rigid but fragile at the same time. If it falls it can easily break. That happens to Ingrid when they change her job. She becomes frustrated and suffers this attempted assassination that leaves a fracture in her mind, and that in turn reflects the fracture that dictatorship left in an entire country. The material itself becomes a narrator and is the spine of the short film.

What materials did you use in order to create figures with that finish?

Covarrubias: We used three types of resin: polyurethane resin as the base, crystal resin outside, which is like a coating, and inside it has expansive polyurethane resin so that it has volume but without weight. That way the interchangeable heads, easier to manipulate, are lighter and if they fall to the floor they wont break.

Diaz: Chefs arent supposed to give away their recipe Hugo! [Laughs]

Covarrubias: One must be generous!

Bestia also features striking and even shocking imagery that make evil and a disturbed mind tangible. Its fascinating what you achieved in the short in terms of the depiction of the human psyche. How did these provocative elements emerge?

Covarrubias: I had a lot of images in my head and we had to find the right moment to use them. There was a lot of philosophical work. It was like taking an essay about human evil and making it something visual with historical elements as the foundation. What we see are images from her fragmented mind, and the process was similar to that fragmentation. I would think of an image and then I attached it to another one to assemble the scenes.

Every scene showcases meticulous production design. There are details one might miss on first watch, but that make the world of Ingrid rich in its darkness. For example, theres a brief instance where we get to see the Nazi relics she keeps.

Covarrubias: There was a significant amount of research involved. We even looked to more personal things like our own photo albums to see how the period looked, as well as archival footage. In the books about her there were also descriptions of the things Olderock liked; among them was her affinity for the fascist imagery.

Ingrids dog is the films co-lead and his texture contrasts her rigidness. Can you explain the significance of this character and the process of bringing it to life?

Covarrubias: Matias Delgado was a key collaborator in animating the dog. He was the only other animator besides me. I knew that the dog had to contrast with the protagonist, especially at the beginning of the film. At some point Matias asked me if the dog could act tenderly and subtly, and I agreed. It had to be a docile dog, and not what you think of when you think of a tough police dog, even if it is a police dog. We were trying to confuse the viewer at the beginning in the sense that we introduce the story as if it were a run-of-the-mill tale about a woman and her dog. At first we know she teaches the dog things, but we are not sure what they are.

The viewer enters the story through this welcoming facade and eventually will realize what this dog is really being used for. I animated some of the harshest scenes, like the one about time passing where we see clearly what the dog does. The scenes where the dog behaves more benevolently or sweetly Mati animated them.

Besides studying how dogs move, there was a very complex shot as the dog walks alongside Ingrid. That shot provides a certain tranquility to the short and reflects their quotidian life and even some warmth. That was one of the shots that I consider taking out of the film because of how long it was taking us. Matias animated that shot and it took him about three weeks because it was very difficult to make the dog in such a subtle manner. Interestingly, as we were animated that short we got a visit from Paul Harrod, who is the production designer for Isle of Dogs.

Diaz: He was in Chile to attend Chilemonos, the countrys most important animation festival.

Covarrubias: He was impressed with the themes and with the quality of animation we were achieving considering our limited resources, which werent entirely precarious but definitely much lower than in the United States.

Diaz: His visit was crucial, because after seeing our work he gave us letters of recommendation that were able to use to apply for further government funding in Chile. That was critical for us to finish Bestia in post-production. Having a letter from Mr. Paul Harrod definitely helped us.

How would you describe the animation industry in Chile today in terms of resources and its potential for growth?

Diaz: In Chile we do have a sizeable audiovisual industry and for many years now there has been support from the government. There are public policies that pushed the industry forward, and within that industry theres animation. We also have Animachi, which is a guild that brings together the countrys most important animation companies. In that sense we do have networks and connection with other countries. Its obviously not like in the United States or in Europe, but we are growing. The fact that we are nominated is not an isolated incident. The animated short Bear Story won Chiles first Oscar.

What was the timeline of production like and how did the real-world events of the last few years affect it?

Diaz: From the screenplay stage until the end it was about four years. The animation itself took about two-and-a-half years. And the post-production we did in record time because we had submitted the short to Annecy while still unfinished  it still had temp sound and you could still see the rigs behind the puppets. But when we got selected for Annecy, they told us, You have to commit to deliver the finished film in two months. That was madness. We had to finish the sound and the music in time. But we did it!

Covarrubias: It took that long because as we were making it as the social uprising of 2019 started, which was really an important moment for Chilean society. We couldnt ignore that, and so the timeline of production was delayed. Not only did we join the protests, but also it was difficult to concentrate on the work with everything that was going on.

Diaz: Also, our studio was just a few blocks away from the epicenter of the protests.

Covarrubias: And then in early 2020, the pandemic began. I finished animating the short during the pandemic. I think some of the most important shots in the film were completed during the pandemic.

The short film is about the past, but do you feel that with the recent social uprising and through the short itself the younger generations in Chile can relate to its themes?

Covarrubias: It was tense because we were constantly getting information about people being tortured and what the police were doing to the protesters. We were making a short film about torture in the past, while this was happening again in our country. The social uprising made us remember these things. Now that Bestia is out there, some people in the younger generations are more aware, but there are still young people who dont know about what happened in the past in Chile. This doesnt mean they are right-winged, but they are simply misinformed and are perhaps worrying about other things that feel more immediate.

However, Ive received a lot of messages from people saying, Thank you for showing this. But we have to thank the many journalists and researchers who showed these atrocities. We are making an artistic work based on all the information they uncovered. Its great that through our short the information reaches the masses. The fact that we have been selected to so many festivals and that we are now nominated at the Oscars is so important in terms of visibility. Its important to talk about the injustices and the justice that is needed, so that these events dont repeat themselves and so that theres no longer impunity for the perpetrators.
The internet was predictable in its early reactions to the trailer, full of nonsensical takes on social media, and one review that was so ridiculously indefensible that its publisher, Cinemablend, took down the piece.

Now that its out  on Disney+ and not theatrically  the general consensus of reviewers is that its a quirky and unique project that holds its own among Pixars iconic catalog.

Turning Red currently holds an excellent 95% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes. The general public though still doesnt quite know what to make of it; theyve given it an icier reception, with a 66% score on Rotten Tomatoes as of this writing. The wide gulf between critics and audiences is abnormal for a Pixar film, but then again this isnt your typical Pixar  and that may be Shis biggest accomplishment: broadening the idea of what a Pixar film can be.

Heres what the reviewers are saying:

In a Mashable review, Kristy Puchko praises the expressiveness of the characters:

Mei doesnt make pretty smiles or flirty lip bites when she swoons. Her face contorts in a way typically denied Disneys female characters. Its a face thats not cute but is crucial to expressing that juvenile pang of lust thats so abrupt and confounding that your face basically short-circuits. Even in these moments, Meis got her girls, each of whom is a familiar yet distinct brand of 8th-grade awkward. Always a booster, Miriam (Ava Morse) is enthusiastic but a bit oblivious. Priya (Maitreyi Ramakrishnan) is steadily chill, but will give in for a dance break. Abby (Hyein Park) is a girly girl who loves pink, flowers, and fluffy friends, but also will punch you in the face with a moments notice. Just like the red panda, they break the mold on what being a girl means in a Disney movie. They do it with verve and style  and we love them for all of it.

Kate Sanchez in a review for But Why Tho? relates the mother-daughter relationship to her own experience growing up as a brown person:

As a message, being instructed to be a good daughter and being taught to be a good woman through controlling your emotions hits hard. For me, my mom had many conversations on lowering my voice, changing the words I used, and always ensuring I didnt let anyone know how angry I was even if I was being wronged. I was taught to take every single emotion and burry it deep, deep down until I could handle it away from people seeing me. While this was because I was a girl, it was doubly necessary because I was brown. I needed to treat every emotion like it was bad to save myself from discrimination. And for Ming, thats what shes trying to show her daughter too, even if its hurting her unintentionally. Turning Red captures this beautifully and in the mother-daughter moments, the film shines. You can feel the authenticity in the conversations, the love, the vulnerability, and the defiance too.

Tomris Laffly on RogerEbert.com finds the connective tissue between Turning Red and past Pixar productions, suggesting that the film may not be all that different from the studios other efforts:

And that is the genius of Turning Red, a radical, brazenly hormonal PG movie that instantly fills a huge void in the lives of awkward, novel female teens who might just be starting to crawl out of their childhood cocoons with a disharmony of mystifying awakenings and sexual feelings. That achievement is perhaps no surprise coming from Pixar, a studio that can always be trusted for a generous dose of reflective, grown-up nostalgia as well as a good old-fashioned coming-of-age saga. After all, werent some of the best characters of the fiercely inventive animation house  from the talking dolls of the Toy Story franchise to the corporeal feelings of Inside Out, the rebellious princess of Brave, and the aspiring young musician of Coco  gloriously defined by its signature preoccupations?

Jessica Kiang of Rolling Stone speaks about the allegorical implications of the panda:

En route to a hardly unexpected moral about embracing your inner weirdo, and learning the difference between self-control and self-repression, the panda becomes a potent cultural allegory too. This is especially true for later-generation Asian immigrant kids, whose challenges in balancing traditional values and contemporary environment are significantly different even to those of their parents, but its representative of the generational divide in much broader terms as well. The panda is, after all, a conduit for Mei to reconnect with her mother (and all her female relatives), during a ritual that gives them, of all things, a Petite Maman moment.

A notable voice of dissent is Richard Roeper in the Chicago Sun-Times, who calls the film ultimately underwhelming:
A tank emblazoned with a giant Z backs up clumsily in the besieged city of Mariupol, crashing into destroyed buses before letting loose a shell. Ukrainian fighters later destroyed it, notching up one small victory.

An Associated Press journalist witnessed tanks firing on a 9-story apartment block and was among a group of medical workers who came under sniper fire Friday in the city completely surrounded by Russian soldiers.

The video he shot shows shells exploding as they hit the apartment block, already severely damaged, setting balconies on fire. It wasnt possible to tell whether the Russian positions had first received fire from the targeted locations.

At another point, a medical worker was hit in the hip by sniper fire. She survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating. Windows rattled from nearby tank and artillery fire, electricity was reserved for operating tables, and the hallways were lined with people with nowhere else to go.

One of them was Anastasia Erashova, who wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brothers child. Erashovas scalp was encrusted with blood.

We came to my brothers (place), all of us together. The women and children went underground and then some mortar struck that building. We were trapped underground, and two children died. No one was able to save them, she said through tears.

Her anguish deepened, and she cried out: I dont know where to run to. Who will bring back our children, who?

In a video message broadcast to European cities on Saturday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the families of the 79 children killed in the war had been destroyed, and pleaded for help from Europe so that the number does not grow.

Zelenskyy emphasized the plight of Mariupol, a port city of 430,000 in southeastern Ukraine, surrounded by Russian troops.

They are bombing it 24 hours a day ... launching missiles, he said, recalling the destruction this week of a maternity hospital in the city. It is hatred. They kill children. They destroy maternity hospitals. They destroy hospitals, why? So Ukraine has no more children.

This is happening in all of our country. They have destroyed dozens of hospitals, hundreds of schools and day cares, they are destroying universities, they are destroying residential quarters, Zelenskyy said. Imagine how we can survive, what it means for us Ukrainians and our families, for our children. What it means when you cannot even find the peace in church because Russians are bombing even the churches.

He sought help from European countries to defend Ukraine but also the continents own way of life. He again appealed for protection of Ukraines skies.

The night before in Mariupol, a building that was hit by tank fire during the day still burned later in the night. No one was around to extinguish the flames.


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A disorder was reported at the Motel 6, 5505 Brainerd Road. A woman told police that she and her boyfriend were having a fuss earlier in the day. She said her boyfriend cut his dreadlocks off and put them in a container. She said she was pretty upset with him, so she took a few of the dreadlocks out of the container and began cutting them with scissors. She said her boyfriend then walked inside to find her cutting his dreadlocks, told her to stop, ran over to grab the scissors and pulled them away from her. He then took his dreadlocks, told her they were through and left the hotel. The woman then looked down to find that she had been accidentally cut on her right finger. Medic 11 arrived on scene and wrapped her finger up. The woman said her boyfriend did not intentionally cut her, nor did either of them even know she had a small abrasion on her hand. She repeated that he did not try to hurt her, he was just trying to stop her from cutting his dreads.

* * *

A man at the Rise Apartments on Mountain Creek Road told police that he works for Mission Rock Residential and his company cell phone was stolen from his vehicle while it was parked there overnight. He said he last saw the vehicle around 9 or 9:30 p.m. the night before, and he

discovered this around 8 a.m. that morning. He said the vehicle had been rummaged through and he believes he forgot to lock it up last night.

* * *

A woman told police that on Sunday between 1:30-3:30 p.m. at David's Bridal, 1820 Gunbarrel Road, someone stole the catalytic converter off of her 2007 Toyota Prius. She said she is waiting for the insurance company to contact her to get the vehicle repaired. She said she does not know the cost.

* * *

A man told police that Sunday his trailer was stolen from the Battery Heights Apartments parking lot, 3401 Campbell St. According to the video surveillance, at approximately 3:21 a.m. a dark-colored SUV was seen backing up to the trailer. The driver got out of the vehicle and hooked the trailer on his SUV and left at 3:22 a.m. towards Campbell Street.

* * *

A construction supervisor for Scenic City Development told police that someone stole 40 sheets of sheet rock and 20 sheets of decking from the construction site at 408 South Kelley St. He said the materials were near the alleyway secured only by packing straps on pallets. He requested a watch for this location.

* * *

A person told police they found a green purse and a black purse on the side of the road at 3000 East Main St. The black purse had a Guatemalan ID and a cell phone in it. All items were taken to the Chattanooga Police Property Division.



* * *

A man reported finding a silver knife in the parking lot at 4289 Bonny Oaks Dr. Police retrieved the item and it appeared to be a letter opener. Police collected it and turned it into Property.

* * *

A man on Sargent Daly Drive told police he called his ex-girlfriend to come pick up two dogs at

his residence because he is going out of town. He said that she started screaming in the driveway, banging on his door. When he refused to open the door because of her erratic behavior, he said she scratched the passenger side door of his truck with her vehicle drivers door. Police observed a small scratch on the mans truck passenger door, but he declined to press charges for vandalism. He said he will leave the two dogs in the backyard for her to pick up when he goes out of town.

* * *

A shoplifting was reported at the Home Depot, 7421 Commons Blvd. A loss prevention officer showed police a video of a white male wearing a maroon jacket and blue jeans concealing a set of power tools worth a total of $218 under his shirt, then passing all of the points of sales without purchasing the items. When the employee made contact with the man outside the store, he took off running across the parking lot. Police searched the area, but the man was not located.

* * *

A woman on McDonald Drive told police that her son took her vehicle and left the house after she

told him to not take it because she was going out. Police spoke with the son on the phone and he said that his mother has been letting him use the vehicle because he was helping her move. He said he went to pick up his friend that has been helping him move the furniture for his mother, and he will bring the vehicle back to his mother.

* * *

A man on Roanoke Avenue told police his laptop had been stolen from his vehicle. He was able to review camera footage and a black male was seen getting in his vehicle through an unlocked door. The man then ransacked his vehicle and left the scene with his HP Pavilion Laptop. The thief was there at approximately 4:50-5 a.m.

* * *

A woman who works at Clumpies Ice Cream, 3917 St. Elmo Ave., told police the shop got a call

from a person claiming to be a lieutenant with the Chattanooga Police demanding money via pre paid cards. She said the person on the phone instructed her to go to a Walgreens and buy a pre-paid gift card using money from the cash register. The woman said she purchased a money card at Walgreens for $285.95. The caller said they wanted the number on the card that had been purchased. The caller then demanded payments via Venmo. The woman sent four payments to Venmo user @Harlem-Thirty. Total amount sent via Venmo was $3,000. The woman said then she realized she was being scammed and blocked the transaction.
I've had the pleasure to know and work with Matt Hullander over the past five years. He organized a group of area business owners to attend a program on professional management and leadership that I taught at Aileron in Dayton, Oh.

While I'm not a resident of Chattanooga, (I live in Dublin, Oh.) my work has me interacting with executives of companies of all kinds and sizes. So I compare Matt to CEOs of other companies, many that are very large and extremely successful. I was truly honored when he asked me to be on his board.

I want the voters of Hamilton County to know they have in Matt a leader who is tested. The experiences he's had in operating and growing his company, being on the boards of different organizations, constantly reading and learning, have prepared Matt for this job. Plus, I know he cares deeply about the community and all its people.

I wish I could vote for Matt Hullander.

Ed Eppley
Rodolfo Rudy Calva Marquez, 51, of Hixson, Tennessee, passed away on Wednesday, March 9, 2022.

Rudy came from la Ciudad Nezahualcoyotl, outside Mexico City. As he has told it in the past, he was born one notch below low class. Both parents worked, but his family struggled as they didnt have any money to spare. His dad, Jose Pablo, and he, arrived in 1993 in the United States, and they worked in California and Florida before they arrived in Tennessee. They wanted a chance at a better life, and the possibility of earning enough money to send some home and save some for schooling.

When Rudy was 25, his life changed. His boss at the time, a pharmacist in New Market, TN, saw something in him. He spotted potential, a smart mind, and willingness to work. He adopted him as a son and took him under his wing. With the help of the pharmacist and many other supporters, Rudy attended Walters State Community College. He was an outstanding student. He graduated with a 3.98 grade point average in a demanding pre-engineering program. He was named to the Phi Theta Kappa USA Today All-Tennessee Academic Team, a high honor for a community college student. Tennessee Tech offered him a scholarship based on this academic excellence and again he graduated with honors. In 2003, he moved to Chattanooga, TN where the Tennessee Valley Authority hired him as an electrical engineer.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a shared online panel with Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, an international relations forum, in Antalya, Turkey, March 11. AP-Yonhap



NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Sunday that Russia might use chemical weapons following its invasion of Ukraine and that such a move would be a war crime, according to an interview in Germany's Welt am Sonntag.



"In recent days, we have heard absurd claims about chemical and biological weapons laboratories," Stoltenberg was quoted by the newspaper as saying, adding that the Kremlin was inventing false pretexts to justify what could not be justified.






ARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS

Yellowstone season 2 hinted at why John Dutton (Kevin Costner) refuses to sell any of his land.

Tim McGraw thinks that 1883 brought even more clarity to his refusal to sell any part of the Dutton Ranch,

Yellowstone prequel 1883 will return with additional episodes, although McGraw admits he has no idea what that means for his character.

Kevin Costner as John Dutton on Yellowstone | Paramount

1883 gave Yellowstone fans a peek into the world of the first generation of Duttons. The ones who settled their Montana land and turned it into the Dutton Ranch. By the time its in the hands of Kevin Costners John Dutton, the land has been in the family for five generations. And hes fighting everyone whos trying to take a piece.

But the gravity of those reasons wasnt felt until fans witnessed the 1883 finale. As star Tim McGraw (James Dutton) explains, 1883 gave fans all the reasons in the world why John Dutton wont sell an inch of his land.

A scene in Yellowstone season 2 hinted at the importance of the Dutton Ranch

Before the introduction of 1883 into the Taylor Sheridan-verse, it was difficult for some fans to understand why John Dutton was so passionate about holding on to every piece of the familys land. They hinted at the reasons in a season 2 episode of Yellowstone, when John was comforting his ailing father known as John Dutton, Sr. (Dabney Coleman).

In the scene, John promised his 90-year-old dad that he wouldnt give up an inch of the Dutton Ranch. Instead, he will pass it down to his children. Just like the generations that came before him.

RELATED: Yellowstone Fans Have No Idea How Much 1883 Means to Taylor Sheridan According to Isabel May  Its His Baby

Dont let them take it from you, son. Not a god****ed inch, John Sr. says. Ill miss you, the younger John replies.

No you wont, says John Sr. Youll miss what I was a long time ago And when you get to my age, only thing you miss is being young. The chance to do it all over. See the look of wonder in your grandchildrens eyes. The look in your eyes when you were a kid.

Tim McGraw says 1883 gave fans all the reasons in the world why John Dutton wont sell

In 1883, fans found out how the Duttons arrived in Montana and why they settled the land that became the Yellowstone Ranch. After a brutal journey on the Oregon Trail, James and Margarets (Faith Hill) teenage daughter Elsa (Isabel May) died following an arrow wound to her liver.

Instead of continuing to Oregon, the Duttons decided to remain in Montana and build a new life on the site where they lost their daughter. According to McGraw, the final two episodes of 1883 told Yellowstone fans everything they needed to know about why the Duttons have refused to sell an inch of their property for decades.

Isabel May and Tim McGraw | Emerson Miller/Paramount+

When we got the final two [scripts], we literally couldnt read them to each other because we were crying so much  I mean, ugly, boohoo crying, McGraw told Variety.

I was a blubbering idiot. It was just so well-written, so devastating and heartbreaking, but at the same time, so on point and poignant for what Yellowstone turned out to be. It just gives you all the reasons in the world why they fight so hard for that land and why their family fights so hard to keep what they have. It just made perfect sense.

1883 will return with additional episodes during the Yellowstone season 5 break

Due to the success of Yellowstone and 1883, Paramount+ has revealed a new prequel is coming later this year titled 1932. The original intent was that James and Margarets story would be over after 1883 season 1. But now, Paramount has ordered additional episodes that will air during the Yellowstone season 5 break.

Its not yet clear how many episodes there will be or what story it will tell. Even McGraw and Hill have admitted they have no idea whats coming next for their characters.

I have no idea. You know, Taylor Sheridan is such a brilliant writer that I can only imagine what hes going to come up with, and whatever I imagine is probably not even going to be close. So I dont have any idea. Im as anxious as anyone to see what happens, McGraw said.

RELATED: 1883 EP Tries to Clear Up Season 2 Confusion  Everything Is Well-Thought-Out With Taylor

We just dont know. Were sort of in limbo like everyone else. Were excited about whats to come and excited about what he writes and cant wait to see however it develops.

1883 is now playing on Paramount+.
Heather Rae El Moussa is one of the stars of Selling Sunset, the real estate show on Netflix. The former Playboy playmate is a successful real estate agent and recently married Tarek El Moussa of Flip or Flop fame. With a busy work and personal life, Heather recently shared that the streaming show she stars in only shows a tiny piece of everything she does.

Heather Rae El Moussa | Netflix

Heather Rae El Moussa has a lot of work behind-the-scenes

Selling Sunset has glamorized real estate agents and Heather is one of the stars of the Netflix show. Viewers are taken into lavish homes around the LA area while the agents wear fabulous outfits. Although its all glitz and glamour in front of the camera, Heather recently shared that theres more hard work behind-the-scenes  something fans dont always get to see.

Its funny, so much of my life is on camera and even though selling sunset shows me and the girls hustling, she posted on Instagram. I feel like you guys really only get to see a tiny piece of the work we do- there is so much behind the scenes that goes into it!

Heather Rae continued, Im so lucky to love every minute of it. Do any of you work in the real estate industry? If so, I want to hear about your experiences, wins, struggles, and all the things.

RELATED: Tarek El Moussa Tested Positive for COVID-19, Puts HGTV Show on Pause to Quarantine

Fans share their reactions on Heather Rae El Moussas post

Heather asked her followers if anyone was in the real estate business like her as she wanted them to share their own experiences. It wasnt long before fans took over the comment section to add how they see the real estate industry.

Im a real estate agent in Canada!! And behind the scenes is where all the work goes down! Currently trying to build my own team, a fan said.

Real estate agent in Florida! Its wild out here, love it but phew if people only realized how hard we work to earn our commission! a follower shared.

My mother been a broker for years shes amazing at it I know so much about real estate. I always tell her she needs to be on the show lol, an Instagram user mentioned.

It seems like the hardest part about real estate is looking like a 10 every single day. Im trying to wear my sweat pants and [a] messy bun to work, another fan joked.

I love my career in real estate! Last year was my first million-dollar closing! But the struggles Ive endured usually consist of being young in this industry and being a female which [has] motivated me even more to kill it, another follower commented.

I am just starting out in the industry! I am very excited t to dive in and start working, but I am still getting my basics established! another Instagram user shared.

RELATED: Flip or Flop: Tarek and Heather El Moussa Reveal How Heather Really Feels About Tarek Working With Ex Christina Haack

Tarek El Moussa will stop working with ex-wife Christina Haack

Its the end of an era for Flip or Flop as the show is coming to an end after 10 seasons on HGTV. Tarek shared an Instagram post where he reflected on his time on the series after announcing the show was ending.

You guys have been with us through it allyou watched me beat cancer, youve watched the babies grow up into the most amazing little humans, and everything in between but Im not going anywhere and I can promise that you are going to love what comes next! Tarek posted.

RELATED: Christina Haack Beats Tarek El Moussa at His Own Game on Flip or Flop as Series Comes to an End
Who can forget the sweet 9-year-old girl who played Vada Sultenfuss alongside Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Macaulay Culkin in the tearjerker 1991 film, My Girl? Now, Anna Chlumsky is all grown up and starring in the hit Netflix series that has everyone talking. Inventing Anna is based on the real-life story of Anna Sorokin, portrayed by Ozarks Julia Garner.

Now the mom of two young kids, Chlumsky related most to the emotional childbirth scene in the drama series. She recalls feeling proud watching the labor scene with her real-life husband of 22 years, Shaun So.

Anna Chlumskys role in Inventing Anna

In the nine-episode Netflix limited series Inventing Anna, Chlumsky plays the role of a struggling Manhattan magazine reporter, Vivian Kent. While expecting her first child, she becomes obsessed with finding the truth about Anna Delvey, a con artist who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from some of New Yorks most elite socialites.

As Kent closes in on discovering the truth about Anna, she is nine months pregnant and defiant about not giving birth until she finishes her story. The series reaches its climactic ending when Chlumskys character goes through emotional labor with her supportive on-screen husband, Jack, played by Anders Holm.

The Veep actor told BuzzFeed the scene she is most proud of is the labor scene. Chlumsky explained that although shes given birth twice in real life, shes never experienced filming a childbirth scene before.

The working mom of two young kids explained how cathartic it was to film a labor scene. She expressed, It was kind of crazy watching that scene next to my husband. It was really wild.

Anna Chlumsky loved working with Julia Garner

This story is completely trueexcept for all of the parts that aren't. Julia Garner is Anna Delvey in Inventing Anna, from Shondaland. pic.twitter.com/q6zsfqiDaw  Netflix (@netflix) October 25, 2021

The 41-year-old actor revealed that of the most intense moments to film were her prison chats with Garner. Chlumsky explained that she loves to interact, play, and have heartfelt conversations with other actors.

In the BuzzFeed interview, she said working with somebody as complex and deep as Julia Garner was wonderful. It made her feel like the luckiest broad to be able to play with that in the same sandbox. The My Girl 2 star recalls her favorite scene with Garner was when she brought the finished magazine article to prison for Anna to read. As a viewer, she thought the scene was enjoyable to watch.

Chlumsky said she loved all the scenes she shared with Garner. But this one showed how they had their hooks into each other, saying, thats just when it really gets freakin spicy and juicy.

Chlumsky is a fan of Shondaland

Anna Chlumsky | Rich Polk/Getty Images for IMDb

The Halt and Catch Fire actor is a huge fan of Shonda Rhimes, the producer behind Inventing Anna. Chlumsky enjoyed how she wrote about Vivians home life as a wife and mom, making the character more three-dimensional.

Chlumsky explained that she was grateful the writers expanded on so much of Vivians backstory. It says something about Rhimes integrity and ability to develop such a well-rounded character, according to the actor.

Chlumsky told BuzzFeed she loved how Rhimes didnt ignore the conflicts working women face while expecting a child. The writers didnt leave any stone unturned when telling Annas story through the eyes of everyone involved, according to the Emmy Award nominee.

RELATED: Inventing Anna: Which Characters Are Based on Real People in Anna Delveys Life?
From actor to political heavy-weight, Scandal star Kerry Washington took the idea of Olivia Pope and ran with it. The actor has recently been named one of Time magazines Women of the Year for her activism and Washington has no plans to slow down. Stepping away from the spotlight in order to shed light on the causes she believes in, Washington now works as an investor, producer, and activist promoting projects and agendas that impact the world.

Kerry Washingtons work with Simpson Street and Vision Into Power Cohort

Washington used her fame as fuel, creating her production company Simpson Street in 2016, which is named after the street her mother and aunts grew up on in the Bronx. Highlighting the stories of women of color, Simpson Street brings to screen powerful films like 2016s Confirmation, a film that explores the journey of Anita Hill whose heroic testimony in 1991 gave voice to sexual harassment victims.

Another of Washingtons causes is the Vision Into Power Cohort which operates in conjunction with the Movement Voter Project. Together the foundations support marginalized groups and grassroots organizations through Washingtons star power and funding. Other causes supported by Kerry Washington include female start-up companies like healthcare company Solv and Aurate, a sustainable-jewelry brand.

How Scandal made Kerry Washington into the activist she is today

Kerry Washington | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/Getty Images

Washingtons Olivia Pope made history just by coming to the screen, with her character becoming the first Black woman to lead a cast on a network drama since 1974. But Popes influence was only just beginning. In her interview with Time magazine, Washington talks about the impact her Scandal character had on her as well as the shows viewers.

Olivia Pope is one of the reasons Ive stepped into activism in this way. I woke up the morning after the election in 2016, and Olivia Pope was trending. I was confronted with all these people saying, Olivia Pope, you have to fix this. Olivia Pope, save the day. And while Im honored at the cultural impact shes had, we dont fix our democracy by believing in a fictional character. We take care of our country by showing up and participating in democracy, said Washington.

She added: I thought, How do I highlight the real Olivia Popes? Im talking about the Stacey Abrams of the world or Tram Nguyen, who is a community-based organizer who runs New Virginia Majority.

Since her starring role on Scandal, Washington has had the opportunity to work with the real Stacey Abrams during the 2021 Georgia runoff and has also channeled her other hero, Tram Nguyen, in her work for the Biden-Harris campaign in 2020 and her speech at the 2017 Los Angeles Womens conference.

Olivia Pope was potent because she was real

Though much of the series was heavily dramatized, Scandal creator Shonda Rhimes based Washingtons character, Olivia Pope, on real-life crisis manager Judy Smith. As the former Deputy Press Secretary to former President George W. Bush, Smiths career includes being the spokeswoman for Monica Lewinsky in 1998, and she is now the go-to crisis manager for celebrities like Angelina Jolie and Wesley Snipes along with political figures like senators and congressmen.

In an interview with NPR in 2018, Smith jokes that, though a crisis managers role is similar to Popes fixer in Scandal, none of her duties involved the relocation of dead bodies or improper relations with the president.

Washingtons role as Olive Pope impacted her life in many ways. Along with inspiring her to pursue a career in activism, Washingtons role on Scandal created friendships that she still has today, many of which she has carried with her into her new ventures. And though Olivia Pope is a fictional character, it seems likely that she would be proud to see what her character sparked, leading Washington to become the influential woman she is today.

RELATED: Scandal Creator Shonda Rhimes Pushed For a Black Olivia Pope When Connie Britton Was Frontrunner
Alison Arngrim was recruited by Michael Landon to play Walnut Groves mean girl Nellie Oleson when he created Little House on the Prairie in 1974. Just 12 years old at the time, Arngrim and many of her young co-stars had to get their education while on set. The Little House alum explained that her studies were less than challenging during those years.

Alison Arngrim of Little House on the Prairie | NBCU Photo Bank

Little House had a set with high heat

Arngrim explained how Little House was shot Monday through Friday, sometimes on a sound stage at the studio and other times on location. Filming the outdoor scenes in Simi Valley, California, Arngrim noted the location got quite toasty at times.

I must admit, I was not a fan of Simi Valley, Arngrim told From the Desk. I much preferred the sound stage. With all the kids on the show, we filmed a lot during the summer  during the school year, we all had to have our California law mandated three hours school on set  and in Simi Valley in the summer, temperatures often reach 110 degrees or more.

Since the historical drama was set in the 1800s, wardrobe involved heavy dresses and wigs for some actors. Arngrim fainted due to the blazing temps on more than one occasion.

Now put on an 1800s dress, a petticoat, etc., a wig, and go stand out in the middle of that all day! the Little House alum remarked. Not fun. I passed out from heat stroke more than once.

RELATED: Why Little House on the Prairie Star Alison Arngrim Left the Show: It Was Unfair

Alison Arngrim praised Michael Landon for how he ran the set

Arngrim shared how child actors had rules in place for the amount of hours they can work and what was required for education. She gave props to Landon for having a reasonable work schedule.

On the set of Little House, it was by the book, she remarked. Four hours work, three hours school, one hour rest and recreation. Plus one hour for lunch, equals a nine hour day. We also had the huge advantage that Michael and his crew had decided that all days would end at a reasonable hour so that everyone could go home and have dinner with their families.

The former Little House star pointed out that academics on a television set were on a different level than in a traditional school setting.

School on set is, truthfully, glorified study hall, Arngrim revealed. You bring your books and assignments from whichever school youre enrolled in and spend three hours, (sometimes only 30 minutes at a time) studying and catching up on homework. Or goofing off completely, depending on who your set teacher was and whether shed bust you for it or not.

Little House star enjoyed her seven seasons on the show

Landon didnt deviate from the guidelines for child actors, though many other productions were not as fastidious.

Child actors often work under less than ideal circumstances, she said. It can be pretty bad. Luckily for us, Little House was shot in California and Michael and our gang were sticklers for rules.

Though Landon expected the same work ethic from younger cast members of Little House as the adults, there was plenty of fun on set.

Anyone who worked on Little House will tell you, theyve never worked so hard, or had so much fun  and never all in the same place! she commented.

RELATED: Little House on the Prairie: How Melissa Gilberts Brother Got Hired for the Role of Willie Oleson
Avicii is an artist who burned brightly and in the relatively short time that he was making music, he managed to make waves. While Avicii died in 2018, fans still look back fondly on his career, wondering what might have been. A brand-new biography dives deep into Aviciis life and legacy, and while fans might believe that any artist would jump at the opportunity to work with the red-hot star, the book reveals that several iconic musicians actually turned down the chance to record with Avicii.

When did Avicii become popular?

Sweden honours late DJ Avicii with newly-opened museum in Stockholm. The DJ died unexpectedly in 2018 aged only 28 after a period of mental health struggles.



For more: https://t.co/qkzAyysUVJ#etribune #news #Avicii  Tribune Life & Style (@ETLifeandStyle) February 28, 2022

Avicii was born Tim Bergling in Sweden, in the year 1989. Avicii was drawn to music at a very early age, reportedly inspired by one of his brothers who worked as a DJ, according to IMDb. When he was 16 years old, Avicii decided that he wanted to pursue music as a career, signing with a record label and crafting his signature sound, which blended electronic dance music with pop elements.

Avicii rose to prominence in 2011, when his single Levels began making waves. Fans were drawn to the interesting sound of his voice and in 2013, Avicii released his debut studio album, True. The album spawned the song Wake Me Up, which made Avicii an international star. Over the years that followed, Avicii would continue to write and record music, releasing an album in 2015 and an EP in 2017. As one of the hottest music stars in the world at that time, many were eager to work with Avicii  but there were some stars who just werent interested.

Which legendary artists turned down working with Avicii?

Mick Jagger | Evening Standard/Getty Images

A new book from investigative journalist Mans Mosesson is giving fans remarkable insight into Aviciis life  and revealing that he wanted to collaborate with some iconic musical artists after he became a star. According to Billboard, the book, which is titled Tim: The Official Biography of Avicii details how Tim had wanted musicians like Paul Simon, a legend who made smart ballads in the 60s The other requests Tim had made were not easy either. Mick Jagger said no; Van Morrisons representatives were vague in their answer, giving a kind of half maybe.

The book went on to detail It was not particularly difficult to understandAvicii certainly was on a fantastic run right now  I Could Be The One, a song he had done with Dutch producer Nicky Romero, had just gone straight to number one on the UK singles chart. But why would a rock veteran like John Fogerty care about that?For these contented men, whose career peaks were at least twenty years behind them, Avicii was at best an obscure Swede with a summer hit.

Avicii collaborated with several bestselling musical artists

Today is the 10-year anniversary of Levels. In celebration, Tim's final performance of Levels in Ibiza 2016 is released on music video platforms. Whats your best Levels memory?https://t.co/NXbxPs8MDD  Tim Bergling (@Avicii) October 28, 2021

Even if Avicii didnt get to work with some of the stars that he was interested in collaborating with, he did manage to record with several music industry A-listers during the course of his career. According to Vibe, Avicii earned particular acclaim for his R&B and hip-hop collabs, releasing songs with artists such as Wyclef Jean, Flo Rida, Rita Ora, and Lenny Kravitz.

Sadly, Aviciis life was cut short in early 2018, when the young star was found dead in Muscat, Oman. Reportedly, amidst ongoing experiences with alcohol addiction, exhaustion, and depression, Avicii took his life with a shard of glass from a bottle. At just 28 years old when he died, Aviciis death sent shock waves through the music community and left many fans wondering what might have been.

How to get help: In the U.S. and Canada, text the Crisis Text Line at 741741 to reach a crisis counselor for support.

RELATED: I Took a Pill in Ibiza Singer Mike Posner Nearly Lost His Leg From a Rattlesnake Bite During His Walk Across America
Article Highlights:

Kristen Stewart just found out that Prince Harry moved to the U.S.

She was only able to watch some of Harry and Meghans sit-down with Oprah.

The Duke of Sussex is reportedly appalled by the Spencer film and doesnt want to attend the Oscars now.

Kristen Stewart poses for a photo at The Hollywood Reporters Oscar Nominees Night | Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

If you thought anyone who knows anything about the royal family is well aware that Prince Harry and Meghan Markle no longer live in the U.K., think again. Kristen Stewart who actually plays Harrys mother, the late Princess Diana, in Spencer had no clue that the Sussexes were living in Montecito these days.

Heres what Stewart said when she heard that the duke and duchess moved out of the palace and to the states.

Stewart wasnt aware that Prince Harry lived in California now

Stewart has said that she did a lot of research on the Princess of Wales for the Spencer role but she must not have done any on her son, Harry, because she thought he and Meghan still lived across the pond in Kensington Palace.

Kristen Stewart smiling for a photo at the 2022 Film Independent Spirit Awards | Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

The Twilight actor found out Harry and his bride moved to California during an interview for Vanity Fairs Hollywood 2022 Issue published in February. Thats so funny. I wonder where, Stewart said. Im no better than anyone! Of course, I want to know.

The Los Angeles native was then informed that the couple resides in Santa Barbara to which she replied: That makes sense. Its really nice up there.

The Spencer star only saw bits and pieces of Meghan and Harrys primetime special with Oprah

Stewart revealed that she caught a little bit of Meghan and Harrys CBS special with Oprah Winfrey which was filmed in Southern California.

Oprah Winfrey sitting across from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle as she interviews them for CBS special | Harpo Productions/Joe Pugliese via Getty Images

While Stewart managed to catch bits and pieces of Harry and Meghans sit-down with Oprah Winfrey, she explained that she couldnt watch it from start to finish. She elaborated that she didnt see the whole thing, which aired on March 7, 2021, because of her role as Harrys mom. It was almost too hot to touch in terms of how personal it was for me at that time, Stewart stated.

Harry reportedly doesnt want to attend the Oscars because Stewart will be there, but Meghan does

There have been reports that the royal California residents are invited to this years Academy Awards ceremony. However, Harry reportedly isnt keen on attending because Stewart is nominated in the Best Actress category for her role as Diana in Spencer and the prince doesnt approve of the movie or her performance. Meghan though wants to go.

[Spencer] struck a sour note with Harry. Hes pretty appalled by the film, a source told OK! His nerves are still raw. Hes actually thinking about skipping the Oscars, but Meghan really wants back into the Hollywood scene.

RELATED: Spencer Starring Kristen Stewart Isnt a Biopic, but Its the Princess Diana Story We Needed
Teen Mom OG supporting cast member Zach Davis was arrested following a family vacation in January 2022. While Cheyenne Floyd and her father Kyle initially declined to talk about it, all three opened up about his legal troubles in a YouTube video.

Teen Mom OG logo | MTV

Cheyenne Floyds dad discussed Zach Davis arrest in a recent YouTube video

Nearly three months after Zach Davis was arrested on outstanding warrants, he, fiancee and Teen Mom OG star Cheyenne Floyd, and her father discussed the situation in a YouTube video.

Playing truth or drink, Cheyenne read a question from a viewer who asked about Zachs legal troubles, and the family initially took a shot to avoid having to answer the question.

Seems like things are finally settling down on this crazy trip. Cheyenne and Zach sit down to invite someone to join the fun! #TeenMomFamilyReunion pic.twitter.com/57AxMq9bvB  Teen Mom (@TeenMom) February 7, 2022

RELATED: Teen Mom OG Star Cheyenne Floyd Reveals Gender of Second Child

However, her dad Kyle Floyd began speaking about it, noting, if you cant do the time, dont do the crime. He also admitted to making changes after turning 18 as he realized he could go to jail.

Therefore, Kyle thinks his soon-to-be son-in-law has noticed where he needs to make changes and is doing so to prevent the same mistakes. Zach agreed, noting his run-ins took place a while ago.

Zach opened up about his arrest, noting he made mistakes

Cheyenne also answered the question, pointing out that she previously ended things with her now-fiancee because she felt he had potential but didnt apply himself.

The reality star also believes the father of her son has learned from where he went wrong and felt he could use his platform to help others tempted to go down similar paths.

Are there wedding bells in the future for Cheyenne and Zach?



See where they land on tonight's episode of @TeenMom OG, at 8p on MTV! pic.twitter.com/WOxTZBK0aB  MTV (@MTV) March 16, 2021

Zach spoke up again, acknowledging everything comes with a consequence but noting they were mistakes I made in the past.

He also promised it wouldnt happen again, pointing out his family and support system that he doesnt want to damage that. Cheyenne also told her followers they were working to create something positive out of his mistakes by possibly getting into mentorship.

He was arrested following a family trip

For New Years 2022, Zach, Cheyenne, their son Ace, her daughter with Cory Wharton, four-year-old Ryder, and her nephew Baz vacationed in Mexico. On Jan. 3, the family returned, where Zach was taken into custody as they attempted to pass through customs at the LAX airport.

Police records indicate that law enforcement arrested him on an outstanding warrant for violating probation connecting to prior arrests for crimes including driving under the influence and petty theft. After a booking and brief hold, the Teen Mom OG supporting cast member was released.

There's no way Cheyenne is letting Zach off easy when he decides to pursue a new career path before Baby Ace is born. She puts his multi-tasking skills to the ultimate test. Will he succeed? #TeenMomOG pic.twitter.com/GeqzYp71Dl  Teen Mom (@TeenMom) October 18, 2021

Cheyenne affirmed her support for her fiancee and father of her youngest child by uploading a happy birthday post for him shortly after his arrest but didnt address it. She publicly acknowledged it for the first time during a Jan. 31 episode of her podcast, Think Loud Crew, joking that life is a WTF moment for her.

At that time, she and her father opted not to say anything about the arrest, but Cheyenne warned her listeners to take everything with a grain of salt and not to believe everything you read on the internet. Teen Mom airs on MTV.

RELATED: Teen Mom: Cheyenne Floyd on Zach Davis Arrest: Dont Believe Everything You Read
The Bold and the Beautiful characters do a lot of traveling that often takes them to Genoa City. The Young and the Restless is the soap operas sister soap, and there have been many crossovers. From Eric Forrester (John McCook) to Sheila Carter (Kimberlin Brown), many people have visited Wisconsin. So who could be the next person to cross over?

Darin Brooks I Cliff Lipson/CBS via Getty Images

The Bold and the Beautiful Wyatt Spencer runs into Sally Spectra in Genoa City

Wyatt Spencer (Darin Brooks) and Sally Spectra (Courtney Hope) were The Bold and the Beautifuls cutest couple. However, their relationship was ruined by Flo Fulton (Katrina Bowden). Wyatt dumped Sally twice for his high-school sweetheart, which resulted in the redhead going from heroine to villain.

Sally pretended she was dying and kidnapped Flo to win back Wyatt. However, her plot was foiled when Wyatt busted her. After a tearful Sally apologized and explained the reason for her actions, Wyatt agreed to press charges. She then left for a fresh start in Genoa City, while Wyatt became engaged to Flo.

Do you think Flo is Wyatts perfect match? Tell us what you think! #BoldandBeautiful pic.twitter.com/MmiH0hZRE6  Bold & The Beautiful (@BandB_CBS) January 22, 2020

RELATED: The Bold and the Beautiful: Fans Want Wyatt to Return Without Flo

Wyatt hasnt had much screentime since getting together with Flo, whom most fans detest. He needs excitement in his life, and a trip to Genoa City would do that. Of course, Wyatts journey would have him crossing paths with Sally, and their interaction could go two ways.

Wyatt could threaten to expose Sallys past crimes, putting her job and life at risk again. Or Wyatt could realize that Sally was the one for him, and he made a huge mistake dumping her. Yet, hed face huge competition from Adam Newman (Mark Grossman).

Carter Walton finds love in the Wisconsin town

The Bold and the Beautifuls resident lawyer Carter Walton (Lawrence Saint-Victor), is unlucky in love. Fans thought he and Quinn Fuller (Rena Sofer) were a hot couple, but their relationship ended with Quinn deciding to stay with Eric Forrester (John McCook). Carters current lady is Paris Buckingham (Diamond White), but their romance is complicated because shes Zende Dominguezs (Delon de Metz) girlfriend.

Fans want to see Carter happy, but not with Paris. Odds are, his new romance will end in heartache again. With Carter having no luck in the romance department, he could move to Genoa City. It would offer him a fresh start as he becomes the towns new lawyer, and hed have plenty of women to date.

Elena Dawson (Brytni Sarpy) and Imani Franklin (Leigh-Ann Rose) are a few ladies whod be perfect for him.

Donna Logans arrival creates a stir

Poor Donna Logan (Jennifer Gareis) is going through a challenging period on The Bold and the Beautiful. Her hope of a reunion with Eric was dashed when he turned her down. If that wasnt bad enough, she was also fired from her job at Forrester Creations.

RELATED: The Bold and the Beautiful: Donna Almost Married Another Forrester Before Getting With Eric

With no job, Donna could move to Genoa City, where shed find work at Fenmores Newman. Plus, a few men like Jack Abbott (Peter Bergman) would be interested in the Logan sister.

Also, since Gareis used to play Grace Turner on the show, itd be funny to see her interactions with Nick and Sharon Newman (Joshua Morrow and Sharon Case). The two would be in for a shock at Donnas resemblance to their former friend.
After watching Hulus The Dropout, many viewers want to know more about Theranos and Walgreens. Yes, Elizabeth Holmes (portrayed by Amanda Seyfried) put Wellness Centers in at least 41 Walgreens stores, as indicated by the true-crime drama. Additionally, Kevin Hunter (portrayed by Rich Sommer) is a real person. Oddly, Sunny Balwani escorted to the bathroom, as shown in The Dropout Episode 4.

The Dropout: Naveen Andrews, Amanda Seyfried, Rich Sommer and Alan Ruck | Beth Dubber/Hulu

The Dropout Episode 4 recap: Walgreens and Theranos

In The Dropout Episode 4, viewers meet Walgreens CFO Wade Miquelon (Josh Pais), Jay Rosan (Alan Ruck), and Kevin Hunter. Rosan convinces the CFO to consider putting Theranos blood-testing clinics into Walgreens. Then, Miquelon sends Rosan and Hunter to complete due diligence at Theranos. However, when they arrive, its evident that Sunny Balwani and Elizabeth Holmes will not allow them into the labs to inspect the technology.

Instead, Holmes creates an atmosphere that makes the Walgreens team feel theyre missing out if they do not sign a deal with Theranos. By the end of The Dropout Episode 4, Rosan talks the Walgreens CFO into signing an agreement with Theranos, despite never seeing the blood-testing technology. Kevin Hunter is not happy that Miquelon would move forward without ever entering the lab at Theranos.

RELATED: The Dropout Cast: Each Real-Life Person From Elizabeth Holmes Life

Theranos made it into 41 Walgreens stores

Despite protests from Kevin Hunter, Theranos began putting testing centers into stores by late 2013. Hunter left the Walgreens Theranos project before the devices made it to brick-and-mortar stores. The ABC podcast, The Dropout reported that by 2015 there were 41 Theranos Wellness Centers in Walgreens across California and Arizona.

However, Hunter wasnt the only one worried about putting the Theranos blood-testing devices in Walgreens stores. Senior Theranos scientist Surekha Gangakhedkar quit when she realized the Edison blood-testing device was heading to Walgreens stores despite their inaccurate test results.

RELATED: The Dropout Review: Amanda Seyfried Nails Elizabeth Holmes Voice Change

I was very stressed and unhappy and concerned with the way the launch was going, Gangakhedkar testified in Holmes trial (CNBC). I was not comfortable with the plans that they had in place, so I made a decision to resign and not continue working there.

The Dropout: Who is the real-life Kevin Hunter?

Kevin Hunter appeared in the ABC News podcast, The Dropout. He spoke about Stanford dropout Elizabeth Holmes and her initiative to put Theranos wellness centers into Walgreens stores. He explained that he grew up in the pharmaceutical industry from a young age. At that time, his family owned a small chain of drug stores in Albany, New York. Hunters LinkedIn profile notes he is a veteran laboratory professional with over 20 years of experience.

His specific expertise lies in improving health systems, medical centers, and commercial labs. Additionally, Hunter provides leadership and mentoring for laboratories across the country. He sounds like a perfect fit for analyzing a blood-testing device based on his profile. However, he described the awkward situation he encountered when visiting the Theranos headquarters for Walgreens.

RELATED: The Dropout: The Real Elizabeth Holmes Is Currently Out on Bail
President Joe Biden speaks at the House Democratic Caucus Issues Conference, in Philadelphia, March 11. AP-Yonhap



U.S. President Joe Biden vowed Friday that Russia would pay a "severe price" if it used chemical weapons in Ukraine, while also pledging to avoid provoking Moscow into "World War III."



Biden reacted after Russia accused Ukraine and the United States of developing biological and chemical weapons  in what Western nations says is a ruse to lay the ground for Moscow's own possible use of them in the conflict.



"I'm not going to speak about the intelligence, but Russia would play a severe price if they used chemicals," Biden said as he announced a raft of new sanctions against Moscow.



At the request of Russia, the U.N. Security Council is holding an emergency meeting Friday on the alleged manufacture of biological weapons in Ukraine.




Ana Navarro is one of the co-hosts on The View that fans adore. The political commentator has a feisty personality but is also well-liked by viewers as she doesnt take her too seriously. Navarro ended 2021 on the sad news that her mother had died and with her father visiting her from Nicaragua, is asking fans not to take their parents for granted.

Ana Navarro | ABC/Lou Rocco

Ana Navarro posts photo of her father

Navarro is over the moon as her father is visiting her in Miami from Nicaragua. The political analyst shared on Instagram a post with a photo of her father holding her dog ChaCha. With her dad visiting her, Navarro said she plans to give him all the attention and asks her fans to do the same with their loved ones.

Losing my mom, has made me want to smother my dad with love and attention, Navarro shared on Instagram. @chacha_cardenas and I are over the moon that he is back in Miami to visit his girls. If your lucky enough to have your parent(s) in your life, dont take it for granted.

It wasnt long before fans weighed in and shared their thoughts on the importance of family.

You are blessed to have your Dad. My parents have been gone for a couple of decades. I miss them every day, a fan replied.

What a cutie he is. Looks like ChaCha is happy to see her grandpa too. Enjoy every minute Ana, a follower added.

He looks great! Enjoy your visit with your dad! an Instagram user said.

Enjoy every second with him. Im happy for you both that he is back with you, another fan mentioned.

Spend as much time with him you have been given the great gift of having him and spending time with him treasure them, l miss my mum every day, another follower commented.

Ana enjoy every moment you have with your dad, another Instagram user said.

RELATED: The View: Ana Navarro Shares Lighter Moment From Whoopi Goldbergs Return After Suspension

Ana Navarro remembers her mother

Soon after Navarros mom died, her father tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) which made it impossible for him to fly to Miami. Navarros dad was supposed to spend the holidays with her and mourn her mothers death together but that didnt end up happening. Luckily, Navarros father was able to test negative for New Years Day and they had a lovely reunion.

Weeks later, Navarro remembered her mother a month after losing her and dedicated a touching Instagram post full of emotion.

My mom has been gone a month today, Navarro shared on Jan. 14. Somebody -I dont know who- sent me these pillows with pictures of my beautiful mamma. There was no card. I hope whomever it was, sees this so I can say, thank you. My dad slept with one of the pillows next to him the entire time he was here. He took one with him to Nicaragua and left the other in his room in my house for when he comes back. Said it made him feel closer to her.

RELATED: Ana Navarro Shares Sweet Photo of Her Dog Chacha With Tia Whoopi Goldberg and Fans Say Its Cuteness Overload
To Leslie offers powerful performances within the context of a transparent, albeit repetitive narrative. Screenwriter Ryan Binaco tackles the difficult subject of alcoholism and the ways in which it has the power to shatter lives. To Leslie has its heart in the right place, but the components dont quite add up to a winning whole.

To Leslie depicts the title characters fight with alcoholism

Andrea Riseborough as Leslie | SXSW

Leslie (Andrea Riseborough) is a West Texas single mother who wins the lottery with a bright future ahead of her. However, she quickly spends all of the money and ends up homeless and alone. Leslie makes her way back home to stay with folks from her past, but they arent willing to put up with the effects of her alcoholism.

To Leslie finds the title character meeting a lonely motel clerk named Sweeney (Marc Maron), who is the only person left willing to give her an opportunity. However, she has to want to make the change for a better life, otherwise, she might not ever have another chance to bring her family back together.

Director Michael Morris taps into a redemption story

TO LESLIE directed by client Michael Morris is set to debut in the 29th annual @sxsw film festival this weekend!



Check out more information about the film and other SXSW premieres below!https://t.co/WAWJlMaGwt pic.twitter.com/N5A53MHt36  Circle of Confusion (@ofConfusion) March 10, 2022

To Leslie begins with a 6-year time jump, keeping the audience in the dark regarding the gap. The viewer hears the towns rumors and witnesses Leslies current behavior, but we lack context. As a result, Binacos screenplay holds a mirror up to societys judgments and assumptions around alcoholism. Leslies son welcomes her into his home with ground rules to try and recover their relationship.

Leslie moves from one location to the next, further burning bridges that already appeared incinerated. However, people such as Nancy (Allison Janney) repeatedly put her down for her past. To Leslie frequently challenges its audience to judge the behavior of its characters with limited information about their past and their motivations.

Director Michael Morris taps into self-destruction, but theres a ripple effect that impacts those around his lead. However, this is a story of second chances, as Leslie embarks on a journey to rediscover the meaning of home. To Leslie defines the word in various different ways over the course of the movies runtime.

To Leslie features strong performances in a repetitive story

A West Texas single mother wins the lottery and drinks it away just as fast, leaving behind a world of heartbreak. Years later, she returns home to confront her past, her choices, and her future. See the World Premiere of To Leslie at #SXSW. https://t.co/uv6kEw1Qfn pic.twitter.com/69KYMpFoMC  SXSW (@sxsw) February 21, 2022

Morris puts a focus on the performances in To Leslie. Riseborough is phenomenal, instilling Leslie with nuance. Maron turns in a subtle, yet effective performance as Sweeney. Finally, Janney is a wonderful surprise as Nancy. She doesnt have much screen time, but she makes the most out of every scene she has. Her moments alongside Riseborough are particularly captivating.

Morris puts a focus on the Texas landscape, fully incorporating the setting into the story as a character all its own. To Leslie is an underdogs redemption story, which extends to the Texas town and all of the folks that live within the area. Morris successfully establishes a tone that carries from the screenplay to the setting.

To Leslie has good intentions in its approach to alcoholism, second chances, and redemptions. However, it begins to repeat the same plot beats that interrupt the pacing. Riseborough, Maron, and Janney are all outstanding, but the emotion they seek to draw from the audience isnt entirely earned due to narrative missteps. To Leslie wants you to feel a lot more than its ultimately capable of.

How to get help: In the U.S., contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration helpline at 1-800-662-4357.

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Fake pill bottles with messages about OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma are displayed during a protest outside the courthouse where the bankruptcy of the company is taking place in White Plains, N.Y., on Aug. 9, 2021. Purdue Pharma is expected to ask a federal judge Wednesday, March 9, 2022, to approve a nationwide settlement that will transform the company into a public trust and contribute up to $6 billion from members of the Sackler family, with most of the money going toward efforts to abate the nation's ongoing overdose and addiction crisis.
Coptic Christian brothers murdered, bodies mutilated in revenge killing over 7 decades old dispute

Six Muslims in Egypts Minya Governate shot three Coptic Christian brothers, danced while murdering them and mutilated their bodies, claiming they were avenging the death of their own family member 70 years ago, according to a report.

The attackers from Jaweer village killed the three brothers  identified as Youssef Youssef Youssef, Afifi Youssef Youssef and Bushra Youssef Youssef  while they were working in an agricultural field in Ibshadat village of Mallawi district on March 1, the U.S.-based persecution watchdog International Christian Concern reported Friday.

The Muslims shot them and then severed and mutilated their bodies, dancing as they committed their crime, ICC said, adding that Jaweer village from which they came also celebrated with musical instruments when they heard the news.

When the attackers returned to their village saying Allahu Akbar or Allah is Greater, they were captured and arrested by the police. They later confessed their crimes and even demonstrated how they killed the Christian brothers.

They are now standing trial for the murders of the three Christian brothers, one of whom had six children.

Some sources reported that the mutilating of the corpses suggested that the violence was linked to religious identity and mirrored the killings of the Islamic State.

The Copts, who make up about 10% of Egypts population, are the descendants of a long line of ancient Egyptians who later converted to Christianity in the early first century, according to Encyclopedia Britannica.

According to the Christian persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA, Egypt is among the 20 worst persecutors of Christians in the world.

Incidents of Christian persecution in Egypt vary from Christian women being harassed while walking in the street to Christian communities being driven out of their homes by extremist mobs, the group says on its website.

Christians are typically treated as second-class citizens, and the Minya Governate area is notorious for having the highest number of attacks on believers.

Egypts government speaks positively about the Egyptian Christian community, but the lack of serious law enforcement and the unwillingness of local authorities to protect Christians leave them vulnerable to all kinds of attacks, especially in Upper Egypt, it explains. Due to the dictatorial nature of the regime, neither church leaders nor other Christians are in a position to speak out against these practices.

Churches and Christian non-governmental organizations are restricted in their ability to build new churches or run social services, it adds. The difficulties come both from state restrictions, as well as from communal hostility and mob violence.
Hank Hanegraaff says modern prophecy pundits wrong to tie Ezekiel 38 to war in Ukraine

Hank Hanegraaff, also known as the Bible Answer Man, says modern prophecy pundits are wrong to call Russias invasion of Ukraine fulfillment of a prophecy in the book of Ezekiel after Pat Robertson and others said Ezekiel prophesied about the event more than 2,500 years ago.

Tying Ezekiel 38 to Ukraines invasion is based more on our modern-day imaginations than being rooted in the historical context, argues Hanegraaff, an Orthodox Christian author in Hank Unplugged Short on YouTube.

Ezekiel is about the prince of Rosh coming with other nations to attack the land of Israel, leading to Gods judgment. Verse 2 reads, Son of man, set your face against Gog, of the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshek and Tubal; prophesy against him.

Many Bible scholars believe that the mention of Magog attacking Israel in Ezekiel 38 is modern-day Russia.

Televangelist Pat Robertson recently said Russian President Vladimir Putin is being compelled by God to invade Ukraine. He went into the Ukraine, but that wasnt his goal. His goal was to move against Israel, ultimately, Robertson said, suggesting that this was all prophesied by Ezekiel, who lived more than 2,500 years ago.

However, Hanegraaff says understanding the historical context is crucial to properly evaluate biblical text.

Explaining the context, he says: Remember this, Ezekiel was prophesying during an extremely dark period in the history of Judah. He was born into the priesthood in Jerusalem, right about the time that Josiah found the book of the law in the temple. This was a time in which spiritual renewal had broken out in the land. But unfortunately, the reformation was short-lived. By the time of Josiahs death, the idolatrous practices of the past had returned with a vengeance, and thus the acts of Gods judgment fell. As a result of the acts of Gods judgment falling, Ezekiel found himself on the dusty plains of Babylon.

Hanegraaff adds that Ezekiel was warning fellow exiles that the worst lay right around the corner.

Referring to the desecration of Jerusalem and its golden temple in 586, he continues, Ezekiel was prophesying from the dusty environs of a refugee camp in the south of Babylon, near the Kebar River. And there he looked into the eastern sky, and he was longing for the glory of the Lord to return to a temple that had vanished in the rocks that surrounded it. He yearned for the promise of a temple whose glory would exceed even that of Solomons temple.

And in the Spirit, he was looking forward to events that were going to take place a generation later  a generation later  not the 21st century, but a generation later. A generation later  when Zerubbabel would rebuild the spiritual condition of the returning exiles [and] when Nehemiah would challenge his fellow countrymen to arise and rebuild the shattered walls of Jerusalem.

And Rosh does not mean Russia, Hanegraaff says.

The Christian apologist website Got Questions also talks about Russia in biblical prophecy.

Gog is a person. Whoever Gog is, he is from the land of Magog and is the leader of Tubal and Meshek (some translations add Rosh to the list) and a confederacy of other nations: Persia, Cush, Put, Gomer, and Beth Togarmah (Ezekiel 38:56). And, whoever he is, he will have plans to attack a peaceful and unsuspecting people, viz., Israel (verses 11, 14, and 18). But, regardless of Gogs plans, the Lord God is against him and will defeat him soundly (Ezekiel 38:4, 1923; 39:35).

Persia, a nation listed as being in alliance with Magog, is modern-day Iran.

Hanegraaff argues, The word Russia is an 11th century Viking word and not semantically linked, in the least, to the Hebrew word Rosh. We need to understand the principles of biblical interpretation so that our modern-day imaginations dont go wild.
Russian airstrikes hit Ukrainian Orthodox Christian monastery sheltering refugees, several wounded Ukraine President Volodymyr says he's ready to hold peace talks with Russia in Jerusalem

Several refugees sheltering at a Ukrainian Orthodox monastery suffered injuries when a bomb exploded near the entrance just hours after President Volodymyr Zelensky said hes ready to hold peace talks with Russia in Jerusalem.

The Holy Dormition Svyatogorsk Lavra, an Orthodox Christian monastery in the Donetsk region that has sheltered more than 500 evacuees, including 200 children, was rocked when a bomb exploded 54 yards away from the entrance, the Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security (CSCIS) reported in posts on Facebook and Telegram.

The bomb landed near a bridge connecting the left and right banks of the Seversky Donets River.

The Ukrainian Orthodox Church and CSCIS said the force of the explosion blew out windows and doors, and several people had to be transported to a hospital in Svyatogorsk. No one was killed in the airstrike, according to initial reports.

Images shared online show the destruction and debris left by the explosion.

On the night of March 12-13, all the refugees and brethren were evacuated to the monastery cellars," CSCIS added in its posts on social media. "Currently, there are 520 refugees in the Svyatogorsk Lavra, 200 of them are children. There are about 10,000 refugees and local residents in the city of Svyatogorsk."

It continued: "With the terrible force of the explosion in the temples of the Lavra, window frames flew out. In the Lavra hotels, an explosive wave smashed all the windows and doors. Several wounded were taken to the hospital in Sviatohirsk, the rest were treated at the monastery. ... The management of the Lavra informs that there were no military formations on the territory of the monastery and the city."

According to the Daily Mail, the city of Svyatogorsk is working to restore electricity which is the energy source used to heat the monastery, which is known for containing the relics of St. John the Hermit of Sviatohirsk.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the governor of Donetsk Oblast, who is also listed as the head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, said as many as 1,000 people were sheltering in the monastery at the time of the blast.

In a post on Facebook, he said: As a result, one person was hospitalized to the hospital, two addressed the trauma in Sloviansk on their own; another 30 people with minor injuries were provided on the spot. Damaged infrastructure around the Lavra, damaged private property.

The occupants [Russians] have crossed all possible limits of common sense and humanity. Should get the proper punishment for their hellish crimes!

On Saturday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said hes ready to hold peace talks with Russia mediated by Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett in Jerusalem. The announcement comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin showed no willingness to accept a ceasefire when French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke to him.

I said to (the Israeli prime minister) that, at present, its not constructive to hold meetings in Russia, Ukraine or Belarus, The Jerusalem Post quoted Zelensky as saying Saturday, a week after he spoke to Bennett on the phone. These are not the places where we (Ukraine and Russia) can agree to stop the war. ... Do I consider Israel, Jerusalem in particular, to be such a place? I think the answer is yes.

Also on Saturday, a senior aide to Macron revealed that Putin didnt seem interested in a ceasefire during a phone call with Macron and Scholz, The Wall Street Journal reported.

The phone conversation lasted for about an hour-and-a-half, the official was quoted as saying. Have we detected a willingness of Mr. Putin to stop the war? The answer is no. The response is that we draw one conclusion ... raise the price of the war for him and take new sanctions measures. However, will the talks not get there? The response is also no. Its important in the situation where we are to use all the tools of diplomacy.

The Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights said Friday it had recorded 1,581 civilian casualties since Russias invasion of Ukraine began on Feb. 24. It includes 579 civilian deaths and 1,002 injuries  although the actual figure could be much higher, the OHCHR said.

Those dead include 75 women, six girls, and nine boys, as well as 27 children and 352 adults.

About 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since the invasion began, the AP said last week.

Most of the civilian casualties recorded were caused by the use of explosive weapons with a wide impact area, including shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, and missile and airstrikes, the U.N. noted.

Last week, Bennett visited Moscow and met with Putin and has spoken twice with him and four times with Zelensky ever since.

I believe (Bennett) can play an important role, because Israel is a country with a lot of history and parallels, as well as having a large migration of Jews from Ukraine, Russia and Belarus, Zelensky was quoted as saying in a briefing in Kyiv.

Days earlier, some media reports suggested that Bennett had urged Ukraine to give in to Russia.

This report isnt just inaccurate but patently false, a senior official in Bennetts office was quoted as saying. At no point did Prime Minister Bennett advise President Zelensky to take a deal from Putin  because no such deal was offered to Israel for us to be able to do so. Prime Minister Bennett has at no point told Zelensky how to act nor does he have any intention to. The dialogue between Bennett and Zelensky is good and the option of a mediation meeting in Jerusalem has been raised.

On Thursday, high-level talks between the foreign ministers of Russia and Ukraine failed in Antalya, Turkey, according to The Epoch Times.

Several rounds of Russia-Ukraine technical negotiations have taken place thus far, but Zelensky said no progress had been made.

Moscow wants Ukraine to stop military action, never to join NATO, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and also give independence to separatist-controlled regions of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Zelensky said earlier he would be willing to halt the military action in Ukraine, not seek NATO membership and give independent status to the contested territories, but he insisted his forces would not give in. Im ready for a dialogue, but were not ready for surrender, Zelensky told ABC News Tuesday.

About 100 Christian leaders in the United States, more than 280 priests and deacons of the Russian Orthodox Church and over 400 ministers of Evangelical churches in Russia have called for reconciliation and an immediate end to Russias ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

We mourn the ordeal to which our brothers and sisters in Ukraine were undeservedly subjected, the Russian Orthodox clerics wrote in their open letter. The Last Judgment awaits every person.

The clerics added, No earthly authority, no doctors, no guards will protect from this judgment. Concerned about the salvation of every person who considers himself a child of the Russian Orthodox Church, we do not want him to appear at this judgment, bearing the heavy burden of mothers curses.
Ukraine needs our help, but no-fly zone should be off table

The situation in Ukraine is heartbreaking to watch. Russian President Vladimir Putin, a despotic thug, has waded headlong into an all-out invasion of that country, and his army is using Soviet-era tactics with little regard for collateral damage or civilian casualties.

Watching the carnage unfold in near-real time is infuriating, and people around the world are calling for action. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, for example, is pleading with the West to clear Ukraines skies of Russian aircraft and take that unfettered advantage away from Putin.

In other conflicts, the United States dominated the skies over Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya, and Syria, which gave us an incredible operational advantage. Ukraine presents a different scenario entirely.

Unlike the dated jet fighters and air defense capabilities possessed by Third World adversaries, Putins arsenal of weapons includes a vast array of modern fighters, arguably the best surface-to-air missile system in the world, and thousands of strategic and tactical nuclear weapons.

Putin would view an attempt to establish a no-fly zone as an act of war and begin employing every conventional asset at his disposal to defeat the effort, including SAMs based in and outside of Ukraine.

Establishing a no-fly zone would necessitate taking those systems out, and once the shooting starts, theres little doubt that allied losses would be anything but insignificant.

Even if we were able to pull it off and box him in militarily, a cornered Putin would be more prone to employ the nuclear weapons under his control. The engagement calculus is much more complicated, and the stakes are much higher here than in any other operation we have executed since the end of the Cold War.

Theres little doubt that those advocating a no-fly zone do not understand the risks  or the inherent escalation  such an effort would cause. And while the United States would embrace those risks to uphold our commitment to NATO nations, or to defend our vital national interests, the situation in Ukraine does not meet those thresholds.

Still, Zelenskyy needs our help and, with a no-fly zone off the table, giving Ukrainian pilots more fighter aircraft to employ against the Russians appears to be the next-best alternative. However, the complications of such a move are much more involved than first meets the eye.

Ukrainian fighter pilots fly the MiG-29s and Su-27s, both primarily air-to-air fighters, as well as the ground attack Su-25. While transitioning to fly a different aircraft like the A-10 might seem like it would be easy, it is anything but. Flying any modern fighter in a benign environment at medium altitude is easy by design, but max-performing jets at treetop level is incredibly demanding.

The electronic and radar countermeasures that help pilots defeat SAMs vary widely among fighters, as do the jets handling characteristics. Pilots need to know both so well that they do not have to think about either while employing weapons in proximity to Russias best SAM system, the S-400.

With no other electronic warfare support, Ukrainian pilots need to fly as low as they can to defeat that system. Successfully employing in the weeds can only come through repetition and time in the air.

Training pilots on a new jet would take several weeks at a bare minimum to gain that kind of competency, but training maintenance technicians and weapons loaders how to operate, maintain, and arm those fighters would take several months, if not more  months Ukraine may not have.

That narrows the ideas for gifting fighters to just two  more MiG-29s and Su-25s, and there are several partner nations in the region that are currently flying those jets. Poland has some 28 MiG-29s, Slovakia has seven, and Bulgaria has 13 MiG-29s and eight Su-25s.

On Tuesday, Poland announced its intent to transfer its fleet of MiG-29s to the United States by flying them into Ramstein Air Base in Germany. From there, the jets can be shipped or flown directly into Ukraine.

Once on the ground, the Ukrainian Air Forces maintenance and weapons personnel can turn the jets without missing a beat, and their pilots can begin employing them right away. No doubt this deal includes a bevy of weapons and spare parts required to keep those birds in the air, which is equally significant.

Polands generous offer was accompanied with its encouragement for Slovakia and Bulgaria to follow suit, and while it sounds easy, giving up operational fighters in the face of a very real Russian threat is no small move, as any deal to receive replacement jets will likely take years to manifest, leaving an equally large capability gap for the donor nation.

While Polands encouragement may get Ukraine even more MiG-29s, the weight of each nations decision will be significant and any nation choosing to donate their jets will likely ask for and receive palatable security guarantees, such as basing U.S. fighters within the donor nation.

While this is a very significant move for Ukraine, the United States needs to continue to ship as many Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft weapons as it can to help that nation beat back the Russians. It should also consider adding compatible SAM system components and replacement missiles for Ukraines S-300 SAM batteries  and to give them as much real-time, detailed intelligence as it can.

While some may argue that sharing intelligence will compromise sources and methods, the State Department reportedly shared classified intelligence with China in a vain attempt to get Beijing to intervene with Russia before it invaded. If we can do that with a peer adversary, why would we not share it with our friends in Ukraine?

Originally published at The Daily Signal.
Episcopal-Methodist partnership on hold amid UMC General Conference delay

Plans to create a full communion partnership between The Episcopal Church and The United Methodist Church have been put on hold again due to the UMC postponing its General Conference.

Last week, the UMC General Conference organizers announced that they were delaying the General Conference to 2024, reportedly due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

As a result, the UMC has once again delayed a vote on a resolution approved by the Council of Bishops in 2019 that, if passed at General Conference, would create a full communion agreement with The Episcopal Church.

Such an agreement would include officially acknowledging each other as partners in ministry, recognizing each others baptism and communion sacraments, and the sharing of clergy.

The measure was originally slated for a vote at the 2020 UMC General Conference; however, the pandemic prompted the large churchwide legislative gathering to be postponed multiple times.

At a recent meeting of the Episcopal Churchs General Convention Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Relations, members recommended delaying action until the UMC resolves its decadeslong debate over LGBT issues, the Episcopal News Service reported.

The UMC Book of Discipline presently adheres to the biblically-based position that homosexuality is incompatible with Christian teaching and prohibits the blessing of same-sex unions and the ordination of non-celibate homosexual clergy.

Many theological conservatives have already expressed their intention of leaving the UMC to form their own denomination, allowing theological liberals the opportunity to change the denominations official stance.

Last Thursday, the UMC Commission on General Conference announced that it was again postponing its General Conference to 2024, having previously rescheduled it to take place in August.

Commission Chairperson Kim Simpson said in the announcement that the decision was an exceedingly difficult one that came from a fair, thorough, integrity-filled discussion of the alternatives.

The visa issue is a reality that is simply outside our control as we seek to achieve a reasonable threshold of delegate presence and participation, stated Simpson.

Ultimately, our decision reflects the hope that 2024 will afford greater opportunity for global travel and a higher degree of protection for the health and safety of delegates and attendees.

Conservatives, among them the Institute on Religion & Democracys UM Action, denounced the decision to postpone again as extremely unwise and potentially destructive.

The Commissions majority and those who pressured them into this destructive path will provoke confusion, more church division, and litigation in which there are no winners, stated UM Action.

The Global Methodist Church, a theologically conservative body set up to be the alternative to the UMC once a separation is approved, announced that it was officially launching, having decided to no longer wait until the next General Conference takes place.

It is anticipated that some theologically conservative local churches will find annual conferences willing to negotiate fair and just exit provisions, while others will, unfortunately, face obstacles placed in their paths, stated the GMC.

The Transitional Leadership Council decided it was time to launch the Global Methodist Church, so those who can leave early will have a place to land, to begin building and growing, and making room for others to join later.
Christian series 'The Wingfeather Saga' releases new trailer (CP exclusive)

The bestselling childrens book series "The Wingfeather Saga" has released a new trailer for the first season after becoming the No. 1 crowdfunded animated children's series in the world.

"The Wingfeather Saga" is based on the bestselling novels by Andrew Peterson.

Watch the first look video of the animated series:

To create the series, "VeggieTales" and DreamWorks veteran J. Chris Wall has partnered with Angel Studios. Following in the footsteps of "The Chosen"  the record-breaking first multi-season series about Jesus  "The Wingfeather Saga" offered fans the opportunity to invest in the family-friendly animated series and nearly $5 million has already been raised.

Wall, the showrunner, and his team enlisted veteran artists from studios such as Pixar, DreamWorks Animation, Disney, Blue Sky and Nickelodeon to help bring the visuals to the screen.

The innovative hand-painted CGI animation rendering technique can be seen in the pilot episode.

"We have always hoped for a way to share in the creation of this animated series, and when the partnership with Angel Studios came up, it just felt like exactly the right fit," Wall told The Christian Post in an earlier interview. "To have a platform where we can invite our fans to build something together with us is just amazing."

"We love great stories that our whole family can enjoy together," he continued. "Sharing this story of a family struggling to overcome a great evil while also reconciling their own brokenness is something we feel deeply compelled to do."

"'The Wingfeather Saga' will allow the creators to stretch their legs and give a "rich experience from these great novels," Wall said. "Our hope is for families to have something to look forward to, episode after episode, as the epic and whimsical story unfolds toward its deeply satisfying conclusion."

Fans of the book series have long desired to see the world of Aerwiar come to life.

Wall said Peterson has spent a significant amount of time in world-building to deepen the experience for readers.

"One of our first experiences in developing the series was a project where we invited other authors to write short stories in the Wingfeather world. They jumped at the chance and found easy connections in the massive world of characters and that resulted in a new book, titled Wingfeather Tales," Wall added. "Our writing team cant wait to jump in and begin work to build out the full journey of this epic saga."

For more information, click here.
An aerial view of the city of Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Feb. 20. Reuters-Yonhap





Saudi Arabia executed 81 people, Saturday, convicted of crimes ranging from killings to belonging to militant groups, the largest known mass execution carried out in the kingdom in its modern history.







The number of executed surpassed even the toll of a January 1980 mass execution of 63 militants convicted of seizing the Grand Mosque in Mecca in 1979, the worst-ever militant attack to target the kingdom and Islam's holiest site.







It wasn't clear why the kingdom choose Saturday for the executions, though they came as much of the world's attention remained focused on Russia's war on Ukraine  and as the U.S. hopes to lower record-high gasoline prices as energy prices spike worldwide. British Prime Minister Boris Johnson reportedly plans a trip to Saudi Arabia next week over oil prices as well.







The number of death penalty cases being carried out in Saudi Arabia had dropped during the coronavirus pandemic, though the kingdom continued to behead convicts under King Salman and his assertive son, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.







The state-run Saudi Press Agency announced Saturday's executions, saying they included those ''convicted of various crimes, including the murdering of innocent men, women and children.''







The kingdom also said some of those executed were members of al-Qaida, the Islamic State group and also backers of Yemen's Houthi rebels. A Saudi-led coalition has been battling the Iran-backed Houthis since 2015 in neighboring Yemen in an effort to restore the internationally recognized government to power.







Those executed included 73 Saudis, seven Yemenis and one Syrian. The report did not say where the executions took place.







''The accused were provided with the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process, which found them guilty of committing multiple heinous crimes that left a large number of civilians and law enforcement officers dead,'' the Saudi Press Agency said.







''The kingdom will continue to take a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the entire world,'' the report added. It did not say how the prisoners were executed, though death-row inmates typically are beheaded in Saudi Arabia.







An announcement by Saudi state television described those executed as having ''followed the footsteps of Satan'' in carrying out their crimes.







The executions drew immediate international criticism.







''The world should know by now that when Mohammed bin Salman promises reform, bloodshed is bound to follow,'' said Soraya Bauwens, the deputy director of Reprieve, a London-based advocacy group.







Ali Adubusi, the director of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, alleged that some of those executed had been tortured and faced trials ''carried out in secret.''







''These executions are the opposite of justice,'' he said.







The kingdom's last mass execution came in January 2016, when the kingdom executed 47 people, including a prominent opposition Shiite cleric who had rallied demonstrations in the kingdom.







In 2019, the kingdom beheaded 37 Saudi citizens, most of them minority Shiites, in a mass execution across the country for alleged terrorism-related crimes. It also publicly nailed the severed body and head of a convicted extremist to a pole as a warning to others. Such crucifixions after execution, while rare, do occur in the kingdom.







Activists, including Ali al-Ahmed of the U.S.-based Institute for Gulf Affairs, and the group Democracy for the Arab World Now said they believe that over three dozen of those executed Saturday also were Shiites. The Saudi statement, however, did not identify the faiths of those killed.







Shiites, who live primarily in the kingdom's oil-rich east, have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens. Executions of Shiites in the past have stirred regional unrest. Saudi Arabia meanwhile remains engaged in diplomatic talks with its Shiite regional rival Iran to try to ease years-long tensions.







Sporadic protests erupted Saturday night in the island kingdom of Bahrain  which has a majority Shiite population but is ruled by a Sunni monarchy, a Saudi ally  over the mass execution.







The 1979 seizure of the Grand Mosque remains a crucial moment in the history of the oil-rich kingdom.







A band of ultraconservative Saudi Sunni militants took the Grand Mosque, home to the cube-shaped Kaaba that Muslims pray toward five times a day, demanding the Al Saud royal family abdicate. A two-week siege that followed ended with an official death toll of 229 killed. The kingdom's rulers soon further embraced Wahhabism, an ultraconservative Islamic doctrine.







Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman attends a graduation ceremony for the 95th batch of cadets from the King Faisal Air Academy in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Dec. 23, 2018. Reuters-Yonhap





Since taking power, Crown Prince Mohammed under his father has increasingly liberalized life in the kingdom, opening movie theaters, allowing women to drive and defanging the country's once-feared religious police.







However, U.S. intelligence agencies believe the crown prince also ordered the slaying and dismemberment of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi, while overseeing airstrikes in Yemen that killed hundreds of civilians.







In excerpts of an interview with The Atlantic magazine, the crown prince discussed the death penalty, saying a ''high percentage'' of executions had been halted through the payment of so-called ''blood money'' settlements to grieving families.







''Well about the death penalty, we got rid of all of it, except for one category, and this one is written in the Quran, and we cannot do anything about it, even if we wished to do something, because it is clear teaching in the Quran,'' the prince said, according to a transcript later published by the Saudi-owned satellite news channel Al-Arabiya.







''If someone killed someone, another person, the family of that person has the right, after going to the court, to apply capital punishment, unless they forgive him. Or if someone threatens the life of many people, that means he has to be punished by the death penalty.''







He added: ''Regardless if I like it or not, I don't have the power to change it.'' (AP)


Biden touts effort to protect 'reproductive rights' on International Women's Day

President Joe Biden touted his administrations work on behalf of reproductive rights in a statement recognizing International Womens Day Tuesday.

In a White House statement, which marked the annual celebration of International Womens Day, the president remarked that improving the status of women and girls strengthens economies, democracies, and societies across the board.

Thats why I made gender equity a cornerstone of my Administration by creating the White House Gender Policy Council shortly after taking office a year ago, the president stated.

The 79-year-old unveiled a list of what he viewed as accomplishments his administration has achieved on behalf of women.

The list included a reference to a whole-of-government effort to protect reproductive rights, a euphemism used by Democrats that refers to abortion access and contraception.

In a factsheet celebrating the first anniversary of the White House Gender Policy Councils establishment on International Womens Day 2021, the White House elaborated on its whole-of-government effort to protect reproductive rights.

The document cited the effort to protect reproductive rights as necessary because of an extreme and unconstitutional Texas law that severely impairs access to abortion after six weeks.

After highlighting the Department of Health and Human Services issuance of Title X grant support for health service providers and additional funding to a current Title X family planning grantee in Texas, the factsheet mentioned that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has vigorously pursued a legal challenge to the Texas law.

The Attorney General reaffirmed DOJs commitment to continue to protect those seeking to obtain or provide reproductive health services, including abortion, the factsheet adds.

The administration also weighed in on the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Womens Health, a case before the U.S. Supreme Court involving Mississippis 15-week abortion ban. The Justice Department filed an amicus brief to the Supreme Court in the Dobbs case contending that Mississippis law violates constitutional protections enshrined by the Supreme Courts 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade.

A ruling in favor of Mississippi, which is seeking to uphold the ban, would significantly weaken or reverse the precedent set by Roe, the ruling which legalized abortion nationwide.

The court consists of six justices appointed by Republican presidents and three justices appointed by Democratic presidents, which feeds into abortion activists concerns about the outcome of the decision.

The White House joins other pro-abortion groups in expressing concern about the momentum of the pro-life movement at the state level.

The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute released a report at the end of last year dubbing 2021 The Worst Year for Abortion Rights in Almost Half a Century.

Statistics compiled by the advocacy group revealed that 106 abortion restrictions had been enacted in 19 states in 2021, the highest amount of such laws passed in a year since 1973.

Although the Biden administration did not mention this in any of its statements published as part of International Womens Day, the president strongly supported the passage of the Womens Health Protection Act. The bill would codify the findings of Roe into federal law and limit the ability of states to pass pro-life laws.

The bill died after the U.S. Senate failed to garner the necessary votes to begin debate on the legislation last week.

More recently, the Department of Health and Human Services launched a Reproductive Healthcare Access Task Force, pointing to concerns about the possible overturning or weakening of Roe and the barrage of pro-life laws at the state level as justifications for such an action.

The factsheet also noted that the president issued a Presidential Memorandum to protect and expand access to comprehensive reproductive health care and to revoke the Mexico City Policy.

The Mexico City Policy, first signed into law by the late President Ronald Reagan, prevents using taxpayer dollars to fund foreign nongovernmental organizations that conduct or promote abortions overseas. The Biden administration characterized the Mexico City Policy as the global gag rule.

The factsheet also stated that the Biden administration restored funding to the [United Nations] Population Fund, which supports the provision of sexual and reproductive health services in fragile contexts.

Biden is not the first Democratic president to abandon the Mexico City Policy after taking office.

President Bill Clinton revoked the pro-life policy upon taking office in 1993. Republican President George W. Bush reinstated the policy upon taking office in 2001, while President Barack Obama rescinded the policy eight years later.

Former President Donald Trump reinstated the policy shortly after taking office in 2017.

Additionally, the White House charged  HHS with reviewing the Title X Rule to ensure that low-income people can access family planning and other preventative health care. The policy change regarding Title X marks a reversal from the Trump administrations policy on the family planning program, which restricted the ability of abortion providers to participate.
There is no such thing as the dont say gay bill

When youre on the side of truth, you can present the facts as they are without manipulation, exaggeration, or distortion, since those facts will speak for themselves. But when youre hiding something or trying to obfuscate, facts are your enemy. Thats the case with the misrepresentation of Floridas recent education bill, falsely called the Dont Say Gay Bill. In order to oppose it, the critics must grossly misrepresent it.

But this is a common tactic when it comes to LGBT activism.

For many years now, decent, fair-minded, civil people who believe marriage is the union of one man and one woman have been branded haters, bigots, homophobes, and Nazis. The truth of the matter is that their position is eminently reasonable, not to mention biologically sound.

But who cares about truth? This is about winning a battle, and if the way to do that is by demonizing your opponents, then thats the path you take.

Its the same with so-called conversion therapy, a term created by critics, not by proponents of change.

The reality is that there is not a counselor or therapist or pastor that I have ever met who advocates using coercive, forced, or, God forbid, violent measures to convert a homosexual into a heterosexual.

All they advocate for is that those with unwanted same-sex attractions or gender-identity confusion have the legal right to sit down with a trained professional and talk. Thats it. And what is the goal of these people who seek out counselors? They hope to get to the root of their struggles and find a path for inner-peace, emotional wholeness, and potential change (as many thousands have successfully done, to one degree or another).

Why on earth should that not be allowed, not just for minors who want counseling but all the more for adults? (In case you havent heard, all such counseling is now banned in Canada for people of all ages.)

But who cares about logic or compassion or freedom of choice? Once again, this is a matter of demonizing ones opponents. And since conversion therapy is a term fraught with all kinds of baggage, that is the term that is used. Conversion therapy must be banned!

Its the same thing with pray away the gay, another term coined by the critics.

To be sure, some Christians do believe that anything can be changed through prayer, including sexual immorality or gambling addictions or homosexual desires. And, to be sure, with God, all things are possible to him or her who believes.

But the Christians who are being accused of practicing pray away the gay do not simply rely on the power of prayer. They believe in solid counseling, in uncovering spiritual or emotional or experiential roots that influence our behavior and our desires.

But who cares about facts? Using mocking terms such as pray away the gay is much for effective.

Its the same thing with Floridas so-called Dont Say Gay bill, now featured in headlines across America, such as that of Time: Florida Just Passed The Don't Say Gay Bill. Heres What It Means for Kids.

In reality, the bill doesnt even mention the word gay, let alone singles out gayness. As an article by David Harsanyi on the National Review states, Dont Say Dont Say Gay.

You might as well call the bill, Dont Say Straight.

It was actually CNN, as noted by Harsanyi, which carried a more accurate headline: Florida House approves bill prohibiting schools from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity in K-3 classrooms. What do you know!

For those who care about facts, the relevant text of the bill says this: 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.

And this is what is causing a national uproar, with Pres. Biden calling the bill hateful? Seriously?

What is so terrible and outrageous and hateful about teachers not talking to little children about things they cannot even understand? (These discussions really are for the home, when age appropriate, not for the classroom.)

The focus here is on kids aged 5-9, kids who have no real concept of sexual orientation or sexuality. Why on earth should teachers be talking to them about homosexuality and heterosexuality?

As for transgender issues, Kellie (Scott) Newgent, who had FTM sex-change surgery, recently appeared on my radio broadcast to shout to the world that efforts to transition kids are nothing less than child abuse. (This is a must-watch, at times gut-wrenching interview.)

God forbid we tell these impressionable little kids that perhaps they are actually trapped in the wrong body. God forbid our schools plant these dangerous seeds in such innocent minds.

As for those kids who are gender confused at an early age, roughly 80% of them will no longer identify as such once they pass through puberty  that is, if their confusion is not reinforced by their parents and teachers.

A few days ago, Kellie forwarded me this post from Brandon Showalter on Facebook:

GUTTED.

I just met a mom originally from El Salvador whose teen daughter got sucked into the gender madness. Mom did everything she could to help her daughter. The school, the medical establishment at Children's Hospital - Los Angeles (where Johanna Olson-Kennedy runs the pediatric gender clinic), and social services undermined her at every turn and went so far as to remove her custody. Naturally, they all pulled the if you don't support your child and allow them to medicalize they'll kill themselves card. Now separated from her mom, the hormones kicked in but, of course, didn't alleviate her daughter's distress.

The daughter wound up taking her own life by throwing herself in front of a train in Pomona. The poor mom ended up finding out how authorities were picking up the pieces of her daughter's shattered body from the train tracks. This mom's pain is so deep she says it hurts to breathe.

The torment in this mom's eyes will haunt me for a while. I could barely hold the tears back on the metro on the way home.

To those of you hesitant to speak out against this evil, what are you waiting for?

Tragically, the agonizing pain experienced by so many in the transgender community after their transition is hardly acknowledged. (Its too politically incorrect!) But is there nonetheless. And many schools across our nation are complicit in that pain.

Thankfully, Florida and Gov. DeSantis have said, Not on our watch.

Let the truth be told.
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Since December, a Montgomery County judge has sentenced three men connected to the 2019 killing of a Kingwood teen.

The remains of 18-year-old Tristan Maddux were found the morning of March 3, 2019 in a ditch in Porter. Maddux was a shooting victim in a robbery, the Montgomery County Sheriffs Office disclosed around that time.

Maddux had been reported missing to the Houston Police Department the day before, which court records show was the date he was fatally shot by Kingwood resident Isaiah Deshaun Parker, now 21.

Parker pleaded guilty to murder and tampering with evidence, a human corpse, Dec. 01 in the 9th District Court. He was sentenced to 50 years in prison by Presiding Judge Phil Grant for the murder charge and 10 years for the evidence tampering charge, with two years and 267 days served, according to court records.

Parker will serve out his sentences concurrently, according to Mike Holley, first assistant attorney at the Montgomery County District Attorneys Office.

This came ahead of the convictions in February of two others  Lamar Deon Laster, 19, and Jorge Alberto-Medrano Ramirez, 20, both of Porter  for committing armed robbery against Maddux the weekend he went missing, charging documents reveal.

Most recently, according to court records, Laster pleaded guilty to the first-degree felony offense of aggravated robbery Feb. 24, with Grant sentencing him to 25 years with 279 days served.

On Feb. 4, court records show, Ramirez pleaded guilty to aggravated robbery. Grant sentenced Ramirez to 40 years with two years and 336 days served.

The three assailants were taken into custody within four days of Madduxs slaying. Parker was arrested March 4, 2019 in the Denton County town of The Colony. Ramirez was taken to the Montgomery County Jail two days later, according to the sheriffs office.

A minor at the time of his crime, Laster not initially identified by the agency when his arrest was announced.

Laster and Ramirez were originally also charged with tampering with evidence, a human corpse, for allegedly trying to conceal Madduxs lifeless body, according to an indictment. The charges were dismissed the date of their convictions, court records show.

At one point, Holley explained, Parkers murder charge was raised to capital murder. Upon his guilty plea it was reinstated to murder, Holley said.

jose.gonzalez@chron.com

twitter.com/jrgzztx
The upcoming May runoff elections will once again see high-profile candidate and incumbent Texas District 28 Congressman Henry Cuellar and returning candidate Jessica Cisneros square off.

Regardless, the winner of the May runoffs will then see themselves face the Republican candidate runoff winner, which would be either Cassy Garcia or Sandra Whitten. It is important to note that the Democratic and Republican races saw a 64.4% difference between voter turnout, in which the Republican primary had 48.7% fewer voters.

However, voter turnout for the Democratic race saw a decrease in comparison to the previous 2020 election during which 74,978 votes were cast in District 28. This saw Cisneros lose the race with 48.2% of the vote, giving Cuellar a rare challenge for the spot hes held since 2004.

In 2022, only a total of 48,626 votes were cast with 2,289 of those going to first-time candidate Tannya Benavides. This rounds to an approximate 35% decrease in votes between the 2022 election and the 2020 election.

According to Cuellar, he believes the lower voter turnout was due to the 2020 election being a presidential year. However, historically Webb County has had trouble with voter turnout for local and federal elections.

Despite the turnout, Cuellar said multiple factors may have affected his tally including additional candidates, both Democratic and Republican. When asked about the impact this years FBI raid on his home would have on his image, Cuellar said at the end of the day, the investigation will show there has been no wrongdoing.

Regardless, he said he knew early on it would be a tough race due to the financial backing of Cisneros, which he said comes from outside the district, specifically New York. Of note, Huffpost reported a liberal pro-Israel group donated $100,000 boosting Cisneros for the recent election.

Regarding this, Cisneros referenced the 2020 elections saying the race was funded by individual contributions and everyday people. But both 2020 and 2022 races did include some form of interest group payments for her campaign, including donations from Justice Democrats, ActBlue, NARAL Pro-Choice America and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.

While he is being funded by big oil and the Koch Brothers and the private prison industry, Im being funded by everyday people, Cisneros said. Thats a source of pride for me, because that allows me to be independent and not be beholden to one or few individuals or corporate PACs that expect something in return for their money."

According to Open Secrets, Cuellars top industry donors were from the Oil and Gas sector in which he received a total of $151,500 from individuals and PACs combined. They also noted Cuellar outpaced the funds raised in the 2020 race by over $1 million, landing on over $2.4 million, but that lowered for this race down to just slightly over $1.8 million.

In 2020, Cuellar edged out a victory against Cisneros to be the Democratic nominee. In 2022, however, the three-candidate election resulted in a runoff between both candidates. Meanwhile, residents may be only thinking about who can do whats best for them and the district, regardless of experience or seniority.

Seniority versus change

Being a nine-term incumbent, Cuellar highlighted the ramifications of what would happen if he lost the upcoming elections. A factor within government and its committees is seniority. Cuellar has often referenced his position as the only Texas Democrat within the House Appropriation Committee and the money it brings to the area.

Aside from the formula funds allocated to every city and district, he said the appropriation committee allows for extra funding for a variety of projects and ideas within the district. He cited that as a member, he would bring in $2 million for a Gateway Community Clinic in west Laredo.

When you have 435 members and everyone gets reelected or elected every two years, and you are No. 435 and want to move up, its going to take you years and years, Cuellar said. The best committee in Congress is the House Appropriation, because thats the one that provides money.

Over the span of those 17 years, Cuellar has touted multiple projects and agencies that have seen funding through the committee, such as the Laredo Air and Marine Hanger facility that saw over $27 million in federal funding allocated. In Zapata, he added that $1 million would be provide by this upcoming week to help fund an emergency center.

Cuellar provided a list stating additional funding grants and earmarks include the Gateway Community Health Center, the Substance Abuse Treatment Center, funds for PILLAR and SCAN, and the Laredo College South Clinic, to name a few.

This led to Cuellar saying that if elected, Cisneros would have to put in approximately 10 years within Congress to eventually be able to be selected for the committee. In this event, another district would be the one getting extra funding from the committee moving forward.

Hes had 10 years to fight for investment, and we still dont have clean water here," Cisneros said. "I mean I think that if he was actually in such a great position, like he tends to say that he is, our poverty rate still wouldnt be at 30%. We still wouldnt have such a high rate of people who are uninsured. We still wouldnt be having time after time of boil water notice and infrastructure issues in the area.

What people are (wanting) is better paying jobs. We want investments in our infrastructure so we can have clean water and have paved roads  you know, progress on all of these issues that he is talking about  but the reality is that hes had over 17 years to address them and he hasnt.

Laredo is facing a multitude of issues including an aging water system with an estimated $500 million needed to fix and its designation of being medically underserved. As of this report, the City of Laredo is in the progress of addressing the water line break issues, having scheduled multiple workshops to enlighten the council and residents about the water system, and applied for federal funding from the American Rescue Plan infrastructure bill.

When asked if his position within the appropriation committee could provide additional funds to help, Cuellar stated that it was the citys responsibility.

The water ... thats a local issue, Cuellar said. City Council should have done the replacement for many years, they just never did. The old commercial, either you pay now or you pay much later, and now they are going to pay much later.

In this respect, Cisneros said the Laredo water issue is spread throughout multiple levels of government and believes a representative needs to build relationships with officials and ask for oversight.

Making sure that people know where the funding is once its been allotted, what is actually happening with the funding, is it actually being used in a way that its supposed to be used? she asked. Meeting people's basic needs, like having water, has to be a priority. We have to be asking the tough questions. We have to be sitting down with people to ensure we identify what those issues are and then take action.

Cuellar said there are things he would like to do for the water issue, like targeting specific earmarks for water projects, but it would ultimately be up to the city to address current and future issues.

The value of a representative

As the district returns to a familiar sight in May, the choice between Cuellar and Cisneros will surely have voters asking themselves who they believe will bring real improvements for the next two years.

All I can do is go up to a voter and say, Judge me by who I am, judge me by what I have done. And if you do a comparison on what I have done and what the other candidate said shes going to do, its day and night, Cuellar said.

Cuellar said he was one of the representatives who pushed for the Affordable Care Act and helped start the Children Health Insurance program at Farias Elementary, both which have helped countless families. By bringing in funding for the Gateway Health Center, he believes it has provided an affordable health care solution as an alternative to healthcare in Nuevo Laredo.

But the "Medicare-for-All" notion is still a no-go for Cuellar, as he indicated it would raise taxes for the average resident and it is not a Democratic goal but only a Bernie Sanders goal. He added even when former president Barack Obama was in office and the party controlled both the House and the Senate, there was no Medicare for All, and the Democratic party would rather strengthen the Affordable Care Act.

As the nine-term incumbent, Cuellar has had time to cement his mark on District 28, saying he understands the values of its residents. He said Cisneros has promoted the New York values of defunding the police, opening borders, getting rid of Border Patrol or getting rid of the 40,000 jobs in oil and gas.

Cisneros disagrees with his assessment of her.

Hes been misrepresenting what my actual policy stances have been because he is trying to distract from the fact that he was subjected to an FBI raid at both his headquarters and his mansion, so I know hes resorting to these desperate attacks to try to misrepresent what I actually believe in, Cisneros said. "And for me, Im fighting for peoples livelihood. Im fighting to make sure they will be able to provide for their families, and we need to figure out what those policy choices are. I am never going to support a piece of legislation that is going to take away peoples ability to be able provide for their families.

Hes trying to paint me as an extremist, but the extremist is him for allowing all of these conditions to continue to happen here in this district without doing anything to address the root causes of all of these issues. Hes had 17 years in power. He hasnt done much to help in terms of the poverty rate, people being uninsured, all of these infrastructure issues. I think going into the primary on May 24 is going to show that people are ready for new leadership.

Both campaigns are working on spreading the word of their campaign promises and the importance of the upcoming elections. Ultimately, the goal is to bring out as many voters to the polls as possible to choose the nominee for both Democrats and Republicans in their respective races.
A woman holds a cup after crossing the border from Ukraine to Poland, after fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine, at the border checkpoint in Medyka, Poland, March 12. Reuters-Yonhap



Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraine's western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people. The strike followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia's grinding invasion.



More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling training facility that is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraine's western Lviv region. Poland is a key location for routing Western military aid to Ukraine.



Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lviv had largely been spared the scale of destruction unfolding further east and become a destination for residents escaping bombarded cities and for many of the nearly 2.6 million refugees who have fled the country.



The training center in Yavoriv appears to be the most westward target struck so far in the 18-day invasion. The facility, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other NATO countries.



It has also hosted international NATO drills. As such, the site symbolizes what has long been a Russian complaint: That the NATO alliance of 30 member countries is moving ever closer to Russia's borders. Russian has demanded that Ukraine drop its ambitions to join NATO.



Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the missiles fired Sunday ''were shot down because the air defense system worked.'' The ones that got through through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.



Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, which is less than 150 kilometers (94 miles) north of Romania and 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Hungary, countries that also are NATO allies. The airport, which includes a military airfield as well as a runway for civilian flights, also was targeted Friday.



Fighting also raged in multiple areas of the country overnight. Ukrainian authorities said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and refugees were sheltering, wounding 32 people.



Another airstrike hit a westward-bound train evacuating people from the east, killing one person and injuring another, Donetsk's chief regional administrator said.



To the north, in the city of Chernihiv, one person was killed and another injured in a Russian airstrike that destroyed a residential block, emergency services said.



Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east.



In Irpin, a suburb about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of central Kyiv, bodies lay out in the open Saturday on streets and in a park.



"When I woke up in the morning, everything was covered in smoke, everything was dark. We don't know who is shooting and where," resident Serhy Protsenko said as he walked through his neighborhood. Explosions sounded in the distance. "We don't have any radio or information."



Chief regional administrator Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces appeared to be trying to blockade and paralyze the capital with day and night shelling of the suburbs. Kuleba said Russian agents were in the capital and its suburbs, marking out possible future targets.











People wait after they crossed the border from Ukraine to Poland, after fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, at the border checkpoint in Medyka, Poland, March 13. Reuters-Yonhap



He vowed that any all-out assault would meet stiff resistance, saying: "We're getting ready to defend Kyiv, and we're prepared to fight for ourselves."



Talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire again failed Saturday, and the U.S. announced plans to provide another $200 million to Ukraine for weapons. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned other nations that sending equipment to bolster Ukraine's military was "an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets."



Russian soldiers pillaged a humanitarian convoy that was trying to reach the battered and encircled port city of Mariupol, where more than 1,500 people have died, a Ukrainian official said. Ukraine's military said Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening their siege of the strategic port. Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.



Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to break his country apart, as well as starting "a new stage of terror" with the alleged detention of a mayor from a city west of Mariupol.



"Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land," Zelenskyy said during his nightly address to the nation Saturday.



Zelenskyy reported that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the Russian invasion began Feb. 24.



The first major city to fall, earlier this month, was Kherson, a vital Black Sea port of 290,000 residents. Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a ''pseudo-republic'' in the southern Kherson region, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk, two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014. One of the pretexts Russia used to invade was that it had to protect the separatist regions.



Zelenskyy again deplored NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he didn't elaborate. U.S. President Joe Biden announced another $200 million in aid to Ukraine, with an additional $13 billion included in a bill that has passed the House and should pass the Senate within days. NATO has said that imposing a no-fly zone could lead to a wider war with Russia.





Facilities of a complex that prepares natural gas for transportation are burnt following a fire after night shelling, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Hlazunivka in Kharkiv region, Ukraine, March 13. Reuters-Yonhap
NEW MILFORD  Opposition is building in town to a proposal to widen the bridge on the scenic Cherniske Road.

The one-lane bridge, which is west of the intersection with Sawyer Hill Road and Cherniske Road, was built in the 1930s. For the past few years, the town has been considering widening it to two lanes. Through public meetings and written letters, many residents are growing increasingly upset over that proposal, which is one of a few options.

In 2017, the Cherniske bridge was evaluated by the town and received a poor rating. While the town tried to repair it, the bridge continued to deteriorate and the town finally closed it in January 2021. It has been closed ever since, as the town evaluates different options to reconstruct it and fund the project.

For the past few Town Council meetings, several dozen residents in total have shared their feelings about preserving scenic roads and keeping a one-lane bridge.

Robert Gambino, a former New Milford mayor and member of the Northville Residents Association, referenced a letter signed by 37 residents in the Cherniske Road neighborhood.

The letter says the Town Council, mayor and public works department are in violation of New Milfords scenic road ordinance.

The ordinance reads in part that ...regulation of future alterations and improvements of designated highways shall be carried out so to preserve to the highest degree possible the scenic characteristics of the highway which are indicated in the records of the Town Council as the basis for its designation as a scenic road.

Mayor Pete Bass said the town is not violating the towns scenic road ordinance by proposing a two-lane bridge. He noted that state officials consider a one-lane road to be an antiquated design, and the town would lose out on a state grant if it kept the road as one lane.

If theyre (the state) saying the bridge currently is an obsolete design, than that would supersede a scenic road ordinance, he said.

If alterations or improvements to scenic roads are needed, they must conform to speed limits, according to the ordinance.

Scenic values are correlated with lower speeds, and alterations shall not be made in such a manner as to unnecessarily encourage increased speed, the ordinance states.

A narrow road is correlated with high scenic beauty, the ordinance continues.

The ordinance also says the Town Council and mayor need to appoint an advisory committee that addresses alterations or improvements being proposed to a designated scenic road. While there had been a scenic road committee for Cherniske bridge in the past, there isnt one now.

Moving forward, however, Bass said he plans to hold public meetings about the bridge, which will be open to all residents, and not just involve those who live near the bridge.

At the Feb. 28th Town Council meeting, Gambino said there are 27 scenic roads in town, and theyre what makes the town bucolic.

Do whats right for the scenic roads of this town, Gambino said. New Milford is one of the most beautiful towns in Connecticut.

Options, costs

The town is looking at four possible options for reconstruction of the Cherniske Road bridge: A single-lane bridge with a box culvert (pre-cast) removal and construction for $940,000; a single-lane poured (build forms and pour concrete) bridge for $1.43 million; a double-lane box culvert for $1.11 million; and a double-lane poured bridge for $1.6 million.

Jack Healy, the towns public works director, said estimates are sometimes as much as 30 percent inaccurate because of the increase in material costs.

The current bridge is about 16-feet wide. A two-lane bridge would be 22-feet wide, Healy said.

Everyone wants to maintain the single-lane bridge, said Adrienne Aurichio, a resident on Cherniske Road who spoke at several town meetings on this topic. She added the two cost options where the bridge remains one lane would be acceptable.

The town has approved $600,000 in American Rescue Plan Act funds to go toward the repair of the bridge.

Grant funding is also available through the state. The state would pay 50 percent of the construction cost. However, in order to qualify for the grant, the town would have to comply with the states conditions, which is to widen the bridge to two lanes.

Healy said the only way the state would fund a one-lane bridge is if the average daily traffic count is below 100 cars per day.

On that road, its over 400 cars per day, Healy said.

When evaluating costs, Bass referenced the 63 other bridges in New Milford.

How do we manage the repairs and the costs as were going through the other bridges, comparative to this? Bass said. Also, when were using taxpayer dollars, is this something we would use on an obsolete design?

He said the town is not looking to change scenic roads.

Theyre a critical part of our town, theyre a part of our heritage and we want to keep them, he said.

Healy plans to provide a more detailed breakdown on the different bridge costs at the March 28 Town Council meeting. Ultimately, Town Council has the final say on which kind of bridge is built.

There is no date yet set for the construction of a new bridge. Healy said he would like to issue a contract by late fall or early December, and issue a purchase order at the end of December or early January 2023.
Founded on Sept. 28, 1947, as our citys pioneering higher education institution, Laredo College has been part of many momentous events in Laredos history. In celebration of these 75 years of history and legacy, the college will be hosting a 75th Anniversary Photography Contest to honor the colleges long-lasting impact on our community.

The contest consists of an open call for photography entries that anyone can submit. These can be events, portraits, nature, landscape, wildlife, architecture, sports, fashion and other types of photography that have been captured and are related to Laredo Colleges history and legacy in the community.

Laredo College Alumni & Friends Association President and LC Board Secretary Jackie Leven-Ramos noted the importance of this initiative in chronicling the evolution of the college.

As we celebrate our 75th anniversary, it is quite befitting to honor and recognize our alumni and friends who have supported our beloved Laredo College throughout the years, she said. It is because of individuals who chose to reach new heights in their educational career that Laredo College has reached this anniversary and we thank everyone.

This project provides an opportunity for community members to show off their creativity and passion through their photographs. Whether taken by amateur or professional photographers, every snapshot is unique and tells a story, conveys an idea or sparks a feeling. This collection of photographs will span over seven decades and showcase memories that thousands of people in our community have created.

A special committee will review all the submissions and select the 75 photographs most representative of the different decades of the colleges history. The photographs will be printed and displayed in both of our college libraries during National Library Week, observed this year from April 3 to April 9.

For 75 years, the college has played an important part in the communitys educational and personal lives, Vice President for Resource Development and External Affairs Dr. Nora Garza said. Some of those memorable times are captured in photographs. The college and our libraries invite you to connect with our history and legacy by sharing them.

Participants must submit contest photos by sending an email to LC75Photos@laredo.edu. There is a limit of three images per person for consideration in the contest. However, if participants have an extensive collection, they can share it with our college libraries staff to add them to our archives. The deadline to submit entries is Saturday, March 19.

For those with analog photographs, our libraries staff can assist by scanning them, providing a digitized copy and returning the photos to them. All digitized photographs will become part of a digital archive available for viewing at both LC libraries.

Laredo College Libraries Director Cynthia Rodriguez said the project highlights the impact our college has had on the lives of people in our region through its wide range of programs and services.

We are excited that this initiative commemorates a milestone anniversary for our college, Rodriguez said. It is also quite fitting with this years National Library Week theme of Connect with Your Library, which aims to bring communities together and reinforces the idea that libraries are places to connect with books, electronic resources, programs and ideas. Our Laredo College Libraries serve not only our students but also the people in our community, enriching their lives by providing valuable resources and fostering a love for knowledge while encouraging personal and professional growth.

All submissions should include a date, a brief description of the photograph and the names of the persons pictured or the event it portrays, if applicable. By submitting a photo for the contest, participants agree to its use by Laredo College. Participants should also provide their full name, phone number and preferred email address.

Laredo College invites everyone in the community to become a part of the history and legacy of our institution by participating in this contest. Entries for this contest are free, but we kindly encourage anyone willing and able to donate $20 or any amount they can contribute to the History & Legacy Scholarship Fund. This fund was established by the Laredo College Alumni & Friends Association to assist students with educational expenses.

Monetary donations can be dropped off at the Harold R. Yeary Library, West End Washington Street, Laredo, Texas 78040; and the Senator Judith Zaffirini Library, 5500 South Zapata Highway, Laredo, Texas 78046. Check donations can also be delivered in person or mailed to either library and made payable to the Laredo College Alumni & Friends Association. Both libraries are also equipped to accept credit or debit card donations. You can also visit www.laredo.edu/LC75Photos to make your donation online.

For additional information, please send an email to LC75Photos@laredo.edu.
Senate Bill 871, Delay state toll road study deadline: Passed 35 to 3 in the Senate

To push-back the deadline for one year, to Jan. 31, 2023, in a 2020 law requiring the Department of Transportation to contract for a study on the feasibility of charging tolls on some interstate freeways in Michigan, including revenue projections, optimal tolling rates, vehicle counts, traffic diversion and more.

Y Rick Outman (R) Six Lakes, Sen. Dist. 33

Y Curt VanderWall (R) Ludington, Sen. Dist. 35

House Bill 5188, Prohibit bans on gun sales during state of emergency: Passed 62 to 39

To amend provisions in the state health code that delegate to the state health department the authority to assume extraordinary powers during an emergency, including the statewide lockdowns ordered under the 2020 coronavirus epidemic. The bill would prohibit officials from using this law to ban the sale or use of lawfully possessed firearms, ammunition, or other weapons during a declared emergency or disaster.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 5268, Ban officials sending out unsolicited absentee voter ballot applications: Passed 56 to 45 in the House

To prohibit the Secretary of State or local election officials from delivering unsolicited absentee voter ballot applications to registered voters.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 5253, Ban election officials taking money or gifts for election equipment: Passed 57 to 44 in the House

To prohibit state or local election officials and bureaus from accepting gifts from individuals or nongovernmental entities for election-related activities, equipment, or staff.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 5703, Require public schools prominently post key parents rights laws: Passed 85 to 16 in the House

To require public schools to prominently post two state law provisions in specified rooms, including the one where the school board meets. The first provision is the text from section 1 of the Michigan Constitutions Article 8, which reads, Religion, morality and knowledge being necessary to good government and the happiness of mankind, schools and the means of education shall forever be encouraged.

The bill would also require schools to post the section of the state School Code that reads: It is the natural, fundamental right of parents and legal guardians to determine and direct the care, teaching, and education of their children. The public schools of this state serve the needs of the pupils by cooperating with the pupil's parents and legal guardians to develop the pupil's intellectual capabilities and vocational skills in a safe and positive environment.

Y Jason Wentworth (R) Clare, Rep. Dist. 97

Y Scott VanSingel (R) Grant, Rep. Dist. 100

Y Michele Hoitenga (R) Manton, Rep. Dist. 102

House Bill 5570, Authorize state gas tax holiday until October 2022: Passed 63 to 39 in the House

To suspend collecting the state gasoline and diesel tax between April 1 and September 30, 2022. The current tax rate is 27.2 cents per gallon on both fuels, and revenue from it pays for state and local road repairs. The House Fiscal Agency projects this would save motorists around $725 million in 2022, with the foregone revenue to "backfilled" from a $4 billion state budget surplus.
In alignment with the companys core pillar of empowerment and equality, Canon unveils its Women in Sales initiative to offer yearlong internship and mentorship opportunities to women; the Women in Sales opportunity is an exclusive offering for women residing in Central and North Africa, Middle-East and Turkey regions.

Canon Central and North Africa announced, today, the launch of its Women in Sales program that further fortifies the companys commitment, dedication and support towards gender equality and empowerment of women, in celebration of Womens Month 2022. Centered on the companys core philosophy of Kyosei, the initiative will invite women from Central and North Africa, Middle-East and Turkey to advance their careers in sales by participating in a yearlong internship program with the company. Furthermore, fifty percent of the participants will also be given an opportunity to become full-time employees with the company, thus paving the path for their professional careers.

Women Empowerment  Key Ingredient for Economic and Social Growth

Our constant endeavor at Canon has always been to educate and empower the communities we operate in, we achieve this through different initiatives and programs that are rolled out on a consistent basis, thus contributing towards our end goal of advancing the world we live in. Gender equality and empowerment of women are key ingredients to create an inclusive society as well as to attain economic growth. The contribution of women towards Canons growth has been immense and this is evident in the 25% female representation in Sales in our CCNA region. The Women in Sales initiative is a brilliant platform for women who want to kick-start their careers in sales, receive invaluable mentorship from industry experts along with the possibility of becoming a full-time employee with Canon. Similar to our other empowerment initiatives, the Women in Sales program aims to create an enabling working environment for women by providing them the right set of tools required for professional success and satisfaction, commented Veronica Juul-Nyholm, the human resource director at the company.

Holistic Development and Growth

The women-only initiative is being rolled out in different locations simultaneously across Central and North Africa, Middle-East, Turkey and has specifically created, developed and implemented for this region. The program will offer several modules including blended learnings to participants to enhance their skill set and knowledge in sales. Additionally, the yearlong internship will be dissected into two parts namely the training program along with on-the-job experience. Each participant will also be assigned a mentor thus ensuring support and guidance for every woman participating in the program. The company envisions raising female representation in Sales Management roles to a minimum of 35% and is optimistic that the Women in Sales endeavor will sustain this vision.

The program kick-stared in February 2022 with ten women participants being selected from the different parts of the region namely Rahaf Alharbi, Ruba Moafa and Fatima Alamer from Riyadh  Saudi Arabia, Sila Ucar, Billur Konukcu and Senab Bayram from Istanbul  Turkey, Ajuma Gabriel from Lagos  Nigeria, Hind Abdoudaime from Casablanca  Morocco, Scholarstica Ochieng from Nairobi  Kenya and Shahnaz Bhandari from Dubai  UAE. The first phase of the program will focus on education, the second phase will involve execution and the third phase will include certification and on-boarding of successful participants into full-time Canon employees.

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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.

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.

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.

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.
Its bad enough when politicians enact witless economic policies with huge price tags, but its even worse when those policies destroy American lives and livelihoods. New research shows that this will be the pandemic-era legacy of the politicians that forcibly closed businesses, made people stay home, then incentivized millions of out-of-work Americans to give up the opportunity to get their lives back on track.

Its now clear that half the states kept destructive policies in place even after their devastating effects were known. What should have been a temporary bridge to keep people afloat while America tackled COVID-19 became a nightmare of dependence and depression.

In March of 2020, the federal government began paying weekly bonuses known as supplemental insurance to people on unemployment. That meant many people received more money from unemployment insurance than they did while working. It was even expanded to include those who hadnt paid into the program.

By the fall, the country began emerging from the pandemic, vaccines became available, and business started to open again and look for workers. The speed of American resilience was something to behold. But the government refused to make the transition with the rest of the country and kept paying people to stay home.

Eliminating peoples jobs and paying them to be unemployed was robbing millions of Americans of the dignity that comes with finding purpose and achieving self-sufficiency. It destroyed lives, driving dependency on government, contributing to drug and alcohol addiction, and exacerbating isolation and depression.

These effects of the program were blatantly obvious through the spring of 2021 but that didnt stop the Biden Administration and Congress from extending the benefits through September. By the summer of 2021, the nation had nearly 11 million unfilled jobs, a spike from just under 7.2 million at the beginning of the year.

Thats why 26 states decided to terminate the unemployment bonuses early instead of letting them expire in September 2021. At the time, some in the media portrayed the move as cruel, ripping critical funds away from those struggling during the pandemic.

But new research from the Texas Public Policy Foundation shows that the states that ended the benefits early had superior job growth, ending the soul-crushing dependency inflicted upon millions by the misguided policy. By the end of 2021, only Texas and three other states that ended the bonuses early had regained all the jobs that they lost during the pandemic.

In the states that continued paying the unemployment bonuses through September 2021, job growth was anemic. Roughly 3 million more people stayed on unemployment in states that maintained the increase in benefits versus the states that ended the program early.

The states that continued this policy deserve particular scorn for going down this fatuous path because they should have known better. The unemployment bonuses were first implemented in 2020 during the depths of the government-imposed restrictions and the disastrous results were known a year later. Yet they pushed forward full throttle irrespective of the harm it was causing to millions of Americans.

There were better solutions.

Early in the pandemic when much wasnt known, Congress could have eliminated federal payroll taxes. Instead of creating a new disincentive to work, policymakers could have removed an existing disincentive and let workers keep more of what they earned. A July 2020 study found that eliminating payroll taxes would have added 2.7 million jobs in six months.

Later, after we learned more about the pandemic and the costs of shutdowns, the Biden administration should have focused on ending state government-imposed shutdowns. These shutdowns were a failure that did little to nothing to mitigate the pandemics effects yet contributed to massive business closures and job losses, along with a host of other problems that will be long-lasting.

The experiment with unemployment bonuses should be closed and never opened again. It unnecessarily prolonged the economic devastation brought on the country by the pandemic and slowed the path to recovery for millions of Americans. Job creation proved to be the fastest road to provide help and hope.
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Florida, US (34429)

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China, India hold 15th corps commander level meeting

Xinhua) 17:06, March 13, 2022

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The 15th round China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Moldo-Chushul border meeting point on the Indian side on Friday, said China's Ministry of National Defense.

The two sides carried forward their discussions from the previous round held in January for the resolution of the relevant issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of China-India border areas, said the ministry in a statement.

They had a detailed exchange of views in this regard, in keeping with the guidance provided by the leaders of the two countries to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest possible date, it added.

They reaffirmed that such a resolution would help restore peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector and facilitate progress in bilateral relations.

The two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector in the interim, said the statement.

They also agreed to maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
Megan Hall, the woman charged with killing prominent jeweler Patrick Murphy, has been charged with sexual battery.

Online court records show the new charges were filed Saturday. A bond was set at $15,000. A rule to show cause hearing is set for May 11.

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Hall has been in New Orleans Parish Justice Center on $750,000 bond since March 3, 2019, charged with second-degree murder, armed robbery and obstruction of justice in Murphys death. A grand jury indicted her in June 2019.

Police say Murphy, who owned Murphy Jewelers with stores in Lehigh Valley Mall, Pottsville and Hamburg, was stabbed at the Empress Hotel in the Treme section of New Orleans. An employee found his body at 11:41 a.m. Murphy had been visiting the city with his wife after attending a jewelry convention.

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Video surveillance cameras showed Murphy and Hall at 2:10 a.m. arriving at the hotel together, prosecutors said. Hall was seen leaving the hotel room alone and briskly walking out the front door at 3:42 a.m., believed to be leaving with some of Murphys possessions, and no one else was seen entering or leaving the room until the housekeeper eight hours later, according to prosecutors.

A pre-trial conference is set for Wednesday March 16 and Halls trial is scheduled for April 18.

If Hall is convicted of the murder charge, she faces a mandatory lifetime prison sentence. A conviction for armed robbery is 10-99 years in state prison and up to 40 years for an obstruction charge.
Snorkelers flock around this West Indian manatee in this June, 2020 file photo taken above Kings Bay on the Crystal River. We cannot ignore the science. Manatees that are chased or harassed by people wanting to swim with the manatees do not have the energy or the ability to survive during inclement weather.
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Thinking about downsizing your permanent residence? Looking for a weekend retreat or a place for you and your family to get away for the whole summer? Then call and make your appointment to view this FULLY FURNISHED cabin nestled in the foothills of the Smoky Mountains at Edge of the Smokies
The recent crisis in Ukraine has so far resulted in an exodus of 1.5 million refugees to neighboring countries.

Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Moldavia and Poland have welcomed these refugees with open arms and hearts, offering food, shelter, toys for children, clothing and even money to make their resettlement a little more bearable. Poland alone welcomed more than 750,000 refugees.

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None of these countries complained about refugees crossing over their borders. None of these countries heard cries to build a wall. None of these countries saw its citizens treating these refugees in a disrespectful or demeaning way.

Perhaps Americans can learn a lesson in empathy when it comes to refugees and immigrants coming to our borders and welcome them with open arms, understanding, kindness and civility?

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Sam Ninfo

Bethlehem Township
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Photo taken on Sept. 3, 2020 shows a tree in a tropical rainforest in south China's Hainan Province. (Xinhua/Pu Xiaoxu)

HAIKOU, March 12 (Xinhua) -- When Tao Fengjiao was struck by lightning while planting trees in south China's Hainan Province, she emerged largely unscathed, with only a plume of black smoke rising from her hat.

Her fellow planters, all women, were terrified and thought that Tao had been killed, until she slowly got to her feet.

"They all said that the miracle testified to the old saying that 'one good turn deserves another.' It must have been a blessing in return for my years of tree-planting efforts," she said.

Tao, 63, hails from Qizi Bay, Changjiang Li Autonomous County. The bay, located on the tropical island of Hainan, was once a desert with hardly any living plants, but is now covered with lush green vegetation thanks to Tao and her sisters. The rural women, dubbed the "green detachment of women" by locals, have been planting coastal-protection forests around the bay for over three decades.

Tao still recalls the bay's sad condition back in the 1990s.

"No trees or grass would grow on the land," she said, adding that whenever a typhoon hit, the sky would be filled with dust and sand, and several local fishermen died due to the loss of visibility.

The local government had launched an afforestation project, hoping to increase the area's vegetation coverage. In 1992, a businessman took over the project on the barren land and paid the locals 7 yuan (about 1 U.S. dollar) per day per person to plant trees.

In Changjiang, most of the local men earned their living through fishing. Therefore, it was mainly the women that joined the tree-planting business, expecting some extra money to help their husbands ease the financial burden.

However, none of them were able to grow trees in the vast desert, with its high temperatures all year round.

Some German experts were responsible for guiding the project, but they shook their heads in sympathy, saying that the local geographical conditions made the mission impossible. As the efforts seemed to be futile, the businessman gave up the project.

The local government sent several local forestry experts to continue studying seed breeding at the bay and started to provide subsidies for the "green detachment of women" for planting trees.

Guided by these local experts, the female tree-planting team persevered with their work, focusing on two species. One was a plant nicknamed "wild pineapples," which usually grows to between 4 and 14 meters tall, while the other was the casuarina tree, an evergreen plant that measures between 6 and 35 meters tall. It was hoped that these two would help to anchor the ever-shifting sand.

However, the project was really hard work for the women. To protect the tree saplings from being blown away by the strong wind, they had to soak them in fresh water first, thus increasing their weight.

Back then, the rural Changjiang had no paved roads, nor any suitable vehicles that could carry the trees. Tao had to load about 60 kg of saplings onto her shoulders and walk bare-foot across the scorching sand.

"When we ran out of fresh water, we drank from cow troughs. The hot weather in the desert often turned our food bad, but we persevered. We could plant up to 400 trees a day at that time," said Tao.

Some people couldn't stand the tough conditions and left. But due to Tao's persistence, the team grew to more than 60 people at its peak.

Their decades of hard work paid off. To date, the tree-planting team has successfully grown about 5.88 million trees covering an area of 2,253 hectares, according to the latest statistics released by the county's forestry authorities.

"We're not just planting trees for a living, but also to protect local people's lives," Tao said.

At the end of 2018, the local government opened a museum to the public celebrating the women's tree-planting efforts. Tao is now one of the museum guides.

Though she may not recognize many Chinese characters on the display boards due to her poor education, she still vividly recalls scenes and stories from the past.

"I just cannot hold back my tears whenever I look back on the tough times we've been through. I love the trees as much as I love my kids," Tao said. 
$250M Jobs Plus Program has helped 11 organisations so far

Since being announced in November 2020, the New South Wales governments Jobs Plus Program has helped 11 organisations with plans to expand and create jobs.

The $250 million program works through assistance packages that include offering payroll tax exemptions, training rebates, and infrastructure spending.

[ Keep up on the latest thought leadership, insights, how-to, and analysis on IT through Computerworlds newsletters. ]

Six new recipients have been announced last week with a promise to support more than 1,900 jobs across the state. These include:

Baraja, which has reinvented light detection and ranging (lidar) for self-driving vehicles and will recruit highly skilled engineers to advance its Spectrum-Scan system, creating 120 direct jobs and 115 indirect jobs by June 2024.

Lexicon Digital Trust, which will expand its software engineering, delivery, and design consultancy business in Sydney, creating 30 direct jobs by June 2024.

Workit Spaces, an e-commerce coworking hub that will be supported to develop a 4,000-square-meter urban microfulfilment robotics pilot facility to deploy, commercialise, and showcase its Skutopia technology, an end-to-end eCommerce fulfilment solution. It expects to create 178 direct jobs and 305 indirect jobs by June 2024.

Australian businesses that currently employ 20 or more people, and international companies with at least 80 current Australian employees, that are looking to establish a minimum of 30 new jobs before June 2024 are eligible to apply for the Jobs Plus Program.

Minister for Enterprise, Investment, and Trade Stuart Ayres told Computerworld Australia that specifics of each assistance package are commercial in confidence.

NSW hires more STEM teachers

The first 100 science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers recruited from Australia and overseas are currently undergoing approval processes to start teaching across New South Wales schools in 2022.

This is part of the $125 million NSW Teacher Supply Strategy announced in October 2021 to hire more STEM teachers for New South Wales public schools. The plan is to recruit 560 by 2024.

New research centres in Brisbane and Melbourne

Queensland University of Technology will open an on-campus innovation centre dedicated to research and development across retail, supply chain, consumer behaviour and engagement, data privacy, and cybersecurity.

This will be done in partnership with Cisco, which will fit the hub with its technology and also cofund a chair in Trusted Retail and Logistics Innovation to help brands and logistics providers improve customer experience.

Those interested can submit proposals for three- to six-month projects.

Separately, Monash University has launched the Human-Centric Software Engineering (Humanise) Lab, a research hub that will focus on incorporating unique aspects of peoples needs and abilities into software engineering practices.

Humanise has already led research projects to create software to:

Better support users with physical and mental disabilities.

Make advertisements for software engineering jobs more gender-inclusive.

Address privacy issues in mobile applications.

Create user-friendly options to observe and assess emotions of team members in agile work environments.

Humanise will collaborate with teams across the world and In Australia, as well as local and federal government agencies, community organisations, and industry collaborators from the health, finance, and software sectors.

The Digital Platform Regulators Forum is born

Four Australian independent regulators have joined forces to create the Digital Platform Regulators Forum (DP-Reg) to share information about, and collaborate on, issues and activities on the regulation of digital platforms.

Digital platforms include internet search engines, digital content aggregators, social media services, private messaging services, media referral services, and electronic marketplaces.

The members are the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC), and the Office of the eSafety Commissioner. The regulators will share information to help consideration of how competition, consumer protection, privacy, online safety, and data issues intersect.

The group will be led by a rotating chair who will be supported by a rotating secretariat.
Child among seven Ukrainians killed as Russia strikes evacuation fleet: Reports

Ukraines intelligence service has said that seven people, including a child, were killed after Russia fired at a convoy that was evacuating women and children from Kyiv's Peremoha village.

UNDP, with support from Sweden, is urgently assisting the government of #Ukraine to provide digital support services for refugees and displaced people, and to chart where assistance is going to be needed most. Photo courtesy: Twitter/@UNDPUkraine

After the attack, the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back to Peremoha and are not letting them out of the village, the intelligence service said in a statement, adding that the total number of wounded was unknown, south china morning post reported.

Russians shot a column of women and children while trying to evacuate from the village of Peremoha in the Kyiv region along an agreed green corridor. Seven people died, including one child, it said.

Russia has denied targeting civilians since the start of the invasion on February 24 and has blamed Ukraine for repeated stumbles in efforts to evacuate people from the worst-hit areas, including the southern port city of Mariupol.

The Russian bombardment, which Moscow calls a special operation, has trapped thousands of people in besieged cities and sent 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing to neighbouring countries.

Ukraines President Volodymyr Zelensky said earlier on Saturday that the conflict meant some small Ukrainian towns no longer existed.

Refugees from Ukraine can use international long-distance trains to travel from Poland, Austria and the Czech Republic to Germany without a ticket.
Pricerani.in scored 40 Social Media Impact. Social Media Impact score is a measure of how much a site is popular on social networks. 2/5.0 Stars by Social Team

This CoolSocial report was updated on 2 Oct 2014, you can refresh this analysis whenever you want.

This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared the pricerani homepage on Twitter + the total number of pricerani followers (if pricerani has a Twitter account). The total number of people who shared the pricerani homepage on Google Plus by a google +1 button. The total number of people who shared the pricerani homepage on Delicious. The total number of people who shared the pricerani homepage on StumbleUpon. This is the sum of two values: the total number of people who shared, liked or recommended the pricerani homepage on Facebook + the total number of page likes (if pricerani has a Facebook fan page).

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PAGE TITLE PriceRani | Compare Prices & Buy DESCRIPTION KEYWORDS OTHER KEYWORDS camera, android, storage, processor, tablet, android v4, mp primary



The keywords meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. CoolSocial advanced keyword analysis tool is able to detect and analyze every keyword on each page of a site. The description meta-tag found in the head section of the homepage. The title found in the head section of the homepage. The URL (Uniform Resource Locator) is the address of the site.

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DOCTYPE HTML 5.0 CHARSET AND LANGUAGE English (United States) UTF-8English (United States) DETECTED LANGUAGE English English SERVER Apache/2.4.7 (Ubuntu) (PHP/5.5.9-1ubuntu4.3) OPERATIVE SYSTEM Linux Linux

Operative System running on the server. The language of pricerani.in as detected by CoolSocial algorithms. Type of server and offered services. Character set and language of the site. Represents HTML declared type (e.g.: XHTML 1.1, HTML 4.0, the new HTML 5.0)

Site Traffic trend during the last year. Only available for sites ranked <= 100000 in the world.

Referring domains for pricerani.in by MajesticSeo. High values are a sign of site importance over the web and on web engines.

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Residents queue to receive nucleic acid tests at a community in east China's Shanghai, March 13, 2022. (Xinhua/Gao Feng)

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China is taking strict and swift measures to stem new COVID-19 infections that have emerged in multiple regions recently.

The Chinese mainland on Saturday reported 1,807 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases in 19 provincial-level regions, the National Health Commission (NHC) said Sunday.

Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday urged regions experiencing severe epidemic outbreaks to clear COVID-19 cases among the general public in the shortest time possible.

Efforts should be made to expand the coverage of nucleic acid testing, accelerate epidemiological screening and patient transportation and isolation, and apply quarantine measures in a strict way, said Sun.

As part of the swift COVID-19 responses, China has added antigen detection as an option for COVID-19 testing among the public, in efforts to boost the early discovery of COVID-19 cases, the NHC said Friday.

Local authorities have also tightened measures to contain the new infections.

Shanghai on Saturday required citizens not to leave the city if not necessary and those who do must hold a certificate for a negative nucleic acid test results taken 48 hours before departure.

In the first two months of 2022, the megacity, with a population of nearly 25 million, has logged 1,243 confirmed COVID-19 cases arriving from outside the Chinese mainland, accounting for about 38 percent of total such cases on the mainland. The number is also roughly equivalent to 80 percent of Shanghai's total imported cases last year.

The city has required primary and secondary schools to switch to online classes and temporarily closed kindergartens and nurseries from Saturday after 11 locally transmitted COVID-19 cases and 32 imported cases were reported Thursday.

In northeast China's Jilin Province, which reported 1,412 local cases Saturday, local authorities have conducted multiple rounds of mass nucleic acid testing in face of the Omicron variant, which spreads easily and is hard to detect.

The city of Jilin conducted six rounds of mass nucleic acid testing and the Jiutai district in the provincial capital Changchun completed three rounds, while the rest of the city conducted two rounds.

Zhang Yan, deputy head of the provincial health commission, said the mass health screenings have allowed potential infections to be discovered in communities.

In face of the surging cases, the city of Changchun is building a makeshift hospital at an exhibition center that can provide more than 1,500 beds. In the city of Jilin, local authorities have built three makeshift hospitals, which can offer over 1,200 beds. The fourth one with over 2,000 beds is under construction.

Communities workers are in full swing to make sure COVID-19 prevention and control measures are implemented.

"We set up health checkpoints, organize nucleic acid tests, and deliver daily supplies to residents under quarantine during the day and work on shifts at night on epidemiological investigations, so we just slept in the office," said Shi Dan, a community worker in the city of Jilin.

"Despite this, no one backs down," she said. "We all want to win over the epidemic soon." 
Dog owners in Connecticut would face a new requirement for sheltering their pets during extreme weather conditions and additional rules for tethering them under a bill advanced Friday by the legislative Planning and Development Committee.

The proposal was prompted by concerns about the living conditions of a dog in Fairfield, which led to a police investigation. Police said the probe turned up no violation of animal control laws.

Supporters of the bill said it would empower animal control officers to act in cases of abuse and neglect. Officials who responded to the Fairfield home said existing law was not as clear as it needed to be for them to take action, said Rep. Jennifer Leeper, D-Fairfield, the major proponent of the bill along with Rep. Laura Devlin, R-Fairfield.

The bill defines adequate shelter as providing space for a dog to sit, lie down and turn, is soundly constructed, and during cold weather conditions is enclosed and insulated to an extent sufficient to permit a dog to maintain normal body temperatures, among other requirements.

If a weather advisory or warning is issued by the National Weather Service, including for extreme heat or snow, posing a health or safety risk to a dog, depending on its breed, size, age, thickness of coat or physical condition, owners would be prohibited from tethering the animal outside for longer than 15 minutes and would be required to provide adequate shelter for the dog if they are outside for more than 15 minutes.

The bill stipulates those conditions would only come into play if the owner is not outside with the dog during the weather event.

The Connecticut chapter of the U.S. Humane Society advised lawmakers to consider temporary amnesty periods to give dog owners time to adjust to the new requirements.

Rep. Doug Dubitsky, R-Chaplin, was among the three opposing votes during the planning and development committees meeting Friday. Dubitsky said changes to the bills language are needed, including to address the concerns of owners of sporting dogs who very often spend their lives outside and are perfectly happy and healthy doing so.

Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vahey, D-Fairfield, co-chair of the committee, said conversations would continue on how to best craft the legislation, but theres universal agreement among members to ensure dogs are safe and adequately cared for.

The proposal, which has bipartisan backing in the General Assembly, received overwhelming support at a public hearing last month.

Julie Loparo, president of the Westport Animal Shelter Advocates, described some of the cases of neglect that she and other volunteers have witnessed, including a mother golden retriever digging desperately in the dirt to create a hole for her young pups to provide them relief from 90-plus degree heat as the mesh shelter provides them with no relief inside their pen.

Loparo said town officials were contacted about the clearly deplorable and cruel situations she observed, but they said they couldnt do anything because theres no definition of adequate shelter for dogs in state law.

Speaking against the bill, Marlborough resident Carol Phelps said she is supportive of efforts to look out for the welfare of animals, but was concerned about a one-size-fits-all approach to address a very complex issue like shelter and tethering.

It is possible a perfectly adequate and safe solution developed by a loving owner will fall short of the requirements of this bill, Phelps said in testimony.

julia.bergman@hearstmediact.com
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GREENWICH  As the war in Ukraine rages following the Russian invasion, renewed attention is focused on the so-called Russian oligarchs.

Supremely wealthy Russian businessmen, oligarchs notoriously make their homes at times aboard luxurious yachts, as well as in fabulous apartments in London, midtown Manhattan, the French Riviera and Israel. According to a 2017 study of Russian oligarchs published by the U.S.-based National Economic Bureau, as much as $800 billion is held by wealthy Russians in the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Cyprus and other banking centers. That vast fortune is linked to Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to international finance analysts, and he is believed to benefit from the billions in cash and overseas assets held by trusted friends and relatives.

Wealthy Russians have also left a significant impression in Greenwich in recent decades.

They tend to keep a low profile in town, but the oligarchs have drawn attention due to their lavish lifestyle and taste for grand residences.

Russia multimillionaires Olga and Valery Kogan caused an uproar in 2008 when they proposed building an enormous mansion in midcountry Greenwich after demolishing the existing structure on their property.

The proposed 27,000-square-foot structure was notable for its plans to feature a home theater, a gym and 28 separate toilets. A revised plan was eventually approved for the property.

Frank Farricker, who was on the planning commission at the time, said he can recall the furor clearly. It was the only time he has ever been interviewed by the Russian media.

I remember it exactly, said Farricker, a former chairman of the Greenwich Democratic Town Committee. The people (in the neighborhood) were apoplectic. (The Kogans) wanted to build a huge home with a recording studio, a full-sized gym, and the only one who was going to use it was a 26-year-old son on weekends.

The proposal caused intense controversy in Greenwich and also made headlines in Russia. It was very strange, very international. The Moscow papers covered it, we were interviewed by Russian media, Farricker recalled. He said it was a vivid demonstration of how wealth from Russia had made a place in Greenwich.

A scaled-down renovation of the 19,000-square-foot home was eventually approved by the planning commission in 2010, after the Kogans dropped the earlier plans to demolish the structure and re-build.

According to media reports, Valery Kogan also built lavish homes in Israel. The Greenwich estate, which was purchased by Olga Kogan for $18.5 million in 2005, is listed under her name, according to the town assessors office.

Valery Kogan, once ranked on Forbes top billionaires list, made his fortune as co-owner of Moscows Domodedovo International Airport. It is unclear if he has direct ties to Putin.

Calls and messages left for the Kogan family were not returned.

A bitter divorce case in 2009 also brought extensive attention to Shalva Chigirinsky, who made a fortune in Russian oil and real estate, and his former wife, Tatiana Panchenkova. The divorce, including disputes over custody and property, also involved a Greenwich police investigation. Chigirinsky was charged with risk of injury to a minor by Greenwich police in 2016. He maintained he was innocent, and the charges were later dropped.

Chigirinsky was also previously ranked on Forbes top billionaires list. It is unclear if he has direct ties to Putin.

Efforts to reach Chigirinsky, who resides in Great Britain, were unsuccessful. A lawyer who represented him when he lived in Greenwich, George Benaur, had no immediate comment.

Tatiana Panchenkova still owns a residence in midcountry Greenwich, purchased for $11.1 million in 2011, according to the town assessors office. She also owned property in East Hampton, according to land-use records filed in the village of East Hampton, N.Y.

The couple, before they divorced, once paid $17.3 million for a townhouse on the Upper East Side of Manhattan that measured nearly 4,000 square feet.

Panchenkova did not respond to a request for comment.

The ultra-wealthy

A number of other wealthy and ultra-wealthy Russians have also lived in Greenwich over the past decade or two.

Professor Christopher Ball, an expert on international macro-economics at Quinnipiac University, says the Russian oligarchs have to find ways to park their wealth outside of Russia, due to the unstable nature of the corrupt financial and judicial system there.

If you are a Russian oligarch, then you dont want to hold much wealth in traditional investments because they can be seized or frozen at any time with a few computer keystrokes, said Ball. So in addition to enjoying expensive cars, yachts and homes, the additional motivation of owning physical assets is to keep them from being seized at any time. Secondly, you dont want to hold all them in your home country. Its safer to buy assets in foreign countries. If you buy a nice place in Greenwich, and then you buy some nice art, you have a pretty good set-up.

Ball, director of the Central European Institute at Quinnipiac, said Russian oligarch are found in all of the nice places to live around the world.

They want to keep their stuff in three or four countries, he said. They want a mix, just like a portfolio manager. And theres a barrier to going after them if they do it across multiple countries.

Ultra-wealthy Russians and other Eastern Europeans who have made a fortune in Russia generally stay clear of publicity, Ball said. Theyre usually good citizens. Theyre law-abiding and keep a low profile. They dont want to call any attention to their properties  its their wealth and their retirement account, he said.

Since the recent Russian invasion of Ukraine, authorities in the U.S. and Europe have been confiscating yachts and imposing financial penalties on Putins closest financial allies, who have been placed on a sanctions list, and more asset seizures are planned.

The aim is to ensure that a business-as-usual approach cannot continue for Putin and his allies, and to change the risk calculus for Putin as the invasion of Ukraine continues, said a pro-Ukrainian activist, Jaroslaw Palylyk.

Palylyk has been urging a more forceful response to the invasion by the Western bloc and says oligarchs should be targeted.

Its the money. If they dont have access to their money, theyre going to start opting out, taking their investments out, deciding its not working any more, said Palylyk, a resident of Rye, N.Y., who also owns property in Greenwich and has family in Connecticut.

Ordinary Russian immigrants should not be punished or stigmatized in the U.S., he said. We are not a hostile people, he said of the Ukrainian-American community.

President of the New York and Westchester chapter of the Ukrainian Congress Committee of America, Palylyk has also been representing the Ukrainian community in southern Connecticut. He said financial penalties on the oligarchs needed to be stepped up, along with other military, financial and diplomatic initiatives.

We must impose more sanctions against Russian politicians, oligarchs, and others who openly support Putin, he said.

Includes prior reporting by The Associated Press.

rmarchant@greenwichtime.com
With snow blanketing the state one day and mid-March temperatures hovering at 60 degrees the next, its hard to imagine what the heat index in our schools might be in a few short months.

That is, unless you spend your days in a classroom.

Connecticuts aging school buildings  many of them constructed more than 50 years ago  typically have outdated, poorly maintained or nonexistent heating, ventilation and cooling systems. Classrooms often have windows that dont open. Some have no windows at all.

Students and teachers know that by the end of the school year, indoor air temperatures will likely reach a sweltering 85 or 95 degrees. Even less obvious than the heat and humidity (but no less problematic) is the incidence of mold, dirty air ducts, rodent droppings and other health hazards making our school communities sick.

Make no mistake  these problems existed before the pandemic.

Today, however, COVID-19 highlights the urgency regarding concerns about air quality and air circulation in schools, where children spend the vast majority of their days.

Last spring, my colleagues and our students found ourselves in second-floor classrooms with temperatures and humidity levels at dangerously high levels. We were not alone. By early June, any given day was seeing dozens of Connecticut school closures due to oppressive heat. While the rooms in my school were hitting 95 degrees on a regular basis, several were in the triple digits. Some recorded temperatures of 108.

We want our schools to be places where students feel safe, comfortable and cared for, but that is simply not the reality. With indoor air temperatures consistently reaching unsafe levels at the beginning and end of every school year, students are hit with a double whammy: learning is next to impossible, and we see a greater incidence of heatstroke, dehydration, migraines and asthma-related illness.

For perspective, Connecticut has laws on the books regulating minimum and maximum temperatures at pet stores  65 to 78 degrees. Remarkably, no such protections exist for children at school.

Connecticut lawmakers have an opportunity to change that, and we urge them to act now. A proposal before the Legislatures Labor Committee  SB 423: An Act Improving Indoor Air Quality in Public School Classrooms  would establish minimum and maximum school temperature and humidity levels for schools and provide bond funding for remediation and installation of modern HVAC systems.

The quality of our educational facilities matters. For better or worse, school environments impact everything from our students physical and mental health to their behavior, memory and academic performance, and how much or how little we invest in them sends a message.

What does it say about how we value our students when we send them into buildings with mold in the ceilings, or roofs that leak? What does it say when we expect them to bundle up in coats indoors all winter, or send them home in the heat? What does it say about how children from low-income, minority or rural families are valued when they are far more likely to attend underfunded schools? What are the odds of retaining teachers in a district that neglects their work environment? We cannot achieve true health or education equity or excellence when we send children to crumbling, understaffed schools.

Bringing school facility standards in line with those weve established for pets is a start. Ensuring that they remain the safe, comfortable environment our students deserve will require an ongoing commitment.

Our elected officials have an opportunity to make that commitment this legislative session. We urge them to act now.

Kate Dias is president of the Connecticut Education Association.
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U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal and fellow Congressional leaders visited the Ukraine-Poland border Sunday to witness the developing humanitarian crisis firsthand, just hours after Russian airstrikes hammered a nearby Ukrainian town overnight.

The officials have visited soup kitchens and temporary holding centers for the millions of Ukrainian refugees expected to cross the border. Most of them are women and children, Blumenthal said.

We were at the border crossing, seeing some of the women and children fleeing those bombs...literally waking up this morning to missiles hitting their home and the camp, Blumenthal said. The terror and tragedy of this indiscriminate destruction was on their faces, in their tears and their voices.

He described the atmosphere on the ground and among American officials as really, deeply sober.

Blumenthal, a Connecticut Democrat, was joined by fellow Democrat Sen. Amy Klobuchar, of Minnesota, and Republican Sens. Rob Portman, of Ohio, and Roger Wicker, of Mississippi, as they met with Ukrainian refugees affected by the crisis and toured refugee sites along the border.

The group will return to the U.S. Monday after speaking with a number of Polish defense officials in Warsaw, Blumenthal said.

Ive been deeply impressed by the resolve and resilience of Ukrainian people despite the savage, insidious invasion and war crimes by Russia, Blumenthal said, adding he was also impressed by the courage and skill of our American troops helping to supply the Ukrainians as well as bolster the NATO defense.

The United Nations is investigating allegation of war crimes, the Associated Press reports.

Early Sunday, Russian warplanes launched nearly 30 missiles at a training ground in Lviv, located less than 15 miles away from the Poland border, killing 35 and injuring 134 people, according to reports. After the attack, U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned of a robust NATO response should Russian forces attempt any attack on Poland.

Blumenthal called the latest spate of violence very deeply concerning, especially as a sign of the wars westward expansion toward NATO member nations, such as Poland.

If Putin were to directly threaten member nations, the United States would have a moral and legal obligation to ramp up its involvement, Blumenthal said.

In a release, Blumenthal said he would continue pressuring fellow American officials to provide more ammunition, airplanes and other lethal aid. He said it was absolutely urgent to keep Ukrainians equipped in the fight.

He also pointed to need for aid with the humanitarian crisis, with Polish shelters in need of food, living and medical supplies.

Blumenthal asked Connecticut residents to continue donating anything they can, with even clothing and blankets being put to good use.

I saw firsthand piles of blankets, clothing  so I know those that are being collected throughout Connecticut by the Ukrainian -American community are reaching the refugees that need really any and all donations, Blumenthal said.
File photo provided by the interviewee shows Tungamirai Eric Mupona (C), a Zimbabwean student who majors in international affairs and global governance at Zhejiang University, selling local products via livestreaming in Xingxian County, north China's Shanxi Province, July 15, 2021.(Xinhua)

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China's "two sessions," the annual gatherings of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), offer foreign students in China a window to observe the country's development trend.

Pir Tariq Shah, a doctoral student majoring in microbiology at Shanxi University, followed the events. The Pakistani student was impressed by China's achievements last year.

China's gross domestic product (GDP) exceeded the 110-trillion-yuan (about 17.3 trillion U.S. dollars) threshold in 2021, an increase of 8.1 percent over 2020, according to the government work report.

"As a major economy in the world, China played a crucial role in stabilizing the global economy," he said.

For many foreign students, the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is the topic of the most concern during the "two sessions."

The government work report said that China will promote high-quality cooperation under the BRI, remaining committed to the principle of achieving shared growth through consultation and collaboration. Tariq believed that this will boost growth for participating countries.

Connecting Kashgar, northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, and Gwadar Port, Pakistan, the 3,000-km China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) covers transportation, energy, agriculture and other construction projects, which brought tangible benefit to local people.

The Koto Hydropower Project is an example of China's participation in Pakistan's infrastructure construction. With the help of Chinese contractors, the project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province, Pakistan, is nearing completion and is expected to generate clean energy this year.

"China's investment in Pakistan enabled more local people to have jobs and laid a foundation for sustainable development in the future," said Tariq.

Passy Charles Riseph, a student from the Republic of the Congo who majors in Business Management at Shanxi University, was a direct beneficiary of the BRI.

From 2010 to 2014, he worked as a translator in the construction of the Maya-Maya Airport in Brazzaville, also a project undertaken by a Chinese company.

"Our airport had only one floor in the past. While after the construction was completed, it was at one point the most competitive airport in Central Africa," Riseph said.

The experience inspired him to study in China. In 2014, he took off from the new airport and arrived in China for a new adventure.

China is now participating in the construction of the Republic of the Congo's Pointe-Noire Special Economic Zone. Riseph hopes that one day his country can also own a special economic zone as developed as China's Shenzhen.

Tungamirai Eric Mupona, a Zimbabwean student who majors in international affairs and global governance at Zhejiang University, cares more about the topic of rural development.

In recent years, he visited rural areas in Ningxia, Jiangxi, Zhejiang and other places, hoping to learn from China's poverty alleviation experience and apply it to his hometown.

The government work report mentioned that China will fully consolidate and build on its achievements in poverty elimination by promoting all-round rural vitalization.

"It is of great significance for promoting the continuous income increase of poverty-stricken people and preventing large-scale return to poverty," Mupona said.

Last summer, Mupona and more than 10 African youths came to Xingxian County, Shanxi Province to explore the magic code of poverty alleviation in this former national poverty-stricken county.

During a week's visit, he found that the local households had moved from earthen caves in the mountains to residential areas with complete living facilities.

Through the development of paper-cutting, millet planting and other industries under the guidance of the government and village cadres, the income of the villagers had been continuously increased.

"China's economic achievement has brought not only opportunities but also confidence to developing countries," said Riseph, who is determined to go back to his country and put his knowledge to use. "I want more compatriots to live better lives in the future." 

File photo provided by the interviewee shows Pir Tariq Shah, a doctoral student majoring in microbiology at a lab in Shanxi University in Taiyuan, north China's Shanxi Province, May 21, 2021.(Xinhua)
Pets are adorable when they request belly rubs or cuddle up to you on the sofa, but they can easily become your home's - and cushions - worst nightmare.

That is a lesson the owners of some of the UK's naughtiest dogs and cats have learned the hard way.

After receiving 150 entries from pet owners claiming their pet is the naughtiest, contents insurance providers, SO-SURE picked their top ten, with the winner taking home a 200 voucher.

Layla, a one-year-old mixed breed from Haverfordwest, took home the first place after showing very little remorse when her horrified owners found out she ripped one of their sofa's cushions to pieces, leaving a trail of white feathers behind.

Meanwhile, 12-weeks-old Moggy cats Orion and Cleo, from Portsmouth, worked in concert to destroy the bathroom's loo roll and got sixth place.

And innocent-looking 12-weeks-old Sproodle Shelby thought she had everyone fooled, but the gaping hole in her owner's sofa gave away her crime, earing herself the seventh spot.

Red pawed! A gallery collated by Contents insurance providers, SO-SURE has exposed the UK's naughtiest pets. Laya, a mixed breed from Haverfordwest was caught destroying all the cushions on her owner's sofa and covering the living room in feathers and took home the first space, and a 200 voucher

Lightning, a Greyhound from Bournemouth, came in fourth place as making fast work of the old mattress topper his owner gave him as a new bed

A hole in the cover story! 12-week-old Sproodle Shelby's innocent looks did not help her when her owners discovered a gaping hole in their leather sofa, which happened to be right next to her face. She got seventh place

Someone call the referee! Evie, a playful Labradoodle from Leeds, looked brazenly smug when her owner realised she had chewed through their goal net. She arrived in second position

Young Labradors are known to be particularly mischievous, and while she's much quieter now that she is 13, Daisy, a beautiful chocolate-coloured Labrador, was a terror when she was younger. When she was two, she ransacked her owner's kitchen while looking for treats, earning herself the third sport

Buster the bulldog from Chelmsford does not look to be the mischievous type, but his owners have learned the hard way not to leave him alone with the sofa cushions when their covers are in the wash: he might be peckish. The six-year-old pup was ranked the UK's sixth naughtiest pet

Team work makes dream work! 12-weeks-old Moggy cats Orion and Cleo, from Portsmouth, worked in concert to destroy the bathroom's loo roll and got the sixth position

Derek the Dachshund, who lives in Leeds with his owners have developed a taste for ladies footwear. Indeed, his owner's favourite pair of heels proved a very palatable snack and earned him the tenth spot on the list

Small, but mighty! Gwynnie might be a miniature Dachshund, but the scale of her misdeed did not escape her owner, who found her rolling around on the floor, tucked in a pillow she had ripped open after playing with its foam. Gwynnie for fifth place
A fashion designer has taken aim at her 'sizeist' industry, slamming body-shaming practices and events which publicly promote inclusivity while 'cancelling anyone over a size ten behind closed doors'.

Leina Broughton, lead designer and co-founder of Leina and Fleur, told FEMAIL she no longer attends the Melbourne Fashion Festival or Sydney's Fashion Week because she's sick of the lack of 'normal women' on display.

'The women at these events do not represent Australian women. I love fashion but if I were to attend these events I would be going against everything I stand for,' she said.

'The biggest woman on the catwalk was a healthy 10,' the 44-year-old designer claimed.

But a spokesperson from the PayPal Melbourne Festival said there was at least one size 12 woman on the runway in every show.

Leina Broughton, left, with Fleur Richardson, her business partner, wants fashion events to be inclusive

She is boycotting the events until brands make more efforts to cater for average sized women which is 12-14 in Australia - her models in a shoot are pictured

'We believe all designers in main runway shows go to at least to a size 12,' they said.

In a lengthy statement which has been posted in full below the spokesperson said the organisers 'recognise the significant role the fashion industry plays in shaping the cultural ideals of society.'

The designer, who has been in the industry for 25 years says her brand made the shift to include women up to size 24 in 2014, when data revealed the tall size 8 archetype was out of touch with reality.

'The average Australian woman is a size 12 to 14, so why aren't we seeing her at the shows, in the pictures or on the catwalk,' she asked.

'I understand it takes time to train models and brands want the most experienced women at these events but the lack of diversity is disgusting.'

Ms Broughton said she became furious last year after learning size 12 models were invited to a major fashion event before being told they had to 'sit in the crowd'.

'What message does that send to Australian women, that only women up to size ten can be on display, it is segregation,' she said.

Poll Is it time to see bigger models on the runway? No, keep it like it is. Yes, to size 12. Yes, to size 14. Yes, to size 16. Yes, to size 18. It should go to size 24. Is it time to see bigger models on the runway? No, keep it like it is. 24 votes

Yes, to size 12. 28 votes

Yes, to size 14. 48 votes

Yes, to size 16. 30 votes

Yes, to size 18. 51 votes

It should go to size 24. 71 votes Now share your opinion





This comes at a time when eating disorders have skyrocketed - according to Swinburne University there's been a 60 per cent spike in reports of restricted eating in women and girls over two years.

'This messaging is adding to that. It's not just teenagers with these disorders, it's young mums and business women, people who think they aren't meeting society's beauty standards because of their size.'

She has been left further disillusioned by the industry she loves after realising many brands and influencers are against change.

'There are people out there who will admit they don't want to have their lines go up to a size 14 or 16 because they don't want those women wearing them,' she said.

'I've heard so many stories from women who have the income and desire to purchase from fashion brands, but the thought of going into a store where all that is on offer for their size is a scarf or accessory is embarrassing and belittling.'

'When I fight for this I am told I care because I am a plus-size designer. I am not. I am a designer who makes her line to fit real women, to fit her customers.'

The range is suited for women from size 8-24.

The designer would also like to see a more diverse age-range across brands

'We follow the bell curve model in production, we make the most size 12 and 14 pieces and then slowly drop the numbers following that curve.

'This means only 3 per cent of the clothes made in each style are an 8 and a 24, while 30percent could be in the common sizes.'

According to the designer only 5percent of labels at this year's Melbourne event cater for women above size 16.

The festival spokesperson said 'almost all' designers offer up to a 14 before naming a list of 14 designers who offer sizes up to 16 and three who offer to size 18.

'The timing of Melbourne Fashion festival falling across International Women's Day and yet once again highlighting the inequality of luxury and how high end is showcased is so disappointing,' she said.

'The timing of Melbourne Fashion festival falling across International Women's Day and yet once again highlighting the inequality of luxury and how high end is showcased is so disappointing,' she said

Before adding that she understands change takes time and she doesn't expect designers to change their lines overnight.

'I would love for them to join the conversation, to make a commitment to expand their range to include a minimum size 18 by 2025.'

'Mature, veteran, and curve models walked in Pierpaolo Piccioli's latest show, surely if Valentino can aim to bring inclusivity to couture, other brands can too.'

Leina says there is some technical skill to making larger clothes but it shouldn't be too difficult for them to develop a more diverse line.

She also commended Ginger and Smart, Rachel Gilbert and Amber Days for catering for more women with their lines.

Leina believes women of all shapes and sizes deserve to be able to wear designer labels and feel confident walking into a store without being told they are too big

The designer pulled her clothes from boutiques in 2014 after they consistently refused to order anything over a size 14.

Since then she has been selling online only.

'I didn't want to be directing my customers somewhere only for them to not be able to get the dress they wanted in the right size, that doesn't reflect my brand,' she said.

'The industry needs to look at their bottom line, who is their customer, these women are spending thousands of dollars on clothes, might have 50 dresses at home yet they aren't represented.

Full statement from Melbourne Fashion Festival: The PayPal Melbourne Fashion Festival recognises the significant role the fashion industry plays in shaping the cultural ideals of society. The Festival showcases a diverse range of healthy models through the fashion and event programs from diverse cultural nationalities, ages and body types. The Festival sets strong guidelines when casting models, reinforcing the current professional practice of Australian modelling agencies. The program is created through curation, application and invitation. All brands are welcome to apply to participate including the option to stage their own events and runways. The Festival welcomes brands and organisers that bring diverse perspectives and represent diverse customer bases, and the selection process prioritises activities that speak to inclusion be it in the realm of social change, gender, sustainability, First Nations, size inclusivity or other areas that the current program highlights and celebrates. What the festival does to make it inclusive and accessible In 2022, a multitude of industry practitioners' work in the program represents inclusion and positive change activism through the powerful medium of fashion. There has been immense progress in size inclusivity across the many facets of the fashion industry in the past decade, and the Festival has been proactive in that evolution. As a consumer-facing fashion event, it has been an organic evolution in the casting practice that size inclusivity is delivered upon as a customer expectation, in balance with industry machinations that have also had to evolve to facilitate the production realities that go alongside such changes. An important component of stepping toward size diversity is working with designers, stylists and producers on the logistics of the garments available for the runway. Addressing sample sizes and the logistics of accessing garments in different sizes from designers, has been a significant backend barrier to more progressive size inclusivity. Because the Festival showcases collections as they launch in-store, these barriers are less present in Festival runway operations than other trade events as it can draw on retail stock to more readily dress talent of non-sample size. Alongside the Festivals ongoing progress across the fashion inclusivity spectrum, the Festival has also crafted and invested in statement-making moments to push its values to the fore. International supermodel, Ashley Graham was the Face of the Festival in 2019, and in 2020 Celeste Barber walked the runway. The feedback from audiences to both of these moments was overwhelming. Both Graham and Barber also presented at the Australian Fashion Summit and further boosted the momentum for size inclusivity. There is an immense amount of progress still to be made which the industry ecosystem is working towards in meaningful ways. As a casting entity, the Festival looks forward to the day when size inclusive talent are readily available through the top agencies, at the same fee structure as other talent. Representation at this years event The 2022 program spans 10 style-packed days of free and ticketed events that are glamorous, thought-provoking, accessible, fun, and most importantly are for everyone to enjoy. Of the five runways at ACMI, over six models size 12 or above have been cast, with between one and four walking in each show. Almost all designers showcasing on the program offer up to a size 14 and a large number offer sizes above a 14, these include (but are not limited to):  Aje -size 16  Alice McCall - size 16  Rachel Gilbert - size 18  Arnsdorf -size 14 and offer made to order with measurements for any size  Bianca Spender  size 18  Manning Cartell - size 16  MASTANI - size16 and offer made to order with measurements for any size  ACLER - size 16  Bec + Bridge - size 18  Joslin  size 16  We Are Kindred - size 16  STRATEAS CARLUCCI - size 14 and offer made to order with measurements for any size  OROTON  size 16  Anna Quan  size 16 Advertisement

'Imagine heading to a department store with a group of friends only for one of them to be told they have to go to a different level to be served,' she said

She would like representation to change on the catwalk, in advertising and in store.

'Imagine heading to a department store with a group of friends only for one of them to be told they have to go to a different level to be served.

'So while you look in women's fashion they are sent down stairs to the back corner where plus-sized clothes are kept.

'It shouldn't be like that, we need to make a change.'

Leina owns her business alongside Fleur Richardson who has a background working with high profile fashion brands such as Dom Bagnato and Sacha Drake.


The government is now sending people suffering from drug induced mental illnesses to Chikurubi Maximum Security Prison to detoxify as public hospitals are being overwhelmed by the number of patients seeking treatment, it has emerged.

Zimbabwe is battling rampant drug abuse induced mental illness challenges, with the number of patients reportedly spiralling out of control.

Two psychiatric units at Sally Mugabe and Parirenyatwa hospitals in Harare have been handling an alarming number of patients with mental illnesses and the bulk of them are drug addicts.

An official at Sally Mugabe Central Hospital said patients that were considered to be too violent were being sent to Chikurubi.

They undergo a detoxification process for at least three months, the official, who is not authorised to speak to the media, said.

The psychatric units are handling many cases and in some cases mental patients cannot be admitted because the wards are full.

Violent mental patients at times are sent to Chikurubi for a while. It would have been established that they are a danger to themselves as well as others.

Sally Mugabe Central Hospital psychiatric unit clinical director Hopewell Mungani confirmed that violent patients were being sent to Chikurubi.

The drug abuse problem has and is growing greatly, Mungani said.

We admit patients who are in crisis for example psychotic, suicidal or homocidal due to drug abuse.

We do not have capacity to admit for a long term rehabilitation.

Ideally substance use patients need a dedicated robust community treatment follow-up before and after we discharge them.

We only send dangerous patients to Chikurubi, for example, those that are repeatedly violent and or those who are committing crimes to fund the drugs or because they are intoxicated.

Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association president Johannes Marisa said youths were taking drugs to escape the harsh realities of the countrys deep socio-economic crisis.

We are in trouble as a country, Marisa said.

Almost 40% of youths are resorting to drug and substance abuse.

This is largely due to high levels of unemployment.

It is a pity that lives are lost daily, injuries occurring daily while cognitive function is gradually depleted.

It has become fashionable in some locations to use drugs such as cannabis, cocaine, methamphetamine, musombo, twumbwa, sodium polyacylate (from diapers) and alcohol.

Approximately one in every four Zimbabweans suffers from a mental health disorder of some form and suicide is the second leading cause of death among people aged 15 to 28.

The country has only nine institutions that offer mental health services and only two of these facilities have psychiatrists. Standard
The owner of a replica Bluey house - complete with a canary yellow exterior and rainbow coloured playroom - has been banned on promoting the likeness by the BBC, distributors of the hit Australian cartoon show.

Emma Hoskin is the proud owner of 'Bluey's Heeler House' in Paddington, Brisbane, which was transformed with the help of Airbnb to allow one lucky family to stay in it over a weekend in February.

But after spending a month on promotional material - and several news outlets picking up the story - Ms Hoskin was informed she could no longer connect her home to Bluey now that she wants to sell it.

Emma Hoskin is the proud owner of 'Bluey's Heeler House' in Paddington, Brisbane, which was transformed with the help of Airbnb to allow one lucky family to stay in it over a weekend in February

But after spending a month on promotional material - and several news outlets picking up the story - Ms Hoskin was informed she could no longer connect her home to Bluey now that she wants to sell it

According to the Courier Mail, selling agent Chris Gower received a call from the British Broadcasting Corporation last week asking him to take down a social media post that linked Ms Hoskin's home to Bluey.

But Mr Gower is unsure that will make a difference now that a quick search of the home online brings up hundreds of material connecting the two already, courtesy of the Airbnb competition.

Thousands of Aussie families have walked past the home in recent weeks, with Ms Hoskin formed to deploy security guards and traffic controllers to keep the peace.

The Bluey home comfortably fits two adults and two children (pictured)

The plan was always to take down the yellow facade and revert it back to its previous design before selling the hugely popular house, with neighbours hoping Ms Hoskin gives the furniture inside to flood victims.

But even after tearing down the 'Bluey' aspects of the property the BBC are still asking for Ms Hoskin to avoid bringing up its past life as the blue heeler puppies' real-life home.

The popular children's cartoon Bluey has been screened in more than 60 countries.

The brightly-coloured home features a yellow exterior with a pink roof, staircase leading to the front porch and incredible bedrooms with something to look at in every corner

The Bluey home, as it was known, comfortably fits two adults and two children.

When it was renovated the brightly-coloured home featured a yellow exterior with a pink roof, staircase leading to the front porch and incredible bedrooms with something to look at in every corner.

This was the first time in Australia guests have been offered an 'Only On AirBnB' experience, as in the US the Home Alone house and Carrie Bradshaw's New York City apartment from Sex and the City have also been replicated.

Airbnb Australia and New Zealand Manager Susan Wheedon said the house was a perfect addition for families

This is the first time in Australia guests have been offered an 'Only On AirBnB' experience

Airbnb Australia and New Zealand Manager Susan Wheedon said at the time the house was a perfect addition for families.

'Like many parents with young children, I've been captivated by the adventures of Bluey and her family, which bring so much joy and quintessential Aussie humour to audiences across the globe,' Ms Wheedon said.

'We're delighted to add Bluey, Bingo, Chilli and Bandit to our growing community of Airbnb Hosts.

'And while we have some incredible homes on Airbnb, there will be nothing quite like waking up in the Heeler house and getting to live and breathe in Bluey's magical world for one wondrous weekend.'

An Airbnb spokesperson said this week that all materials inside the home - including plants, props and toys - will be rehomed.

'Airbnb has also donated a number of items to the Queensland Children's Hospital for patients to enjoy,' they said.
Beauty lovers are raving about Kmart's new automatic hair curler that can achieve perfect waves on a budget.

The $49 gadget is a dupe for the Wylera Dreamwave curler that goes for $169.

Reviews of the wireless auto curler are popping up all over TikTok with beauty gurus saying it's just as good as designer models.

Scroll down for video

Beauty lovers are raving about Kmart Australia's new $49 auto curler which is a perfect dupe for designer models and creates perfect waves every time

Self-described Kmart addict Islah Palmer, who has a loyal following of 21,900 on TikTok, said she was 'impressed' with the results after using the curler in a now-viral video.

In the clip, which has racked up more than 117,400 views, she demonstrated how to use the device by simply twisting small sections of hair in the barrel.

Once she pulled the strands out, she had salon-worthy waves.

Kmart's $49 gadget (pictured left) is a perfect dupe for the Wylera Dreamwave curler that goes for $169 (pictured right)

'I'm actually so impressed with how this works, I think it did such a good job,' Islah said in the video.

'Once you get the hang of it, it's quite quick. It's something you can take on the go which is really cool. I'm so impressed with the bounce.'

In the comments, Islah said her curls lasted a few days.

In a TikTok clip, which has racked up more than 117,400 views, Islah Palmer demonstrated how to use the device by simply twisting small sections of hair in the barrel to create salon-worthy waves

'It stayed as waves after I slept in it, my hair holds curl really well though,' she said.

Kmart's auto curler has left and right buttons for automatic rotating, adjustable temperature settings, and a USB charger.

The designer-dupe device is coming online soon but available in some stores across the country.
One of Australia's most popular travel companies has released its predictions for booking trips in 2022, with giving back to the community, leaving work at home and choosing new types of vacations high on the list.

Booking.com offers more than 28million total reported accommodation listings, including over 6.2million listings alone of homes, apartments and other unique places to stay.

The company's Travel Predictions Report for Australia in 2022 reveals how much our nation is looking forward to breaking free from regular mundane life and spending big on holidaying after more than two years of battling the Covid pandemic.

According to the statistics a whopping 72 per cent of travellers interviewed didn't realise how important travel was for their wellbeing until it was no longer an option, and 87 per cent believe having something to look forward to in their calendar will have a positive effect on their emotional wellbeing.

Booking.com offers more than 28million total reported accommodation listings, including over 6.2million listings alone of homes, apartments and other unique places to stay (stock image)

BOOKING.COM'S SEVEN TRAVEL PREDICTIONS FOR 2022 1. Australians are preparing to step outside their comfort zone for an adrenaline fuelled trip this year. 2. We will be booking trips that don't require us to balance work with play. 3. We're looking forward to feeling like a 'newbie' in our next destination. 4. Aussies will be trying to positively impact the community at their destination, no matter where it is. 5. We're looking for new friendships and even a romantic relationship when we travel. 6. We'll be 'saying yes' to spontaneous activities and adventures. 7. We will be trying to plan our next trip so that it's not negatively impacted by sudden global changes. Advertisement

We're excited to try new cuisine (62 per cent), experience a different way of life (62 per cent) and hear a new language (30 per cent) with 76 per cent of Australians planning to leave their work completely at home during their stay someplace else.

For most individuals it has been years since they have taken time out for themselves, so 72 per cent plan on saying 'yes' to just about any opportunity that comes their way.

Because the pandemic, and resulting lockdowns, have kept many inside, those who were able to save (42 per cent) are planning on spending their hard-earned pennies abroad and 65 per cent don't even mind where the destination is.

A record 57 per cent of Aussies are happy to holiday differently than they would have done pre-pandemic, so many are turning to Booking.com's Homes feature to secure a more intimate experience than a hotel can provide.

A incredible 61 per cent want their trip to benefit the local community (stock image)

The company was one of the early pioneers of the short-term rental market and has been offering these types of stays since the company was founded.

The first apartment was listed in 2000, almost a full decade before some of the other well-known players in the space.

One such rental is Seascape in Sydney's oceanside paradise of Palm Beach, which features spacious poolside terraces and an oversized fireplace for cosy and relaxed evenings.

The property boasts air-conditioned rooms with a private pool, sea view and a balcony.

One such rental is Seascape in Sydney's oceanside paradise of Palm Beach, which features spacious poolside terraces and an oversized fireplace for cosy and relaxed evenings

Booking.com announced the recipients of its 10th annual Traveller Review Awards recently, with a number of Australian regions voted 'the most welcoming' in the world, proving Australia's southern charm still reigns supreme.

It's clear Australians are still keen to travel domestically, whether that be in homestay type accommodation or in luxury resorts, with the Sunshine State dominating the statistics: four out of the top ten most welcoming cities featured in Queensland.

Victoria and Western Australia destinations also rank highly, with scenic spots and renowned beaches receiving a deserved mention in the top ten.

Top 10 domestic searches by all Australian users 1. Gold Coast 2. Sydney 3. Melbourne 4. Perth 5. Brisbane 6. Adelaide 7. Canberra 8. Cairns 9. Byron Bay 10. Airlie Beach Advertisement
A British ballet dancer who became the first UK principal at the prestigious Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg has revealed he's fled Russia following Putin's invasion of the Ukraine.

Xander Parish, 36, who's originally from North Ferriby in East Yorkshire, quit his role in a production of Giselle at the historic dance company, and left for Estonia last week, with his new Russian wife in tow.

The performer, who joined the company in 2010 after previously being offered a place at the Royal Ballet when he was 18, said he could not continue to appear on stage 'until peace comes', telling social media: 'We need to observe from afar rather than being in the middle of it.'

Parish and his wife Anastasia Demidova, who was born in the Siberian city of Tomsk, said the couple had made the decision to leave the country 'due to the awful crisis'.

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British ballet star Xander Parish, 36, has been a Principal dancer at the Mariinsky Ballet in St Petersburg since 2010, but made the decision to leave Russia last week following Putin's attacks on the Ukraine (Xander Parish as Prince Siegfried in Swan Lake at the Royal Opera House in July 2017)

The dancer, who was born near Hull in East Yorkshire, told followers on Instagram that he has made the decision to leave Russia - and is now in Estonia with his Russian wife, fellow Mariinsky dancer Anastasia Demidova (The couple pictured during a Zoom ballet session during lockdown)

He wrote last week: 'Tonight I was supposed to be performing Giselle at the Mariinsky Theatre but instead, due to the awful crisis I have taken the difficult decision to leave Russia, at least until peace comes. My heart goes out to the people of Ukraine, near and far.'

He added: 'I am grateful to the wonderful ordinary Russian people, the majority of whom have treated me with such kindness. I pray that peace will come and the wounds will be healed by Gods grace.'

The historic St Petersburg ballet company currently employs 14 dancers from overseas. After being a child star of ballet, Parish took a place as a principal dancer in 2010. His sister Demelza currently dances at The Royal Ballet in London.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, he said his parents in the UK had influenced the couple's decision not to stay in Russia while Putin is unleashing war on neighbouring Ukraine.

He told the newspaper: 'My mum and dad really decided for me. They have been happy to see me thriving in St Petersburg.

'But when this happened my mum was very keen I should take some time out and just leave for the time being. I'm not saying I'm never going back.'

On Instagram, Parish thanked 'ordinary' Russian people for their kindness but said they 'need to observe from afar rather than being in the middle of' the 'awful crisis' (Pictured in Romeo and Juliet performed by the Mariinsky Ballet at the Royal Opera House in 2014)

The couple are now applying for a visa for Demidova, who Parish wed six months ago, so they can reside in the UK until the conflict ends.

Several dancers at the Mariinsky Ballet have spoken out about the conflict in recent days. Yekaterina Chebykina, a soloist, posted on social media: 'It was impossible to imagine what is happening now... I am Ukrainian.

'My hometown is Kyiv. Over these seven days, I have come across various statements addressed to me, and my country.

'You can tell me anything, but I know better than anyone what is happening in my hometown, because my relatives are there, relatives, friends with whom I am in touch 24/7.

'I will not call anyone to any action. Everyone must live according to their conscience. I can only say one thing, nothing can justify war!!!'

The star said speaking to his parents back in the UK had made his mind up to leave Russia, saying: 'My mum was very keen I should take some time out and just leave for the time being. I'm not saying I'm never going back.'

Vladimir Shklyarov, 37, a principal dancer with the Mariinsky Ballet and a guest principal with The Royal Ballet, posted: 'I am against the war in Ukraine! I am for the people, for the peaceful sky above your heads.

'Politicians should be able to negotiate without shooting and killing civilians, for this they were given a language and a head.

'My grandfather, Anatoly Filimonovich, graduated from school in Ukraine with a gold medal, my great-grandmother Sonya lived all her life in Kyiv. It is impossible to look at everything that is happening today without tears'

He said plaintively: 'I want to dance I want to love everyone - that's the purpose of my life  I don't want wars or borders.'

'I cannot but say that with every fibre of my soul I am against the war,' she said in an emotional post on Telegram

On Wednesday, a leading Bolshoi prima ballerina also hit out at Putin's attacks in Ukraine, claiming she is 'ashamed' of Russia.

Olga Smirnova, 30, posted her opposition to the invasion of Ukraine - where she has family.

'I cannot but say that with every fibre of my soul I am against the war,' she said in an emotional post on Telegram. 'Probably every other Russian [person] has relatives or friends living in Ukraine.'

The St Petersburg-born star who has two scheduled performances this month said her grandfather is Ukrainian - 'and I am a quarter Ukrainian'.

Olga Smirnova, 30, posted her opposition to the invasion of Ukraine - where she has family

In a brave, outspoken and heartfelt attack on the war, she said: 'We continue to live in the 20th century, although nominally in the 21st.

'Political issues in a modern civilised society should be resolved exclusively through peaceful negotiations. I never thought that I would be ashamed of Russia. I have always been proud of the talented Russian people, our cultural and sporting achievements.

'But now the line is drawn on the before and after.

'And it hurts that people are dying, while others are deprived of a roof over their heads or forced to leave their homes.

'And who would have thought a week ago that all this would happen to us, because even if we are not at the epicentre of hostilities, we cannot remain indifferent to a global catastrophe.'
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are set to launch a royal charm offensive on their first joint visit to Jamaica later this month - with insiders hoping Kate Middleton will be a key player in persuading the country to stay in the Commonwealth.

William, 39, and Kate, 40, will visit the Caribbean as part of a tour of Jamaica, Bahamas and Belize - countries that are all still Commonwealth realms.

In November, Barbados made the move to become a republic, losing the Queen as its official head of state, and Jamaica's prime minister has confirmed his own country would now be keen to follow suit.

Andrew Holness, Jamaica's prime minister, said just days after the official ceremony took place in Barbados to mark independence: 'There is no question that Jamaican has to become republic.'

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Secret weapon? The Duchess of Cambridge could be key to encouraging Jamaica to remain in the Commonwealth, which has expressed a desire to become a republic (Pictured on March 1st at the Blaenavon Heritage Centre in Wales)

The royal tour of Jamaica, Belize and the Bahamas at the end of this month is the couple's first official overseas trip since the start of the pandemic (The couple on an overseas tour of the Soloman Islands in 2012)

However, the Cambridges' first major joint overseas tour since before the pandemic - coinciding with the Queen's Platinum Jubilee - could see the country persuaded otherwise.

A visit from Kate and William - England's future king and queen - could shore up crucial support for the Monarchy in the region.

In November, Prince Charles visited Barbados for a ceremony to mark its historic decision to remove the Queen as head of state.

Other Commonwealth countries in the region, including Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana and Dominica, already have their own heads of state.

Last year, John Briceno, the Prime Minister of Belize, did not rule out his nation following Barbados, saying: 'We need to find what fits Belize best.'

The last high-profile Royal visit to Belize - as well as the Bahamas and Jamaica - was made by Prince Harry in 2012 to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will visit the Caribbean next month in a royal charm offensive to shore up support for the monarchy in the year of the Queen's Platinum Jubilee. Pictured, the couple in London in December

He attended a street party, sampled the local rum, opened a road renamed in his grandmother's honour and raced Usain Bolt.

A decade on, with both Prince Harry and Prince Andrew having stepped back from Royal responsibilities, there are far fewer members of the family able to carry out official duties on behalf of the 95-year-old Queen.

'This leaves more work for the Cambridges, and Charles and Camilla,' said a Palace insider.

Another royal source claimed that William and Kate share the institution's view that Jamaica alone must decide its own future.

'The focus is on the Platinum Jubilee and the purpose of the tour is to thank the people of each country for the support they have shown the Queen.'

The former prime minister of Jamaica, Portia Simpson-Miller, at her inaugural address in 2012 promised to remove the Queen as head of state, saying: 'I love the Queen, she is a beautiful lady. But I think the time has come.'

Quickly after this declaration the Foreign and Commonwealth Office sent Prince Harry on a tour of Belize, the Bahamas, Jamaica and Brazil.

In November, Prince Charles visited Barbados (above) for a ceremony to mark its historic decision to remove the Queen as head of state

Before meeting with Prince Harry, Simpson-Miller suggested Britain could apologise and pay compensation for the 'wicked and brutal' years of slavery, reiterating her determination to 'take full charge of our destiny' and remove his grandmother as head of state.

However, Harry chose to greet her with hugs, kisses and hand-holding diplomacy in front of a photograph of a smiling Queen.

The republican movement isn't new in Jamaica and the Cambridges' trip could include a meeting with new prime minister Holness, 49, alongside other engagements such as 'celebrating Bob Marley' and viewing the Jamaica Defence Force in action.

There has in fact been an online petition calling for the postponement of the Cambridge's visit, but that has only received a paltry 817 signatures.

Professor Philip Murphy, director of the Institute of Commonwealth Studies at the University of London, told The Sunday Times: 'Jamaica is the one to watch.

'The political will is strong and the issue of reparations for colonialism and slavery adds moral weight to the republican cause.'

Yet after decades of pledges from governments and polling suggesting that half of Jamaicans favour a republic, the movement has never taken off.

Jamaica's governor-general Sir Patrick Allex, declared in 2020 that he would no longer wear the royal insignia of the Order of St Michael and St George after it initiated controversy - this depicts a white archangel with his foot on the neck of Satan, which is shown as a black man.

It was distinctive that Barbados did not require a referendum to remove the Queen as head of state, with the prime minister Mia Mottley, using her sizeable majority to get this through.

It has been suggested by Jamaican journalist and founder of the 18 Degrees North newsletter, Zahra Burton, 42, that the Queen represents 'stability' which Jamaicans are 'ready to move beyond.'

She points out that the decision will be down to the people and political will, which people are not 'overly preoccupied with.'

All eight remaining Caribbean realms are Belize, Jamaica, the Bahamas, Antigua and Barbuda, Grenada, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and St Kitts and Nevis.

The success of the Cambridges' mission may determine whether or not they will reign as king and queen of Jamaica, which gained independence from Britain in 1962.

The official line from Buckingham Palace is unchanged: 'The issue of the Jamaican head of state is entirely a matter for the Jamaican government and people.'
A woman who survived the horrific ordeal of Female Genital Mutilation and escaped to the UK says she now plans to be a police officer so she can help others.

Shamsa Sharawe, 29, from Muuqokore, Somalia, was operated on against her parent's will at the age of just six and was left in agony after being circumcised with a dirty razor.

Sharawe has since used her voice to campaign against Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - or Female Genital Cutting as it is now referred to, which involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons.

Her own experience saw the brutal procedure arranged by someone known to her. When her devastated mother, Gani, who was living in Saudi Arabia, found out what had happened, she concocted a plan for her daughter to flee to the UK.

Shamsa Sharawe, 29 (pictured), is using her traumatic experience of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) - or Female Genital Cutting - to help other survivors speak about their trauma

In November 2001, Sharawe and her mother were able to secure visas and move to Wembley in north west London.

Sharawe joined a local school, and it was during sex education lessons that she realised the extent of the brutality she had faced, explaining: 'The trauma hit me all at once. I felt like half a woman.

The young woman carried the trauma as a secret for years, causing repercussions on her mental health - she was confused with both her personal and cultural identity.

Not feeling like she belonged anywhere, she turned online to find a community and began posting on YouTube.

She wanted to show people what she had been through, saying she realised that so many other women 'shared my burden.'

Shamsa (pictured right as a young child) escaped to the UK with her mother (pictured left) after her mother found out what had happened to her

After growing up in rural Somalia, Sharawe describes herself as 'oblivious to the rest of the world.'

There was no education for her and so she did not question that she would have the genital surgery, saying she remembers that the girls who refused were branded 'shameful' within the community.

A local doctor known as 'The Cutter' performed the procedure with dirty implements while a group of adults held her down.

Afterwards the doctor covered Shamsa in the blood of a slaughtered animal and forced her to stand in the sun while it dried.

The barbaric surgery was performed without pain medication or anaesthetic. She said: 'Being cut without anesthetic was crippling. It was horrendous.'

Shamsa is currently in her second year at Burnley College, Lancashire, where she is studying policing and hopes to become a police officer

She says she was in so much shock that the hour it took to complete the procedure felt a lot longer: 'When the blade hits the skin, you feel everything.'

Sharawe recalls adults wrapping the girls legs together for 24 hours and says they couldn't walk for a week - they were carried to the toilet and fed in their rooms.

After two weeks the injuries had not properly healed and she would cry every time she 'had to pee for months afterwards.'

At only six years old, she couldn't comprehend the ordeal that she had been through and says the pain was 'unbearable'.

Sharawe says that no-one spoke about what had happened that day, she was just told that she was 'now pure and clean' and that her 'family were proud' of her.

Shamsa says that she now wants to join the police because of the experiences she had within the Somalian community, when crimes are committed but everyone stays silent.

Young girls rarely report crimes due to fear of shame and this silencing culture is something that she is desperate to end.

Shamsa says that she was shocked that so many women could relate to her after starting her YouTube channel in February 2021

She says: 'I want to show my community, and other communities that suffer from honour-based violence, that they have someone within the police that they can trust. Someone that looks like them and hears their concerns.'

The trainee officer is proud and excited to know that she can do something to help young people who have not had a voice before, and she is ready to 'represent them and fight for them.'

However, after being rescued by her mother and moving to the UK, Sharawe's ordeal was not over. She decided to reconcile herself with her heritage and went back to live in Buloburde, Somalia in December 2010.

She was quickly forced into an arranged marriage on her return, with a man she hardly knew. The relationship was volatile and she managed to escape from her husband and returned back to the UK in February 2012.

On returning to England she was completely broken but was given the chance to start again. Sadly Sharawe's mother passed away when she was 18 and the rest of her family have disowned her.

After growing up in rural Somalia, Shamsa described her early childhood as 'oblivious to the rest of the world' with no education

She remembers being 'depressed and silenced' as no one in her community spoke about FGM/FGC or sexual and domestic abuse.

After therapy she came out of her dark period and began to heal from her traumatic past. But with no family left she felt no shame and channeled her experiences in her YouTube channel.

Sharawe created her YouTube channel in February 2021 and now she has over 4,200 subscribers. Her videos cover everything that she's been through and was shocked that so many women could relate to her.

What is female genital mutilation (FGM)? Female genital mutilation (FGM) involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia or other injury to the female genital organs for non-medical reasons. The practice has no health benefits for girls and women and is not supported by any religious text. FGM can cause severe bleeding and problems urinating, and later cysts, infections, as well as complications in childbirth and increased risk of newborn deaths. More than 200 million girls and women alive today have been cut in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia where FGM is concentrated. The practice also takes place in some Latin American countries and among immigrant communities worldwide. FGM is mostly carried out on young girls between infancy and the age of 15. Girls are commonly taken out of school after being subjected to the practice and forced into early marriage. FGM is a violation of the human rights of girls and women. The World Health Organization is opposed to all forms of FGM, and is opposed to health care providers performing FGM. Despite being illegal in most countries, the practice persists as implementation and enforcement of laws are complicated by practical and cultural factors. Treatment of health complications of FGM in 27 high prevalence countries costs $1.4 billion per year. Source: World Health Organization (WHO) Advertisement

She says that they neither had heard anyone speak out about shame and honour-based violence, and this made her realise that she 'could help others who have been silenced by oppression.'

Currently in her second year at Burnley College, Lancashire, she is studying policing and hopes to become a police officer, to hopefully help other survivors.

She wants to help women understand that in this country you can report abuse and seek justice for the wrongdoings of our culture.
Back in January, I decided to eschew my fixation with having varnished toes in favour of going lacquer-free, while applying oils and unguents.

This was something of a Herculean task, given that my first word upon coming round after nearly dying a few years ago was pedicure.

Still, I was determined to get my feet prepped for spring exposure.

I invested in such a vast vat of Cuccio Milk & Honey Cuticle Oil (8.96 for 75ml, amazon.co.uk) that I could drown my extremities in it.

I also bought CND Rescue RXx Daily Keratin Treatment (12.75 for 15ml, amazon.co.uk), which Im told foot models swear by.

UK-based beauty columnist Hannah Betts reveals how a posh pedi has prepared her feet for spring exposure (file image)

Next stop, a Margaret Dabbs London medical pedicure (from 85, margaretdabbs.co.uk), the ultimate foot facial with an expert podiatrist, which addresses not just the beauty of your trotters but also how they get you about.

Margaret changed the state of the nations feet when she set up shop some 20 years ago.

Then, as she notes, no one knew what podiatry meant. Today, she runs ten clinics in the UK and has one of the worlds best-selling foot, leg and hand ranges.

The medi pedi is a joy. Each 45-minute appointment is tailored to the patient, but will include a consultation, diagnosis and surgical chiropody-style treatment in which the feet are polished and perfected.

Despite having 2D laser scanning at his disposal, my foot whisperer, Nico Jimeno, prefers to start with his eyes. From the moment I stagger through his door, he is analysing my gait, the way I sit, my feet and the bottom of my shoes.

One ankle seems puffy, and we find a cut has caused this. Were my hips dislocated at birth, remedied with double nappies? They were! I appear to have a spinal asymmetry (confirmed by scanning), which I compensate for by contorting myself cross-legged when seated.

The talk is less about aesthetics, and more about biomechanics, with Nico deeming my feet good, solid, strong. I dont have a genetic tendency for bunions a la Victoria Beckham. My shortened Achilles tendon from stiletto-sporting has been improved by going barefoot during lockdown.

Nico notes a chemical shadow from using foot-peel socks, which is a worry as I only tried them once, years ago. The medical view is that using these is like trying to kill a fly with a bazooka.

Were my feet less Stakhanovite, they might be blasted with lasers, injected with corticosteroids, dry-needled, strapped with tape, given orthotics or have exercises proposed for them. As it is, I am lucky  for now.

Hannah (pictured) revealed that she lives for Margaret Dabbs London's Intensive Treatment Foot Oil, Pure Repairing Nail & Cuticle Treatment Pen and Pure Cracked Heel Treatment Balm

I say this because middle-age is when foot problems tend to kick off, as gravity takes its toll not merely upon the jowls and backside, but the arches, too.

Its the same as with our faces, teeth and eyes, laughs Margaret. At about 43, you suddenly feel as if you need glasses, root canal work and a facelift.

This is the moment also to keep tabs on ones feet, as leaving things too late can leave people crippled.

As Nico observes: In Spain, where Im from, people go to the podiatrist every three weeks. Our old people are very mobile and thus very sociable, with their foot health keeping them alive and living well. Podiatry is the ultimate anti-ageing treatment. Having weak feet is dangerous.

Happily, turning the situation around is simple. Drying after washing has an enormous effect on dodgy bacterial activity. Nico says: If people dried their feet, Id have only half the patients. He and Margaret use a hairdryer.

Socks and stockings should be breathable  cotton, merino, hemp or bamboo  and shoes must be kept clean. You wash your clothes after one wear. When do you ever clean inside your shoes? says Nico.

Margarets holy trinity is her Professional Foot File (26, margaretdabbs.co.uk), Intensive Hydrating Foot Lotion (26 for 200ml) and Foot Hygiene Cream (20 for 100g).

Personally, I live for her Intensive Treatment Foot Oil (22 for 100ml), Pure Repairing Nail & Cuticle Treatment Pen (12) and new Pure Cracked Heel Treatment Balm (18 for 30ml).

Margarets wares are so nourishing that I can use them everywhere  I spritz the oil on to my elbows, apply the pen to my lips and brows, and let the balm sink into my hands.

My post-pedi shiny nails lasted for three weeks. Then it was on with my latest obsession: Leighton Dennys Vixen (12, leightondenny.com), a deep fuchsia berry.

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Penelope Cruz, 47, (pictured) relies on dry body-brushing and jade-rolling to give her skin a youthful glow

The film star, 47, relies on dry body-brushing and jade-rolling to give her skin a youthful glow. She also does her own hair, having grown up in her mums salon. Cruz is a Lancome poster girl, and loves the brands Advanced Genifique Serum (60 for 30ml, lancome.co.uk), Renergie Multi Lift Ultra Cream (50) and Hypnose Mascara (28.50).

SPRING FLINGS

COSMETIC CRAVING
Parents often bemoan the empty nest when their children leave for university, perhaps never to return except for brief stays.

But few appreciate how grandparents can suffer from empty nest syndrome too, even if it is to a slightly lesser extent.

Its a pain Ive come to know since four of my five grandchildren have now grown up and left their old granny far behind. I will soon be losing the youngest, too, as he is coming up to 18 and will be going off on a gap year or to university.

When I moved to my present flat, I bought twin beds so my lovely grandchildren would be able to come and stay with me. Those beds have now been unoccupied for several years, and the special days out we used to enjoy together have long come to an end.

They almost seem to have forgotten that I exist.

Liz Hodgkinson says few people appreciate how grandparents can suffer from empty nest syndrome. Pictured: Liz with three of her grandchildren in the good old days

As I was a fairly young granny, only in my mid-50s when they came along, I had plenty of energy to be what I hoped was a cool, fun grandparent. Our times together were a mutual delight, and I was far more tolerant and indulgent than their parents, which is how a granny should be.

As my oldest grandson, now 22, once said: Grandparents are more generous than your parents and less strict, as its not their job to look after you. You are occasional pleasures for them, as they are for you.

But now those occasional pleasures just dont happen. Three of my grandchildren have left home to live in their own flats, and this June, the eldest graduates to venture into the cold, hard world of work. Then he will be out of my life for ever, I fear.

I spend my time looking back, remembering what jolly escapades we once had together. When I had a seafront flat, they used to love coming to see me, and snuggling down in the sunroom to sleep.

In the daytime, we would go swimming in the sea and visit amusement arcades, and once I even allowed them to go bungee jumping, to the absolute horror of their parents.

We would visit wildlife parks and zoos, and of course I bought them ice creams, doughnuts and chips. What is a granny for if not to indulge and spoil?

But perhaps the biggest highlight of their early teenage years was when their grandfather and I (we are long divorced but still good friends) took them on an adventure holiday to the Isle of Eigg in Scotland.

They arrived, wild with excitement, at Euston Station and we boarded the overnight train to Edinburgh, a journey of just over six hours. In the middle of the night, we caught the train to Fort William. We had pre-booked a taxi to take us to Mallaig, from where we would take the ferry to the island.

Liz (pictured left) unconsciously tried to buy a little loyalty with harmless treats, or by getting her grandchildren items that were slightly too old for them when they were young

The holiday turned out to be even more adventurous than planned, because on the way to Fort William the train broke down. This meant there was no way wed catch the 11am crossing, even if the taxi waited.

Thanks to some divine intervention, we managed to charter a ferry just for us, and this was again part of the thrill for the kids, especially as they saw seals, dolphins and whales on the way over.

Once on Eigg, the activities continued with perilous climbs up the mountain, visits to caves and the singing sands. Years later, they still talk about that holiday. But by the following year, theyd become too old for such capers. They wanted to go off adventuring on their own.

Maybe I hoped, unconsciously, to buy a little loyalty with harmless treats, or by getting them items that were slightly too old for them. I remember giving my granddaughter, then 13, a pair of high-heeled shoes, to her unbelievable delight.

And I came to depend on them, in turn. My eldest did my IT for several years. He came with me to buy my iPhone and found me the best deal.

I paid him for his trouble, but now not even the promise of the most outrageous bribe will tempt him over. He is either revising, working part-time or out with his mates. And its the same with the others: they have far more interesting things to do than visit their granny.

I have to accept the inevitability of it and understand that grandchildren, like children, are only lent to us for a time. Quite simply, they outgrow us.

Liz adored her grandparents when she was a child, but once she had gone to university, they became an embarrassment. Pictured: Liz with three of her grandchildren in the good old days

And if I think about it, I was the same with my own grandparents. I adored them when I was a child, but once Id gone to university, they had become an embarrassment. They were behind the times, boring and no longer part of my life.

By the time they died, wed grown so far apart that I did not even particularly mourn them.

I fear that this is what I have now become to my own grandchildren: a dusty old relic. While I fondly see myself as keeping bang up to date, they view me as somebody left over from a bygone age, out of touch with the world. It hurts.

Last time I saw my second grandson, aged 21, he mumbled, while strumming on his guitar, that iPads, emails and Facebook were only for the ancients. Theyre for old people and small children, he muttered, implying that his age group had moved on to something far slicker and trendier.

He also laughed when he saw me using the granny finger to write a message on my phone. His generation, of course, uses two thumbs to write text messages, which they do with astonishing speed.

As things are, I doubt that I can look forward to great-grandchildren. If asked about children, my 20-year-old granddaughter says: Never! At least not until Im 30 at the earliest.

Instead, they see endless years of fun in front of them.

It is hard to be a redundant parent, but it is almost as tough to be a redundant grandparent, especially when you are old and lonely and would love nothing more than a surprise visit from your now grown-up, interesting and lively grandchildren.
I think youve delivered my parcel to the wrong address, I tell the delivery man. No worries, he drawls, as if hes doing me a massive favour.

How much do I loathe that phrase No worries? Its up there with at the end of the day and it is what it is.

But there is hope. No worries is in danger of being banned. According to a leading American university, young people feel undermined if they pour out their feelings and are greeted with such a flippant phrase.

Liz Hoggard admits to being hopeful that the phrase 'no worries' will be banned (file image)

If I am upset, I want to discuss being upset, one contributor told Lake Superior State University in Michigan, which releases a banished-words list every year (no worries is in the top three, with asking for a friend and circle back).

British commentators declared it just another example of thin-skinned, hyper-vigilant wokesters taking everything too seriously. Couldnt the snowflakes just, you know, cheer up? But actually, speaking as a middle-aged woman (older and better insured, to paraphrase Kathy Bates in the film Fried Green Tomatoes), Im with the youth.

I have to stop myself from shouting out: Actually, please do worry!

I need people to worry more. It drives me mad in restaurants when you point out a fairly obvious failing Sorry, but this soup is cold or I dont have a fork  and the waiter looks at you condescendingly and says: No worries. I have to stop myself from shouting: Actually, please do worry.

A simple apology is fine, but not this lazy pantomime where staff imply they have monitored the situation and deemed it unworthy of a fuss. I want a fuss. After a global pandemic, were tired and sad and burned out. But worrying is what keeps us alive. Its a mark of being human. It implies: I see you and I can help.
I am a fit and healthy 50-year-old but my doctor says I should have a prostate biopsy as the PSA reading in my blood test was a little high.

Are there any downsides to having one?

It is always important to ask what the downsides might be of any investigation or treatment.

A biopsy involves taking a small sample of tissue from an area of the body in order to examine it under a microscope and look for disease.

Some people find them incredibly painful, or they suffer bleeding. This is why doctors generally recommend one only when it might be needed to diagnose a cancer.

In the case of a prostate biopsy, it is important to know the facts.

This week a reader asks DR ELLIE CANNON: I am a fit and healthy 50-year-old but my doctor says I should have a prostate biopsy as the PSA reading in my blood test was a little high. Are there any downsides to having one?

PSA is a compound released in larger quantities by the prostate when cancer develops, but this is not always the cause. Other reasons why a reading might be high include a urinary infection or an enlarged prostate.

Even sex or heavy exercise can increase the figure.

Doctors should recommend a biopsy only if these other reasons have been ruled out. And these days, an MRI scan is usually arranged before a biopsy to make sure it isnt done unnecessarily.

Three out of four men with a raised PSA will not have cancer.

In a prostate biopsy, tissue is taken via a needle through the perineum, the area between the anus and scrotum. There is usually a sharp pain each time a sample is taken  but sometimes as many as 30 may be needed.

Some patients find that the pain lasts for a couple of days, and, like any procedure, there is a risk of infection. This is precisely why all the pros and cons should be fully discussed with a specialist before you go ahead and decide to have the biopsy.

I am a divorced 55-year-old with an adult child who has left home. A few weeks ago a small boy was murdered by his stepmother locally, which caused a national outrage.

I didnt know them, but for some reason the news has hit me hard. I keep crying about it for hours after work, sometimes uncontrollably.

I am finding it difficult to sleep. I am normally a happy person  whats happened to me?

Prescription fee fiasco IS unfair Last week I wrote about how prescription charges can be incredibly expensive when you tot them all up, with some patients forced to pay thousands every year. Surprisingly, I had a number of letters questioning my facts. Readers drew my attention to the pre-payment system, which lets patients who rely on lots of medications pay a set fee of about 108 annually, or 30 every three months. I am afraid they are wrong. The truth is that pre-payment cards are not available to every patient, as many pharmacies and GPs dont offer them. Recent research shows that two-thirds of people with long-term conditions dont have the cards, and one in five patients dont even know they exist. So patients will have to fork out thousands every year  and I know several in this situation. Advertisement

It is common to feel worried if we have an extreme emotional response to an event  either in our lives or beyond.

In fact, it is perfectly understandable, especially when an awful tragedy happens close to home. And some people are simply more empathetic than others.

It is entirely possible to suffer grief and feel the aftermath of a traumatic event without a personal connection to it.

When a tragedy happens in a tight-knit community, it often makes residents feel more fearful for their own lives and perhaps more aware of their own mortality.

Local places, such as religious buildings or community centres, may offer events or groups where there are likely to be people experiencing similar feelings.

But there are practical things you can do to help in this situation, too.

It sounds obvious, but try to exclude yourself from certain scenarios that could trigger the extreme emotions  reading in depth about the tragedy on the internet, for instance.

Instead, look for activities that relax you. Perhaps reading, or try an art or exercise class.

Often with something like this, you just need time to make the feelings easier to cope with.

In the meantime, focus on distracting yourself from unpleasant thoughts.

It is important to recognise this is grief and allow yourself to feel it.

For further support, try the helpline run by the bereavement charity Cruse: 0808 808 1677.

I have a large, scabby mole my GP said could be skin cancer  either basal cell carcinoma or squamous cell carcinoma  and I was given an urgent referral to a dermatologist.

But the appointment was over the phone and, after looking at pictures, my consultant said it was more likely to be something harmless called seborrheic keratosis.

Should I ask for a second opinion?

In the vast majority of cases, dermatologists are able to tell via a photograph if a lesion is likely to be cancerous.

It seems unbelievable, but modern equipment and technology means that it is safe to rely on a remote specialist consultation.

Do you have a question for Dr Ellie? Email DrEllie@mailonsunday.co.uk or write to Health, The Mail on Sunday, 2 Derry Street, London, W8 5TT. Dr Ellie can only answer in a general context and cannot respond to individual cases, or give personal replies. If you have a health concern, always consult your own GP. Advertisement

The images are even more accurate if the GP has used a dermatoscope  a special microscope used for examining skin lesions close up. We use these to take photos which are then sent on to consultants.

We also used these methods before Covid to speed up the time it takes for a specialist to see the photographs.

But this only works well if the photos are taken on a specialist medical camera. The same doesnt apply if the patient, or doctor, takes their own photos on a smartphone.

It is always possible to ask for a second opinion  either ask to see a different specialist via the GP, or ask the GP what they think of the outcome.

Basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma are types of skin cancer, while a seborrheic keratosis is a very common skin mark that happens with age.

They look like crusty, rough lesions and feel as if they have been stuck on to the skin.

Each of the skin cancers has specific characteristics which a dermatologist is well placed to spot on medical images.

The only way to be 100 per cent certain is to have the lesion removed and examined. However, removing a lesion that could be harmless also leads to problems such as scarring larger than the lesion.

Most patients would rather avoid this, especially on the face.
FORMER Bulawayo East legislator Thabitha Khumalo has bemoaned the huge cost of cancer treatment in Zimbabwe, saying vulnerable people struggled to meet the costs.

Khumalo, who suffers from breast cancer, said the cancer treatment costs were draining as it was very expensive to access the life-saving treatment.

The former legislator was diagnosed with cancer in April 2020.

I havent received assistance, she told journalists on the sidelines of a Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rally recently, noting she had been paying the bills from her own pocket.

Since her diagnosis, Khumalo said she has spent between US$6000 to US$7000 yet requires an additional US$10 000 for surgery.

I dont have it and what Im going to do is just do the best that I can under the circumstances then the rest I will leave it to God, she said.

Some patients at Mpilo Central Hospital, who were undergoing chemotherapy, said they spend US$150 for drugs that were used for one session.

An oncology nurse at Mpilos radiotherapy unit, Blessed Goredema confirmed medication and cancer treatment was always expensive, as patients underwent several tests, regiments and clinical cycles.

In oncology, we always say no meat, no diagnosis as we dont just assume its cancer until we are positive.

After a patient has gone through histology, (a microscopic test structure of tissues) we do other investigations  chest Xray, ultrasound scan, blood tests, liver function tests, sometimes a CT scan and various tests for metastasis (the spread of cancer cells from the place where they first formed to another part of the body), he explained.

These tests are necessary for diagnosing which stage the patients cancer is in so that it can be dealt with accordingly, said Goredema.

Patients have to buy most of these drugs themselves.

Sometimes if the radiotherapy machine is working, they can do radiotherapy for free, if they have a social welfare letter and be treated for free. But for chemotherapy, patients have to buy these drugs.

For the first round, there are about four cycles before moving on to another regimen, which may be four cycles again.

Patients will be coming in after every 21 days for the first cycle, then go through another cycle after 21 days.

If you have a letter from social welfare or have medical aid, you dont pay but we try to assist most of our patients. We also recommend patients to go to social welfare.

When patients have a letter from social welfare, they dont use it to buy mediation but use it for investigation tests done in government hospitals, the chest X-ray, ultrasound scan, administrative costs and hospital admission.

However, at the moment, the radiotherapy machines at Mpilo are down and patients have to travel to Harare.

Goredema said the radiotherapy machines were very delicate so the malfunction was due to software technicalities.

Previously, the hospital had cited issues of battery power but that challenge has been solved.

This is another cost, as patients have to look for accommodation for maybe six weeks in Harare, and they will be travelling every day up and down.

Perhaps this software challenge may be solved before mid-year or year-end, Goredema said.

Mpilo is currently offering chemotherapy sessions although the oncologist noted the setting was not conducive, as there were few beds and drugs were administered while patients were sitting.

We need beds like those in Parirenyatwa Hospital (in Harare), he highlighted.

Depending on the severity of that cancer, the oncologist said surgery could be done to remove the cancerous lump.

For instance, we can do a mastectomy, removing the breast, he said.

Cancerous cells can move from one point to other, through the lymphatic system. So we have to do mastectomy and remove lymph nodes because they are connected to the lungs and can spread to rest of the body, he said and underlined there were three modes of cancer treatment  surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

These work hand in hand. We do chemotherapy to shrink the tumour, after shrinking, we can do surgery then radiotherapy.

Chemotherapy is a systematic way of treatment that goes all through the body destroying cancerous cells.

Radiotherapy is a localised way of treatment, treating that affected area only, he said.

Goredema noted radiotherapy was done after surgery in case microscopic cells were left behind and would be trying to target those localised cells.

However, the oncologist lamented that not all patients who had breast cancer were treated.

If theres metastasis, we advise the patient to go home as theres nothing we can do, though we can do palliative chemotherapy, to reduce signs and symptoms as we try to improve the quality of life of that patient, not necessarily say we are treating, he said.

We can also do palliative radiotherapy.  CITE
Device is no larger than 2 coin, sits on the arm and sends readings to a phone

All 400,000 Britons with type 1 diabetes will soon be offered a high-tech implant that monitors their blood sugar level in real time, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

The small gadget had been restricted by the NHS because of cost, and made available only to those most in need.

But Dr Partha Kar, NHS England's national speciality adviser for diabetes, says patients will now have access to the expensive technology within weeks, marking the end of finger-prick blood tests.

Many people with type 1 diabetes, who lack the essential hormone insulin that controls blood sugar levels, have to perform uncomfortable checks at least four times a day.

All 400,000 Britons with type 1 diabetes will soon be offered a high-tech implant that monitors their blood sugar level in real time, The Mail on Sunday can reveal (stock photo)

The results show how much insulin  which helps the body absorb sugars in food  they will need to inject to keep their blood sugar stable and avoid potentially fatal spikes or falls.

The implant, called a continuous blood glucose monitor, is no larger than a 2 coin and sits on the arm, beaming updates to the user's phone.

While the technology has been available in the UK for more than a decade, spending watchdogs judged it too expensive to offer to every patient. But NHS chiefs have announced they now plan to fund the monitors for all.

'By March 31, everyone should be able to get a continuous glucose monitor if they want one,' says Dr Kar.

'There will be no criteria and no restrictions on who can have one. This represents a fundamental change in how type 1 diabetes patients manage their condition.'

With type 1 diabetes, the pancreas does not produce enough insulin. Without that, blood sugar levels can become dangerously high, causing serious damage to blood vessels that supply vital organs.

Dr Partha Kar, NHS England's national speciality adviser for diabetes, says patients will now have access to the expensive technology within weeks, marking the end of finger-prick blood tests

If a patient goes untreated, they quickly develop life-threatening conditions such as heart and kidney disease.

To protect against these complications, type 1 diabetes patients monitor their blood sugar levels so they know how much insulin to inject before and after meals.

An accurate reading is essential. With too much insulin, the blood sugar drops and patients can suffer hypoglycaemia, which is sometimes fatal.

A continuous glucose monitor beams the information back to a smartphone. Alerts can be programmed to warn of dangerous highs or lows. The device is implanted just below the skin above the elbow.

Dr David Strain, a diabetes expert at the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, says: 'There's been a realisation on the NHS that the price of these devices is far less than the cost of treating diabetes complications.

'Giving more patients a monitor will mean fewer ending up in hospital in the long run.'
The Ipcress File

ITV, Sunday

Rating:

Cheaters

BBC1, Tuesday

Rating:

What is the point, people are asking, of ITVs The Ipcress File? The 1965 film, starring Michael Caine, was the last word, surely, so what is the point of turning it into a series?

Because it might be fun? How does that sound? And this is fun. The script sizzles, the story is terrific in its silly way, and it is stunning visually.

Theres a character, Jean, whose hair  an up-do  is so magnificent I kept freeze-framing to see how it was done. I have yet to attempt it at home.

This series stars Joe Cole (above) as Harry Palmer, and although its a fresh version of Len Deightons novel, it opens with a nod to the film

And one last thing: although the makers couldnt have known it when this was commissioned, could a Cold War thriller actually be more timely? Possibly not.

This stars Joe Cole as Harry Palmer, and although its a fresh version of Len Deightons novel, it opens with a nod to the film.

That is, with Harry reaching for the heavy-framed glasses on his bedside table before rising to grind his own coffee beans.

It wasnt customary, in the 1960s, for men to know their way around the kitchen, so this immediately establishes a fact: here we have someone who is his own man.

But while there are nods, this never lapses into mimicry. Cole is his own man, too.

Lucy Boynton (above) plays as one of those Hitchcockian icy blondes. Her up-do is, as Ive (Deborah Ross) said, a work of art, but this show is super-stylish throughout

Caine brought a seemingly effortless naturalism to the role, while Cole adds watchfulness and a certain chippiness. He does brilliantly in what could have been an entirely thankless role. I was entranced.

The film was 110 minutes, whereas this will be six hours so its necessarily less rushed.

Previously, the fact that Palmer was a soldier banged up in a military prison before he was recruited as a spy was only ever alluded to, but here we see what led to his imprisonment  selling contraband to East Berlin. Naughty boy.

His handler is Major Dalby, who is suitably posh and is played by Tom Hollander, who improves whatever he is in by at least 87 per cent. (See The Night Manager.) Just the way he says spies is somehow sarcastic and funny.

The script sizzles, often with class tension. Palmer is no Bond. Palmer has to get receipts for everything, which is most un-Bond-like, and his father is a docker.

Major Dalby is suitably posh and is played by Tom Hollander (above) who improves whatever he is in by at least 87 per cent

He tells Dalby he was arrested by the military police for selling lobsters to Russian ministers to keep their mistresses happy. For some unfathomable reason, he says, I never did get the Nobel peace prize.

Must have been your working-class origins holding you back again, retorts Dalby, sardonically. Doesnt sizzle much on paper, I agree. You had to be there, I guess.

The plot sees Harry return to East Berlin to spring an abducted British atomic scientist who is vital to the development of a new class of nuclear weapon.

Dalby has his eyes on him at all times  theres a wonderful scene when Palmer tries to retrieve his stashed money from a locker and Dalby suddenly pops up  and fellow British agent Jean has her eyes on him at all times too.

She is played by Lucy Boynton as one of those Hitchcockian icy blondes. Her up-do is, as Ive said, a work of art, but this is super-stylish throughout.

The cars, the interiors, the clothes. I could happily watch this series all day, every day just for the mise-en-scene. Even the ITV ident at the beginning was blissfully retro.

As for the direction, yes, it is beset by the Dutch tilt  setting the camera at an angle and tilting an entire scene  which sometimes made you want to shout: For heavens sake, treat yourself to a spirit level!

But this was intended to discombobulate, plus it also served as a tribute to Sidney J. Furie, who did all that with the original film. And more. (There was a lot of the camera staring headlong into glaring lights, if I remember rightly.)

This is a classy drama, and if you are still hankering for the point of it all, perhaps I may remind you of this: stick around and youll learn how to resist being involuntarily hypnotised. It has to be worth it for that.

Briefly, Cheaters. Its the best comedy drama since Starstruck, by which I mean the Rose Matafeo romcom, not ITVs new Saturday night game show where the judges have to pick between three Freddie Mercurys.

(What is the point of that? I think you can reasonably ask that here.)

The basic set-up has Josh (Joshua McGuire) meeting Fola (Susan Wokoma) on a trip to Finland, where they have drunken sex. Shes married to Zack (Jack Fox), while Josh has a long-term girlfriend, Esther (Callie Cooke).

But its just a one-night stand. Or would be if they didnt then discover, on their return to London, that theyre now neighbours. Ouch.

Its wonderfully performed by everybody, heads off in some unexpected directions, makes you care about the characters and, get this: each episode is only ten minutes long.

This makes it feel excitingly do-able even if you do then watch six in a row (there are 18 in all), which defeats the object somewhat. You can watch weekly or as a box set. So go on, fill your boots.
LSO/Rattle

Barbican Hall, London

Rating:

The Barbican Hall in the City of London has just celebrated its 40th birthday. A festive performance of Haydns Creation was supposed to have been conducted by the London Symphonys music director Simon Rattle, but he withdrew.

I guess even Rattle, lovingly hailed by some as the Tony Blair of music, couldnt face celebrating a hall that he kept wanting to replace with a new one over a nearby roundabout (yes, really).

And the Citys refusal to do his bidding has precipitated him, now a proud German, to head off to Munich to take on the Bavarian Radio Orchestra.

The opportunity the LSO presented to Simon Rattle (above) of reconnecting with a world class British orchestra, and taking it to even greater heights, has been lost

I went to the non-celebratory concert he did a few days later. The hall was far from full, and the applause polite, but hardly ecstatic.

The Barbican is comfortable, with well-padded seats, plenty of legroom, a decent acoustic and a beautifully maintained carved wood interior. Rattle had chosen a very varied programme, all of which came across well.

The idea that the hall is seriously deficient acoustically is hard to sustain.

And the sound was especially compelling in the high point of the concert, a remarkable performance of Bartoks searing Miraculous Mandarin, which showed Rattle, conducting without a score, at his best.

Perhaps the truth is, the Barbican Hall is a scapegoat.

Rattle feels uncomfortable in Brexit Britain and, maybe  who knows  these days his Germanness courses through his veins more warmly than his Britishness. Of course, Rattle will make regular returns in a guest capacity.

But the opportunity the LSO presented to him of reconnecting with a world class British orchestra, and taking it to even greater heights has been lost.

Instead, he is heading back to Germany, to a band that is a permanent number two after Berlin, assuming you place it above the orchestras of Dresden and Leipzig, which many wouldnt.

And doing that, despite not having made a remarkable success of his 15 years in Berlin.

Does the LSO need Rattle? No. They moved swiftly to take on Antonio Pappano, who is mustard keen to show he isnt just an opera conductor, and will do well.

By returning to Germany, Rattle has perhaps deprived himself of the chance to end his career on a spectacular high.

He has sold his birthright for a mess of sauerkraut.
APPLE TV+, NETFLIX, AMAZON, SKY & DISNEY+





WeCrashed

Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway star as WeWork co-founders Adam and Rebekah Neumann (Gwyneth Paltrows cousin) in this pacy drama series about the rise and fall of the eccentrically managed company, which grew from being a single co-working space into a global brand worth $47 billion in under a decade.

Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway (above) are terrific in this pacy drama series about the rise and fall of WeWork. This is must-watch TV

Then, in less than a year, its valuation dropped by $40 billion.

Adam is portrayed as a smooth-talking force of nature. His yoga-teacher wife is all about putting positive vibes out into the universe. Leto and Hathaway are terrific and this is must-watch TV. Apple TV+, from Friday





Top Boy

Its been called a British version of The Wire and centres around the story of Dushane (Ashley Walters), the main man on the Summerhouse estate.

Hes also making more money than ever and is settled in his relationship with Shelley  but someone is waiting to rain on his parade. A Channel 4 show thats now a Netflix favourite. Netflix, from Friday

Persuasion

Sally Hawkins and Rupert Penry-Jones star in this 2007 BBC adaptation of Jane Austens last completed novel.

Sally Hawkins (above) stars as the unmarried Anne Elliot - pretty much on the shelf at the ancient age of 27 - in this adaptation of Jane Austen's last completed novel

Unmarried Anne Elliot  pretty much on the shelf at the ancient age of 27  and naval man Captain Wentworth meet again eight years after she was persuaded by snooty friends and family to reject him and end their engagement.

She still loves him, but is it now too late for the pair? BritBox, from Thursday





Kinky Boots

The true story of a struggling shoe business transformed by the arrival of drag queen Lola. First seen as a 2005 film, it became a stage musical in 2013, with a script by Harvey Fierstein and songs by Cyndi Lauper, and won numerous awards.

This West End production stars Matt Henry as Lola. Stage+, available now

Fresh

Gruesome comedy-horror film with Normal Peoples Daisy Edgar-Jones excellent as Noa, fed up with the sort of men she encounters on dating apps.

Daisy Edgar-Jones (above, with Sebastian Stan) is excellent as Noa, fed up with the sort of men she encounters on dating apps

When she meets charming Steve (Sebastian Stan) in a grocery store, shes very taken with him and accepts his invitation to a weekend at a remote house, despite her best friend thinking hes a bit shady.

Moral of the story? Listen to your best friend. Disney+, from Friday





Master

Billed as a horror film, this is actually a drama about racism.

Its the start of a new year at one of Americas most august universities. Gail Bishop (Regina Hall) has become the first black woman ever to be made a housemaster. And new student Jasmine Moore (Zoe Renee) has a room haunted by a witch.

But thats not the biggest threat around. Amazon, from Friday

The Godfather

The Godfather (incredibly, now 50 years old) and its first sequel are among the greatest films ever made and have influenced pretty much every organised crime drama since.

Michael, son of Italian-American mobster Vito Corleone, is played by Al Pacino (above) who imbues the character with all the intensity of one of Shakespeares tragic heroes

The trilogy is the story of the rise and fall of Vito Corleone, an Italian-American mobster played by Marlon Brando, and his son Michael, played by Al Pacino, who imbues the character with all the intensity of one of Shakespeares tragic heroes.

Sky, from Friday

Black Crab

Noomi Rapace stars in a post-apocalyptic Swedish action thriller. In an endless winter, six soldiers must transport a mysterious package, but soon they question the mission. Netflix, from Friday

Nightmare Alley

Charismatic conman Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a fairground worker, ingratiates himself with clairvoyant Zeena (Toni Collette) to learn the secrets of her mind-reading act and use them to defraud 1940s New York society.

Stanton Carlisle (Bradley Cooper), a fairground worker, plots to scam a dangerous tycoon with the aid of a psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett, above)

With the virtuous Molly (Rooney Mara) by his side, Stanton plots to scam a dangerous tycoon with the aid of a psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett).

At two-and-a-half hours, this Oscar-nominated film could have done with a trim but this dark vision from Guillermo del Toro (The Shape Of Water) is appealingly seductive. Disney+, from Wednesday

Deep Water

Vic Van Allen (Ben Affleck) is a wealthy man who tolerates the affairs his beautiful younger wife Melinda (Ana de Armas) is so indiscreet about. Or does he?

This adaptation of a 1957 Patricia Highsmith novel, starring Ana de Armas (above), is the first film in 20 years for director Adrian Lyne

When he tells her new boyfriend that he killed a previous paramour, is he trying to scare him off? Or is he a secret psychopath?

This adaptation of a 1957 Patricia Highsmith novel is the first film in 20 years for director Adrian Lyne, who helmed some of the biggest hits of the 1980s, including Fatal Attraction and Flashdance.

Grace Jenkins, who plays the Van Allens little girl, looks like a future Oscar-winner. Amazon, from Friday





Film Collection

BritBox is adding more movies to its already impressive collection.

BritBox is adding more movies to its already impressive collection, including True History Of The Kelly Gang starring Charlie Hunnam (above)

Among those to look out for are Lars von Triers Breaking The Waves, featuring an incredible debut performance by Emily Watson as a woman trying to deal with her husbands life-changing accident, as well as Jawbone, Benjamin and True History Of The Kelly Gang (featuring Charlie Hunnam). BritBox, from Friday

ALL4, BBC iPLAYER & TALKING PICTURES TV





Snow Angels

Its the night before Christmas Eve when five-week-old baby Lucas vanishes from his home in Stockholm amid a snowstorm. The boys mother, Jenni, was under the influence of sleeping pills, so cant remember anything.

Its the night before Christmas Eve when five-week-old baby Lucas vanishes from his home in Stockholm amid a snowstorm

Veteran detective Alice has plenty of questions for the little lads family members who, she suspects, know more about the matter than theyre letting on.

Vikings Josefin Asplund stars in the eight-part drama alongside Eva Melander. All4, available now

Blinded By The Light

Another heartwarming slice of British-Asian life from Gurinder Chadha, who gave us Bend It Like Beckham.

This comedy drama is based on a memoir by Sarfraz Manzoor and chronicles his growing up as a Pakistani in Luton in 1987 and how his obsession with Bruce Springsteen helped him cope with a strict father and the local skinheads.

Viveik Kalra leads a cast including Hayley Atwell and Rob Brydon. BBC iPlayer, available now

The Man With The X-Ray Eyes

Anybody who remembers Bazooka Joe bubble-gum wrappers containing ads for X Ray Specs will feel the thrill that is the core of this 1963 Roger Corman cult classic.

Ray Milland is the scientist who uses eyedrops to extend his vision first to see through peoples clothes, then to see the edges of the universe. It does not end well. Talking Pictures TV Encore, from Saturday

Pain And Glory

One of Pedro Almodovars most personal films, this stars Antonio Banderas as, yes, a director, who is failing mentally and physically as he looks back on his life.

One of Pedro Almodovars most personal films, this stars Antonio Banderas and features a fine performance from Penelope Cruz (above)

A bittersweet film with fine performances from Banderas and Penelope Cruz. BBC iPlayer, available now

Turn Of Fate

The classic 1950s collection of one-off dramas featuring an impressive roster of household names, including Jack Lemmon, Barbara Stanwyck and David Niven. Talking Pictures TV Encore, available now
Red Rocket Cert: 18, 2hrs 10mins

Rating:

Sideshow Cert: 15, 1hr 34mins

Rating:

Master Cheng Cert: PG, 1hr 54mins

Rating:

From the moment he shouts his name through the rickety front door  Its Mikey  theres something about the central character in Sean Bakers seedy new film, Red Rocket, that sets your teeth on edge. It doesnt take long to find out why.

Turns out Mikey is a fading adult film star whos had to leave California in a violent hurry and returns  bruised and penniless  to his no-hope home town in Texas, seeking sanctuary with his estranged wife and drug-damaged mother-in-law.

Almost inevitably, theyre not the slightest bit pleased to see him.

Mikey  extremely well played by Simon Rex  becomes obsessed with the pretty salesgirl at the local doughnut store: Strawberry (Suzanna Son, above with Rex)

Mikey  extremely well played by Simon Rex, who himself had a youthful flirtation with the porn industry  still has his good looks and a hustlers machine-gun charm, but when they fail to convince local employers he quickly reverts to type  selling drugs and becoming obsessed with the pretty salesgirl at the local doughnut store.

Might the improbably named Strawberry (Suzanna Son) be his way back into the porn industry? Mikey thinks so, despite the fact the she is only 17.

What follows is a distinctly unedifying story, with the much older man  Mikey must be the wrong side of 40  out to exploit a starstruck under-age girl both for profit and sexual gratification.

But festival favourite Baker  his previous films include Tangerine and The Florida Project  leavens the mix with dark humour, a memorable moment of pathos and echoes of Midnight Cowboy and Boogie Nights, making it worth hanging around to discover whether this ghastly man gets his moral comeuppance in the end.

There are some films where you end up simply marvelling that they ever got made, and Sideshow is one of them.

I mean, the moment someone said: Weve got Les Dennis playing a washed-up stage psychic whose theatre digs get broken into by two incompetent burglars, werent there loud alarm bells going off?

The moment someone said: Weve got Les Dennis (above) playing a washed-up stage psychic whose theatre digs get broken into', werent there loud alarm bells going off?

Yes, the Liverpool-born comedian has a long history of occasional acting but hes hardly known for it

Sadly, the end result is even worse than expected, hampered by an unpleasantly dated script, a lack of cinematic vision and poor performances all round. It gets one star for the music.

Pleasant surprise of the week is Master Cheng, and even that has a slightly uncomfortable relationship with ethnic stereotyping. But it is Finnish; maybe they see things differently over there.

Set in the forests of the countrys remote north, the familiar-feeling story begins when a handsome Chinese man steps off a bus with his unhappy son. Hes looking for someone  Fongtron  but none of the locals has heard of anyone by that name.

Sirkka (Anna-Maija Tuokko) the pretty but unhappy owner of the local diner, takes pity on him and puts him up. Only to discover that he cooks like a dream. It turns out that Cheng (Pak Hon Chu) is a brilliant Chinese chef.

If you liked Chocolat or Ang Lees Eat Drink Man Woman, youll enjoy this. Although it will make you desperately hungry.
Rebel

Rahaf Mohammed HarperCollins 16.99

Rating:

At times its hard to remember that Rahaf Mohammed was only 18 when the vivid events in her memoir Rebel occurred.

Her story gripped the world as she live-tweeted her escape from her brutal upbringing in Saudi Arabia, fleeing as far as Bangkok before Saudi officials caught up with her.

There, afraid she would be killed, she publicised her situation in a series of social-media posts  and her campaign for asylum went viral.

At times its hard to remember that Rahaf Mohammed (above) was only 18 when the vivid events in her memoir Rebel occurred

Rebel not only traces her dramatic flight but also gives an eyewitness account of the life she needed to leave so desperately.

From an early age Mohammed, the daughter of a city governor and the first of his three wives, is baffled and frustrated by the restrictions she lives under  forced to cover up in a voluminous abaya and hijab, never allowed to swim or ride a bike or go out without a male relative.

The only freedom she enjoys is via the internet, where she finds a group of women who help plan her escape.

Throughout there are powerful anecdotes of the limitations inflicted on Saudi women, despite much-trumpeted steps forward.

At the most banal, Mohammed is not allowed to sit without her legs crossed, but there are moments of real peril for those who do not conform.

When Mohammed rebels and goes out with her face uncovered, she is raped by a taxi driver who knows she will never tell her family because of the dishonour it will cause.

This account accurately captures the voice of a girl growing up  for example, like Mohammed, we can never quite understand why her mother, who is treated badly by her husband, wont support her daughters desire for freedom, and at times Mohammed herself cannot fully articulate what she is going through.

Rebel is an eye-opening look into a closed kingdom, and a grim reminder of a place where womens rights are still far from recognised.

The Greatest Raid

Giles Whittell Penguin 20

Rating:

At the beginning of 1942 it seemed that we were losing the war. We had been driven from the Continent, Rommel had us on the run in North Africa and Singapore had fallen to the Japanese.

Although the Americans had entered the war, it would take time for them to mobilise and, in the meantime, the Red Army was being pulverised by the Wehrmacht.

Churchill demanded that something be done to show our allies that we were still in the fight.

On the night of March 27, 1942, an obsolete destroyer, HMS Campbeltown (above, before she exploded), steamed towards the French coast

The result was the most spectacular commando raid of the Second World War, a seaborne assault on the German-held French port of St Nazaire.

It was a major U-boat base, but it was also home to the only dry dock on the Atlantic Coast capable of refitting the German battleship Tirpitz.

Churchill was terrified of the prospect of Tirpitz wreaking havoc among the North Atlantic convoys, and it was thought that wrecking the port facilities at St Nazaire would limit its options.

But St Nazaire was teeming with Germans and bristling with guns; indeed, it was so heavily defended that the local commander had dismissed the idea of a British attack as madness.

On the night of March 27, 1942, an obsolete destroyer, HMS Campbeltown, steamed towards the French coast.

She was accompanied by a collection of 17 petrol-driven motor launches, flimsily constructed and highly combustible, laden with highly trained commandos.

As Giles Whittell makes clear in this enthralling account of the raid, the men were all fully aware of the suicidal nature of the mission, but they had volunteered anyway. Their fighting spirit was to stun the Germans.

Initially surprise was on their side, but once the German gun emplacements were alerted they unleashed a storm of shells that blew most of the wooden motor launches out of the water.

But HMS Campbeltown, though raked with fire, ploughed on regardless and rammed the massive steel gates of the dry dock at full speed.

Demolition parties raced ashore to blow up other targets, but it was Campbeltown herself that packed the heftiest punch: primed with four tons of explosives, she later erupted with devastating effect.

The goal of the raid was achieved but British casualties were horrific. Was it worth it? Whittell weighs the evidence judiciously and, on balance, the answer is probably yes.

Whittell is critical of much of the planning and he compares the unleashing of the motor launches to the Charge of the Light Brigade.

Inter-service rivalries bedevilled the operation, and after the war it was confirmed that Hitler would never have sent Tirpitz into the Atlantic.

But the effect on morale was priceless. The Americans were impressed, Stalin was reassured that we meant business, and the British public at last had something to cheer about.

Long-term, it may have contributed little to winning the war, but the heroism on display that night was unsurpassed and Whittell is right to call his book The Greatest Raid.

Simon Griffith
French Braid

Anne Tyler Chatto & Windus 16.99

Rating:

One of the most quoted  or overquoted  lines on families comes from Tolstoy, at the start of Anna Karenina. All happy families resemble one another; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

Like so many aphorisms, it possesses the appealing magnetism of an instant truth. But then you begin to wonder if it is, in fact, quite as true as it first appears.

Might it not be just as true the other way round, for instance? 'All unhappy families resemble one another; each happy family is happy in its own way.

For decades, Anne Tyler (above) has been the beadiest of all chroniclers of family life in all its happiness and sadness, tugs and obstacles

For decades, Anne Tyler has been the beadiest of all chroniclers of family life in all its happiness and sadness, tugs and obstacles, misunderstandings, reconciliations, hopes and disappointments.

She has written 23 novels, all of them set in her own middle-class neighbourhood of Baltimore, and all of them touching, in one way or another, on the idea of family.

Down the centuries, most novelists and playwrights have been in flight from the family, portraying it as a nest of vipers.

It is hard to think of a single happy family in the works of Shakespeare, for instance. How sharper than a serpents tooth it is to have a thankless child, snaps King Lear, and he could be speaking on behalf of most other Shakespearean parents, too.

There are many authors today who try to emulate Anne Tyler's technique, but none of them comes close to the lightness of touch, the accuracy of her ear, or the profundity of her vision

The Swedish playwright August Strindberg had the gloomiest of all opinions of family, describing it as the home of all social evil, a charitable institution for comfortable women, an anchorage for house-fathers and a hell for children.

But Anne Tyler is different. Though she has the most supremely relaxed and simple style, with storylines that carry you along with great ease, the family dynamics in her novels are richly complex.

Around the same table, various members of the same extended family will be entertaining all sorts of mixed and contradictory feelings about each other in a way that, magically, seems closer to life than to literature.

This new one, French Braid, kicks off in 2010 on a busy railway station with a young woman, Serena, telling her boyfriend she might have recognised someone.

I think that might be my cousin, she said in an undertone.

Where?

That guy in the suit.

You think its your cousin?

Im not really sure.

Sure enough, he does turn out to be her cousin  her mothers brothers son, who she last saw 12 years before at their grandfathers funeral, when she was 12 and he was in his mid-teens.

The two of them chat briefly, then rush to catch their different trains.

Tell your family hello, hear? she called.

Ill do that, he called back.

Serenas boyfriend looks on bewildered. I have to say you guys give a whole new meaning to the phrase once removed, he remarks.

The next chapter goes back to the summer of 1959, when the grandfather and grandmother, as youngish parents, are taking their three children on a lakeside holiday. Each fresh chapter then leaps forward in time across ten or so years.

French Braid traces the interweaving fortunes of the various members of four generations of that same family, ending in the present day with the children of the grandchildren.

That may sound complicated, and it should be, but, miraculously, its not.

The miracle lies in the art: in a short sentence or two, Tyler possesses the uncanny ability to home in on a particular detail, or a particular incident  or sometimes even just a word or a glance  and, through them, to reveal an entire world of thought and emotion.

Her main characters are, for the most part, buttoned up, so that their feelings are suppressed. Yet Tyler somehow manages to extract poetry from their reticence.

Take this little bit of dialogue, which takes place after two of the key characters in the novel, Robin and Mercy, have dropped off their awkward son, David, at university, and are then hoping hell be coming back for their Thanksgiving celebrations.

Having not heard from him for ages, Mercy takes a call from him and then puts down the phone.

Hes not coming? Robin asked her.

She shook her head.

Well. Its only natural, he said. Got his friends around, his studies...

I know that, she said.

This is a good sign, in fact.

I know, she said.

Just 38 words, only four of them more than a single syllable, but the whole thing charged with such emotion, all the deeper for being buried. And it all seems so natural. How does Tyler do it?

There are many authors today who try to emulate her technique, but none of them comes close to the lightness of touch, the accuracy of her ear, or the profundity of her vision.

Some have charged her with mushiness, but such is the bleak norm of contemporary fiction that misanthropy is valued over generosity, and optimism is often confused with sentimentality.

Years ago, one American critic called her Americas foremost NutraSweet novelist and claimed that she was annoyingly synthetic.

Yet it seems to me that her novels are closer to life as it is lived by most of us than countless novels that dwell on serial killers or abused teenagers or post-apocalyptic dystopias.

At no point does French Braid seek to obscure the problems rising from family life. Quite the opposite: the feuds, the hurts, the let-downs, the secrets, the misapprehensions, the fall-outs are all chronicled with eerie precision.

But, beneath them all, there is an underlying feel of hope so unusual in todays fiction that it can be dismissed as saccharine.

Equally, Tyler is unfashionably empathetic towards men.

She often creates men whose hopes have been dashed, or who have problems connecting to other people, or who, quite simply, prefer to talk about cars or home maintenance over anything more personal, but she treats them with dignity.

I am very comfortable writing as a man, she said in a recent interview, and I think thats because I had really good men in my life. They made me comfortable and I thought, OK, theyre not so different from me.

How many other contemporary women novelists would be bold enough to say the same?

Having read all her novels, I often find it hard, in retrospect, to distinguish one from another. They all chronicle characters who might pass unnoticed in their own neighbourhoods, but whose hopes and fears are universal.

Perhaps they will eventually come to be seen as one vast, panoramic portrait of life in one particular place, at one particular time, as accurate and resonant as similar series by Balzac or Trollope.

The great Alan Bennett once offered his own variation on Tolstoys gloomy aphorism about families. Every family has a secret, he suggested, And its secret is that it is not like other families.

Tyler also recognises the power of secrecy within the family. The key couple, Robin and Mercy, never quite break up, but Mercy rents a studio in town and gradually moves into it, and away from home.

Neither lets on to their children that this is the case.

The greatest accomplishment of Robins life was: not a single one of his children guessed that Mercy wasnt living at home any more It would kill them. They would be devastated.

Of course, the children guessed it years ago but have never talked about it.

When Robin boasts to his middle-aged daughter Lily that her mother has chided him into visiting a doctor, His shyly boastful tone filled Lily with pity. He was so proud to have a wife who cared about his wellbeing.

This is just one of many instances of the emotional complexities in this beautiful novel of family life as it unfolds over the years. Time passing is a plot, Anne Tyler has said.

In this particular family, the members live separate lives, so much so that the youngest generation barely recognise each other, but they all have something in common, each generation carrying whispers of the ones that went before.
Beauty treatments, designer gear, shower rooms Danielle Hine reveals how weve turned our pandemic puppies into pampered pooches

In 2020 we had 77,000 dogs visiting our spas in the run-up to Christmas, and we exceeded that in 2021. I had to book in my cockapoo Amber weeks in advance!

The UK went dog-mad during the pandemic, with estimates suggesting dog ownership increased by ten per cent to around 12 million. Did we have a clear idea of what we were going to do with all these four-legged friends once the lockdowns ended? Not really  we just knew we wanted their company to ease the pain of being stuck at home.

Then the kids went back to school, some of us went back to work, but what about the lockdown pups (now demanding teenagers)? Of course, we felt terrible about leaving them. So, to assuage the guilt, we bought them stuff. A whole load of stuff.

The global dog clothing and accessories market hit around 7.1 billion in 2020 and is estimated to reach 12.24 billion by 2028, according to market research firm Million Insights.

In the UK, Pets at Home has experienced a huge demand for its pet spa treatments. Were seeing many trends from the human market emerging for dogs now, says Claire Gavin, director of creative development and innovation.

In 2020 we had 77,000 dogs visiting our spas in the run-up to Christmas, and we exceeded that in 2021. I had to book in my cockapoo Amber weeks in advance! (Amber got a berry burst scented shampoo, a hydrating butter moisturising treatment, a blueberry facial and a teeth clean followed by a fresh-breath foam, before a special balm was applied to her paws and nose. She left sporting a bow tie.)

Victoria Keating, director of the Animal Magic Family Pet Retreat in Oakworth, West Yorkshire (offering creche and pampering services), confirms that the pandemic has pushed up the amount that owners are prepared to fork out. Pre-Covid my average customer spend was 200 per month. Now its 600.

Its not surprising companies are chasing the hound pound given this ballooning market and the fact that, according to Mintel, 51 per cent of pet-care buyers would rather cut spending on themselves than on their pets.

And a fair bit of scrimping would need to be done for anyone wanting to enter the world of the designer dog. You can drop 12,000 on a Christopher Howe dog settee or 640 on a silver-plated bowl set from Selfridges. Then theres the Alessi dog waste bag holder (34) and Aesop Animal Wash (27).

Freelance editor Nicky Rampley-Clarke and husband John, from Surrey, recently spent 20,000 converting their garage to incorporate a special shower for their five-month-old springer spaniel India.

Our builders have never done one before, and my dad thinks its the maddest thing he ever heard, says Nicky. Now, after muddy walks, we can pop her straight into her own warm shower area. No need for her to shake herself dry all over the house!

Nicky is also making a list of must-haves for Indias wardrobe. She hates the cold so a Barbour jacket is the first priority, followed by a Ralph Lauren jumper. We spent 100 on a turquoise leather collar from Selfridges that looks like jewellery. India is our baby, but we believe in discipline, exercise and love in that order to raise a well-rounded dog. We just want to spoil her in the process.

And like many of us, the lockdown dog needs a curated social life, too. Belle Boonroong, a data consultant based in London, has three pomeranians who are a hit on the canine party circuit. In 2019 it seemed like we had a [dog] birthday every month, she admits. We also threw a joint dog birthday party with a Hawaiian theme for Cedric and a couple of his friends at Neverland beach huts in Fulham  it cost about 900 between us. We had 27 dog guests, gift bags for them all, birthday cake and treats.

Last July, after Covid restrictions had lifted, we did a birthday for Cedric and Bilbo in Regents Park for around 15 dogs and their humans. I spent about 200 on gift bags, drinks and food, and got a bespoke cake from Dandie Dog Cafe.

Billy, a four-year-old parson russell terrier, is a big fan of his birthday get-togethers, says owner Collette Cooper, a musician and actor. He has loads of mates so they have a proper rave, she laughs. I make goody bags for his friends which consist of Earth Animal chews, Fresco dog treats and Sniffe & Likkit grooming products.

So if your New Year resolution was to budget better, we have one piece of advice do NOT buy a puppy.
Tom feels the heat from a Thai concession tucked away in a London pub

Fresh, clean and elegantly balanced  the pork larb is full of zinging vitality

How hot do you want your som tum? asks the waitress with a smile. Im standing by the counter of Khun Pakin Thai, a small and unassuming Thai concession tucked away in the corner of The Salutation pub, on King Street, West London. Thai hot, I reply with a macho growl. Just in case shes mistaken me for some pale, posh Englishman with a pathetically vainglorious view of his capsaicin capacity. She nods and grins. So five chillies level? Thats pretty hot.

Pretty hot, it turns out, is an early contender for understatement of the year. Its a glorious som tum pu plara, no doubt about that, dark as stagnant pond water, the crisp, shredded green papaya dressed in a mixture of sharp lime juice, sour tamarind and pla ra  moody, funkily fermented fish sauce. There are tiny pickled crab, ready to crunch and suck, and the soft base note of palm sugar. And chilli, lots of it, fresh and dried, enough to halt a rampaging elephant. A distant rumble of heat first, which gradually builds into a terrifying crescendo, a furious inferno that rolls down the throat in great burning waves.

Within seconds, speaking becomes impossible, my tongue transformed into a useless lump of gristle. My vision blurs and head turns giddy, as lights become more vivid, sounds more acute. Even thinking hurts. But this is pain of the most exquisite kind, as the som tum is sensationally good. And I just cant help going back for more.

Kung chae nam pla, raw prawns buried under mint leaves and thin slices of raw garlic, has a brisk rather than brutal heat, the flavours fresh, clean and elegantly balanced. Just like the pork larb, zinging vitality with slivers of red onion and a tangle of fresh herbs.

Not everything is about the chilli. Mu ping, chewy, charred pork skewers, remind me of the sticky Chiang Mai nights, while kho mu yang, grilled pork neck, has tender charm, and a piquant dipping sauce. Khun Pakin was recommended by the lovely people at Jin Da, just around the corner. Skip past the standard menu, they said, and get stuck into Esarn Thai Originals. Wise advice, and theres so much more to try. This now makes it three serious regional Thai places, mere metres apart. When it comes to good value, pretty exceptional restaurants, King Street can do battle with the best.

About 20 per head; Khun Pakin Thai at The Salutation, 154 King Street, London W6; salutationhammersmith.co.uk

DRINKS: Ollys best wines online

I love hunting online for thrilling wines  bottles of specialist character that light up the moment and live long in the memory. Buying by the case offers the best value and cuts out all the heavy lifting. Try emergingvines.co.uk  superb for English wine  while passionevino.co.uk is great fun for Italian wines and theres a well curated selection of natural wines at nattyboywines.co.uk.

WINE OF THE WEEK Domaine du Meteore Leonides FaugEres 2018 (13.5%), 15, gnarlyvines.co.uk. Scented and elegant. Wine of the year so far.

The Wine Atlas Feteasca Regala (12%), 5, asda.com. Britains best-value white online  surging with tropical freshness and scented splendour.

Vertiges 2020 Vallee du Paradis IGP (14%), 10.49, laithwaites.co.uk. Voluptuous and fruity, sunshine has been lavished on this super-supple red. Absolutely delightful.

Racine Pinot Noir Bruno Lafon & FranCois Chamboissier 2020 (13%), 12.40, hhandc.co.uk. Light and bright as a cherry swinging from a star. Divinely pure.
Losing her longed-for first baby halfway through her pregnancy was devastating for comedy star RACHEL PARRIS. In these brutally honest extracts from her diary, she reveals what she had to go through  and the bittersweet joy of getting pregnant again

Rachel during her pregnancy with her son Billy last year

A few years ago, as part of one of my comedy shows that I took on tour, I asked the audience every night to contribute their personal life advice on little scraps of paper. Little did I realise that there were times in the next year when I would desperately need advice as I lived through the uncertainty, fear and grief of losing a longed-for baby. One of the pieces of advice that I found in my collection, from an unknown audience member, stayed with me: Whats for you wont pass you. But as I veered between deep fear that I wouldnt ever have a child and longing for the one I had lost, I began to question it. What if things that are meant for you do pass you after all? Thats true for me  and for anyone who doesnt have something they know, for certain, should be part of their life.

The horror didnt kick in till the next morning

3 October 2020: I got pregnant back in spring  during that first proper lockdown. The baby wasnt conceived in a spirit of panic or boredom or Why not, theres literally nothing else to do? It was very planned and hoped for; wed been trying for a while and I was so excited. It was my first. I was about to turn 36.

When I was 18 weeks pregnant, I had some bleeding. I felt fairly complacent about it  Ive got what my husband [comedian Marcus Brigstocke] and I have darkly termed a bleedy cervix (this got a mixed reaction from the midwives, quite a tough crowd). So I was surprised when the doctor told me I had to stay in hospital because it wasnt a normal amount of bleeding.

I flipped 180 degrees from complacency to the assumption that I might be in the early stages of miscarrying. Suddenly I was paying incredibly close attention to what emerged from my vagina  as was everyone else. I got used to midwives and doctors asking to view the sanitary pad I was wearing  Id whip down my pants and theyd stare, with high curiosity, mild surprise and, later on, occasional pleasure, like it was a bold new artwork by Damien Hirst.

After a week, the bleeding stopped and I was allowed to go home. For the next ten days, I fell back into confidence in the pregnancy. I thought we had experienced the scary bump in the road, and it was over. But then the bleeding started again  this time with sharp pains, which I found out later were early contractions. I went for my 20-week scan and there were several problems  the pain, the bleeding, a shortened cervix [another sign of labour].

I was readmitted to hospital. I knew all the midwives now and they greeted me cheerily, and I greeted them cheerily back because what else can you do? Hello again! Yes, bleeding again haha  what am I like? I didnt want to be there, but as I was, I was very glad to be cared for by people I already knew.

I saw a different doctor every day and was told alternately that either it might be OK  theyd seen mothers bleed this much and still go on to have healthy babies  or this is very worrying; you are likely to lose your baby. The certainty of either outcome changed constantly over the next week. On and off  hope and despair, hope and despair. Crying and sleeping and not moving  not an inch, moving might hurt the baby, just stay still  taking iron supplements, laxatives, painkillers, going for twice-daily health checks with hours of emptiness in between, scans, infrequent toilet trips, changing pads, bad news, good news, well-meaning cleaning ladies telling me that they were praying for the baby, and hope and despair, and hope, and despair.

It was August 2020: visitors were not allowed in hospital due to Covid, so that week was spent alone in the hospital bed, endlessly FaceTiming my husband, who was with me, in every way he was allowed to be, heartbroken to be kept away.

I started to feel cautiously optimistic, having been in a week; the babys heartbeat remained strong, and it seemed possible that, with bed rest, it might just be all right. I was now 21 weeks. But that night, when the midwives came to do the routine monitoring, they couldnt find the heartbeat. This happened yesterday, I said, but they found it eventually  the babys just hiding. They smiled and kept looking, then left to fetch a doctor. Id never met this doctor before, and she came in and said, Im very sorry to meet you in such sad circumstances.

Thats when I realised what was happening. And everything changed.

She explained that the scan showed that my waters had broken, not suddenly, but gradually over the last few days. She explained that I would go into labour and would give birth  but that our baby couldnt survive.

When labour started, I would be put in a special delivery room for exactly these circumstances. Until I was in there, Marcus wasnt allowed to come in  I was supposed to spend the next night and day alone, knowing the baby inside me was dying. In tears and shaking, I asked the midwife if they would make an exception. Thankfully, they agreed, and Marcus came that night.

The next two days were surreal, hard, powerful, painful, awful, intense, sad, loving. We were cocooned in this web of people whose job it is to be kind and extraordinary. Midwives, bereavement specialists, consultants and nurses quietly descended to explain, comfort and help. Even at such a busy time, they never once made it seem like they were in a hurry: when Marcus went for a breath of fresh air, a specialist midwife literally ran after him to show him an alternative route, so that he wouldnt have to walk through the maternity ward and hear the cries of healthy babies.

The day of labour I was full of oxytocin and felt more powerful than sad. Marcus and I distracted ourselves by listening to songs by Flight of the Conchords and watching Fry and Laurie sketches between contractions. When the baby came, we held hands and cried. The midwife, who had been with us all day and who delivered the baby, cried with us. A little later, we saw and held our baby and said goodbye.

The next morning, the real horror kicked in. Id been high as a kite, too exhausted and in too much pain to take it all in, but waking up, with the drugs and hormones out of my system and nothing in my belly, I felt completely empty. My body felt pointless. I had nothing to show and nothing to hold.

When you lose a baby that you never got to know, you cant look at a photo of them or treasure a memory. But in the months leading up to it, mentally and physically, youve started to become a mother. Yet, after youve given birth, if the baby doesnt live, no one knows that change happened. People look at you as if you are the same person you were before. But youre not. You are a parent. But no one knows.

You want to talk about the baby. You grew it and it came into the world, and it left, and what makes it worse is having no way to mark that. So, after some time, I talked publicly about it, not in some selfless act of compassion, but for me and for my baby: Look, everyone  I had a baby. The impulse is still there, like any mother wanting to show off their baby. You have nothing to show people. No grave. No baby photos to post. You only have your story.

Whats for you wont pass you is an old Irish saying. It seems hopeful on the surface of it  that something all-powerful has an eye on everything and that when something passes you, it was never meant to be yours anyway; dont worry, something or someone else will come along.

But it works less well after a miscarriage, and yet people say things like: It wasnt meant to be; It wasnt the right time; Whats for you wont pass you.

But its not true. Assigning a rhyme and reason to these things isnt helpful. There is none. Some things are simply s**t and theres no silver lining. Sometimes things that were for you pass you.

Im scared something will go wrong again

25 June 2021: I write this at 34 weeks pregnant with my second pregnancy. He is kicking as I write, and I feel glad every day that my son is such a lairy baby, even when hes settled on my bladder and seems to enjoy Irish dancing. I love the reassurance. It makes me feel hopeful that in a few weeks I will have a baby. Hopeful but not certain.

In the last month, when people see my bump, they ask Is it your first? Im not sure what to tell them. Because, at present, he is not my first anything. He is the second baby Ive carried; he has been in my belly for a few weeks longer than my daughter was. I have had two pregnancies and no children.

I am grateful that I have hope now and more confidence in the pregnancy than I did up until a month ago. The day when I was told, If he came now, hed survive was a huge relief; I had been holding my breath to get to that point.

I feel, in fact, so happy, so content, that it scares me. I am in love with my husband, I am pregnant and some days it feels so perfect, Im scared something will go wrong like it did before. I feel I know my baby a bit already. His kicking and moving make me laugh  theyre so strange and strong. I find him eccentric, a bit of a character. The thought of losing him is so heartbreaking that I can hardly even think about it.

My husband worries that I am too aware of the statistics of late miscarriage, of stillbirth, but, when you have been that unlikely statistic, it is hard not to consider them again. It is a part of our journey: a heightened awareness. Our ears are pricked up, ready for danger.

In the past few months, Ive felt more able to connect with my friends who gave birth around the time of our loss. I thought it would be hard meeting their babies but, once I did, it was lovely because they were lovely, and this isnt my baby, its theirs. It was hard seeing my husband playing with our friends new babies. He should be playing with our baby, I thought; I havent been able to give him a baby to hold. There will always be moments that sting, but they are becoming less frequent.

I am already in love with my son and I am bursting with excitement to meet him. People over-use the phrase I cant wait but for me it is a daily effort: I count minutes and hours and days. I need him safe, where I can see him and hold him. I am hopeful. It has been a rainy, cold spring but the sun has finally come out in these early June days. I hope it stays until he arrives. I hope I am holding a hot, grumpy baby in the sweaty heat of August. I hope. I am happy, I am hopeful and I am grateful. I am ready.

Rachel with husband Marcus and their son Billy this Valentines Day

I cant believe I get to keep him

17 September 2021 : This morning, I was up at 3.30am, 6am and 8am.

I have been vomited on twice.

I have poo on my dressing gown.

My tits hurt.

My head hurts.

Im starving.

And a demonic siren is going off inches from my head.

I am very lucky.

My beautiful boy arrived at teatime on a cold day at the end of July, all purple and covered in white goop. Summer never came this year, but our summer, our sunshine, came in the form of this little parcel.

From the moment he was handed to me, I couldnt quite believe he was mine. I cant believe I get to keep him. I know Im biased, but he is the best baby of them all.

I am so exhausted some days I cant move my face. Turns out theres very little difference between resting bitch face and knackered mum face. Nap whenever you can, the advice says, but it doesnt work  when theyre awake youre looking after them, and when theyre asleep you finally get time to eat, wee and possibly, as a luxury, wash.

Its tiring, its upsetting, its life-changing. It is the best thing in the world.

We were given piles of secondhand baby clothes and one of the baby-grows has Little Miracle on the front. When I first saw it, before he was born, I thought it was mawkish. But I get it now. I saw him in it this morning and I thought, yeah, theres something in that. He is a little miracle. Hes our miracle. I am his and he is mine. My baby, my boy, my Billy.


ACTING President Constantino Chiwenga yesterday accused the police of blocking the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) rallies around the country.

Addressing a rally in Dangamvura, Mutare, to drum up support for Zanu PF candidates in the March 26 by-elections, Chiwenga sought to absolve the government from the bans being imposed on opposition rallies.

The opposition should not blame Zanu PF about the ban of its rallies, Chiwenga said.

Its not our problem, anyone is allowed to campaign. Please, deal with the police, and dont blame anything on the government or Zanu PF because Zanu PF is also applying to the Zimbabwe Republic Police to get clearance for its rallies.

On Friday, police did not sanction a CCC rally which was supposed to be held at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera on Saturday. This was despite that High Court judge Justice Lucy Mungwaris ruling that the rally should go ahead as long as the CCC addressed the internal remedies that the police had cited.

On Saturday morning, police barricaded Rudhaka and turned away thousands of CCC supporters coming for the event. Heavily armed riot police formed a human wall at the stadium, blocking all entrances.

A CCC rally in Binga, which is scheduled for tomorrow, is in limbo after police did not approve it, saying that President Emmerson Mnangagwa was due to visit Hwange on March 17, and they would not have enough manpower to handle the rally.

In February, police barred CCC from using buses and lorries to transport its supporters to rallies, despite Zanu PF bussing in its supporters to such events.

Police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi curtly said: Currently, I have not been briefed about the issue by the Officer Commanding Manicaland province. I am driving on the highway and I would want to be briefed first on the situation in Manicaland before I comment.

Meanwhile, in his address to Zanu PF supporters, Chiwenga aasured them that no one will die of hunger because of the drought.

We have realised that most crops are wilting and, as government, we are going to make sure that no one suffers from hunger. We have started preparations so that we address those challenges, he said.

The government led by Zanu PF has done enough to win by-elections by carrying out various projects, including road rehabilitation, he said.

Zimbabwe goes to polls on March 26 in by-elections necessitated by recalls, deaths or diplomatic postings. Newsday
Forget bitching behind the bike sheds. Todays teens are making snide comments online  and even targeting teachers. But when does banter become dangerous bullying? Tanith Carey investigates

Posts named teachers, and one message said: I hope the school gets bombed

At first, mum-of-three Jo Bailey, 43, was amused when she heard from other parents about an Instagram account which mocked the strict rules at her 14-year-old son Jamies Midlands comprehensive. Initially, the images  making fun of the school dinners, teachers pet sayings and strict rules about how to queue in the lunch hall  didnt surprise her. These days, children think they can say what they like online. They feel untouchable, Jo says.

But then, as she scrolled through other social-media-platform pages linked to the school, she came across a worrying account. The creator, apparently a younger child acting alone, clearly harboured serious grudges against several staff members. The posts included messages such as, I hope the school gets bombed, and it named teachers who they said should get stabbed, raped or tortured.

Finding out who is behind these sites is like chasing ghosts. The memes pictured here are typical of the ones posted on the school gossip accounts

I was shocked, recalls Jo. There was even a poll asking if other pupils agreed, though the results werent published. It had been up for a few weeks. Because these online comments didnt have a large number of views and hadnt been reported by the school, nothing was done about the content and, at the time of writing, they were still visible to anyone knowing where to search.

Of course, pupils have always let off steam about school. But for Gen Z  for whom social media is second nature  venting isnt limited to gossiping with their peers behind the bike sheds. Now, their thoughts have the potential to go viral.

Welcome to the world of secondary school gossip accounts on Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Also known as spilling the tea and shade accounts, mostly they feature memes  humorous images or clips overlaid with jokes and captions, designed to make fun of school life, teachers and rules.

Teens think staff are robots with no feelings

Though often dressed up as a harmless laugh, some veer into dangerous territory. These include memes calling staff paedos, accusing them of ignoring bullying or of misappropriating school funds.

Memes can also turn misogynistic with boys referring to girls as thots, a new term for slut. Some pages feature anonymous confessions about school liaisons, often sexual, leading commentators to speculate on the identities. There are also tales of in-school drug taking. It seems such pages have come to prominence in recent times as young people revel in the novelty of being back together after months of remote learning. Gossip accounts are usually run by one or two rebellious, older students who pride themselves on having the most biting sense of humour. And for slickly run private schools, such pages have also become a weapon for students to punch holes in brochure-friendly images.

After attending two impressive open days, Suzanne Cooper was convinced she had found the perfect boarding school for her 14-year-old son Ben. The glossy prospectus promised that the school, with its desirable location in the South of England, could offer her son not just a top-drawer education but also turn him into a creative, enquiring and well-rounded young person.

When the teacher says 'Why don't you come up and teach the class'

But once term had started, Suzanne stumbled upon another side to the school when she tried to google the half-term pick-up arrangements. This time, it was written by the pupils.

It was an Instagram account, also under the schools name, where some students had posted memes about how bored and unmotivated they were, how theyd evaded the teachers attempts to catch them taking drugs and how theyd shown up to assembly still drunk from the night before, says Suzanne, 54, from Hertfordshire.

At first, Id hoped it was an exaggeration by some of the older pupils but now Ben has been there a couple of years, it feels worryingly accurate. The more I got to know the school, the more I realised that it does have a drug problem  so much so that at one point the head sent in sniffer dogs.

I gather the school knows about the page, though not whos behind it. But they cant get it removed because it doesnt name anyone specifically and its not extreme enough to break any rules.

Ben thinks its hilarious and everyone at the school follows it. But I think it normalises drug-taking and disrespect towards staff, as well as making the school look terrible.

The first Sandra Joseph knew about the meme account at her 16-year-old daughter Flos girls school was when she got a letter from the head just before the first lockdown. It was sent out to all the parents and asked us to check our daughters phones for signs theyd been looking at the Instagram page or posting anything on it, recalls Sandra, 54, a designer who lives in West London.

As the account in question was on a public setting, it could be seen by anyone. I had a look for myself and there were the usual jokes about school meals. It did mention teachers a lot, but in a mocking rather than brutal way.

My first feeling was relief that the girls werent targeting each other  but I could see why some of the staff might be upset. There were unflattering pictures and comments making fun of them. Things like how the chemistry teacher would explode if pupils didnt wear their goggles, how the maths teacher could never stick to the point and how you had to be half dead to see the nurse. To be honest, I thought some were quite funny, though I didnt say that to Flo.

My looming GCSEs

For Sandra, the incident sums up the mixed messages for teenagers these days. On one hand, the girls are encouraged to speak up for themselves, be creative and have an opinion. But when they do, they are in trouble.

However, I imagine its very difficult if youre a teacher who gets singled out and you have to teach classes, not knowing which pupils are making fun of you. We laughed at the staff, too, when we were their age, but they never knew about it. Wed draw caricatures in our rough books but only your friends saw them. Now the mockery is seen by everyone, including parents of prospective pupils.

Flos school is high-achieving, meaning the head is fiercely protective of its reputation. I can see why they got a bit heavy-handed but the identities of the girls behind it were never found out and they stopped posting.

While pupils might claim its only a bit of fun, being targeted can be deeply traumatic for teachers, says Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers. He speaks of the huge distress that can be caused and goes as far as to say that it can lead those affected to consider leaving the profession.

Lexi Kerr, 27, a teacher at a sixth-form centre in the East of England, has seen the disruption such meme pages can cause. After overhearing some of the Year 12 students talking about a college gossip page, she decided to investigate. Rather than targeting other pupils, it was teacher-centred, she says. At this age, teens think staff are robots who dont have any feelings and that we deserve it. For example, last year one of the teachers had to isolate due to Covid and some students wrote nasty comments about how he was toxic and infected. When he was able to come back to college, some refused to go into his classroom. These pages can be a distraction for young people but a wholly negative experience for those who appear in them.

Yet beyond that, Lexi also sees the school gossip page as opening up an opportunity to talk to teenagers about appropriate online behaviour. I think students need to be educated about the possible negative effects on the mental health of the people they mention.

Leon Hady of Guide Education  which provides teacher training  says such content poses a huge challenge for school leaders and they cant afford to ignore it. These pages are time-consuming to deal with and make a difficult job harder. They are a nightmare for teachers to police. Finding out which pupils are behind them is like chasing ghosts. Kids may use VPNs [virtual private networks] to hide who they are. They could be using the phone of another pupil or even one belonging to an adult.

If threats start to be exchanged between pupils on the social-media pages, Leon says the police have to be called in order to prevent the possibility of violence breaking out away from school.

'The Ofsted rep in the back of your classroom'

However, provided they dont encourage abusive or criminal behaviour, such pages can actually have a positive effect, says clinical psychologist Emma Citron. These forums give pupils a sense of control in a place where they spend a large part of their lives, yet feel they have little say. Gossip generally serves the purpose of social cohesion and the sharing of common opinions, which increases social bonding.

When faced with inappropriate or offensive online gossip, Andy Phippen, professor of digital rights at Bournemouth University, advises that there may be little the police can do. The truth is that, if you put a microphone around the lunch hall to pick up what pupils say, youd hear far worse. When it comes to the pages, it requires a conversation with the students and the pages to be reported to the platform upon which it was posted.

If, however, a pupil is making a specific allegation about criminal behaviour then it may become a police matter. When senior leadership in school is challenged, often the first response is to shut down criticism and protect the schools reputation rather than investigate whether students have a point.

You only have to look at why Everyones Invited [the forum established by young people in 2020 to expose rape culture in schools, which now has thousands of testimonies] was set up. Pupils felt their experiences of sexual assault and rape were not being taken seriously  no one could accuse Everyones Invited of being a gossip page.

Looking back, Suzanne says discovering her sons school meme page makes her wish she hadnt fallen quite so hard for the prospectus photos of eager-beaver pupils in the school library. Particularly given the 32,000-a-year fees.

She is, however, in a tricky position because only a handful of schools offer the type of specialist tuition that Ben is receiving. I have left him there for now because hes happy and the teaching works for him. But its certainly made me nervous and worried about the running of the school and what Ben could be getting up to there in the future.

If Id seen then how some of the pupils view the school from the inside, I would have certainly asked some more searching questions.
Unsure about buying and displaying artwork? Interiors stylist Joanna Thornhill shares her tips for curating your own collection

The frame game: If youre concerned about creating something that looks chaotic, stick to the same style and colour of frames throughout your gallery wall (or consider painting existing mismatched frames the same colour to cheat them into uniformity). Fill any awkward gaps with a few unframed postcards and polaroids to give an air of informality.

Blank walls can feel daunting  but so can the pressure of working out what to fill them with. Here are the key elements to consider when building your own art collection

First up, get clear on your objectives: yes, you want to fill your walls with stuff you like the look of, but also consider how youd like your art to make you feel. If youre after a calming vibe, then designs with similar tones to your room will bring less visual distraction.

Bold moves: Feeling brave? Get playful with your layouts: try hanging a statement artwork off-centre, or pairing two wildly different sized pieces together for a whimsical look. Here, black accents (on the small frame, in the larger artwork and as a trim in the console) have been used to ground the scheme.

If you want to create a scene-stealing focal point, something with an element of contrast is a better bet. Maybe youd like to spark happy memories by commissioning a portrait of a loved one or select pieces that represent (either literally or as an abstract nod) a favourite place.

Next, shop savvy, or get commissioning-clever: although art buying can be accessible for any budget, the trick is to think outside the box if your funds are limited. Postcards and ephemera can be collected for peanuts and given gravitas by popping them into a frame from a charity shop.

Surprise touches: Try not to limit your art to just framed prints or painted canvases: think outside the box and create a more stimulating scheme by incorporating some 3D objects or decorative plates to help break up any blockiness.

Limited-edition prints are usually much cheaper than originals, yet still have an element of exclusivity.

Choosing canvases rather than unframed prints avoids the additional costs of framing. Art fairs and auctions can be a great way of discovering more affordable, up-and-coming artists, so keep an eye out for any events in your area to make connections with local artists.

Hang or hook: If youre renting, or conscious of putting too many holes in your walls, consider installing a picture ledge instead, which requires just a few screws and can hold an ever-evolving collection of multiple prints. Alternatively, opt for removable picture hooks from command.3M.co.uk, which can be taken off without damaging walls. Opposite: Heavy and Awkward framed screenprint, 275, by Alex Edwards; Blue Drift print, 150, by Natascha Madeiski; Stretch Out and Wait print, 65, by Alex Booker; ceramics, from a selection, all artistsandobjects.com

If youre looking to invest in a bespoke piece but are budget-conscious, contemporary artist Emma Tweedie (emmatweedie.art) advises providing your chosen artist with a written brief and images of the room the artwork will be displayed in. Ensure sizing, medium and materials are agreed in advance, so you get an accurate quote.

Lastly, curate your display: whether youre going for a gallery wall or a single statement piece, aim to hang your selections so the centre of each artwork is roughly level with your eyeline.

Extra style points: Wall colours and decorative touches can really support and enhance an art curation: here, nature-inspired artworks are complemented by greens and blues, a wooden console, woven mat and foliage. Below: Stromboli framed print (far left), 115, and The Green Earth framed print (on floor), 135, both by Victor Pasmore; Carlyle Square, Chelsea framed print, 125, by Robert Buhler, all Tate x johnlewis.com

For a gallery wall, apply this rule to your central piece, then work outwards from there (if in doubt, arrange everything on the floor until youre happy with your configuration before committing to walls). Symmetrical arrangements will create a sense of order, though for more visual friction, asymmetric will give the eye somewhere to travel.

Above all, the most important thing is to create a display that you love and which brings you pleasure. If in doubt, take the approach of fashion and interior designer Matthew Williamson: Your walls should resemble a mosaic of your life  a patchwork of images that describe your essence.
There is something hugely moving about the Queens conduct in recent times. Long after most of us would have sought a secluded retirement of carefree peace, she has remained at her post, as she was taught to do from her childhood.

There are, alas, precious few men and women from that stoical, dauntless generation left among us. But we could not have done without them, or without her, in the long and difficult decades of fear, war and national change through which she has lived.

Let us learn from her now. Besieged by age, she has faced and endured the deep personal loss of Prince Philip, her unique and essential support. She has faced the turmoil of Harry and Meghans departure for the woke world of California and the wretched misery of Prince Andrews public humiliation.

There is something hugely moving about the Queens conduct in recent times

Can she be like us and still survive such repeated devastating blows? Yes, she is like us, human, vulnerable to hurt and grief. But she is also not like us.

She has learned to be unimpressed by flattery and luxury, and to be armoured against adversity. To her, triumph and disaster are impostors, as Rudyard Kipling rightly described them. She is a great Monarch precisely because she has seen so much and lived so long.

But now the unavoidable burden of her own remarkable age is growing greater, so great that it has come between her and duty. We can only imagine how hard it must have been for her to decide to stay away from tomorrows service for her beloved Commonwealth at Westminster Abbey.

As the Thanksgiving for the Duke of Edinburghs life, set for March 29, approaches, we should be thankful for her unique devotion over so many years, and hope and pray that she soon recovers her strength.

Oligarchs may find democracy can be very ruthless too

It is very important that justice is not just done but very thoroughly seen to be done.

This is the basis of the witty and clever plan put forward by the Cabinet Minister Michael Gove. He proposes that the British Government seizes the huge London homes of Russian oligarchs who have been friendly to Vladimir Putin  and uses them to house Ukrainian refugees.

The planned takeover would be temporary, for as long as the oligarchs are sanctioned and for as long as those refugees need roofs over their heads.

It is very important that justice is not just done but very thoroughly seen to be done. This is the basis of the witty and clever plan put forward by the Cabinet Minister Michael Gove

These grotesquely wealthy businessmen have obtained their riches through dubious methods and by prostrating themselves before the despotic power of the Kremlin. They have in almost all cases been careful to stash their wealth out of Putins reach, in a free law-governed country quite unlike the one where they made their fortunes.

Well, now they may find out that democracy can be ruthless too, especially when faced with greed in alliance with aggression. No doubt there will be legal problems to surmount. That is quite proper in a law-governed country such as we are  and such as Russia is not.

The aim of the scheme is not to expropriate or nationalise these properties. It is to do something practical and just with them, as hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians seek decent shelter, many of them in this country.

Imagine for the moment how such a refugee family might feel if, instead of being placed in a bleak hotel or a church hall, they were installed amid the high ceilings and gold-plated bath taps of some Russian plutocrat. And imagine also how the billionaires might feel, to see their palaces handed over to the deserving and suffering victims of a regime they have until now supported.

It might cause them to rethink their allegiance. The idea may seem outrageous at first sight but it deserves careful consideration.
Scam: The message, purporting to be from the NHS, instructs victims to order a Covid test kit and gives a link to a website to do so

Michele Simmons was feeling unwell with a dry cough and so was not surprised last week when she received a text message warning her she had been in close contact with someone who has Covid.

The message, purported to be from the NHS, instructed her to order herself a Covid test kit and gave her a link to a website to do so.

However, the health consultant from London did not realise that the message had been sent by fraudsters who were using this new ploy to trick her into handing over her personal information.

'I was feeling a bit rubbish and was bleary-eyed as I received the message first thing in the morning,' says Michele. 'So, not thinking, I clicked on the link, which took me to a website where I entered my personal details.'

Fortunately, Michele grew wary and stopped short of entering her bank details which the fraudulent website claimed were needed to pay a 1 postage charge for the test to be delivered.

Other victims have not been so lucky or wary. Santander says customers have lost an average of 5,600 to this scam, in total being conned out of more than 880,000.

Once a victim enters their personal details on the bogus website, they are then contacted by a fraudster claiming to be from their bank.

By this point, the fraudster is armed with the victim's name, address and bank details  information which they can parrot back to the victim to sound more convincing.

The fraudster convinces their victim that they are being scammed. In some cases they even warn them that they have fallen victim to a Covid test text message scam.

They tell the victim they need to move their money into a safe account and give them details of an account to move it into.

Once the victim has transferred their money, the fraudster becomes uncontactable. The victim's only hope is that their bank reimburses them, although they often refuse to do so for these types of bank transfer scams.

Chris Ainsley, head of fraud control at Santander, says: 'With changes to Covid testing and self-isolation requirements coming into force, fraudsters are exploiting the accompanying uncertainty as the 'new normal' beds in.

'Be on high alert if an SMS or email includes a link to a website  and never feel pressured to move your money. No bank or legitimate organisation will ask you to transfer your money to a safe account  ever.'
Although I am not a fan of the Financial Conduct Authority, its regulation of the pre-paid funerals market cannot come soon enough. It's a market awash with rats and scoundrels that need driving out.

In theory, funeral plans make financial sense. You pay upfront for your own funeral that hopefully will not take place for many years to come.

In buying now, you safeguard yourself against rising funeral prices  and it means there is one less issue for family and loved ones to deal with when your time on Mother Earth is finally up.

Sadly, theory does not always translate into practice  and I'm not a lone voice in saying this.

Concern: People who buy funeral plans are not around to measure delivery against their expectations

It's a view shared by many experts, including consumer champion James Daley, who has long called for the sector to come under the regulator's wing.

'People who buy funeral plans are not around to measure delivery against their expectations,' he says. 'This is why it's so important there are clear rules around how companies behave.

'And  with most plans costing over 3,000  it's key that customers have total confidence that their money is safe.'

Arthur Weiss, a business consultant, agrees. He has looked at the sector on and off over the years.

Last week, he gave me his emphatic opinion: 'Funeral plans are an easy way to make money for scammers as you promise something that hopefully won't need to be paid out for several years. There is no guarantee that what is promised is eventually delivered.'

The regulator is currently vetting those companies that operate in the funeral plans market. Only providers that get authorised will be allowed to continue in business beyond the end of July.

Funeral plans are an easy way to make money for scammers as you promise something that hopefully won't need to be paid out for several years Business consultant Arthur Weiss

So far, not one company has got the FCA's badge of approval, although that should not alarm those who have bought plans.

As the regulator told me, authorisations will probably not be granted until close to July 29 when it starts overseeing the sector.

Yet there has already been fallout. Last month, Wakefield based Safe Hands Funeral Plans 'withdrew' its application to be authorised and said it would be doing 'everything possible' to ensure that customers' funeral plans would be honoured after July 29 'under a new plan manager'.

Last week, I asked Safe Hands for an update. Had it identified a provider to take over its plans? And for those wanting to cancel their plans, what was the exit charge?

Was it 395 or 495 as some clients have told me (both unacceptable)? At the second time of asking, I received an unhelpful 'no comment'.

Eternal Peace Funeral Plans, based in Bridlington, East Yorkshire, is another provider to have withdrawn its application.

Last week, director Raymond Gainey assured me its application 'would be put back in over the coming weeks'.

He added: 'The application was sent in, but still needed a lot of work to comply with the FCA. It was better to withdraw and resubmit once we have finished the necessary work on the application.'

I also asked him about the money from customers that according to its literature is held in a trust fund overseen by Quantum Trustees. 'Is it possible to see the latest report on the assets held inside this fund,' I asked.

Other providers such as Golden Charter make this information available to customers on their websites. Silence, despite three requests.

A dig around Companies House makes for disconcerting reading. Latest accounts for Eternal Peace show the business has assets of just 10.

And as one adviser who has had past dealings with Safe Hands told me last week, one of the main drivers behind Eternal Peace previously worked at Safe Hands.
People with health problems face paying almost as much for travel insurance as they are shelling out for their entire holiday  after an exodus of big providers during the pandemic.

Among them is Helen Galer, who has been battling breast cancer for the past eight years.

She has been told she must pay nearly 1,800 if she wants to be insured for a two-week holiday with family and friends later this year that is costing her 2,400. She says she feels as if she is being 'treated like a leper'.

Raring to go: Helen Galer, who works at a motorcycle shop, has been told by her oncologist that she is fit to travel

James Daley, managing director of consumer group Fairer Finance, says people like Helen are victims of a contraction in the travel insurance market brought about by the pandemic and travel restrictions.

He adds: 'Major players pulling out of the market have dramatically curbed the choice of cover available to those with health issues who want to travel abroad this year.

'Some are being refused cover while others  like Helen  are being charged exorbitant rates.'

Helen, 56, works as a part-time shop assistant at Stevelin Motorcycles in Ramsey, Cambridgeshire.

Although the initial cancer was successfully treated, she was diagnosed with secondary cancer as it had spread to her liver and bones. She gets regular immunotherapy treatment and she says her condition is under control.

Despite her oncologist saying she is 'fit and able to travel', Helen says she 'was treated like a leper' when trying to get worldwide insurance cover for the tour this October with family and friends.

The holiday of a lifetime includes a trip to Niagara Falls in Canada followed by a luxury train journey to New York and then seven nights aboard Cunard's flagship, the Queen Mary 2.

Trip of a lifetime: Helen Galer is travelling to Niagara Falls in Canada, then on to New York

She had previously booked the same trip in 2020 before having to cancel due to the pandemic. At the time, she had worldwide annual travel insurance from Insurancewith that cost just 242.

But now  despite her health not having changed in the past two years  the only comparable worldwide annual cover she has been able to get is from AllClear Travel Insurance costing 1,774.

Helen says: 'I enjoy my life to the full  so I find it grossly unfair when travel insurers seem to want to stop me in my tracks.

'If it were not for my family and friends insisting that I share this fantastic trip with them, I would have seriously considered not going. Sadly, I may not be able to travel abroad again in the future  not due to health issues but simply because I cannot afford travel insurance.'

Insurancewith was part of Travel Insurance Facilities. But last July, this major provider of travel insurance stopped issuing new policies across its range of plans  including HolidaySafe, Flexicover and Alpha.

It is currently being investigated by City regulator the Financial Conduct Authority in relation to 'regulated activities, claims and complaints'. Spanish travel insurer Mapfre Asistencia also pulled the plug on the UK last year.

Among its travel cover brands was InsureandGo  which has since been taken over by insurer AllClear. Helen contacted Insurancewith last November to see if she could take out cover with it again. It was unable to provide her with a quote.

Alarm bells started ringing as a string of insurers  Avanti, PayingTooMuch, insurePink, Staysure, InsureCancer and even the Post Office  all said no to her.

Finally, she tried AllClear, the only company willing to offer her annual worldwide cover  albeit at seven times the cost of cover she took out two years ago.

Premiums on the rise for those with health issues

The British Insurance Brokers' Association says the travel insurance market has contracted in the past couple of years  and that premiums for those with health issues have risen.

It adds: 'Unfortunately, when your health risk is deemed high this is reflected in higher premiums. But there should be no reason why specialist cover cannot be found for anyone who wishes to travel. As far as Helen is concerned, travel cover has been found.'

Irrespective of whether you are in remission from cancer or have received successful treatment, you must mention it on any application for travel cover.

Other serious health issues, such as a triple heart-bypass, will also limit choice and raise premiums. Even relatively minor conditions, such as high cholesterol levels, should be mentioned, otherwise a claim could be thrown out.

BIBA warns that you should never travel without being insured because a serious injury that requires treatment can end up costing hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Guy Bellamy, chief executive of AllClear, says: 'Our commitment is to ensure everyone has the right to travel and to do so safely  and for those with preexisting medical conditions our priority is to offer them the best possible cover for a dream holiday.'

For details of brokers that can help those with health issues, call 0370 950 1790 or visit biba.org.uk and click on the 'travel medical insurance directory' link.
Britain's largest steel companies have halted imports of Russian coal as the West's attempts to sever ties with Vladimir Putin's regime gather pace.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that Tata Steel UK and British Steel have both ended their reliance on the country's coal which is used to power their blast furnaces.

Tata, part of a giant Indian conglomerate, runs Britain's biggest steelworks at Port Talbot in South Wales.

British Steel, acquired from administration by China's Jingye in 2020, makes steel for railway tracks from sites including Scunthorpe and Teesside.

Severing ties: Tata Steel UK and British Steel have both ended their reliance on Russia's coal which is used to power their blast furnaces

Conservative MP Richard Holden said: 'I'm delighted to see any company divest itself of Russian interests. We need to see that business go instead to the UK and its allies.'

The coal is used to heat the furnaces to 1,800C and is a vital part of the steel-making processes.

Britain has imported 3million tons of coking coal, the main type used in steelmaking, from Russia over the past four years. The country is second only to the US as a source of supply.

Government data shows the UK imported 867,000 tons in 2018; 699,000 tons in 2019; and 722,000 tons in 2020.

Figures for the first nine months of 2021 reveal 684,000 tons had already been bought, putting the UK on course for another bumper year.

The UK received about 35 per cent of its coking coal from Russia in 2020.

Last week, US president Joe Biden banned imports of Russian coal, oil, gas and all other energy products.

Britain stopped short of emulating that ban. But Tata and British Steel voluntarily shunned supplies following the Ukraine invasion.

Boris Johnson committed to phasing out imports of Russian oil by the end of the year to allow companies to find alternative supplies. The Government is also 'exploring options' to reduce natural gas supplies from Russia.

The action by the steel giants is likely to prompt calls for a complete ban on imports of Russian coal.

Industry sources said European steelmakers were likely to turn to Australia, Canada and others to make up the shortfall.

Levelling Up Minister Michael Gove was last week urged to fast-track approval of an application to build a coal mine in North West England.

Copeland mayor Mike Starkie said Gove should approve West Cumbria Mining's application for a 165million mine for coking coal, used to make steel in Whitehaven.

Michael Gove, the levelling up minister, has been urged to fast-track an application to build a new coal mine in Cumbria

The project has been approved three times by Cumbria County Council, but was called in by the Government for a judicial review last year.

Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng last week noted the review in Parliament, saying: 'We clearly want to move away from Russian hydrocarbons.'

Western firms have moved to choke off the Russian economy and protect their reputations by cutting ties to the country.

A British Steel spokesman said: 'We have ceased any trade relationships with suppliers and customers based in Russia. We do not anticipate supply disruptions and continue to operate according to our production plans.

'Our raw materials procurement teams are assessing the changing global supply chains and trade flows, and we have contingency plans in place should this be required.'

A Tata UK spokesman said: 'We will ensure that customers will not be affected.'

Big business: Tata Steel runs Britain's biggest steelworks at Port Talbot in South Wales

Sheffield Forgemasters, which was nationalised last year, was exporting steel rolls to Russian plants but has stopped since the invasion of Ukraine.

Construction contractors have bemoaned 'crippling' price hikes imposed by British Steel, blaming rising costs on the Ukraine conflict. Energy prices have shot up since the war in Ukraine triggered a squeeze on supply.

Johnson has said the UK will attempt to source more energy domestically, which is likely to draw investment towards British projects including wind farms, fracking and mining.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics revealed that the UK imported 32million of coal, coke and briquettes from Russia in January; 590million of oil; and 289million of gas.

Energy bills make up a huge portion of steelmakers' costs and British firms have repeatedly claimed they are at a disadvantage to European rivals.

Holden said: 'The world has changed in the last fortnight. We need to look again at domestic supply.'
When M&S boss Steve Rowe walks the shop floors, talking a mile a minute and constantly stopping to greet his staff, he seems to personify the spirit of the much-loved chain.

Usually dressed in a suit bought from 'The Arch'  the flagship store in Marble Arch in Central London  he brims with enthusiasm about everything from cashmere hoodies to spa-worthy scented candles.

Rowe, 54, has spent almost 40 years at M&S, having joined the company from school at the age of 15 and risen through the ranks to become chief executive.

Team player: Steve Rowe (left) joined M&S from school at the age of 15 and worked his way up to chief executive

So why is he leaving now, just as the business, which has been through one of the most troubled periods in its 138-year history, seems to have turned a corner?

'There is a danger with chief executives that hang around too long,' he says.

The business, he argues, is at an 'inflexion point' where he has set it firmly on course for the recovery that has been elusive for so long.

Now he is ready to hand over to others for the next phase of the transformation. 'The things that need to be done now, these are five-year jobs, so it's right to hand over.'

When he took the reins six years ago, the much-loved retailer was in the claws of one of its worst crises.

A string of chairmen and chief executives had failed to stop the rot as the company lost ground to online rivals and to new high street competitors such as Zara. By the time Rowe and chairman Archie Norman took over, it was a case of do or die.

When Rowe put together a presentation on turning the company around, his first slide was entitled 'Putting out fires' and Norman described it as a 'burning platform'.

Now, Rowe frankly admits that, although the company never actually came to the brink of bankruptcy like Debenhams, it could have gone hurtling down the road to ruin if they had not implemented their drastic recovery plan.

'A business as challenged as M&S was, with declining profits and sales, well you could see how there was a route that if we didn't change, we could easily go that way. It was a very real issue.

'M&S, like any other business, has no God-given right to exist.

'It has been hard yards, a really big programme of change. We have lifted up every stone in this business, had a good look underneath and we have not put them down again until we have fixed it.'

How close did M&S get to the brink? 'Look, I don't think we were ever in quite the precarious state of the others, we had a good balance sheet.

'We weren't on a knife edge to be going bankrupt, it would be wrong to say that. But if we didn't change over a period of time well, it would not have been an attractive business.

Have we optimised it, no  but we are not on a burning platform right now

'You have to look back and you can probably argue that M&S profits were going backwards at a rate of circa 100 million a year.

'We had a store estate where the costs were only going one way, our returns per square foot were going backwards, we were losing market share every single year in clothing.'

Changing times: Rowe has overseen a transformation programme at the high-street retailer

Have all the fires been put out?

'We have been making the right business decisions and you can say those fires have gone.

'I don't want to put words in Archie's mouth but I think he would say the same thing. Have we optimised it, no  but we are not on a burning platform right now.'

Unlike many of his predecessors, Rowe can claim to be going out on a high note. His exit, he says, has been planned for some time. 'We didn't want any of the succession issues we had in the past.'

He is alluding to Marks' history of being plagued with messy and abrupt transfers of power at the top, including the exit of his predecessor Marc Bolland in 2016 after disappointing clothing sales.

New bosses: Co-chief executives Stuart Machin and Katie Bickerstaffe

Buy one boss, get one free?

Back in 2004, the chairman and chief executive were ousted dramatically in the middle of a hostile bid from Sir Philip Green.

But some in the City were left scratching their heads about the fact Rowe is handing over to not one but two new leaders, chief executive Stuart Machin and co-chief executive Katie Bickerstaffe. It sounds like a kind of 'buy one boss, get one free' deal.

Perhaps it's flattering that it takes two people to replace him, but who is actually in charge? 'Stuart is the CEO. Ultimately he has the last word,' he says.

But why give them both the CEO title if they are not completely equal? 'That is a matter for the board, not for me. But we have to be absolutely clear where the stewardship lies. The team does report to Stuart,' he says.

At other firms, joint chief executives have been a recipe for squabbles and fallings-out. Rowe, however, says that Machin, Bickerstaffe and strategy and finance chief Eoin Tonge are 'a great team'. 'The four of us have worked together very well and now it will be the three of them.'

As for the business having its first female chief executive  albeit one who still serves under a male boss  he says: 'It shouldn't be about male or female, but I have to tell you Katie has been a real asset. She brings an added edge to the business.'

He swerves a question on whether the two chief executives will have equal pay. 'The details will all be published as part of the normal package that goes in the remuneration report,' he parries.

Regardless of whether or not it looks sexist to install the first female chief executive only to have her reporting to a male superior, Bickerstaffe and Machin will have their work cut out.

'When we go down the jobs list I would say to you we have made a good fist of fixing things and working out what to do.

'But is everything fixed to the point that it is market leading, no it is not. I would be the first to admit that. We have only done about five out of ten on the transformation journey.'

Maintaining momentum

He is acutely aware that M&S has had many false dawns in the past. 'We have got to maintain momentum in clothing and home, and in food.

'We have to show people this is a sustainable recovery, which is something we haven't done in the past.

Without meaning to be arrogant, we have done everything we said we were going to do in my leadership on time and on budget.'

Under Rowe's command, Marks has shut underperforming stores and opened new ones, as well as sprucing up drab shops.

Its shares fell so far it lost its place in the blue-chip FTSE100 index in 2019. Since then they have risen strongly, hitting 2.50 earlier this year, but despite Rowe's best efforts fell back to 1.60 on Friday.

The biggest transformation he says, is the 750million deal to sell M&S groceries through the online retailer Ocado.

'One day we might say this was as significant as moving from Penny Bazaars into high streets. Time will judge that one, but it is a massive move.

'We have built a digital and data engine, with 14million Sparks cards and four million users of our app.'

Leaving will undoubtedly be an emotional wrench for Rowe, who is married with two daughters. He is a workaholic who loves nothing more than wandering the aisles of his local store in Bromley, Kent.

He has 'no thoughts' on his next move as he has been so busy focusing on M&S. 'But I'm not hanging my boots up, I have not retired, if that's what you're asking.'

Will he come to the annual shareholder meeting and ask awkward questions, as small investors are apt to do? 'Definitely not,' he laughs.

He lacks the airs and graces of many chief executives, declining to move into his predecessor's grand office at the Paddington HQ, even getting rid of an express lift to the executive floor.

Unlike most corporate bigwigs who haunt posh restaurants like The Wolseley, he holds court in M&S store cafes, among the mums and babies and the clattering cutlery. For lunch, he favours a prawn sandwich from one of his food halls.

His dad Joe was a senior manager so M&S is in his DNA. 'I have worked hard and I have enjoyed every single second of my work,' he says.

'I am one of the luckiest people alive. Having a job I have been able to work and enjoy every day of my life is a rare privilege.'

'Will I miss it? Yeah, of course, but I am pretty sure I will visit the occasional shop. But M&S is one big family, you never leave. It is the biggest alumni group in the UK and I am looking forward to joining.'
Extracting natural gas from shale rocks could begin within a year if the Government lifts its controversial ban, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Energy exploration firm IGas has said it could prepare a planning application within weeks for a location in Nottinghamshire which could heat up to 125,000 homes.

It added that, with Government help to speed up the process, it could begin a 'commercial pilot' in as little as nine months after approval was received  producing gas that would be useable in homes.

Controversy: Cuadrilla's test fracking site in Lancashire before it was ordered to seal the wells

A ban on pumping natural gas out of shale rocks, known as fracking, has been in place since 2019 after an outcry over earthquakes in Lancashire linked to a pioneering site run by the Cuadrilla company.

The ban effectively shut down Britain's fracking industry and Cuadrilla's wells are due to be sealed permanently in weeks.

But with Britain facing an energy crisis, Prime Minister Boris Johnson last week reopened the door to shale oil extraction.

Following Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, spikes in oil and gas prices have triggered a debate on how the UK can become less reliant on energy from overseas.

A clutch of political figures have called for a fresh look at fracking  which involves pumping sand, water and chemicals into rocks at high pressure to release trapped gas or oil  and advocates of the industry made the case for shale gas at a presentation in the House of Commons last week.

The Mail on Sunday understands that Tory former Transport Minister Chris Grayling and Conservative MP Miriam Cates were among those in attendance at the event.

Fracking 'could create 64,000 jobs'

The presentation by trade body UK Onshore Oil and Gas, seen by the MoS, claims fracking in Britain could create 64,000 jobs and trigger 33billion of investment. Failure to develop UK shale gas will see 260billion of capital sent overseas, it claims.

IGas had been developing a shale site at Springs Road in Misson, Nottinghamshire, before the 2019 moratorium.

Planning permission for the site ran out in 2020 and an application to extend it was refused. IGas plans to formally close the site at the end of the year.

Former Transport Minister Chris Grayling is understood to have attended an event in the House of Commons last week where advocates made the case for shale gas

It is estimated that if the site was fully developed, it could create ten wells producing between 60billion and 80billion cubic feet of shale gas in total.

IGas development director Ross Glover said a planning application could be submitted as early as next month if the moratorium were lifted.

He added: 'There is a significant need for gas and we believe we can help, and much quicker than we originally thought. But we need a streamlined regulatory system which will enable us to get this going.'

Charles McAllister, policy manager of UK Onshore Oil and Gas, said: 'A lifting of the moratorium would not be enough. The Government would need to make sure the planning and permit regimes do not inhibit development.'

Environmental impact could cause public backlash

The industry has argued that the impact on the environment is not as significant as some fear and that extraction techniques have improved.

But a softening attitude towards fracking would probably cause a public backlash and anti-fracking campaigners have threatened to stage protests if the moratorium is lifted.

IGas shares shot up 62 per cent last week  in part due to hopes the fracking ban may be overturned. IGas is worth a modest 36million. Energy giants such as BP and Shell have shunned British shale.

The renewed focus on fracking comes as Cuadrilla prepares to seal its two wells in Lancashire this week.

The Government's Oil and Gas Authority has set a legal deadline of June 30 to seal the wells with concrete, which is estimated to take two to three months. Cuadrilla is urging the Government to withdraw the instruction.

Life peer Lord Lilley, who attended the Westminster event, called for the Government to move quickly to allow fracking in Britain. He told the MoS: 'Just do it.'

He said Britain is 'the only country in Western Europe sitting on massive gas reserves' while at the same time proposing to cement over the top of fresh wells.

'People say Putin's gone mad, but over there they must be thinking we have caught the same infection,' he added.
City grandee Mervyn Davies has denounced Vladimir Putin's war on Ukraine and pledged to protect the jobs of thousands of British staff working for Holland & Barrett, which is linked to two sanctioned oligarchs.

Lord Davies has taken over the running of Holland & Barrett's parent company, private equity firm LetterOne, which was founded by Mikhail Fridman.

'I have made it very clear: I am 100 per cent opposed to everything that is going on. It is absolutely appalling,' Lord Davies said. 'I am totally appalled by what Putin is doing, it is just disgusting and it has to be stopped.'

Staying: Lord Davies, who has taken over the running of Holland & Barrett's parent company, with his wife Jeanne

The former banker removed Fridman and fellow oligarch Petr Aven, who own nearly 50 per cent of LetterOne, from the board earlier this month and froze their shareholdings.

Lord Davies  who served as a Trade Minister under Gordon Brown  was hired as deputy chairman of LetterOne in 2015 and stepped up to be chairman of the business which says it supports 120,000 jobs through its investments.

He told The Mail on Sunday: 'I felt I had a duty to customers, employees and the businesses to stay.'

Fridman and Aven, who have been sanctioned by the European Union, cannot now receive dividends or benefit from their holding in any way. Their shares can only be unfrozen at the discretion of Lord Davies and the rest of the LetterOne board.

There is no obligation to remove the freeze even if sanctions are lifted.

Three other oligarchs, German Khan, Alexei Kuzmichev and Andrei Kosogov, have also resigned from the board, though none of them have been sanctioned. The trio own the remainder of LetterOne. Their holding has not been frozen.

Lord Davies  now in charge alongside chief executive Jonathan Muir  defended his decision to take the helm, saying: 'I am not babysitting for sanctioned persons. I am here to protect jobs and to create enormous value for Ukrainian-related charities.'

The company has promised a $150million donation, plus all dividends for the forseeable future that would have gone to the oligarchs, will instead be handed to Ukrainian causes. Fridman and Aven said the EU sanctions are spurious and unfounded and have vowed to contest them.


PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has called for peace during ongoing campaigns for March 26 by-elections, saying Zimbabweans had a long history of harmony and unity.

He was speaking in Chiweshe during the installation ceremony of Mr Paradzai Kutyauripo as the 13th substantive Chief Negomo of Mazowe District, Mashonaland Central Province.

Mr Kutyauripo is First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwas brother.

The President said electoral contestation should not plunge Zimbabwe into violent conflict that engulfed the nation during the liberation struggle.

We want peace in the ongoing campaigns and we do not want violence at all, said the President.

There was violence during the war as people died, while others got injured. But now we want to preserve our heritage. There is no reason to from be violent.

President Mnangagwa, who is also the First Secretary of the ruling ZANU PF, called on supporters to carry the party to a resounding victory during the by-elections.

He thanked voters in Mashonaland Central Province for remaining loyal to the revolutionary party during previous elections.

Since Independence in 1980, you have been claiming all the seats and for that I am truly grateful.

I was told by the Minister of State that there are seven local government by-elections on March 16 in this area.

Do you promise me that all these seven councillors will come to ZANU PF? asked the President to rousing applause.

After the 26th, when your promise has been fulfilled, I will talk to Cde (Kenneth) Musanhi, who will discuss with the chairman so that I come back to thank you.

Turning to the newly-installed Chief Negomo, the President counselled the importance of fairness when dispensing justice.

He said traditional chiefs play a crucial role in facilitating development and the preservation of the countrys values and norms.

Coming back to my in-law, who has been installed chief, you have heard the counsel from the president of the Chiefs Council and Chief Matsiwo who leads chiefs here.

We want to hear that you dispense justice.

Matters must be resolved in a manner that pleases the people without corruption.

President Mnangagwa said traditional leaders must not show favouritism, but should remain steadfast in engendering transparency and fairness.

You must be fair, transparent and show no favouritism.

When one is wrong, they are wrong and one who has done nothing wrong has done nothing wrong.

I believe your ancestors have assessed your heart for you to get the post.

There are 300 chiefs in the country and there is no area without one.

If we combine these areas of jurisdiction, that is Zimbabwe and if every chief dispenses justice, the nation will be on the correct path.

The President said traditional chiefs must be dependable representatives of the national leadership.

While we are at the top, we believe that you will be representing us well.

Our traditional values out there differ, but we believe a chief knows what is expected in his area of jurisdiction.

I always say a country is built by its owners and I urge us all to unite and build our country.

Let us work together and respect each other in the communities in which we live.

I last witnessed the installation of Chief Chirumanzu long back but there was no huge crowd like I witnessed here today.

As a son-in-law, I am pleased by what has taken place here.

I am glad you have come in your numbers to celebrate the installation of Chief Negomo.

President Mnangagwa said Government has introduced a raft of interventions in the agriculture sector that will guarantee national food security.

He said the Pfumvudza/Intwasa programme was designed to ensure household food security.

We promoted Pfumvudza so that every household gets food, said the President.

If you produce cotton, we give you the inputs so that we produce and not seek handouts as though we have no land.

We are building schools, clinics, roads and dams province by province.

I was pleased passing through the school attended by First Lady Amai Mnangagwa  Kakora school.

I saw that it needs painting and I am going to paint it.

If it does not have computers I will give them. It cannot be a First Ladys former school with appalling walls.

Thousands of people attended the installation ceremony. Sunday Mail
British defence firms are scrambling to supply Ukrainian forces with equipment as they battle Russian troops.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that officials have drawn up a list of vital military kit, which has been distributed to more than 1,500 UK suppliers in recent days.

Companies have been asked for body armour, helmets, military-grade medical kits, night vision goggles and 24-hour ration packs.

Supplies: Companies have been asked for body armour, helmets, military-grade medical kits, night vision goggles and 24-hour ration packs

It is understood a fund estimated to be as large as 90million has been set aside by the Ministry of Defence to pay for the equipment.

Suppliers have been asked to deliver the gear to a warehouse organised by the Ukrainian embassy in Poland.

Separate deals for specialist equipment are likely to be negotiated directly with large MoD suppliers.

Andrew Kinniburgh, director general at trade body Make UK Defence, said: 'British manufacturers are lining up to see what they can do to help.

'The industry is not looking to profit from this crisis, just get the kit out there at regular rates.'

Contractors large and small are expected to step in. Industry sources tipped Avon Protection, which makes respirators, ballistic helmets and thermal imaging technology, and engineer Smiths Group, a provider of chemical agent detectors, as likely suppliers.
The Body Shop has joined the stampede of British retailers to have halted trading in Russia after its deadly invasion of Ukraine.

The skincare specialist, which has operated in Russia for more than 15 years through a local franchisee, is shutting its 26 stores and online operations throughout the country.

Shutting up shop: The Body Shop has operated in Russia for more than 15 years through a local franchisee

It said the suspension will remain in place for the foreseeable future, with the franchise partner set to provide support for the company's Russia-based employees.

The Body Shop was founded by green entrepreneur Anita Roddick in 1976 and trades on its ethical values.

It said Russia's act of aggression was a 'direct violation' of human rights.

British retailers including Marks & Spencer, Next and Mothercare are among a throng of Western companies to have shut their Russian operations since Vladimir Putin ordered his troops into Ukraine last month.
The boss of British Airways' parent company has landed a 20,000 monthly allowance to help pay for his two homes in Spain and the UK, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Luis Gallego, who was appointed chief executive of International Airlines Group (IAG) in September 2020, has been given a 500,000 pot to finance his living arrangements in the two countries where IAG has its main head offices.

Taking off: Luis Gallego has been given a 500,000 pot to finance his living arrangements in the two countries where IAG has its main head offices

This big-budget allowance is payable to the airlines boss for two years, during which IAG has agreed to shell out over the extra costs associated with him splitting time between London and Madrid.

Gallego, from Madrid, and his family moved to the UK prior to his appointment to the top job back in August 2020, for which he received a 'series of relocation payments' from the airlines giant.

IAG owns Spanish airlines Iberia and Vueling, as well as the UK's flagship carrier British Airways.

The FTSE100 firm's annual report said: 'In 2021, the IAG CEO became eligible for a two-year, fixed-term 250,000 per annum transitionary allowance, enabling him to personally maintain a base in Madrid given the company's significant operations and business in Spain.'

Since replacing Willie Walsh as the CEO of IAG, Gallego has taken two successive pay cuts during the pandemic as well as declining a bonus.

Last year, he took home 738,000, whereas this year he will receive his full salary of 820,000.

Earlier this year there was disquiet over the 6,550 a month awarded to new Barclays boss CS Venkatakrishnan to cover his accommodation costs when moving from the US to the UK.

Gallego's package dwarfs that, and is likely to prove controversial at a time when IAG has run up huge losses.

IAG recently reported reduced losses of 2.9billion (2.4billion) for the last financial year, but the company said it expects to become profitable in 2022.
Composer Olga Thomas, a British citizen who was born in Russia, is appalled by what is going on in Ukraine. She equates it to living in a sci-fi horror film.

Thomas has enjoyed number one hits with music she composed for the Queen, including Royal Platinum Love Song  written for the 70th wedding anniversary of the Queen and Prince Philip in 2017.

To celebrate the Platinum Jubilee, Olga has composed a new classical piece for charity titled The Four British Nations. It appears on the album EIIR: The Platinum Record, released on April 21.

Dismay: Composer Olga Thomas, a British citizen who was born in Russia, is appalled by what is going on in Ukraine

Have you got any family in Russia or Ukraine?

MY elderly father is in Moscow and a distant cousin is in Ukraine. And I have a lot of friends in both countries. In Russia, some have been arrested for saying no to the war.

To see what is happening in Ukraine is heartbreaking. It is something I would never have imagined, even in a nightmare. It feels like we are living in a sci-fi horror film.

My family suffered so much through the Stalin years. They were put in the Gulag, a Russian labour camp. To me, Stalin was representative of evil as much as can be. And in my opinion, what is happening now is an extension of that.

Why would anyone in a clear mind act that way? It is so aggressive and unreasonable. I cannot find any explanation why Putin is doing it.

I don't know if I'll ever again be able to see my father, who is in his 80s. I am a British citizen and consider myself English. If I entered Russia, I might be considered an enemy for not supporting the war.

What did your parents teach you about money?

That it has to be earned. I was born in Moscow in 1961. My mother was a musician and my father a mathematician and engineer. They both worked hard and I was lucky because we lived in a lovely flat and didn't struggle at all.

My education, at a prestigious music school for gifted children, was free. But like other middle-class families in Russia at that time, we did not have any savings. We had to be careful with money to live comfortably. That taught me to treat money with respect and not to waste it.

Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

Yes. When I was 28, the year before I came to England, my mother became very ill with cancer.

She needed specialist medical care and though we officially had free medicine in Russia, nothing was really free. I had to arrange proper care for her, first in the hospital and then, in the last few months of her life, at home.

We didn't have palliative care in Russia then. When people were that ill, they were sent back home to die as it lowered the death statistics of the hospitals.

She needed a huge amount of support from different hospitals and that was extremely expensive. At the time, I was teaching at the school for gifted children.

They kindly gave me paid compassionate leave, which allowed me to give private lessons from home while I was looking after my mother.

I gave a lot of lessons, but it was still not enough. I had to start selling the family jewellery. I don't regret doing so for one second, it was nothing. Giving a few extra comfortable minutes of life to my mother means everything to me.

What has been your most lucrative composition?

The music I wrote for a production of The Cherry Orchard in the West End in 1993. I was paid many thousands of pounds, which was a lot of money at the time. The production ran for half a year and I got royalties as well.

Honour: Olga Thomas, who has composed music for the Queen, presented her with a CD

What are you paid for the music you write for the Queen?

Not much, only composer's royalties when it is played on the radio. I don't get anything at all from the sales: 100 per cent of the proceeds from the sales of my music for the Queen are donated to charity.

I cannot imagine profiting from those sales because when I compose something for the Queen, it is a musical gift for her and the Royal Household.

I am the resident composer for charity Cruse Bereavement Care, a voluntary role which I do for free because I find it rewarding. Her Majesty is its Royal patron, which is how I first came to give a gift of my music to the Queen.

The first gift was called Themes Of Life And Glory, and it was dedicated to the memory of the Queen Mother. I never thought I would be invited to the Palace, let alone get to present the gift myself, but that was what happened.

It was an amazing experience to talk to Her Majesty and give her my CD and to say a few words about love for our mothers. I will never forget that moment.

What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun?

Lifetime membership of the Groucho Club, a private members' club in London. I bought it in the early 1990s, it cost 2,000 and I had to take out a loan to pay for it. But I don't regret it. I enjoy going there with my friends. It's a special place.

What is your biggest money mistake?

Taking out payment protection insurance (PPI) on 15 store cards and credit cards. I trusted the people who sold it to me.

I became so good at claiming PPI refunds that eventually companies started paying me more than they owed me as an apology

In 2015, I began to claim it back. I became so good at claiming that eventually companies started paying me more than they owed me as an apology.

In total, I got about 50,000 back. Then, under a pseudonym, I published a free template letter for other people to use and they started winning their cases too.

It even impressed the Financial Ombudsman Service: it made a video about what I had done to show staff. They couldn't imagine that a normal, untrained person could do such a good job.

The best money decision you have made?

To pay a 73-piece orchestra, a choir and a top arranger to record my composition, Royal Platinum Love Song, for Her Majesty's platinum wedding anniversary.

It celebrated her 70 years of marriage to the late Prince Philip. It cost me thousands of pounds and when I heard it for the first time, I couldn't believe my own piece was being realised in such an incredible way.

That became my first number one song in the Classical Music Charts and multiple number ones have followed. Although I didn't make any money from the sales, and I haven't yet made my investment back fully from the royalties, it catapulted me on to the world stage.

Park life: Olga Thomas and her husband own a four-bedroom flat close to London's Hyde Park

Do you own any property?

Yes. My husband and I own a wonderful four-bedroom flat in Central London, not far from Hyde Park.

My husband, who is a chartered accountant, bought it on an interest-only mortgage in 1981 before we met.

Now I am paying off the mortgage and the home belongs to both of us. I don't know how much my husband paid for it, but I think it is worth around 1.5million now.

What is the one little luxury you treat yourself to?

For every new piece I compose, I buy a piece of jewellery that is related to the new work. I'll spend anything from as little as 200 to 1,000.

If you were Chancellor what is the first thing you would do?

I would offer more support for the self-employed in creative jobs.

What is your number one financial priority?

To continue to have financial security. I would also love to find an investor to help me record with orchestras and raise more money for charities.
An 81-year-old grandfather-of-four beat prostate cancer, Covid and survived a heart attack within the space of a single year before he scaled the equivalent of Mount Everest to raise money for charity.

Octogenarian John Hunt, from the New Forest in Hampshire, founded the Lotus Flower Trust 13 years ago and has also raised around 10million during his 30 years in the charity field for approximately 10,000 people, mainly in northern India.

During the pandemic he achieved his lifelong dream of making the 29,028ft Everest ascent, although he had to opt to scale the equivalent on his climbing machine because of Covid travel restrictions.

John told MailOnline: 'I don't want to lie in my coffin and go, "I wish I had done this or that".

John Hunt, 81, (pictured) has dedicated the last 29 years of his life to raising money for charity. In 2008 John set up the Lotus Flower Trust, which helps impoverished, rural communities in India and especially children from poor families

He worked for Marks and Spencer for 25 years before retiring aged 52. Left: John in around 1990 when he was 50. Right: John on the climbing machine he used to virtually scale Everest during the pandemic

The octogenarian has raised more than 10million for impoverished people, mainly in northern India, during 30 years in the charity sector

John retired after 25 years working for M&S and has since worked to help those less fortunate than himself

Children who went to Lamdon Jamyang school in Khaltse, Ladakh, in northern India, travelled up to 50km a day from home by bus or on foot before the Lotus Flower Trust built accommodation for them near their school. The project cost 60,000 and was completed over two years by boys from Winchester College, a Hampshire public school John regularly works with

'In the UK we are really privileged people.

'I know we have people with big problems but our government can sort those problems out.'

In India, where his charity focuses almost all of their work, around 800 million people live below the breadline, a number that accounts for 60 per cent of the country's population.

In the UK just 22 per cent of the population, or 14.5 million people, live in poverty.

'We can all afford to help other people, particularly if it's children,' John said.

'As long as I can, I will keep going. I will plug away.

'I feel proud and humbled to be involved.

'But I don't do it for money. I don't get any.'

During the pandemic John overcame a myriad of health problems before he tackled a virtual summit of the highest mountain in the world above sea level.

He said: 'In 2020 I had prostate cancer, then I got Covid then I had a heart attack.

The Basago Nunnery in Ladakh cost 69,000 and houses 60 destitute Buddhist nuns who bring up children from very poor families. Pictured: The Dalai Lama unexpectedly visited the nunnery in 2014 after its opening

The nunnery took two years to build in the tough conditions of Ladakh, northern India. Ladakh has the highest altitude in India, with most of it being more than 9,800ft above sea level

A farm is also being developed at the Basago Nunnery so the nuns can provide food on-site for themselves

Pictured: John holding hands with some of the nuns from Basago. The nuns range from seven to 32-year-olds

Nuns pose alongside boys aged 16 to 17 from Winchester College, who helped fund and build the nunnery

'I was carted off to hospital and had five stents in my heart.

'I have always at the back of my mind that I should try Everest one day.

'They fixed me up and soon I was back on my running machine and climbing machine.

'At my age I can't trek at the high altitudes anymore.'

John climbed 6,000 feet a week for five weeks and raised more than 50,000 for three projects in India, including creating artificial glaciers and building a school.

He was joined in fundraising for it by more than 500 pupils from Winchester College, a school John often works with to raise money for his projects in India.

Boys from the 640-year-old public school ran a collective 2,700 miles 100 years after British mountaineer and former Winchester pupil George Mallory made a similar journey from Mumbai to Everest Base Camp for the first of his three Everest expeditions.

Lotus Flower Trust works predominantly in the north of India, especially in Ladakh and Uttrakhand

After the Indian government said all primary schools in the country needed an Anganwadi, or childcare centre, the Lotus Flower Trust was asked to build 30 at a cost of 330,000. Pictured: John and his team with villagers from Shara Sharnos, Ladakh

John at the centre of a circle of children in Pant Nagar, northern India, where the Lotus Flower Trust built an extension to the Montessori Junior High School at a cost of 44,000 in 2019

John pictured helping two young girls in India to read. Literacy rates among women in India are at just 65.5 per cent

For John, India was the perfect place to focus his charity's work.

He said it was 'the easiest [place] to travel to'.

'It was easy for me to get there and they speak English,' he said.

'The last 30 years I have taken out more than 110 expeditions.

'I have a fascination with mountains, I am a Welshman.

'We tend to concentrate on Ladakh - schools, homes, centres for disabled, women centres, orphanages.

'The cheapest projects to build are kindergartens. They are around 11,000.

'The most expensive is the nunnery, 81,000. That was a two-year project.

'The government provides a teacher and a cook so the village women know who's running the kindergarten.

'It's been a huge success. They would consist of one large room and then a kitchen and then toilets.

Farming villages in Ladakh have suffered as their source of water, a mountain glacier, has receded because of global warming. Many villagers were faced with the prospect of relocating because of this. However, the Lotus Flower Trust has created a series of artificial glaciers (pictured) to combat the issue

Artificial glaciers ensure water can run down to villages' wells (pictured). Each one built by the Lotus Flower Trust costs around 9,000 to create

Building the Basago nunnery wasn't the first time pupils from Winchester College have worked with the Lotus Flower Trust. Pictured: Pupils building a special needs centre in Uttarakhand, northern India

The entire centre included the school (pictured being built), a workshops centre and hostel accommodation for residents, carers and visitors. It cost a total of 95,000 and was opened in stages between 2016 and 2019

Winchester College, a 43,000-a-year public school in Hampshire, is one of a number of schools the charity have worked with. Pupils are given a year to raise funds together to pay for each project they partner with Lotus Flower Trust on

The Lotus Flower Trust said working schools gives pupils from the UK a chance to learn about different cultures from a perspective different to their own

Lotus Flower Trust said: 'It is a mutually beneficial relationship which profits the students with a wealth of cultural experience as well as children in India who desperately need help'

Pictured: The completed People's Action Group for Inclusion and Rights Special Needs Centre in Uttrakhand

'It's great value for money.'

Before the pandemic John would make up to five visits to India for 17 days at a time to check all the projects were running smoothly.

Yet sitting at home because of coronavirus he said he had 'learnt to become a beggar'.

'I'm sitting here fundraising at home,' he said.

'It's a long process.

'Lotus Flower Trust is changing people's lives.'

Although John has a wealth of experience, first from his time in the British army and then during a 25-year career as a manager at Marks and Spencer, his charity work is what he is most proud of.

'I have got a job where I can look at what we have done,' he said.

'I can look back and see that is something I have achieved. I am a volunteer, I don't get paid.

'The payment I get is in the laughter and smiles of the children.'
Anthony Albanese will be supported closely by his girlfriend of two years as he challenges Scott Morrison for the Australian leadership this year.

The Labor leader will have his partner Jodie Haydon and son Nathan, 21, in his corner during the upcoming federal election, which is expected to be called in May.

Mr Albanese, who earns $390,820 a year, and the First State Super financial worker, were first spotted kissing at an upmarket Sydney restaurant in June 2020.

Eighteen months earlier on New Year's Day 2019, the 58-year-old separated from his ex-wife - former NSW deputy premier Carmel Tebbutt.

The potential future prime minister later said he 'didn't see it coming' when Ms Tebbutt abruptly ended their marriage.

Labor leader Anthony Albanese with his son Nathan (left) and partner Jodie Haydon in January of this year at the National Press Club in Canberra

'I found it very tough. The relationship was 30 years old,' he told ABC Radio in 2022.

Mr Albanese and Ms Tebbutt met in Young Labor during the late 1980s. They were together for 30 years.

Nathan, the couple's only child, had just turned 18 and completed his HSC exams when Ms Tebbutt ended the relationship.

The Opposition leader now lives in Marrickville in his inner-west Sydney electorate with Nathan, and proudly speaks of their living arrangement on his ministerial website.

In January 2020, Mr Albanese declared his relationship with Nathan to be the strongest it's ever been as they were forced to rely on each other more than ever in their two-person household.

But the Labor leader has put particular emphasis on his upbringing with his single mother Maryanne Ellery - who raised him as a single mother in Sydney on a disability pension income.

'My story began here in a council house in Camperdown,' he says.

'Just me and my mum. She wasn't well and it wasn't easy. But all things were possible.'

Mr Albanese and his ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt - the former NSW deputy premier. The potential future prime minister said he 'didn't see it coming' when Ms Tebbutt abruptly ended theIr marriage on New Year's Day 2019

Ms Haydon is a strategic partnerships expert at First State Super with over 20 years experience

Mr Albanese met his former partner in Young Labor during the late 1980s. They were together for 30 years

The Labor leader grew up as an only child in the inner-Sydney suburb with Ms Ellery.

She was rushed to hospital on Mother's Day in 2002 after a brain aneurism, before dying two weeks later.

Mr Albanese has been open about her death and recently told how he discovered something was wrong after flying to Sydney from Canberra to take Ms Ellery to a Mother's Day lunch.

'When I got to her home in Camperdown, I knew something wasn't right. The front door had been left open,' he wrote on Twitter.

Mr Albanese (left) told in 2021 how his mother Maryanne Ellery (right) had a brain aneurism on Mother's Day in 2002

Federal opposition leader Anthony Albanese (right) with mum Maryanne Ellery and son Nathan

'After decades of health problems, mum had a brain aneurysm, and was rushed to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital. Mum would spend two weeks in hospital before finally passing.'

His mother died on May 25 and in the two decades since Mr Albanese said he has visited her cemetery every Mother's Day to 'remember how much she sacrificed' for him.

'Mum always gave me unconditional love. And I feel very privileged to have had that,' he wrote.

Ms Ellery (pictured with Nathan) died on May 25 in 2002, two weeks after being hospitalised

Mr Albanese didn't meet his Italian father Carlo Albanese until 2009, and believed he was dead until he was 15-years-old.

Carlo died in 2014.

Mr Albanese has been the Leader of the Opposition since 2019, after the Labor government lost the election to the Liberal Party.

He has held the federal seat of Grayndler - which covers the inner-western Sydney suburb he calls home - since March 1996.
An indigenous Australian engineer who was given away as a child then locked up as a teenager has spoken about the moment he decided against a life of crime and started on a gruelling path to owning a multimillion-dollar company.

Ben Schaber, now director of SWEL Specialised Welding and Engineering in Alice Springs, was continually caught by local police throughout his teens - until he was sent to prison for six months after turning 18.

Three decades later he tells Daily Mail Australia that he employs wayward indigenous teens and offers them this advice: 'I know you're in a difficult situation, I've been in that situation too and mate, you can do this.'

Ben Schaber (centre) was continually caught by local police throughout his teens - until he was sent to prison for six months. Now he runs SWEL Specialised Welding and Engineering in Alice Springs, worth about $2million. He is pictured with Scott Morrison (left), Jenny Morrison (right) and his partner Kylie Elston (second from right)

At six, Ben Schaber was made a ward of the state in the Northern Territory after his parents could no longer care for him. As a teenager, Mr Schaber had started stealing and was on the radar of local police in Alice Springs

Mr Schaber pictured a year before being arrested for vandalism and stealing - for which he went to prison

'I say to them, "Come see me tomorrow and I'll give you a job".'

At 47, he's employed five local teens, but has helped many more. 'You can see the change in someone when you help them out.'

Loneliness inside the concrete and steel of the old Alice Springs jailhouse broke the-then 17-year-old Mr Schaber's spirit - and unexpectedly he found the resolve to change.

'Nobody came to visit me. I just remember being very lonely,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

Indigenous engineer Ben Schaber, who was given away as a child and then locked up as a teenager, has spoken about the moment he decided against a life of crime and started on a gruelling path to build his own multimillion dollar company

'Conditions were basic. It was all concrete and steel, it had cages and a meshed compound.

'I had this moment that was like a flash really. I stopped and thought, 'what are you doing? This isn't you.'

'It became so tiring - always watching my back. The cops were always watching me.'

His last crime was defacing government property - he spray-painted the name of the band Metallica on his old school in 1992 - but he'd also stolen motorbikes and had shoplifted since he was 12 years old.

'I used to take anything when I walked into the shop with my mates - lollies, bubble gum, chips, ice creams. I used to wag school a lot. And I got caught for all of it.

'From the age of 12 my name started getting into the system and at 17 it caught up with me. I had a lot of unpaid fines too.

'I had stolen motorbikes and I remember I was carrying a red jerry can to the servo to fill up one of the bikes which I left at my grandmother's house.

'It was pretty crazy, I was running amok with my countrymen - when it was my time to do my time it was scary, I had no support.'

Mr Schaber believes the catalyst for his behaviour was being lost in the foster homes system at age six, when neither of his parents could care for him.

He was made Ward of the State and fostered out as his mother was unable to take care of him due to a disability and his father was an alcoholic.

'Prison wouldnt have happened if I had my own parents that supported me, it still haunts me to this day,' he said.

Mr Schaber with his partner Kylie, who co-owns SWEL with him. 'It has taken me all of my life to get my life together, but it's been worth it,' he told Daily Mail Australia

A history of jail and petty crime led to suspicion of him by others and it took him a long time to find any regular work. He is pictured, centre, meeting the Prime Minister this year

When Mr Schaber was released from jail after six months all he had were the same clothes and thongs he'd been arrested in, the red jerry can and 'five bucks'.

Mr Schaber says he looked back at the doors to the jail and decided he would never commit another crime.

But with a history of jail and petty crime came suspicion and it took him a long time to find any regular work.

'It has taken me all of my life to get my life together, but it's been worth it,' he said.

'Putting that decision to stay out of trouble into action in a career was very difficult. I had that criminal past and not many people wanted much to do with me.'

He picked up the odd labouring job, then scored some part-time work at a bakery.

Next door to the bakehouse was an engineering company.

Mr Schaber was a finalist in the indigenous category of Australia's Ethnic Business Awards last month

Today Mr Schaber's company has a turnover of nearly $5million and he estimates it's worth 'at least a couple of million'

He remembers pestering the owners of that company, Ross Engineering, until they gave him an apprenticeship. He worked there for eight years.

Then he built his experience, first as an air-conditioning fabricator, then did similar work on large fishing boats.

He then went back to his first employer and learned welding, becoming a supervisor and contracting in the mining and gas industries.

He continued growing his skills as a boilermaker, fabricator and welder and took on more supervisory roles, eventually training apprentices.

Eventually Ms Schaber started SWEL in 2012 with the support of his partner, Kylie Elston.

'SWEL began to build brand and service reputation which would see it grow rapidly, winning major contracts from some of Australias most trusted and well-known brands,' according to the Ethnic Business Awards.

At the recent Ethnic Business Awards awards Schaber was congratulated by Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

Today his company has a turnover of nearly $5million and he estimates it's worth 'at least a couple of million'. SWEL employs 13 people.

Mr Schaber reckons he may not have found his way out of a life of crime had he not lived in Australia.

'Anything is possible his is what makes Australia great. I don't think i could have done it if i was anywhere.'

His advice to teens who have gone astray?

'Start where you are, start from the bottom and go one step at a time.

'Once you get used to that, you can build on it. You can start looking for what you enjoy.

'Nothing is impossible even if you have negativity around you, it can be done - I've proved it can be done.'
Instagram users in Russia have been notified that the service will shut down beginning at midnight on Sunday after its owner Meta Platforms said last week it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as 'Death to the Russian invaders.'

An email message from the state communications regulator told people to move their photos and videos from Instagram before it was shut down, and encouraged them to switch to Russia's own 'competitive internet platforms.'

The move comes after Meta, which also owns Facebook, said on Friday that it temporarily changed its hate speech policy in Ukraine, in the wake of Russia's February 24 invasion.

The company said it would be wrong to prevent Ukrainians from 'expressing their resistance and fury at the invading military forces.'

But Russian officials have said the new rules allow 'calls for violence' against Russian soldiers, and on Friday, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office called for a criminal investigation to be launched against Meta, citing Russian propaganda and extremism laws.

Russian officials will be shutting down Instagram in the country starting at midnight on Sunday. A woman is seen here showing a picture of a friend's home burning, while waiting to cross the border from Ukraine to Poland

The move comes amid an increase in crack downs on social media throughout the country, spearheaded by President Vladimir Putin (pictured)

The shut down of Instagram comes one week after the country announced it was shutting down Facebook, over a leak from a content moderator, which showed that the social media site was bending its own rules to allow for some calls to violence against Russian invaders in Ukraine. The company later confirmed the leak.

'I want to be crystal clear: Our policies are focused on protecting people's right to free speech as an expression of self-defense in reaction to a military invasion of their country,' Nick Clegg, Meta's president of public affairs, said in a statement to the Washington Post.

'The fact is, if we applied our standard content policies without any adjustments, we would now be removing content from ordinary Ukrainians expressing their resistance and fury at the invading military forces, which would be rightly viewed as unacceptable.'

In internal emails to moderators that Reuters has obtained, Meta officials also specified that death threats directed at Russian President Vladimir Putin or Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko would also be permitted - unless they also targeted Russian civilians or contained additional 'indicators of credibility.'

That decision was greeted with outrage in Russia, where authorities have opened a criminal investigation against Meta, and are seeking to classify the company as an 'extremist organization,' alleging the platform was used to incite 'mass riots accompanied by violence.'

They also announced in the wake of the announcement that the country's Prosecutor General's Office asked state media watchdog Roskomnadzor to restrict access to Instagram over the 'distribution of information of information materials containing calls to carry out violent actions against Russians, including servicemen.'

A Ukranian woman is seen reacting during an evacuation of the country on Sunday

Meta officials have said they cannot prevent Ukrainians from 'expressing their resistance and fury at the invading military forces.' They would also allow for death threats against Putin and Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

An app set up by Kremlin critic Alexei Navalny (pictured in 2020) has also been forcibly removed from the Google and Apple stores

The head of Instagram, Adam Mosseri, tweeted Friday that Instagram has 80 million users in Russia, who he said will be cut 'off from one another and from the rest of the world as [about] 80 percent of people in Russia follow an account outside their country.

'This is wrong,' he tweeted.

The message to Instagram users from the regulator Roskomnadzor described the decision to allow calls for violence against Russians as a breach of international law.

'We need to ensure the psychological health of citizens, especially children and adolescents, to protect them from harassment and insults online,' it said, explaining the decision to close down the platform.

But the move is just the latest social media company to abandon the country since its invasion of Ukraine in February.

The Google Cloud, Google Pay and YouTube monetization are now effectively dead in Russia as of Thursday.

Apple has also shut down many services, including its Apple Pay technology, and stop selling hardware in Russia. This caused for long lines at train stations in Moscow.

Microsoft, IMB and most of the major American credit card companies have stopped doing business in the country as well.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai (left) and Apple boss Tim Cook

A warehouse storing frozen products is seen on fire on Saturday following shelling from Russian forces

The debris from destroyed buildings litters the streets of Mariupol in Ukraine

Putin is now fighting back, with Russian agents allegedly showing up at the home of a Google executive in Moscow to clamp down on an app being used by his biggest opponent.

Google officials say the supposed FSB agents gave an order to the female Google executive to either take the app down in 24 hours or be jailed in a never-before disclosed intimidation campaign last year, according to the Washington Post reported.

After the tech giant moved the executive to a hotel room under a pseudonym, the same agents came and visited her again to tell them they still wanted the app down.

Within hours, the Smart Voting app - an app created by Putin opponent Alexi Navalny which allowed Russians to register protest votes against Putin - was taken down from both the Apple and Google app stores.

The Post was told that an Apple employee in Moscow had received similar threats from the FSB, the successor to the KGB.

The names and nationalities of the two employees for the US-based companies have not been revealed.
A former township clerk and current county elections supervisor in Michigan has been charged with ballot tampering in the state's August 2020 primary.

Kathy Funk is also charged with misconduct in office, the Michigan attorney general's office announced late Friday.

State prosecutors say Funk was Flint Township's clerk when she purposely broke a seal on a ballot container. In doing so, they allege, she prevented votes inside from being counted in an anticipated recount, under Michigan law.

Funk was seeking re-election as clerk at the time, and won with 2,698 votes compared to 2,619 challenger Manya Triplett, MLive.com-The Flint Journal reported.

She ran as a Democrat, and held onto her position until November, when she announced she was taking a job as elections supervisor in the Genesee County Clerk-Register John Gleason's office.

Funk has kept her job at the county despite a Michigan State Police investigation into her conduct in August 2020.

She is due back in Genesee District Court on Monday, when her attorney Matthew Norwood said she will plead not guilty to the charges against her.

If convicted, she faces up to 10 years in prison.

Kathy Funk (pictured) was the Flint Township Clerk when she allegedly broke a seal on a ballot container in August 2020

Funk had narrowly beaten Manya Triplett (pictured) in her re-election that year

Prosecutors say that she prevented a recount in her election by doing so

No recount was ever performed in the August 2020 election, but after Funk stepped down Triplett was appointed to replace her.

She told MLive-The Flint Journal that she had asked for a recount after the election after having noticed suspicious activity at the township hall in the days surrounding the primary, but was told a recount could not be conducted because a break-in had occurred at the clerk's office.

Eventually, MLive-The Flint Journal reports, Town Supervisor Karyn Miller said she confronted Funk about the accusations, as well as reports that Funk and her husband were inside the town hall after business hours in the days following the election.

Miller was reportedly also concerned that in the days immediately following the election, a window to the clerk's office was covered 'so no one could see in.'

But Funk has repeatedly denied the allegations, and her attorney, Matthew Norwood, told MLive-The Flint Journal that she plans to plead not guilty to the charges when she appears for arraignment in Genesee District Court on Monday.

'She says it's absolutely not true,' he said of the charges against Funk, adding: 'We're looking forward to [seeing] what the police report says.'

Flint Town Supervisor Karyn Miller said she had concerns about the election

Miller said the window to the clerk's office was covered 'so no one could see in' following the August 2020 election

In a heavily-redacted police report obtained by MLive-The Flint Journal, a trooper was dispatched to the Flint Township Hall on Dye Road on August 11, 2020 in response to Funk filing a possible breaking and entering complaint.

She told the deputy at the scene she believed a room had been broken into sometime between 7pm on August 7 and noon on August 9, noting that she left work at around 7pm on August 7, and was the last township employee to leave the building.

Funk then said she returned to the town hall at around 12pm on August 9, a Sunday, to submit a report to the state, and was there for about five hours. She said there were no other township employees there at the time, and she was accompanied by her husband.

At some point while she was there, the police report says, 'she entered a locked storage room which is next to her office.

'Upon entering the room, she observed it was in disarray and noticed a shelf on the west wall had ben knocked down.

'She observed several items had been moved, but it did not appear that anything was missing.'

An AP review of election fraud in Michigan and five other battleground states found that state officials identified a total of 56 potential instances of voter fraud in Michigan, a number which represents less than 1 percent of President Joe Bidens margin of victory in the state.
A heroic flood rescuer made the horror discovery of a baby and its parents buried to their necks in mud as she searched for survivors of the devastating floods in northern NSW.

Lisa Parkes saved the life of the eight-month-old and its distraught parents after she followed the sounds of the baby's cries and scrambled down a landslide at a property about 70km north of Lismore.

Ms Parkes was wrapping up a day of rescue efforts in the flood-hit Northern Rivers region when 'her sixth sense told her' not everyone was accounted for.

The contestant on TV series Ninja Warriors hiked through the bush towards a house where she roped herself to a tree and descended the landslide.

Lisa Parkes (pictured) saved the life of the eight-month-old and its distraught parents after she followed the sounds of the baby's cries and scrambled down a landslide

SES volunteers launch an inflatable rescue boat in the flood-hit town of Camden last week

'I could see a baby lying on top of the mud and about 30m or 50m away, the parents, the mum and dad, were buried almost neck deep in the mud and they had been there for more than 24 hours,' Ms Parkes told The Saturday Paper.

The rescuer said the baby attempted to roll over and caught mud in their mouth, falling unconscious as its helpless parents remained trapped.

After frantically calling triple zero Ms Parkes began giving the baby life-saving CPR - all while still clinging to her rope.

She then began to dig the parents out from the neck-deep mud.

'Apparently I was like a dog at the beach with the speed I was trying to dig those parents out. It must have been, for them, the most horrific thing ever having their child in front of them but not being able to hold on to them,' she said.

The Ninja Warrior contestant (pictured) gave the baby life-saving CPR while dangling from a rope down a landslide

Lisa Parkes saved the life of the eight-month-old and its distraught parents after she followed the sounds of the baby's cries and careened down a landslide (pictured, a woman in Windsor)

The family were airlifted to the Queensland Children's Hospital in Brisbane where they made a full recovery.

Ms Parkes had been part of a team of professional rock climbers and hikes who marched through the Upper Main Arm Valley, about 25km northwest of Mullumbimby.

She spent the mission wading through muddy waist-deep where roads were replaced by flowing rivers.

Her hiking partner Andy Hamilton said the area resembled a 'war zone' after days of unprecedented rain caused flash-flooding and damaging landslides.

Girls walk through the floodwaters in Lismore in northern NSW during a flood in 2017

Thousands of homes and properties were destroyed by the floods in Camden (pictured) after the area saw unprecedented rainfall causing flash-flooding

She said it was just one of dozens of miraculous rescues being made across the state as communities in northern NSW attempt to recover from the floods.

In Lismore, residents are close to admitting defeat after suffering a record-breaking flood.

Across the country, 22 people died in the floods and in Lismore entire homes, shops and businesses were completely submerged. Many were destroyed and some simply floated away.

'It's a war zone,' town solicitor Sean Radburn admitted to Daily Mail Australia. 'It looks like a bomb has gone off. It's so heartbreaking.'

One business owner watched in horror as TV footage showed a home swept away by the raging floodwaters ram into his premises and demolish part of it. The house is now wedged into the roof of the property.

Even with forewarning of the coming nightmare, apparently fail-safe precautions by locals for a worst case scenario proved to be hopelessly insufficient.

Locals in areas such as Windsor (pictured) will now start the mammoth clean-up task

A container was seen floating in Camden after the area was smashed with days of heavy rain

Those who stored possessions, valuables and vital documents 5m high off the ground, as recommended by the SES, still lost it all when water levels swamped everything up to a staggering 7m.

After spending all they had to rebuild and recover from the 2017 floods, many locals now have nothing left in their reserves to do it all over again.

Resident Michelle Stone echoed many in the town of 28,000 by conceding: 'This could be the end for us.

'The town was already dead after 2017. It was just starting to come back to life. I'm wondering if it's going to come back again.'

Some have already fled, she revealed, with one neighbour taking their family and moving to the coast after losing everything. She fully expects many more to follow.

Lismore lies on Wilsons River where it meets Leycester Creek, downstream of the Northern Rivers catchment - and when it pours, it can bring tragedy and disaster.

The danger from floods is so high, it's virtually impossible to get insurance in the town. Quotes start at $18,000 a year for a small town-centre shop - and that doesn't include contents.

Experts warn it's only going to get worse in years to come, throwing the very viability of the future of the town of Lismore into question (pictured, cars trapped in a Hungry Jacks carpark)

Landslides have swallowed entire homes after days of consecutive rain saturated the ground

Lismore's Rollerworld skating rink centre hasn't had insurance for 20 years since it received a $30,000 quote for a premium in 2000.

Owner Craig Newby now faces an estimated $100,000 bill to get back on his feet once more - and he still hasn't paid off the damage and repair costs from 2017.

'It's really hard,' he said.

'We would only have been out of debt from the last flood at the end of this year, so we haven't been able to put any money aside for this one.'

Last week's floods saw the water rise so high, it even swamped the mirrorball that hangs 10m high above the skating rink.

Experts warn it's only going to get worse in years to come, throwing the very viability of the town's future into question.

Climate scientist Professor Will Steffen warns nothing can stop global temperatures rising by 1.6C by 2050, regardless of any emission reduction programs.

'That means we'll be having considerably heavier rainfalls and more flooding,' he told Daily Mail Australia.

'For every degree of warming, the atmosphere can hold about seven per cent more water vapour which also becomes obviously more energetic.

Even seasoned Camden locals weren't prepared for the onslaught of rain that hit the region last week (pictured, flooded argyle street)

Initial insurance estimates have been put at a staggering $2.5billion, making these floods Australia's worst ever natural disaster (pictured, floods in Camden)

'Whenever you get the local conditions for rain, it's going to come down heavier.'

He says the economic cost of continually rebuilding on a flood plain no longer makes sense - and the money should be invested in more permanent solutions.

'It's a very difficult thing because people are used to living where they've been living for a long time,' he said.

'But honestly, the situation is going to be really, really difficult - I'd say almost impossible - to keep living on these floodplains.'

Initial insurance estimates - for those who were insured - have been put at a staggering $2.5billion, making these floods Australia's worst ever natural disaster.
Parents and teachers are calling for the ouster of a Bronx elementary school principal they say has bullied educators, denigrated kids and parents, and turned a once warm and loving school culture into a hostile and chaotic environment.

Staffers at Public School 211 in West Farms say principal Tanya Drummond has waged a years-long war with teachers, sparking a mass educator exodus and prompting 55 of the schools 64 unionized employees to sign a scathing letter of no confidence in 2019 blasting the toxic work environment, according to records reviewed by the Daily News.

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Principal Tanya Drummond (LinkedIn)

Drummond has made derogatory comments toward and about kids and families  reportedly calling one eighth-grader a Trayvon Martin gangbanger and frequently describing parents as ghetto  while eliminating beloved programs and turning a blind eye to escalating safety concerns, the parents and staffers allege.

Were thrown under the bus, intimidated, threatened, said Ramona Jones, a 20-year veteran educator who started at the school in September and got so fed up and overwhelmed that she submitted her resignation on Saturday, in the middle of the school year.

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Quitting in the middle of the school year will make it difficult for Jones to get another job at the Department of Education.

I cannot create a safe environment, Jones told The News through tears. I cant look my parents in the eye and say Im doing my job... If I can never work in the DOE again, so be it. But I cannot continue to work in an environment that is not safe and professional.

Drummond did not respond to a detailed emailed list of questions.

Drummond took over P.S. 211  a K-8 school in a largely Hispanic, working-class neighborhood  in 2014, touting her military background and plan to boost test scores, teachers said.

Public School 211, The Bilingual School on Prospect Ave. in the Bronx. (Shawn Inglima/for New York Daily News)

But staffers said she quickly stripped the school of what made it special  canceling cultural festivals and holiday celebrations that brought parents into the school and gave it a community feel.

The school used to have a good culture where wed celebrate our diversity, have assemblies and offer extracurricular activities like ballroom dancing, and cooking, said one P.S. 211 teacher who asked for anonymity out of fear of retaliation.

Once this principal took over, everything changed, the staffer said, noting all bilingual classes were phased out, which is kind of ironic since the school is called the Bilingual School.

Drummond publicly exerted her authority  and humiliated or debased teachers who challenged her, according to staffers.

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One former teacher described an incident in which Drummond popped in mid-class and asked to review a binder with lesson plans. When the teacher pointed to where the binder was sitting, Drummond allegedly responded in front of the whole class, next time I tell you to go and get something, you go and get it, recalled the teacher, who asked for anonymity because she still fears retaliation.

I felt so degraded, the ex-teacher said. I was dumbfounded I told the kids, Im sorry you had to see this.

Ramia Batista, a teacher who left the school in 2020, said Drummond once berated her in public for taking class time to teach kids how to stand in line. At another point, Drummond began dropping by her class every 15-20 minutes to whisper to students your teacher is not that great, Batista recalled.

Ramia Batista (Sam Costanza/for New York Daily News)

Batista began dreading going to work. I wasnt eating, wasnt sleeping, losing weight... I had to go see a therapist, she said.

Jones said she got in trouble for calling parents in the evening to encourage them to practice multiplication tables with their kids because Drummond said parent outreach was only supposed to happen during a designated window one day a week.

Tensions between Drummond and teachers reached a boiling point in the 2018-19 school year, when 55 of the schools 64 full-time unionized employees signed a letter of no confidence in Drummond that was delivered to then-District 12 superintendent Jacqueline Rosado, according to records reviewed by The News.

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Principal Drummonds behavior towards both staff and students has created a toxic work environment, the letter read. Teachers said the note only escalated tensions, with Drummond referring publicly and derisively to the 85%.

It was not clear what  if anything  was done in response to that letter, as the DOE did not address The News questions about it.

Public School 211, The Bilingual School on Prospect Ave. in the Bronx. (Shawn Inglima/for New York Daily News)

In an Education Department survey conducted in 2019, just 19% of P.S. 211 teachers reported feeling respected by their principal and only 14% described Drummond as an effective manager, compared to citywide averages of roughly 80% for both questions.

That same year, 18 classroom teachers, a full third of the schools teaching force, left the school  a turnover rate nearly 20 percentage points higher than that years city average, according to figures provided by the United Federation of Teachers.

Since 2014, 78 of the 127 educators who worked at P.S. 211 had left by the start of this school year, according to the UFT.

The constant churn of teachers hasnt gone unnoticed by parents.

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My kid has been here a long time. In that time Ive seen many teachers, very few last from one year to the next, said one mom who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect her childs privacy. The principal never does what she has to do.

At least one parent defended Drummond, though.

Shes always looking out, saying hi to parents and greeting the kids in the morning, said Deivy Suero, the parent of an eighth-grader and Pre-K student at the school. Suero said she heard the teacher exodus was because they didnt adjust to the changes with COVID, and kids being academically behind.

Its not just teachers who say theyve been bullied and insulted by Drummond.

In September 2021, Kristina Cintron, the mother of two P.S. 211 students, said her eighth-grade son Amarion told her that Drummond stopped him in the hall and told him he gave off Trayvon Martin gangbanger vibes. When the angry mom confronted Drummond, who is Puerto Rican, the principal denied making the comment, saying she has a Black husband and mixed-race kids who frequently wear hoodies, Cintron recalled.

Kristina Cintron (Shawn Inglima/for New York Daily News)

A staffer who spoke to family after the alleged remark confirmed Cintron and her son reported Drummond making the Trayvon Martin comment in September.

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Multiple staffers said Drummond frequently made racially and culturally insensitive comments in staff meetings, allegedly referring to students and parents as ghetto, saying parents were not smart because they grew up in poor, rural areas of the Dominican Republic, and implying that immigrant students were gang members.

Its basically a distrust and discrimination, said one teacher who spoke on the condition of anonymity. She thinks most of these kids are gangsters and treats them accordingly.

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As behavioral problems escalated  including student fights captured on video and viewed by The News and reports from multiple staffers that bathrooms smell like marijuana  parents and teachers say Drummond responded inappropriately or not at all.

Kristina Cintron with her children from left: Emma Ruiz, 10, Olivia Ruiz, 13, and Amarion Ruiz, 14. (Shawn Inglima/for New York Daily News)

Theres no mediation the children do something, theres no consequence, no meeting with the parents, said another current teacher who spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation. And if theres a meeting... her meetings dont solve problems. People just leave worse, angrier.

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DOE spokesman Nathaniel Styer said every student and family deserves to feel safe, welcomed, and supported at their neighborhood school. These allegations are deeply concerning and they will be thoroughly investigated.

Jones, the teacher who decided to quit last week , said even though its too late for her, shes still pushing for change for the sake of her students.

I dont know what its going to take for the chancellor or mayor or whoever to listen, she said. These kids deserve better.
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Britons who offer a roof over the heads of desperate Ukrainian refugees will be awarded a monthly 'thank you' payment of 350 from the government, it was revealed today.

Under the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, sponsors who provide accommodation rent-free for a minimum of six months will receive their monthly fee, however many refugees they take.

Individuals, charities, community groups and businesses will all be eligible to bring those fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine to safety.

Sponsored refugees will be granted three years leave to remain in the UK and be allowed to work and access public services.

Michael Gove, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, said the UK 'stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour', and urged people to 'join the national effort' to help refugees.

It is hoped that tens of thousands of people would be accommodated in Britain as part of the new scheme as Europe buckles under the weight of its biggest humanitarian crisis since the Second World War.

More than 2.3 million people have fled the war in Ukraine and another 1.9 million are displaced within the country, a United Nations official has said.

Under the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, sponsors who provide accommodation rent-free for a minimum of six months will receive their monthly fee, however many refugees they take. Pictured: People board an evacuation train from Kyiv to western Ukraine

Millions of refugees have already fled from war-torn Ukraine after Vladimir Putin's forces illegally invaded

A woman and a baby who fled the war in Ukraine wait to board a bus to take them to Berlin after arriving from the Polish Ukrainian border on March 11, 2022 in Krakow, Poland.

Ukrainian refugees move through Lviv Railway Station as many people flee to neighboring countries amid the Russian invasion

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

The developments came as No 10 continues to face stinging criticism over both the speed and scale of its efforts to help fleeing Ukrainians settle in the UK.

The Home Office was heavily criticised for an apparent chaotic response to the humanitarian disaster.

And Home Secretary Priti Patel was slammed over the slow rate of approval of visas for Ukrainian refugees, prompting Boris Johnson to demand an end to hostile leaks from within her department.

Those offering accommodation will be vetted and Ukrainian applicants will undergo security checks, as per advice from senior British intelligence officers who feared the implications of lax visa rules.

To say 'thank you', sponsors will receive a payment of 350 per month, paid for by the Government.

'The crisis in Ukraine has sent shock waves across the world as hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been forced to flee their homes, leaving everything they know and love behind,' Mr Gove said.

'The UK stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour and the British public understand the need to get as many people to safety as quickly as we can.

'I urge people across the country to join the national effort and offer support to our Ukrainian friends. Together we can give a safe home to those who so desperately need it.'

Alongside ordinary families, communities, volunteers and charitable and religious organisations will all be eligible to sponsor groups of Ukrainians.

Ukrainians who have sponsors will be granted three years' leave to remain in the UK, with entitlement to work and access public services.

A website gathering expressions of interest for the 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme is set to launch on Monday.

Meanwhile, the other home nations are understood to be drawing up their own plans to house those fleeing the conflict.

Nicola Sturgeon and Mark Drakeford have said both Scotland and Wales are willing to become 'super sponsors' for Ukrainian refugees.

In a letter to Mr Gove, they also renewed their calls on Westminster to waive all visa requirements for Ukrainian nationals trying to get into the UK.

The governments in Holyrood and Cardiff said super sponsorship would enable Ukrainians to get clearance to enter each country quickly and be housed temporarily while they work with local partners to provide longer term accommodation, safeguarding and access to services.

Education Secretary Nadhim Zahawi announced on Saturday that online lessons will be made available to 100,000 refugee pupils as they transition to 'life and safety' in the UK.

He had told BBC's Question Time earlier in the week: 'What you are seeing now is a surge in our capability to take more Ukrainians.

'I can tell you in my own department in education, I have a team that's already making plans for a capacity of 100,000 children that we will take into our schools.'

More than 2.3 million people have fled the war in Ukraine and another 1.9 million are displaced within the country. Pictured: Desperate Ukrainian refugees wait outside an immigration office in Brussels, Belgium on Wednesday, March 9

Refugees proceed to a gathering point after crossing the Ukrainian border with Poland at the Medyka border crossing, southeastern Poland

A member of the Ukrainian forces takes position behind a car in Irpin, a neighbouring city of Ukraine which has seen intense bombardment

Seize Russian oligarch mansions to house Ukrainian refugees: Michael Gove demands 'ultimate payback for Putin's cronies' as No10 pledges 350 a month for Brits who take in people fleeing Russia's war

The Levelling Up Secretary wants to seize luxury mansions from Russian oligarchs to house Ukrainians

No.10 has confirmed that families who take in Ukrainian refugees will be paid 350-a-month to do so

More than 2.3million people have now fled Ukraine since Vladimir Putin's forces invaded on February 24

Russian oligarchs multi-million pound mansions would be seized and used to house Ukrainian refugees under an extraordinary plan being championed by Michael Gove.

The Levelling Up Secretary has argued passionately in Cabinet that the move would be payback for Russian President Vladimir Putins cronies in Britain.

His plan is being blocked by senior figures in the Treasury and the Foreign Office who believe it is not legally workable, but one supporter of the Gove scheme last night angrily described opponents within Government as oligarch apologists.

The row came as No 10 announced that ordinary families who house Ukrainian refugees will be paid 350 a month under a new Homes for Ukraine scheme.

Its hoped that tens of thousands of people will be accommodated under the scheme, helping to tackle Europes biggest refugee crisis since the Second World War. More than 2.3 million people have fled the war in Ukraine and another 1.9 million are displaced within the country, a United Nations official has said.

The plans come after the Home Office was heavily criticised for its chaotic response to the humanitarian disaster.

In contrast, the British people have acted quickly and generously to help. The record-breaking Mail Force Ukraine Appeal has reached a remarkable 6.6 million alone.

In another grim day in Ukraine yesterday:

Kyiv became a fortress ahead of an expected onslaught, with Russian forces now within 15 miles of the capitals centre;

Russian shelling of besieged cities including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Sumy continued as one governor said the South-Eastern city of Volnovakha has been destroyed;

Putin rebuffed a new appeal for a ceasefire but, in a glimmer of hope, negotiators discussed concrete proposals for a peace deal for first time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was willing to negotiate, but would not surrender nor accept ultimatums;

Zelensky revealed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have died in the war so far, but claimed the Russian army has suffered its largest losses in decades, with an estimated 6,000 deaths;

Moscow threatened the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as legitimate targets, prompting fears the conflict could dramatically escalate;

Putin was urged to lift the siege of the southern city of Mariupol where up to 1,500 civilians have died;

Residents took to the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol to protest against the abduction of its mayor by Russian forces;

Intelligence sources claimed Putin may be suffering from dementia, Parkinsons disease or roid rage resulting from steroid treatment for cancer.

More than 2.3 million people have fled the war in Ukraine and another 1.9 million are displaced within the country

Mr Gove, who first raised the prospect of seizing oligarchs homes in Cabinet a fortnight ago, ran into opposition last week at the first meeting of a sub-committee looking into the UKs refugee response. At the meeting, Foreign Office Minister James Cleverly and Treasury Minister John Glen expressed their departments reservations about the idea.

Last night, a backer of Mr Goves plan said: The opposition is being led by oligarch apologists who hide behind the rule of law. But one of Mr Goves opponents said the plan is not legally workable and condemned it as gesture politics more suited to a banana republic.

Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, sponsors who provide accommodation rent-free for a minimum of six months will receive a thank you of 350 per month, however many refugees they take. Sponsored refugees will be granted three years leave to remain in the UK and be allowed to work and access public services.

Mr Gove said: The crisis in Ukraine has sent shockwaves across the world. The UK stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour and the British public understand the need to get as many people to safety as quickly as we can. I urge people across the country to join the national effort and offer support to our Ukrainian friends.

A website will launch tomorrow to allow sponsors to register offers of accommodation. Those applying will be vetted and Ukrainians will undergo security checks. However, as The Mail on Sunday reports today, security chiefs have expressed concern at watering down visa requirements.

Home Secretary Priti Patel has been criticised over the slow rate of approval of visas for Ukrainian refugees, prompting Boris Johnson to demand an end to hostile leaks from within her department.

But many organisations are already stepping up, such as Londons Great Ormond Street Hospital, which is set to receive ten children with cancer after they were whisked out of Ukraine in an extraordinary rescue mission.

Meanwhile, Chelsea Football Club was thrown a lifeline by the Government yesterday as officials agreed it could be sold by its sanctioned owner Roman Abramovich.

And amid calls for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to cut fuel duty as the price of oil spirals because of the sanctions, Mr Johnson is set to travel to Saudi Arabia in an attempt to negotiate increased supplies.

Tomorrow the PM will host leaders of the Joint Expeditionary Force, a Northern European security coalition, at Chequers.

Cabinet split over Michael Gove's plan to seize Russian oligarch mansions to house Ukrainian refugees, as critics brand the idea 'gesture politics more suited to a banana republic'

By Glen Owen Political Editor for the Mail on Sunday

When Michael Gove launched into some of his typically rousing rhetoric at Cabinet last month, calling passionately for the mansions of Russian oligarchs to be seized and opened up to Ukrainian refugees, Boris Johnson murmured his assent.

But a fortnight later, the Levelling Up Secretary is still fighting to overcome resistance to his idea from the Treasury and Foreign Office, where officials shiver at what one source dismissed as banana republic politics.

For their part, supporters of Mr Goves plan describe the opponents as oligarch apologists.

The debate flared up again last week at the first meeting of a Cabinet sub-committee on Ukraine, chaired by Downing Streets chief of staff Steve Barclay, which has been tasked with examining every facet of the UKs refugee response. When Mr Gove highlighted the powerful symbolism of his proposed move, Foreign Office Minister James Cleverly and Treasury Minister John Glen voiced their departments reservations.

Under Mr Goves plan, British property owned by oligarchs sanctioned because of the war would be taken over by the Government for as long as they remained on the list, allowing Ministers to throw open their doors to refugees.

In the case of Roman Abramovich, Britains most high-profile oligarch, that would release at least 70 properties, worth around 500 million, The portfolio includes a 15-bedroom mansion at Kensington Palace Gardens with an estimated value of 150 million, and a three-storey penthouse in the Chelsea Waterfront tower, bought for 30 million in 2018. Abramovich had his assets  including Chelsea FC  frozen on Thursday as part of Government sanctions.

Roman Abramovich's portfolio includes a 15-bedroom mansion at Kensington Palace Gardens (pictured) with an estimated value of 150 million, and a three-storey penthouse in the Chelsea Waterfront tower, bought for 30 million in 2018

Sutton Place near Guildford, Surrey, England is the former home of billionaire Jean Paul Getty and now owned by a Russian oligarch Alisher Usmanov

Another sanctioned oligarch, aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, worth 2 billion, owns a 50 million property on Belgrave Square in Central London, via a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, and Hamstone House on the exclusive St Georges Hill estate near Weybridge, Surrey. The eight-bedroom mansion includes a swimming pool, sauna, gym and extensive gardens.

Mr Goves plan echoes moves by the US Congress to seize assets from oligarchs whose wealth is linked to Vladimir Putin. Under a bill introduced earlier this month, American authorities would be allowed to go further than Mr Goves plan by confiscating, rather than just seizing, any property  including luxury villas, yachts, and airplanes  valued more than $5 million with the funds used to benefit the Ukrainian people via military or humanitarian aid.

Supporters of Mr Goves plan also point the finger at No 10s new head of policy, Andrew Griffith, for trying to block it. Mr Griffith, the Arundel MP, is a former Rothschild banker and chief financial officer for Sky TV, who is understood to have argued that the idea is not legally workable.

Another sanctioned oligarch, aluminium tycoon Oleg Deripaska, worth 2 billion, owns a 50 million property on Belgrave Square in Central London, via a company registered in the British Virgin Islands, and Hamstone House on the exclusive St Georges Hill estate near Weybridge, Surrey (pictured)

An opponent of the Gove plan said: This is gesture politics more suited to a banana republic.

But a supporter said: The opposition is being led by oligarch apologists who hide behind the rule of law. These people have been sanctioned for a reason, and no one who has been placed on the sanctions list has ever come off it. This is the ultimate symbolic payback for Putins cronies.

Downing Street declined to comment and a spokesman for Mr Gove said: We dont comment on private Cabinet discussions.
Tucker Carlson on Friday night made the suggestion that U.S. government officials wanted a war to occur between Russia and Ukraine after emergency powers enacted during Covid had come to an end.

Speaking during his monologue on Fox News, Carlson claimed the war allowed the U.S. government to shift focus and further 'grab more power.'

Carlson suggested Americans following the war in Ukraine were actually being manipulated by power-hungry bureaucrats.

'You wonder if looking backward many years from right now, historians will notice the remarkable coincidence in timing. Have you noticed?' Carlson began.

'Here it is. At exactly the moment when the emergency powers they awarded to themselves to fight Covid started to wane, our leaders began pushing for conflict with Russia.'

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Tucker Carlson has suggested the U.S. government wanted Russia to invade Ukraine in order to distract from issues at home

Carlson theorized that war in Europe has given lawmakers a pretext to assume 'historic war powers.'

Carlson explained how in his view, the U.S. government was violating the rights of Russia's wealthy elite by introducing severe economic sanctions.

Although he did not mention the wealthy Russian oligarchs by name, who have had their assets frozen, he accused the U.S. government of 'seizing the property of people' without 'bothering to explain exactly what crime they had committed.

'How long before they accuse you of collusion or disloyalty, or some other hard-to-define crime, declare you an enemy of the state and then confiscate your bank account?' Carlson questioned.

During Friday night's monologue he theorized the ending of coronavirus special laws left the government looking for a way to make a power grab some other way. Pictured: A sign reminding riders to wear a face mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19 appears on a bus on First Street outside the U.S. Capitol

'Something very much like that happened in Canada. We don't imagine it could happen here. Mostly we just don't think about it, what we think about is Ukraine.'

Carlson then said Americans have been consumed by 'groupthink' when it comes to the Russian invasion but that U.S. government officials are delighted because it means all domestic issues have now been neglected.

'The morning that Russia invaded Ukraine, you may have been talking about a lot of different things,' he added.

'Covid, or crime, or the Southern border. Not anymore. Much to the relief of the white house, all of those topics have been forgotten, maybe forever.'

Carlson the freezing of assets owned by Russian oligarchs was exactly the play the government needed. Pictured, Superyacht Valerie, linked to chief of Russian state aerospace and defense conglomerate Rostec Sergei Chemezov, is seen in port in Barcelona, Spain

Carlson then said Americans have been consumed by 'groupthink' when it comes to the Russian invasion but that U.S. government officials are delighted because it means all domestic issues have now been neglected. Pictured, a convoy of pro-Russian troops during Ukraine-Russia conflict outside the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha, Ukraine

It was another grim day in Ukraine on Saturday:

Kyiv became a fortress ahead of an expected onslaught, with Russian forces now within 15 miles of the capitals centre;

Russian shelling of besieged cities including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Sumy continued as one governor said the South-Eastern city of Volnovakha has been destroyed;

Putin rebuffed a new appeal for a ceasefire but, in a glimmer of hope, negotiators discussed concrete proposals for a peace deal for first time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was willing to negotiate, but would not surrender nor accept ultimatums;

Zelensky revealed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have died in the war so far, but claimed the Russian army has suffered its largest losses in decades, with an estimated 6,000 deaths;

Moscow threatened the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as legitimate targets, prompting fears the conflict could dramatically escalate;

Putin was urged to lift the siege of the southern city of Mariupol where up to 1,500 civilians have died;

Residents took to the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol to protest against the abduction of its mayor by Russian forces;

Intelligence sources claimed Putin may be suffering from dementia, Parkinsons disease or roid rage resulting from steroid treatment for cancer.

Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign
Comedy legend John Cleese had his microphone confiscated at the South by Southwest festival during a comedic discussion in which he suggested Italy and France owed historic reparations for enslaving Brits.

The Monty Python icon, 82, was riffing with other comics in front of the crowd in Texas when he talked about the 'competition' between cultures over who has been more oppressed by colonisations throughout history.

Pointing to world history being 'a history of crime', he added: 'It's a history of people who were stronger beating up people who were weaker and it's always been that. It's deeply, deeply distasteful.

'But to pretend that one lot were worse than another  you do know the British have been slaves twice, right?

Cleese explained: '[People] get competitive about this business of being oppressed. We were oppressed, the English, by the Romans from about 0 to 400.'

Despite the event being labelled a 'comedy panel', his remarks sparked horrified reactions and an awkward environment for those in attendance.

At one stage Cleese even had his microphone confiscated by American comic Dulce Sloan, who said she did it to 'save a comic whose career I respect', per The Hollywood Reporter.

'And now you saved the colonizer,' Pasternack said. 'I saved a comic whose career I respect,' Sloan fired back.

Comedy legend John Cleese landed himself in hot water during his own event when he jokingly suggested Italy and France owed historic reparations for enslaving British people

Cleese rebutted claims that the British Empire was the first to colonise communities from other states throughout his 90-minute performance entitled 'John Cleese in Conversation.'

The British comic insisted England was owed 'reparations' from both Italy and France, referring to the historic invasions of the Romans, and 1000 years later by the Normans under William the Conqueror.

'I want reparations from Italy', he told the stunned crowd. 'And then the Normans came over in 1066... they were horrible people from France and they colonised us for 30 years and we need reparations there too, I'm afraid'.

The Monty Python icon, 82, drew shocked gasps from the South by Southwest crowd in Texas. He is pictured above (fourth from left) alongside moderator Dan Pasternack, and comics Dulce Sloan, Jim Gaffigan and Ricky Velez

His fellow comedians speaking at the event, Jim Gaffigan, Dulce Sloan and moderator Dan Pasternack all unsuccessfully attempted to draw Cleese away from his rant.

Pasternack even explained to the audience at one point: 'And this is why your phones are locked up'.

As tempers started to flare, Sloan grabbed out and temporarily confiscated Cleese's microphone to cheers and applause from sections of the audience, reports The Hollywood Reporter.

Speaking after the ordeal, Cleese explained his actions by saying: 'The thing is, I'm going to be dead soon. That's why I'm in favour of global warming - I don't want to be cold ever again'.

To which Pasternack jokingly replied: 'Where you're going you won't be!'
Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke characterized incumbent Gov. Greg Abbott as an 'authoritarian thug' with his 'own oligarch[s] here in the state of Texas' within the gas industry, at Saturday's SXSW music and media event in Austin.

In an hour-long interview with Texas Tribune CEO and co-founder Evan Smith, former congressman and presidential candidate O'Rourke detailed Abbott's 'extremism and fringe politics' that he said were 'deeply hurting the people of the state of Texas.'

'I just had a chance to meet with the ambassador from the EU [European Union],' O'Rourke said at the top of the interview.

'We talked about the fact that you're seeing the continued rise of authoritarians and thugs across the world, and we have our own right here in the state of Texas... [Greg Abbott is] a thug. He's an authoritarian.'

O'Rourke also accused the longtime Texas governor of overlooking sex-trafficked children in his state in favor of his 'crazed fixation' on transgender children.

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In an hour-long interview with Texas Tribune CEO and co-founder Evan Smith, former congressman and presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke (pictured during the interview on Saturday) detailed Abbott's 'extremism and fringe politics' that he said were 'deeply hurting the people of the state of Texas'

Texas Democratic gubernatorial candidate Beto O'Rourke characterized incumbent Greg Abbott as an 'authoritarian thug' with his 'own oligarch[s] here in the state of Texas'

In February, the Republican governor launched a directive for state agencies to investigate the parents of children undergoing gender-affirming therapies after officials in the state deemed those therapies 'child abuse.'

But on Friday, a judge halted the practice, saying it went against the state's constitution.

'Those same kids who were rescued from sex traffickers are now being trafficked for sex by their guardians in the state of Texas,' O'Rourke claimed. 'The governor knew there was a problem for four months, and he did not do sh**.'

O'Rourke also took Abbott to task over the state's response to Winter Storm Uri last February, which led to at least 246 reported deaths amid icy conditions and power outages.

'He promised all of us in February of last year that will be able to keep the lights on in the state of Texas, [but] the lights went out and the heat failed. And the water stopped flowing because the pipes froze as well. And people lost their lives as a consequence.'

O'Rourke, pictured on Saturday, accused Texas governor Greg Abbott of overlooking sex-trafficked children in his state in favor of his 'crazed fixation' on transgender children

Although he 'didn't cause the weather,' O'Rourke said that the gas shortages were caused by Abbott's incompetence.

'The governor, on whose desk the buck stops, was warned repeatedly that we had underlying vulnerabilities in the grid, namely that we had failed to weatherize and winterize the gas supply.'

'Well, when the temperature dropped last February, the gas supply literally froze at the wellhead and we couldn't get it to the generators that spin and produce the electricity that power our homes.'

He accused the current governor of being in bed with the gas companies that were unwilling to weatherproof the state's infrastructure.

'But when people like Kelcy Warren and other energy company CEOs made more than $11 billion in profit over five days, selling gas for 200 times the going rate, not only did he not claw back those illegal profits, not only was there no justice for [those]... who were killed who literally froze to death in their homes outside in their cars  but he's taking millions of dollars in payoffs from these same people.'

'He's got his own oligarch here in the state of Texas. You think this stuff only exists in Russia or in other parts of the world?'

A lawsuit has been lodged by Energy Transfer Partners CEO Kelcy Warren against O'Rourke for defamation over similar claims where the candidate 'falsely accused' him of 'extortion' and 'bribery,' according to KVUE - but during Saturday's interview, O'Rourke said that 'the best defense against libel is the truth'

When pressed for 'straight line' connections between Abbott and energy companies, specifically Kelcy Warren at Energy Transfer Partners, O'Rourke softened.

'The facts that I laid out, I think, stand for themselves. And folks are welcome to come to different conclusions if they want to. But I think we have a very clear case of a governor who stands with the corporations and the high-dollar donors.'

A lawsuit has been lodged by Warren against O'Rourke for defamation over similar claims where the candidate 'falsely accused' him of 'extortion' and 'bribery,' according to KVUE - but during Saturday's interview, O'Rourke said that 'the best defense against libel is the truth.'

'[Warren] is getting filthy, illegally rich off the natural resources of this state... and Abbott instead of holding him responsible and accountable and getting that money back - and ensuring that he serves some time or there is some justice for what he has done to the people of Texas - takes a one million dollar campaign contribution from him.'

Lawmakers passed legislation to combat grid failures in Texas last year, according to KVUE - but according to O'Rourke, the state still has yet 'to weatherize and winterize the gas supply,' adding insult to injury.

'He's accepted more than $4.6 million from the gas supply companies, CEOs and interests who don't want to invest in winterizing.'

O'Rourke accused Governor Abbott (pictured) of being in bed with the gas companies that were unwilling to weatherproof the state's infrastructure

Prior to his 2020 presidential bid, O'Rourke made national headlines with declarations like 'hell yes, we are going to take your AR-15' in his campaign, which he has since walked back - but his stance on gun control was also discussed in the interview.

Earlier this year, O'Rourke said he has 'no interest in taking' assault weapons from gun owners.

But in Saturday's interview, he made the claim that it is 'easier to carry a gun than it is to vote in the state of Texas' due to a recently-signed permitless carry law in the state and new rules regulating mail-in ballots.

'I don't think anyone should have [a gun],' said O'Rourke.

'If I can find the consensus within the Legislature to have a law in the state of Texas that allows us to buy those AK-47s and AR-15s back, we will.'
Power of the Dog star Jesse Plemons said veteran actor Sam Elliott's 'homophobic' criticism of the film 'made me laugh,' before adding that 'not everyone has to like it.'

The Oscar nominee, 33, also told The Hollywood Reporter that people are entitled to their own opinions while on the red carpet ahead of Friday night's screening of his upcoming film Windfall.

'I know there are different layers to that,' he said. 'Not everyone has to like it, I'll say that. That's fine.'

Plemons is the latest actor from the critically-acclaimed film to speak on Elliott's comments regarding movie's themes of masculinity and sexuality, which he delivered less than two weeks ago on Marc Maron's WTF Podcast.

'They made it look like - what are all those dancers that those guys in New York that wear bowties and not much else?' Elliott, 77, said.

'Thats what all these f****** cowboys in that movie looked like. Theyre all running around in chaps and no shirts. Theres all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the f****** movie.'

Jesse Plemons, pictured, attends the Windfall LA Special Screening on Friday in West Hollywood, California

Pictured: Sam Elliott as Shea of the Paramount+ original series 1883

Jesse Plemons in a scene from the popular Netflix series Power of the Dog

In the interview at the center of the controversy, Elliott went on to question the suitability of the movie's director Jane Campion, asking how a 'woman from down there [New Zealand] can ''know about the American West.'''

Elliott added that he was also angry that lead actor Benedict Cumberbatch's character never seemed to remove his chaps.

'Every f****** time he would walk in from somewhere - he never was on a horse - he'd walk in to the f****** house, storm up the f****** stairs, go lay in his bed, in his chaps and play the banjo.'

Elliott, however, did call director Jane Campion a 'brilliant' filmmaker and said he just did not agree with her direction in The Power of the Dog.

Campion, 67, said she 'encouraged' the homosexual fetishes and 'gear' seen in the movie when asked if she 'ever worried about overdoing' it.

'Too much leather and ropes and chaps? I encouraged it,' she told the Guardian in an interview published on March 4. She also said she knew parts were 'quite eroticized,' including a scene where Peter (Kodi Smit-McPhee) is hiding a rope Phil (Cumberbatch) had given him under his bed.

The Power of the Dog follows Cumberbatch's character Phil Burbank, a menacing rancher whose brother (Plemons) surprisingly gets married to a woman (Kirsten Dunst) who moves onto their ranch with her son (Kodi Smit-McPhee).

The film centers around Burbank's anger over his repressed feelings as he torments his new sister-in-law and her son at their Montana ranch until he learns to love his family. It was filmed in New Zealand because Campion wanted to direct it close to her native country.

The film leads all contenders with 12 Oscar nominations including Best Picture, Best Director for Campion and Best Actor for Cumberbatch.

Sam Elliott attends the world premiere of "1883" at the Encore Beach Club at Encore Las Vegas on December 11, 2021 in Las Vegas, Nevada

Jesse Plemons as George Burbank and Kirsten Dunst as Rose Gordon in Power of the Dog

In response to Elliott's comments, Cumberbatch hit back and described the comments as 'very odd.'

Cumberbatch, 45, who stars as a repressed gay cowboy in the film, branded Elliott's comments a 'very odd reaction' to the movie and noted there is still 'a massive intolerance in the world at large towards homosexuality.'

'I'm trying very hard not to say anything about a very odd reaction that happened the other day on a radio podcast over here,' Cumberbatch said during BAFTA's Film Sessions on Friday.

Benedict Cumberbatch arrives at the AFI Awards Luncheon on Friday, March 11, 2022, at the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills, California

The Oscar nominated film stars Benedict Cumberbatch, above, playing a closeted gay man. Elliott said Cumberbatch spent too much of the movie shirtless and wearing chaps

'Without meaning to stir over the ashes of that [] someone really took offense to  I haven't heard it so it's unfair for me to comment in detail on it - to the West being portrayed in this way,' Cumberbatch continued.

Elliott said his main gripe stemmed from the implications that the character Phil Burbank was a closeted gay man and that the movie over-critiqued the masculine image of the west.

Meanwhile, Elliott was spotted in public this week for the first time since he caused outrage by tearing into Oscar-nominated cowboy movie.

The dry-witted actor sarcastically claimed to have no knowledge of the movie when approached by DailyMail.com while running errands Wednesday.

'What are you talking about?' Sam said when asked about his thoughts on the film. 'I don't know anything about it.'

DailyMail.com spotted Sam Elliott running errands in his first sighting since bashing the film Power of the Dog
Scott Morrison hit back at claims he took too long to deploy the army to help with floods across two states - even though two offers of military help were rejected.

The prime minister has been widely criticised for taking 10 days to declare a national emergency for catastrophic flooding that killed 22 people, and had residents in Lismore and Mullumbimby, in northern NSW, battling rising tides on their own.

Some residents were forced to sit on their roofs until they were rescued, while others had to rely on friends, family and neighbours to help them get to dry land.

In Queensland, Ipswich residents have also been left to clean up their third major flood in 11 years.

Mr Morrison on Sunday morning said it could take a long time to deploy military to different parts of the country.

The interview was just hours after it was revealed the NSW State Emergency Service twice knocked back support offered by the Australian Defence Force on February 25, before waters started to rise.

The catastrophic floods in Lismore (pictured in late-February) displaced hundreds of residents

Mr Morrison told Weekend Today the idea his cabinet was too slow to respond to emergencies was nothing more than a 'Labor narrative'.

'There is a chorus of commentary that seeks to support that. That is often the same chorus that didn't like how the last election went,' he said.

'I understand the frustration because in a disaster like I have seen up in Lismore, no response is ever going to be able to meet the overwhelming need.'

He explained Good Samaritans were essential in natural disasters because 'the community is always going to be the first ones there'.

'We need people to go and rescue their neighbours. We need the community response,' he said.

'To deploy nationally positioned forces around the country and mobilise them with the equipment and the heavy equipment and the supplying and the provisioning - that, you can't just turn that off and on.

'You're never going to have an ADF base sitting around the corner in every single town.'

Prime Minister Scott Morrison (pictured) defended the government's response to the deadly floods in NSW and Queensland

The PM was asked whether the government had a lack of foresight around natural disasters, in reference to the thousands of homes that were lost in the catastrophic 2019-20 bushfires.

Mr Morrison then pointed out that Australia was quick to move on JobKeeper when thousands of citizens lost their jobs at the beginning of the pandemic, and closed borders with China in an attempt to keep the virus out.

He made the emergency declaration in response to the floods last Saturday - which means relief funds and other government support could reach flood-affected areas more directly.

Despite Mr Morrison's defence, the Daily Telegraph reported on Sunday that the ADF contacted NSW SES headquarters at 2pm on February 25 to ask if assistance was required.

But the Defence representative was told help would not be necessary.

Homes in Lismore (pictured) were destroyed and ADF troops were deployed to help with the clean up last week

Defence approached the SES again at 9.30 that evening to ask again, only to be told the same thing.

The following day, the army prepared to assist Queensland, which was the first state to be hit with torrential rain.

Just after midnight on February 27, two ADF helicopters flew in to aid the state's SES and ordered 600 troops on the ground to get ready.

Just before 3pm that day, the ADF started preparing ground forces in NSW believing the state would call for support.

But Defence was only requested the following day on February 28, when helicopters were asked by NSW to fly to Lismore.

NSW SES commissioner Carlene York defended the decision to twice reject offers of help just three days before the flood crisis took hold of the state.

NSW SES commissioner Carlene York (pictured) has defended the decision to twice reject offers of help just three days before the flood crisis took hold of the state

Ms York said the SES tactically placed resources around NSW in the days before the crisis, based on advice from the Bureau of Meteorology.

When the ADF first got in touch on February 25, flooding in the Northern Rivers region was only predicted to be 'minor to moderate' levels, she said.

However, just 72 hours later, the sheer amount of rain was 'above anything we have experienced in that area,' the commissioner explained.

'We were taking our advice from the Bureau of Meteorology and placing our resources where we believed they were needed,' she said.

As for helicopters, Ms York said as conditions worsened in flood-ravaged Lismore rescues were deemed too dangerous.

She insisted the SES had planned for the weather event and slammed critics of volunteers who 'put their lives on the line every day to help the community'.

The NSW SES earlier said members had been on duty since February 24, alongside other emergency services.

Some residents in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, are dealing with their third major flood clean-up in 11 years (pictured, rising waters on the Bremer River in West Ipswich)

'Both NSW SES and other emergency services personnel and their equipment/vessels, were pre-positioned in northern NSW to help with the potential impending weather coming from Queensland,' it said.

'The record-breaking flood that occurred in Lismore was like nothing that had been experienced before. It came much quicker and more intensely than was forecasted.'

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last week lashed out at Mr Morrison for lagging on declaring a national emergency for her state's south-east.

Ms Palaszczuk rejected the move, claiming the national leader should have made that declaration in her state 'a week ago'.

'We've actually gone past that. The floodwaters have gone down, they've subsided, and those (state) disaster declarations will be lifted on Sunday,' she said.

Mr Morrison pointed out that Ms Palaszczuk had 'every opportunity' to call for an emergency declaration and additional support a week ago, but she chose not to.
One in eight children in Moldova are refugees, according to the prime minister Natalia Gavrilita.

Almost 200,000 people have arrived in the country since the start of the war in Ukraine.

It is reportedly taking in more Ukrainians per head than anywhere else in Europe, but the country's leaders have pleaded for help from the European Union after saying that their refugee system was on the brink of collapse.

It is predicted that President Putin's new target will be Ukraine's third city, Odessa, just 30 miles from the Moldovan border.

It is reportedly taking in more Ukrainians per head than anywhere else in Europe, but the country's leaders have pleaded for help from the European Union after saying that their refugee system was on the brink of collapse

Intelligence sources fear Russian forces could descend on Transnistria, a pro-Russian breakaway state in east Moldova, which could give Putin an opportunity to take over the rest of the country.

The EU is to begin formally assessing applications from Ukraine, Georgia and Moldova to join the bloc.

Ambassadors from EU nations triggered the move, asking the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm, to offer its thoughts on the requests, which have been rushed in recent weeks.

Daniel Walden, of the UK Committee for Unicef, the children's charity, said: 'In response to the dramatic escalation of humanitarian need, Unicef has reactivated 'Blue Dot' safe spaces for people seeking refuge from Ukraine.

'For those who have walked or travelled for hours these Blue Dot zones will provide the much-needed respite and access to essential services as they continue on their journey to safety and security.'
Security chiefs have warned Priti Patel not to water down visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees because of the risk they could include Islamic State terrorists, mercenaries and mafia-linked criminals, The Mail on Sunday has learned.

The Home Secretary has faced intense political pressure over the past week for the low number of refugees being allowed in to the UK, contributing to renewed speculation over her political future.

But senior intelligence sources said Ms Patel had been placed in a very difficult position because MI5 and MI6 had warned against a knee-jerk reaction to the humanitarian crisis which could store up security problems for the future.

The Home Secretary has faced intense political pressure over the past week for the low number of refugees being allowed in to the UK, contributing to renewed speculation over her political future

Pressure has grown on Ms Patel after a number of stories appeared in the media criticising her performance over the issue.

Many IS soldiers are believed to have travelled to Ukraine from Syria after Russia intervened to aid President Bashar Assads forces in 2015. They then joined the fight against Russia in separatist regions in the east of Ukraine.

Chechen mercenaries are also fighting in the war on both sides, while security services also fear hardened criminals have been released from prison by both the Ukrainian and Russian regimes to fight. Organised crime bosses from Belurus are also believed to have entered Ukraine

More than 1.5 million refugees have crossed the border into Poland since the start of the war, gaining them access to the EU.

An intelligence source said: No-one disputes that this is a humanitarian tragedy, and that 99.9 per cent of the refugees are genuine. But we cannot just allow a complete open-door policy.

Ukraine is a melting pot at the moment, and we have already been presented with fake passports.

People talk about Poland being more generous than the UK but its not that  their border has ceased to exist in any meaningful fashion, so we have to make sure we are not storing up problems for the future.

The Home Secretary is right not to mount a knee-jerk response on emotional grounds. She has been put in a very difficult position.

The security services have also argued against plans for an online visa system, arguing that it would be too vulnerable to hacking by Moscow agents  both to sabotage it and to glean information about applicants.

In addition, the security services are understood to have advised against an upscaled visa processing centre in Calais, fearing it would exercise too much of a pull factor and could expose female refugees to the risk of coming into contact with people-traffickers.
Record fuel pump prices could deliver the Treasury a 1.9 billion windfall, analysis by The Mail on Sunday shows.

As drivers face paying up to 100 to fill their tanks this weekend, 50 Conservative MPs have joined motoring groups in calling for Chancellor Rishi Sunak to shave 5p-a-litre off fuel duty.

Ministers also privately complain that the Chancellor has been too slow to help drivers.

Ministers privately complain that the Chancellor has been too slow to help drivers

Experts say much of a 5p fuel duty cut would be offset by the windfall from 20 per cent VAT which is added to pump prices.

After the war in Ukraine pushed oil prices to record highs, the average forecourt price this weekend is 161p for unleaded and 170p for diesel, according to the RAC. Some filling stations are already charging 2 a litre.

Motorists are paying 6p a litre more in VAT than they were a year ago. If prices stay the same for a year, it would amount to 1.9 billion of extra VAT, analysis reveals.

A cut in fuel duty  currently set at 57.95p on every litre  should stay in place until oil falls back down, the AA said.

Conservative MP Peter Bone said the Treasury should effectively return [any extra income from fuel] to the taxpayer, adding: Every time fuel prices go up, the Government should be cutting the [fuel duty] rate to help mitigate the price rise.

Former Minister Robert Halfon has been sounding out support in the Commons for a tax cut. Ireland and Poland have already introduced similar measures.

One Minister told The Mail on Sunday: This is something we should be looking at.

The AAs Luke Bosdet said: Fuel duty should be cut until oil falls to a level where pump prices are not crippling the finances of families that rely on their car for everyday lives.

RAC fuel spokesman Simon Williams said: Our calculations show Rishi can afford a 5p-a-litre cut in fuel duty  thanks to all the extra money being made from the VAT element which is slapped on top of the pump price.

Last night Treasury sources suggested a fuel duty cut was not planned and that there are better ways to help motorists.
Boris Johnson will set up an energy task force to bolster the UK's oil, gas and nuclear supplies as he plots a way out of the energy crisis.

Two senior industry experts at its head will report directly to the Prime Minister and advise on a 'transition period' focusing on fossil fuels  as the Government signals its clearest move yet away from the Net Zero target.

Sources said the task force has the twin aim of boosting the UK's energy self-sufficiency in the wake of the war in Ukraine and keeping household energy bills down.

Government insiders have privately admitted the Government's focus on decarbonising the economy by 2050 has to be dropped in the short term.

It comes as the Prime Minister stressed the need for Europe to rid itself of its dependency on Russian oil and gas, and Ministers grapple with spiralling heating costs.

Boris Johnson will set up an energy task force to bolster the UK's oil, gas and nuclear supplies as he plots a way out of the energy crisis

'We don't want to be at the mercy of brutal dictators like Putin,' said a source familiar with the plan.

One insider said: 'Net Zero is dead.' Another said a clear directive against the 'green agenda' and away from Net Zero has been set by political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, who has been advising the Prime Minister.

Last night, a senior Downing Street source insisted the Net Zero 2050 target has not been scrapped and was still the ultimate goal. But they admitted that in the short term the focus will shift back to fossil fuels to ease the pain for British households.

This will include oil and gas from the North Sea and Canada, while fracking is also now on the table.

One insider said: 'Net Zero is dead.' Another said a clear directive against the 'green agenda' and away from Net Zero has been set by political strategist Sir Lynton Crosby, who has been advising the Prime Minister

The source insisted, though, that 'in the long term the goal is still the same' on renewable energy and Net Zero.

The new task force is also expected to produce actionable plans for boosting the UK's use of solar and wind power and nuclear energy  developing 'more reliable home-grown British energy'.

However, the source added the pursuit of Net Zero would be out of 'practical necessity, not lofty green commitments'.

The task force will be 'very action-focused', sources said, with its two experts empowered to 'cut through' Civil Service red tape and bring together the Treasury, the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Department and planning departments. Two candidates  one academic and another involved in energy finance  are in discussions for the positions.

The roles have been modelled in part on Kate Bingham, who was brought in to chair the UK vaccine task force in 2020.

Downing Street Chief of Staff Steve Barclay will chair a Cabinet sub-committee focusing on revamping energy policy.

Last week, The Mail on Sunday revealed that Nigel Farage was launching a campaign for a referendum on the 2050 target.

It comes as MPs and peers have urged the Government to open the door to commercial fracking to exploit the UK's shale gas reserves and help reduce its dependence on foreign gas. The calls have been backed by Brexit Opportunities Minister Jacob Rees-Mogg.

Sources said the task force aims to boost the UK's energy self-sufficiency in the wake of the war in Ukraine and keep energy bills down

Nearly 40 members of the Tory Net Zero Security Group have written to the Prime Minister to urge him to stop the UK's two shale gas wells being concreted over this week.

Civil servants have been accused by Government insiders of being 'too risk-averse' and 'institutional' in their approach to fracking.

Critics say uncertainty over fracking generating enough energy is outweighed by its environmental risks.

The Prime Minister will launch his energy strategy as part of a push to refocus on the domestic agenda. Mr Johnson has told aides: 'We cannot let war become the new Covid.'

He is said to regard the UK's increased flow of weapons to eastern European countries to see off the Kremlin threat as a chance to boost jobs  especially in Red Wall seats.
Interview: BRI cooperation with China "transformational" for Pakistan -- ambassador

20:16, March 13, 2022 By Liu Si and Su Liang ( Xinhua

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) "has transformed Pakistan's economic landscape," Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Haque spoke highly of the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship BRI project, saying it is "transformational" for his entire country.

Besides the Gwadar Port, which he said has become the crown jewel of the CPEC, Haque also lauded the eco-friendly Orange Line metro train in Lahore, the first of its kind in Pakistan, which officially opened for traffic in October 2020.

"You see the metro-train, it is a world-class, high-quality public transport system. In Lahore, the second-largest city in Pakistan, people have this very efficient, very modern and affordable transport system," he said.

According to Haque, BRI projects have benefited the Pakistani people through job creation, improving livelihoods, eradicating poverty and upgrading remote areas.

Infrastructure development and energy upgrades have "helped change the economic, social and industrial landscape of Pakistan," said Haque.

So far, more than 70,000 jobs have been created thanks to BRI cooperation, stressed Haque, adding that according to his government's forecast, another half a million direct and indirect jobs will be created in the next five to seven years.

He further elaborated that "all these philosophies and dimensions of BRI directly contribute to the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)."

The 17 SDGs were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which include no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, and others.

Being a witness of the signing of a series of BRI cooperation agreements between Pakistan and China, the ambassador also shared with Xinhua his personal experiences.

He recalled the difficult nights when the temperature was as high as 40 degrees celsius, the light went out and the fan stopped working due to power shortage, and one could not sleep.

Thanks to BRI projects, frequent power outages in peak season are now a thing of the past, he said.

The ambassador told Xinhua that his country is seeking more cooperation with China on industry modernization and information technology (IT) since Pakistan began working on its special technology zones.

In September last year, Pakistan and China established a joint working group on information technology at the 10th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting of the CPEC.

Since assuming ambassadorship in Beijing in 2020, Haque has visited Z-park on several occasions, also known as China's Silicon Valley, to see how Pakistan can learn from the Chinese side in IT technology, artificial intelligence, 5G, robotics and cloud computing.

In February, Pakistan's Special Technology Zones Authority and China's Zhongguancun "Belt and Road" Industrial Promotion Association signed a letter of intent to promote high-quality science and technological exchanges between the two countries.

"It's just a beginning," Haque said, expecting closer cooperation among research institutions and universities. "We want to see more cooperation in this area."

Noting the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global economic impact, the diplomat called for collective effort, international solidarity and cooperation to address which he said is the biggest challenge faced by humanity in a long time.

"The BRI has played, is playing and is going to play a very important role for stabilizing the economies of the world and bringing countries together for tackling challenges like COVID-19," said Haque.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
The new head of the embattled NYPD sergeants union appeared on a list of target subjects in a federal search warrant tied to the fraud case against former President Ed Mullins, the Daily News has learned.

Vincent Vallelong became president of the Sergeants Benevolent Association after the FBI raided Mullins home and the unions lower Manhattan headquarters in October, seizing financial records and electronics.

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Mullins was charged last month with spending more than $1 million of union money on what prosecutors called a lavish lifestyle.

Now, one page of a search warrant obtained by The News reveals that Vallelong was listed as one of five target subjects, including Mullins, being eyed by the feds.

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SBA lawyer Andrew Quinn downplayed the significance of the document, which he said appeared to be one page from a search warrant issued in connection with the October raids.

This is old information, Quinn said. Since that time, the SBAs Executive Board has fully cooperated with the federal investigation. Today, the SBA has no reason to believe that any current member of its administration is considered a target of this investigation.

Along with Mullins and Vallelong, the search warrant lists as target subjects former union Treasurer Paul Capotosto, Controller Dennis Ostermann and Director of Administration Theresa Ashton.

Hours after the raid, the SBA Executive Board sent a notice to members announcing Mullins had resigned.

It is clear that President Mullins is apparently the target of the federal investigation. We have no reason to believe that any other member of the SBA is involved or targeted in this matter, the board wrote.

Vallelong followed up with a notice to union members one week later stating he and the SBA board are committed to serving you in an honest, thorough, and transparent manner.

The terms target and subject typically have different meanings in Justice Department legal filings and are used separately. A target is a putative defendant, according to the DOJ handbook. A subject is a person whose conduct is part of an investigation. The exact meaning of target subject was not spelled out in the document.

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Sergeants Benevolent Association President Vincent J. Vallelong. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

The warrant notes that the feds are investigating a scheme by Edward Mullins and others to defraud the SBA through the submission of reimbursement requests for false and/or inflated business expenses.

Capotosto was ousted from his job earlier this month. His title was shifted to citywide secretary after the raid. The indictment alleged Capotosto rubber-stamped Mullins inflated expenses, often approving them without even requiring receipts. He didnt respond to an email.

Ostermann made $219,760 as the unions highest-paid employee in 2018, according to the most recently available tax filings. Ashton earned $127,350 in 2018, the records show.

Neither responded to calls or text messages. Vallelong did not respond to an email.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Mullins lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for the Southern District of New York, which is prosecuting the case, also declined comment.

Ed Mullins (Seth Wenig/AP)

The search warrant sought documents and communications regarding salaries, payroll and expenses, including records from QuickBooks, an accounting software program.

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Mullins is accused of defrauding the union by using his personal credit card to pay for meals at high-end restaurants and clothing, jewelry, home appliances and a relatives college tuition, among other things.

Mullins then submitted false and inflated expense reports to the SBA, the feds say. Between 2017 and October 2020, Mullins sought reimbursement for those bills as legitimate SBA expenditures when in fact they were not, according to the indictment.

The money allegedly came from a fund that was made up almost entirely of member dues.

With Stephen Rex Brown
A British energy explorer believes it can heat homes with natural gas by the end of the year if the Government lifts a ban on fracking.

IGas has said it could prepare a planning application within weeks to extract shale gas in Nottinghamshire, which could be used to heat up to 125,000 homes.

It had been developing a shale site at Springs Road in Misson near Doncaster before the 2019 moratorium.

A British energy explorer believes it can heat homes with natural gas by the end of the year if the Government lifts a ban on fracking (File image)

It is estimated that if the site were fully developed, it could create ten wells that would produce between 60 billion and 80 billion cubic feet of shale gas.

Planning permission for the site ran out in 2020 and an application to extend it was refused. IGas plans to close the site formally at the end of the year.

But last night, the company urged the Government to lift the moratorium and galvanise local authorities to approve fracking applications.

IGas development director Ross Glover told The Mail on Sunday: There is a significant need for gas and we believe we can help, and much quicker than we originally thought.

The Governments Oil and Gas Authority has set a legal deadline of June 30 to seal the wells. Cuadrilla is urging the Government to withdraw the instruction (File image)

'But we need a streamlined regulatory system which will enable us to get this going.

Another fracking firm, Cuadrilla, is preparing to seal its two wells in Lancashire with work due to begin this week. The Governments Oil and Gas Authority has set a legal deadline of June 30 to seal the wells. Cuadrilla is urging the Government to withdraw the instruction.

Last week, fracking industry leaders presented the case for shale gas extraction to an audience of MPs in the Commons. It is understood that Tory former Transport Secretary Chris Grayling and Conservative MP Miriam Cates were among them.
Multiple rockets have smashed into a U.S. Army base and a Kurdish news channel office in Erbil, Northern Iraq.

At least a dozen 'Iranian-produced ballistic missiles' hit the city in the early hours of Sunday, Governor Omed Khoshnaw confirmed.

He said it was not clear whether the missiles were targeting the American consulate at the site, or the airport in the city.

Kurdish and U.S. officials confirmed that there were no casualties in what they're calling an 'outrageous attack,' adding that no group has immediately claimed responsibility for the strike.

U.S. Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie had warned about attacks in the area back in December, when he told The Associated Press that while American forces in Iraq switched to a non-combat role last year, Iran and its proxies 'still want American troops to leave the country.'

As a result, McKenzie said, 'that may trigger more attacks' on American bases.

No further details were immediately available, but videos posted online appeared to show several 'Iranian-produced' ballistic missiles hitting the base in Erbil.

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Twitter: 'Erbil is under fire... as if Kurds were not Iraqis.'

The attack came during a pause in Vienna over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Multiple rockets have smashed into a US Army base and a Kurdish news channel office in Erbil, northern Iraq.

At least five 'Iranian-produced ballistic missiles' hit the city in the early hours of Sunday, Governor Omed Khoshnaw confirmed. He said it was not clear whether the missiles were targeting the American consulate at the site, or the airport in the city

There were 'victims or casualties after Erbil blasts' Kurdish Health Minister Saman Barzanji said. US officials later confirmed there were no military victims of the blasts

The U.S. base at Erbil International Airport was previously hit by a rocket attack in September, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States.

It is the second drone attack on the airport in as many months. The internal security service for the autonomous region, of which Erbil is the capital, initially said at the time that three rockets had hit near the airport.

A second statement by the Kurdish counter-terrorism force said the attack had been carried out by explosive-laden drones.

The airport in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, has come under attack several times in the past year, including by drones carrying explosives.

The last time ballistic missiles were directed at U.S. forces was in January 2020 - an Iranian retaliation for the U.S. killing earlier that month of its military commander Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad airport.

No U.S. personnel were killed in the 2020 attack but many suffered head injuries.

The attack occurred at the Erbil International Airport in Iraq, shown on this map

One of the targeted places is the #Kurdistan24 channel building on Bahrka road and damaged a part of the channel building #Erbil #Kurdistan #Attack #missle pic.twitter.com/AljvYMd7VW  Horvan Rafaat (@HorvanRafaat) March 12, 2022

A drone attack hit near U.S. forces stationed at Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq on Saturday

U.S. officials blame previous attacks on Iran-aligned Shi'ite Muslim militias which have vowed to fight until the remaining 2,500 U.S. military personnel leave the country.

The U.S. forces are leading an international military coalition whose mandate is to help Iraqi forces fight remnants of the Sunni extremist Islamic State group.

This is the second attack in two months, with one drone striking the airport in July. There were no injuries or any structural damage.

That attack came a day after rockets and a drone targeted Ain al-Asad air base, which houses U.S. troops, and the U.S. Embassy in Baghdad.

In April, a drone dropped explosives near the US forces stationed at Erbil airport.

A drone attack hit near U.S. forces stationed at Erbil International Airport in northern Iraq on Saturday, Iraqi Kurdish security officials said. Pictured: Erbil International Airport is pictured in February after flights restarted, following another rocket attack outside the international airport

Iraq and neighboring Syria are regularly the scene of violence between the United States and Iran. Iran-backed Shi'ite Islamist militias have attacked U.S. forces in both countries and Washington has on occasion retaliated with air strikes.

An Israeli air strike in Syria on Monday killed two members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iranian state media said this week. The IRGC vowed to retaliate, it said.

Kurdish officials did not immediately say where the missiles struck. A spokesperson for the regional authorities said there were no flight interruptions at Erbil airport.

Residents of Erbil posted videos online showing several large explosions, and some said the blasts shook their homes. Reuters could not independently verify those videos.

Iraq has been rocked by chronic instability since the defeat of the Sunni Islamist group Islamic State in 2017 by a loose coalition of Iraqi, U.S.-led and Iran-backed forces.

Since then, Iran-aligned militias have regularly attacked U.S. military and diplomatic sites in Iraq, U.S. and many Iraqi officials say. Iran denies involvement in those attacks.

Domestic politics has also fueled violence.

Iraqi political parties, most of which have armed wings, are currently in tense talks over forming a government after an election in October.

Shi'ite militia groups close to Iran warn in private that they will resort to violence if they are left out of any ruling coalition.

The chief political foes of those groups include their powerful Shi'ite rival, the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has vowed to form a government that leaves out Iran's allies and includes Kurds and Sunnis.
Of all the environmental campaigns mounted in this country, few have been more fervent, vociferous  and indeed effective  than the protests against fracking.

Over the past decade, groups such as Frack Off have successfully swung public opinion against what was once considered the answer to Britain's energy needs.

In North America, where fracking  properly known as hydraulic fracturing, and by which water is pumped into beds of shale at high pressure to release gas  has been widely adopted, the process has helped to not only reduce energy prices, but is also reckoned to have given the US and Canada energy security for about a century.

Whereas here, in November 2019, the British Government announced a moratorium on fracking, stating it would 'take a presumption against issuing any further Hydraulic Fracturing Consents' in England. Similar suspensions were also announced in Scotland and Wales.

There is no doubt that if fracking were widely adopted throughout the UK and continental Europe, it would severely dent the demand for gas from Russia, and thereby lose Putin the billions he requires to prop up his regime and to prosecute his evil wars

Although the moratorium in England was brought about largely in reaction to seismic activity recorded during fracking at a site at Preston New Road near Blackpool, the Government was also responding to public opinion. In a survey carried out in autumn 2021, only 17 per cent of the public supported fracking, while 45 per cent were against it.

Those who oppose fracking do so mostly on environmental grounds, and claim that the process can not only pollute the water supply but also bring about dangerous earthquakes. Anti-fracking groups also advocate that Britain should not be burning gas and concentrate on developing renewable sources of energy.

While many such groups are doubtless sincere in their views, how many of their members have considered who really benefits from their opposition to fracking? And how many activists, no matter how well-intentioned, have considered where some of the funding for their groups may ultimately come from?

Troublingly enough, the answer to both questions is none other than Vladimir Putin.

There is no doubt that if fracking were widely adopted throughout the UK and continental Europe, it would severely dent the demand for gas from Russia, and thereby lose Putin the billions he requires to prop up his regime and to prosecute his evil wars.

Although it is unclear exactly how much extractable shale gas we have in Britain, some estimates put it as high as 330 billion cubic metres, with potential fields right around the country, but particularly in Lancashire and Yorkshire. One recent study estimated that it could meet some 20 per cent of the UK's energy consumption from now until 2050.

It's for this reason that this week a group of 40 Conservative parliamentarians  led by MPs Craig Mackinlay and Steve Baker, the chairman and deputy chairman of the Conservative Net Zero Scrutiny Group  have written to the Prime Minister demanding that the moratorium on fracking be reversed.

In the letter, they wrote: 'We urge you to pause and conduct a review. At a time of such geopolitical strife, we cannot refrain from actions that would improve the position of the UK and its allies.'

Of all the environmental campaigns mounted in this country, few have been more fervent, vociferous  and indeed effective  than the protests against fracking. Over the past decade, groups such as Frack Off have successfully swung public opinion against what was once considered the answer to Britain's energy needs

They have been joined by Nigel Farage, the former Ukip leader, who launched a new campaign for a referendum on Net Zero in last week's Mail on Sunday.

Also supporting a move back to fracking is the Foreign Secretary, Liz Truss, who sees the process as a way of ensuring Britain is independent of using Russian energy sources.

The timing could not be more acute, as this Tuesday  March 15  the energy firm Cuadrilla has to concrete over its fracking wells in Lancashire on the orders of the Oil and Gas Authority.

The one man who will, of course, be delighted to see all that concrete being poured will be Vladimir Putin.

For the Russian President and his oligarchs, the ending of fracking in the UK and elsewhere will represent the cessation of a campaign secretly waged by the Russians to demonise fracking in the eyes of Western public opinion.

Before this can be dismissed as a paranoid conspiracy theory, one only has to take the words of none other than the former secretary-general of Nato, Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

He said in a speech in London in June 2014: 'I have met allies who can report that Russia, as part of their sophisticated information and disinformation operations, engaged actively with so-called non-governmental organisations  environmental organisations working against shale gas  to maintain European dependence on imported Russian gas.'

Russia has corrupted the entire public debate around fracking to suit its own ends (File image)

Although Mr Rasmussen would not be drawn on any specific allegations, his words should be taken very seriously indeed as they reveal that Russia has corrupted the entire public debate around fracking to suit its own ends.

There are countless examples throughout Europe of anti-fracking organisations springing up almost overnight, and being well-organised and highly militant.

In Bulgaria, a country highly reliant on Russian energy, anti-fracking movements and well-financed television campaigns erupted immediately after a shale gas exploration deal was signed with Chevron in 2011. A year later, the Bulgarian government banned fracking.

Something similar happened in the small town of Pungesti in Romania, which was the site of another Chevron exploration deal. The local mayor felt that he had helped his town to strike it rich, but instead he found himself being run out of town by a mob that had seemingly appeared from nowhere.

'I was really shocked,' the mayor recalled. 'We never had protesters here and suddenly they were everywhere.'

Such stories abound throughout eastern Europe. 'All of a sudden, in societies that never did grassroots organisation very well, you saw all these NGOs [non-governmental organisations], well-funded, popping up, and causing well-organised protests,' Mihaela Carstei, an energy and environment analyst at the Atlantic Council told the US publication Foreign Policy.

Fracking  properly known as hydraulic fracturing, and by which water is pumped into beds of shale at high pressure to release gas  has been widely adopted, the process has helped to not only reduce energy prices, but is also reckoned to have given the US and Canada energy security for about a century (File image)

Does this help explain how many outlandish, and false, claims have taken root: that fracking means tap water will catch fire, for example, or that the water emerging from the process is dangerously radioactive? Putin himself has put his shoulder to the wheel, openly stating that fracking 'poses a huge environmental problem'.

Places that have allowed it, he claimed, 'no longer have water coming out of their taps but a blackish slime'. His mouthpiece, Russia Today (recently banned by the UK Government), has made similar claims, and made regular attacks on shale oil, with one presenter, Max Keiser, commenting that frackers are 'the moral equivalent of paedophiles'.

According to a former US Director of National Intelligence, RT's stance reflects economic self-interest and a fear of 'the impact of fracking and US national gas production on the global energy market and the potential challenges to [Russian gas giant] Gazprom's profitability'.

In Britain, we have seen a similar eruption of anti-fracking groups, although they are less militant. The website of Frack Off features hundreds of such groups from all around the British Isles, each with a Facebook page and often a dedicated website.

Unsurprisingly, the finances of all these anti-fracking groups are opaque, and as they are not registered charities, they are not obliged to reveal the sources of their donations.

Even if a group such as Frack Off were to be completely transparent about the source of its funds, it is likely that even the organisation's members would be in the dark as to where all the funding ultimately came from.

There is no doubt that if fracking were widely adopted throughout the UK and continental Europe, it would severely dent the demand for gas from Russia, and thereby lose Putin the billions he requires to prop up his regime and to prosecute his evil wars (File image)

You have to look to the US for evidence of how these Russian operations work, and how  in all likelihood  the Russians have mounted their fracking disinformation campaigns in Britain and the rest of Europe.

As with so many murky and clandestine operations, it all starts with an offshore company. In this instance, the company was called Klein Limited, and it was based in Bermuda. The role of Klein Limited was ostensibly to give money to charitable causes.

In 2011 and 2012, it gave a total of $23 million to the Sea Change Foundation, which in turn made donations to various anti-fracking and environmental lobbying groups in the US, including the Sierra Club Foundation and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

With funds from the mysterious Klein, the Sierra Club launched its 'Beyond Natural Gas' campaign in 2013, which vigorously and publicly campaigned against fracking.

What greatly disturbed American lawmakers was the source of Klein's millions. 'None of this foreign corporation's funding is disclosed in any way,' the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee noted in 2016.

Unsurprisingly, the finances of all these anti-fracking groups are opaque, and as they are not registered charities, they are not obliged to reveal the sources of their donations

'This is clearly a deceitful way to hide the source of millions of dollars that are active in our system, attempting to effect political change.'

There can be very little doubt that the ultimate source has to be Russia. In 2017, the US Congress Committee on Science, Space and Technology wrote: 'Although the source of Klein's capital has not been documented deep connections to the Russian government and energy sector strongly suggest it is the source of Klein's capital.'

It is now time for Britain's anti-fracking and other environmental lobbying groups to be transparent about the sources of their income. The words of the former secretary-general of Nato and those of American lawmakers simply can no longer be ignored.

Frack Free Lancashire, the UK's biggest protest group, denied receiving Russian money and accused pro-fracking groups of 'ghoulish opportunism'.

'We are aware that Anders Fogh Rasmussen made wild accusations about Russian funding back in 2014,' said a spokesman. 'When asked for evidence of this, he declined to give details. Nato's press office could not distance themselves fast enough.'
Pictured: Eric Thomas, also known as Gable Tostee

A Tinder lothario who was found naked and covered in blood in his wrecked car after smashing into a concrete barrier claims he has no memory of the crash because he was sleep-driving.

Eric Thomas, whose birth name is Gable Tostee, was banned from driving for a year by the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Wednesday after the dramatic accident on the Gold Coast in October last year.

Witnesses told police the 35-year-old's car drifted across the road, hit a cement blockade, and cut across another vehicle, before ploughing into bushes.

When emergency services arrived, Thomas had bloodshot eyes, a dry mouth, slurred speech and was unsteady on his feet - but refused to do a breath test and would not consent to a blood sample after being taken to hospital.

Thomas told the court he consumed alcohol and prescription medication for anxiety and insomnia that evening, but had no recollection of getting into his car.

He doubled down on those claims in an impassioned Facebook post on Sunday morning, which he began by asking followers to put themselves in his shoes.

Eric Thomas, who was previously known as Gable Tostee, was found naked in his car after crashing into a barrier in October last year

He wrote an impassioned post on Sunday morning claiming he was sleep-driving before the accident (pictured)

'Imagine having a totally clean driving record for over seven years straight then one day you go to bed,' he wrote.

'The next thing you know you wake up in hospital with a broken foot, concussion, covered in blood, and being charged by cops with no idea how you got there and no recollection of what happened, how or why.'

'Just like that, you've lost your car, your ability to work, and any meaningful degree of independence, and on top of that, you're facing punishment and shame for something you didn't voluntarily do.'

In court on Wednesday, the magistrate heard Thomas had a 2011 conviction for dangerous operation of a vehicle while adversely affected by alcohol, and three for driving under the influence in 2004, 2012, and 2015.

Following the crash in October, officers found an alcometer and empty bottles of mouthwash in his wrecked vehicle.

Eric Thomas said he struggled to find the moral of the accident, but later decided that he does not have control over 'what life chooses' to inflict upon him

Thomas lost his license on Wednesday. The day after his court hearing, he said: 'licence lost is a licence to drink'

In the post, Thomas said he struggled to find a moral, a silver lining, or anything positive about the most recent situation, and claimed he put a lot of effort into staying safe and doing the 'right thing'.

'If life has taught me nothing else, it's that s**t truly does happen,' he continued.

'We do not have the control or choice over our outcomes that we like to believe - no more than we choose our height or hair colour.'

In a philosophical end to the lengthy post, Thomas decided not to focus on the 'choices we should make', but rather 'how we deal with what life chooses for us'.

Thomas had his driving under the influence of liquor charge dropped, but pleaded guilty refusing to supply both a specimen of breath and blood - for which he was ordered to serve 12 months on probation and fined $350.

When one woman asked in the comments whether Thomas was trying to say that he was sleep-driving before the accident, he replied: 'Yes.'

'I even did not want to plead guilty. But sadly (and for good reason otherwise), it'd have been totally impossible to prove I didn't put myself into such a state,' he continued.

Thomas (pictured) refused to give a breath sample at the scene after the crash and would not give consent to giving blood after being taken to hospital in an ambulance

His lawyer Nick Dore told the court on Wednesday that Thomas recalled consuming alcohol and medication on the evening of the smash.

'The next thing he recalls is he wakes up at the scene of the crash in the ambulance being spoken to by the police,' he said.

He had vague recollections of waking up the next morning, but no recollection of refusing to give a blood sample and saying 'charge me' to police.

Mr Dore said Thomas was 'exceptionally remorseful and sorry for the offending and embarrassed in relation to it'.

Magistrate Linda Bradford-Morgan acknowledged his previous driving offences, but said the latest one was a 'spectacular limit'.

'People often use alcohol and drugs as a coping mechanism, you need to keep on top of your mental health management plan and get that additional support to make sure you are not back in court,' she told Thomas during sentencing.

Thomas, under the name of Tostee, was acquitted of murdering New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright (pictured together) who died when she fell from the 14th floor balcony of his apartment in August 2014

'You were very fortunate that you were not more seriously injured and didn't injure anyone else.'

On Thursday, the day after his court appearance, he wrote a bizarre Facebook post that said 'licence lost is a licence to drink' with the hashtags: '#brightside,' '#glasshalffull' and '#Glasgow'.

Thomas, under the name of Tostee, was acquitted of murdering New Zealand tourist Warriena Wright, whom he met on Tinder.

She died when she fell from the 14th floor balcony of his apartment in August 2014.

He was also embroiled in another online flame war, this time with a Pilates studio, in May last year after its owner told him to 'get off Bumble and Tinder, you f**k'.

Mr Tostee and his friends responded by flooding her business with bad reviews.
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Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign - but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule.

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists'.

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble.

Moscow's troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an 'all-out assault' in the coming days.

Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said. Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged.

It comes after Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of shooting children and said Putin's forces will only take Kyiv if they 'raze the city to the ground', with Kremlin troops inching closer to the capital and conflict raging nearby on Saturday, endangering attempted evacuations.

And Vlodymyr Zelensky has slammed the West for its inaction, saying on Saturday that he 'doesn't see any bravery from NATO' as he pleaded for more involvement from allies in peace negotiations and offered to pay for more anti-missile systems. In response, the US made lukewarm promises of taking 'diplomatic steps' to help the Ukrainian government.

In other developments:

Kyiv became a fortress ahead of an expected onslaught, with Russian forces now within 15 miles of the capitals centre;

Russian shelling of besieged cities including Kharkiv, Mykolaiv, Dnipro and Sumy continued as one governor said the South-Eastern city of Volnovakha has been destroyed;

Putin rebuffed a new appeal for a ceasefire but, in a glimmer of hope, negotiators discussed concrete proposals for a peace deal for first time as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he was willing to negotiate, but would not surrender nor accept ultimatums;

Zelensky revealed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have died in the war so far, but claimed the Russian army has suffered its largest losses in decades, with an estimated 6,000 deaths;

Moscow threatened the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as legitimate targets, prompting fears the conflict could dramatically escalate;

Putin was urged to lift the siege of the southern city of Mariupol where up to 1,500 civilians have died;

Residents took to the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol to protest against the abduction of its mayor by Russian forces;

Intelligence sources claimed Putin may be suffering from dementia, Parkinsons disease or roid rage resulting from steroid treatment for cancer.

Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign

A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the Ukrainian town of Volnovakha after it was 'completely destroyed' by a sustained days-long Russian bombing campaign

A pro-Russian soldier in a uniform without insignia speaks with employees in the Emergencies ministry's office in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday, after the town was decimated in a days-long bombing campaign

Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha, including this church, following a days-long bombing campaign

Fighting in Volnovakha continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule

People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during a bombing campaign by Moscow as part of the Russian-waged war on Ukraine

Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia drive a damaged car without a windshield while patrolling a street in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Ukraine on Saturday

A view shows local residents' belongings in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during Russian shelling of Volnovakha, a town that 'no longer exists' after the bombing campaign

Civilians have been seeking refuge in basements in Volnovakha, Ukraine's Donetsk area, for more than two weeks, hiding from a Russian bombardment that has destroyed their hometown

Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

Moscow's troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an 'all-out assault' in the coming days

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

A burnt-out car sits amidst the rubble in Volnovakha after the town endured a days-long bombing campaign that 'completely destroyed' it

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists' (pictured patrolling the streets of Volnovakha)

Residents of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region of Ukraine carry food and water supplies back to their homes after the town was 'destroyed' by Russian shelling

Residents of the 'completely destroyed' town Volnovakha in the Donetsk region warm themselves with a makeshift fire and boil a kettle after their homes were reduced to rubble by Russian shelling

A pro-Russian soldier in a uniforms without insignia seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

Zelensky, who claimed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far and 500 Russians surrendered yesterday, added: 'If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region, the history of the Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves.'

But there appear to be signs of slight progress in negotiations, with Zelensky saying the warring countries have begun discussing 'concrete' proposals rather than just 'exchanging ultimatums', although he said any negotiations must begin with a ceasefire.

The conciliatory tone was not resonating in the Kremlin though, with Putin raging after a 75-minute call with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz that Ukraine was guilty of 'extrajudicial reprisals against dissidents, taking civilians hostage, using them as human shields, [and] putting heavy armaments in civilian areas near hospitals, schools, kindergartens'.

Scholz and Macron implored Putin to end the war and stop the brutal siege of Mariupol but a French official said he did not show any willingness for calling off his inhumane invasion.

Meanwhile Russia has made dire threats to the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as 'legitimate targets', prompting fears there could be an escalation of conflict that could suck in other countries.

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets', after Joe Biden personally intervened to stop a shipment of Polish MiG fighter jets to Kyiv, fearing the move could lead to 'World War Three'.

And senior Russian officials incredulously flipped the narrative on its head on Saturday, warning that the humanitarian situation was deteriorating because of the actions of the country's armed forces - and even accusing Ukraine of shelling its own people.

'The humanitarian situation in Ukraine, unfortunately, continues to rapidly worsen, and in some cities has reached catastrophic proportions,' RIA quoted Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, as saying on Saturday.

Mizintsev, who said Russian forces were observing ceasefires, said Ukrainian forces had mined residential neighbourhoods and destroyed bridges and roads. Ukraine has complained repeatedly that Russian forces do not always respect ceasefires so civilians can leave through evacuation corridors.

Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on Kyiv's northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunition store.

The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city, after pummelling the northwest suburbs including Irpin and Bucha.

A column of thick black smoke was seen rising from the eastern suburbs of Kyiv this morning, but there is still no sign of ground forces moving into the outskirts.

But a former NATO official said she is 'sceptical' that Russian forces will 'gain much success' from an expected brutal onslaught of Kyiv, as Ukrainians warned Putin to prepare for his own Stalingrad battle.

A despondent father plays with his daughter before she boards a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine on Saturday

A man walks into a crater created by the impact of an aerial bomb that destroyed a cultural center and an administration building in the village of Byshiv outside Kyiv

A member of the Ukrainian forces takes position behind a car in Irpin, a neighbouring city of Ukraine which has seen intense bombardment

A view of a destroyed shoe factory in the aftermath of a missile attack, amid Russia's invasion, in Dnipro

Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said

Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged

A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier (APC) in Irpin,

Ukrainian servicemen carry a dead body on stretcher in the town of Irpin near Kyiv as Russian forces close in on the capital

A tram depot in Kharkiv was destroyed by Russian shelling in the city which has faced incessant attacks for days

A resident examines a destroyed tram depot in Kharkiv on Saturday with Ukraine's second biggest city facing continued shelling

A person is carried on a stretcher next to an upturned car by a destroyed bridge as people are evacuated from Irpin near Kyiv

Anastasiya Erashova wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood

Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling

Plumes of smoke billow from a building in the strategic port city of Mariupol which has endured 11 days of intense bombardment

A Ukrainian serviceman exits a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv with Russians closing in on the city

A column of smoke rises from burning fuel tanks that locals said were hit by five rockets at the Vasylkiv Air Base near the capital

Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region on Saturday morning

Cars line the streets out of Kyiv as desperate residents try to flee the city which is bracing itself for an imminent onslaught from Russia

A Russian KA-52 gunship helicopter is seen on a mission in Ukraine in footage shared by the Kremlin's defence ministry

Five newborn babies are evacuated from a clinic in Kyiv in bags and suitcases as desperate civilians try to flee from the invading Russians

Anti-tank barriers line a main street in Odessa, a strategic port city which is seen as a likely battleground in the coming days

Eight-year-old Dima struggles between life and death in intensive care after being injured in the Russian attacks in Kharkiv

A view of the damage in a cafe after shelling in Kharkiv with its windows destroyed and glass covering the floor

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets'

People stand in front of a destroyed shoe factory on Saturday in the aftermath of a missile attack in Dnipro, the latest city targeted by Russia

A warehouse storing frozen products is seen on fire after shelling, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Kvitneve in Kyiv region on Saturday

An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian's army tank fires in Mariupol, Ukraine yesterday

Firefighters extinguish a fire on a house after shelling in Kyiv but Russian ground forces are yet to enter the capital

A monument of Odessa's founder Duke de Richelieu is seen covered with sand bags for protection, amid Russian attacks

A man walks past as a strike hits a car park in the southern city of Mykolaiv near a residential complex

A building in Mariupol is seen on Saturday after it was destroyed by a Russian airstrike. The city has seen incessant bombardment for nearly two weeks

Former deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller says she believes current tactics betray a sign of weakness from Putin's forces, saying she is 'sceptical' of any success in the capital.

She slammed their poor logistics saying she does not believe they have enough fuel supply for battle in the city which has faced constant shelling but is still bracing for an all-out assault.

Three Russian generals out of 20 have been killed so far in Putin's botched invasion, which has also seen the loss of 173 tanks, 12 aircraft and 345 troop carriers.

In an address to the nation on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine has inflicted Russia's heaviest losses in decades, claiming 31 battalion tactical groups have been rendered incapable of combat.

The president also demanded the release of the kidnapped mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was seized after he 'refused to cooperate with the enemy', sparking protests of 2,000 people in the southern city.

It comes as Russian attacks are continuing throughout the county on Saturday despite a supposed ceasefire to allow trapped citizens to escape in evacuation routes.

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: 'Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops... The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling.'

Putin's troops have also shelled a mosque housing 86 people including 34 children in the besieged city of Mariupol, whose eastern outskirts have now fallen into Russian hands. It is not yet known if there are any casualties.

A convoy loaded with 90 tonnes of food and medicine left the town of Zaporizhzhia for Mariupol on Saturday, according to local officials, with hopes that it will be able to evacuate civilians on the way back. Ukraine's emergency services said 487,000 people had been evacuated over the past 24 hours, including 102,000 children.

Mykolaiv remains under heavy bombardment, while new artillery and air attacks have targeted Dnipro and Kropyvnytskyi.




The battle to succeed Laura Kuenssberg as BBC Political Editor is turning into a two-horse race between journalists from Sky and ITV.

Skys Sophy Ridge and ITVs Anushka Asthana are understood to be the frontrunners to succeed Ms Kuenssberg, who quits arguably the most powerful job in British political journalism this month.

Ms Ridge, who presents Skys flagship Sunday morning programme, and Ms Asthana, ITVs deputy political editor, are thought to be battling with internal BBC candidates Faisal Islam and Alex Forsyth for the 290,000-a-year job.

Final interviews are due to take place on Friday, but informed sources suggest an external candidate is the favourite.

Ms Ridge, 38, who has been at Sky News for more than a decade, has recently returned from maternity leave

Ms Asthanas ITV News colleagues believe their outgoing chief executive Deborah Turness, who is due to take on the same role at BBC News this year, is a big fan of hers.

As well as being deputy political editor of ITV News, Ms Asthana, 41, a former Guardian journalist, stars on its political show, Peston.

The former chief political correspondent at The Times attended 12,600-a-year Manchester High School for Girls before going on to read economics at St Johns College, Cambridge.

She spent two years working for Sky News as a political correspondent.

State-educated Ms Ridge went to Tiffin Girls School in South West London before getting a degree in English Literature at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. Prior to getting her own show in 2017, she was a Sky News political reporter, during which time she revealed Ed Milibands resignation as Labour leader following the General Election in 2015.

Ms Ridge, 38, who has been at Sky News for more than a decade, has recently returned from maternity leave. Sky staff say she would be a huge loss if she joined the BBC.

In January, BBC recruitment staff extended the deadline for applications for the job by three weeks. Initially it was set for January 20, but it then became February 10.

A BBC source said: There has been much exodus of talent at the Beeb recently, and this is an opportunity to reverse it with a really highly regarded appointment.

Ms Asthanas ITV News colleagues believe their outgoing chief executive Deborah Turness, who is due to take on the same role at BBC News this year, is a big fan of hers

Ms Kuenssberg quits arguably the most powerful job in British political journalism this month

The BBCs former North America editor, Jon Sopel, had been considered the frontrunner, but he quit last month to join the commercial broadcaster Global. Ms Kuenssbergs deputy Vicki Young pulled out of the race in January, reportedly because her husband is ill.

BBC bosses are said to have strived to ensure that Ms Kuenssbergs replacement arrives with no political bias after a controversy over the appointment of news executive Jess Brammar, who had tweeted comments critical of Brexit and Government policies.
British Airways may allow male cabin crew to wear man buns and paint their nails after a uniform policy review.

An airline insider said staff had been told changes may include removing gender-specific rules on hair, make-up and nail polish.

BA confirmed last night that it is examining its strict uniform guidelines but that no final decisions had been made.

An airline insider said staff had been told changes may include removing gender-specific rules on hair, make-up and nail polish

However, a source said new rules may let men have long hair and wear nail polish from spring next year when a revamped uniform is introduced.

The airline will for now no longer strictly enforce its current policy, and some male crew already sport stubble or tie their hair up at work, according to the source.

BAs uniform guidelines have traditionally been divided by gender, but recently it has tried to modernise its image and last year dropped ladies and gentlemen in announcements in a bid to make all customers feel welcome.
Only a quarter of parents plan to have their child vaccinated against Covid-19 when Britain's jab rollout reaches those aged five to 11 next month, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.

Research by polling firm Findout now.co.uk for the MoS found that 33 per cent were undecided and 30 per cent said they would not get them inoculated.

Half a million five to 11-year-olds deemed clinically at risk have been eligible for a jab since January.

The rollout will make six million more youngsters eligible.

Research by polling firm Findout now.co.uk for the MoS found that 33 per cent were undecided and 30 per cent said they would not get them inoculated (stock image)

Responding to the findings, GP and author Dr Philippa Kaye said: 'I would strongly encourage parents to get their children vaccinated.

'People are thinking about the risk of Covid, which thankfully is very mild in young children, but children are getting long Covid, which is a real concern.

Most commonly, that manifests itself as fatigue but there are other symptoms too.

'We should not risk children missing more school because they are unwell.'

Dr Kaye  who said her 14-year-old son has been jabbed and her ten-year-old and six-year-old children would be too  also cited the risk of Paediatric Inflammatory Multisystem Syndrome (PIMS), a new condition that occurs weeks after someone has had Covid and causes swelling throughout the body.

Primary schools have been viewed as high risk settings for the spread of Covid-19.

Meanwhile, scientists have urged Ministers to consider extending the plan to give a fourth dose of Covid vaccines to older people because of evidence of waning immunity.

There has been a recent rise in the number of people admitted to hospital due to a new version of the Omicron variant which, according to figures from the Office for National Statistics, led to one in 25 people being infected on March 5.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid announced last month that immuno-compromised people, care home residents and anyone aged at least 75 would be offered a fourth dose of a vaccine in April.

But Penny Ward, visiting professor in pharmaceutical medicine at King's College London, called on the Government to consider whether it should accelerate this campaign  and 'acquire further doses of antivirals to treat a broader proportion of the vulnerable elderly group'.

'The slow start of campaign means the most vulnerable group are already at least six months away from their third shot,' she said.
One of Australia's best known financial gurus has just proven that anyone can be ripped off by a scammer - because he was.

Scott Pape, also known as the Barefoot Investor, had his identity used by a scammer and it ended up costing him $5,000 in legal fees to fix it.

Pape told his email subscribers it was 'humiliating' and 'the toughest part to swallow' is that 'it was kind of my own fault'.

Scott Pape (pictured) had his identity used by a scammer and it ended up costing him $5,000

The best-selling author confessed that because he doesn't read anything that's written about him and even has someone to read his emails, he was 'a sitting duck just waiting to get scammed'.

Someone set up a Barefoot Investor beginners Facebook group  which Pape knew nothing about  and it quickly grew to having almost 100,000 followers.

The scammer used this huge following as a marketing database.

He then set up a website called Barefoot Budgets that looked like and copied the style of Pape's own Barefoot website.

The scammer charged people $120 a year to access it and recommended his 'Barefoot Beginners' invest on risky crypto and foreign exchange apps, because he was getting paid by them.

To Pape's shock and horror, this had been going on for two years.

As Pape, who also owns a farm, put it, while he 'was happily bouncing along on the tractor slashing grass, this dude was making hay while the sun shined'.

Cybercrime in Australia Cybercrime scams cost Australians a shocking $33 billion last year More than 67,500 cases of cybercrime were reported, an increase of 13 per cent from the previous year Fraud, online shopping scams and online banking scams are the top-reported cybercrime types Source: Central Queensland University Advertisement

The first he heard about it was when he was contacted by someone who wanted a refund.

He didn't know why they wanted money back until he did an internet search and saw what was going on.

Needing to know more, he paid for a membership of the scammer's site, Barefoot Budgets.

When the sign-up form asked 'How did you hear about Barefoot Investor?' he typed in 'because I bloody wrote it!'

Then he called his lawyer.

Pape points out in his newsletter that, statistically, anyone reading it is one of the wealthiest people on the planet just through being Australian, 'and to 90 per cent of the world you're rich, and a juicy target'.

Self-reported losses from cybercrime were more than $33 billion last year in Australia alone, and calls to the Australian Cyber Security Hotline surged 300 per cent.

After his own humiliating experience, Pape offered advice to help people who may be potential victims of scams.

First, turn on 'multi-factor authentication' for all your accounts - this is an authentication method in which a user is granted access to a website or application only after presenting two or more pieces of evidence to an authentication mechanism.

Scott Pape, also known as the Barefoot Investor, is pictured with his wife Liz. Pape's investing identity was used by a scammer

Second, he recommended using a password manager to digitally store passwords.

Thirdly, Pape suggested getting a paid virtual private network - an encrypted connection over the internet - which he said was 'good insurance'.

His final piece of advice, which he learned himself the hard way, was to 'keep your eyes open, especially when it comes to your identity'.

He added that if someone pitched an investment opportunity online claiming to be him, it's not.

The $5,000 the experience cost Pape was spent on legal fees to put a 'cease and desist' on the imposter.
Playboy billionaire Calvin Ayre isn't averse to living up to his motto: 'Gamblin', drinkin' and carryin' on.'

Indeed, photographs posted on social media by the gambling tycoon tend to show him on yachts and in nightclubs surrounded by scantily clad women and with champagne in hand.

So images of the 60-year-old in the refined surroundings of Dumfries House, the Palladian mansion in Scotland lovingly restored by Prince Charles for the nation, will come as quite a surprise to some.

But what could the son of a convicted drug-smuggling Canadian pig farmer be doing enjoying the run of what has been dubbed the future King's 'passion project'?

Intriguingly, just months after Mr Ayre visited Dumfries House in October 2019, he signed a joint venture with Charles's charitable foundation to build 22 new homes on the Caribbean isle of Barbuda  part of the Commonwealth  to replace those wiped out by Hurricane Irma.

So images of the 60-year-old in the refined surroundings of Dumfries House, the Palladian mansion in Scotland (pictured) lovingly restored by Prince Charles for the nation, will come as quite a surprise to some

The project may raise eyebrows among those critical of the Prince's Foundation, especially in the wake of a 'cash-for-honours' scandal that has seen its former chief executive Michael Fawcett, one of Charles's closest aides, accused of offering support to a Saudi donor Mahfouz Marei Mubarak bin Mahfouz to obtain a knighthood.

A police investigation is ongoing, with Mr Fawcett and Mr Bin Mahfouz both denying any wrongdoing.

There is no suggestion of any impropriety by Mr Ayre, a generous philanthropist, according to islanders on Antigua where he has a 15 million beachfront mansion, but he is unquestionably colourful.

Born in Canada, Mr Ayre's first brush with the law came in 1987 when his father Ken, a pig farmer, was arrested for importing marijuana from Jamaica to Canada and was sentenced to four years in jail.

The trial judge referred to the younger Mr Ayre as an alleged 'co-conspirator' who 'undoubtedly played a part'  though the billionaire has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and was never charged.

He built his fortune from Bodog, an online gambling company, and was once named by People magazine as among the world's 'hottest bachelors'.

Charles toured Antigua and Barbuda, part of the Leeward Islands, in November 2017 and described the damage he witnessed as 'painful beyond words'.

Indeed, photographs posted on social media by the gambling tycoon tend to show him on yachts and in nightclubs surrounded by scantily clad women and with champagne in hand

Seven months after his visit to Dumfries House, Mr Ayre announced that his and Charles's respective foundations were teaming up to build 22 new homes on Barbuda to replace homes destroyed by the hurricane

In a statement, Mr Ayre said: 'I am not involved in any commercial developments in Barbuda of any sort and I am not aware of any commercial relationship between myself and anyone in the British Royal Family. My involvement in Barbuda is purely charitable. I am doing a hurricane relief project there and the Prince's Foundation is involved but only in a ceremonial way. The project is being funded by my foundation.'

A spokesman for the Prince's Foundation said it had offered its expertise 'to support and restore safety and dignity to some of the many destitute families'.
Police are hunting for a sadistic killer who is targeting sleeping homeless men in Manhattan.

The suspect has already killed one homeless man and another wounded another in separate incidents in lower Manhattan on Saturday morning, police said.

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Police said that they will be out in droves trying to get men and women sleeping on the streets to head to a city shelter for their safety.

The case is a clear and horrific intentional act of taking the life of someone, it appears, because he was homeless, Mayor Adams said at a press conference. Two individuals were shot while sleeping on the streets, not committing a crime but sleeping on the streets.

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In the first shooting, a 38-year-old man sleeping on King St. between Varick St. and Sixth Ave. in Hudson Square was shot in the arm about 4:30 a.m., cops said.

The victim woke up and screamed, What are you doing? Manhattan South borough commander Hank Sautner said.

The shooter took off east on King St. after the gunfire, cops said.

The victim was taken to Bellevue Hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Police are hunting for a sadistic killer who is targeting homeless men while they sleep. One homeless man died and another was wounded after they were shot in separate incidents in Manhattan Saturday morning, police said. (NYPD/DCPI)

Almost 12 hours later, police responding to a 911 call found a homeless man shot to death inside a sleeping bag on the corner of Lafayette St. and Howard St. in Chinatown, police said.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

The man, who police are still trying to identify, suffered a fatal shot to the head and neck and died at the scene.

Surveillance video collected by police showed a person stroll up to the man about 6 a.m. and fire off shots into the sleeping bag.

The shooter took off west on Howard St. and is still being sought.

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In light of what police say are targeted attacks, a multi-faceted task force of police officers and a homeless outreach team will be patrolling the subway system and locations where unhoused people live to encourage them to seek refuge at city-run shelters, Adams said.

Police released surveillance images of the shooter, dressed in all black and wearing a black ski mask, in the event anyone may recognize them.

We are not going to rest until we find the individual responsible for this terrible act of taking the life of an innocent person merely as they slept on the streets, Adams said.

Anyone with information is asked to call CrimeStoppers at (800) 577-TIPS. All calls will be kept confidential.
Former MPs who do not use their Parliamentary passes for a year will have them automatically deactivated as part of a crackdown on access to Parliament for lobbyists.

Tighter criteria will also be introduced for which ex-MPs qualify for a pass  with only those who have served a minimum number of years allowed to have one.

There are more than 300 former MPs with a controversial Category X pass, which allows them unfettered access long after they leave Parliament. All ex-MPs qualify for one.

Former MPs who do not use their Parliamentary passes for a year will have them automatically deactivated as part of a crackdown on access to Parliament for lobbyists

Last week the Mail on Sunday revealed that ex-Lib Dem leader Sir Nick Clegg, who lost his seat in 2017, had finally handed back his pass, despite having it while lobbying for Facebook.

The former Deputy Prime Minister in the Coalition government pledged to return it after this newspaper first reported concerns about his access to Parliament.

Under the new rules, his pass would have been deactivated years ago. Sources close to Sir Nick, now president of global affairs at Facebook, said he had not used the pass.

Only MPs who have served about six years in Parliament will qualify for a pass, the MoS understands.

Last week the Mail on Sunday revealed that ex-Lib Dem leader Sir Nick Clegg, who lost his seat in 2017, had finally handed back his pass, despite having it while lobbying for Facebook

Last year, Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle asked Sir Charles Walker, the Tory chairman of the Commons administration committee, to review the situation because of concerns that former MPs working as lobbyists had access to Parliament.

Category X passholders are not required to register their financial interests.

The MoS understands that Sir Charles has presented his findings and Commons authorities are in the process of updating their rules.

The move comes after concerns that passes were being used by other people. In one extreme case, an ex-MP died and Parliament was not notified. Sources said they feared the pass fell into unknown hands.
Cyber-flashers will face up to two years behind bars in a new Government crackdown.

Ministers confirmed last night that sending unsolicited sexual images to people via social media or dating apps will become a criminal offence. The measure will be added to existing plans to beef up online protections.

The move comes after research found that three-quarters of girls aged 12 to 18 had been sent unsolicited nude images of boys or men. A Law Commission review, Modernising Communications Offences, recommended that a new offence be created.

Ministers confirmed last night that sending unsolicited sexual images to people via social media or dating apps will become a criminal offence

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: Protecting women and girls is my top priority, which is why were keeping sexual and violent offenders behind bars for longer, giving domestic abuse victims more time to report assaults and boosting funding for support services to 185 million per year.

Making cyber-flashing a specific crime is the latest step, sending a clear message to perpetrators that they will face jail time.

The new move will apply to England and Wales  cyber-flashing has been illegal in Scotland since 2010.

Officials said last night the law change would mean anyone who sent a photograph or film of a persons genitals, for the purpose of their own sexual gratification or to cause the victim humiliation, alarm or distress, could face up to two years in prison.

Cyber-flashing typically involves offenders sending an unsolicited sexual image to people via social media, dating apps or data-sharing technologies such as Bluetooth.

Dominic Raab said: Making cyber-flashing a specific crime is the latest step, sending a clear message to perpetrators that they will face jail time.

In some instances, a preview of the photo can appear on a persons device, meaning that even if the transfer is rejected, victims are forced into seeing the image.

Digital Secretary Nadine Dorries said: Tech has the power to bring people together and make our lives better, but it can also enable heinous behaviour from those who wish to abuse, harm and harass.

The forthcoming Online Safety Bill will force tech companies to stop their platforms being used to commit vile acts of cyber-flashing.

We are bringing the full weight of the law on individuals who perpetrate this awful behaviour.
A manhunt is underway for a suspect in California after the body of a missing eight-year-old girl was found in his home and his girlfriend, the child's mother, has been arrested for obstruction of justice and child abuse.

The grim discovery was made when police carried out a search warrant around 2 p.m. Friday at 34-year-old Dhante Jackson's home at the 500 block of Barclay Way in Merced, according to the Los Angeles Times, several days after Sophia Mason's relatives told police in Hayward that they hadn't heard from or seen the girl since December.

Mother Samantha Johnson, 30, was arrested on Thursday on a warrant stemming from a child abuse investigation in Alameda County last year, the Merced Police Department said. She was booked into the Santa Rita Jail by Hayward police, the Times reported. She will be transferred to the Merced County Jail to face charges.

Johnson's statements in custody led police to the home in Merced, ABC 30 reported.

A body believed to be missing eight-year-old Sophia Mason, pictured, was found in the Merced, California home of Dhante Jackson, 34, on Friday

Mother Samantha Johnson, 30 (left), was arrested on Thursday on a warrant stemming from a child abuse investigation in Alameda County last year - her statements to police led them to search the home of her boyfriend, 34-year-old Dhante Jackson (right), where a young girl's body was found

Investigators believe that Jackson fled after news spread about the search of his home on Barclay Way in Merced, pictured

The Merced Police Department is working to confirm that the body belongs to the missing eight-year-old, and has not yet released a cause of death

Sophia Mason, pictured, was reported missing by her family in December

Investigators believe that Jackson fled after news spread about the search of his home.

The Merced Police Department is working to confirm that the body belongs to the missing eight-year-old, and has not yet released a cause of death.

Sophia's aunt, Emerald Johnson, wrote on Instagram that she had been trying to get custody of the child because her sister is a 'drug and sex addict' and a 'very sick person and has been off her meds for several years.'

She said that the child's grandmother took care of her until late last year because the girl's mother suffered from 'schizophrenia [and] bipolar disorder' and the pair lived under her roof.

After Samantha Johnson moved out of the house with Jackson, Emerald Johnson wrote, family members began seeing bruises and cuts on the young girl and making reports to child protective services that she said went unanswered.

After Samantha Johnson moved out of the house with Jackson, Emerald Johnson (pictured with Sophia) wrote, family members began seeing bruises and cuts on the young girl and making reports to child protective services that she said went unanswered

Sophia Mason told her family members that she 'gets left in hotel rooms alone with no food or water all day' and had 'clearly drastically lost weight,' her aunt wrote on Instagram

'She even stated that her mom puts cocoa butter on her bruises so they would go away,' Emerald Johnson wrote in a Friday Instagram post, before a child's body was found in Jackson's home.

'She said that she gets left in hotel rooms alone with no food or water all day and had clearly drastically lost weight.'

Sophia Mason, pictured, had lost a considerable amount of weight recently, her aunt wrote on Instagram

Emerald Johnson said that her sister had been seen without the girl multiple times since December, and told family members that she had 'given the child away.'

'Fighting hard to get Sophia back is an understatement of what I went through a year ago but failed,' the aunt wrote. 'Unfortunately, this couldve been prevented had they taken Sophia away & put her back in our care last year.'

On Saturday, after a body was found in Jackson's Merced home, Emerald wrote that her heart will 'be forever broken.'

'My innocent baby, my baby girl I am so sorry this happened to you, I wish I couldve had you with me Sophia Im so sorry I tried everything to get to a home where you were appreciated,' she wrote in a tribute.

DailyMail.com has reached out to Emerald Johnson and the Merced Police Department for further comment.

Neighbors of Jackson's home were in disbelief after a body was discovered.

'We thought she was missing at first because they wouldn't tell us anything,' Diamond Johnson, who has no relation to Emerald and Samantha Johnson, told ABC 30. 'It could have been anybody. It hurts. I cried for her and I don't even know her.'

'My innocent baby, my baby girl I am so sorry this happened to you, I wish I couldve had you with me Sophia Im so sorry I tried everything to get to a home where you were appreciated,' Emerald Johnson, the girl's aunt, wrote in a tribute

Emerald Johnson said that her sister had been seen without Sophia, pictured, multiple times since December, and told family members that she had 'given the child away'

On Saturday, after a body was found in Jackson's Merced home, Emerald wrote that her heart will 'be forever broken'

A young mother who lives nearby and took her own daughter to light candles outside the home said that it was a 'misnomer... to think that we're exempt... in our community.'

'It's here, it's present and it's not a matter of blame or situation hazard, it's an imminent fear,' she told the outlet.

Other neighbors said that they 'never saw anyone in the home,' the outlet reported.

A GoFundMe for the child's burial expenses has raised nearly $2,500 of a $50,000 goal since it was launched earlier today.

'Sophia, I am so sorry the system failed you,' wrote Adriana Ramos, a friend of Emerald's who started the fundraiser.

'I hope you knew how loved you are, your aunt advocated for you and did not give up. I hope you are somewhere as beautiful as you sweet angel.'
Like other social-media platforms, TikTok has often found itself linked to the worst excesses of the internet era.

But it is now being credited with encouraging teenagers to get into the habit of reading  thanks to a corner of the service called BookTok.

Figures show that BookTok videos have been watched more than 43 billion times, with two British teenage sisters among its most popular influencers.

During last year's lockdown, Mireille Lee, 16, and her sister, Elodie, 14, from Hove, East Sussex, began posting short videos on books they had read.

Their account, @alifeofliterature, attracted thousands of views, which soon became millions. Each of their videos has been watched by more than 200,000 viewers around the world.

During last year's lockdown, Mireille Lee, 16, and her sister, Elodie, 14, (pictured) from Hove, East Sussex, began posting short videos on books they had read

Among their most popular posts have been clips on Leo Tolstoy's classic Anna Karenina and Jane Austen's Pride And Prejudice.

But it was a video on We Were Liars, a novel for young adults by E. Lockhart, that brought them to the attention of publishers and agents on both sides of the Atlantic. First published in 2014, it originally had moderate success in America.

But the Lee sisters' video about the book was watched by more than seven million viewers, helping it to the top of the New York Times' bestsellers list.

'The speed at which our posts blew up took us by surprise,' said Elodie. 'Within a few weeks, we were getting hundreds of thousands of views and then millions. It was mind-bending, especially seeing how it encourages people to buy the books we feature.'

Mireille, who wants to go to Oxford or Cambridge after her A-levels, explained that she and her sister have had to scale back their BookTok activities following the opening of their school after lockdown.

She said: 'We were reading one book each a week and then preparing the video review for BookTok. When we went back to school that became more difficult.'

Their account, @alifeofliterature, attracted thousands of views, which soon became millions. Each of their videos has been watched by more than 200,000 viewers around the world. Pictured: Mireille

As well as readers around the world, Mireille said she is inspiring her fellow pupils at Blatchington Mill School in Hove to pick up a book.

'At school I'm called 'The Book Girl',' she said. 'We want more young people to enjoy reading.'

Will Rycroft, audience development manager at Waterstones, said the publishing industry has now woken up to the power of BookTok.

'Romance is popular among BookTokkers, but also mythical retellings, stories of old myths and legends are huge,' he said. 'Maybe it's because we live in uncertain times and there is something satisfying about knowing the beginning, the middle and the end.'

Mr Rycroft said BookTok had also helped to turn obscure texts into bestsellers, citing the example of a British crime novel called Cain's Jawbone, first published in 1934 and largely forgotten. The novel, by Edward Powys Mathers, is published with the pages in the wrong order. Readers who rearrange the pages in the correct sequence can solve the six murders in the story.

The book was republished in 2019 and was expected to sell a few thousand copies but after a BookTok enthusiast made a video about it, it became a sellout.
Hundreds of heroic Ukrainian residents took to the streets to echo the demands of their defiant President Volodymyr Zelensky who had called for the release of Melitopol's kidnapped mayor.

Chilling CCTV footage showed the moment Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the besieged city, had a plastic bag placed over his head as he was escorted out of a building and across a square by Russian forces.

Later, huge crowds ignored Vladimir Putin's occupiers demands to stay away as they gathered outside the building where the city chief was last seen being dragged away by Moscow's troops.

Other protestors were pictured enthusiastically waving placards calling for the mayor's release.

Ukraine's premier heaped praise on the citizens of Melitopol who 'did not surrender to the invaders'.

He added that Fedorov's capture was an 'attempt to bring the city to its knees' and called for the immediate release of the besieged settlement's mayor.

Zelensky also called on Russian forces to heed the calls of residents in the occupied city of Melitopol who protested to demand that Ivan Fedorov be freed.

At a press conference, Zelensky said: 'The demand is simple - to release [Fedorov] from captivity immediately'.

Shocking video footage shows the moment Melitopol's mayor Ivan Fedorov was kidnapped by Russian troops after he 'refused to co-operate with the enemy'

Video footage, shared by officials, appeared to show crowds of defiant residents gathering near an occupied administration building to protest the alleged kidnapping of Mr Fedorov

At a press conference, President Zelensky said: 'The demand is simple - to release [Fedorov] from captivity immediately'

Ukrainian officials and Zelensky claimed on Friday that 10 Russian soldiers had kidnapped Ivan Fedorov from the city's crisis centre while he had a bag over his head.

CCTV footage, posted on Telegram by the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, appears to show a group of men escorting Mr Fedorov out of a building and across a square.

Zelensky, who spoke earlier Saturday with the leaders of Germany and France, described the alleged detention of Fedorov as an attempt 'to bring the city to its knees'.

He also said Ukraine expects 'the leaders of the world to show how they can influence the liberation (of) a man who personifies Ukrainians who do not give up'.

Following the alleged kidnapping, Ukrainian officials said 2,000 people took to the streets of Melitopol to protest.

Video footage, shared by officials, appeared to show crowds of defiant residents carrying Ukrainian flags as they gathered near an occupied administration building.

Ukraine's parliament claimed Mr Fedorov was kidnapped by 10 armed men, who placed a plastic bag over his head. Russia has not commented on the fate of Mr Fedorov.

The clip, which has been shared widely by Ukrainian media, is believed to have been filmed in Melitopol's Victory Square in southeastern Ukraine.

President Zelensky on Friday described Mr Fedorov's alleged abduction as a 'crime' against 'democracy' as he said the acts of Russian invaders would be treated as 'terrorism'.

'The capture of the mayor of Melitopol is therefore a crime, not only against a particular person, against a particular community, and not only against Ukraine. It is a crime against democracy itself... The acts of the Russian invaders will be regarded like those of Islamic State terrorists,' he said.

Ukrainian officials claimed that Melitopol's mayor had been kidnapped after he 'refused to co-operate with the enemy'.

Zelensky also accused Vladimir Putin's troops of 'moving to a new stage of terror' due to a lack of support for the invasion in Ukraine.

CCTV footage, posted on Telegram by the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, appears to show a group of men escorting Mr Fedorov out of a building and across a square

President Zelensky on Friday described Mr Fedorov's (pictured) alleged abduction as a 'crime' against 'democracy' as he said the acts of Russian invaders would be treated as 'terrorism'

'This is obviously a sign of weakness of the invaders... They have moved to a new stage of terror in which they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of legitimate local Ukrainian authorities,' he added.

Zelensky hailed Mr Fedorov as a mayor who 'bravely defends Ukraine' and his community as he said the resistance of Ukrainians would not be changed by 'putting pressure on mayors or kidnapping mayors'.

The prosecutor's office of the Luhansk People's Republic, a Moscow-backed rebel region in eastern Ukraine, said on its website there was a criminal case against Mr Fedorov.

The office accused him of 'terrorist activities' and of financing the nationalist militia Right Sector to 'commit terrorist crimes against Donbass civilians'.

Ukraine's ministry of foreign affairs described the alleged abduction as a war crime, adding: 'We call on the international community to respond immediately to the abduction of Ivan Fedorov and other civilians, and to increase pressure on Russia to end its barbaric war against the Ukrainian people.'

Russian forces captured Melitopol, which has a population of 150,000, on February 26.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, Zelensky accused Russia of refusing to allow evacuees to escape the city of Mariupol, which has been cut off from food, water and electricity, and defiantly insisted vital supplies would be delivered there tomorrow despite it being surrounded by Russian troops.

The Kremlin-owned Tass news agency painted a damning picture for those stuck in the city after quoting Russian Colonel Mikhail Mizintsev as saying all bridge into the city were destroyed and roads had been laid with mines.

'Russian troops have not let our aid into the city and continue to torture our people... tomorrow [Saturday] we will try again, try again to send food, water and medicine' Zelensky said.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, the crisis in Mariupol deepened yet further last night as the death toll passed 1,500. Pictured: The aftermath of Russian artillery shelling on a residential area in Mariupol where a rocket hit a house

An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian's army tank fires in Mariupol, Ukraine today

In hellish scenes not witnessed on the continent since the Second World War, residents have resorted to fighting one another for food and bodies are buried in mass graves as more than 1,500 people have now died in Mariupol.

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

Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, tweeted: 'Besieged Mariupol is now the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet. 1,582 dead civilians in 12 days, even buried in mass graves. Unable to defeat the Ukrainian army, Putin bombs the unarmed, blocks humanitarian aid. We need planes to stop Russian war crimes!'

A total of 7,144 people escaped four Ukrainian cities on Friday using humanitarian corridors, President Zelensky said in a televised address, a sharply lower number than managed to leave in each of the two previous days.

It comes as Putin struck areas in central and western Ukraine, some hundreds of miles from the capital Kyiv and huge explosions illuminated the night sky in Dnipro and Lutsk as residents experienced Russian artillery attacks for the first time.

In Ivano-Frankivsk, a triple strike hit at first light, said to be targeting an airfield on the edge of the city. Indiscriminate shelling at 4am UK time yesterday left tower blocks and a factory ablaze in Dnipro, killing a security guard.

Meanwhile, the 40-mile convoy of tanks, troops and artillery that had been bearing down on Kyiv in recent days is understood to have moved into strategic firing positions ahead of an all-out assault on the capital.

Fears have been mounting that Moscow could attempt a repeat at the barbaric bombing used on besieged cities such as Mariupol, with Russian troops now just nine miles from the city.

Satellite images showed howitzer weaponry and suspected rocket launchers being readied, prompting remaining Kyiv residents to take up arms and erect barricades. Mayor Vitali Klitschko warned Russia the city was a fortress.

It comes as military experts say they are baffled by the ineptitude of the tactics displayed by Russia's armies after drone footage yesterday showed a column of tanks getting picked off one-by-one in an ambush carried out by Ukraine's forces.

Analysts have said Russian tank commanders allowed the Ukrainians to ambush their unit by driving down the middle of a main road leading into Kyiv - and straight into a death trap. By multiple counts, President Vladimir Putin's forces have lost more tanks than are operational in the entire German army.

The failure to establish control of Kyiv could force Putin to negotiate a settlement sooner than expected.

Yesterday, he said there had been 'positive changes' from the talks between Russian and Ukrainian officials as he welcomed Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to Moscow.

Some Russian units are now just nine miles from Kyiv.

There are fears they will attempt to repeat the barbaric tactics used on other cities including Mariupol, which is surrounded  with those inside suffering starvation and dehydration. Russian forces bombed a maternity hospital there this week.
Allowing prisoners more access to their loved ones could break the cycle of reoffending  and save the taxpayer 2billion, a leading think tank has found.

New research by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has shown that meaningful family contact is an 'untapped weapon to reduce reoffending rates' and will help rehabilitate inmates.

Highlighting what has been coined the 'revolving door' of the criminal justice system, latest government data shows that almost a quarter of criminals convicted between January and March 2020 went on to commit another crime.

Yet Ministry of Justice statistics also reveal that the odds of reoffending are 39 per cent lower for a prisoner who receives visits from a family member or partner, than one that does not.

New research by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has shown that meaningful family contact is an 'untapped weapon to reduce reoffending rates' and will help rehabilitate inmates (stock image)

Now, researchers at CSJ claim that if family contact was increased for inmates - and reoffending rates fell by as little as 10 per cent - it could save the taxpayer 1.8 billion in costs associated with housing prisoners.

Last night, Emily Farley, CSJ Head of Criminal Justice, said: 'Delivering on the interests of the family at the heart of the criminal justice system would have huge benefit for reoffending rates, the taxpayer, and the prospects of children and their families alike.'

Calls to prioritise the needs of families were highlighted in two seminal reviews by Conservative peer Lord Farmer in 2017 and 2019, who argued family connections were the 'golden thread' that ran through the processes of all prisons.

He called for an overhaul of prison culture, leadership and investment to ensure that prisoners could maintain and develop family ties in order to aid their rehabilitation.

Yet five years since the Farmer review's first iteration, the CSJ has called for 'urgent progress' on the suggested reforms.

In its latest report, the group has also called for greater compassion within the criminal justice system for families whose loved ones are arrested and imprisoned.

After speaking to dozens of families, the team found that dealing with the justice system can be 'unnecessarily traumatic' for innocent children and family members, who suffer a form of 'guilt by association'.

Highlighting what has been coined the 'revolving door' of the criminal justice system, latest government data shows that almost a quarter of criminals convicted between January and March 2020 went on to commit another crime (stock image)

And they have branded the fact that there is no official system of record for children affected by parental imprisonment 'scandalous'.

The report reads: 'Arrest signals the start of a period of significant emotional upheaval for families. Innocent bystanders who witness the arrest of a family member at home are often left traumatised, sometimes severely so.'

It adds: 'In prison, families often have to battle a bureaucratic system which treats them with suspicion at best and contempt at worst. While at the point of release, families struggle to shoulder the burden of supporting those who face the uphill challenge of reintegrating back into society.'

Ms Farley added: 'Our research shows that there is a breakdown between government policy and what is happening on the ground.'

Last night Deputy Prime Minister, Lord Chancellor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab said: 'The CSJ is right to say that prisoners are less likely to reoffend if they keep strong ties with their families while in jail.

'That's why at our newest prison, HMP Five Wells, has a family area, a homework club and facilities to join parents' evenings so fathers can to stay in engaged with their children's lives.

Family ties, together with tackling drug addictions, developing skills and getting into work, help to cut reoffending, drive down crime and protect the public.
A Ukrainian MP who has committed his life to fighting off Russian soldiers has thanked the Mail for its life-saving campaign.

Oleksii Goncharenko, who represents Podilsk in the south west of Ukraine, now spends his days camped out in a bunker near the parliament in Kyiv taking it in shifts to man checkpoints around the city  his last ditch attempt to protect the capital from Putins henchmen.

Meanwhile his wife Olga, 43, and their sons, Alex, 16 and Cyril, 3, stay miles away in a secret location, away from the family home.

Oleksii Goncharenko, who represents Podilsk in the south west of Ukraine, now spends his days camped out in a bunker near the parliament in Kyiv

Although Mr Goncharenko is confident that Ukraine will win this war  that light will outdo darkness, he recognises the country needs all the help it can get.

He said: Our army is very motivated, very prepared and are fighting back really effectively.

When the Russians tried to enter Kyiv, we met them with Molotov cocktails, everybody, just using Molotov cocktails against tanks.

I cannot tell you how courageous we have all been, it brings tears to my eyes.

But he added: However it is not just our efforts which will help to defeat the monster that is Vladimir Putin.

We need those from the international community to help us not only with political sanctions, but with humanitarian relief.

Last night, praising the Daily Mail and Mail on Sundays campaign, he said: I am so thankful for this important initiative that sees the British public giving donations to those in need hundreds of miles away in my country.

He added: It helps so much to know that people are thinking of us, and that we are not abandoned.

OLEKSII GONCHARENKO: We are locked in a fight between light and darkness, and I truly believe that light will ultimately prevail

By Oleksii Goncharenko, Ukrainian MP for Podilsk in the South West of Ukraine

Ukrainians have been prepared to defend ourselves against Russia for some time now.

Over the years, we have grown used to walking past the red arrows painted on buildings pointing to the Soviet bomb shelters on our way to enjoy drinks with family and friends in the countrys vibrant city centres.

They are a reminder that war against one of the worlds most unpredictable superpowers could happen at any moment, but it is something, sadly, that we have learned to live with.

A few weeks ago, when Putin was threatening invasion, I thought he was blackmailing us and the world, but I never thought he would embark on this catastrophic war that now grips my nations hearts and minds every waking moment.

On Thursday February 24, our fears became a reality.

Barricades, sand bags, soldiers, barbwire, steel-crosses, and Czech hedgehogs in Maidan square (Independence Square) in the city center, as Kyiv awaits the Russian offensive

I was in Kyiv fulfilling my duties as a Ukrainian MP for the Podilsk region when my wife called me at 5am telling me she was ready to leave our home in Odessa.

It was one of the most painful moments of my life.

Our home is known to enemies, so I directed my wife Olga, 43, and our sons, Alex, 16 and Cyril, 3, to escape to stay with family or friends in a safer area of Ukraine as soon as possible.

Save for a few suitcases of clothes, and some toys and books for the little one, we left everything behind in that house.

My oldest son, Alex, didnt want to leave and pleaded with me to stay, assuming that this conflict would finish soon.

It is not easy for a father to tell their son that they do not know when the war will end.

It is not easy to ask him to look after his mother and his younger brother as best he can while I am away.

My youngest still asks me every day when daddy will return from the capital to be with them.

And the frightening truth is, I dont know. Sometimes I fear I will never see them again.

Right now, I am working as part of the civil militia, and am based out of a small bunker that we have created near the parliament building.

Mobilized soldiers prepare to join the People's Militia of the Lugansk People's Republic

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

For the first two days of fighting, me and eight other MPs were stuck here, in a small room, forced to sleep on yoga mats, wash ourselves in the sinks and eat snack food rather than proper meals as heavy shelling rained down outside. The lack of real food did not really matter to most of us, as we were running off adrenaline. Now, I am staying in my own flat in the evening.

Strangely, I have begun to settle into my new slightly surreal routine.

In the morning, I wake up and call the family to make sure they are okay.

We try our best to discuss normal things, like the weather, and I continue to nag my eldest son Alex to keep doing his maths and physics homework rather than just scrolling endlessly on social media and watching the news. When I speak to my wife, we try to stay strong, but sometimes she weeps under the pressure of it all, as she fears that her husband might be the next casualty of this brutal war.

It is something, that as a soldier of this war, I cannot take time to think about.

During the day I go to the base and meet my colleagues, who are now also part of the militia.

We take it in shifts to man checkpoints and check cars for Russian soldiers. Sometimes I will go to the Parliament to vote.

Surrounded by sandbags, security forces stand ready with their guns to defend the building, making it appear like a small fortress.

The unbelievable destruction of Kharkhiv shows why this is necessary, but I remain optimistic that we will win this war.

Our army is very motivated, very prepared and are fighting back really effectively.

When the Russians tried to enter Kyiv, we met them with Molotov cocktails, everybody, just using Molotov cocktails against tanks.

I cannot tell you how courageous we have all been, it brings tears to my eyes.

We are locked in a fight between light and darkness, and I truly believe light will win.

Personally, I know that by speaking out, I have a target on my back.

Putin has already tried to assassinate me in 2015 and kidnap me in 2017, so it is nothing new and it doesnt scare me anymore.

We feel that we are doing the right thing to defend not only ourselves, our country, but the whole world from this and we will never give up.

But it is not just our efforts which will help to defeat the monster that is Vladimir Putin.

We need those from the international community to help us not only with political sanctions, but with humanitarian relief.

That is why the Daily Mail and Mail on Sundays campaign is so important.

I am so thankful for this important initiative that sees the British public giving donations to those in need hundreds of miles away in my country. I keep hearing awful stories, with one very distressing one recently about a couple killed in Kharkhiv, leaving their one day old twin girl and boy behind.

Those little babies are orphans now, and they need as much help as they can get.

Secondly, the Mails campaign is also very symbolic. It helps so much to know that people are thinking of us, and that we are not abandoned.

I know that times are hard for many people, but I would like to ask everybody to help us.

If you can donate, just imagine that there are people now for whom just a piece of bread would help.

This is a question of just living, surviving. This is what makes humans, human.

If you cannot donate to the campaign, pray for us, if you cannot do that, share some information about what is happening here.
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A man bizarrely dressed as Donald Trump has been spotted among a crowd of Vladimir Putin fans rallying in support of the invasion of Ukraine.

A small group of Russian loyalists milled outside the Russian Consulate in Woollahra on Sunday to commend 'peacekeeping operations' killing thousands of civilians.

One man wearing a suit painted his face a bright orange and wore a wig eerily reminiscent of Donald Trump, despite him no longer being the US president.

The same man appeared in the over-the-top costume at an anti-vaccine rally in Canberra on February 8, so it is not clear what his reason for being at the consulate was.

A Russian loyalist bizarrely dressed as Donald Trump has been spotted among a crowd of Putin fans rallying in support of the invasion of Ukraine

The man wearing a suit painted his face a bright orange and wore a wig eerily reminiscent of Donald Trump, despite him no longer being president

The man impersonating former president Donald Trump also attended an anti-vaccine protest in Canberra in February

Swarms of Sydney-based Russians took to the Russian consulate to protest against the 'genocide of the Russians'

One man held a large poster with Vladimir Putin's face while others held flags and insignia of their homeland

NSW Police assisted by the ADF were seen keeping a close eye on demonstrators outside the Russian consulate

Another held a large poster bearing Putin's face while a car parked outside the consulate was marked with the letter Z - a symbol linked to support for the Russian invasion.

The black SUV is believed to belong to pro-Vladimir Putin activist Simeon Boikov, a vocal supporter of the Russian tyrant.

Police kept a close eye on the demonstrators, who took shelter from an afternoon shower under a gazebo and held flags and insignia of their homeland.

At one point a Russian official appeared from inside the consulate holding a red and blue umbrella and spoke with demonstrators.

Groups of Sydney-based Russians several time gone to the consulate in the city's east to show support for their country's invasion of Ukraine.

During a rally on Wednesday, Mr Boikov who calls himself the 'Aussie Cossack', commended the efforts of protesters online.

A black SUV marked with a Z was parked nearby the consulate and is believed to be owned by Simeon Boiikov - a fanatic Putin supporter

Protesters took shelter from an afternoon shower under a gazebo and at one point fired up an outdoor stove

At one point a Russian official appeared from inside the consulate holding a red and blue umbrella and was seen interacting with demonstrators

Pro-Putin protesters have been returning to the consulate for the last two weeks in support of 'peacekeeping operations' in Ukraine

Police assisted by the Australian Defence Force were seen preparing for the pro-Russian protests on Sunday afternoon

Several posters bearing the Russian tyrant's face were held by pro-Putin supporters who braved the rain to attend the rally

'Look at all these great Aussies here - showing they know about foreign policy and understand what's going on in the world,' Mr Boikov told his Instagram followers.

He also showed a protester holding a flag bearing the emblem of the Australian army. '[I'm] respecting the Anzacs too - good on them.'

One protester mocked Prime Minister Scott Morrison during video of the demonstration, while another blamed the West for Mr Putin's unprovoked invasion.

While the rally appeared to go largely unchallenged by pro-Ukraine supporters, the loyalists have clashed with their opponents outside the embassy in recent weeks.

Mr Boikov confronted several men protesting in support of Ukraine outside the consulate just days after the invasion began.

The activist earlier this month claimed Mr Morrison made himself a 'target' by pledging military support to Ukraine as part of a coordinated Western effort.

During a rally on Wednesday, Mr Boikov (pictured) who calls himself the 'Aussie Cossack' took to social media to commend the efforts of protesters

The activist (pictured with his wife Katia) earlier this month claimed Mr Morrison had made himself a 'target' by pledging military support to Ukraine

While the rally appeared to go largely unchallenged by pro-Ukraine supporters, the loyalists have clashed with their opponents outside the embassy in recent weeks

Protesters gathered outside the consulate on Wednesday to rally in support of the invasion of Ukraine - which has already seen the deaths of innocent civilians

This is very serious,' Mr Boikov told Daily Mail Australia.

'We are on the verge of nuclear war. Putin is not mucking around.'

Mr Boikov, who has tens of thousands of followers on his multiple social media channels, claims most would be against Mr Morrison dragging Australia into a war.

'We shouldn't be poking the bear', he said.

He formed the self-styled unit called 'Australian Cossacks' or 'Zabaikal Cossack Society of Australia' to honour the region both sides of his family come from in Russia, which borders Mongolia.

The Russian embassy to Australia's Facebook page has meanwhile been inundated with pro-Ukrainian posts, many of which target the consulate's social media updates on the situation in Ukraine.

The embassy published one post where the aide to former Russian culture minister Vladimir Medinsky relayed a message calling for 'peace talks'.

One man at a protest on Sunday held a poster that celebrated 'victory' for the Russian peacekeeping operation in Ukraine

It's believed the black SUV belongs to ultra pro-Vladimir Putin activist Simeon Boikov, who led the group as they held flags and insignia of their homeland

The Russian embassy to Australia's Facebook page has meanwhile been inundated with pro-Ukrainian posts (pictured, pro-Russian demonstrators on Sunday)

Angry Facebook users have left comments on the Russian embassy to Australia page asking the consulate to 'give peace a chance'

It didn't take long for the post to be swarmed, with one supporter writing, 'Putin has blood on his hands. He needs to go'.

Another said: 'Are you really aiming to achieve peace? Or is this another opportunistic situation to take advantage of the other side like your historical actions?'

'Happy for my taxpayer dollars to pay for weapons aimed at Russian invaders while you pretend to negotiate,' a third wrote.

One user commented: 'Do the Russians love their children too? Regardless of ideology, we share the same biology.'

The Facebook page has also been bombarded with one star ratings - and while it has not responded, numerous comments have been deleted.
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The Chicago River was dyed green for an annual St. Patrick's Day tradition that returned in full swing for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began two years ago.

On Saturday, crowds gathered along the Loop for the yearly river-dyeing event, which was cancelled in 2020 and held without many in attendance during a surge in coronavirus cases last year.

Since 1962, Chicago has dyed the river green in honor of the Emerald Isle. The Windy City boasts around 204,000 people, or 7.5 percent of the city's population, who claim Irish ancestry today.

Members of the Plumbers Union Local 130 dyed the Chicago River green with a boat that poured the coloring into the water on Saturday in preparation for St. Patrick's Day celebrations coming up on Thursday.

Scroll down for video

People gather on the banks of the Chicago River dyed green in Chicago to celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick's Day

Pictured: The Chicago River appears green after the Plumbers Union Local 130 dyed it, Saturday, March 12, 2022, ahead of St. Patrick's Day on Thursday

View of the Chicago River dyed green in celebration of St. Patrick's Day in Chicago, Illinois. Pictured: Chicago Dyed Green For St. Patrick's Day 2022

The Chicago River was dyed green for an annual St. Patrick's Day tradition that returned in full-swing for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began two years ago

Most revelers went maskless as they stood in lines wrapped around the block outside River North bars, with many bundled up to celebrate despite the mid-March cold front.

'It's cool seeing everybody back out, everybody having a good time - a lot of smiles,' said Ozzy Arias, a Chicago resident taking in his first downtown St. Pat's celebration.

'It's a beautiful thing when everybody gets back out together with a group of friends.'

A parade downtown also made its COVID comeback just down the street from where the river had been dyed a bright green in commemoration of the widely celebrated Irish holiday, which will take place on Thursday, March 17.

A barge sprays green dye into the Chicago River for it's traditional St. Patrick's Day festivities in Chicago

Members of the Plumbers Union Local 130, pictured, dyed the Chicago River green with a boat that poured the coloring into the water as crowed began to gather

Members of the Plumbers Union Local 130 dye the Chicago River green, Saturday, March 12, 2022, ahead of St. Patrick's Day on Thursday

A group of people, sans face masks, take a selfie with the dyed green Chicago River in the background at the LaSalle Street Bridge, Saturday

Meanwhile, Chicago Transit Authority trains were packed heading into the Loop, with passengers still expressing concern over the virus as mask mandates are beginning to be lifted nationwide.

'Dont worry, I'm vaccinated,' a woman told a friend before handing them a bottle at a Blue Line station.

Last month, the city did away with its vaccine and mask mandates for bar patrons, as the number of coronavirus cases has continued to drop to an eight-month low.

Three-quarters of Chicagoans have currently completed at least their initial vaccine series, according to the Chicago Sun-Times.

A Chicago Shoreline Sightseeing tour boat passes by Merchandise Mart as the Chicago River is dyed green after it was dyed Saturday, March 12, 2022, ahead of St. Patrick's Day on Thursday

Members of the Plumbers Union Local 130 dye the Chicago River green, Saturday, March 12, 2022, ahead of St. Patrick's Day on Thursday

The mandate-free event comes just weeks after frustrated parents and students rallied against school mask mandates after nearly two years of abiding by pandemic restrictions that they allege haven't protected them from the virus.

A group of Chicago-area students walked out of school on last month after being told they were required to wear masks to attend class, despite an Illinois judge having issued a temporary restraining order against the governor's statewide school mask mandate.

'I am tired of seeing my kids wearing masks. We abide by the rules, we wear the masks all day at school and work and we still got COVID - including my infant,' Ari Moore, an Oregon mother of three school-aged children, told DailyMail.com.
Saturday Night Live opened with James Austin Johnson's President Joe Biden and Kate McKinnon's Press Secretary Jen Psaki looking to TikTok creators for ways to 'win the information war on social media' amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Actress Zoe Kravitz made her debut appearance on the show, with Rosalia performing 'La Fama' and 'Chicken Teriyaki.'

In her monologue, she discussed her upcoming role as Catwoman in Warner Brother's The Batman - with Kate McKinnon appearing as Catwoman from the 90s, the first black Catwoman - Eartha Kitt - played by Ego Nwodim, a cat lady pushing a real cat in a stroller played by Aidy Bryant, and Katt Williams played by Chris Redd interrupting her monologue.

Cast member Pete Davidson was notably absent from Saturday's show for the second week running, disappointing fans who hoped he would hit back at Kanye West after the rapper buried a paper mache version of the comedian in his 'Eazy' music video earlier this month.

Saturday Night Live opened with James Austin Johnson's President Joe Biden and Kate McKinnon's Press Secretary Jen Psaki looking to TikTok creators for ways to 'win the information war on social media' amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine

'This week as the war in Ukraine intensified, access to Facebook and Instagram in the country were shut off, leaving only one source of information: TikTok,' a narrator said at the top of the skit

Actress Zoe Kravitz, pictured, made her debut appearance on the show on March 12

Musician Rosalia, pictured, performed 'La Fama' and 'Chicken Terriyaki'

Rosalio is pictured performing her first number on Saturday Night Live on March 12

She discussed her upcoming role as Catwoman in Warner Brother's The Batman - with Kate McKinnon as Catwoman from the 90's, the first black Catwoman played by Ego Nwodim, a cat lady pushing a cat in a stroller played by Aidy Bryant (pictured) and Katt Williams played by Chris Redd interrupting her monologue

'This week as the war in Ukraine intensified, access to Facebook and Instagram in the country were shut off, leaving only one source of information: TikTok,' a narrator says at the top of the skit.

'So on Thursday, the White House responded by holding a national security briefing with some of the nations top TikTok creators.'

Johnson's Biden began thanking the group of six guests for 'answering your nation's call during a time of need,' to which one creator said they had 'flexible schedules' and another played by Bryant noting that she was 12 years old.

'I also want to thank my press secretary, Jen Psaki, for having the vision to set this up,' he adds.

'I suggested it as a joke and then it actually happened,' McKinnons Psaki replies.

Johnson's Biden called himself the 'landline of Presidents,' and that 'I understand Putin, I understand war, but there's one thing I don't understand - computer.'

Kate McKinnon's Psaki, right, said that she'd suggested the meeting as a joke - but then 'it actually happened'

'Computer very mean to me,' Johnson's Biden says. 'Computer always ask to run an update right when I turn computer on. Whenever I type in "malarkey," computer say "Did you mean magenta?"'

The first creator, who said her name was 'Actress from The CW' and was played by Chloe Fineman, was a parody of AnnaLynne McCord who, in real life, released a strange performance poem in which she imagined herself as Vladimir Putin's mother.

'Oh no, it's this girl,' McKinnon's Psaki says.

'While Putin might have tanks and bombs, there's something even more powerful we can attack him with - poems,' Fineman's McCord says.

'Dear Vladimir Putin: If I was your mother, I would have loved you more. If I was your wife, I would have been so, so so mad at you. If I was your baby brother -'

After Psaki cuts her off and asks if she has any other ideas, Fineman's character (pictured) stands up and says 'Five ways to help Ukraine!' while dancing before pointing in various directions

After Psaki cuts her off and asks if she has any other ideas, Fineman's character stands up and says 'Five ways to help Ukraine!' while dancing before pointing in various directions - a la a TikTok video.

'I think she's expecting text to show up,' McKinnon's Psaki says.

Jason Derulo, played by Chris Redd, just sings his own name as he does in his songs and is also asked for his take, along with a TikToker from the fictitious 'Boo Boo Boys.'

'Yo, yo, one time they pranked a dude and threw him down five flights of stairs - it was hilarious,' Biden says, with Aristotle Athari's TikTok creator calling him a 'Boo boo head.'

'That sounds like an amazing hobby,' Psaki says, adding that she 'hates this world' when the influencer replied that his channel made $13 million last year. His plan to 'defeat Putin' simply consisted of 'throwing him down a flight of stairs.'

Aristotle Athari, center, played a character from the 'Boo Boo Boys,' while Chris Redd, right, played Jason DeRulo

'Oh, you mean the one started by your son Hunter Biden? And his pals at Burisma? Where is the laptop? Is it in this room?'said Aidy Bryant's twelve-year-old character

A 12-year-old girl played by Bryant, who said she did 'silly animal makeup for kids,' was asked for by Biden for her input on 'what we can do about this war.'

'Oh, you mean the one started by your son Hunter Biden? And his pals at Burisma? Where is the laptop? Is it in this room?' she replies.

'You don't expect the animal makeup girl to be alt-right,' Johnson's Biden says.

A roofer played by Kenan Thompson, Charles DAmelio, soon left after realizing he had been mistaken for popular TikTok creator Charli DAmelio, 17, who became famous for her dance videos.

'Y'all don't happen to have any of those extra Covid stimmy checks lying around do you?' he asks as he leaves.

The last TikToker was Kazuhisa Uekusa with a toilet plunger affixed to his nipple. In real life, the comedian has performed tricks with a toilet plunger - including making music.

The last TikToker was Kazuhisa Uekusa with a toilet plunger affixed to his nipple (pictured). In real life, the comedian has performed tricks with a toilet plunger  including making music

'The idea of asking TikTok stars about Russia might sound like a joke, but remember - they said the same thing about the radio in WW2,' he said, the camera focusing in on the plunger sticking to his body

'The idea of asking TikTok stars about Russia might sound like a joke, but remember - they said the same thing about the radio in WW2,' he says, the camera focusing in on the plunger sticking to his body.

'Never underestimate the importance of new technology that reaches young people in ways you can never understand. TikTok isn't some childish gimmick. It has more power and more influence than the nightly news.'

'If you'll excuse me, I'm going to move this plunger to my crotch, attach a knife to it and try to slice an apple in half,' he adds. 'God bless America.'
A quick-thinking Manhattan homeless man likely saved his own life when he scared off a gunman who shot him by pretending to call 911  despite not having a phone.

The gunman went on to shoot another sleeping homeless man to death just an hour later, and now cops are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to his arrest.

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The surviving victim, a 38-year-old man, was sleeping on King St. in Hudson Square when he awoke to the sensation of a bullet tearing through his right forearm about 5 a.m. Saturday, cops said.

What are you doing? he screamed when he saw the shooter, wearing all black including a black mask, still pointing the gun at him.

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The surviving victim, a 38-year-old man, was sleeping on King St. in Hudson Square when he awoke to the sensation of a bullet tearing through his right forearm about 5 a.m. Saturday. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

The victim jumped up and faked putting a phone to his ear even though he has no cellphone and said he was calling the police, sources said.

The spooked gunman ran off east on King St., while the victim scrambled to a nearby red emergency reporting system box attached to a pole on Varick St.

The gunman found his second target about 6 a.m. on Howard St. near Lafayette St. He shot the sleeping man bundled in a sleeping bag in the head and neck and ran off west on Howard St.

Police are hunting for a sadistic killer who is targeting homeless men while they sleep. One homeless man died and another was wounded after they were shot in separate incidents in Manhattan Saturday morning, police said. (NYPD/DCPI)

The victim was discovered dead in the sleeping bag almost 11 hours later. Cops were still working to determine his identity Sunday.

The NYPD announced Sunday it is offering a $10,000 reward for help catching the sadistic shooter, a young thin Black man, about 5-foot-4, wearing all black including a black mask. Cops released surveillance images of the gunman Saturday.

After the shootings, a task force of police officers and homeless outreach workers will patrol the subway system and locations where homeless people stay to encourage them to sleep in city-run shelters, Mayor Adams said Saturday.

But on Sunday, there was another chilling alert. After a 911 call about a shooting victim in TriBeCa, police found a 43-year-old man unconscious in his sleeping bag on Murray St. near Greenwich St. about 6:30 p.m. with an injury to his right leg, police said. EMS responded and pronounced the man dead; the Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.

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It was not immediately clear when the victim was shot nor if the slaying was linked to Saturdays attacks. Adams has been alerted to Sundays killing, the mayors press secretary said in a tweet.

Randy Santos at his arraignment in New York State Supreme Court on October 28, 2019. Santos is charged with the murders of four homeless men in Chinatown. (Alec Tabak/for New York Daily News)

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Police believe the shooter is the same man who shot three homeless men in Washington D.C. earlier this month, the NYPD said in a statement.

The serial shooter has the same method of operating as a gunman in the nations capital, who shot three homeless men in separate incidents on March 3, March 8 and March 9.

The first two victims in D.C. are expected to recover, but the March 9 victim died of multiple gunshot and stab wounds, police said.

The NYPD, D.C.s Metropolitan Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have launched a joint task force and are investigating the killings.

Our homeless population is one of our most vulnerable and an individual praying on them as they sleep is an exceptionally heinous crime, NYPD Commissioner Keechant Sewell said in a statement. We will use every tool, every technique and every partner to bring the killer to justice.

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The shootings come more than two years after Randy Rodriguez Santos was accused of bludgeoning four homeless men to death with a pipe in Chinatown in October 2019. Santos, who was also homeless, is locked up on Rikers Island as he awaits trial.

Anyone with information about Saturdays shootings is asked to call Crime Stoppers at (800) 577-TIPS.
The former U.S. ambassador to Russia has apologized for falsely suggesting that Adolf Hitler 'didn't kill ethnic Germans' during the Holocaust as he condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in a video MSNBC later took down following controversy over the statement.

Michael McFaul, who served as ambassador between 2012 to 2014, drew criticism on Friday night when he echoed the words he heard from a Russian journalist criticizing President Vladimir Putin.

'One difference between Putin and Hitler is that Hitler didn't kill ethnic Germans, German-speaking people,' McFaul said on The Rachel Maddow Show. 'Putin slaughters the very people he said he has come to liberate.'

A clip of his segment was shared on The Rachel Maddow Show's Twitter page before being deleted when many bashed McFaul for spreading a false statement that undermined those killed by Hitler in the Holocaust.

In his apology Saturday, McFaul, director at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies, said: 'I slipped late last night and violated an unwritten taboo - never compare Hitler with anyone. I agree. He was incomparably evil. I won't do it again.'

Michael McFaul, the former U.S. Ambassador to Russia, apologized for repeating a false statement that Adolf Hitler 'didn't kill ethnic Germans'

McFaul made the controversial statement on MSNBC's The Rachel Maddow Show as he condemned Russian President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine by comparing him to the dictator. The statement, however, drew heavy criticism

US Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul on the difference between Hitler and Putin. Video has been deleted from @MaddowBlog @maddow @MSNBC Twitter and YouTube. DO NOT RT to expose. pic.twitter.com/vQBQmtJ5vw  Cam Higby  (@camhigby) March 12, 2022

McFaul offered an apology hours after the segment aired on Friday night

The Rachel Maddow Show offered its only apology for sharing the statement on Twitter, writing: 'The historical record is clear. Hitler killed millions of Germans.

'We tweeted out part of an inaccurate statement made last night by former Ambassador Michael McFaul without attribution, and we regret doing so.'

MSNBC did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com's request for comment.

Among those who called out McFaul and MSNBC were the officials from the Auschwitz Memorial Museum, who informed the news outlet that Hitler did order the deaths of Germans.

'On a factual note: Hitler did kill ethnic Germans & German-speaking people: those who opposed the Nazi regime, those who resisted, those who did not fit into the 'Weltanschauung,' officials tweeted, referencing Hitler's philosophy to kill those who did not fit his vision of the world.

'He ordered the murder of people with different disabilities & finally the murder of German Jewry.'

This is not the first time McFaul has had to offer a public apology for something he's said.

The Rachel Maddow Show offered its only apology for sharing the statement on Twitter

McFaul admitted it was wrong to compare Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) to Hitler but said that the invasion of the Ukraine was still slaughtering innocent people

McFaul had said, 'Putin slaughters the very people he said he has come to liberate,' as he condemned Russian's invasion of the Ukraine, which has left the country devastated

Last year, he put out an apology for boasting about his 'giant' house,' adoring fans and large salary when he was arguing with an anonymous Twitter user.

Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who was at odds with the ambassador over Trump-Russia collusion in the 2016 election, first posted the private message between McFaul and the Twitter user.

'I have a job for life at the best university in the world,' McFaul bragged. 'I live in a giant house in paradise. I make close to a million dollars a year.

'I have adoring fans on TV and a half million followers on twitter, 99% who also admire me. I'm doing just fine without a damn visa from Russia. And I'm not afraid to tweet under my own name. I feel sorry for people like you who aren't brave enough to do so.'

Apologizing for the boastful remarks, the Obama-era ambassador wrote: 'I wrote that message in a private channel. I did not expect it to be published. But it was still a mistake. I apologize. It was arrogant and idiotic.

'A swarm of Russian trolls was accusing me of failure, and I responded in a most unprofessional way. Explanation, not excuse.'

The Twitter user, who goes by the name 'Anonym Lurkovsky,' tweeted a screenshot showing that McFaul had blocked him after the exchange, seemingly about his visa refusal and subsequent ban from Russia.

Former Russia ambassador Michel McFaul said he did not expect his 'arrogant' brag to an anonymous Twitter user to be posted publicly

The former ambassador also drew concerns in 2012 when he suggested on Twitter that his emails were being hacked by Russian outlets.

McFaul said Russian media kept showing up at meetings that the official had not publicized.

'Everywhere I go NTV is there,' McFaul said on Twitter of the state-owned news outlet. 'Wonder who gives them my calendar? They wouldn't tell me. Wonder what the laws are here for such things.'

The official continued to tweet: 'I respect the right of the press to go anywhere & ask any question. But do they have a right to read my email and listen to my phone?'

Officials at NTV responded to McFaul's allegations to Interfax.

The network said: 'NTV's omnipresence can be explained by an extensive network of informers.'
Queensland's police commissioner says the state's domestic violence cases are escalating, making up 40 per cent of their work after two more alleged attacks this weekend.

Katarina Carroll says some of the incidents are 'beyond belief'. A man has been charged after fuel was poured over a car with children inside, while another has been charged with attempted murder.

It came after Stanley Obi died from burns in a suspicious Logan house fire that allegedly involved petrol being thrown by his ex Sarah Mudge, who also died on Thursday night.

Ms Carroll says there are more than 120,000 domestic violence cases in Queensland each year.

It comes as Stanley Obi died from burns in a Logan house fire that involved petrol being thrown by his ex Sarah Mudge who also died on Thursday night

'I think the system vastly protects the majority of victims,' she told reporters on Sunday.

'However, as always you have a minority that is so difficult to deal with. It's beyond belief as to what perpetrators get up to in terms of wreaking havoc in the community.

'I can't understand how someone can do that.'

Ms Carroll wasn't sure whether domestic violence was more prevalent or people were more comfortable reporting it, but said cases were soaring in Queensland.

'Certainly the numbers are escalating whichever way you look at it,' she said.

'There has been an exponential increase in domestic violence over the years - it is 40 per cent of our work currently and in Logan (south of Brisbane) it is about 50 per cent.'

Queensland 's police commissioner Katarina Carroll (pictured) says the state's domestic violence cases are escalating, making up 40 per cent of their work after two more alleged attacks this weekend. She said some of the incidents are 'beyond belief'

Her comments come after police were called to a Toowoomba address on Saturday morning amid reports a man was threatening a woman he knew and pouring fuel over a vehicle containing two children.

A 34-year-old Wilsonton man has been charged with three counts of acts intended to cause grievous bodily harm.

Another Queensland man was charged with attempted murder after he allegedly tried to strangle and suffocate a woman in the outer Brisbane suburb on Kenmore about 2.30am on Saturday.

Ms Carroll says she is confident Queensland Police have enough staff to deal with the rising cases.

Ms Carroll back the parents of Hannah Clarke (pictured with her children Trey, Aaliyah and Laianah) - who said eductation was the key to stamping out domestic violence was murdered by her estranged husband Rowan Baxter

Clarke and her children were murdered when Clarke's estranged husband Rowan Baxter set fire to her car (above, the aftermath) before branding a knife and thrusting it through his abdomen into his heart

But she backed the parents of Hannah Clarke - who was burnt to death in a car with her three children in 2020 by her estranged husband - who said education was the key to stamping out domestic violence.

'If you listen to Hannah Clarke's parents, it's not just about the response,' she said.

'It's about education from that very young age, (teaching) about equality and respect.

'I know that sounds simple but that needs to be ingrained in our children and society - that's what it comes down to.'

1800 RESPECT (1800 737 732)

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MPs have backed giving Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky an honourary knighthood in recognition of his defiant stand against Russia.

Boris Johnson is being urged to put Mr Zelensky forward for the title to underline Britain's support in the face of Vladimir Putin's aggression.

Mr Zelensky has become a symbol of Kyiv's resistance since the invasion. When offered the opportunity by the West to leave the capital, he responded by insisting he need 'ammunition not a ride'.

He has been rallying his people by broadcasting from the heart of the country and condemning Putin's 'genocidal' actions.

Volodymyr Zelensky has become a symbol of Kyiv's resistance since the invasion

A Ukrainian serviceman exits a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv yesterday

The president and the PM have formed a close bond, speaking on the telephone nearly every day.

The Queen can award honorary knighthoods to non-British citizens in recognition of their contributions to the UK and the world.

The awards technically do not mean that people are referred to as 'Sir' unless they are in a Commonwealth country - although the title is still often used.

Tory MP Bob Seely, of the Commons foreign affairs committee, told the Sun on Sunday: 'Zelensky has been a true leader. He has given a voice and set an example to his people in their hour of courage.'

Tory MP Andrew Bridgen added: 'Volodymyr Zelensky is such an inspirational leader that Putin has put a price on his head. Let's give him a knighthood instead.'

Fellow Tory Michael Fabricant said: 'I believe we should simultaneously award Volodymyr Zelensky an honorary knighthood for his outstanding and charismatic leadership of a nation - while seeking to indict Putin as a war criminal.'
A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed and died in Bournemouth, Dorset yesterday.

The victim, 21, was found with life threatening injuries outside a Subway sandwich shop and was rushed to hospital but died a short time later.

A teenager was taken into custody earlier this morning, Dorset Police have confirmed.

But the force added that witnesses and anyone with information are still encouraged to come forward 'no matter how small you think it may be'.

Detective Inspector Simon Huxter, of the Major Crime Investigation Team, added: 'I continue to appeal to anyone who witnessed this incident and has not yet contacted us to please get in touch.

'A section of Old Christchurch Road and Horseshoe Common remains closed while our examination of the scene continues and CCTV enquiries are well underway in the area.

The victim, 21, was found with life threatening injuries outside a Subway sandwich shop and was rushed to hospital but died a short time later

A 16-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of murder after a man was stabbed and died in Bournemouth, Dorset yesterday

'I would also ask local residents and motorists who were in the area at the relevant time to please check their home CCTV systems or dashcam footage and come forward if they have captured anything of relevance to our investigation.'

He also said the victim's family had been updated with the progress of the investigation.

'I understand this incident has had an impact on the community and members of the public will continue to see an increased police presence in the area over the coming days,' he said. 'Officers from the local neighbourhood policing team can be approached with any concerns.'

Police was called to the scene just before 5am yesterday, to 'reports that a 21-year-old man had been stabbed outside Subway on Old Christchurch Road'.

A murder investigation was then launched.

The force added that witnesses and anyone with information are still encouraged to come forward 'no matter how small you think it may be'

Detective Huxley had said: 'A full and detailed investigation is underway into this incident and our thoughts are with the victim's family at this very difficult time.'

Anyone with information is asked to contact Dorset Police at www.dorset.police.uk/do-it-online, via email 101@dorset.pnn.police.uk or by calling 101, quoting incident number 12:101.

Alternatively, the independent charity Crimestoppers can be contacted anonymously online at Crimestoppers-uk.org or by phoning 0800 555 111.
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Explosions have been heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.

According to Ukrainian sources, Vladimir Putin's forces had launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning.

Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing 35 people and injuring 134.

The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and housed foreign military instructors, but Nato has said none of its personnel were on the base at the time.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov renewed calls for a 'no-fly zone' over the country following the attack.'Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security near Lviv,' he wrote on Twitter.

'Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified. This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!'

Lviv's mayor said the missiles used in the attack are thought to have been fired by Russian planes located over the Black Sea, which had in turn flown out of the southern Russian city of Saratov.

Ukraine's Air Force Command West said on Facebook two cruise missiles were destroyed by air defence systems.

Michael Gove called the rocket attack a 'significant escalation', adding that Putin was 'pushing the boundaries'.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: 'We know that Vladimir Putin has no moral limits when it comes to the actions he's willing to take and he's pushing the boundaries in military terms.

'We've already seen the abuse of humanitarian corridors. The Russians say on the one hand they are allowed to leave but when they seek to leave they are then killed and bombed.'

The missile strikes destroyed buildings on the military base, with footage after the attack showing parts of entire buildings demolished

This photo reportedly shows smoke and damage at the Yavoriv training area that was targeted by Russian forces this morning

A wounded soldier arrives at Novoiavorisk District Hospital close to the facility after the attack on the base which is just 12 miles from the Polish border

Ukraine says 134 people have been wounded in the attack on the base, which is located between Lviv and the border with Poland. Pictured above is a young man thought to have been hurt in the attack

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov called it a 'new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border' and called for a no-fly zone to be put in place

Photos emerging from the air base show the facility in ruins, with wounded service personnel being attended to by medics.

Mr Kozytskyi said the strike had demolished a large part of a vault on the site, with emergency crews dealing with the aftermath, and urged anyone who can to help doctors at the hospital by providing equipment.

He said: 'On behalf of the whole Lviv region, I express my sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. We will not forget any Hero and will not forgive any occupant!'

In a statement released this afternoon, Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told Reuters it had attacked two separate bases and killed 'up to 180 foreign mercenaries'.

He added 'a large amount of foreign weapons were destroyed'.

Reuters could not independently verify the statements.

It comes a day after Russia said it considered convoys of weapons from Western nations into Ukraine as legitimate targets.

This morning there were reports on social media that explosions could be seen and heard from the outskirts of Lviv nearly 30 miles away.

The city has been a haven for refugees in recent weeks, with hundreds of thousands going through as they travelled west toward Poland and other EU countries.

During the night air raid sirens went off in the city, which is home to more than 700,000 people and has been largely spared the violence seen in other major settlements such as Kyiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv.

The attack has not stopped the flow of refugees, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirming nearly 125,000 people have been evacuated from conflict zones through humanitarian corridors.

Paramedics transfer a wounded man into Novoiavorivsk District Hospital following the attack. Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukraine Defence Minister, called the strike a 'terrorist attack'

Medical staff assist a wounded man arriving from the base to the hospital. the missiles in the attack are thought to have been fired from over the Black Sea by Russian fighter jets

Maksym Kozytskyi, mayor of Lviv, said strike had demolished a large part of a vault on the site, with emergency crews dealing with the aftermath, and urged anyone who can to help doctors at the hospital by providing equipment. Pictured is a patient being transferred into the hospital

Ambulances seen travelling to and from the military facility early on Sunday morning following the Russian attack on the site which is miles from the border with Poland

Meanwhile an Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday.

A worker shot in the hip survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating, with electricity reserved for operating tables, and people with nowhere else to go lined the hallways.

In the northern city of Chernihiv, less than 80 miles from Kyiv, emergency crews have been dealing with the damage caused by Russian bombs.

Dramatic video shows firefighters in the city trying to put out a burning housing block, which is alleged to have caught alight when it was hit by a bomb.

A doctor assists a wounded soldier following the attack on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security this morning

The attack took place 30 miles from the city of Lviv, which had until recently been free of the violence that has plagued the rest of the country

Another video from the city shows an unexploded bomb being lifted out of another building in the city, with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine saying three OFAB-500 air bombs have been removed from residential buildings in on day.

According to the manufacturer, these bombs which have been found in civilian areas are designed to 'destroy military industrial facilities, light-armoured and soft-skin targets, railway junctions and military fortifications'.

And Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine, said another mayor had been abducted by Russian forces.

He said Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in southern Ukraine, was taken days after Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the nearby city of Melitopol, was also kidnapped.

Mr Kuleba tweeted: 'Today, Russian war criminals abducted another democratically elected Ukrainian mayor, head of Dniprorudne Yevhen Matveyev. Getting zero local support, invaders turn to terror. I call on all states & international organizations to stop Russian terror against Ukraine and democracy.'

In other developments:

Kyiv says it has a two-week supply of food in case there is a Russian blockade, after a Russian tank column began to encircle the city;

Nine people were killed in air strikes in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, with the UK Ministry of Defence saying forces from Crimea will attempt to go round the city to reach Odessa;

Residents took to the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol to protest against the abduction of its mayor by Russian forces, while another mayor in the nearby city of Dniprorudne was also abducted;

A humanitarian supply convoy is on its way to Mariupol to provide water, food and medical supplies to the city of 400,000 people which has been blockaded for days;

It has been confirmed that the eastern town of Volnovakha has been completely destroyed after days of Russian bombing.

The attack took place near the city of Lviv, which has become a safe haven for refugee looking to flee the conflict. Thousands have boarded trains in the city heading for Poland and other EU countries

Latest developments in the war in Ukraine Russia has launched a missile strike on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine and wounding dozens more

Explosions have been heard on the outskirts of Lviv, a city which had been a safe haven for refugees until recently

A tank column has begun to encircle Kyiv as Russia looks to cut it off from the rest of the country

Ukrainian officials say the strategically-located city of Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after being bombed by Russia for days

A psychiatric hospital and 50 schools have been destroyed in the eastern city of Kharkiv

A mosque housing 80 civilians was blitzed and a blockade has stopped new supplies getting through to Mariupol as the city continues to face heavy bombing from Russian forces

The mayor of Melitopol was kidnapped by Russian soldiers after refusing to cooperate with invading troops

Missile strikes in the city of Mykolaiv targeted a cancer hospital with hundreds of patients inside Advertisement

Polish president Andrez Duda has told the BBC he fears Russia could use chemical weapons in an effort to break the deadlock.

Speaking on Sunday Morning with Sophie Raworth, he said: 'Actually, politically, he has already lost his war and internally he is not winning it', adding that if Putin uses these types of weapons Nato will have to consider its next move.

However, he added that he thought putting a no-fly zon in place would mean 'the opening of a third world war'.

Also speaking on Sunday morning, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was focusing on the situation in Ukraine, instead of calls for Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister following recent scandal.

Talking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge, he said: 'I haven't changed my mind on Boris Johnson. I think he has lost the moral authority to lead. I don't think he is fit to be our Prime Minister.

'I can't force him to resign. Only Tory MPs can do that. But I have to say that just at the moment, my total focus is on the Ukraine and what we have to do in response to the Russian aggression there.

'I think everybody will understand that my focus is on that vital issue just at the moment.'

Meanwhile, Michael Gove, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, said more than 3,000 UK visas have been issued to fleeing Ukrainians.

Yesterday it was confirmed Russian forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign - but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule.

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Saturday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists'.

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble.

Moscow's troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an 'all-out assault' in the coming days.

Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said.

Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged.

Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign

A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the Ukrainian town of Volnovakha after it was 'completely destroyed' by a sustained days-long Russian bombing campaign

A pro-Russian soldier in a uniform without insignia speaks with employees in the Emergencies ministry's office in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday, after the town was decimated in a days-long bombing campaign

Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of shooting children and said Putin's forces will only take Kyiv if they 'raze the city to the ground', with Kremlin troops inching closer to the capital and conflict raging nearby on Saturday, endangering attempted evacuations.

And Vlodymyr Zelensky has slammed the West for its inaction, saying on Saturday that he 'doesn't see any bravery from NATO' as he pleaded for more involvement from allies in peace negotiations and offered to pay for more anti-missile systems.

In response, the US made lukewarm promises of taking 'diplomatic steps' to help the Ukrainian government.

Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha, including this church, following a days-long bombing campaign

Fighting in Volnovakha continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule

People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during a bombing campaign by Moscow as part of the Russian-waged war on Ukraine

Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia drive a damaged car without a windshield while patrolling a street in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Ukraine on Saturday

A view shows local residents' belongings in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during Russian shelling of Volnovakha, a town that 'no longer exists' after the bombing campaign

Civilians have been seeking refuge in basements in Volnovakha, Ukraine's Donetsk area, for more than two weeks, hiding from a Russian bombardment that has destroyed their hometown

Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

Moscow's troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an 'all-out assault' in the coming days

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

A burnt-out car sits amidst the rubble in Volnovakha after the town endured a days-long bombing campaign that 'completely destroyed' it

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists' (pictured patrolling the streets of Volnovakha)

Residents of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region of Ukraine carry food and water supplies back to their homes after the town was 'destroyed' by Russian shelling

Residents of the 'completely destroyed' town Volnovakha in the Donetsk region warm themselves with a makeshift fire and boil a kettle after their homes were reduced to rubble by Russian shelling

A pro-Russian soldier in a uniforms without insignia seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

Zelensky, who claimed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far and 500 Russians surrendered yesterday, added: 'If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region, the history of the Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv.

'If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves.'

But there appear to be signs of slight progress in negotiations, with Zelensky saying the warring countries have begun discussing 'concrete' proposals rather than just 'exchanging ultimatums', although he said any negotiations must begin with a ceasefire.

The conciliatory tone was not resonating in the Kremlin though, with Putin raging after a 75-minute call with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz that Ukraine was guilty of 'extrajudicial reprisals against dissidents, taking civilians hostage, using them as human shields, [and] putting heavy armaments in civilian areas near hospitals, schools, kindergartens'.

Scholz and Macron implored Putin to end the war and stop the brutal siege of Mariupol but a French official said he did not show any willingness for calling off his inhumane invasion.

Meanwhile Russia has made dire threats to the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as 'legitimate targets', prompting fears there could be an escalation of conflict that could suck in other countries.

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets', after Joe Biden personally intervened to stop a shipment of Polish MiG fighter jets to Kyiv, fearing the move could lead to 'World War Three'.

And senior Russian officials incredulously flipped the narrative on its head on Saturday, warning that the humanitarian situation was deteriorating because of the actions of the country's armed forces - and even accusing Ukraine of shelling its own people.

'The humanitarian situation in Ukraine, unfortunately, continues to rapidly worsen, and in some cities has reached catastrophic proportions,' RIA quoted Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, as saying on Saturday.

Mizintsev, who said Russian forces were observing ceasefires, said Ukrainian forces had mined residential neighbourhoods and destroyed bridges and roads.

Ukraine has complained repeatedly that Russian forces do not always respect ceasefires so civilians can leave through evacuation corridors.

Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on Kyiv's northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunition store.

The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city, after pummelling the northwest suburbs including Irpin and Bucha.

A column of thick black smoke was seen rising from the eastern suburbs of Kyiv this morning, but there is still no sign of ground forces moving into the outskirts.

But a former NATO official said she is 'sceptical' that Russian forces will 'gain much success' from an expected brutal onslaught of Kyiv, as Ukrainians warned Putin to prepare for his own Stalingrad battle.

A despondent father plays with his daughter before she boards a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine on Saturday

A man walks into a crater created by the impact of an aerial bomb that destroyed a cultural center and an administration building in the village of Byshiv outside Kyiv

A member of the Ukrainian forces takes position behind a car in Irpin, a neighbouring city of Ukraine which has seen intense bombardment

A view of a destroyed shoe factory in the aftermath of a missile attack, amid Russia's invasion, in Dnipro

Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said

Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged

A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier (APC) in Irpin,

Ukrainian servicemen carry a dead body on stretcher in the town of Irpin near Kyiv as Russian forces close in on the capital

A tram depot in Kharkiv was destroyed by Russian shelling in the city which has faced incessant attacks for days

A resident examines a destroyed tram depot in Kharkiv on Saturday with Ukraine's second biggest city facing continued shelling

A person is carried on a stretcher next to an upturned car by a destroyed bridge as people are evacuated from Irpin near Kyiv

Anastasiya Erashova wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood

Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling

Plumes of smoke billow from a building in the strategic port city of Mariupol which has endured 11 days of intense bombardment

A Ukrainian serviceman exits a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv with Russians closing in on the city

A column of smoke rises from burning fuel tanks that locals said were hit by five rockets at the Vasylkiv Air Base near the capital

Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region on Saturday morning

Cars line the streets out of Kyiv as desperate residents try to flee the city which is bracing itself for an imminent onslaught from Russia

A Russian KA-52 gunship helicopter is seen on a mission in Ukraine in footage shared by the Kremlin's defence ministry

Five newborn babies are evacuated from a clinic in Kyiv in bags and suitcases as desperate civilians try to flee from the invading Russians

Anti-tank barriers line a main street in Odessa, a strategic port city which is seen as a likely battleground in the coming days

Eight-year-old Dima struggles between life and death in intensive care after being injured in the Russian attacks in Kharkiv

A view of the damage in a cafe after shelling in Kharkiv with its windows destroyed and glass covering the floor

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets'

People stand in front of a destroyed shoe factory on Saturday in the aftermath of a missile attack in Dnipro, the latest city targeted by Russia

A warehouse storing frozen products is seen on fire after shelling, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Kvitneve in Kyiv region on Saturday

An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian's army tank fires in Mariupol, Ukraine yesterday

Firefighters extinguish a fire on a house after shelling in Kyiv but Russian ground forces are yet to enter the capital

A monument of Odessa's founder Duke de Richelieu is seen covered with sand bags for protection, amid Russian attacks

A man walks past as a strike hits a car park in the southern city of Mykolaiv near a residential complex

A building in Mariupol is seen on Saturday after it was destroyed by a Russian airstrike. The city has seen incessant bombardment for nearly two weeks

Former deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller says she believes current tactics betray a sign of weakness from Putin's forces, saying she is 'sceptical' of any success in the capital.

She slammed their poor logistics saying she does not believe they have enough fuel supply for battle in the city which has faced constant shelling but is still bracing for an all-out assault.

Three Russian generals out of 20 have been killed so far in Putin's botched invasion, which has also seen the loss of 173 tanks, 12 aircraft and 345 troop carriers.

In an address to the nation on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine has inflicted Russia's heaviest losses in decades, claiming 31 battalion tactical groups have been rendered incapable of combat.

The president also demanded the release of the kidnapped mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was seized after he 'refused to cooperate with the enemy', sparking protests of 2,000 people in the southern city.

It comes as Russian attacks are continuing throughout the county on Saturday despite a supposed ceasefire to allow trapped citizens to escape in evacuation routes.

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: 'Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops... The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling.'

Putin's troops have also shelled a mosque housing 86 people including 34 children in the besieged city of Mariupol, whose eastern outskirts have now fallen into Russian hands. It is not yet known if there are any casualties.

A convoy loaded with 90 tonnes of food and medicine left the town of Zaporizhzhia for Mariupol on Saturday, according to local officials, with hopes that it will be able to evacuate civilians on the way back. Ukraine's emergency services said 487,000 people had been evacuated over the past 24 hours, including 102,000 children.

Mykolaiv remains under heavy bombardment, while new artillery and air attacks have targeted Dnipro and Kropyvnytskyi.




Russia is abducting the mayors of major Ukrainian cities in a bid to tighten its grip on the south of the country, with Ukrainian officials announcing a second kidnapping on Sunday.

Soldiers arrested Ukrainian mayor, Yevhen Matveyev, head of the city of Dniprorudne in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast, according to foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba.

'I call on all states & international organizations to stop Russian terror against Ukraine and democracy,' he said on Sunday.

Vladimir Putin's occupiers have also installed a new mayor of Melitopol after kidnapping the first mayor earlier in the week.

Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, was announced as the new mayor on local TV on Saturday, according to the Zaporizhzhia regional administration website.

Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, as the new mayor on local TV on Saturday, has reportedly been installed by Russia as the new mayor of Melitopol

The elected Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov, was allegedly kidnapped by Russian forces

Yevhen Matveyev is now the second mayor to have been allegedly abducted by Russian forces

CNN and Sky News reported Danilchenko was introduced as the acting mayor on local TV without an election, replacing Ivan Fedorov, the elected mayor of Melitopol.

Danilchenko said her main task is to 'take all necessary steps to get the city back to normal', in a televised statement the administration posted on Telegram.

She claimed people in Melitopol would try to 'destabilize the situation' and 'provoke a reaction'.

'I ask you to keep your wits about you and not to give in to these provocations,' Danilchenko said. 'I appeal to the deputies, elected by the people, on all levels. Since you were elected by the people, it is your duty to care about the well-being of your citizens.'

She then proposed the creation of a 'People's Choice Committee' to help administer the Melitopol region.

CCTV footage, posted on Telegram by the deputy head of Ukraine's presidential office, appeared to show a group of men escorting Mr Fedorov out of a building and across a square.

CCTV footage appears to show Russian forces apprehending Ivan Fedorov, mayor of Melitopol, a city in southeastern Ukraine that fell under Russian control during the invasion

The footage purports to show the mayor being escorted by soldiers with a bag over his head

Ukraine's parliament claimed Mr Fedorov was kidnapped by 10 armed men, who placed a plastic bag over his head. Russia has not commented on the fate of Mr Fedorov.

The clip, which has been shared widely by Ukrainian media, is believed to have been filmed in Melitopol's Victory Square in southeastern Ukraine.

Video footage, shared by officials, appeared to show crowds of defiant residents carrying Ukrainian flags as they gathered near an occupied administration building.

Ukrainian officials claimed that Melitopol's mayor had been kidnapped after he 'refused to co-operate with the enemy'.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded the release of Melitopol's mayor after his alleged kidnap by Russian troops.

Zelensky also called on Russian forces to heed the calls of residents in the occupied city who protested to demand that Ivan Fedorov be freed.

Zelensky described the alleged detention of Fedorov as an attempt 'to bring the city to its knees'.

He said the acts of Russian invaders would be treated as 'terrorism', describing Mr Fedorov's alleged abduction as a 'crime' against 'democracy'.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, speaking in capital Kyiv, said the mayor of southern Ukraine's Melitopol was kidnapped by Russian soldiers and demanded his release

'The capture of the mayor of Melitopol is therefore a crime, not only against a particular person, against a particular community, and not only against Ukraine. It is a crime against democracy itself... The acts of the Russian invaders will be regarded like those of Islamic State terrorists,' he said.

Zelensky also accused Vladimir Putin's troops of 'moving to a new stage of terror' due to a lack of support for the invasion in Ukraine.

Following the alleged kidnapping, Ukrainian officials said 2,000 people took to the streets of Melitopol to protest.

Huge crowds ignored Vladimir Putin's occupiers demands to stay away as they gathered outside the building where the city chief was last seen being dragged away by Moscow's troops.

Other protestors were pictured enthusiastically waving placards calling for the mayor's release.

Ukraine's premier heaped praise on the citizens of Melitopol who 'did not surrender to the invaders'.
The Attorney General has vowed to put Russian soldiers found guilty of war crimes in Ukraine behind bars.

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began on February 24, there have been accusations of Putin's army breaking the Geneva Conventions - a set of treaties that lays out rules for how civilians and prisoners of war must be treated during conflict.

The U.S. ambassador to the United Nations Linda Thomas-Greenfield has already claimed that Russia has committed war crimes, after the of bombing a maternity hospital in Mariupol.

While, Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Attorney General Suella Braverman stressed the urgency of gathering evidence of Russia's war crimes now.

Attorney General Suella Braverman (pictured) has vowed to put Russian soldiers found guilty of war crimes in Ukraine behind bars and stressed the urgency of gathering evidence of Russia's war crimes now

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers had to evacuate pregnant woman from a damaged maternity hospital in Mariupol (pictured) after Russian shelling

United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield (pictured at a security council meeting), has directly accused Russia of war crimes

She added she had just signed a joint statement with Ukraine's Prosecutor General, Iryna Venediktova, to reaffirm the UK Government's support in holding 'Russia accountable for the crimes that it is committing on Ukrainian soil'.

Ms Braverman said: 'Russia's crimes might be tried in the courtrooms of Kyiv, The Hague or even in the UK; but whatever the forum, it is critical to gather the evidence now... The evidence is there, the world can see it accruing. Our job now is to collect it, preserve it and use it when the moment comes.

'We have a clear message to Russian leaders and Russian soldiers on the ground in Ukraine; your actions will have consequences and the UK will stand firmly behind Ukraine throughout its journey to justice.

'We will always defend the Ukrainian people's right to choose their own future. They have chosen freedom and justice. And Russia's war criminals have chosen to be behind bars.'

What are war crimes? War crimes are defined by the Geneva Conventions - four treaties and three additional protocols that establish international legal standards for humanitarian treatment in war. Violations of the laws or customs of war, include: Atrocities or offences against persons or property, constituting violations of the laws or customs of war murder

Ill treatment or deportation to slave labour or for any other purpose of the civilian population in occupied territory

False surrender

Murder or ill treatment of prisoners of war or persons on the seas

Killing of hostages torture or inhuman treatment, including biological experiments

Plunder of public or private property

Wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages

Devastation not justified by military necessity Advertisement

It was reported that Russian shelling last week in Dnipro (pictured) hit a kindergarten, an apartment building and a two-story shoe factory

Russian troops (pictured) have been accused of committing war crimes, after shelling civilian locations including a maternity hopsital

Ms Braverman went on to say that the Metropolitan Police have issued a call for evidence from anyone in the UK who may have direct evidence of war crimes in Ukraine.

She concluded by saying: 'We have a clear message to Russian leaders and Russian soldiers on the ground in Ukraine; your actions will have consequences and the UK will stand firmly behind Ukraine throughout its journey to justice.

'We will always defend the Ukrainian people's right to choose their own future. They have chosen freedom and justice. And Russia's war criminals have chosen to be behind bars.'

It comes as the Deputy Prime Minister prepares to travel to the Hague on Monday to assist the international effort to gather evidence of war crimes.

Justice Secretary Dominic Raab, a former lawyer who has prosecuted war crimes, has previously said that the UK has acquired intelligence during past investigations which would prove 'absolutely critical' to the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The ICC has already started an investigation that could target senior officials believed to be responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide following Russian's invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
A British Army veteran has told how he blew up a Russian tank convoy in a night-time ambush in Ukraine, to halt the Kremlin advance.

Former Royal Artillery gunner Zac West, 50, from Worcester is part of a 100-strong militia defending the lives and homes of the people of Zaporizhzhya on the Dnieper river, in the embattled south of the country.

Together with his friends and neighbours, Zac, who served for 26 years in the Royal Artillery, mount nightly missions attacking Russian lines and halting the enemy advance.

On Friday night the Briton, who has lived in Ukraine for ten years, led a four-unit combat patrol that destroyed two Russian tanks, an armoured troop carrier and their supply vehicles who were attempting to overrun the strategically important industrial city.

Former Royal Artillery gunner Zac West, 50, from Worcester is part of a 100-strong militia defending the lives and homes of the people of Zaporizhzhya (pictured in Afghanistant)

Mr West spent 26 years in the Royal Artillery (pictured here in Iraq  top row, first on the left)

Zaporizhzhya and its huge nuclear power plant have been the scene of fierce fighting as Ukrainian forces continue to resist the Russian advance.

Speaking last night before he left his base to join a night combat patrol he told MailOnline how his unit was winning the fight.

Zac said: The main Russian assault force on the town is defeated. They are down to 20 per of their battle strength. We have had some success.

On Friday night we had had a very eventful night, no sleep and no peace.

We managed to ambush a Russian armoured convoy successfully.

In retaliation they destroyed a Ukrainian military ambulance, 8 KIA, [killed in action].

But in the previous action we destroyed a BMP 2 [armoured troop carrier], two T64 [battle tanks] and some supply vehicles.

Four combat patrols went out and all came back home safely.

He added: We are operating every night.

We have knocked out about 50 Russian vehicles and taken about 80 prisoners, mostly 18-year-old kids from Siberia. Conscripts. They dont know why they are here.

Zac West (pictured right, at a Royal Artillery Regimental dinner) has a Ukrainian partner and a six-year-old son. He refused to leave when war broke out and vowed to fight for his adopted country

Zac (pictured in Ukraine with his son Adam) is one of hundreds of former British servicemen who have taken up arms in support of Ukraines battle against Russia

During his 26 years in the Royal Artillery Zac rose to become operations warrant officer, the highest non-commissioned rank in the British Army.

He served in Iraq in the first and the second Gulf Wars, in Afghanistan as well as in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Belize, gaining a wealth of military experience.

So it was not surprising that he was approached in the days before the Russian invasion to teach his battlefield skills.

But the 50-year-old, who has an Ukrainian partner and a six-year-old son, refused to leave the country when the war broke out and vowed to fight for his adopted country.

Zac told MailOnline: Ive been living in Ukraine for the past ten years. I love it. I have a Ukrainian partner and a six year old son Adam.

My friends know I was in the army and about two weeks before war broke out they asked me to run a battlefield first aid course.

Now I help organize ambushes and organize patrols.

We operate in sections of about eight to ten and go out at night.

Theres about 100 of us fighting together. Im the only Brit and Im probably the oldest. But I am the most experienced.

There was no way I was going to abandon them. This is my home and I will protect it like every other man here.

They are all from Cossack stock, tough people but very kind. Many of the other lads have seen action in the Dombas.

He added: It is the refugees who I feel sorry for. They have nothing. So I urge people back home to keep supporting Ukraine in whatever way you can.

During his 26 years in the Royal Artillery, Zac (pictured second from right) rose to become operations warrant officer, the highest non-commissioned rank in the British Army

Zac served in Iraq in the first and the second Gulf Wars, in Afghanistan as well as in Northern Ireland, Cyprus and Belize (pictured here in Cyprus, top row, first on the left)

Zac West is one of hundreds of former British servicemen who have taken up arms in support of Ukraines epic David and Goliath battle against Russia.

Anyone under 60 years of age can volunteer to join Ukraines Foreign Legion but they must commit to staying with the regiment until the war is over.

However Ukraine is assured of victory due to the populations overwhelming resolve to resist the Russian invasion, the Foreign Legion spokesman claims.

Corporal Damien Magrou said: I have absolutely no doubt that Ukraine will win the war.

Our servicemen and Ukrainian people have shown in the last days of the war that they are ready to sacrifice everything and fight to the last.

And you cant win a war against such a united people.
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Gales and heavy rain is set to batter parts of the UK today  but forecasters say Britain is set to enjoy an early heatwave this year as temperatures are set to soar in April.

The Met Office say the UK could be in for a record breaking month as the mercury rises to a reported 82F because of a complex weather pattern in the tropical Pacific called La Nina

It is said to be the the cause behind these great changes in weather for the UK, as the oceanic and atmospheric phenomenon has a 'temporary cooling effect' on the global average temperature.

La Nina occurs every few years as a result of variations in ocean temperatures in the equatorial band of the Pacific Ocean, because strong winds will 'blow' the warm water at the surface of the ocean away from South America, towards Indonesia, across the Pacific Ocean.

But, for the next few days, Britain will experience unsettled conditions, with strong winds in the west, outbreaks of rain, frost, and patchy fog to form.

There will be only a few sunny spells in the south with a few heavy showers developing, with some showers acorss the northwest, moving east across northern areas.

Parts of the east and south east of England will also see heavy rain following across western areas, as well as gales, some hail, and thunder.

After heavy rain and strong winds this month, Britain may get to see a very early heatwave this year with temperatures in April looking to soar.

The wintery months are very nearly behind us for good with some high pressure predicted at the end of March, leading to 'dry and fine' weather to welcome in April.

This shapes 2022 up as one of the hottest years on record, with forecasters predicting that temperatures in April to be some of the warmest Britain has seen since 1850.

Global warming is being pinned as one of the major contributing factors to the heat we are likely to see in April, with the expectation that temperatures will be far higher than the national average for the springtime month.

The average global temperature forecast is said to be between 0.97C and 1.21 C in 2022, with a central estimate of 1.09C.

These temperatures are above the average for the pre-industrial period between years 1950 and 1900, the eighth year in a row which they have exceeded 1.0C past pre-industrial levels.

For the next few weeks however, the UK is to face bands of heavy rain, hail and thunder before seeing the sunshine at the end of March.

The wintery months are very nearly behind us for good with some high pressure predicted at the end of March, leading to 'dry and fine' weather to welcome in April. Pictured: People enjoy the weather on Bournemouth Beach in Dorset in July 2021. Temperatures last summer reached highs of 31C in the UK, including the all-time high record for Northern Ireland, 31.3C at Castlederg on July 21

The Met Office forecasts outbreaks of rain next week before a burst of sunshine on Thursday, clearing up any isolated mist and fog patches. From Thursday onwards, high pressure is 'likely to be dominate', the forecaster says

This year is the second in succession that the Met Office's global temperature forecast for the coming year is below previous years, since 2015, which was the hottest on record. Pictured, a couple relaxing on deckchairs at the beach, enjoying the warm hazy sunshine at Lyme Regis in Dorset on Sunday

Visitors pictured relaxing in deckchairs on the beach at the seaside resort of Lyme Regis in Dorset on Sunday. Forecasts show that the remaining weeks of of March and the beginning of April will see wet, rainy weather, but the rest of April, forecasters have predicted a scorching heatwave for Britain

The Met Office forecasts outbreaks of rain next week before a burst of sunshine on Thursday, clearing up any isolated mist and fog patches.

From Thursday onwards, high pressure is 'likely to be dominate', the forecaster says.

'As a result, most areas should be dry, and with a notable breeze, frost and fog should be limited.

'Temperatures mild to very mild for most. However, it may become chilly by day should the winds tap into colder air across eastern Europe.

'The sunniest weather is expected to be in the south and east, but some low cloud is likely around North Sea coasts. There is a lower likelihood of wind and rain pushing into western areas at times.'

This shapes 2022 up as one of the hottest years on record, with forecasters predicting that temperatures in April to be some of the warmest Britain has seen since 1850. Global warming is being pinned as one of the major contributing factors to the heat we are likely to see in April, with the expectation that temperatures will be far higher than the national average for the springtime month (pictured, people relaxing in the sunshine in London's Green Park during a mini-heatwave in June 2021)

The average global temperature forecast is said to be between 0.97C and 1.21 C in 2022, with a central estimate of 1.09C. These temperatures are above the average for the pre-industrial period between years 1950 and 1900, the eighth year in a row which they have exceeded 1.0C past pre-industrial levels (pictured, people on Bournemouth beach in July 2021)

Weather forecaster Jim Dale, founder of the expert meteorological company, British Weather Services, said that the UK can expect temperatures of up to 28C (82F), with hot weather to come 'fairly early' this year. He forecasted that temperatures are to reach their highest in mid April, in contrast to the Met Office's current prediction of mild or very mild weather, with some spells of colder conditions (people pictured enjoying the hot weather on Primrose Hill in London in July, 2021)

For the end of March there is a low chance of periods of wind and rain in the west, but for the first week into April, it is 'probable' that the high pressure will slowly recede eastwards.

This means that wet, possibly very wet weather can be on the cards for the UK to begin with in April.

'Bands of rain are likely to be interspersed with brighter and showery conditions,' writes the Met Office on their long range weather forecast.

'It is expected to remain mild or very mild, although short periods of colder conditions are possible. '

But for the rest of April, forecasters have predicted a scorching heatwave for Britain.

This year is the second in succession that the Met Office's global temperature forecast for the coming year is below previous years, since 2015, which was the hottest on record.

Met Office scientist, Dr Nick Dunstone said: 'Global temperature has been slightly suppressed during 2021 because of the cooling influence of La Nina in the tropical Pacific.

'With another La Nina now underway, making this a so called 'double-dip' La Nina, it is not surprising that we are forecasting another relatively cool year for global temperatures when compared with the run of years since 2015.

'However, it is still likely that 2022 will be above 1.0C and hence continue the series of warmest years for global temperature since 1850.'

For the next few weeks however, the UK is to face bands of heavy rain, hail and thunder before seeing the sunshine at the end of March (pictured, a woman caught in a sudden downpour of heavy rain as she crosses the Millennium Bridge in central London in March 2021)

For the end of March there is a low chance of periods of wind and rain in the west, but for the first week into April, it is 'probable' that the high pressure will slowly recede eastwards. This means that wet, possibly very wet weather can be on the cards for the UK to begin with in April (pictured, people sheltering from the rain under umbrellas during a downpour in Greenwich Park, south east London in October 2020)

Prof. Adam Scaife, Head of Long Range Prediction at the Met Office, added: 'These forecasts for the coming year illustrate that the rise of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere is now warming the globe at such a rate as to make the El Nino years at the end of the 1990s cooler than the La Nina years two decades later.'

Weather forecaster Jim Dale, founder of the expert meteorological company, British Weather Services, said that the UK can expect temperatures of up to 28C (82F), with hot weather to come 'fairly early' this year.

He forecasted that temperatures are to reach their highest in mid April, in contrast to the Met Office's current prediction of mild or very mild weather, with some spells of colder conditions.

Jim Dale told the Express: 'I think hot weather could come in fairly early as far as April is concerned perhaps.

'I know March is the start of Spring but I think we're probably going to get properly into April before we start to see the searing sort of temperatures... I wouldn't be surprised to see 26C, 27C, 28C in the middle of April.'

He added that the temperature profiles in the southern hemisphere of the globe leads him to believe that there will be some 'big highlights' of more extreme weather, either cold or hot.

The usual weather forecast for April in the UK can look like daily high temperatures of around 12C (53.6F) and lows of 4C.
Boris Johnson could visit Saudi Arabia this week pleading for action to help keep oil prices down amid the Ukraine crisis.

There is speculation that the PM could head for the Kingdom in the coming days for a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman.

The crown prince is said to have snubbed a request from Joe Biden to have a call on the issue of oil supply, as the West tries to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels.

But Mr Johnson is believed to have a better relationship with bin Salman than the US President, whose links have been strained since the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The PM and crown prince discussed 'energy cooperation' on a call last month.

Any diplomatic mission by Mr Johnson would be highly controversial, especially as the Kingdom executed 81 people yesterday convicted of crimes ranging from killings to belonging to militant groups.

No10 stressed that no travel plans have been confirmed for the PM this week.

However, increase in Saudi production or releasing reserves could have a significant impact in keeping fuel prices down in the UK, which have been spiking amid the standoff with Russia.

There is speculation that Boris Johnson (left) could head for Saudi Arabia in the coming days for a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman (right)

Rishi Sunak is facing growing demands for action to ease the pressure on families as prices at the pump and energy bills rocket. Pictured, prices in Wimborne on Friday

Although Britain buys very small quantities from Moscow, it is still exposed to spiralling costs on the international wholesale markets.

Rishi Sunak is facing growing demands for action to ease the pressure on families as prices at the pump and energy bills rocket.

Polls have suggested 40 per cent fear they might not be able to pay gas and electric bills if they keep going up.

But the Chancellor is understood to be resisting laying out another big package of help in his Spring statement later this month - with aides stressing that energy costs could change a lot by October.

The public finances have been hammered by Covid, and so far Mr Sunak has announced council tax rebates for many properties and a 200 loan to cut energy bills this Autumn. It will, though, be repaid by being added to bills over the following five years.

In contrast, France and Ireland are among the countries that have brought in a temporary cut in fuel duty to save people money.

Tory MPs have suggested that Mr Johnson could convince the Saudis to release more oil.

Andrew Murrison, who served as Mr Johnson's Middle East minister until February 2020, told The Daily Telegraph last week: 'The energy crunch means that jurisdictions are going to have to look further afield for continuity of supply...

'The UK has always maintained a positive and constructive relationship with Saudi Arabia based on dialogue.'
A 30-year-old man was fatally shot early Sunday as he left a party in Brooklyn, police said.

The victim had just left the party near the Tapscott Houses on Tapscott St. near Blake Ave. in Brownsville when shots rang out about 4:30 a.m., cops said.

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The victim had just left the party on Tapscott St. near Blake Ave. in Brownsville when shots rang out about 4:30 a.m., cops said. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

The victim was struck in the torso. EMS rushed him to Brookdale University Hospital, but he could not be saved. His name was not immediately released.

Police are still searching for the shooter.

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A white Nissan Rogue SUV was left abandoned near the scene and was being investigated by police later Sunday morning. (Theodore Parisienne/for New York Daily News)

A white Nissan Rogue SUV was left abandoned near the scene and was being investigated by police later Sunday morning.
The families of three Scottish soldiers executed by the IRA have told of their fury after a suspect died last week and escaped justice - two years after The Mail on Sunday tracked him down.

Anthony 'Dutch' Doherty, 71, died in Dublin almost 51 years to the day after he allegedly murdered off-duty soldiers John and Joseph McCaig, who were brothers aged 17 and 18, and Dougald McCaughey, 23, in Belfast.

Doherty was the only suspect arrested for being part of a Provisional IRA team which lured the soldiers to their deaths from a Belfast pub on March 10, 1971.

John and Joseph, from Ayr, and Dougald, from Glasgow, were killed by the side of a country road with gunshots to the back of the head.

Joseph McCaig (left), 18, and his brother John McCaig, 17, of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, who were both murdered in Belfast by the IRA in 1971

It is thought the IRA may have planned the murders for days with two attractive women used as a 'honeytrap' to entice the soldiers out of Kelly's Cellar pub with promises of sex.

Dougald had briefly called his aunt in Glasgow from the pub, who urged him to 'watch himself'. It was the last time the men were heard from.

Doherty was arrested and confessed to the murders while being interrogated by detectives in 1971 but escaped from jail soon afterwards and went on the run.

The IRA man was one of four key suspects identified by police. It was believed he had died until the Mail on Sunday tracked him down in Dublin in February 2020.

After he was exposed, the Public Service of Northern Ireland launched a review into the case.

Dougald McCaughey, 23, of Glasgow, also of the Royal Highland Fusiliers, was murdered alongside the brothers in a country lane north of Belfast on March 10, 1971

But it's understood they took no action and Doherty died last week at his house surrounded by loved ones. The families of the soldiers are furious that Doherty was not brought to justice and accused the Home Office of failing to honour promises to meet them.

David McCaughey, Dougald's cousin, said: 'We have been badly let down. This coward is dead and we have been robbed of the chance to learn more.'

Kris McGurk, on behalf of the Three Soldiers campaign group, said: 'This was a suspect in a brutal murder but the authorities allowed him to escape.

'The only words I can find to describe how they reacted to information of Doherty being alive are negligent and shameful.

A picture identified as Anthony 'Dutch' Doherty, a chief suspect in the soldiers' murders in 1971, who has died in Dublin

A memorial marks the spot where the three soldiers lost their lives on a country lane just north of Belfast on March 10, 1971

'A police force presented with proof of a suspect and a home address, yet which does nothing, is no longer a force that can be trusted to uphold the law.'

The three Royal Highland Fusiliers were the first off-duty soldiers to be killed by the IRA. Their deaths led to an escalation of violence in The Troubles.

A team of detectives identified four suspects, including Doherty, Patrick McAdorey, gunned down by security forces in 1971, IRA man Henry Canavan, who died in 2015, and Patrick O'Kane, a former British paratrooper linked to a number of IRA atrocities, who died in 2009.

But fresh evidence unearthed by the Thee Soldiers legal team in 2020 suggested up to ten people were involved in the plot.

No one has ever been charged or convicted of the murders.

Lawyer Matt Jury said: 'Despite our investigations locating Doherty, unearthing new evidence and identifying at least one new witness and possible suspect, the state has ignored the families' repeated pleas for justice.

'The Home Office promised the families a meeting over two years ago. That meeting never happened. Now it's too late.'

A Home Office spokeswoman said: 'We have received a letter from the families' legal representatives and will respond as soon as possible.'
A woman is dead after an accident where a bus carrying 50 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war overturned on a major highway in Italy this morning.

Several are also said to be injured after the incident on the A14 highway near Forli', a town in the Emilia-Romagna region in northeastern Italy, according to a local report.

News site Cronache Della Campania said firefighters were extracting the young woman's body after the incident, which happened just before 7am today.

Before it overturned, the bus had set out from Ukraine and was heading south to Pescara, an Adriatic port city, according to Italy's Interior Ministry.

Emergency services used two mobile cranes to set the bus, which landed on its side on a grassy slope, upright and remove it.

The ministry also said the passengers were taken to a nearby police barracks for initial assistance, and would later resume their journey.

It added the rest of those aboard were safely evacuated.

Some 35,000 Ukrainians refugees who fled war in their homeland have entered Italy, most of them through its northeastern border with Slovenia.

Yesterday the ministry tweeted that '34,851 refugees have entered Italy from the beginning of the conflict to date: 17,685 women, 3,040 men and 14,126 minors'.

What caused the bus to overturn was under investigation.

Before it overturned, the bus had set out from Ukraine and was heading south to Pescara, an Adriatic port city, according to Italy's Interior Ministry

This comes as explosions have been heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.

According to Ukrainian sources, Vladimir Putin's forces had launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning.

Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing nine people and injuring 57.

A woman is dead after an accident where a bus carrying 50 Ukrainian refugees fleeing the war overturned on a major highway in Italy this morning

The ministry also said the passengers were taken to a nearby police barracks for initial assistance, and would later resume their journey

As the conflict continues to escalate, the UK has been criticised for not taking in more Ukrainian refugees.

Emmanuel Macron this week condemned the UK for not living up to 'grand statements' it made on helping Ukrainian refugees and claimed that Britain's visa policy made it harder for those fleeing war.

Speaking at the end of an EU summit in Versailles on Friday, Mr Macron reportedly criticised Britain's visa policy which required applicants to make them in person in Brussels or Paris.

Mr Macron said this further exacerbated circumstances for those fleeing the war, according to The Guardian.

According to local news site Cronache Della Campania , firefighters were extracting the young woman's body after the incident, which happened just before 7am today

Emergency services used two mobile cranes to set the bus, which landed on its side on a grassy slope, upright and remove it

Pictured: Emergency service work on the overturned bus. What caused the accident was under investigation

He added: 'Despite all the grand statements...the British government continued to apply current rules that meant they did not welcome Ukrainian refugees who wanted to reach British soil saying they have to travel hundreds of kilometres in order to apply for a visa.'

The Home Office responded to Mr Macron's reported remarks by pointing to previous comments from Home Secretary Priti Patel which said: 'We are now making the process quicker and simpler by removing the need to physically visit visa application centres for many of those who are making the perilous journey across Europe.'

Ms Patel announced on Thursday that from Tuesday onwards people will be able to apply online for a visa and will not have to go to a processing centre to give their biometrics.
A 'sleazy' British Army staff sergeant has walked free from court after he put his hand up a RAF servicewoman's skirt on a raucous bus ride back from a party on the Falklands islands.

A court martial heard Sgt Gareth Cross was 'very drunk' and had been singing along with others to filthy songs.

At one point during the journey where passengers had been standing on their seats, the 42 year old even tried to take his trousers off and had been seen sucking on his finger, the court heard.

The hearing was told as the woman - who was wearing a tight knee length dress - made her way past him to get to the aisle of the bus, he put his hand up her skirt and touched her leg.

Staff Sergeant Gareth Cross (pictured outside Bulford Court) has walked free from court after he put his hand up a RAF servicewoman's skirt on a raucous bus ride back from a party on the Falklands islands

The 42-year-old (pictured) was handed a 1,500 fine and service compensation of 750

The victim then made a complaint and in a statement read to the court, she voiced her concern that women are not taken seriously in the army.

Sgt Cross pleaded guilty to disgraceful conduct of an indecent kind and has now been handed a fine and reduction in rank after a judge described his actions as 'sneaky and sleazy'.

Judge Jane England also noted that this behaviour 'is far too prevalent in the services'.

Bulford Military Court, Wiltshire, heard the incident occurred in the very early hours of the morning and Sgt Cross, of the Royal Logistics Corps, was of a higher rank than the victim.

Colonel Grant Davies, prosecuting, said: 'They had been at the same function but they were not acquaintances.

'She described him as displaying drunk behaviour and he was singing along to a lewd song.

The judge at Bulford Military Court (pictured) heard how the victim had made it clear to SSgt Cross that she did not him to be sat next to her and tried to push him away

'At one point, Sgt Cross attempted to remove his trousers.

'Because of his behaviour, she made it quite clear that she did not want him sat next to her so she pushed him away.

'She was sat next to him at this point. The victim was on her seat singing along and at the time she was wearing a tight, knee length dress.

'She was worried about his behaviour. As she was making her way across him to get to the aisle, she felt the accused touch the outside of her leg.'

Col Davies told the court Sgt Cross had been seen putting a finger in his mouth and sucking on it.

He continued: 'After the incident, the victim immediately moved to the front of the bus and made a complaint.'

The matter was reported to the military police and Sgt Cross initially denied it when interviewed but pleaded guilty when the case was brought to trial.

In a victim impact statement read to the court, the woman said: 'I do not feel like women are taken seriously in the military.

'A woman is judged on her appearance and looks and not on her work ethic.'

Col Davies added she now feels protective over her friends and no longer uses public transport.

Barry Gilbert, defending, described the incident as a 'moment of madness' in Sgt Cross' career of 23 years which he regrets.

Sentencing him, judge England said: 'Spirits were high on the bus understandably, but you went further than that.

'You put your hand under her dress, she moved to the front of the bus in a distressed state.

'You were described as being drunk that night. This was sneaky, sleazy behaviour towards a young, junior rank.

'The victim was affected by your actions: she has had to change her behaviour, how she gets home and gets back and how she dresses.

'We have heard of your courteous behaviour towards females when drinking this must have been a very out of character action for you.

'This was a one off moment of madness albeit a serious one. You are a staff sergeant and would know what was required by somebody of your rank. You let yourself and your rank down on this occasion.'

Sgt Cross rank has now been handed a 1,500 fine and service compensation of 750.
Shocking footage has emerged of a violent brawl outside a popular bar where at least one person was stabbed.

Police were called to Nairobi Lounge in Adelaide just after 1am on Sunday morning after reports of mass brawl involving knives and a machete.

A 24-year-old man was rushed to hospital after suffering multiple stab wounds, with five others requiring treatment in hospital.

Police were called to the bar after reports of mass brawl involving knives and a machete

Footage shows people fleeing the bar just moments before police arrived.

Two men aged 18 and 22 have been arrested.

South Australia Police Chief Inspector Matt Nairn said he found it 'very concerning that people are coming out at night time armed'.

'We can identify the people involved are people of African descent,' he said.

The violent bar brawl took place at the entrance to the Nairobi Lounge on Grenfell Street in Adelaide in the early hours of this morning

Police say they expect to make further arrests and have appealed for witnesses to come forward, particularly those with phone or dash cam footage of the incident.

Nairobi Lounge management told 9News that they believed trouble makers had targeted a private event being held there and had come from outside the venue.

The violence in Adelaide comes amid reports of a spate of stabbing incidents in Melbourne over the weekend.

A 26-year-old man has been killed and two other teenagers seriously injured following separate violent attacks in the city.

Another victim, 16-year-old Declan Cutler, was stabbed to death in the inner-north suburb of Coburg North after police reported he had been assaulted with an 'edged weapon'.

This comes as police continue to investigate a double stabbing in the Docklands area of the city.

16-year-old Declan Cutler was stabbed to death in the inner-north suburb of Coburg North after police reported he had been assaulted with an 'edged weapon'

Two men in their twenties from WA were stabbed following a violent brawl, one of whom later died from his injuries.

Hours earlier officers from Flinders Street Police Station were called to break up a fight.

A 15-year-old boy was taken to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with head injuries.

Three male teenagers from the Werribee suburb in the south-west of the city have been arrested and charged with intentionally causing serious injury.

A 14-year old has been held on remand in custody.

Police have urged anyone with information on any of these incidents to come forward.
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More than 2,100 residents of Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol have been killed since hostilities began, the local authorities said today.

Russian shelling of this Ukrainian port city of 430,000 has been relentless, and the number of those who have died since the siege began has increased by 600 since the last count before yesterday's onslaught.

Putin's forces hammered the city's downtown area on Saturday, as 400,000 residents remained in hiding - many of them in freezing conditions with no food or water.

'As of today, 2,187 Mariupol residents have died from attacks by Russia,' the city council posted on Telegram.

'People are in a serious situation for 12 days. There is no electricity, water, or heat in the city, there is almost no mobile communication, and the last supplies of food and water are running out.'

One man wrote online: 'Putin's scum killed my daughter in Mariupol today, saving us from the "evil Bandera" and "returning to the bosom of the Slavic peoples and the Russian world."'

They added around 100 aerial bombs have been dropped on the city. The bombing of a maternity and children's hospital wounded 17 on Wednesday and prompted international condemnation.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced humanitarian aid will reach the Mariupol this afternoon.

A convoy of supplies was spotted travelling yesterday into Mariupol protected by a group of Orthodox priests, who bravely used their religious appearance in the hope that Russian soldiers would be less likely to fire on them.

The Orthodox clergy members are said to have volunteered to accompany the convoy, which carried 90 tonnes of food and medicine, from nearby Zaporizhzhia and planned to safely evacuate civilians on their return, The Telegraph reports.

Women and children sit on the floor of a corridor in a hospital in Mariupol while hiding from unrelenting shelling outside

Emergency responders help people being evacuated from Mariupol as it faces an onslaught from Russian forces

Debris of destroyed buildings litter the streets of Mariupol as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues with heavy shelling

A large explosion is seen at an apartment building on Friday after an Russian army tank fired in Mariupol

A second video shows the damage done to city, which is located on the Sea of Azov, as a driver explores its deserted streets.

The clip shows how some bombed-out complexes have been reduced to a shell , while the facades of several other buildings show clear damage from shelling.

Satellite images from yesterday also show the scale of the devastation in Mariupol, with multiple fires in the industrial Primorskyi district

The videos emerged today as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that humanitarian aid is expected to arrive in Mariupol this afternoon, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had said.

In his address, Zelenskyy said that Mariupol was the government's first priority for aid, as 400,000 people remain trapped in the city without food and water.

Ukrainian serviceman guards his position. Mariupol has been under siege for over a week, with no electricity, gas or water

Firefighters extinguish a fire on a house after heavy shelling yesterday

The president said delays has been caused due to the 'complexity' of the route, which had led to supplies convoy being held overnight in nearby Berdyansk - a city also on the Sea of Azov, located 47 miles west of Mariupol.

Among those who are trapped, there are said to be 3,000 babies and 50,000 children, according to officials

Russian forces yesterday bombed a mosque in Mariupol harbouring over 80 people.

The Ukrainian embassy in Turkey stated that 86 Turkish nationals, including 34 children, were among the people sheltering inside the mosque. Although it is unknown whether there were casualties.

The Ukrainian military tweeted: 'The mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxolana (Hurrem Sultan) in Mariupol was shelled by Russian invaders.'

Satellite images from yesterday also show the scale of the devastation in Mariupol, with multiple fires in the industrial Primorskyi district

A fire burns at an apartment building in Mariupol after it was hit by shelling

Mariana Vishegirskaya stands outside a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling on Wednesday. Vishegirskaya survived the shelling and later gave birth to a girl in another hospital in Mariupol

Other repeated attempts to bring food to Mariupol and evacuate civilians have been cancelled due to ongoing Russian fire. The unceasing shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

A Ukrainian official said Russian soldiers blocked one humanitarian convoy headed for Mariupol yesterday and stole from another.

Doctors Without Borders said some residents are dying for lack of medication, with the city without drinking water or medicine for over a week now.

An Associated Press journalist witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment block in Mariupol and was with a group of medical workers who came under sniper fire on Friday.

Conditions at a local hospital there were deteriorating, electricity was reserved for operating tables and the hallways were lined with people with nowhere else to go.

Anastasiya Erashova wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child. 'No one was able to save them,' she said.

A Ukrainian serviceman walks near the position he was guarding in Mariupol yesterday

Parks and outdoor facilities in Mariupol were reduced to scorched earth yesterday as Russian invaders 'hammered' the city

The aid group says people are resorting to boiling water from the ground or extracted from heating pipes.

Ukraine's military said Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts.

Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea would be strategic for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as it could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky visited wounded soldiers at a military hospital in Kiev on Sunday to boost their morale and award them medals for their bravery.

'Guys, get well soon. I believe that the best gift for your statement will be our common victory!' said Zelensky, according to an English translation of a tweet posted by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

He awarded 106 servicemen of the armed forces in Ukraine the title of 'Heroes of Ukraine', 17 of which were awarded posthumously.



Among them was Senior Lieutenant Hutsul Volodymyr Olesksandrovych, who received the title for his actions in the Kherson region destroying 25 units of enemy equipment and 'about 300 invaders'.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky visits an injured Ukrainian serviceman in a military hospital in Kiev on Sunday

Zelensky takes a photo with the injured soldier at the military hospital in Kiev on Sunday as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues

Before visiting the military hospital, Zelensky warned against the formation of a 'pseudo-republic' in the south of his country

Kiev is becoming surrounded by Russian forces as analysts warn the worst days of the war in Ukraine could lie ahead

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskiy (left) listens to a chief of Medical Forces Command Brigadier General Tetiana Ostashchenko (centre)

In a speech on Sunday, Zelensky warned against the formation of a 'pseudo-republic' in the south of his country.

Zelensky said Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a break-away region in the south, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk - which Putin declared as 'independent' at the start of the war.

Protection for the two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014 was used as a pretext by Russia to start the invasion.

Kherson, a vital Black Sea port of 290,000 residents, was the first major city to fall earlier this month.

'Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land,' Zelensky said in his address.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky address the nation on March 12 after Russian air strikes killed 35 people at a military base outside Ukraine's western city of Lviv

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy listens to a chief of the National military medical clinical centre Major General Anatolii Kazmirchu

Ukrainian officials on Sunday also accused Russia of organizing a 'fake referendum' in the south of the country now partially under control by Russian forces.

'Following 2014 playbook, Russians now desperately try to organize a sham 'referendum' for a fake 'people's republic' in Kherson,' said Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs.

'Given zero popular support, it will be fully staged. Severe sanctions against Russia must follow if they proceed. Kherson is & will always be Ukraine.'

Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine on Saturday, pounding Mariupol in the south, shelling the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, and thwarting the efforts of people trying to flee the violence.

Moscow expanded its offensive on Sunday, as waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base in western Ukraine, killing 35 people.

The International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, which lies not far from the border with NATO member Poland, served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting it in its defence against Moscow's grinding assault.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, which has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the U.S. and other countries in the western alliance.

Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscow's threats to target those shipments.

An attack so close to the border was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries that gave birth to NATO and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine. A series of Russian missiles struck the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security at the nearby Yavoriv military complex

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister told Zelensky that Putin's 'barbaric actions' were 'testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity'.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Ukrainian president on Sunday afternoon, according to No 10.

'He commended the president and the Ukrainian people on their fortitude. The Prime Minister said Putin's barbaric actions were testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity,' a Downing Street spokesman said.

'The leaders condemned the murders of Brent Renaud and countless innocent Ukrainians, and the abduction of the mayors of Dniprorudne and Melitopol.

'The Prime Minister outlined the support the UK continues to deliver to Ukraine. He said the UK would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence, working with partners including at Tuesday's meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force in London.

'The Prime Minister said the UK would continue to stand behind Ukraine in all their efforts to bring an end to this disastrous conflict.'

A view of damaged buildings and streets due to the ongoing Russian shelling and missile strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an airstrike in the early morning hours on the outskirts of Kyiv on Sunday

Since Russia's invasion more than two weeks ago, at least 596 civilians have been killed, according to the U.N., though it believes the true toll is much higher. Millions more have fled their homes amid the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II.

Despite its superior firepower, Russia has struggled in its advance across Ukraine, in the face of stiffer than expected resistance, bolstered by Western weapons support.

Instead, Russian forces have besieged several cities and pummeled them with strikes, hitting two dozen medical facilities and leading to a series of humanitarian crises.

Many civilians have been caught in the barrage, and Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said Sunday that at least 85 children have been killed.

An American journalist was killed and another wounded when their car was fired upon at a Russian checkpoint Sunday, police said.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser to Rome to meet Monday with a Chinese official amid concerns that country is amplifying Russian disinformation, and Pope Francis called for peace.

In this handout video grab taken from a footage released by the Ukrainian Presidency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks face camera in a street of Kyiv on March 11

The attacked training base near Yavoriv is less than 15 miles from the Polish border and appears to be the westernmost target struck during Russia's 18-day invasion.

The base has hosted international NATO drills and a senior NATO official, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying 'the spirit of military cooperation' between Ukraine and international forces.

As such, the site is a potent symbol Russia's longstanding concerns that the 30-member Western military alliance is a threat to Moscow by operating so close to its territory.

NATO denies that it poses any threat, but Russia has repeatedly demanded Ukraine drop its ambitions of joining the alliance as a pre-requisite for ending the war.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the Russian missiles fired Sunday 'were shot down because the air defense system worked.' Those that got through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, which is less than 94 miles north of Romania and 155 miles from Hungary, countries that also are NATO allies.

Ukraine Army troops dig in at frontline trench positions to continue repelling Russian attacks, in sub-zero temperatures, east of the strategic port city of Mykolaiv,

Footage released by Russia Ministry of Defense on Saturday March 5 shows Russian soldiers took control of a military base near the village of Radensk, Kherson region

NATO said Sunday that it currently does not have any personnel in Ukraine, though the U.S. has increased the number of American troops deployed to Poland.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the West would respond if Russia's armaments travel outside Ukraine and hit any NATO members, even accidentally.

Biden 'has been clear, repeatedly, that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory and that means every inch,' Sullivan said on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.'

Lviv itself so far has been spared the scale of destruction unfolding to its east and south. The city's population of 721,000 has swelled during the war with residents escaping bombarded population centers and as a waystation for the nearly 2.6 million people who have fled the country.

Ukrainian and European leaders have pushed with limited success for Russia to grant safe passage to civilians trapped by fighting, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said authorities have managed to evacuate nearly 125,000 people from combat zones.

Ukrainian authorities said more than 10 humanitarian corridors would open Sunday, with agreement from Russia, including from the battered and besieged port city of Mariupol, where the city council said 2,187 people have been killed.

The suffering in the port city is 'simply immense,' the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday, noting that hundreds of thousands of its residents are 'facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.'

'Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell,' the Geneva-based organization said in a statement. 'Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated.'

Zelenskyy said in a video address that a convoy carrying 100 tons of humanitarian aid was headed to the city, whose capture could help Russia establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Meanwhile, continued fighting on multiple fronts heaped further misery on the country Sunday and provoked renewed international outrage.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, authorities reported nine people killed in bombings. Meanwhile, they said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and others were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east.

Kyiv Region police said on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on a car carrying two American journalists. The force said Brent Renaud died and Juan Arredondo was wounded.

Chief regional administrator Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces appeared to be trying to blockade and paralyze the capital with day and night shelling of the suburbs.

He vowed that any all-out assault would meet stiff resistance, saying: 'We're getting ready to defend Kyiv, and we're prepared to fight for ourselves.'

Zelenskyy also alleged that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials in the southern Kherson region to form a 'pseudo-republic' like those in the two eastern regions where Russian-backed separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014.

Zelenskyy reported Saturday that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war. The Russians said days ago that several hundred of their forces have died but have not given a recent updated count.

The war has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear accidents, as fighting occurred around nuclear power plants.

On Sunday, Ukraine said it restored a broken power line to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. The plant was knocked off the grid last week and relying on generators. That raised concerns about its ability to keep spent fuel cool, though the International Atomic Energy Agency played down those worries.

In some of his strongest denunciations yet of the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis on Sunday decried the 'barbarianism' of the killing of children and other civilians and pleaded for the attacks to end 'before cities are reduced to cemeteries.'

Francis said Mariupol, which 'bears the name' of the Virgin Mary, has 'become a city martyred by the heartbreaking war that is devastating Ukraine.'

In Mariupol, which has endured some of the worst punishment since Russia invaded, efforts to bring food, water and medicine into the port city of 430,000 and to evacuate civilians, were prevented by unceasing attacks.

More than 1,500 people have died in the city during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

'They are bombing [Mariupol] 24 hours a day, launching missiles. It is hatred. They kill children,' Zelensky said during a video address.

Ukraine's military said on Saturday that Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening the armed squeeze on the strategic port.

Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Zelensky encouraged his people to keep up their resistance, which many analysts said has prevented the rapid offensive and military victory the Kremlin likely expected while planning to invade Russia's ex-Soviet neighbor.

'The fact that the whole Ukrainian people resist these invaders has already gone down in history, but we do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be for us,' he said.

Zelensky again deplored Nato's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he did not elaborate.

The president also accused Russia of employing 'a new stage of terror' with the alleged kidnapping of the mayor of Melitopol, a city 119 miles west of Mariupol.

After residents of the occupied city demonstrated for the mayor's release on Saturday, the Ukrainian leader called on Russian forces to heed the calls.

'Please hear in Moscow!' Mr Zelensky said. 'Another protest against Russian troops, against attempts to bring the city to its knees.'

In multiple areas around the capital, artillery barrages sent residents scurrying for shelter as air raid sirens wailed.

A picture shows damages after the shelling by Russian forces of Constitution Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, on March 2

Russia claimed control of the southern port city as street battles raged

Britain's Defence Ministry said Russian ground forces that had been massed north of Kyiv for most of the war had edged to within 15 miles of the city center and spread out, likely to support an attempted encirclement.

As artillery pounded Kyiv's north-western outskirts, black and white columns of smoke rose south-west of the capital after a strike on an ammunition depot in the town of Vasylkiv caused hundreds of small explosions.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians.

At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

The Ukrainian chief prosecutor's office said on Saturday at least 79 children have been killed and nearly 100 have been wounded.

Most of the victims were in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Sumy, Kherson and Zhytomyr regions, the office said, noting that the numbers are not final because active fighting continues.
A Donald Trump endorsed American political candidate stormed out of an fiery interview with an Australian reporter, claiming Australia has 'no freedoms'.

Kari Lake, the Republican candidate for Governor of Arizona, agreed to sit down with 60 Minutes reporter Liam Bartlett but the conversation almost immediately went off the rails.

Mr Bartlett asked Ms Lake her opinion on the January 6, 2021 Capital Building riots, called an insurrection by some, in which hoards of Trump supporters stormed the Washington DC landmark after he lost the election.

'Well, that really doesn't have anything to do with being Governor of Arizona. I wasn't there,' she replied.

Mr Bartlett said that her being a Republican candidate made it very relevant and pointed out 'your man Donald' had called the American election result a lie despite not being able to produce a single shred of evidence.

The phrasing seemed to infuriate the former Fox News host.

Republican candidate for Arizona Governor Kari Lake (pictured) stormed out of an interview after taking an immediate dislike to an Australian reporter

Liam Bartlett from 60 Minutes was called a 'nut' by Ms Lake at the end of the interview

'Why did you say that, sir?' she challenged Mr Bartlett, who fired back saying she had been personally endorsed by him and he is still considered by some the leader of Republicans.

'I'm still amazed that you say that. That's just so disrespectful... It's just the flippant attitude. It's just, it's obvious you're trying to twist this to make me look bad.'

'Donald Trump has said those charged [over the Capitol Riots] should be pardoned. Do you agree with that?' Mr Bartlett asked.

Since the riots 786 people have been arrested and charged with crimes, with analysis from The Guardian showing 70 per cent were released on bail, substantially more than the typical rate of 25 per cent of federal defendants.

The storming of the Capitol left at least five people dead and 140 police officers injured and followed a fiery speech by Trump to thousands of his supporters near the White House.

Trump was impeached for a historic second time by the House after the Capitol riot and was charged with inciting an insurrection but was acquitted by the Senate.

'People are being held in prison without charge, that's un-American,' Ms Lake said.

Trump supporters meet police as they try to break through a police barrier (pictured) in front of the Capitol building, a symbol of U.S. democracy, on January 6 in Washington

More than 700 people have been charged over the Capitol Riots and most have been released

'Maybe they get away with that in Australia because you've given your rights away. You guys have no freedom, you melted down all of your guns.'

'We do things differently here in America, we have something called The Constitution and and we have rights.'

'I feel sorry for the people of Australia right now, what we saw happening where you have internment camps for people with Covid... these quarantine camp are the most horrifying thing a government can do.'

Ms Bartlett was referencing the tightening of Australia's gun, which were introduced in 1996 Australia after the Port Arthur massacre, where 35 people were killed and 23 others injured. A person must have a firearm licence to possess or use a firearm.

She also referenced Australia's hotel quaratine which was a system in place throughout 2020 and 2021 in which unused luxury city hotels were used to house travellers flying into the country for two weeks of quarantine due to the Covid pandemic.

There was also Howard Springs in the Northern Territory and similar facilities in use in which those in quarantine got their own cabin and were not confined indoors.

Ms Bartlett attempted to explain some of this but Ms Lake was having non of it and stormed out of the interview.

'Liam, it was a pleasure I'm leaving. This has just become comical.'

'You actually make some of the crazy reporters and people at CNN look almost respectable so thank you sir.'

She then continued her spray at a colleague in the room with her as the video interview was terminated.

'We're done. That guy's a complete nut, Seriously, a complete insane person. Do people in Australia listen to him? That's the craziest thing I've ever experienced,' she told one of her colleagues.

Ms Lake is among the most vocal Trump supporters of new Republican candidates.

Ms Lake (pictured) said Australians had 'no freedoms' and that hotel quarantine was 'one of the most horrifying things a government could do'

'I think he's [Trump] is one of the best and I think he will be back. I think he will win in 2024, with a vengeance,' she previously told an Arizona rally.

But Russia's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine has brought new tensions into the Republican party and raised questions about Trump's seemingly favourable attitude towards Putin.

Before Russian forces attacked on Ukraine on February 24, some Republicans felt comfortable echoing former President Trump's praise for the Russian autocrat as a strong leader, while denouncing U.S. policy toward Moscow.

Even after the invasion, two Trump allies in the House - Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar - participated in a white nationalist conference at which participants applauded Russia's move on Ukraine and chanted Putin's name.

Infighting over Putin and Ukraine has exacerbated existing divisions within the party formed over Trump's false claims of widespread election fraud in 2020, and a House investigation into Capitol Riots by the former president's supporters.

Trump himself has been widely criticized for describing Putin's actions toward Ukraine as 'genius' and 'pretty savvy' in a February 22 interview.
Russia is paying a 'high price' for each advance it makes in Ukraine according to the Ministry of Defence's Defence Intelligence update.

The MoD has been issuing daily intelligence briefings to the public to counter Kremlin disinformation surrounding the invasion in Ukraine.

Vladimir Putin's invasion plan has been wrecked by the determined opposition put up by the Ukrainian armed forces and public, who are forcing the Russians to fight for every inch of land.

The Ministry of Defence said this morning that Russia 'is paying a high price for each advance' in its daily public intelligence briefing to counter the Kremlin's disinformation campaign

Pictured: A graphic showing Russian army equipment that has been visually confirmed as destroyed by Oryx - a military blog that is tracking Moscow's losses during its invasion of Ukraine. Oryx says its figures are based on 'photo or videographic evidence. Therefore, the amount of equipment destroyed is significantly higher than recorded here'

Dramatic footage of the ambush purports to show at least one Russian tank and one armoured personnel carrier hit by missiles fired from behind a copse of trees

According to the latest briefing: 'Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south.

'Russian forces advancing from Crimea are attempting to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odesa.

'Russia is paying a high price for each advance as the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to offer staunch resistance across the country.'

The full scale of losses suffered by Putin's armies are unknown, but Ukraine has claimed it has destroyed over 12,000 troops, 350 tanks, 80 helicopters, 125 artillery units, 1,150 personnel carriers and almost 60 planes.

Figures based on visual confirmations by military tracking website Oryx suggest over 1,000 Russian vehicles have been destroyed, damaged, abandoned or captured in the war.

A second video purports to show a flaming Russian tank driving down a road after being hit by Ukrainian munitions in an ambush

According to Oryx's figures as of March 11, Russia has lost 1,034 vehicles, of which 424 were destroyed, 13 were damaged, 159 were abandoned by Russian troops and 438 were captured by Ukraine's forces.

Analysts on Friday warned that Russian tank commanders had effectively allowed the Ukrainians to ambush their unit by driving down the middle of a main road leading into Kyiv - and straight into a death trap.

The devastating artillery strikes came as Putin's troops inched closer to Kyiv, and saw a number of Russian T-72 tanks and other vehicles destroyed or routed in the surprise attack from the front and back of the convoy.

Ukrainian forces surprised the column that included some 30 tanks and support units, as well as a fearsome TOS-1 thermobaric launcher, forcing survivors to flee and left Russia mourning the loss of another senior commander.

Ukraine's masterful ambush in Brovary piled on the misery of Moscow's invading forces, which has suffered more losses than expected and are now facing freezing temperatures in the coming days. Morale is said to be low.

While reports said Russia's 6th tank regiment escaped with relatively minimal casualties, Russian commander Colonel Andrei Zakharov was reportedly killed, and his unit forced into a retreat. The smouldering wrecks of Russian tanks lay on streets after the fighting.

Defence experts have been left stunned by Russia's military tactics

Franz-Stefan Gady - an analyst at the International Institute for Strategic Studies - said the 'fight shows the danger of not securing urban terrain with adequate infantry plus recon. assets when main elements of a force pass through urban terrain ideally suitable for ambushes.'

Rob Lee, a Senior Fellow and military expert at the Foreign Policy Research Institute, commented on the ambush, saying the Russian armoured force displayed 'very poor tactics'.

The Russian column was 'on an obvious avenue of approach, and they still decided to bunch up like this, leaving them more vulnerable to indirect fire,' he wrote on Twitter, while sharing drone footage of the strikes.

This photo reportedly shows smoke and damage at the Yavoriv training area that was targeted by Russian forces this morning

A wounded soldier arrives at Novoiavorisk District Hospital close to the facility after the attack on the base which is just 12 miles from the Polish border

Ukraine says 57 people have been wounded in the attack on the base, which is located between Lviv and the border with Poland. Pictured above is a young man thought to have been hurt in the attack

Last night, Russian forces fired up to 30 cruise missiles at a military base only 20 miles from the Polish border killing 35 and injuring 134.

The military training ground outside the western city of Lviv is hosting some foreign military trainers and had previously been used for exercises involving Ukrainian and NATO troops.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the missiles fired Sunday 'were shot down because the air defense system worked.'

The ones that got through through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.

The military base in Yavoriv, located some 25 miles northwest of the city, was a training centre for Ukrainian forces with foreign instructors, including from the United States and Canada.

It was also a hub for joint exercises of Ukrainians soldier with NATO allies.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said 'foreign instructors work here,' although it was unclear whether any were present during the attacks.

Foreign troops left Ukraine shortly before Russian launched an invasion of its pro-Western neighbour on February 24.

The United States said on February 12 that it withdrew 150 of its instructors from Ukraine.

Reznikov condemned the bombardment as a 'new terrorist attack on peace & security near the EU-NATO border', calling for the imposition of a no-fly zone.

'Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!' he wrote.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov called it a 'new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border' and called for a no-fly zone to be put in place

According to preliminary information, around 30 cruise missiles were fired from Russian planes located over the Black Sea, which had flown out from the southern Russian city of Saratov, Lviv's mayor said.

Ukraine's Air Force Command West said on Facebook two cruise missiles were destroyed by air defence systems.

They said the missiles were fired 'probably from the waters of the Sea of Azov or the Black Sea'.

Washington on Saturday authorised $200 million in additional military equipment for Ukraine.

Russia the same day warned that its troops could target supplies of Western weapons to Ukraine.

Many Ukrainians have fled to relative safety in Lviv since the launch of Russia's invasion.

Meanwhile, Leonid Volkov, the former chief of staff to jailed Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny claimed Vladimir Putin will 'destroy the world', if he is not stopped.

He told Sophy Ridge on Sunday: 'It is now very clear that enormous cost has to be paid to stop this war.

'There are all the sanctions, of course, they also create a burden on the European economy that is quite clear. But this cost has to be paid because otherwise Putin will just destroy the world.'

Asked if President Putin would use nuclear weapons, Mr Volkov replied: 'As he is crazy enough, we can expect unfortunately everything.'

He had earlier said the war feels 'enormously painful', adding: 'I want to cry. Putin is president of Russia. This is Putin's war, not my war. I am trying to cry as loud as possible and I ask my fellow compatriots to cry.

'This is not our war, not in our name. He is doing it. Not in our name.'
Anthony Albanese has given a brutally honest interview where he revealed what he really thinks of Scott Morrison and opened up about the lie his mother told him which led him to believe for decades that his father was dead.

The opposition leader sat down with Karl Stefanovic for a wide-ranging interview on 60 Minutes on Sunday night.

He spoke at length about his 'new look' after dramatically transforming his physique by giving up alcohol for three months and cutting out carbs - all in the hope of being 'match fit' for the upcoming federal election battle.

And the competition has never been tighter with the latest Newspoll conducted for The Australian showing Mr Albanese level with Mr Morrison as preferred prime minister for the first time in more than two years.

During the segment the 59-year-old was grilled on his opinion of Mr Morrsion.

When asked if he thought the Prime Minister is a 'liar', he responded saying: 'Scott Morrison's got an issue with the truth.

'He has said things to me that are simply untrue. He stood up in parliament. Why he did it is beyond me  and said that he texted me about where he was going when he went to Hawaii. That's not true.'

Anthony Albanese has given a brutally honest interview where he revealed what he really thinks of Scott Morrison

Leader of the Opposition Anthony Albanese and partner Jodie Haydon at the National Press Club in Canberra

He said Australians had become 'more cynical' about the Liberal Party after enduring a pandemic, natural disasters and political scandals.

'You look at even the photo ops this time, whether it's the shampooing hair or  dare I say it, the ukulele playing  the welding without lifting up the mask before you weld  people look at it and go, ah, that's not really his job,' he said.

During an interview with 60 Minutes' last month, Mr Morrison showed off his musical skills by playing the ukulele at the dinner table.

The scene saw a tonne of backlash on social media, with many labelling it 'awkward' and 'cringe'.

When asked if he thought the Prime Minister is a 'liar', he responded saying: 'Scott Morrison's got an issue with the truth'

The pair met in early 2020 at a conference in Melbourne where Mr Albanese was speaking (pictured: Jodie Haynon and Anthony Albanese)

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison (top) speaks to Australian Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese during House of Representatives Question Time at Parliament House in Canberra

Mr Albanese also got personal as he opened up about his marriage break down with ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt.

The father-of-one split from his wife in 2019 after 19 years of marriage and 30 years together.

Mr Albanese shared how the break-up happened 'out of the blue', revealing the hardest part for him was accepting it was over.

'I didn't see it as ending. We'd spent Christmas together, I thought we would end our life together. That was the vision that I had.'

Anthony Albanese met his father Carlo when he was 46, he travelled to Italy to meet him after beleving he died before he was born (Pictured: Anthony Albanese with his father and his family)

The Labor leader is pictured in 1986 at Labor's National Youth Conference in Hobart when he was 23

Mr Albanese is pictured as a young man in Sydney. He became a federal MP in 1996 aged 33

He has since found new love in girlfriend Jodie Haydon but was reluctant to share whether they were in love just yet.

'That's something not for you, Karl. That's something between me and Jodie.'

The pair met in early 2020 at a conference in Melbourne where Mr Albanese was speaking.

The Opposition leader asked the crowd if there were any fellow South Sydney fans present and finance worker Ms Haydon, who lives in his Grayndler electorate, shouted: 'Up the Rabbitohs'.

As a child, Mr Albanese was told by his mother about how his father died in a car crash after they had met overseas and wed (Pictured: Anthony Albanese and his mum Maryanne Therese Albanese)

It wasn't until he was about 15 that his mother Maryanne Ellery, who'd raised him by herself in public housing, revealed the truth to him (Pictured: Anthony Albanese and his mother Maryanne Ellery)

He later introduced himself and they decided to go for a drink when they were back in Sydney.

Who is Anthony Albanese? Raised in housing commission in Camperdown, inner-west Sydney by a single mum

Became Labor MP for Grayndler in 1996

He's a Bunnies life member and loves NRL

Served as infrastructure minister in Kevin Rudd's government

Became Labor leader after union-darling Bill Shorten lost 2019 election

A long-term anti-nuclear campaigner, but has supported Australia getting nuclear-powered submarines

Has an adult son with ex-wife Carmel Tebbutt. They split in 2019 after 30 years Advertisement

Despite appearing in Women's Weekly together, Mr Albanese said he was 'protective' of their relationship.

'I'm the one running for public office,' he said.

'Jodie has to put up with...if we're out having dinner, put up with people coming up and photos and all of that. But it's part of the deal, it's part of who I am.'

During the interview Mr Albanese also gave insight into the family lie that shaped his childhood, sharing how his mother had lied to him about his father being dead.

His mother Maryanne Ellery claimed his father died in a car crash after they had met overseas and wed.

It wasn't until he was about 15 that his mother, who'd raised him by herself in public housing, revealed that the pair were never married and he was actually alive and living in Italy.

It was several decades later, after his mother died, that he decided to seek out his father.

After battling to track him, he finally met his father Carlo Albanese in an Italian town called Barletta.

Mr Albanese discovered he had a brother and sister and was stunned by the reception, given his father already had a family.

He returned several times with his family to visit Carlo, but he fell ill and died in January 2014.

In their final conversation together, Carlo told his son he was happy they had finally met.

The interview comes as the federal election due to be called soon after the budget is handed down in two weeks.

Anthony Albanese's mother, Maryanne Ellery, (pictured) adopted the name Albanese and raised him alone in public housing in Sydney
Watch as Kurdistan 24 TV, a local news outlet in Northern Iraq, continued to broadcast even after rockets smashed into their studio on Saturday night.

Multiple rockets hit a US Army base and the Kurdish news channel office in Erbil, Northern Iraq, destroying equipment and sending residents running for their lives.

But when the shelling stopped, Kurdistan 24 kept on rolling - deciding to broadcast the news even with the studio half-collapsed behind them.

'We will continue broadcasting and spreading despite substantial damage to our equipment,' said the news broadcaster shortly after the missiles hit.

View of the damaged studio at the Kurdistan 24 TV building after a ballistic missiles attack nearby in Erbil, Iraq March 13. The news outlet decided to broadcast after the strikes

A picture taken on March 13 shows the damaged studio at the Kurdistan 24 TV building

The attack happened in Erbil in the dead of night, part of the autonomous Kurdistan region

A picture taken on March 13, 2022, shows a view of a damaged conference room at the Kurdistan 24 TV building

Video footage shows a Kurdistan 24 presenter announcing the attack on the US embassy, with wreckage around him.

At least a dozen 'Iranian-produced ballistic missiles' hit the city in the early hours of Sunday, Erbil governor Omed Khoshnaw confirmed.

He said it was not clear whether the missiles were targeting the American consulate at the site, or the airport in the city.

Kurdish and US officials confirmed there were no casualties in what they're calling an 'outrageous attack,' adding that no group has immediately claimed responsibility for the strike.

'There are a multitude of potential reasons (for the Erbil attack), but the most likely is that the Iranians see Erbil as a hub for its opponents in the region to plan and conduct attacks against Iran and its interests,' Nicholas Heras, deputy director of the Human Security Unit at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, told Kurdistan 24.

'Erbil is a useful target because there are important US-and other regional partner-assets located in the city, it is easily and quickly struck from Iran or from Iraq and Syria, and attacking it sends a message to the Americans and their partners to back off from activities that the Iranian leadership views as a threat,' he added.

US Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie had warned about attacks in the area back in December, when he told The Associated Press that while American forces in Iraq switched to a non-combat role last year, Iran and its proxies 'still want American troops to leave the country.'

Kurdistan24 TV station is damaged by rockets shot by Iran into the city of Erbil on Sunday

A dozen ballistic missiles targeted Iraq's northern city of Erbil, including US facilities, causing damage but no major casualties

As a result, McKenzie said, 'that may trigger more attacks' on American bases.

Iraqi Shi'ite Muslim cleric Moqtada al-Sadr said on Twitter: 'Erbil is under fire... as if Kurds were not Iraqis.'

The attack came during a pause in Vienna over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal following Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kurdistan Region Health Minister Saman Barzinji visited the Kurdistan 24 channel in a solidarity visit after the attack, along with adviser to the president of Kurdistan Region Nawzad Hadi.

'From here, we thank all the parties and parties that have asked for the safety of the Kurdistan Staff 24, whether by sending the message or visiting us,' said the news outlet.

A man inspects the damage at a shop following the overnight attack in Kurdistan

A man cleans debris in the damaged studios of the Kurdistan 24 TV building

The US base at Erbil International Airport was previously hit by a rocket attack in September, on the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States.

It is the second drone attack on the airport in as many months. The internal security service for the autonomous region, of which Erbil is the capital, initially said at the time that three rockets had hit near the airport.

A second statement by the Kurdish counter-terrorism force said the attack had been carried out by explosive-laden drones.

The airport in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region, has come under attack several times in the past year, including by drones carrying explosives.

The last time ballistic missiles were directed at US forces was in January 2020 - an Iranian retaliation for the US killing earlier that month of its military commander Qassem Soleimani at Baghdad airport.

No US personnel were killed in the 2020 attack but many suffered head injuries.

A picture taken on March 13 shows a view of a damaged building after an overnight attack in Erbil

A woman inspects the damage in the children's room at home following the missile strikes

US officials blame previous attacks on Iran-aligned Shi'ite Muslim militias which have vowed to fight until the remaining 2,500 U.S. military personnel leave the country.

The US forces are leading an international military coalition whose mandate is to help Iraqi forces fight remnants of the Sunni extremist Islamic State group.

This is the second attack in two months, with one drone striking the airport in July. There were no injuries or any structural damage.

That attack came a day after rockets and a drone targeted Ain al-Asad air base, which houses US troops, and the US Embassy in Baghdad.

In April, a drone dropped explosives near the US forces stationed at Erbil airport.

Iraq and neighboring Syria are regularly the scene of violence between the United States and Iran.

Iran-backed Shi'ite Islamist militias have attacked US forces in both countries and Washington has on occasion retaliated with air strikes.

An Israeli air strike in Syria on Monday killed two members of Iran's Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), Iranian state media said this week. The IRGC vowed to retaliate, it said.

A spokesperson for the regional authorities said there were no flight interruptions at Erbil airport.

Residents of Erbil posted videos online showing several large explosions, and some said the blasts shook their homes.

The first missile strike is recorded in the early hours of the morning

Residents peered over their compounds to see the US consulate engulfed in fire on Sunday

Videos show missile explosions shot by Iran into Erbil, Iraq

Iraq has been rocked by chronic instability since the defeat of the Sunni Islamist group Islamic State in 2017 by a loose coalition of Iraqi, US-led and Iran-backed forces.

Since then, Iran-aligned militias have regularly attacked US military and diplomatic sites in Iraq, US and many Iraqi officials say. Iran denies involvement in those attacks.

Domestic politics has also fueled violence. Iraqi political parties, most of which have armed wings, are currently in tense talks over forming a government after an election in October.

Shi'ite militia groups close to Iran warn in private that they will resort to violence if they are left out of any ruling coalition.

The chief political foes of those groups include their powerful Shi'ite rival, the populist cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, who has vowed to form a government that leaves out Iran's allies and includes Kurds and Sunnis.
Ammon Bundy, a far-right activist whos running to become Idahos next governor as an independent, was arrested in the early hours of Saturday for allegedly refusing to leave a hospital, police said.

According to the Meridian Police Department, Bundy was among a group of people who showed up at St. Lukes Meridian Medical Center and refused to leave the property.

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Bundy, the leader of the Peoples Rights movement, was arrested just after 1 a.m. Saturday morning on misdemeanor charges. He was booked into the Ada County Jail.

Far-right activist Ammon Bundy is dragged from the Idaho Senate Chambers gallery by Idaho State Troopers after returning to the Idaho Statehouse in Boise on Aug. 26, 2020. (Darin Oswald//Idaho Statesman via AP, File) (Darin Oswald/AP)

The 46-year-old militant, who first made headlines in 2014 for participating in a confrontation with law enforcement near his familys ranch in Nevada, is scheduled to stand trial next week on three charges from a previous trespassing case at the Idaho Capitol.

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The latest arrest concerned a 10-month-old baby who had been admitted to the hospital on March 1 suffering from severe malnourishment.

The baby was discharged three days later, after gaining enough weight, according to a news release. During a follow-up appointment this week, however, medical personnel determined that the child had lost weight again.

After the babys parents canceled an appointment, officers attempted to contact the family to check on the child at a residence in Meridian. The people inside the house refused to cooperate, and police received a warrant to enter the home.

Officers then found that the parents had left with the baby. Police were able to locate the fathers vehicle and took the child back to the hospital.

On Friday night, Bundy and several of his followers showed up at the hospital to support the family.

On Saturday, he said on Twitter that his very good friend Diegos grandson was medically kidnapped because a medical practitioner called [Child Protective Services] for a missed doctor appointment. If this happened to them, it could happen to you.

In a statement, his campaign said that Bundy was standing for parental rights and against medical tyranny, and that he was arrested for the crime of disagreeing with the hospital and CPS.
Rishi Sunak insisted firms should 'go further' to inflict 'maximum economic pain' on Moscow

Rishi Sunak urged more UK businesses to punish Vladimir Putin by cutting ties with Russia today.

The Chancellor insisted firms should 'go further' to inflict 'maximum economic pain' on Moscow.

And he delivered a stark message that anyone thinking of investing in the country must 'think very carefully'.

Major UK firms including BP, Shell and Centrica have announced plans to cut ties with Russia due to the war in Ukraine.

Mr Sunak said in a statement: 'I welcome commitments already made by a number of firms to divest from Russian assets  and I want to make it crystal clear that the Government supports further signals of intent.

'I am urging firms to think very carefully about their investments in Russia and how they may aid the Putin regime  and I am also clear that there is no case for new investment in Russia.

'We must collectively go further in our mission to inflict maximum economic pain  and to stop further bloodshed.'

The Chancellor met business leaders last week to discuss UK investment in Russia and has welcomed consensus on the need to economically isolate Mr Putin and those close to him.

The Treasury said the Government recognises that winding down Russian investments may be a long-term process for some firms due to market conditions and the restrictions on selling assets due to sanctions.

The Treasury added that the Government will do what it can to support businesses that want to divest.

A growing list of UK firms have announced plans to halt operations or divest assets in Russia following the invasion of Ukraine.

Among them is British Gas owner Centrica, which said earlier this month that it will leave its gas supply agreements with Russian counterparts, including Gazprom.

A number of other UK energy companies, including BP and Shell, have moved to sever their ties to Russia due to the ongoing conflict, while British American Tobacco (BAT) announced that it will offload its Russian business.

Cigarette maker Imperial Brands, which has its headquarters in Bristol, has said it is pausing production at its factory in Volgograd, alongside all sales and marketing activity in the country.

A home on fire in Irpin, Ukraine, yesterday amid the brutal Russian bombardment
Police have named and pictured the two men who carried out the execution style killing of businessman Chris Cleave in front of his teenage daughter.

They were named as 30-year-old Jose N and 18-year-old Lenin N.

The murder weapon was also recovered after police chased the pair as they fled on a motorbike.

Police in Cancun said one of the men tried to flee after jumping from the motorbike and was arrested hiding in undergrowth while the other continued on the motorbike to try and evade police.

Police released their photographs but as yet have not given a motive for the murder.

Cleave was driving though the city of Cancun when two men ambushed him at the popular tourist resort.

The killers opened fire through the driver's side window, hitting the 54-year-old (pictured) in the head and killing him instantly

The killers opened fire through the driver's side window, hitting the 54-year-old in the head and killing him instantly.

His 14-year-old daughter was not hit but taken to hospital and treated for shock and minor injuries.

The two killers were later captured by police as they fled on a motorcycle.

Mr Cleave, who is originally from Truro, Cornwall, had lived in Mexico for more than a decade.

He became a permanent resident in 2013 and worked as an estate agent and property manager, according to police.

Mr Cleave's older brother Nick, who runs a watersports company in Falmouth, Cornwall, today told The Sun: 'We still cant believe what has happened to Chris.

'We are all just trying to come to terms with his death and all we want to do now is gather the family around so that we can protect our elderly mother.

'The family wont be making any further statement at the moment and we would like to be able to grieve in private.'

The state of Quintana Roo, which includes the resort of Cancun, has been the focus of increasing violence among drug cartels as they battle for control.

Police have named and pictured the two men who carried out the execution style killing of businessman Chris Cleave in front of his teenage daughter

There is no suggestion that Cleave was involved in drugs, but police are carrying out an investigation into why he was the subject of an execution style killing.

A police source said: 'This was not a random shooting but a targeted attack. He was chosen to be murdered.'

Local reports said a man thought to be Mr Cleave was threatened earlier this month along with two other men in a so-called narcomanta, a message left by a local drug cartel on a cloth banner, in an upmarket beach area of Playa del Carmen called Playacar.

The message, written in Spanish and removed by the police soon after it appeared on March 5, said: 'This is for you [two names redacted] from Playacar, with Range Rover and Porsche cars and the secret partners of [local restaurant name].

'We are coming for you and the sale of your s**t. Also for you Cris, with the red Audi.'

Unconfirmed local reports at the time said the mystery men behind the intimidatory message wanted to sell their drugs there.

Local prosecutors confirmed two arrests had been made over the killing. There is no suggestion at this stage any illegal activity takes place at the restaurant referred to in the message.

A spokesman for Quintana Roo's State Prosecution Service said: 'We can confirm the arrest of two men who probably participated in the incident that took place on Saturday morning in which a foreigner living in the area lost his life.

'The weapon that was used has been recovered.'

He is believed to have been followed as he left his home before being assassinated as he stopped in traffic.

Shocked friends of Cleave, pictured, who ran a property management company, expressed their grief at his murder on his Facebook page

Police said Cleave and his daughter were on the main federal highway in Playa del Carmen in a red Audi when the car was approached by two men on a motorbike while stopped in traffic.

Witnesses said the men opened fire though the open window, killing Cleave instantly.

His daughter was taken to the local hospital where she was treated for minor injuries. Local police said none of her injuries were life threatening.

The shooting took place at 9.30am on Saturday and police believe the killers had been following Cleave as he left his home.

When his car stopped in traffic they pounced and opened fire.

The killers sped away but were chased along the main Federal Highway by police and arrested.

Police said Cleave and his daughter were on the main federal highway in Playa del Carmen in a red Audi (pictured) when the car was approached by two men

On his Facebook page Cleave said he graduated from Penair Secondary School in 1986.

Shocked friends of Cleave, who ran a property management company, expressed their grief at his murder on his Facebook page.

Sue Steggles wrote: 'So very sad to have lost you Chris Cleave you were one of the good guys and taken far too young.

'I will look back on our Saturday nights with fondness, you were a big part of our life for such a long time.'

Posting photos of a fishing trip they shared, John Archer wrote: 'RIP this is the saddest news I have ever heard in my life.

There is no suggestion that Cleave (pictured) was involved in drugs, but police are carrying out an investigation into why he was the subject of an execution style killing

'You will always be remembered as an amazing person with many friends that admired and loved you.'

Four days before being murdered Cleave had posted photos on his Facebook page celebrating his daughter's 14th birthday.

The city of Cancun has long been a favourite for American 'spring breakers' but is also increasingly popular with British tourists.

But in the last year violence among drug cartels has spiraled out of control

In November 2021, a shootout between rival gangs resulted in the killing of two gangsters on a Cancun tourist beach.

Two weeks before that an American and German tourist were caught in the crossfire of a gang battle in Tulum and shot dead.

According to Mexico's public security service, between January and September 2021, the murder rate rose 80 per cent from the same period in the previous year.

In response to the violence, the Mexican government announced that the National Guard will deploy 1500 soldier to protect the tourist areas of Quintana Roo as part of the newly formed Tourist Security Battalion.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador said the region's recent violence cannot be repeated while stating that the new battalion's presence would be permanent, and its role would focus on intelligence work.

On his Facebook page Cleave, pictured, said he graduated from Penair Secondary School in 1986

Last month two men were shot dead and a third injured at a popular tourist restaurant in the area.

A group of gunmen opened fire in an attack at Art Beach restaurant at the entrance to the hotel zone in the Mayan Riviera resort of Tulum a 50-minute drive south of Playa del Carmen, where the likes of Leonardo DiCaprio, Demi Moore and Sting have holidayed.

Survivors dining at the upmarket eatery, which mixes food with live music, reported hearing at least 20 gunshots.

The incident occurred less than a month after two Canadians were gunned down and a third was wounded in a hotel in Playa del Carmen south of Cancun on the same coastline.

The victims of the January 21 shooting at the luxury Hotel Xcaret in Playa del Carmen were part of a group of 10 tourists who had traveled to Quintana Roo on the Yucatan Peninsula to spend their vacations at the five-star establishment.

Local prosecutors later identified the two 34-year-old men killed as convicted criminals in Canada and said they believed debts arising from the criminal activities they were involved in were likely to have been behind the attack on them.

They have been named as Robert James Dinh and Thomas Cheruka.

Two people including a Mexican hitman initially hired to kill the victims have been arrested.
Millions of people across China have been plunged into a lockdown on Sunday as cases of Covid-19 tripled after a surge in infections in the north east cause the worst outbreak the country has seen in two years.

A total of 1,938 new cases of coronavirus have been reported by authorities in China on Sunday, which is three times the Saturday figures.

Tighter controls have been put in place for those looking to access Shanghai, with services in the eastern port city, of over 24 million people, have been suspended after their cases rose by 15 to 432.

Anyone wanting to enter Shanghai requires a Covid-19 test to enter.

The nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down central neighbourhoods in the southern city of Shenzhen.

Neighbouring mainland cities Jilin and Changchun, in the north east, contributed to around three quarters of the total, reporting 1,412 total cases.

Entry to Changchun, which neighbours Jilin city and is within the Chinese province of Jilin, has been suspended, with families also told to stay at home.

Millions of people across China have been plunged into a lockdown on Sunday as cases of Covid-19 tripled after a surge in infections in the north east cause the worst outbreak the country has seen in two years (Woman pictured in Shanghai, China, on Sunday)

Tighter controls have been put in place for those looking to access Shanghai, with services in the eastern port city, of over 24 million people, have been suspended after their cases rose by 15 to 432 (Medical workers pictured at a makeshift Covid-19 testing site in Shanghai)

The infection numbers are low in comparison to various other countries which are co-existing with Covid, such as the UK, but authorities are enforcing a 'zero-Covid' policy which aims to find and quarantine every infected person in China.

Anxiety has mounted over the resilience of the country's zero tolerance approach in the face of this outbreak.

Another 18 provinces in northeastern cities are battling clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

The city of Jilin - which is at centre of the outbreak in the northeast - was partially locked down on Saturday, while residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were confined to their homes Sunday.

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict 'zero-Covid' policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.

Anyone wanting to enter Shanghai requires a Covid-19 test to enter. A total of 1,938 new cases of coronavirus have been reported by authorities in China on Sunday, which is three times the Saturday figures (Security at the closed entrance of a public park in Shanghai, pictured on Sunday)

The nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai and lock down central neighbourhoods in the southern city of Shenzhen (Shanghai residents queuing for a Covid-19 test in a residential compound on Sunday)

But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is testing the efficacy of that approach.

Zhang Yan, a Jilin health commission official, conceded that the response from local authorities had been lacking.

'The emergency response mechanism in some areas is not robust enough,' he said at a press briefing on Sunday.

'There is insufficient understanding of the characteristics of the Omicron variant... and judgment has been inaccurate.'

Residents of Jilin have completed six rounds of mass testing, with the city reporting more than 2,200 cases of the Omicron variant since Saturday.

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict 'zero-Covid' policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged (Man pictured guarding the entrance to a residential building closed because of the surge in Covid cases in Shanghai on Sunday)

The neighbouring city of Changchun, an industrial base populated by nine million people, was locked down on Friday, while at least three other small cities have been locked down since March 1.

The mayor of Jilin and the head of the Changchun health commission were dismissed from their jobs Saturday, state media reported, in a sign of the political imperative placed on local authorities to contain virus clusters.

Officials are increasingly urging softer and more targeted measures to contain the virus and economists have warned that tough clampdowns are hurting the economy.

In Shenzhen, the southern city of around 13 million bordering Hong Kong, residents have been caught between nerves over a renewed outbreak and angst at the swift, draconian measures to squash clusters.

The southern Chinese tech hub was put under a citywide lockdown Sunday, the local government announced, after it reported 66 new coronavirus cases and sealed off the central business district.

Home to tech giants including Huawei and Tencent, the city of around 17 million across the border from Covid-hit Hong Kong has told residents to stay home to tamp down an Omicron flare-up.

They had already closed non-essential venues and banned restaurant dining in recent days.

'It's the worst since 2020,' a Shenzhen resident surnamed Zhang told AFP.

Anxiety has mounted over the resilience of the country's zero tolerance approach in the face of this outbreak. Another 18 provinces in northeastern cities are battling clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants (A volunteer pictured disinfecting the area as it snows during a Covid lockdown in Changchun, Jilin, on Saturday)

The neighbouring city of Changchun, an industrial base populated by nine million people, was locked down on Friday, while at least three other small cities have been locked down since March 1 (Man pictured getting nucleic acid testing during a citywide mass testing rollout in Changchun on Sunday)

'The closures are too sudden, my friend woke up in the morning to find her building was sealed overnight without warning. Her boss had to mail her laptop to her.'

The Shenzhen subdistrict of Futian which was locked down Sunday is home to 300,000 people and a thriving commercial district.

It shares a land border crossing with Hong Kong, where the caseload over recent weeks has soared, alarming officials in Beijing.

Hong Kong currently has one of the world's highest death rates from the virus, as the Omicron variant cuts through its elderly population, among whom vaccine hesitancy has been increasing rapidly.

The local government in Hong Kong reported 15,789 new daily cases on Sunday, which is down by almost half from Saturday's total.

In China's biggest city Shanghai, authorities have temporarily locked down individual schools, businesses, restaurants and malls over close-contact fears rather than using mass quarantines.

Authorities advised residents not to leave the city unless necessary and tourist attractions started requiring visitors to provide negative Covid tests.

Shanghai resident Serena Li told AFP: 'I have friends who I hung out with a few days ago but were suddenly quarantined recently.

'The government's approach will protect citizens. In the long run, it's good.'

Long lines were seen outside hospitals Sunday as people rushed to get tested.

The mayor of Jilin and the head of the Changchun health commission were dismissed from their jobs Saturday, state media reported, in a sign of the political imperative placed on local authorities to contain virus clusters (Residents pictured lining up for Covid-19 screening during the lockdown in Changchun on Saturday)

Data analytics worker, surnamed Zhang, said: 'There's no other way. We definitely have to do what the government has arranged.'

As cases rise, the country's National Health Commission announced Friday that it would make rapid antigen tests available for citizens to buy online or from clinics for self-testing.

Although nucleic acid tests will continue to be the main method of testing, the move suggests China may be anticipating that official efforts will not be able to contain the virus.

Last week, a top Chinese scientist said the country should aim to co-exist with Covid, like other nations, where Omicron has spread like wildfire.

Earlier this week, figures showed that six million people have now died from Covid-19 across the globe since the pandemic began over two years ago.
The Pope has said the bombings of children's hospitals and civilian targets in the Russian invasion of Ukraine are 'barbaric' and have 'no valid strategic reason'.

The 85-year-old said Ukrainians are being massacred and that he is 'begging for an end to the war', in his Sunday address at the Vatican.

Pope Francis spoke to the crowds gathered at St Peter's Square this morning and said: 'In the name of God, let the cry of the suffering people be heard, and let the bombings and attacks stop.

'In the name of God, I ask you, stop this massacre.'

Pope Francis (pictured at the weekly Angelus service) said that Ukrainians are being massacred, turning cities like Mariupol into cemeteries and called for the Russian invasion to stop

Crowds gathered to show support for Ukraine (pictured) during Pope Francis' Angelus noon prayer in St.Peter's Square, at the Vatican

Many signs and flags calling for peace were on display as Pope Francis lead the recitation of the Angelus prayer, where he called the Russian invasion 'barbaric'

The head of the Catholic Church prayed to the Virgin Mary and the city that bears her name - Mariupol.

He said the Mariupol has become a city of martyrs in the ongoing war in Ukraine.

More than 1,500 people have died in the besieged city and the deputy mayor claimed the area had been 'totally destroyed'.

Thousands of its inhabitants remain without food, water, electricity or heat as relentless shelling continued to blast shops and residential apartments.

Russia bombed a childrens and maternity hospital on Wednesday in Mariupol, killing at least three people, including a six-year-old girl.

Pope Francis called for an end to the armed aggression, before it reduces 'cities to cemeteries', and he expressed horror over the 'barbaric' killing of children, innocents and unarmed civilians.

'With pain in my heart I join my voice to that of the common people, who implore an end to the war,' he said.

'Let there be a real and decisive focus on negotiation, and let the humanitarian corridors be effective and safe.'

The head of the Catholic Church asked those in attendance to pray in silence for those suffering in Ukraine

Crowds presented a variety of banners (pictured) reading peace in different languages while they waited for Pope Francis' prayer to begin

Pope Francis called for an end to the armed aggression and denounced the 'barbaric' killing of children, innocents and unarmed civilians

It was the Pope's third Angelus address in a row where he has called for peace after Russia declared war on Ukraine

In his Angelus address to the world Pope Francis asked for refugees to be welcomed while expressing his gratitude for the great network of solidarity that exists.

He also asked that all diocesan and religious communities increase their efforts in praying for peace.

He added: 'God is only God of peace, he is not God of war, and those who support violence profane his name.'

In conclusion, he asked everyone in the Square to pray in silence for those suffering and for God to convert hearts to a firm will for peace.

It his last 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.'

The words Russia and Ukraine are part of a banner praising peace shown by faithful during Pope Francis' Angelus noon prayer

Pope Francis said from the window of the apostolic palace (pictured), that there should be a great focus on negotiation and the humanitarian corridors

The Catholic leader also dispatched two cardinals to Ukraine last week in an unusual move, saying that 'the Holy See is willing to do everything to put itself in service for peace.

The papal almsgiver, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, a Polish priest, has been dispatched with aid, along with Cardinal Michael Czerny, who is head of the papal office that deals with migration, charity, justice and peace.

In his February 27 address, the first after the invasion began, Pope Francis' focus was still on humanitarian corridors and the innocent civilians.

He said: 'Those who wage war, those who provoke war, forget humanity. They do not start from the people, they do not look at the real life of people, but place partisan interests and power before all else.

'They trust in the diabolical and perverse logic of weapons, which is the furthest from the will of God. And they distance themselves from ordinary people, who want peace, and who are the real victims in every conflict, who pay for the follies of war with their own skin.

'I think of the elderly, of those who are seeking refuge in these hours, of mothers fleeing with their children They are brothers and sisters for whom it is urgent to open humanitarian corridors, and who should be welcomed.'
Russian agents allegedly showed up at the home of a Google executive in Moscow to clamp down on an app being used by the Russian president's biggest opponent as part of Vladimir Putin plan to shut down any internal criticism.

Google officials say the supposed FSB agents gave an order to the female Google executive to either take the app down in 24 hours or be jailed in a never-before disclosed intimidation campaign last year, according to the Washington Post reported.

After the tech giant moved the executive to a hotel room under a pseudonym, the same agents came and visited her again to tell them they still wanted the app down.

Within hours, the Smart Voting app - an app created by Putin opponent Alexi Navalny which allowed Russians to register protest votes against Putin - was taken down from both the Apple and Google app stores.

The Post was told that an Apple employee in Moscow had received similar threats from the FSB, the successor to the KGB.

The names and nationalities of the two employees for the US-based companies have not been revealed.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has allegedly made threats to big tech employees, forcing them to shut down apps

An app designed by Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny was allegedly shut down via threats by Russian agents

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began in February, Google and many other tech companies have said they'll stop doing business in Russia.

The Google Cloud, Google Pay and YouTube monetization are now effectively dead in the country as of Thursday.

Apple has also shut down many services, including its Apple Pay technology, and stop selling hardware in Russia. This caused for long lines at train stations in Moscow.

Microsoft, IMB and most of the major American credit card companies have stopped their business in the country as well.

Russian President Putin has struck back, blocking access to Twitter and Meta-owned apps, including Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp. He's also taken to shutting down independent news organizations.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai (left) and Apple boss Tim Cook

The debris of damaged houses lies on the ground near the spot where a cultural center and administration building once stood, destroyed during an aerial bombing as Russia's advance on the Ukrainian capital continues, in the village of Byshiv outside Kyiv

His most extreme tactic may be 2021's 'hostage law' which forces foreign tech companies to keep their employees headquartered in Russia.

Putin has also, of course, jailed opposition leader Navalny.

Google and Apple argue that they follow the laws of the countries in which they operate. They have condemned global human rights violations.

The companies have not yet responded to requests for comment on the report.
A senior Ukrainian police officer has accused Russian forces of launching phosphorous bomb attacks in the eastern region of Lugansk.

International law prohibits the use of white phosphorous shells in heavily populated civilian areas, but allows them in open spaces to be used as cover for troops.

Oleksi Biloshytsky, head of police in Popasna, around 60 mile west of Lugansk city, said late Saturday that Russian forces had used the chemical weapon in his area.

'It's what the Nazis called a 'flaming onion' and that's what the Russcists (amalgamation of 'Russians' and 'fascists') are dropping on our towns. Indescribable suffering and fires,' he wrote on Facebook.

It was not immediately possible to verify the comments.

Polish President Andrzej Duda speaks during a news conference with US Vice President Kamala Harris at Belvedere Palace in Warsaw, Poland, on March 10

The accusations come after Polish President Andrzej Duda said Sunday the use of chemical weapons by Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine would be 'game-changing' and require a rethink of the conflict by NATO.

If Russian President Vladimir Putin 'uses any weapons of mass destruction, (it) will be game-changing in the whole thing... for close alliances', Duda told BBC TV.

In that case, NATO, which Poland joined in 1999, should seriously consider its further moves, the president added.

'Because then it starts to be dangerous, not only for Europe, not only for our part of Europe... but for the whole world,' he added, speaking in Polish with an English translation.

Duda said Putin would resort to any means especially as he had already lost this war 'politically', while in military terms he is no longer capable of winning it.

Ukrainian artillerymen keep position in the Luhansk region on March 2

Debris in an apartment block damaged in a shelling attack after the Donetsk People's Republic and the Lugansk People's Republic reporting the most intense shellfire in months

A wounded serviceman of Ukrainian Military Forces smokes after the battle with Russian troops and Russia-backed separatists in Lugansk region on March 8

ARE PHOSPHORUS BOMBS A CHEMICAL WEAPON? Because it has legal uses, phosphorus munitions are not banned outright as a chemical weapon under international conventions. They can be used on battlefields to make smoke screens, generate illumination, mark targets or burn bunkers and buildings. But if phosphorus munitions are used against people, they are then classed as a chemical weapon. Otherwise, under international law, white phosphorus is considered an incendiary weapon. But international protocols still prohibits using incendiary weapons in civilian areas. Russia acceded to the Chemical Weapons Convention in 1997, and is therefore bound by international law not to use phosphorous munitions in civilian-populated areas. The Chemical Weapons Convention clarified the use of phosphorus munitions after US forces used white phosphorus in the 2004 Marine-led offensive in the Iraqi city of Falluja. Advertisement

Citing expert estimates, Duda said up to five million refugees could leave Ukraine during the war, of whom half will end up in Poland.

His country has so far received almost 1.7 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

'More than half of all refugees who have left Ukraine are in Poland. So if there are five million, then just imagine that we will get 2.5 million,' Duda said.

'It is hard for me to imagine. So we need support here on the ground. We need kind help, financial assistance,' he added.

Talking on the BBC's Sunday Morning show, President Duda said: 'This is something that the world has not seen on this scale since the Second World War.

'If you're asking can Putin use chemical weapons, I think that Putin can use anything right now, especially because he's in a very difficult situation.'

He later added: 'Although one can say that there is a gigantic advantage of the Russian army over the Ukrainian army.

'If you take a piece of paper and you do the math, then they have a crushing, overwhelming majority, but they are not able to win the war.'

On Sunday, the war got close to the Polish border as 35 people died and 134 were injured in a Russian attack on a military base in Yavoriv in western Ukraine, about 12 miles from Poland.

Responding to questions on Russia's use of chemical weapons, UK Communities Secretary Michael Gove said Sunday that NATO allies must agree 'in concert' any response to the threat of chemical attacks being deployed in Ukraine.

Gove would not be drawn into how the UK would respond to a chemical attack on Ukraine when asked about it by broadcasters.

It is known that Mr Putin is capable of 'terrible, terrible violence', said Gove, but added that it was not for him to specify how the UK Government would respond to a chemical attack on Ukraine.

Asked what the UK would do if Russia 'crosses the red line', he told Sky's Sophy Ridge on Sunday: 'Our response is something that will be agreed in concert with our allies and it's not for me at this stage - and I can completely understand your desire for clarity - but it's not for me to spell out in advance of NATO and our allies being clear about what the response is.'

He added: 'It would be a response specifically targeted to deal with that escalation, but I'm not going to spell out myself what that response is.'

British MP Michael Gove said the UK government would act 'in concert' with allies in response to a chemical weapons attack

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said that President Putin had 'already' committed war crimes when asked what the response to a chemical weapon attack should be.

He told Sky News: 'What I have seen already amounts to war crimes. Particularly the awful attacks on civilians.

'I think it is very important he is held to account and is responsible, and all those that are acting with him know that they too will be held to account.

'This is something which we need to make clear now so that those who are involved at the moment know what the consequences are.'

Asked if NATO should do more in the event that Russia uses chemical weapons, Sir Keir said the UK 'shouldn't be speculating' during the conflict, but should work 'in lockstep' with allies.

Refugees from Ukraine walk at the Central Railway Station in Warsaw. Poland has taken in more than two million refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine

People rush to board buses taking them to Warsaw outside the train station in Przemysl, which became the main hub for transportation of refugees fleeing war in Ukraine

The areas targeted today were not within the so-called separatist 'republics' of Lugansk and Donetsk declared by the pro-Russian rebels before the start of the war.

The Lugansk and Donetsk regions of eastern Ukraine, collectively known as the Donbas, were partially controlled by Moscow-backed separatist rebels before the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

Overnight on Saturday, a train evacuating people from the Donbas to the western city of Lviv was shelled, according to Donetsk military commander Pavlo Kirilenko.

One person was killed and another wounded, he said.

Two Orthodox churches sheltering civilians in the Donbas were also hit, the regional authorities said - the renowned Sviatoguirsk church in the Donetsk region and a church in Severodonetsk, Lugansk.

There were no details of any casualties.
A Ukrainian monastery sheltering 1,000 people was struck by Russian missiles and a train heading to pick up evacuees was damaged by bomb debris last night as more than 2.6 million people have fled the country.

Families, including 200 children, sheltering in the Svyatogorsk Lavra, an Orthodox Christian monastery in the Donetsk region, were left terrified after it was damaged by a missile last night.

The monastery says the bomb exploded 50 metres from a bridge at the entrance to the site, injuring a number of people.

Meanwhile, a conductor on a train heading to pick up refugees in the city of Lyman, also in the Donetsk region, was killed by bomb debris last night.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, Governor of Donetsk Oblast, denounced the incidents as 'hellish crimes' and vowed to punish those responsible.

It comes as the UN confirms nearly 2.7 million people have left Ukraine as refugees, with the vast majority heading west into EU countries, and it is expected this number could rise to more than 4 million in the coming weeks.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky has said almost 125,000 have been evacuated from conflict zones through humanitarian corridors.

Svyatogorsk Lavra, an Orthodox Christian monastery, was damaged when a bomb landed at the entrance last night

The church has been a place of refuge for families and people fleeing the ongoing conflict in Ukraine

Several people were injured in the incident, while windows and doors were blown out by the force of the blast

The leadership of the church denounced the attack saying it was a 'blow inflicted on a peaceful city'

He added that a humanitarian supply convoy was on its way to the besieged city of Mariupol, where 400,000 people are trapped without food and water.

The monastery had been keeping hundreds of people safe from the ongoing conflict in the region when the peace it offered was shattered last night.

Several people had to be taken to the hospital in the aftermath of the explosion, but fortunately no one was killed.

On its website the monastery said the force of the explosion blew out windows and doors, and while several people had to be taken to the hospital in nearby Svyatogorsk fortunately no one was killed.

Among those sheltering at the place of worship are 200 children, with the Governor of Donetsk Oblast, Pavlo Kyrylenko saying 1,000 people were sheltering in the place of worship at the time of the attack.

Ukrainian refugees arrive by ferry at the Isaccea-Orlivka border crossing into Romania after feeling the conflict

More than 2.6 million people have fled Ukraine since the start of the Russian Invasion last month

Latest developments in the war in Ukraine Russia has launched a missile strike on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine and wounding dozens more

Explosions have been heard on the outskirts of Lviv, a city which had been a safe haven for refugees until recently

A tank column has begun to encircle Kyiv as Russia looks to cut it off from the rest of the country

Ukrainian officials say the strategically-located city of Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after being bombed by Russia for days

A psychiatric hospital and 50 schools have been destroyed in the eastern city of Kharkiv

A mosque housing 80 civilians was blitzed and a blockade has stopped new supplies getting through to Mariupol as the city continues to face heavy bombing from Russian forces

The mayor of Melitopol was kidnapped by Russian soldiers after refusing to cooperate with invading troops

Missile strikes in the city of Mykolaiv targeted a cancer hospital with hundreds of patients inside Advertisement

He said on Facebook: 'As a result, one person was hospitalized to the hospital, two addressed the trauma in Sloviansk on their own; another 30 people with minor injuries were provided on the spot. Damaged infrastructure around the Lavra, damaged private property.

'The occupants [Russians] have crossed all possible limits of common sense and humanity. Should get the proper punishment for their hellish crimes!'

On its website the monastery said: 'On the night of March 12-13, all the refugees and brethren were evacuated to the monastery cellars.

'Currently, there are 520 refugees in the Svyatogorsk Lavra, 200 of them are children. There are about 10,000 refugees and local residents in the city of Svyatogorsk.

'The administration of the city of Svyatogorsk will soon be engaged in the restoration of energy supply in the city of Svyatogorsk and in the Lavra, which is vital, because. heating of the entire monastery complex depends on electricity.

'The leadership of the Lavra informs that there were no military formations on the territory of the monastery and the city. The blow was inflicted on a peaceful city.'

The same night an evacuation train heading to pick up refugees, including more than 100 children, in the region was damaged by bomb debris.

According to Ukrainian Railways, the train was on its way to the city of Lyman when it was hit near to Brusyn station.

The operator said one of the conductors on the train was killed, while another was injured and taken to hospital.

In a statement on its Telegram, it said: 'This is a terrible blow to those who save civilian Ukrainians every day and pave the 'way of life' for more than 2 million survivors.

'Ukrzaliznytsia is now making every effort to evacuate the train crew of the damaged train and all passengers, including about 100 children who were waiting to be rescued at the Lyman railway station.'
A bushfire is burning uncontrolled in an area of Western Australia's southwest, with authorities urging residents to leave now.

The emergency warning covers Yeagarup, including the Donnelly River Huts, in the shire of Manjimup, about 300km south of Perth.

The warning says people in the area are in danger and need to act immediately to survive, with the fire a threat to lives and homes.

The authorities are urging residents to leave now with the order covering Yeagarup about 300km south of Perth (picture from December)

The alert level for the fire has been upgraded due to weather conditions and the fire is escalating in heavy fuels.

The fire started near Ritter Road and Fly Brook Road, and is now moving slowly northwest.

Residents are being advised to leave now for a safer place.

If they cannot leave, they are advised to prepare to shelter in a room with water and two exits, such as a kitchen or laundry.

More than 70 firefighters are at the scene working to strengthen containment lines.

Aerial support has been sent to assist ground crews.
Rishi Sunak is expected to hold off on major action to ease the impact of soaring energy bills in his Spring statement next week.

The Chancellor is under huge pressure to give more help to struggling families as the standoff with Russia sends costs spiralling.

Polls have suggested 40 per cent fear they might not be able to pay gas and electric bills if they keep going up.

But the Chancellor is understood to be resisting laying out another big package of help in his Spring statement later this month - with aides stressing that costs could change a lot by October when the price cap will change again.

Instead there is speculation he could focus on support for universal credit, while Boris Johnson could lay out a wider energy strategy as soon as this week.

The public finances have been hammered by Covid, and so far Mr Sunak has announced council tax rebates for many properties and a 200 loan to cut energy bills this Autumn.

However, the repayments are being added to bills over the following five years.

Rishi Sunak (left) is under huge pressure to give more help to struggling families as the standoff with Vladimir Putin (right) sends costs spiralling

Although Britain buys very small quantities of gas from Russia, it is still exposed to spiralling costs on the international wholesale markets

And shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves said that the planned national insurance rise next month will 'demolish any benefit' from the bailout by costing the average worker 342 next year.

In contrast to the limited response in the UK, France and Ireland are among the countries that have brought in a temporary cut in fuel duty to save people money.

Meanwhile, Mr Johnson could visit Saudi Arabia this week pleading for action to help keep oil prices down amid the Ukraine crisis.

Rumours are swirling that the PM could head for the Kingdom in the coming days for a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman.

The crown prince is said to have snubbed a request from Joe Biden to have a call on the issue of oil supply, as the West tries to wean itself off Russian fossil fuels.

But Mr Johnson is believed to have a better relationship with bin Salman than the US President, whose links have been strained since the killing of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The PM and crown prince discussed 'energy cooperation' on a call last month.

Any diplomatic mission by Mr Johnson would be highly controversial, especially as the Kingdom executed 81 people yesterday convicted of crimes ranging from killings to belonging to militant groups.

No10 stressed that no travel plans have been confirmed for the PM this week.

However, increase in Saudi production or releasing reserves could have a significant impact in keeping fuel prices down in the UK, which have been spiking amid the standoff with Russia.

There is speculation that Boris Johnson (left) could head for Saudi Arabia in the coming days for a meeting with Mohammed bin Salman (right)

Rishi Sunak is facing growing demands for action to ease the pressure on families as prices at the pump and energy bills rocket. Pictured, prices in Wimborne on Friday

Although Britain buys very small quantities from Moscow, it is still exposed to spiralling costs on the international wholesale markets.

Tory MPs have suggested that Mr Johnson could convince the Saudis to release more oil.

Andrew Murrison, who served as Mr Johnson's Middle East minister until February 2020, told The Daily Telegraph last week: 'The energy crunch means that jurisdictions are going to have to look further afield for continuity of supply...

'The UK has always maintained a positive and constructive relationship with Saudi Arabia based on dialogue.'
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An American freelance filmmaker who was shot dead by Russian troops while filming refugees in Irpin, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, had an eerily similar brush with death during a previous assignment in Cambodia.

Brent Renaud, 50, was in a car with other journalists when Putin's troops opened fire. He was fatally-shot in the neck, with one of his colleagues also injured.

A tribute piece in the New York Times revealed Renaud had survived a similar incident during a previous mission to Cambodia in the early 1990s, after driving through a military checkpoint with locals. That prompted soldiers stationed there to open fire on him, although Renaud survived that incident unscathed.

Discussing the incident - which happened shortly after he graduated, Renaud told Filmmaker magazine: 'On the first day filming I found myself on the wrong side of town with the wrong players, and nearly got killed when the car I was riding in busted through a military checkpoint, drawing fire on the car from the soldiers.'

Brent Renaud, 50, was in a car with other journalists when Putin's troops opened fire on him. He has worked in numerous conflict zones around the world and had won awards for his documentaries

Revealing another near-deadly scrape, he continued: 'On another occasion I jumped on a motorbike with a translator and rode into the jungle for an interview with a villager I had managed to set up. What I failed to realize was that the subject I was to interview lived in a village still controlled by the Khmer Rouge, the brutal communist rebels who were responsible for killing one third of the entire population of the country in the 1970s.

'Things got bad enough that it required a heavily armed military rescue  fortunately orchestrated by the general I had made friends with at the beginning of the trip.'

Although Renaud was carrying a New York Times press badge at the time of his death, he was in fact working as a freelancer on a global film about refugees commissioned by Time magazine's studio division.

Renaud's death was announced by Andrey Nebitov, the head of Kyiv's police department, who said he paid 'with his life for trying to highlight the aggressor's ingenuity, cruelty and ruthlessness.'

But less than a decade earlier, Renaud recalled how he had found himself working under similar life-threatening situations. He was attacked by thugs while reporting on a crackdown against the Muslim Brotherhood in Cairo and found himself at gunpoint several times while working on documentaries in both Mexico and Cambodia.

Brent Renaud, right, often worked alongside his brother Craig, left, as they crafted weighty documentaries together. They are pictured received a Peabody Award in May 2015. Craig no long visited war zones or areas of conflict because he has a family

This is the badge freelance journalist Brent Renaud was carrying when he was shot and killed in Irpin, Ukraine, today while filming refugees

Renaud with his brother, Craig, another filmmaker. The pair are experienced in conflict zones although only Brent was in Ukraine when he was killed

Craig, left, and Brent, right, are pictured with their friend Christof Putzel, center, while filming in Juarez, Mexico in 2013

On another occasion, while working in Mexico in 1994, Renaud decided to travel by himself through the state of Chiapas close to the border with Guatemala, during the Zapatista uprising.

'With absolutely no experience abroad, and way too much confidence in the very little Spanish I spoke at the time, I also failed to understand the extent of the dangers around me. Long story short, a soldier held a 9 mm pistol to my head while another attempted to dangle me off the side of an ancient pyramid.'

'There is so much you cannot control in a conflict zone, but you can get really good at judging risk accurately, and that can save your life more than anything else,' he continued. 'Knock on wood, there are many situations we get ourselves into that we honestly believe are not dangerous for us, but might likely get someone less experienced killed.

In Cambodia, in the early 90s, Renaud, pictured, told how he was working in the country alongside his brother Craig when he was fired upon having driven through a checkpoint

'It's a game of percentages, and even in the most dangerous places on earth your chances of survival are really high, and if you have a little extra experience with negotiating roadblocks, negotiating with warlords, and knowing where to stand when things get hairy, you really can do the job fairly safely. If we did not believe that we wouldn't do it.'

Sadly, Renaud lost his life on Sunday as he crossed just such a checkpoint that he had described years earlier.

Captain Oleksandr Bogai, the deputy chief of police in Irpin, said Renaud was shot in the head when Russian forces fired at his car. The vehicle was being driven by a local civilian across a Ukrainian checkpoint.

Another US journalist who survived the attack spoke to a reporter for Italian paper Internazionale from the hospital.

Juan Arredondo said Renaud had been shot in the neck and 'had to be left behind'.

'We had crossed the first bridge in Irpin. We were going to film other refugees leaving we got into a car. Somebody offered to take us to the other bridge. We crossed a checkpoint and they started shooting at us. The driver turned around, there were two of us. My friend is Brent Renaud. He has been shot and left behind. I saw he has been shot in the neck. We got split,' he said.

Born in Memphis in 1971, Renaud grew up in Little Rock, Arkansas, a town along with New York that he still called home. His father, Louis, was a salesman, while his mother, Georgann Freasier, was a social worker.

In the late 1990s he earned a masters degree at Columbia University Teacher's College and started working at the Downtown Community Television Center, an organization and teaches filmmaking. His brother Craig was hit by the same filmmaking bug and moved to the city to join him.

Alongside his brother, he is survived by both of his parents and a sister, Michele Purifoy.

Signs and pictures of those killed, including journalist Brent Renaud, are displayed on a fence during a protest against Russia's invasion of Ukraine outside of the White House, on Sunday, in Washington D.C.

Actress Lea Thompson paid tribute to Brent Renaud and shared a photograph from when they met at the Little Rock Film Festival

Friends and colleagues with whom Brent had worked alongside over the years posted their own tributes to him. Left, Journalist Matthew Teague, who once traveled the world as a foreign correspondent posted a tribute

A family friend paid tribute to her friend who lost his life this weekend

Brent Renaud is pictured in a tweet posted from 2012 with caption: #Renaud Brothers filming in a #Newari village in hills of Nepal

Brent was working for the television and film division of Time Magazine on a series about refugees around the world called Tipping Point.

'Brent was in the region working on a Time Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis,' the editor in chief of Time, Edward Felsenthal, and the president of Time and Time Studios, Ian Orefice, said in a statement.

Statement by VICE Media Group on the killing of journalist Brent Renaud in Ukraine

'Our hearts are with all of Brent's loved ones. It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.'

The Renaud brothers had long covered stories of migration under the desperate circumstances and had made documentaries about Haitians deported from the U.S. and children escaping poverty and violence in Latin America.

The brothers tackled tough issues including the drugs war, addiction, gang violence, homelessness and environmental disasters.

The White House has not yet commented on Renaud's death but National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan called it 'shocking and horrifying.' He said the US would consult with Ukrainian officials about what to do next.

It remains unclear if Biden will retaliate against Putin. Earlier on Sunday, Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Putin is finally starting to show signs of 'willingness' to negotiate to end the war but that up until now he has seemed 'intent on destroying Ukraine'.

Ukrainian soldiers transport a dead body out the besieged city of Irpin, Ukraine, on Sunday

A body of a deceased person is wrapped up and sits awaiting an ambulance transport outside of Irpin, Ukraine, Sunday

The other US journalist in the truck is Juan Arreondo. He is shown in the hospital speaking to an Italian newspaper about how they were driving across a bridge when Russian troops opened fire on them after a checkpoint

Colombian American photographer Juan Arredondo survived the attack. He is in the hospital now being treated for a gunshot wound

PBS reporter Jane Ferguson tweeted from the scene on Sunday that Ukrainian police are 'outraged' by the killing. The US has not commented

Renaud was filming a global film about refugees when he was killed in Irpin on Sunday. It is a suburb of Kyiv, which many are fleeing this week

Putin shows 'willingness' to negotiate, US says Russia is showing signs of a willingness to engage in substantive negotiations over Ukraine, even as Moscow currently is intent on 'destroying' its neighbor, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Sunday. Sherman, in an interview with 'Fox News Sunday', said the United States is putting 'enormous pressure' on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a cease-fire in its weeks-old invasion of Ukraine and to allow the creation of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to escape. 'That pressure is beginning to have some effect. We are seeing some signs to have real, serious negotiations. But I have to say... so far it appears Vladimir Putin is intent on destroying Ukraine,' Sherman said. Earlier, she said: 'Right now it looks like it ends very badly already for the Ukrainian people. It is just awful. Particularly in Mauripol where people are going to starve to death or freeze to death or die because they don't have their medicine. It is truly horrifying. 'There are two objectives that we have - one is to support Ukraine in every way we can. The second is to put enormous pressure on Vladimir Putin to change his calculus to either end this war, get a ceasefire in the first instance and to get humanitarian corridors. 'That pressure is beginning to have some effect we are seeing signs of willingness to have real, serious negotiations but I have to say so far, it appears Vladimir Putin is intent on destroying Ukraine,' she said. Advertisement

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in an appearance on CNN on Sunday morning: 'It is a shocking and horrifying event.

'It is one more example of the brutality of Vladimir Putin and his forces as they target schools, mosques, hospitals and journalists.

'It is why we are working so hard to impose severe consequences on him and to try to help Ukrainians with every type of military assistance we can muster to be able to push back against the onslaught of these Russian forces.'

PBS reporter Jane Ferguson, who is in Ukraine, tweeted: 'Just left roadside spot near Irpin where body of American journalist Brent Renaud lay under a blanket. Ukrainian medics could do nothing to help him by that stage.

'Outraged Ukrainian police officer: 'Tell America, tell the world, what they did to a journalist.''

Tributes are now pouring in to Renaud.

Christof Putzel, a friend who worked with him, told The Associated Press: 'This guy was the absolute best.

'He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know.

'This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.'

The Times has issued a statement to clarify that while Renaud worked for them in the past, he was not in Ukraine on assignment for them.

'We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud's death. Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker who contributed to The New York Times over the years.

'Early reports that he worked for The Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago,' Cliff Levy, Deputy Managing Editor, said in a statement.

He added: 'Brent's death is a terrible loss.

'Brave journalists like Brent take tremendous risks to bear witness and to tell the world about the devastation and suffering caused by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

David Rummel, who was a former senior producer of video at The New York Times said the Renaud's brothers reporting would often examine unexplored angles, such as the children of Mexican gang members.

'I'd never seen anything like that before,They'd take the time to find the story that nobody else was doing,' Rummel said, noting that he 'was often concerned about their well-being,' while adding, 'It wasn't like they were oblivious to the consequences of going where they went. They weren't taking inordinate risks.'

Renaud would often spend a year covering one particular subject in order to immerse himself in the story. He rarely used crews or even tools such as a tripod of light.

'It's about being so close you're almost seeing things from the subject's point of view,' he told the trade publication American Cinematographer in 2007. 'We try to disappear.'

The White House has not commented on Renaud's death.

President Biden has taken a firm stance on not sending American troops into the conflict.

He has instead sanctioned Putin economically, along with the rest of the Western world, and has given Zelensky arms and aid.

On February 15, he warned: 'We are not seeking direct confrontation with Russia, though I have been clear that if Russia targets Americans in Ukraine, we will respond forcefully.'

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in an appearance on CNN on Sunday morning: 'It is a shocking and horrifying event. It is one more example of the brutality of Vladimir Putin and his forces as they target schools, mosques, hospitals and journalists.'

Irpin, the city west of Kyiv where Renaud was working alongside another journalist when he was shot and killed on Sunday in Ukraine

Refugees march across a destroyed bridge in Irpin on Saturday as they try to flee the region. Renaud was filming more today when he was shot and killed

A Ukrainian man helps an elderly woman flee the city of Irpin as it comes under attack by Russian forces on March 12

Ukrainian troops in Irpin on Sunday carrying rocket-propelled grenades. The city is next to the capital of Kyiv

A home on fire in the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, where Renaud was working on Sunday

The New York Times' Deputy Managing Editor Cliff Levy tweeted that Renaud was not on assignment for the newspaper when he was killed

Renaud born in Tennessee but is understood to have lived in Little Rock, Arkansas. It's unclear if he is married or if he has a family.

He is best known for working with his brother, Craig, on films including a series that aired on the Discovery Channel about soldiers from Arkansas deployed to Afghanistan.

Putin's army is now expanding its assault on Ukraine and targeting cities that are closer to NATO ground. On Sunday, explosions were heard in the western city of Lviv, a haven for refugees.

As the war continued, Pope Francis on Sunday begged Putin to stop the fighting.

'In the name of God, I ask you, stop this massacre. With pain in my heart I join my voice to that of the common people, who implore an end to the war.

'Let there be a real and decisive focus on negotiation, and let the humanitarian corridors be effective and safe,' he told crowds gathered in Vatican Square.

In the last week, Russian forces have bombed a maternity hospital in Mauripol and a hospital for the disabled.
A woman working at an assisted living facility in Iowa has been arrested after a 77-year-old woman in her care froze to death outside.

Catherine Forkpa, 30, has been charged with dependent adult abuse and intentional reckless abuse in the January death of Lynne Harriet Stewart, according to KCCI.

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Forkpa was working at Courtyard Estates in Bondurant when Stewart was found outside in temperatures as low as -9 degrees. Stewart was rushed to the hospital, where she died. An official cause of death has not been released but deputies told the station that she died of hypothermia.

Catherine Forkpa

At the time, officials called Stewarts death suspicious, according to KCCI.

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Its unclear what role Forkpa played and a spokesperson for the Polk County Sheriffs Department did not immediately return a request for comment from the Daily News Sunday.

Forkpa is being held on a $100,000 bond, according to online jail records.
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Russian police have detained nearly 300 people for taking part in anti-war protests against Vladimir Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

Demonstrations have been taking place in many locations across Russia to protest against the Russian-led conflict.

This comes as figures show 14,219 people in 112 cities across Russia have been arrested for their part in anti-war protests since the start of the invasion on Ukraine, according to independent human rights body OVD-Info.

The monitoring site said that at least 359 people in 28 cities have been detained by police since 24 February.

They added that the real figure of those arrested could be even higher.

Russian police have detained nearly 300 people for taking part in anti-war protests against Vladimir Putin's unprovoked invasion of Ukraine (Police pictured detaining a man during a protest in Manezhnaya Square in central Moscow)

Demonstrations have been taking place in many locations across Russia to protest against the Russian-led conflict (Man being detained during a protest against Russian military action in Ukraine in Moscow)

This comes as figures show 14,219 people in 112 cities across Russia have been arrested for their part in anti-war protests since the start of the invasion on Ukraine, according to independent human rights body OVD-Info (Man being detained in central Moscow on Sunday)

As the conflict continues for a third week, Russian protests across the country against Putin's 'military operation' on Ukraine continue to go on despite the thousands who have been detained for doing so.

An journalist with AFP, who was present at a protest in the capital Moscow on Sunday, witnessed at least a dozen arrests.

They added that police were taking away anybody without press papers.

Videos show officers using truncheons and stun guns in a brutal bid to stamp out any opposition to the invasion of Ukraine on a record day of arrests.

Police officers in central Moscow were seen manhandling many people who took part in the protests against Russian military action, in Manezhnaya Square on Sunday.

The monitoring site said that at least 359 people in 28 cities have been detained by police since 24 February. They added that the real figure of those arrested could be even higher (A woman being escorted away by police from the protest in Manezhnaya Square)

As the conflict continues for a third week, Russian protests across the country against Putin's 'military operation' on Ukraine continue to go on despite the thousands who have been detained for doing so (police detaining a man in central Moscow on Sunday)

An journalist with AFP, who was present at a protest in the capital Moscow on Sunday, witnessed at least a dozen arrests. They added that police were taking away anybody without press papers (Police carrying the bicycle of a detained person during a protest in Moscow on Sunday)

Videos show officers using truncheons and stun guns in a brutal bid to stamp out any opposition to the invasion of Ukraine on a record day of arrests (pictured on Sunday 13 March)

Police officers in central Moscow were seen manhandling many people who took part in the protests against Russian military action, in Manezhnaya Square on Sunday

A young woman was shouting 'peace to the world' as she was taken away by two policemen, the journalist saw.

Some of the riot police had the letter 'Z' in the colours of the Russian flag on their helmets.

The letter, seen on Russian tanks and vehicles in Ukraine, has become a symbol of support for what Moscow calls its 'special military operation'.

In Russia's second city Saint Petersburg, AFP saw multiple arrests, including a protester being dragged across the ground.

Footage shared on social media shows the moment a Russian police officer grabs a woman protesting in Moscow against the war in Ukraine.

He drags her back and yells: 'Well, you don't f*****ng understand!'.

Footage shared on social media shows the moment a Russian police officer grabs a woman protesting in Moscow against the war in Ukraine. He drags her back and yells: 'Well, you don't f*****ng understand!' (pictured)

The city's central Nevsky Avenue was closed off by police with a dozen police vans parked along the road. According to AFP, several journalists were detained (man pictured being carried away by police in Manezhnaya Square, Moscow)

The city's central Nevsky Avenue was closed off by police with a dozen police vans parked along the road.

According to AFP, several journalists were detained.

Dressed in a yellow hat and blue jacket, 20-year-old Kristina said she was 'expressing her protest' by wearing the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

'It's scary to go outside, of course, they are detaining everyone. Many of my friends have been detained in the past few days, some were even expelled from university,' she told AFP.

Last weekend, police arrested more than 5,000 protesters across Russia, with Vladimir Putin's brutal crackdown of anti-war dissent continued with his army of police thugs savagely beating up those demonstrating.

On Sunday 6 March alone, 5,016 people were detained across the country for attending unsanctioned demonstrations, risking charges of treason.

Last weekend, police arrested more than 5,000 protesters across Russia, with Vladimir Putin's brutal crackdown of anti-war dissent continued with his army of police thugs savagely beating up those demonstrating

On Sunday 6 March alone, 5,016 people were detained across the country for attending unsanctioned demonstrations, risking charges of treason

In Yekaterinburg last week, one driver was stopped, dragged out of the car and detained after he honked in support of protesters, while others were whacked with batons for innocuous reasons such as filming a rally (people pictured being detained by police in central Moscow on Sunday for protesting against the Russian invasion of Ukraine)

In Yekaterinburg last week, one driver was stopped, dragged out of the car and detained after he honked in support of protesters, while others were whacked with batons for innocuous reasons such as filming a rally.

In Krasnoyarsk, a policeman was seen erasing a 'No to War' slogan written in the snow.

In Kaliningrad, an elderly woman lectured police: 'I survived the Leningrad Siege! My father died at the front [] What do you want from me?'

Police Officers block the street during a demonstration against the Russian military operation

Another said: 'We have friends and family in Ukraine! You came to support the fascists?'

The officers then ordered them all arrested.

Thousands of protesters chanted 'No to war!' and 'Shame on you!', according to videos posted on social media by opposition activists and bloggers.

Memorial, Russia's most prominent rights group, said that one of its leading activists, Oleg Orlov, was detained on Moscow's Manezhnaya Ploshchad square as he held a placard.

'The screws are being fully tightened - essentially we are witnessing military censorship,' Maria Kuznetsova, OVD-Info's spokeswoman, said by telephone from Tbilisi.

Heavy-handed Russian police arrest protester in Yekaterinburg, where he can be seen resisting their pushes towards the bus where they lead him to

'We are seeing rather big protests today, even in Siberian cities where we only rarely saw such numbers of arrests.'

To further stifle criticism, Putin on Friday signed into law a bill that introduces jail terms of up to 15 years for fake news about the Russian army.

The bill stipulates jail terms of varying lengths and fines against people who publish "knowingly false information" about the military, with harsher penalties to hit when dissemination is deemed to have serious consequences.

Protesters risk fines and possible prison sentences by taking to the streets.
A 13-year-old girl has been missing for two days having last been seen at 1.30pm on Friday in West London.

Scotland Yard has launched an urgent appeal to the public for their help in finding Katie, from Hillingdon. The force said she was last seen wearing black leggings and a black puffer coat.

Anyone with any information on Katie's whereabouts is urged to call police on 101, tweet @MetCC or call @missingpeople on 116000, quoting reference CAD 4397/11MAR.

Katie, 13, from Hillingdon, west London, pictured, was last seen at 1.30pm on Friday wearing black leggings and a black puffer coat. Anyone with information as to her whereabouts is asked to call Scotland Yard on 101 or call @missingpeople on 116000

The Met's urgent appeal posted on social media reads: Katie, 13, was last seen at 1.30pm on Friday, March 11, in Hillingdon. She was last seen wearing black leggings and a black puffer coat.

'Any information on her whereabouts to call police on 101, tweet @MetCC or call @missingpeople on 116000 and quote our reference CAD 4397/11MAR.'
Jake Sullivan warned President Vladimir Putin on Sunday that there will be 'appropriate consequences' after Russian troops shot and killed an American journalist in Ukraine.

'Well, this is obviously shocking and horrifying,' Sullivan told CBS Face the Nation on Sunday morning. 'I've just learned about it as I came on to air here.'

'I will be consulting with my colleagues, we'll be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of it,'Biden's national security adviser added.

American freelance filmmaker Brent Renaud, 51, was shot dead while covering the war in Ukraine, Kyiv police announced on Sunday.

The White House did not respond to a DailyMail.com request for comment from President Joe Biden and no official statement has been released on Renaud's death. It is also not clear if there will be additional action taken by the U.S. in response to the new boundary crossed by Russia on its 17th day of invasion in Ukraine.

Initially, Renaud was thought to have been on assignment for The New York Times because he was carrying a press badge that listed the newspaper as his publication. The Times, however, clarified that he was not on assignment for the newspaper when he was shot and killed.

It was later revealed Sunday that Renaud was in Eastern Europe working on a film for Time Studios.

'We are devastated by the loss of Brent Renaud,' Time released in a statement Sunday. 'As an award-winning filmmaker and journalist, Brent tackled the toughest stories around the world often alongside his brother Craig Renaud.

'In recent weeks, Brent was in the region working on a TIME Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis,' the statement added. 'Our hearts are with all of Brent's loved ones. It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.'

Renaud was in a car with other journalists in Irpin, Ukraine when Russian troops opened fire. He was shot dead and one of his colleagues was injured.

'I'm obviously sad for that journalist  the journalist's family. But this is the kind of thing that happens when you fail at the core missions of American security, which is to deter the bad guys from continued aggression,' Trump-era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News Sunday Morning Futures host Maria Bartiromo.

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that the U.S. will 'measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of' Russian troops shooting and killing an American journalist covering the war in Ukraine

Freelance video journalist Brent Renaud, 51, was in a truck with other journalists in Irpen when Russian troops opened fire. He was shot and killed

Renaud was in Irpin, Ukraine covering the refugee crisis as people flee the country on the 17th day of Russian invasion. Pictured: Refugees flee Ukraine at the Vysne Nemecke border crossing on Sunday, March 13, 2022

'The Biden administration has been behind since last summer  we think about this now as being less than three weeks old  but of course we've known for months that Vladimir Putin was building forces and building capability,' he added. 'We should have been helping the Ukrainians building forces and capability. And we were too late, too slow, too small at every turn. We still are.'

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman told Fox News Sunday that Russia is showing signs of a willingness to engage in substantive negotiations over Ukraine, even as Moscow currently is intent on 'destroying' its neighbor.

He said the U.S. is putting 'enormous pressure' on Putin to agree to a cease-fire and to allow the creation of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to escape.

'That pressure is beginning to have some effect. We are seeing some signs to have real, serious negotiations,' Sherman said. 'So far it appears Vladimir Putin is intent on destroying Ukraine.'

The comments came shortly after news of Renaud's death broke.

Former aide to both Biden and Obama's campaigns Jon Cooper tweeted after hearing of the killing: 'Russia must end this damn war.'

Renaud was a native of Little Rock, and Senator Tom Cotton tweeted on Sunday: 'Arkansans are saddened today at the death of Brent Renaud in Ukraine,' 'I join them in expressing deepest condolences to the Renaud family.'

'And I reiterate to Vladimir Putin and his military leaders that the intentional targeting of innocent civilians, including reporters, is a war crime,' he added.

Another U.S. journalist who survived the attack spoke to a reporter for Italian paper Internazionale from the hospital.He said Renaud had been shot in the neck and 'had to be left behind'.

'We had crossed the first bridge in Irpin. We were going to film other refugees leaving we got into a car. Somebody offered to take us to the other bridge.

This is the badge freelance journalist Brent Renaud was carrying when he was shot and killed in Irpen, Ukraine, today while filming refugees crossing the border

The other US journalist in the truck has been named only as Juan. He is shown in the hospital speaking to an Italian newspaper about how they were driving across a bridge when Russian troops opened fire on them after a checkpoint

'We crossed a checkpoint and they started shooting at us. The driver turned around, there were two of us. My friend is Brent Renaud.

'He has been shot and left behind. I saw he has been shot in the neck. We got split,' he said.

The journalist, who gave his name only as Juan, said he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

Sullivan said Sunday: 'I will just say that this is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship and they have targeted journalists.'

'The United States has been working hard to hold Russia accountable through the imposition of the most far reaching sanctions ever imposed and through the provision of military assistance to the Ukrainians to be able to blunt the Russian advance,' he continued.

He warned: 'We will obviously be tracking this latest development very closely and responding accordingly.'

PBS reporter Jane Ferguson, who is in Ukraine, tweeted: 'Just left roadside spot near Irpin where body of American journalist Brent Renaud lay under a blanket. Ukrainian medics could do nothing to help him by that stage.

'Outraged Ukrainian police officer: 'Tell America, tell the world, what they did to a journalist.''

The Times has however issued a statement to clarify that while Renaud worked for them in the past, he was not in Ukraine on assignment for them.

'We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud's death. Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker who contributed to The New York Times over the years.

Renaud with his brother, another filmmaker. The pair are experienced in conflict zones and are understood to have been filming refugees crossing the border when they were killed

'Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for The Times in Ukraine.

'Early reports that he worked for The Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago,' Cliff Levy, Deputy Managing Editor, said in a statement.

President Biden has taken a firm stance on not sending American troops into the conflict.

He has instead sanctioned Putin economically, along with the rest of the Western world, and has given Zelensky arms and aid.

Renaud was from Tennessee. It's unclear if he is married or if he has a family.
China's government was aware of Vladimir Putin's plan to attack Ukraine to some extend, President Joe Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan claimed on Sunday.

He also threatened Beijing with 'severe consequences' if Chinese President Xi Jinping attempts to side-step the West's vast economic blockade against Russia brought over its autocratic leader's unprovoked invasion of a neighboring country.

The stunning accusation was levied just one day before Sullivan is set to meet with Chinese officials in Rome to discuss the attack on Ukraine as well as economic 'competition' between the two global superpowers.

'We believe that China was in fact was aware before the invasion took place that Putin was planning something,' Sullivan said on CNN's State of the Union.

He added that Beijing 'may not have understood the full extent of it, because its very possible that Putin lied to them the same way that he lied to Europeans and other.'

Sullivan warned that the United States was 'watching closely' to see if China 'actually does provide any form of support, material support or economic support to Russia.'

'It is a concern of ours and we have communicated to Beijing that we will not stand by and allow any country to compensate Russia for its losses,' he said.

'We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing that there will absolutely be consequences for large scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill that.'

White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned of 'severe consequences' for any country that evades the West's sanctions against Russia

Such actions by any nation would be negatively received by the US, the foreign policy expert added.

'We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world,' Sullivan vowed.

He indicated that such talks would be part of his Monday meeting with Chinese officials.

'In terms of the specific means of doing that, again, I'm not going to lay all of that out in public, but we will communicate that privately to China, as we have already done and will continue to do,' Sullivan said during a separate interview on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday.

The National Security Council said soon after Sullivan's interview that he and other US officials would be headed to Rome 'as part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the Peoples Republic of China (PRC).'

He'll be meeting with the Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi.

'The two sides will discuss ongoing efforts to manage the competition between our two countries and discuss the impact of Russias war against Ukraine on regional and global security,' NSC spokesperson Emily Horne said in a statement.

Russia said that it was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from Western sanctions, which it said had frozen nearly half of its gold and foreign currency reserves, Reuters reported on Sunday.

However on Thursday an official at Moscow's aviation authority said that Xi's officials refused a request to sell parts to Russian airlines as that sector of their economy is also squeezed by sanctions.

Putin's officials have on Sunday reportedly asked Xi to help Russia withstand the blow of the West's sanctions

Late last week CIA Director William Burns testified at a Senate hearing that Xi was 'unsettled' by Putin's invasion.

Western intelligence reports had indicated that Beijing beseeched Moscow to delay a potential invasion until after this year's Winter Olympics.

Sullivan previously foreshadowed China's embroilment in Putin's illegal and devastating war before it even broke out. Moscow's troops continue to bombard Ukraine's cities for more than two weeks. Kyiv officials have said more civilians have been killed in the conflict so far than its soldiers.

'We believe that Beijing will end up owning some of the costs of a Russian invasion of Ukraine and that they should calculate that as they consider their engagements with the Russian government,' the top national security official said in a February 6 interview with NBC's Meet the Press.

The Chinese abstained on United Nations votes censuring Russia and has criticized the economic sanctions against Moscow. It has expressed its support for peace talks and offered its services as a mediator, despite questions about its neutrality and scant experience mediating international conflict.

The Asian superpower also recently helped fuel Russia's accusations that the US is building and running biological weapons labs in Ukraine.

The CIA director told US senators at a hearing last week that Xi was 'unsettled' by Putin's savage attack (pictured: Evacuees walk on a makshift pathway to cross a river next to a destroyed bridge as they flee the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 13)

Moscow's troops have been bombarding Ukrainian soldiers and civilians alike for more than two weeks, since Putin ordered the invasion on February 24

Humanitarian corridors had been opened repeatedly to allow civilians to escape the bloodshed, though they were halted each time when Russian troops broke the ceasefire

United Nations authorities have not seen evidence to support the allegation, which was vehemently refuted by the US. American officials have warned that rather than being genuine, the claims were likely an alarming pretext for Putin to launch a bioweapon attack on Ukraine.

Chinese officials have said Washington shouldnt be able to complain about Russias actions because the U.S. invaded Iraq under false pretenses. The US claimed to have evidence Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction though none was ever found.

For Russia, China could be a crucial economic partner in mitigating the severe sanctions levied by the US, Britain, the 27-national European Union and other countries, though there are questions how far Beijing will go to alienate the alliance and put its own economy at risk.

The Biden administration is looking to impress on China that any efforts to ease sanctions for Russia could have ramifications for its relations with the United States and Western allies.

Sullivan and Yang last met for face-to-face talks in Switzerland, where Sullivan raised the Biden administrations concerns about Chinas military provocations against Taiwan, human rights abuses against ethnic minorities and efforts to squelch pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

That meeting set the stage for a three-hour long virtual meeting in November between Biden and Xi.

Sullivan is also to meet Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, while in Rome.
The brother of Jussie Smollett says the Empire actor has been placed in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail after he was sentenced to 150 days on Thursday for lying to the police about an alleged hate crime in 2019.

'So Jussie is currently in a psych ward at the Cook County Jail. What's very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today and put in front of his jail cell saying that he's at risk of self-harm,' said Jocqui Smollett in a video posted to his brother's Instagram account Sunday morning

Jocqui urged supporters to flood social media with posts hash-tagged #FreeJussie. He also told them to directly tag the Cook County Jail.

'I want to make it clear to folks that he is in no way, shape or form at risk of self-harm,' Jocqui added.

In court on Thursday, Jussie insisted that he's not suicidal to ensure if something happened to him in jail, the public would know it was foul play - a reference to Jeffrey Epstein's jail cell hanging that many claim was an 'inside job.'

Judge James Linn granted him 'day for day' eligibility, which means if he behaves himself behind bars, he will likely be released within 75 days - just over two months.

A law enforcement source told TMZ that the jailed Smollett is in the psych ward because it's also the area where they house high-profile inmates.

The Cook County Sheriff's Office told DailyMail.com that Smollett is not being held in solitary confinement and that he enjoys 'substantial time out of his cell,' but did not confirm or deny reports that he's in a psych ward.

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Jocqui Smollett, brother of former Empire actor Jussie, says his brother is in a psych ward in jail and his paperwork has been updated to reflect that he is at risk of self har

Smollett told the judge on Thursday: ''If anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not to it to myself, and you must all know that'

Smollett told his attorneys before his Thursday court appearance that he would get a harsher sentence than most people convicted of a non-violent offense because he is black

'The use of solitary confinement was abolished at the Cook County Jail in 2016, and any claims that he is being held in this manner is false,' the Cook County Sheriff's Office said.

'Mr. Smollett is being housed in his own cell, which is monitored by security cameras in the cell and by an officer wearing a body worn camera who is stationed at the entrance of the cell to ensure that Mr. Smollett is under direct observation at all times.

'As with all detained persons, Mr. Smollett is entitled to have substantial time out of his cell in the common areas on the tier where he is housed, where he is able to use the telephone, watch television, and interact with staff. During such times out of cell, other detainees will not be present in the common areas.

'These protocols are routinely used for individuals ordered into protective custody who may potentially be at risk of harm due to the nature of their charges, their profession, or their noteworthy status. The safety and security of all detained individuals, including Mr. Smollett, is the Sheriffs Offices highest priority.'

The actor's brother said he hasn't gotten clear answers from jail officials about why Jussie is allegedly in a psych ward. He urged supporters to flood social media in an attempt to figure it out.

'He wants to let folks know that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy and ready to take on the challenge that ultimately has been put up against him,' Jocqui said on Instagram.

'This is not right. This is completely lack of justice. It's angering. It's an outrage, but he ultimately knows what he needs to do.'

On Thursday Smollett - once a darling of the music and TV world for his success on the show Empire - was sentenced to 150 days in jail.

The star was convicted last year of five felony counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police repeatedly when he claimed he was the victim of a race hate attack in January and February 2019.

After he was sentenced Smollett told his legal team his prediction was correct and said the 150 day sentence was 'unfortunate' and 'sad' and blamed it on the judge's animosity towards him

But despite his light sentence, TMZ reported that Smollett told his attorneys before his Thursday court appearance that he would get a harsher sentence than most people convicted of a non-violent offense because he is black, calling it proof of systemic racism in the court system.

After he was sentenced Smollett told his legal team his prediction was correct and said the 150 day sentence was 'unfortunate' and 'sad' and blamed it on judge Linn's animosity towards him, TMZ.com reported.

In court on Thursday Smollett protested 'I am innocent! I am not suicidal' as he was led away in handcuffs. He said it was a ploy to ensure if something happened to him in jail, the public would know it was foul play - a reference to Jeffrey Epstein's jail cell hanging that many claim was an 'inside job', TMZ reported.

Nenye Uche, Smollett's lead attorney, told reporters that his client's comments were made 'for a specific reason,' according to the New York Post.

'I don't want people to think, "Well, is he going crazy? Why is he yelling 'I'm not suicidal?'" He was doing it for a specific reason because, let's be honest, we have the Epstein situation, where he was found dead in his jail even in protective custody,' Uche said.

'What Mr. Smollett was concerned about was, what if he turns up dead in protective custody? He doesn't want people to think he killed himself.'

Smollett will serve his sentence in the Cook County Jail, a stone's throw from the court and one of the biggest jail complexes in the country under protective custody.

The Cooks County Sheriff's Office confirmed on Friday that the 39-year-old will be housed in his own cell where he will be under video monitoring at all times, per the request of Smollett and his legal team, the New York Post reported.

'Mr. Smollett is being housed in his own cell, which is monitored by security cameras in the cell and by an officer wearing a body-worn camera who is stationed at the entrance of the cell to ensure that Mr. Smollett is under direct observation at all times,' the Cooks County Sheriff said in a statement.

Inmate number 20220310140 in Chicago's Cook County Jail, Jussie Smollett

Smollett's family posted his quote to Instagram hours after he began serving his sentence

Smollett faced up to three years in prison and his attorneys made one last attempt for a non-custodial sentence, but it wasn't enough to persuade Judge James Linn against imposing jail time.

After patiently listening to Smollett's attorneys blame the jury, the media and the prosecutors for his conviction, Linn imposed a 150-day sentence and blasted Smollett's 'astounding hypocrisy'.

The actor has claimed throughout that he is the victim of a racist and homophobic campaign by the Chicago Police Department and prosecutor's office.

He blamed former Chicago Police Chief Eddie Johnson - who is black - for going after him, and his brother yesterday fumed at assistant special prosecutor Samuel Mendenhall - who is also black - that they didn't need a 'lecture in racism'.

He and his supporters say he is being unfairly punished because of his celebrity and that anyone else would have spared jail for the crimes he was convicted of.

He still maintains that he was telling the truth when he claimed to have been beaten up by two white Trump supporters in January 2019.

An aerial view of the enormous Cook County Jail complex where more than 6,000 inmates are spread across more than a dozen units, awaiting sentencing or trial dates or serving sentences

Judge James Linn is pictured sentencing Smollett to 150 days in Cook County jail

The worst of the jail: A solitary confinement cell in the Cook County Jail. Jussie is not likely to be placed in one of these cells

A jury unanimously convicted him of lying. They found that the evidence showed he had in fact paid his two black friends, brothers Abel and Ola Osundairo, to rough him up in a staged attack.

Police at the time suggested it was to raise his celebrity profile.

The two brothers testified at trial that Smollett walked them through exactly how to go about the attack. Smollett's defense attorneys claimed they were liars throughout, but couldn't explain why they would have lied to him.

The brothers were never charged because they never lied to police - the first time they were questioned about it, they told cops what had happened, according to Judge Linn.

Smollett has never relented on his defense and instead insists he was victimized by the City of Chicago.

Judge Linn has ordered him to pay $120,000 in restitution which reflects the $130,000 the city is suing him for, minus $10,000 that Smollett has already surrendered as part of a now canceled-out deal with the State's Attorney's Office.

As he was sentenced, Judge Linn blasted Smollett as a 'charlatan'

Judge Linn was damning in his verdict, noting how Smollett on the stand reprimanded someone who, quoting him, used the N-word, and yet himself sabotaged the work of activists for equality.

'The hypocrisy is just astounding. I believe that you did damage to actual hate crime victims. These are people who have a difficult time coming forward. There may be some trepidation.

'I don't know if they are going to be accused of acting like you, pulling a stunt like you. I don't know if first responders are going to be more hesitant. I hope it's not the case.'

'You're just a charlatan, pretending to be a victim of a hate crime.'

Inside the Cook County jail where Jussie Smollett will serve at least two months along with 6,000 inmates: Cramped dorms, riots in the mess hall and limited visits are what disgraced star can expect

Because of the low-level, non-violent nature of Smollett's crimes, he will not serve his time in a state prison.

He is being housed instead for the two-and-a-half months in the Cook County Jail, a stone's throw from the court and one of the biggest jail complexes in the country.

He is currently being held in Division Eight - which is predominantly reserved for inmates with injuries or illness. It remains unclear if he will serve the duration of his sentence there, or if he will be moved after undergoing health checks.

Inside the prison, there are cramped dorm rooms where hundreds of non-violent offenders sleep side by side in bunk beds. Smollett was convicted of five, non-violent felonies. It is unclear if he will have to sleep in a dorm, or if he'll be put in a cell

An exterior view of Cook County Jail, where Smollett has begun his 150-day sentence. He will likely be let out after 75 days, if he behaves, and is currently being held in Division 8 - the medical unit. The prison has 6,000 inmates who are either serving sentences of under two years, or are awaiting trial

An aerial view of the enormous Cook County Jail complex where more than 6,000 inmates are spread across more than a dozen units, awaiting sentencing or trial dates or serving sentences

Smollett will not receive visitors today. Visitation for inmates in Section 2E of Unit 8 - where records show he is now - begins tomorrow, at 2.30pm. Division 8 is what is known as a Residential Treatment Unit. It is a two-wing facility and made headlines recently for a COVID outbreak which killed three inmates.

Cook County Jail mostly houses suspects who are awaiting trial or convicts awaiting sentencing so there is a variety of violent and non-violent suspects and convicts in the population.

Those whose their sentences there have been given considerably light ones of two years or less.

Several sections of the jail have enormous dormitories where hundreds of men sleep in bunk beds lined up, row to row. There are individualized cell blocks, for more violent or at-risk offenders.

During a New York Times visit to the jail for a 2017 feature on how it had been upgraded, one inmate repeatedly stabbed two others.

A cell block in another portion of the jail. The locked cells are reserved for more violent offenders

These are the cells in Division 8- the medical unit where Smollett is currently being held

In this Sept. 29, 2011 file photo, inmates at the Cook County Jail in Chicago wait to be processed for release. Jussie will have to spend at least half of his 150 day sentence

In this Sept. 29, 2011 file photo, inmates at the Cook County Jail in Chicago, line up to be processed for release

In 2018, a violent brawl erupted in the mess hall where dozens of inmates started viciously fighting at the bottom of the stairs

A plea for help is written on a window of the maximum security unit of the Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois, USA, 10 April 2020. In January 2022, more than 800 inmates and staff tested positive for COVID

The COVID-19 quarantine tier with single cells at Division 11 of the Cook County Jail in Chicago on May 20, 2020
Russia is showing signs of a willingness to engage in substantive negotiations over Ukraine, even as Moscow currently is intent on 'destroying' its neighbor, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Sunday,

Sherman, in an interview with Fox News Sunday, said the US is putting 'enormous pressure' on Russian President Vladimir Putin to agree to a cease-fire in its weeks-old invasion of Ukraine and to allow the creation of humanitarian corridors to allow civilians to escape.

'That pressure is beginning to have some effect. We are seeing some signs to have real, serious negotiations. But I have to say ... so far it appears Vladimir Putin is intent on destroying Ukraine,' Sherman said.

Sherman's comments come on the heels of news that American freelance filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot dead while covering the war.

Renaud, 51, was in a car with other journalists in Irpin, near Kyiv, when Russian troops opened fire.

His death was announced by Andrey Nebitov, the head of Kyiv's police department, who said in a Facebook post that he paid 'with his life for trying to highlight the aggressor's ingenuity, cruelty and ruthlessness.'

Juan Arredondo, another US journalist who survived the attack spoke to a reporter for Italian paper Internazionale from the hospital.

Nebitov also shared a video, taken by a police officer at the scene, who said a third journalist was wounded.

Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on Sunday Russia is showing signs of interest in Ukraine talks

Sherman's comments come as news broke that American freelance journalist Brent Renaud was killed by Russia while covering the war. This is the badge Renaud was carrying when he was shot and killed in Irpin, Ukraine, today while filming refugees

PBS reporter Jane Ferguson tweeted from the scene on Sunday that Ukrainian police are 'outraged' by the killing. The US has not commented

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Following a Russian attack on a military base near Poland's border where NATO defenses are deployed, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said he did not believe a NATO-imposed no-fly zone over Ukraine would have prevented that.

And he said that while a no-fly zone has a 'nice air policing sound,' such a move by NATO would hurl the United States into war with Russia.

'There is very little that you can see that would make sense for this war to be escalated between two nuclear powers,' Kirby told ABC's 'This Week.'

'There are two objectives we have. One is to support Ukraine in every way and indeed since the Biden administration began, we've put $1.2 billion forward in security assistance to help Ukraine defend itself against this horrible attack,' Sherman said on Sunday.

A picture shows damages after the shelling by Russian forces of Constitution Square in Kharkiv, Ukraine's second-biggest city, on March 2

Russia claimed control of the southern port city as street battles raged

'And the second it's to try to put enormous pressure on Vladimir Putin to change his calculus, to end this war, to get cease-fire in the fist instance, to get humanitarian [help] and to end this invasion,' she added.

When asked why the US government hadn't sent MIG-29 jets for Ukraine to use in the battlefield, Sherman said The Pentagon had assessed it was not a reliable option.

'If I were President Zelensky I'd want everything and anything I could possibly get, I understand this, The Pentagon however made an assessment...that what Ukrainians really need are anti-craft, anti-tank, anti-armor which is what we are supplying them in great measure,' Sherman said.

Colombian American photographer Juan Arredondo survived the attack. He is in the hospital now being treated for a gunshot wound

National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan warned Sunday that the U.S. will 'measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of' Russian troops shooting and killing an American journalist covering the war in Ukraine

Renaud was in Irpin, Ukraine covering the refugee crisis as people flee the country on the 17th day of Russian invasion. Pictured: Refugees flee Ukraine at the Vysne Nemecke border crossing on Sunday, March 13, 2022

"Shocking and horrifying": US National Security Advisor @JakeSullivan46 reacts to a reported killing of an American journalist in Ukraine by Russian forces, according to police in Kyiv. pic.twitter.com/aKkKpRq9IM  CNN (@CNN) March 13, 2022

Sherman added that supporting Ukraine was a bipartisan effort for the US, and it sent a message to Putin that he can't divide America, NATO or Europe.

'Right now it looks like it ends very badly already for the Ukrainian people. I think we all spend everyday horrified...It is just awful particularly in Mariupol, where people are either starved to death or freeze to death, or die because they don't have their medicine, it is truly horrifying,' she added.

Jake Sullivan warned Putin that there will be 'appropriate consequences' after Russian troops shot and killed Renaud in Ukraine.

'Well, this is obviously shocking and horrifying,' Sullivan told NBC's Face the Nation on Sunday morning. 'I've just learned about it as I came on to air here.'

'I will be consulting with my colleagues, we'll be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of it,' Biden's national security adviser added.

The White House did not immediately respond to DailyMail.com request for comment from President Biden. It is also not clear if there will be additional action taken by the US in response to the new boundary crossed by Russia on its 17th day of invasion in Ukraine.

Russia discusses 'concrete' proposals - despite continuing onslaught By Mark Nicol for The Mail on Sunday On Saturday, negotiators seeking a peace deal discussed 'concrete' proposals for the first time, President Zelensky said. The possible breakthrough came as the invading Russians advanced to within 15 miles of Kyiv. Across the country, the Kremlin's military continued to bombard towns and cities, striking a cancer hospital and a mosque. But Ukraine's president said officials have begun discussing 'concrete' proposals rather than 'exchanging ultimatums'. Speaking from Kyiv, President Zelensky also invited Russia's President Putin to engage in face-to-face talks, designed to end the 18-day conflict. He suggested that the talks could take place in Jerusalem, with Israel's prime minister Naftali Bennett acting as mediator. The offer of dialogue followed a 75-minute phone call between President Putin, France's President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz about how to end the war. Russia may be negotiating but it is also increasing its military activity around Kyiv, triggering fears of a significant offensive this week. Advertisement

'I'm obviously sad for that journalist  the journalist's family. But this is the kind of thing that happens when you fail at the core missions of American security, which is to deter the bad guys from continued aggression,' Trump-era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo told Fox News Sunday host Maria Bartiromo.

In Mariupol, which has endured some of the worst punishment since Russia invaded, efforts to bring food, water and medicine into the port city of 430,000 and to evacuate civilians, were prevented by unceasing attacks.

More than 1,500 people have died in the city during the siege, according to the mayors office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

'They are bombing [Mariupol] 24 hours a day, launching missiles. It is hatred. They kill children,' Zelensky said during a video address.

Later on Saturday, he reported that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers have died in fighting since the February 24 start of the Russian invasion.

Meanwhile, French and German leaders spoke on Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a failed attempt to reach a ceasefire.

According to the Kremlin, Putin laid out terms for ending the war, including Ukraines demilitarization and its ceding of territory, among other demands.

Ukraines military said on Saturday that Russian forces captured Mariupols eastern outskirts, tightening the armed squeeze on the strategic port.

Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Zelensky encouraged his people to keep up their resistance, which many analysts said has prevented the rapid offensive and military victory the Kremlin likely expected while planning to invade Russias ex-Soviet neighbor.

'The fact that the whole Ukrainian people resist these invaders has already gone down in history, but we do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be for us,' he said.

Zelensky again deplored Natos refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he did not elaborate.

The president also accused Russia of employing 'a new stage of terror' with the alleged kidnapping of the mayor of Melitopol, a city 119 miles west of Mariupol.

After residents of the occupied city demonstrated for the mayors release on Saturday, the Ukrainian leader called on Russian forces to heed the calls.

Ukraine Army troops dig in at frontline trench positions to continue repelling Russian attacks, in sub-zero temperatures, east of the strategic port city of Mykolaiv,

Footage released by Russia Ministry of Defense on Saturday March 5 shows Russian soldiers took control of a military base near the village of Radensk, Kherson region

'Please hear in Moscow!' Mr Zelensky said. 'Another protest against Russian troops, against attempts to bring the city to its knees.'

In multiple areas around the capital, artillery barrages sent residents scurrying for shelter as air raid sirens wailed.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians.

At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

The Ukrainian chief prosecutors office said on Saturday at least 79 children have been killed and nearly 100 have been wounded.

Most of the victims were in the Kyiv, Kharkiv, Donetsk, Sumy, Kherson and Zhytomyr regions, the office said, noting that the numbers are not final because active fighting continues.
A student rapist was released by police only to rape one undergraduate in his halls and sexually assault another less than a year later.

Charles Goodwin, 21, a mixed martial arts fighter and business management student at Liverpool University was convicted in January of raping two women and sexually assaulting another.

The rapist, who described himself as a 'sex god', told Liverpool Crown Court he was 'a hopeless romantic'.

The judge told him to expect 'a lengthy period of imprisonment'.

Goodwin had been released under investigation but without charge by police after he aggressively raped and throttled a student in Manchester.

Eight months he got another student drunk at their halls in Liverpool and raped her.

Three days after that he sexually assaulted another woman in the same halls, prompting both women to go to the police.

Within days Goodwin was arrested again.

He was found guilty of three charges of rape and one charge of assault by penetration against one student in Manchester and one charge of raping a student in Liverpool.

The jury also convicted him of two offences of sexually assaulting a third student in Liverpool but cleared him of a sexual assault on a fourth student, also in Liverpool.

The attack on the first victim involved him holding her down by the throat and he was found guilty of attempting to choke her and assaulting her.

Charles Goodwin (pictured), a mixed martial arts fighter, who described himself in the trial as 'a hopeless romantic' was told by a judge to expect 'a lengthy period of imprisonment'

The 21-year-old business management student was found guilty of seven different charges in total, including rape, assault by penetration and sexually assault

The court heard that he had told her she deserved to be 'treated like a princess' and picked her and carried her - before going on to violently attack her in her own home.

He had faced three charges of rape against the second victim - to whom he had said he was 'a sex god' when she complained he had hurt her - but was cleared of two of those charges.

In September 2020 he had slept with her consensually but a few nights later he got her drunk at a flat party, so much so that she was unable to stand.

Although a friend put her to bed, Goodwin later sent a photo of the girl in his bed.

When she woke up the next morning Goodwin was having sex with her and she became confused, before remembering screaming the night before as the MMA fighter had anally raped her.

She had pushed him off and later saw her own blood on tissue paper in the toilet.

Her stomach had multiple scratches and hand-shaped marks remained on her body for two days.

When she later learned of his prior arrest and release, she said: 'Why did it take three victims for him to be remanded?'

'Why wasn't he remanded immediately? I think there are definitely failings in the handling of the Manchester case,' she told The Times.

Although Goodwin convinced her it was just a drunken mistake, she was compelled to report the rape to the police when she heard he had sexually assaulted another student in the same halls just days later.

This time, he was comforting his next victim, who was sad because another boy didn't want to be in a relationship with her.

Goodwin put his coat around her and plied her with alcohol. He gave her peach schnapps and lemonade and made her drink coffee liqueur from the bottle.

She became so drunk she couldn't stand up without support and threw up.

Goodwin managed to corner her when they were alone and repeatedly put his hands down her trousers, touching her genitals. She told him not to and removed his hands but he carried on, before taking out his penis and forcing her to touch it.

When she was able to walk away, he pulled down her trousers and smacked her bottom.

Goodwin, of Hilbre Street, Liverpool city centre but formerly of Salford, showed no reaction when the jury returned their unanimous verdicts after just over six hours deliberations.

Goodwin was previously arrested and released without charge after aggressively raping and throttling a student in Manchester. Just eight months later he raped a student in Liverpool and sexually assaulted another days later

But his father and grandfather, who stood in the public gallery as the verdicts were returned, afterwards shouted out at the seven men and five women jurors.

'Shame on this court, disgusting,' said his dad.

Goodwin's granddad shouted, 'A young man's life has been totally scotched and ruined.

'How can you believe someone's lies to the court? It is really no way to deal with these offences.'

During his 13-day trial Liverpool Crown Court heard how he had been on police bail after the first attack but went on to commit the other attacks.

Judge David Swinnerton told Goodwin, 'I am going to order a pre-sentence report to be prepared by probation to include the extent to which you present a danger to women and the outcome of that may affect sentence.

'Please prepare yourself for a lengthy period of imprisonment,' he added.

During his 13-day trial Liverpool Crown Court (pictured) heard how he had been on police bail after the first attack but went on to commit the other attacks

The offences of which he was convicted took place between January 15 and September 30, 2020.

Matthew Curtis, prosecuting, had told the jury, 'The prosecution say the defendant did not care whether the complainants consented or not. In short, he got what he wanted with no care for them or the immediate consequences of his actions.'

Goodwin, who had a girlfriend at the time, admitted having sexual activity with all four women but maintained they had all consented and denied all 12 charges.

He said the choking of the first victim, aged 19, had also been consensual and admitted calling her offensive misogynistic names as it 'turned him on.'

During his evidence he described himself as a combination of 'a hopeless romantic and Charlie big bollocks. It is the way my personality worked.'

Goodwin will be sentenced on Thursday.
Up to 100,000 orphans are in dire need of evacuation from Ukraine, as Russia continues to shell and bombard cities all across the country.

Orphans are being forced to hide in fear in basements, while Putin's army fires rockets indiscriminately, even striking an orphanage with an illegal cluster bomb according to reports.

Carers do their best to keep the children calm, cramming up to six babies in a single cot due to lack of space.

In Kyiv, where supplies are low and the Russian army is steadily progressing towards, there are 700 children's homes housing the 100,000 orphans, half of them disabled.

Of this large number just 2,500 orphans have been evacuated  with the British charity Hope and Homes for Children helping 100 to safety in Dnipro and Vorzel.

Up to 100,000 orphans desperately need evacuating from Ukraine (pictured), as Russia continues to wage war across the country

While many orphans have been able to escape Ukraine (pictured are orphans who have been evacuated to Poland), there are tens of thousands left in the country with an unconfirmed number missing

There are roughly 5,000 disabled children who still need to be rescued, The Mirror reported.

The Russian shelling has made it too dangerous to try and move the children to safety.

Staff numbers are also low, as 60,000 seek sanctuary with their own families.

Carers say they have to rush the kids to safety below ground by announcing 'Children  explosions'.

They also tell them to eat every scrap on their plates and food and water is running out and they can't guarantee when their next meal will be.

The majority of the 100,000 children are considered 'social orphans', meaning that they maintain some ties with their families.

Ukraine's president Volodymyr Zelensky said today that 125,000 people have been evacuated to safe territory via humanitarian corridors.

Seven Ukrainian civilians, including a child, died yesterday when Russia shelled a humanitarian convoy of refugees, according to Ukraine's Ministry of Defence, forcing them to turn back.

They were among hundreds of people who tried to flee a small village just 12 miles northeast of Kyiv, called Peremoha.

Although this evacuation did not take place along a 'green corridor' agreed with Russia.

Moscow has said it would establish humanitarian corridors out of conflict zones, but Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of disrupting those paths and firing on civilians.

British charity, Hope and Homes for Children rescued 50 children, including two babies and two with disabilities, from Dnipro, in central Ukraine.

Another 50 from Vorzel, near the capital, were taken away on bus after their orphanage was hit by an illegal Russian cluster bomb, reports say.

Some Ukrainian orphans have been successfully evacuated to neighbouring countries like Lithuania (pictured)

A Ukrainian orphan boy sleeps in a bed safely having made it to Trakai in Lithuania

In Dnipro, Hope and Home aide Daria, 40, shared her story of how the war's arrival unfolded there.

She said to The Mirror: 'When the first rockets fell it was a massive shock. We said, "Children, today your life changes. Rockets could fly in at any moment, soldiers could walk through the door".

'We started to very quickly instruct them how we should go down to the basement during an air raid.

'We told them, "A war has begun, we must be nice to each other, we shouldn't argue".

'We told them make sure you finish every morsel because we don't know when the next delivery of food will come. Even now we can't tell them when they'll next eat.'

'On the third night we heard bombs nearby. I walk into the dorm and say 'children, explosions' and they quickly and orderly go to the basement.'

The is great concern that Ukranian orphans are going missing in all the chaos, as there is no central tracking system (pictured are Ukrainian orphans gathering for lunch in Trakai)

While thousands have orphans have been evacuated (pictured), thousands are also unaccounted for

Ukraine has the most orphans in Europe and 100,000 were already in care.

In Kyiv, Hope and Home's local director Halyna has managed to relocate some children.

Halyna is separated from her family and is terrified for her 86-year-old mother in eastern Ukraine, where Russian troops are massing.

While the charity's CEO Mark Waddington, 53, is directing operations from the Ukraine-Moldova border.

He said there is no way to know which children are where as there is no central tracking system - meaning children are going missing, putting them at extreme risk.

A team of former US military veterans, called Aerial Recovery, are assisting vulnerable people fleeing the crisis, is working with the Ukrainian authorities to establish a system that will make it easier to keep tabs on the country's parentless children.

Jeremy Locke, the team's chief of operations, told the BBC: 'They're very easy prey - they're looking for assistance.

'So if you're an adult with some food or refuge, they will come with you. They don't know any better.

'The gangs are very advanced - it's big, well-financed networks that do this for a living. They're good at this in peace time

'Now it's a war, it's chaos, and they're exploiting the fact there is discord.'

In a meeting with local authorities, Mr Locke said they expressed concern that 5,000 children on their records were unaccounted for.

He added: 'They're either casualties of war, or they've slipped across the border, or have been taken out of the border by smugglers or by people that are doing it the wrong way.'
The father of the Duchess of Sussex is ready to give evidence against her in a court case brought by her half-sister, he announced yesterday as he launched his YouTube channel.

Thomas Markle, 77, said he would be thrilled to come face-to-face with his estranged daughter and her husband Prince Harry, and accused her of lying about her half-sister.

Samantha Markle, 57, is suing the Duchess of Sussex for defamation, and claims that Meghan made false and malicious statements about her during her TV interview with Oprah Winfrey last year.

Lawyers for Miss Markle also allege that the duchess lied to the authors of Finding Freedom, the controversial book about the Sussexes exit from royal life.

Mr Markle said he believed his eldest daughter should win her case and revealed he would be willing to give evidence on her behalf.

He said: I would be more than happy to. Ive been trying for almost four years to get to see my daughter and her ginger husband in a courtroom face-to-face. Id be thrilled to defend my oldest daughter.

The father of the Duchess of Sussex Thomas Markle is ready to give evidence against her in a case brought by her half-sister, he announced yesterday as he launched his YouTube channel

Meghan Markle (pictured in 2018) is facing a defamation lawsuit from her half-sister Samantha over comments made in her Oprah interview last March and her book Finding Freedom

Mr Markle also added that he believed Meghan, 40, should settle the case, saying: She cant defend the things she said.

In the lawsuit filed in Tampa, Florida, Miss Markle demanded $75,000 (57,000) in damages and asked for her half-sister to cover her legal fees.

She claimed it was defamatory for the duchess to imply during the Oprah interview that she was a virtual stranger to her half-sister and that she grew up as an only child.

She also accused Meghan of denigrating their father to portray a misleading rags to royalty story of her life, and claimed she published and disseminated false and malicious statements in Finding Freedom.

In November, Meghan apologised to the Court of Appeal after emails were disclosed which contradicted a claim that she did not collaborate with Finding Freedoms authors.

The messages showed she sent details about Samantha and her brother Thomas Jr for the book.

Mr Markle has launched the podcast with his friend, celebrity photographer Karl Larsen

But Meghan insisted: I had absolutely no wish or intention to mislead the defendant or court.

The duchesss lawyer Michael Kump has previously described Miss Markles defamation lawsuit as baseless and absurd.

Thomas Markle made his latest comments as he hosted the debut episode of his own Youtube channel alongside friend and celebrity photographer Karl Larsen.

The channel is said to be a weekly topical review of current events, including Mr Markle's royal daughter and son-in-law.

The first episode - which aired earlier today - features Mr Markle discussing the upcoming lawsuit and whose side he's on.

Mr Markle said: 'Im certainly pulling for my oldest daughter Samantha.'

Thomas Markle, 77, said he would give evidence against her if the lawsuit led to a deposition

Mr Markle told Karl that he was surprised Prince Harry didn't fly out to see him in person to ask for Meghan's hand in marriage.

He added: 'I thought the Royals had some kind of sense of dignity where he would have taken the time to fly down and see me.'

According to documents seen by TMZ, Samantha claimed the lawsuit harmed her book sales and she also took issue with claims she had changed her surname back to Markle when Meghan began seeing Prince Harry.

Lawyer Michael Kump, representing Meghan, said: 'This baseless and absurd lawsuit is just a continuation of a pattern of disturbing behavior.

'We will give it the minimum attention necessary, which is all it deserves.'

Thomas Markle and his friend Mr Larsen were reportedly influenced in setting up their show by successful podcasts from royal biographer Lady Colin Campbell and US podcast legend Joe Rogan.

Mr Markle added: 'We have discovered YouTube weve decided to join and share our story.'

He added that 'no one came to help [him] or protect [him]' when he discovered by the press and that the only advice he got was from the Duke of Sussex who told him not to speak to anyone.

Pictured: Samantha Markle, the estranged half-sister of Meghan, is firing back at comments the duchess made about their relationship in her TV interview with Oprah Winfrey last year

Describing himself as 'on the Queen team', he added: 'It amazes me that a man that tells me dont talk to anyone rides on the top of a bus down Hollywood Bvd doing an interview.

'It amazes me that they go on Oprah Winfrey for hours and sat there and talked and exposed things that they shouldnt be exposing to anyone and I think its so disrespectful to the Royals.'

In November, Meghan Markle apologised to the Court of Appeal after failing to remember she told a royal aide to brief the authors of her Finding Freedom biography, Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand.

The Mail on Sunday had sought to defend itself against Meghan's claims that it unlawfully breached her privacy by publishing extracts of a letter to her father Thomas Markle, which appeared in the book.

The Duchess of Sussex, who previously insisted she and Prince Harry did not co-operate with the two writers of the book, said she had 'forgotten' providing the aide details of what to reveal 'when you sit down with them'.

The messages, revealed by the duchess's former communications secretary Jason Knauf, showed she sent information about her half-siblings Samantha and brother Thomas Jr for the book.

But she said: 'I had absolutely no wish or intention to mislead the defendant or the court.'

The paper lost its appeal the following month.
A 21-year-old Nevada woman met a man on the Plenty of Fish dating app, got a hotel room with him and blindfolded him.

Then she stabbed him in the neck in retaliation for the 2020 drone strike death of Iranian General Qassem Soleimani, according to police.

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Nika Nikoubin has been charged with attempted murder, battery with a deadly weapon and burglary for the March 5 attack, KLAS reported Saturday.

The victim has not been publicly identified and its unclear what, if any, relationship he has to Iran or Soleimani.

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The date reported feeling a pain on the side of his neck while the two were fooling around at Sunset Station Hotel and Casino in Henderson, then pushed Nikoubin off and ran out of the room.

Nika Nikoubin (Henderson Police Dept.)

Nikoubin also told a hotel employee that she had stabbed the man, according to the arrest report obtained by KLAS.

She told police that she wanted revenge and had prepared by listening to a song called Grave Digger, which gave her the motivation to carry out her revenge.

Soleimani was assassinated in January 2020 by U.S. drone strike near Baghdad International Airport on the orders of former president Donald Trump.

Nikoubin is being held on $60,000 bond and is due back in court on March 24, according to online jail records.
Russian soldiers fired live rounds at Kherson residents who took to the streets to protest the armed occupation of the city, as Ukraine's president warns Vladimir Putin plans to turn Kherson into a breakaway republic.

Brave Ukrainian protestors again took to the streets of Kherson on Sunday, standing against the Russian occupiers despite renewed attempts to crush the spirit of residents now living under Russian control.

Footage shows protestors calling the Russian invaders 'fascist' as they surround armed trucks with the letter 'Z' painted in white on their side - a mark that is fast becoming the symbol of pro-Putin support.

Russian soldiers fire into the air, trying to force the protestors away from the vehicles.

Protestors surround Russian military vehicles in Kherson before shots are fired

Protestors march hand-in-hand on the 13th day of Russian occupation of their hometown

Ukrainian commanders said on Wednesday that Russian military police had rounded up 400 activists and allegedly taken them hostage after they were caught protesting Moscow's invasion.

Russian soldiers hit at least one of the protesters and fired gunshots into the air while arresting the Kherson residents, according to former Ukrainian Finance Minister Tymofiy Mylovanov.

Footage posted on social media on March 5 showed residents of the city protesting over the Russian occupation.

Protests continue in Russia-occupied Kherson, which fell under Russia occupation in the opening weeks of the war

Ukrainians marched on towards the Russian troops despite threats of gunfire. Residents of Kherson refused to back down after soldiers marched through their city

Protesters took to the streets, amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine as Russian troops watch

Demonstrators were arrested for rallying against the occupation of their hometown Kherson - the only city under Russian control.

The city was captured by Vladimir Putin's men overnight on March 1, five days after Moscow ordered its troops to invade Ukraine.

It is the latest effort by Russia's President Putin to extend the hand of his police state across the border to grab activists on foreign soil.

It comes as shortages of medicine and food in the occupied city have left vulnerable people waiting to die, according to civilians living in the city.

While shops in the city remain open, supplies are not getting through.

There were also concerns about food shortages, and there had been no indications from the Russians when supplies might be allowed into the city.

Deliveries heading to Kherson have to be guarded, as cars coming into the city are shot at by the Russians, residents said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russia would attempt to fake a referendum and annex Kherson after Putin's invaders occupied the city.

Protests emerged as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned against the formation of a 'pseudo-republic' in the south of his country on Sunday.

Zelensky said Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a break-away region in the south, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk - which Putin declared as 'independent' at the start of the war.

Protection for the two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014 was used as a pretext by Russia to start the invasion.

Ukrainian officials said Russia was organizing a 'fake referendum' in the south of the country now partially under control by Russian forces.

Zelensky said Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a break-away region in the south, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk - which Putin declared as 'independent' at the start of the war.

Protection for the two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014 was used as a pretext by Russia to start the invasion.
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The rain and clouds haven't scared off revelers in London celebrating St Patrick's Day early as crowds today lined along the street bearing Irish flags, many donned in emerald green clothing to mark the upcoming day.

More than 50,000 are expected to have joined in the festivities, ahead of the day which honours Ireland's patron saint on March 17.

Irish marching bands, dance troupes and pageantry are hitting the streets of London for the first time in two years, due to Covid restrictions.

The Taoiseach Micheal Martin has been pictured among the crowds, wearing a scarf with the colours of the Ukrainian flag in solidarity with the war-torn country as the streets grow excited, with family concerts, storytelling, children's films and other activities are on the agenda.

The Mayor of Limerick was also in the capital to represent the city today.

Speaking on the BBC's Sunday Morning programme during his two-day visit to London, the Taoiseach said that Ireland's priority is the humanitarian response to what he termed 'the worst displacement of people since World War Two', and said the state has so far accepted 5,500 people fleeing the Russian invasion.

A statement on the Mayor of London website said: 'Come and celebrate London's St Patrick's Day Festival on Sunday 13 March in Trafalgar Square. There'll be the best of Irish arts, culture, food, music to enjoy, and more, including the spectacular annual parade.

Martin, aged nine, waits for the St Patrick's Day parade in London today, which is back after a two-year hiatus following Covid restrictions

Four-year-old Archie and his mother watch the St Patrick's Day parade in London today. More than 50,000 are expected to join in the festivities ahead of the day which honours Ireland's patron saint on March 17

Irish marching bands, dance troupes and pageantry are hitting the streets of London for the first time in two years, due to Covid restrictions

'Now in its 19th year, the Mayor's annual shindig has become a highlight of London's cultural calendar. This year's theme is coming back together, as Londoners and visitors unite in celebrating the great contributions Irish people have made to the city.

'St Patrick's Day is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the enduring strength of relationship between the British and Irish.

'Key workers from across London will be Grand Marshals at the event, in recognition of their tireless work during the pandemic.'

London Mayor Sadiq Khan tweeted: 'Amazing atmosphere down at today's St Patrick's Day parade!

'It's been two years since London's Irish community were last able to come together in this way. Huge thank you to everyone who made it such a fantastic event. La Fheile Padraig Sona Daoibh!'

People in Trafalgar Square after the St Patrick's Day parade in London today, not to be kept away by the rainy, cloudy skies in the capital

The Taoiseach Micheal Martin has been pictured donning a Ukrainian flag in solidarity with the war-torn country as the streets grow excited, with family concerts, storytelling, children's films and other activities are on the agenda

Ukrainian flags blended in the sea of green during today's St Patrick's Day parade in London. The Taoiseach Micheal Martin has also been pictured wearing a scarf with the colours of the Ukrainian flag

The parade begins at Hyde Park Corner, then travels through Piccadilly, St James's Street, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and Whitehall.

Last year Ireland was forced to celebrate its patron saint on social media after all public events were cancelled, 7,000 pubs were shut and the government called on people not to organise or participate in private house parties due to coronavirus.

The Irish government had then closed all schools, colleges, restaurants, pubs and other public places.

Six-year-old Seth and four-year-old Helen wave their flags as they wait for the St Patrick's Day parade in London today. This year crowds in London are invited to enjoy the popular Giant St Patrick and the Garda band from Dublin

A man in a bright green vest fixes decorations to an ambulance before taking part in the the St Patrick's Day festival and parade in London

The Police Emerald Society during the St Patrick's Day parade in London today, which parade begins at Hyde Park Corner, then travels through Piccadilly, St James's Street, Pall Mall, Cockspur Street and Whitehall

London-based Ukrainian Natalia Lesyuk during the St Patrick's Day parade in London today, wearing a celebratory bright green sash

However this year crowds in London are invited to enjoy the popular Giant St Patrick and the Garda band from Dublin.

Children's workshops including 'camogie games, medal making and face painting' are promised.

Alongside a 'great selection of food and drink stalls', Anna Haugh, International Chef of the Year 2019, will also be running food demos.

Drummers from the Fire Brigade Union pictured before taking part in the the St Patrick's Day festival and parade in London today

Drummers practice before taking part in the the St Patrick's Day festival and parade in London today, which is back after two years

A woman donned in green, the colour associated with the celebrations on March 17, watches the St Patrick's Day parade in London today
A former British Army chief says NATO and Western allies should not rule out the possibility of assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Colonel Richard Kemp said Putin represents a 'permanent and deadly threat' and killing him may be 'unpalatable' to some, but it could help save thousands of lives.

Osama Bin Laden, Islamic State chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and Iranian Republican Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani were all killed to counter threats, the colonel argued.

Colonel Richard Kemp, who commanded British troops in Afghanistan, told The Mirror: 'NATO should consider all options to remove him from power. That would include killing him although it is not likely to be viable or desirable.'

He believes the Russian president should at least face war crimes charges.

Colonel Richard Kemp a retired British Army officer (pictured), who was Commander of British Forces in Afghanistan, has said NATO should not rule out assassinating Putin

Ex-army Richard Kemp said assassinating Russian President Vladimir Putin (pictured) would not be setting a new precedent, as several other leaders such as Bin Laden have been killed before

'The best thing would be to see Putin deposed, arrested and tried, either in Russia or at the International Criminal Court,' he said.

'But those options are highly unlikely ever to happen.'

'If it came to assassination that might be unpalatable to many but his life has no greater value than the lives of the thousands he has already murdered in Ukraine and elsewhere and may well kill in the future.

'He is the 'Supreme Commander in Chief' of the Russian forces who ordered an illegal war of aggression and is a legitimate target.

'Our government planned the assassination of Adolf Hitler in the Second World War. Had he been removed instead of appeased in the late 1930s we would not have suffered a conflict that killed 70 million people.'

American senator Lindsey Graham (pictured), said that if someone killed Putin they would be doing the world 'a great service'

He added: 'Osama Bin Laden, Islamic State chief Abu Bakr Al Baghdadi and Iranian Republican Guard Commander Qasem Soleimani all represented direct threats to the West. They were all killed to counter those threats. Putin represents a permanent and deadly threat that will remain while he is in power.

'Our priority should be to help remove him. If enough pressure is brought to bear on Putin's oligarchs it could lead to a palace coup.'

Lindsey Graham, a Republican senator for South Carolina, also called for 'somebody in Russia to take this guy out' earlier this month.

He tweeted: 'Is there a Brutus in Russia? Is there a more successful Colonel Stauffenberg in the Russian military.

'The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country - and the world - a great service.'

His tweets made reference to Marcus Junius Brutus, who took a leading role in the assassination of Julius Ceaser in 44 BC and Stauffenberg, the German army officer who unsuccessfully attempted to kill Adolf Hitler.

He continued: 'The only people who can fix this are the Russian people. Easy to say, hard to do.

'Unless you want to live in darkness for the rest of your life, be isolated from the rest of the world in abject poverty, and live in darkness you need to step up to the plate.'
The Russian military is 'broadening their target sets' in Ukraine's airspace, The Pentagon warned on Sunday after the Kremlin's missiles hit a facility where US and NATO forces once trained Kyiv's troops.

The Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, roughly 15 miles from the Polish border, was hit by a Russian airstrike overnight. The facility is just outside of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv.

Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the facility, adding that some were intercepted before they hit. At least 35 people were killed and 134 wounded, he said.

'Look, this is the third now military facility or airfield that the Russians had struck in western Ukraine in just the last couple of days,' Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby said on ABC's This Week.

'So, clearly, at least from an airstrike perspective, they're broadening their target sets.'

He said no Americans were killed, with US support troops who had been there to train Ukraine's defense force having pulled out weeks ago.

The attack came a day after Russia's deputy foreign minister warned convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine could be considered legitimate targets.

Ukraine's defense minister called the airstrike 'a terror attack near the NATO border' and again reiterated Kyiv's calls to impose a no-fly zone over their country.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the US was concerned about NATO's eastern flank, where Poland is, but said the attack on Ukraine near its border would not be enough to push Americans into direct military conflict with Russia

The White House and its allies have repeatedly refused to take such a step, claiming it could be a catalyst for World War III. Kirby said as much on Sunday.

'Look, I mean, no-fly zone has a nice air policing sound to it, but I participated in one as a young officer on an aircraft carrier way back in the early 90s. It is combat. You have to be willing to shoot and to be shot at,' he claimed.

'President Biden has made it clear that US troops are not going to be fighting in Ukraine, and there's a good reason for that, because the United States getting involved in combat in Ukraine right now or over the skies of Ukraine right now leads to war with Russia.'

The retired admiral added, 'And there's very little that you can see that would make sense for this war to be escalated between two nuclear powers.'

He said the US took its commitment to its Article 5 duties under NATO 'very seriously' when asked about whether an attack like the one that hit the military complex overnight were to land on the other side of Ukraine's border with Poland -- a NATO state.

'An armed attack against one is considered an armed attack against all,' Kirby said. 'We've made it very clear to Russia that NATO territory will be defended not just by the United States, but by our allies.'

President Joe Biden's National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said the strike on the Yavoriv International Center was a sign that Russia's autocratic leader Vladimir Putin was growing 'frustrated' by Ukrainians' fierce resistance slowing down his invasion.

The Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, roughly 15 miles from the Polish border, was hit by a Russian airstrike overnight

In this handout screen grab taken from a footage of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine released on March 13, 2022, firemen work on the aftermath of air strikes on residential buildings in Chernihiv early on March 13

A woman carries her cat as she walks on a makshift pathway to cross a river next to a destroyed bridge while fleeing the city of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, on March 13

'What it shows is that Vladimir Putin is frustrated by the fact that his forces are not making the kind of progress that he thought that they would make against major cities, including Kyiv, that he is expanding the number of targets, that he is lashing out, and that he is trying to cause damage in every part of the country,' Sullivan said in a CNN interview Sunday.

However he too stressed that neither the attack's proximity to a NATO ally nor its distance from the supposed battlefront would push the US further toward a confrontation with Russia.

'What President Biden has made clear from the beginning is that we will not have U.S. military forces operating in Ukraine, and there are none operating there now. But we will defend every inch of NATO territory, even as we seek to provide military assistance to the Ukrainian fighters who are bravely defending their homes and bravely defending their cities,' Sullivan said.

Meanwhile residents of the capital Kyiv woke again to the sound of air raid sirens and city authorities said they were stockpiling two weeks worth of essential food items for the 2 million people who have not yet fled from Russian forces attempting to encircle the city.

Ukraine also reported renewed air strikes on an airport in the west, heavy shelling on Chernihiv northeast of the capital and attacks on the southern town of Mykolayiv, where officials said nine people had been killed.

An American journalist was shot and killed by Russian forces in the town of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, and another journalist was wounded, the regional police chief said.

More than 2,100 Ukrainian civilians have died since Moscow's troops besieged the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, local officials there said. Up to 400,000 people are still trapped there without electricity, water or heating in the frigid winter temperatures.
Chicago city workers who don't have their first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, a group that includes about 2,800 cops, will be placed on nondisciplinary no-pay status on Sunday after the city won another court battle over its mandate last week.

The city will consider disciplining workers on a case-by-base basis, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot said Friday.

'All city employees, including Chicago police officers, who fail to comply may also face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. These decisions will be addressed at an individual and department level, and are being undertaken in a manner that will not impact public safety or the continuity of everyday government operations,' the mayor said.

About 2,800 Chicago police officers and 300 firefighters remain unvaccinated, according to WGN.

As of December, 6,621 officers had applied for religious exemptions, but 58 percent were still waiting for an answer. Only 1.5 percent of the requests had been granted.

Chicago is facing a shortage of police officers as crime continues to spike in the Windy City, with robberies and murders outpacing last year's totals so far.

Last month, an arbitrator upheld the city's vaccine mandate and set this Sunday as a deadline for city workers to get the first shot. The second shot is due by April 13, but the ruling allows more time for those who made a good-faith effort to get an appointment for the first shot.

This week, the judge denied the union's requests to reconsider its claims and lifted a previous order that put the vaccine policy on hold, the Chicago Tribune reports.

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot could place as many as 2,800 police officers on no-pay status on Sunday if they're still not vaccinated

The city and the police union have been locked in a months-long court battle over Lightfoot's mandate. Officers now have until Sunday to get their first shot and until April 13 to get a second shot. Above, officers and city workers protest the mandate on October 25

As of December, 6,621 officers had applied for religious exemptions, but 58 percent were still waiting for an answer. The head of the police union says those who haven't gotten a determination can wait until they get one

Mayor Lightfoot, 59, has not wavered in her stance that vaccines are critical for the city's workforce.

'We gave people notice in August that this was critically important,' she said last month, according to WMAQ.

'Having a safe workplace is something that I think we have an obligation to do, and my expectation is that people will comply with the mandate. We've given ample, ample, ample opportunities for them to the in compliance.

'We'e worked with them. We've tried to meet them where they are. But yes, there are some people that have decided that they rather not be a city employee rather than get vaccinated, and that's their choice.'

Her office did not immediately respond to questions from DailyMail.com about the number of officers and city workers who will be placed on no-pay status on Sunday.

The city has been engaged in a months-long court battle against the Fraternal Order of Police, which sued to prevent the vaccine mandate from going into effect last year.

All city employees had until October 15 to report their vaccination status and until the end of the year to get their shots.

The FOP argued that the mandate violated the union's collective bargaining agreement.

The Fraternal Order of Police, a local union, argued that the mandate violated the union's collective bargaining agreement. The union has all but lost its case in arbitration. Above, an anti-mandate protest at City Hall on October 25

After the police union sued, a judge suspended the December 31 vaccine mandate for police officers and directed the union and the city to arbitration, a process that takes place outside of the traditional judicial system.

In December, an arbitrator ruled that other city workers, including firefighters, had to get their shots by the end of the year, according to the Tribune.

Last month, an arbitrator upheld the mandate for police officers and set a first-shot deadline for March 13. Officers must get their second shots by April 13, but the ruling allows for extensions if officers make good-faith efforts to get an appointment for a first shot.

Similarly, the officer who haven't yet heard back about their religious or medical exemptions are exempt from the deadlines until they get a decision, according to FOP President John Catanzara.

On Friday, Catanzara told his members in an online video that unvaccinated officers could be placed on no-pay status on Monday.

FOP President John Catanzara told his union members in an online video that unvaccinated officers could be placed on no-pay status on Monday

Catanzara, who had been an officer at the Chicago Police Department for almost 27 years, resigned from his job at the department in November.

In the comments section of a post about his resignation, he wrote: 'Finally!!! Let's go Brandon,' according to WTTW.

The arbitrator dealt another blow to the unions last week, declining to review the case. The FOP appealed.

On Wednesday, Catanzara said: 'I dont know what happens over the next 72 hours. All I can tell you is we are not going to stop punching. This easily can be all averted before this cliff becomes a reality,' referring to the nearly 3,000 officers who could be placed on no-pay status.

On Friday, 12 aldermen sent Lightfoot a letter saying they would call a special City Council meeting if she didn't respond to their concerns over the mandate.

'We cannot afford to lose one more police officer, firefighter, paramedic and city worker at this critical time,' they wrote.

Chicago is having a hard time retaining officers and hiring new ones as crime continues to spike.

As of February 27, overall crime was up 34 percent in Chicago compared to the same time last year.

Nyzireya Moore, pictured, was pronounced dead shortly before noon on March 4, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office and police said

Nyzireya was in the passenger seat of a family member's car when three men fired on another vehicle and a stray bullet struck her in the back of the head

On March 4, a young girl died on her 12th birthday, while still wearing her pink birthday sash and tiara, after she was hit by a stray bullet in a gang related shooting as she and her family returned home from a restaurant, authorities say.

Nyzireya Moore was pronounced dead shortly before noon that day, the Cook County Medical Examiner's Office and police said.

She had been in critical condition at Comer Children's Hospital with severe brain injuries since the March 1 shooting in the city's West Englewood neighborhood.

Nyzireya was on her way back from a birthday dinner with her family when she was shot.

She was in the passenger seat of a family member's car when three men fired on another vehicle and a stray bullet struck her in the back of the head, police said.

The Moores' car was not the intended target.

Nyzireya's relative heard the gunshots before realizing the girl had been hit in the back of her head.

They drove to Holy Cross Hospital, where Nyzireya was eventually transferred to Comer Children's Hospital. She died at the hospital on Friday.

No arrests have been made.
Julian Assange's fiancee has spoken of her joy at being allowed to marry the WikiLeaks founder despite restrictions being placed on their wedding.

Stella Moris, 38, will marry the 50-year-old in Belmarsh Prison, south east London on March 23, just weeks before the third anniversary of his dramatic arrest when he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in the capital in April 2019.

He has been held in the high-security jail ever since as he fights extradition to the United States, where he is wanted over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

He has always denied wrongdoing and has won support for his case from human rights organisations and journalist groups across the world.

Ms Moris said that just four guests and two witnesses will be allowed to attend the ceremony, as well as two security guards.

Dame Vivienne Westwood is designing Ms Moris's wedding dress, and a kilt for Assange, whose parents are of Scottish extraction.

Stella Moris, 38, (right) will marry 50-year-old Julian Assange (left) in Belmarsh Prison, south east London on March 23, just weeks before the third anniversary of his dramatic arrest when he was dragged out of the Ecuadorian embassy in the capital in April 2019

The guests will have to leave immediately after the event, even though it is being held during normal visiting hours.

The couple are still waiting to hear if they will be allowed a photographer.

Ms Moris said: 'Obviously we are very excited, even though the circumstances are very restrictive.

'There continues to be unjustified interference in our plans. Having a photographer for an hour is not an unreasonable request.

'All the guests and witnesses must leave as soon as the ceremony is over, even though that will be before normal visiting time ends.

Ms Moris said that just four guests and two witnesses will be allowed to attend the ceremony, as well as two security guards. Dame Vivienne Westwood is designing Ms Moris's wedding dress, and a kilt for Assange, whose parents are of Scottish extraction

'Julian is looking forward to the wedding because it is finally happening, many months after we first made the request.'

Ms Moris, who spoke to Assange on Sunday, added: 'He is being held on behalf of a foreign power and has not been charged with anything, which is completely disgraceful.'

The couple finally registered to marry in November last year, having previously accused the prison governor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab of working to prevent the ceremony going ahead.

After visiting him in Belmarsh Prison, she said in November: 'Today Julian and I are finally registering our intention to marry here inside Belmarsh prison. We were originally booked to do so three weeks ago.

Assange has been held in the high-security jail since April 2019 as he fights extradition to the United States, where he is wanted over an alleged conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following WikiLeaks' publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents

'Of course, the circumstances are not ideal but I am relieved that reason has prevailed and I hope there will be no further interference with our marriage.

'In the UK everyone who is old enough, no matter who they are or where they are from, has a basic human right to get married to whom they choose.

'This right is written into law. Julian is not charged with any crime in this country, he is not serving a sentence, his imprisonment serves no purpose at all other than to prolong and make his suffering worse.

'I hope the injustice of this situation is swiftly brought to an end so that we can enjoy marriage outside of the walls of Belmarsh when he is freed.'

The couple have been engaged for several years and have been trying to get married despite the legal action.

The couple finally registered to marry in November last year, having previously accused the prison governor and Justice Secretary Dominic Raab of working to prevent the ceremony going ahead (Stella Moris pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice following the appeal against Assange's extradition in London in January)

Ms Moris said of the news after speaking to Assange on Sunday: 'Julian is looking forward to the wedding because it is finally happening, many months after we first made the request' (Ms Moris pictured outside the Royal Courts of Justice following the appeal against Assange's extradition in London in January)

Assange secretly fathered his two sons while holed up in the Ecuadorian embassy in London.

The 50-year-old had entered the building in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden to face sex offence allegations, which he has always denied and were eventually dropped.

Gabriel and Max were conceived with Ms Moris while their father was hiding out to avoid extradition to America, where he faces espionage charges over the leaking of thousands of classified US intelligence documents.

Mr Assange is wanted in the US on allegations of a conspiracy to obtain and disclose national defence information following WikiLeaks's publication of hundreds of thousands of leaked documents relating to the Afghanistan and Iraq wars.

He has been held in Belmarsh Prison since 2019 after he was carried out of the Ecuadorian embassy by police before being arrested for breaching his bail conditions.
Iran has claimed responsibility for a missile strike near a US consulate complex in Iraq on Sunday, saying it was in retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard last week.

The Iranian's strike targeted the northern city of Irbil, the capital of the Kurdistan region, home to 1.43 million people.

Iran says it was aiming for an Israeli 'strategic center of conspiracy.'

No injuries were reported in the attack, which marked a significant escalation in hostilities between the US and Iran that have often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both countries.

The missile barrage coincided with stalled negotiations in Vienna over Tehran's nuclear deal, which hit a 'pause' amid US sanctions targeting Moscow over its war on Ukraine.

The strike drew harsh condemnation from the Iraqi government, which called it a 'violation of international law and norms.' On Sunday, the US Department of State said it 'strongly condemns' the attack.

'The strikes were an outrageous violation of Iraq's sovereignty. No US facilities were damaged or personnel injured, and we have no indications the attack was directed at the United States,' said US State Department spokesman Ned Price.

Iran says it's responsible for a missile strike in Irbil, Iraq on Sunday, March 13. Above, people walk by a house damaged by the attack

Iran says it was targeting an Israeli 'strategic center of conspiracy.' No injuries were reported

The attack happened in Erbil in the dead of night. Above, the studio of Kurdistan 24 TV after the blasts

The US State Department released a statement 'strongly condemning' the attack. 'Iran must immediately cease its attacks, respect Iraqi sovereignty, and halt its interference in Iraq's internal affairs,' the

At least one missile landed in the studio of Kurdistan 24 TV, shattering through glass and destroying expensive equipment as reporters continued to relay the news live on air.

'Iran must immediately cease its attacks, respect Iraqi sovereignty, and halt its interference in Iraq's internal affairs. The United States stands with our Iraqi partners, including in the Kurdistan Region, and will help our partners in the region defend themselves,' Price added.

Iraq's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to protest against the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of the country's sovereignty.

Iraq's foreign ministry spokesman Ahmad al-Sahhaf told The Associated Press that the ministry had summoned the Iranian ambassador, Iraj Masjedi, to deliver the diplomatic protest.

Iran's Revolutionary Guard said on its website that it launched the attack against an Israeli 'strategic centre of conspiracy' in Irbil.

It did not elaborate, but in a statement said Israel had itself been on the offensive, citing a recent strike that killed two Revolutionary Guards.

The semi-official Tasnim news agency quoted an unnamed source as saying Iran fired 10 Fateh missiles, including several Fateh-110 missiles, which have a range of about 186 mi.

The source said the attack resulted in multiple casualties and that the main target for the missiles was the 'Zionist base, which is far from the American military base'.

An Iraqi official in Baghdad initially said several missiles had hit the US consulate in Irbil, which is new and unoccupied, adding that it had been the intended target of the attack.

Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistan's foreign media office, said none of the missiles had struck the US facility but that areas around the compound had been hit.

The strike happened in the northern city of Irbil, the capital of the semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. The city is home to 1.43 million people

An Iranian news agency reported that Iran fired 10 Fateh missiles, including several Fateh-110 missiles, which have a range of about 186 mi. Above, a photo released by the Iranian Defense Ministry in 2010 claiming to show the upgraded Fateh-110 surface-to-surface missiles

Iraq's foreign ministry summoned Iran's ambassador to protest against the attack, calling it a flagrant violation of sovereignty. Above, a man inspects the damage at home on Sunday

Following a cabinet meeting, the Iraqi government in Baghdad reiterated its refusal to allow Iraq to be used to settle scores between other countries and said it had requested an explanation from the Iranian leadership.

Satellite broadcast channel Kurdistan24, which is located near the US consulate, went on air shortly after the attack, showing shattered glass and debris on its studio floor.

The attack came several days after Iran said it would retaliate for an Israeli strike near Damascus in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard.

On Sunday, Iran's state-run Irna news agency quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the attacks in Irbil, without saying where they originated.

Meanwhile, Iran suspended its secret Baghdad-brokered talks aimed at defusing years-long tensions with regional rival Saudi Arabia, after Saudi Arabia carried out its largest known mass execution in its modern history with more than three dozens Shiites killed.

The Iraqi security officials said there were no casualties from the Irbil attack, which they said occurred after midnight and caused material damage in the area.

One of the Iraqi officials said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, without elaborating.

He said the projectiles were the Iranian-made Fateh-110, likely to have been fired in retaliation for the two Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria.

US forces stationed at Irbil's airport compound have come under fire from rocket and drone attacks in the past, with American officials blaming Iran-backed groups.

The top US commander for the Middle East has repeatedly warned about the increasing threats of attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed militias on troops and allies in Iraq and Syria.

On Sunday, Kurdistan 24 TV, an outlet in northern Iraq, continued to broadcast even after rockets smashed into their studio during the early hours of Sunday.

But when the shelling stopped, Kurdistan 24 kept on rolling - deciding to broadcast the news even with the studio half-collapsed behind them.

A picture taken on March 13 shows the damaged studio at the Kurdistan 24 TV building

View of the damaged studio at the Kurdistan 24 TV building after a ballistic missiles attack nearby in Erbil, Iraq March 13. The news outlet decided to broadcast after the strikes

'We will continue broadcasting and spreading despite substantial damage to our equipment,' said the news broadcaster shortly after the missiles hit.

Video footage shows a Kurdistan 24 presenter announcing the attack with wreckage around him.

'There are a multitude of potential reasons (for the Erbil attack), but the most likely is that the Iranians see Erbil as a hub for its opponents in the region to plan and conduct attacks against Iran and its interests,' Nicholas Heras, deputy director of the Human Security Unit at the Newlines Institute for Strategy and Policy, told Kurdistan 24.

'Erbil is a useful target because there are important US-and other regional partner-assets located in the city, it is easily and quickly struck from Iran or from Iraq and Syria, and attacking it sends a message to the Americans and their partners to back off from activities that the Iranian leadership views as a threat,' he added.

Last week, Las Vegas police arrested a woman who allegedly stabbed her date she met online in retaliation for the US drone strike that killed an Iranian military leader in 2020.

The Henderson Police Department charged Nika Nikoubin, 21, with attempted murder last Saturday after she allegedly lured a man she met on the site Plenty of Fish to bed only to attack him with a knife, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reported.

Police say Nikoubin's (pictured) alleged stabbing of her date was done 'in revenge against US troops for the 2020 killing of Qasem Solemani'

Police said Nikoubin and her date rented out a room at the Sunset Station Hotel where she blindfolded the victim as they began engaging in sexual activity

Police said that on March 5, Nikoubin and her date, who has not been identified, rented out a room together at the Sunset Station Hotel where the 21-year-old turned off the lights and they began to have sex.

Nikoubin suggested she could blindfold her lover but after covering his eyes, she allegedly reached into her purse, pulled out the knife and stabbed him twice in the neck.

The victim said he 'felt a pain on the side of his neck' and was able to push Nikoubin off him, get out of the room and call 911, police said.

Police said Nikoubin also ran out of the room and told a hotel employee that she had just stabbed a man.

Iranian Gen. Qassem Soleimani (pictured) was killed when an American MQ-9 Reaper drone fired missiles at his convoy as it left Baghdad airport in 2020

Nikoubin would later tell police she stabbed her date because she 'wanted revenge' but hadn't wanted to kill him.

She explained she wanted 'revenge against US troops for the 2020 killing of Qasem Solemani,' according to a police report.

It's not clear why she chose to carry out the revenge attack on her date.

'She advised that there are injustices, in particular the killing of Qasem Soleimani in Iran,' the police report said.

Iranian Gen. Soleimani was killed when an American MQ-9 Reaper drone fired missiles at his convoy as it left Baghdad airport in 2020.

Soleimani was the head of Iran's Quds force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, and believed to be responsible for Tehran's backing for Shia proxies sowing unrest through the Middle East. He was often described as the country's most powerful figure after its supreme leader. Following his death, a United Nations expert said that without an imminent threat to life the strike was unlawful.
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Thousands of college students and party-goers continue to enjoy their holidays in Florida this weekend to celebrate what's expected to be the largest Spring Break ever as COVID continues to fizzle out.

While 2020 saw a dismal 1,500 people a day flying to Florida and 2021 saw a crowd of about 65,000 Spring Breakers, the Tampa Bay Times estimated that 570,000 students will be on holiday in the Sunshine State to party on the beaches this year.

The most hectic period of Spring Break, which is expected to last until March 20, comes as six college students, five of whom are West Point cadets, overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine on Thursday.

On Sunday, revelers could be seen chugging alcohol, shotgunning beers and drinking from beer bongs dressed in bikinis and bathing suits.

Others were spotted playing ball games in the water, while a group of young men ran football drills to a large crowd on Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Young women also got in on the wrestling action, with two women pictured trying to take one another down to the sandy floor of Fort Lauderdale Beach.

The crowds around them cheered and filmed the playful moment between the two women in blue bikinis moment on their phones with many looking on with an open mouth in disbelief.

More inventive spring breakers created a beer pong table out of sand, while students from Michigan, Indiana, Texas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Ohio, and New Jersey, amongst others partook in Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach over the weekend.

Others were spotted playing ball games in the water, while a group of young men ran football drills to a large crowd on Fort Lauderdale Beach, with some young women getting in on the wrestling action

The two women in blue bikinis were pictured trying to take one another down to the sandy floor of Fort Lauderdale Beach

The crowds around them cheered and filmed the playful moment between the two women in blue bikinis moment on their phones with many looking on with an open mouth in disbelief

The crowd celebrated after the girl won in her playful wrestling fight against another party-goer, holding the football as she cheers

The crowd circled the two contenders in the football drills, with the man in the black shorts, pictured centre left, grabbing ahold of the football

This pair pulled at each other to see who would be crowned champion in the playful wrestling championship at the Floridian beach

More men were seen battling it out on the sand with plenty of onlookers filming the interaction to see who would win at wrestling

Shotguns, beer bongs, bats and bags, students are seen chugging alcohol on the beach in Fort Lauderdale Sunday as spring break celebrations continue

Shotguns, beer bongs, bats and bags, students are seen chugging alcohol on the beach, with these men seen downing White Claw spiked seltzers in Fort Lauderdale

The crowds surrounding those taking part in football drills sat on each other's shoulders with drinks in hand to watch the fun play out and record the moments on their phones

Spring breakers were seen playing a variety of ball games in the beach before partying the night away with each other

On Sunday, it was reported four men had been found unresponsive at a Fort Lauderdale property, according to Local10. They were hospitalized, and it is unclear if they were spring breakers, or what had caused their illness, which came days after five West Point cadets overdosed on fentanyl.

Meanwhile, Cafe Ibiza, a bar right off of the Fort Lauderdale beach, offered bottomless mimosas to the spring break crowd.

DailyMail.com cameras were also in Fort Lauderdale on Saturday night where young people were enjoying the revelry at Rock Bar and the Floridian Restaurant, among several hotspots.

Many weren't just celebrating Spring Break but also donning traditional green to toast the upcoming St. Patrick's Day.

Two men took their drinks to the ocean before being hit by a few waves as they partake in spring break in Florida

Many went on each other's shoulders to watch various ball games taking place in huddles of people

Groups of friends took to the sandy beach with their towels, swimwear and drinks in hand ready for the day full of partying

Two women wore matching shorts with 'I love hot dads' written on the back, seen walking towards the strip behind Fort Lauderdale beach in Florida

Signs leading up to the beach stated that no alcohol was allowed on Fort Lauderdale Beach - but not many followed these rules which were signposted to warn spring breakers

Students from Michigan, Indiana, Texas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey amongst others partake in Spring Break on Fort Lauderdale Beach, with these two women holding each other's hands - and an icy drink

Groups of friends enjoyed the ball games taking place on the beach to celebrate spring break in Florida

Thousands of people flooded the south Florida beaches this weekend to celebrate spring break, with students from Michigan, Indiana, Texas, Mississippi, Wisconsin, Ohio, New Jersey amongst many others

Spring Breakers pictured playing a variety of ball games in the water and on Fort Lauderdale beach on Sunday

More inventive spring breakers created a beer pong table out of sand, pictured above

Pictured: revelers at Fort Lauderdale's Cafe Ibiza, which offered bottomless mimosas to the spring break crowd on Sunday

Cafe Ibiza on Fort Lauderdale had a full house with their offer of bottomless mimosas to entice revelers, with almost everyone pictured holding a cup of the orange-colored drink

A group of friends enjoying the offers in place at Fort Lauderdale's Cafe Ibiza to welcome spring breakers

Pictured: Fort Lauderdale Beach, where thousands of spring breakers descended upon on Sunday

A group of girls leaves their drinks on the table as they get out onto the dance floor along Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd

Young people on Spring Break enjoy the nightlife along Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. on Saturday night in Florida

The Rock Bar on Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. in Fort Lauderdale, Florida was absolutely packed on Saturday night as young people enjoyed their Spring Break

Two Spring Breakers cuddle close together while one hangs tight to a CVS bag Saturday evening

Two men help carry a woman who may have had too much to drink down Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd. on Saturday night

After a year in which many avoided Spring Break due to the pandemic, Florida bars and clubs were packed to the gills once again

Miami beaches were absolutely packed on Friday as throngs of students soaked up the sun and kicked off the weekend.

This year, Fort Lauderdale officials are readying themselves by enforcing safety measures into place before the expected arrival of Spring Breakers from all across the country, starting this weekend.

Police and fire rescue officials in Fort Lauderdale, often dubbed as 'Spring Break Central,' told reporters at a news conference on Friday that they expect to reach unprecedented levels since the coronavirus pandemic.

'We absolutely expect at least double if not triple what we saw last year as far as attendance,' Fort Lauderdale Police Maj. Bill Schultz told NBC Miami.

A car promoting the Floridian Restaurant shows some spirit for the upcoming St. Patrick's Day alongside the Spring Break revelry

A gentleman with a shirt making his affinities clear poses with a group of girls on a Spring Break Saturday night

Spring Breakers scope out the scene while having drinks Saturday night in Fort Lauderdale

About 570,000 students will be on holiday in the Sunshine State to party on the beaches as they enjoy their first spring break without any COVID-19 restrictions in place after poor showings in 2020 and 2021

Schultz added that the city is already welcoming a good amount of 'early birds' and that it is ready to anticipate the arrival of many more partygoers over the next few weeks, starting with this upcoming weekend's surge.

AAA Tampa spokesman Mark Jenkins said that while AAA does not track Spring Break travel, the organization has seen an surge in travel for the event.

'People are feeling more confident about taking a trip and that's really what we're seeing on bookings,' Jenkins told ABC Tampa.

'AAA travel bookings right now are much stronger than they were this time last year so we're expecting a very strong Spring Break season,' Jenkins explained.

AAA said travel booking to Spring Break locations are much stronger as people enjoy the event for the first time since the partying scene was left devastated by the coronavirus pandemic

Florida officials are on high alert to keep the partying safe as thousands descend upon the Miami beaches on Friday

Friday and Saturday kicks off the most hectic period of Spring Break, which is expected to last until March 20

Party goers enjoyed the sun on Friday as Saturday is expected to bring light showers before clearing up on Sunday

The celebration began on a morbid note after six students, five of which were west point cadets, overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine in Wilton Manors, Florida on Thursday

Florida police are expecting Spring Break crowds to double and even triple over the weekend

The upgraded security around tourist areas was key in the quick response after six students overdosed on cocaine laced with fentanyl on Thursday night, including five West Point cadets.

Two of the cadets had not ingested the drugs but were overcome by the effects of fentanyl when they attempted to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation on their sickened friends, Orlando Sun-Sentinel first reported on Friday.

DailyMail.com reached to the U.S. Army Academy at West Point and was told by a representative that the college was 'aware' of the incident in Florida involving its students.

'The U.S. Military Academy is aware of the situation involving West Point cadets, which occurred Thursday night in Wilton Manors, FL,' a West Point spokesperson said in an email. 'The incident is currently under investigation and no other details are available at this time.'

News helicopter video shows paramedics converging on the front yard of a short-term vacation rental home on NW 29th Court in Wilton Manors, where multiple people were found in cardiac arrest at 5 p.m. Thursday.

A group of beach goers in Fort Lauderdale, considered 'Spring Break Central,' are pictured carrying a cooler to party

The streets in Miami are packed with visitors on their way to the beaches to enjoy Spring Break on Friday

Early birds enjoyed their time on the beach on Friday as Saturday is expected to bring a bigger wave of party goers

Many were already on the beach earlier this week, but this weekend marks the largest expected outcome in Spring Break

Footage from the scene shows first responders administering first aid and placing several individuals onto stretchers.

Fort Lauderdale Fire Department Battalion Chief Steve Gollan told Local10 that two of the people who overdosed were sickened because they tried to perform CPR on the initial four overdose victims. He said the opioid-overdose-reversing drug naloxone, which is sold under the brand name Narcan, was administered to revive the victims.

Four of the patients were taken to Broward Health Medical Center, and the remaining two were transported to Holy Cross Hospital.

By Friday, one of the patients had been released from the hospital, two remained in critical condition after being intubated, and three were in stable condition.

A suspect believed to be connected to the incident was arrested in Florida, police confirmed to WSVN Friday night. It is also unclear if the suspect was staying at the rental property with the Spring Breakers.

Officials say four college students staying at a vacation rental home in Wilton Manors ingested the drug and went into cardiac arrest, and their two friends fell ill after coming into contact with the fentanyl by performing CPR on the patients

A first responder in a HAZMAT suit is seen working at the scene of the mass overdose in Wilton Manors on Thursday night

The six patients are college students who traveled to Fort Lauderdale for spring break. Five are cadets of West Point

The overdosed vacationers were treated with nalaxone at the scene before being taken to a hospital, where one of them was listed in critical condition

Paramedics are seen removing one of the overdoses college kids from the home on Thursday

Gulf Shore, Florida, officials said the Miami incident was not an isolated case and warned that more overdoses could occur throughout the Spring Break season.

Gulf Shore Fire Department Battalion Chief Melvin Shepard said Florida first responders have become well-equipped with administering Narcan nasal sprays or injectables to save those suffering an overdose.

'It's a reality of our culture,' Shepard told NBC 15. 'You can't just isolate it to Miami, it could very well happen here or the city next to us, so we have to do everything we can to be prepared for whatever comes our way.'
Former Attorney General Bill Barr said vying for Donald Trump's focus in the White House was like 'wrestling an alligator' during a Sunday television interview.

He told NBC's Meet the Press that he and other Cabinet secretaries had to compete with the former president's 'yes-men' to keep him 'on track' while he led the country.

However the ex-Justice Department chief admitted that he believed 'a lot of American people' would prefer Trump's leadership to President Joe Biden's -- despite criticizing the Republican's behavior after the 2020 election both in his book and during his numerous recent public appearances.

Barr has sat down for a slew of interviews over the last week to promote the release of his new memoir, One Damn Thing After Another, about his time in the Trump administration.

'He tends to surround himself with people who will tell him what he wants to hear. Before the election, you know, he cast his net broadly and talked to a lot of people and Cabinet secretaries, all of us frequently had to wrestle with him to accomplish things that we thought would keep him on track. And we were successful generally, but it was a -- it was frequently like wrestling an alligator,' Barr recalled.

It was after Trump lost the 2020 race that Barr claimed he turned even more inward, only trusting his confidantes outside of the White House -- perhaps a thinly veiled shot at ex-Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani.

Barr has criticized Giuliani over his 2020 election fraud conspiracies on more than one occasion.

The former attorney general has been a popular face on news television programs while he's been promoting his new memoir One Damn Thing After Another, about Barr's time in the Trump White House

'After the election, he would just listen to this group of people who had no government position but were telling him exactly what he wanted to hear, and he's ultimately to blame for that,' he explained.

'But there's something about him that he, you know, wants to be surrounded by yes men -- on the outside of government.'

Barr claimed he even told Trump that he'd lose the election back in April of 2020 -- but was 'surprised' how close the final count was against Biden.

'I felt for a long time that he was going to lose the election. I went in in April and told him that I thought he was going to lose the election,' he said.

He attributed Trump's eventual loss to 'his obnoxious behavior' which resulted in 'turning off key blocks of voters.'

'And on election night, I felt he was going to lose. And I was actually surprised it was as close as it was,' Barr added.

As he's done in previous interviews, however, Barr refused to rule out supporting Trump in a potential 2024 bid -- claiming progressives and Biden were both worse options.

Meet the Press host Chuck Todd pressed the ex-attorney general on his apparent unwillingness to completely denounce Trump.

Barr said 'a lot of American people right now' would prefer Donald Trump to Joe Biden -- despite repeatedly expressing concern about the former president's stability and temperament

He said the situation 'sort of shocked a lot of people because you spend a lot of time in your books painting this person as unfit for office.'

'And making it clear that he, himself, that he's got temperamental issues, he's got character issues, and yet you would risk that again over Joe Biden?' Todd pressed.

Barr replied: 'Well, I think there're a lot of American people right now that might prefer having him back in office than what we see under Biden.'

The news anchor turned up the heat, attempting to corner Barr into a straight answer multiple times.

'But I'm talking about you, you've had firsthand account. You saw it up close,' he said.

Barr answered that elections were a 'binary choice.'

'And unfortunately sometimes it's choosing the lesser of two evils. I believe that the progressive wing of the Democratic Party is dangerous for the United States,' he claimed.

In another NBC interview early last week, the ex-law enforcement official said there was 'simply no evidence' the last presidential race was 'stolen' from Trump -- though he left the door open to voting for him again should the former president run in 2024.

'I've certainly made it clear, I don't think he should be our nominee, and I'm going to support somebody else for the nominee,' Barr began.

But, he added, 'because I believe the greatest threat for the country is the progressive agenda pushed by the Democratic Party, it is inconceivable to me that I wouldn't vote for the Republican nominee.'

NBC Today host Savannah Guthrie pushed him, 'So, even if he lied about the election and threatened democracy, as you write in your book, better than a Democrat?'

'It's hard to project what the facts are going to turn out to be three years hence. But as of now, it's hard to conceive I wouldn't vote for the Republican nominee.'

However, he admitted on CNN's The Lead with Jake Tapper on Friday that he thought Trump could lead the GOP to defeat.

'I think the Republicans can win a decisive majority, but I don't think we can do it with Trump,' he said. 'He's just too divisive a candidate.'

The former president held a campaign-style rally in Florence, South Carolina on Saturday in support of two primary candidates challenging incumbent Republican lawmakers.

Trump dropped a hint that he may run for the White House again in 2024 -- but stopped short of announcing it, as he's done multiple times in recent months.

'In 2024 we are going to take back that beautiful, beautiful White House. I wonder who will do that. I wonder, I wonder,' he said.
A Russian Orthodox church was ransacked by burglars who stole fundraising cash for refugees fleeing the war in Ukraine.

St Nicholas Orthodox Church, in Oxford, was targeted by thieves during the early hours of Saturday morning and suffered a 'great deal of damage', according to Archpriest Stephen Platt.

The thieves forced their way into a church safe and stole money which the congregation had raised for Ukrainian refugees.

Thames Valley Police said they are investigating the incident and asked witnesses to get in contact.

St Nicholas Orthodox Church, in Oxford, was targeted by thieves during the early hours of Saturday morning

The thieves broke into a safe and stole money which the congregation had raised for Ukrainian refugees

Writing on Facebook, Father Stephen said: 'A great deal of damage was done.

'The holy altar was ransacked, and various objects were stolen, including holy relics, crosses and altar vessels.

'Fortunately, although the holy table was interfered with, the antimension and the tabernacle containing the Holy Gifts were left undisturbed.

'The church safe and money boxes were forced open with violence, and the proceeds of a collection to support refugees from Ukraine was stolen. The church bookstall was burgled and stock taken.

'The police have been informed and are making investigations. Please keep our church and our parish in your prayers.'

Archpriest Stephen Platt said the church safe and money boxes were forced open 'with violence'

Father Stephen said 'a great deal of damage' was caused during the incident on Saturday morning. Police are investigating

Following the break-in, a fundraiser was launched for the church on Facebook and many people have stepped in to help.

It has so far raised more than 7,000 from almost 200 donations.

A spokesman for Thames Valley Police said: 'No arrests have yet been made. Anyone with any information relating to this should call 101.'
The mother of an 8-year-old California girl who was last seen in December has been arrested for murder after a body was found at her boyfriends house, police said Saturday.

The body, which has not yet been positively identified as belonging to Sophia Mason, was found inside a Merced house belonging to 34-year-old Dhante Jackson, according to the Merced Police Department. Jackson, who was dating Sophias mother, Samantha Johnson, fled the scene and is still on the run.

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Johnson, 30, was arrested Thursday for child abuse stemming from a 2021 incident and obstruction of justice, according to police. During an interview with police, she directed them to Jacksons house, where the body was found. She has now been charged with murder.

A warrant for Jacksons arrest for murder has been issued.

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Samantha Johnson, left, and boyfriend Dhante Jackson have been charged with murder. (Merced Police Department)

A cause of death, as well as an identification, for the remains is pending an investigation by the Merced County Coroners Office.

Details of Sophias life are unclear, but sources told NBC Bay Area that Johnson told a relative that she had given the 8-year-old girl away.

Periodically, her mom would come into her life, take her away and said she was going to raise her on her own, and she didnt need my aunt to do it for her, Melonie Verlatti, whose aunt helped raise both Johnson and Sophia, told the station.

She wasnt mentally competent to do it on her own. My aunt repeatedly called CPS and police, but they didnt take her seriously.

Anyone with information is asked to call Detective John Pinnegar at 209-388-7712 or email him at pinnegarj@cityofmerced.org.
A murder victim who died after being stabbed has been named by police - after a 20-year-old was arrested in connection with the incident.

The victim of the Birmingham stabbing on Friday was named as Steven McCarran, 51, who was local to the area.

Steven McCarran, 51, who was local to the area, was killed on Grazebrook Croft on Friday

Police have said Mr McCarran's family is being supported by specialist officers.

West Midlands Police said they arrested a man, 20, on Saturday at a house in Warwick Road, Tyseley, and he remains in custody.

Detective Inspector Jim Mahon from our Homicide Unit, said: 'Our thoughts are with Mr McCarran's family.

'Clearly they are shocked at what's happened and we are supporting them however we can.

'We are continuing to make good progress with the investigation: we have searched more premises for evidence and seized CCTV of vital importance.

Police have launched an urgent manhunt for a killer in the midlands after a man in his 50s was stabbed to death in the middle of the day

Police at the scene in Bigwood Drive, Bartley Green, in southwest Birmingham today

'We're still appealing for information and I'd urge anyone who believes they may be able to help our investigation to please get in touch.'

Mr McCarran died in Grazebrook Croft, Bartley Green, southwest Birmingham, at 11.20am on Friday.

'At this time, we do not know why the man was attacked,' the force said in a statement on Friday.

'Searches are underway for his attacker.'

Grazebrook Croft and the adjacent Bigwood Drive were taped off after the murder and will be closed until at least Saturday, police said.

Grazebrook Croft and the adjacent Bigwood Drive were taped off after the murder and will be closed until at least Saturday, police said

'Residents will be allowed into or out of their homes but they will be disrupted and may need to wait to be escorted through the area,' the force added.

Officers were questioning locals, reviewing CCTV images, and collecting drone footage.

Specialist search teams were also deployed.
Electricity supply has been restored at Ukraine's retired Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was seized by Russian forces in the first days of the invasion, energy officials in Kyiv said Sunday.

The restoration of power at the decommissioned site means that cooling systems will now operate normally and not have to use backup power.

Ukraine's nuclear company Energoatom had earlier warned that radioactive substances could be released if a high-voltage power line to the plant were not repaired after it was damaged in fighting.

'Today, thanks to the incredible efforts of Ukrainian energy specialists, our nuclear power engineers and electricians managed to return the power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was seized by the Russian occupiers,' Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a statement.

'Our Ukrainian energy engineers, by risking their own health and lives, were able to avert the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe that threatened the whole of Europe,' he added.

On February 24, Russia invaded Ukraine and seized the defunct Chernobyl plant, site of a 1986 disaster that killed hundreds and spread radioactive contamination west across Europe.

Electricity supply has been restored at Ukraine's retired Chernobyl nuclear power plant (file photo) that was seized by Russian forces in the first days of the invasion

Russian tanks and armoured vehicles are parked just in front of the destroyed reactor in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone on the day the plant was taken over

The Russian forces cut the power to the plant, and the site was forced to run on emergency back-up generators that are powered by diesel, though the UN's atomic watchdog said there was 'no critical impact to safety'.

Staff at the site have been working under Russian guard since they took control of the nuclear plant.

The UN atomic watchdog, The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), warned earlier this week that the situation for the staff 'was worsening'.

The defunct plant sits inside an exclusion zone that houses decommissioned reactors as well as radioactive waste facilities.

In 2016, the Chernobyl New Safe Confinement was put in place to cover the reactor. It was designed to prevent further release of radioactive contaminants for 100 years.

More than 2,000 staff still work at the plant as it requires constant management to prevent another nuclear disaster.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi on Tuesday called on 'on the forces in effective control of the site to urgently facilitate the safe rotation of personnel there.'

He also repeated his offer to travel to Chernobyl or elsewhere to secure 'the commitment to the safety and security' of Ukraine's power plants from all parties.

'The Director General indicated that remote data transmission from safeguards monitoring systems installed at the Chernobyl NPP had been lost,' the IAEA said in a statement.

A sudden power surge at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant resulted in a massive reactor explosion, exposing the core and blanketing the western Soviet Union and Europe with radiation in 1986. Pictured, the Chernobyl plant three days after the explosion on April 29, 1986

Russia took control of the defunct atomic plant on the first day of the invasion and later captured a second nuclear site - Zaporizhzhia - the biggest in Europe - on March 4, causing a fire that raised alarm in Europe over a possible nuclear catastrophe.

Last week staff at the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant were captured on video pleading with Russian soldiers directing fire on the building before they overtook it.

The nuclear power plant, which creates around 20 percent of Ukraine's electricity, was captured after a fierce gun battle between Russian President Vladimir Putin's men and Ukrainian defenders that sparked a fire in a six-story training building.

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 Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant was captured on March 4 after a fierce gun battle between Russian President Vladimir Putin's men and Ukrainian defenders

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.

Russian engineers arrived at Zaporizhzhia earlier this week to check radiation levels.

Safeguards keep 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.
A Missouri police officer who was shot along with two other officers last week has died, the Joplin Police Department announced Saturday.

Jake Reed, 27, who joined the force in 2017, died Friday and his organs were donated, police said.

'(Friday) evening Officer Jake Reed continued his service to others as his vital organs were escorted to the airport and flown across the country to give life to others,' the statement said.

Reed, 27, and Joplin police Cpl. Benjamin Cooper were fatally shot on Tuesday when they confronted 40-year-old Anthony Felix at a Joplin shopping area.

The officers were responding to a 'disturbance' at the mall but cops would not provide any additional details as to what led to the fatal encounter.

Cooper, 46, a 19-year veteran, died Tuesday at a hospital.

Jake Reed, 27,- who was shot along with two other officers last week, died Friday

Joplin police Cpl. Benjamin Cooper was also killed after he and Reed confronted 40-year-old Anthony Felix at a Joplin shopping area

Career criminal Anthony Felix is pictured in mugshot on March 4 - four days before killing cops

Authorities said Felix then fled in a stolen patrol car, which he eventually crashed.

A third Joplin officer, 53-year-old Rick Hirshey, saw Felix trying to steal another car and positioned his patrol car to stop him, Chief Sloan Rowland said.

Felix shot Hirshey through the windshield of his car, authorities said. Hirshey remains hospitalized.

Capt. William Davis, 36, shot and killed Felix shortly after Hirshey was shot.

Area residents have adorned a patrol vehicle parked in front of the Joplin police station with colorful flowers, stuffed animals, balloons and notes of encouragement in honor of the slain officers

A memorial has been placed in the lobby of the police department for Cpl. Cooper and Officer Reed

Kim Jenkins, who lives near where the third officer and the suspect were shot, said she saw a man with a gun hiding behind a fence across the street from her home, The Joplin Globe reported.

She said the officer drove down the street and stopped in front of a van the suspect was hiding behind.

That's when the suspect fired at the officer, apparently shooting him through the windshield of his patrol car.

'I dont think he even had time to get out when the guy started shooting,' Jenkins said.

Several other officers arrived and exchanged gunfire with the suspect, who was hit by gunfire, she said.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol is assisting with the investigation, Lewis said.

The department announced that separate public visitations and funeral services for Cooper and Reed will be held at the Leggett and Platt Center on the Missouri Southern Campus.

A public visitation for Cooper will be Monday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the funeral Tuesday at 1 p.m. Reed's visitation will be Thursday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., with the funeral on Friday at 1 p.m.

Reed's former high school baseball coach mourned the 'tragic' loss.

'Theres a loving, care-free guy serving his community and starting his career, and his life is tragically cut short,' Tom Abbot told The Northwest Arkansas Democrat Gazette.

'He always was smiling or someone was with him laughing. I know hes loved and hes going to be missed.'
This is the moment disposal experts safely removed a giant unexploded bomb out of a block of flats in a Ukrainian city.

The weapon was one of three OFAB-500 air bombs removed from residential areas in the Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS).

The city, located to the north of the country less than 80 miles from the capital Kyiv, has been one of the hardest hit regions of Ukraine and has suffered extensive damage from Russian bombs.

The bomb was seen being lifted slowly out the huge hole it had created when it crashed into the building in Chernihiv

Bomb disposal experts helped load the weapon onto the back of a lorry before it was safely removed from the area

A video, posted onto Twitter by the DSNS, shows the large bomb being lifted out of the huge hole it came through.

The grey bomb is loaded onto a crane and strapped into place as disposal experts help to slowly load it into the back of a lorry which is then used to take it away from the scene.

The DSNS said it was one of three bombs removed from residential areas of the city, home to around 290,000 people, which was removed by its bomb disposal experts in a single day.

Chernihiv has been under heavy bombardment since Russian forces invaded Ukraine.

Last week, Russia admitted to using a thermobaric 'vacuum bomb' in the city, confirming widespread reports that the devastating weapons had been deployed.

Britain's Ministry of Defense said on Tuesday last week that Moscow had announced the use of the 'lung-busting' weapons and the Ukrainian newspaper Ukrayinska Pravda also said that a Russian artilleryman, Sgt. Sergei Gubarev, had told a state-owned TV station he had used the weapon.

Their information came from a report broadcast on Zvezda - a Russian state-owned nationwide television network run by the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Gubarev used the weapon on March 4 in the Chernihiv region, Pravda reported.

The day before the thermobaric bomb was used, 47 civilians were killed in the city as they queued for bread at midday.

The huge weapon was one of three bombs removed from residential areas in the city in just one day, according to the State Emergency Service of Ukraine (DSNS)

The governor of the Chernihiv regional state administration, Viacheslav Chaus, previously said Russian forces were targeting civilian areas of the city.

In a video message, he said: 'The enemy continues to strike with rockets from the air. The civilians are getting killed.

'A lot of people are getting injured. The enemy strikes residential areas. The places where no military objects can be found.'

He said Chernihiv was left without electricity and almost without water, gas and heating.

Despite successfully restoring power, he said Russian attacks caused the network to be repeatedly broken.

Terrifying dascham footage, filmed in Chernihiv earlier this month, showed the moment bombs rained down on a tower block that was obliterated in Russian airstrikes.

In the footage, a car drives through the desolate streets before turning on to a road with a tall apartment block at the end.

Bombs are briefly seen dropping from the sky before a cacophonous explosion is heard and the apartment block erupts into flames before becoming engulfed by smoke.

The wreckage of a Russian military aircraft is pictured on the outskirts of Chernihiv on March 5

Men walk past a residential building destroyed by heavy shelling in Chernihiv on March 4

The car immediately stops and as the smoke begins to clear from the ground dozens of petrified people can be seen desperately sprinting away from the bomb site.

Plumes of smoke billow through the air and rise into the sky in what appears to be a quiet residential area.

Other harrowing footage released from Chernihiv earlier this month showed bloodied bodies of civilians lying amongst the rubble in the streets.

Ukraine's state emergencies agency said at least 33 civilians were killed and another 18 were wounded in that Russian strike.

Chernihiv is one of four Ukrainian cities - including Kharviv, Sumy and Mariupol - to have been heavily shelled and which remain encircled by Russian troops.

Ukraine's military said last week that Russian forces are placing military equipment on farms and in residential buildings in the city.
Emma Sinclair, the architect of the project, will meet the Refugees Minister on Monday to discuss the vacancies which could reach the tens of thousands

M&S, Asos and Lush have all said they are looking to give refugees jobs there

A consortium of 45 companies have indicated they want refugees as workers

Major British businesses including Marks & Spencer, Asos and Lush are lining up to hire Ukrainian refugees when they arrive in the UK.

A group of more than 45 companies has told the government it has up to 10,000 jobs available for those fleeing the Russian troops, as pressure mounts on Downing Street to make it easier for the refugees to find work once they arrive in the UK.

Emma Sinclair, the chief executive of Enterprise Alumni, has led the charge which has attracted significant support from British firms.

The project is still being fleshed out by bosses and there is little detail of what it will look like in practice so far.

Marks & Spencer said they were 'absolutely committed' to the humanitarian cause in Ukraine when confirming their involvement

Ms Sinclair said the project is 'purely altruistic' and not based on Brexit labour shortages

Ms Sinclair said that while Britain is experiencing labour shortages caused by the Covid pandemic and Brexit, the project is 'purely altruistic' and not based on those problems.

Ms Sinclair told BBC News: 'The companies involved, especially the recruitment firms, have got 'thousands of jobs to fill every day of the week.

'People are inherently generally good, and people want to help.

'We [businesses] want people, we need people, and we want to help,' she said. 'We want to see movement on rising numbers of refugees.

Marks & Spencer said they were 'absolutely committed' to the humanitarian cause in Ukraine when confirming their involvement.

Online fashion house Asos said that they were looking to employ 'double digits' of refugees in their tech engineering roles based in the UK due to Ukraine's 'strong skill set in this area'.

More than 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion, and European Union countries have let them come in without a visa for three years

Online fashion house Asos said that they were looking to employ 'double digits' of refugees in their tech engineering roles based in the UK due to Ukraine's 'strong skill set in this area'

High street cosmetics brand Lush told BBC News it was 'happy to consider refugees for any role, even those we would usually advertise for internal candidates only'.

Ms Sinclair will meet new Minister for Refugees Richard Harrington on Monday to discuss the scheme.

Nick Mackenzie, chief executive of Greene King, told the Times they were talking to government officials jobs for refugees whose 'lives have been destroyed by the invasion'.

Tesco has made 1,400 roles available for refugees in its central European business and establishing a Ukrainian language recruitment helpline and providing language training for successful applicants.

More than 2.5 million people have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion, and European Union countries have let them come in without a visa for three years.

Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove told Sky News today that 3,000 visas had already been offered to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion to enter the UK.

The UK has been criticised for not allowing visa-free entry into the UK for Ukrainians whereas several other European countries have.

High street cosmetics brand Lush told BBC News it was 'happy to consider refugees for any role, even those we would usually advertise for internal candidates only'

It said its recruiters are meeting with the Refugee Council charity next week to 'share what potential opportunities there are across the business'.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: 'This is exactly the kind of thing we appreciate  the generous British public offering to step up in this grave hour of need for our friends in Ukraine.'

A government spokesperson told BBC News: 'We are standing shoulder to shoulder with Ukrainians which is why we've made it easier for those with valid Ukrainian passports to come here.

'This is alongside changes to visas to ensure Ukrainians in the UK can stay here.

'We have expanded our visa application capacity to 13,000 a week, deployed additional staff across the EU, with a 24/7 helpline in place to ensure those who need appointments can get them to come here.

'This allows us to balance security risks while welcoming those in need,' they added.
Health Secretary Sajid Javid said 21 'very ill' Ukrainian children with cancer landed in the UK on Sunday evening.

Mr Javid said the children would now receive life-saving care in safety, without the threat of being bombed by invading Russian troops.

The Health Secretary tweeted: 'I can confirm that 21 very ill Ukrainian children with cancer have landed safely in UK this evening.

'NHS England will now ensure they get life-saving care in safety. Hugely grateful to everyone involved in helping get these children and their families here.'

It comes as it was revealed that 3,000 visas have now been granted for Ukrainian refugees, after the government faced stinging criticism over both the speed and scale of its efforts to help those fleeing the war settle in the UK.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday that the UK will continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence against Russian troops.

Mr Johnson added that Britain will work will its partners, including at Tuesday's meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force countries in London, to help Ukraine in their fight against Russia.

The PM said during the call that Russian President Vladimir Putin's 'barbaric actions' were 'testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity'.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Defence Secretary Ben Wallace (2ndL) visit the Cammell Laird shipyard in Merseyside, UK, on March 10

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday that the UK will continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence against Russian troops

Health Secretary Sajid Javid tonight said 21 'very ill' Ukrainian children with cancer landed in the UK on Sunday evening

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

It comes as American freelance journalist, Brent Renaud, 50, was shot dead by Russian troops on Sunday while filming refugees in Irpin, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Renaud was in a car with other journalists in Irpin, near Kyiv, when Russian troops opened fire. He was shot dead and one of his colleagues was injured.

A Ukrainian mayor was also abducted by invading Russian forces on Sunday, the second such kidnapping in days, bringing strong condemnation from the UK, EU and Zelensky.

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine, said Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in southern Ukraine, was taken days after Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the nearby city of Melitopol, was also kidnapped.

During their call on Sunday, Johnson and Zelensky 'condemned the murders of Brent Renaud and countless innocent Ukrainians, and the abduction of the mayors of Dniprorudne and Melitopol'.

'The Prime Minister commended the president and the Ukrainian people on their fortitude. The Prime Minister said Putin's barbaric actions were testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity,' a Downing Street spokesman said.

'The Prime Minister outlined the support the UK continues to deliver to Ukraine. He said the UK would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence, working with partners including at Tuesday's meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force in London.

'The Prime Minister said the UK would continue to stand behind Ukraine in all their efforts to bring an end to this disastrous conflict.'

Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had spoken with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss about 'next steps to apply more sanctions on Russia'.

He tweeted: 'Call with @trussliz on next steps to apply more sanctions on Russia.

'Pressure must increase until Russia ceases its meaningless aggression and stops barbaric war crimes. Grateful to the UK for stepping up support for Ukraine.'

Meanwhile, Zelensky said he had held talks with Johnson and and Petr Fiala, the prime minister of the Czech Republic.

He tweeted: 'Held talks with (UK) PM @BorisJohnson and (Czech Republic) PM @P-Fiala. Talked about (Ukrainian) people's struggle against Russian aggression, about Russia's criminal attacks on civilians.

'Thanked the partners for their important support. We appreciate it. Stop Russia.'

Meanwhile, Russian missiles today also hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding 134, a local official said, in an escalation of the war

The International Center for Peacekeeping and Security served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting it in its defence against Moscow's grinding assault.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, which has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the U.S. and other countries in the western alliance.

Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscow's threats to target those shipments.

An attack so close to the border was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries that gave birth to NATO and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

This is the badge freelance journalist Brent Renaud was carrying when he was shot and killed in Irpin, Ukraine, today while filming refugees

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine. A series of Russian missiles struck the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security at the nearby Yavoriv military complex

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister told Zelensky that Putin's 'barbaric actions' were 'testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity'.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Ukrainian president on Sunday afternoon, according to No 10.

'He commended the president and the Ukrainian people on their fortitude. The Prime Minister said Putin's barbaric actions were testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity,' a Downing Street spokesman said.

'The leaders condemned the murders of Brent Renaud and countless innocent Ukrainians, and the abduction of the mayors of Dniprorudne and Melitopol.

'The Prime Minister outlined the support the UK continues to deliver to Ukraine. He said the UK would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence, working with partners including at Tuesday's meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force in London.

'The Prime Minister said the UK would continue to stand behind Ukraine in all their efforts to bring an end to this disastrous conflict.'

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an airstrike in the early morning hours on the outskirts of Kyiv on Sunday

A view of damaged buildings and streets due to the ongoing Russian shelling and missile strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday

Since Russia's invasion more than two weeks ago, at least 596 civilians have been killed, according to the U.N., though it believes the true toll is much higher. Millions more have fled their homes amid the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II.

Despite its superior firepower, Russia has struggled in its advance across Ukraine, in the face of stiffer than expected resistance, bolstered by Western weapons support.

Instead, Russian forces have besieged several cities and pummeled them with strikes, hitting two dozen medical facilities and leading to a series of humanitarian crises.

Many civilians have been caught in the barrage, and Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said Sunday that at least 85 children have been killed.

An American journalist was killed and another wounded when their car was fired upon at a Russian checkpoint Sunday, police said.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser to Rome to meet Monday with a Chinese official amid concerns that country is amplifying Russian disinformation, and Pope Francis called for peace.

In this handout video grab taken from a footage released by the Ukrainian Presidency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks face camera in a street of Kyiv on March 11

The attacked training base near Yavoriv is less than 15 miles from the Polish border and appears to be the westernmost target struck during Russia's 18-day invasion.

The base has hosted international NATO drills and a senior NATO official, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying 'the spirit of military cooperation' between Ukraine and international forces.

As such, the site is a potent symbol Russia's longstanding concerns that the 30-member Western military alliance is a threat to Moscow by operating so close to its territory.

NATO denies that it poses any threat, but Russia has repeatedly demanded Ukraine drop its ambitions of joining the alliance as a pre-requisite for ending the war.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the Russian missiles fired Sunday 'were shot down because the air defense system worked.' Those that got through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, which is less than 94 miles north of Romania and 155 miles from Hungary, countries that also are NATO allies.

Ukraine Army troops dig in at frontline trench positions to continue repelling Russian attacks, in sub-zero temperatures, east of the strategic port city of Mykolaiv,

Footage released by Russia Ministry of Defense on Saturday March 5 shows Russian soldiers took control of a military base near the village of Radensk, Kherson region

NATO said Sunday that it currently does not have any personnel in Ukraine, though the U.S. has increased the number of American troops deployed to Poland.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the West would respond if Russia's armaments travel outside Ukraine and hit any NATO members, even accidentally.

Biden 'has been clear, repeatedly, that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory and that means every inch,' Sullivan said on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.'

Lviv itself so far has been spared the scale of destruction unfolding to its east and south. The city's population of 721,000 has swelled during the war with residents escaping bombarded population centers and as a waystation for the nearly 2.6 million people who have fled the country.

Ukrainian and European leaders have pushed with limited success for Russia to grant safe passage to civilians trapped by fighting, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said authorities have managed to evacuate nearly 125,000 people from combat zones.

Ukrainian authorities said more than 10 humanitarian corridors would open Sunday, with agreement from Russia, including from the battered and besieged port city of Mariupol, where the city council said 2,187 people have been killed.

The suffering in the port city is 'simply immense,' the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday, noting that hundreds of thousands of its residents are 'facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.'

'Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell,' the Geneva-based organization said in a statement. 'Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated.'

Zelenskyy said in a video address that a convoy carrying 100 tons of humanitarian aid was headed to the city, whose capture could help Russia establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Meanwhile, continued fighting on multiple fronts heaped further misery on the country Sunday and provoked renewed international outrage.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, authorities reported nine people killed in bombings. Meanwhile, they said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and others were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east.

Kyiv Region police said on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on a car carrying two American journalists. The force said Brent Renaud died and Juan Arredondo was wounded.

Chief regional administrator Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces appeared to be trying to blockade and paralyze the capital with day and night shelling of the suburbs.

He vowed that any all-out assault would meet stiff resistance, saying: 'We're getting ready to defend Kyiv, and we're prepared to fight for ourselves.'

Zelenskyy also alleged that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials in the southern Kherson region to form a 'pseudo-republic' like those in the two eastern regions where Russian-backed separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014.

Zelenskyy reported Saturday that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war. The Russians said days ago that several hundred of their forces have died but have not given a recent updated count.

The war has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear accidents, as fighting occurred around nuclear power plants.

On Sunday, Ukraine said it restored a broken power line to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. The plant was knocked off the grid last week and relying on generators. That raised concerns about its ability to keep spent fuel cool, though the International Atomic Energy Agency played down those worries.

In some of his strongest denunciations yet of the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis on Sunday decried the 'barbarianism' of the killing of children and other civilians and pleaded for the attacks to end 'before cities are reduced to cemeteries.'

Francis said Mariupol, which 'bears the name' of the Virgin Mary, has 'become a city martyred by the heartbreaking war that is devastating Ukraine.'

In Mariupol, which has endured some of the worst punishment since Russia invaded, efforts to bring food, water and medicine into the port city of 430,000 and to evacuate civilians, were prevented by unceasing attacks.

More than 1,500 people have died in the city during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

'They are bombing [Mariupol] 24 hours a day, launching missiles. It is hatred. They kill children,' Zelensky said during a video address.

Ukraine's military said on Saturday that Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening the armed squeeze on the strategic port.

Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Zelensky encouraged his people to keep up their resistance, which many analysts said has prevented the rapid offensive and military victory the Kremlin likely expected while planning to invade Russia's ex-Soviet neighbor.

'The fact that the whole Ukrainian people resist these invaders has already gone down in history, but we do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be for us,' he said.

Zelensky again deplored Nato's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he did not elaborate.

The president also accused Russia of employing 'a new stage of terror' with the alleged kidnapping of the mayor of Melitopol, a city 119 miles west of Mariupol.
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Russian and Ukrainian officials gave their most upbeat assessments yet on Sunday of progress in their talks on the war in Ukraine, suggesting there could be a positive result within days.

Ukraine said it is willing to negotiate but will not surrender or accept any ultimatums, as a key Ukrainian negotiator said Moscow is beginning to 'talk constructively' ahead of a video-conference on Monday between representatives from both countries.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also said he would meet Vladimir Putin for peace talks, saying that whilst this is a 'hard path, this path is needed'.

A Russian negotiator meanwhile claimed there had been 'substantial progress' in the talks, despite Putin's forces continuing their onslaught of Ukraine on Sunday, with missiles hitting a large Ukrainian military base just 12 miles from the border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people.

Neither side indicated what the scope of any agreement might be, but Russia has previously demanded Ukraine cease military action, change its constitution to enshrine neutrality so it cannot join the EU or NATO, acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent territories.

Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said: 'We will not concede in principle on any positions. Russia now understands this. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively.'

He added: 'I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days.'

'Our goal is that in this struggle, in this difficult negotiating work, Ukraine will get the necessary result... for peace and security,' Zelensky said in a video address early Monday.

Separately, US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Russia was showing signs of willingness to engage in substantive negotiations about ending a conflict in which thousands have died. More than 2.5 million people have fled.

Leonid Slutsky, a senior member of Russia's negotiating team, told state-run television network RT Sunday: 'We see significant progress' in the negotiations.

'According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing,' he added.

Meanwhile, it emerged that Russia has asked China - which has not condemned Russia's barbaric invasion of Ukraine - for military equipment, according to US officials.

'We will not concede in principle on any positions. Russia now understands this. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively,' Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak (pictured) said in a video posted online

RIA news agency quoted a Russian delegate, Leonid Slutsky (pictured), as saying the talks had made substantial progress. 'According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing,' Slutsky said

Soldiers and residents prayed at the Church of the Most Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lviv, Ukraine, as the war continued to rage

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an airstrike in the early morning hours on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, March 13

Negotiations between Russia and Ukraine are set to resume on Monday as the war rages. Today was day 18 of the war that began when Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin calls a special military operation. Pictured: Previous negotiations between the two sides on March 7

A view of damaged buildings and streets due to the ongoing Russian shelling and missile strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on March 13

First responders are seen cleaning up a building recently destroyed by Russian rockets in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 13

The emergency workers donned hard hats and protective gear as they made their way through the rubble and debris

Firefighters also helped with the clean up in the city of Kharkiv, which is in the northeast of the war-torn country

An unexploded bomb was lifted out of another building in Chernihiv in northern Ukraine on March 13 after intense fighting today

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

Their public comments were issued almost at the same time. Today was day 18 of the war that began when Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February 24 in what the Kremlin calls a special military operation.

In a tweet, Podolyak said Russia was carefully listening to Ukraine's proposals. 'Our demands are - the end of the war and the withdrawal of [Russian] troops. I see the understanding and there is a dialogue,' he said.

Last Monday, the Kremlin's chief spokesman said Russia was ready to halt military operations 'in a moment' if Kyiv met a list of conditions.

Among the demands were for Ukraine to acknowledge Crimea as Russian territory, and recognise the separatist republics of Donetsk and Lugansk as independent states.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky told ABC last week that 'we can discuss and find a compromise on how these territories will live on' while adding 'we're not ready for capitulation'.

Three rounds of talks between the two sides in Belarus, most recently last Monday, had focused mainly on humanitarian issues and led to the limited opening of some corridors for civilians to escape fighting.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday there had been some 'positive shifts' in the talks, but did not elaborate. On Saturday the Kremlin said the discussions between Russian and Ukrainian officials had been continuing 'in video format'.

Talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers produced no apparent progress towards a ceasefire last Thursday but analysts said the fact they were even meeting left a window open for ending the war.

There has also been disagreement between the two sides as to whether talks were ongoing on Sunday.

The Kremlin said next Russia-Ukraine talks to take place Monday but are not happening right now.

However, Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said Ukraine and Russia were actively conducting talks on Sunday, with the situation around the besieged city of Mariupol a particular focus for the Ukrainian authorities.

'Talks are continuing right now,' he said in an interview on national television.

Meanwhile, Zelensky warned NATO Monday that its member states would soon be attacked by Russian forces after an air strike hit a Ukrainian military base close to the Polish border.

While western Ukraine has largely been spared so far, Russian air strikes overnight Saturday into Sunday carried the war deep into the west, killing 35 people and wounding 134 at a military base near Yavoriv, outside the city of Lviv - which is dangerously close to the frontier with EU and NATO member Poland.

'If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory, on NATO territory, on the homes of NATO citizens,' Zelensky said in a video address released shortly after midnight, urging NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country.

Military analysts have said a no-fly zone is unlikely because the U.S. and its allies believe it could escalate the war into a nuclear confrontation.

The International Center for Peacekeeping and Security served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting it in its defence against Moscow's grinding assault.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, which has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the U.S. and other countries in the western alliance.

The attack, believed to have killed Western volunteers, has been seen by analysts as a move to deter any foreigners from fighting to defend Ukraine.

An attack so close to the border was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries that gave birth to NATO and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

The U.S. issued a swift warning after the attack. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on CBS News' 'Face the Nation' that NATO will respond if any Russian attacks go beyond Ukrainian borders and hit NATO countries even accidentally.

President Joe Biden 'has been clear, repeatedly, that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory and that means every inch,' Sullivan said.

It comes as American freelance journalist, Brent Renaud, 50, was shot dead by Russian troops on Sunday while filming refugees in Irpin, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Renaud was in a car with other journalists in Irpin, near Kyiv, when Russian troops opened fire. He was shot dead and one of his colleagues was injured.

A Ukrainian mayor was also abducted by invading Russian forces on Sunday, the second such kidnapping in days, bringing strong condemnation from the UK, EU and Zelensky.

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine, said Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in southern Ukraine, was taken days after Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the nearby city of Melitopol, was also kidnapped.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson told Zelensky on Sunday that Britain would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence.

Mr Johnson said Russian president Vladimir Putin's 'barbaric actions' were 'testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity'.

'He commended the president and the Ukrainian people on their fortitude. The Prime Minister said Putin's barbaric actions were testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity,' a Downing Street spokesman said.

'The leaders condemned the murders of Brent Renaud and countless innocent Ukrainians, and the abduction of the mayors of Dniprorudne and Melitopol.

'The Prime Minister outlined the support the UK continues to deliver to Ukraine. He said the UK would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence, working with partners including at Tuesday's meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force in London.

'The Prime Minister said the UK would continue to stand behind Ukraine in all their efforts to bring an end to this disastrous conflict.'

President Zelensky said he spoke to Boris Johnson and Petr Fiala, the prime minister of the Czech Republic.

He tweeted: 'Held talks with PM Boris Johnson and PM P-Fiala.

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine. A series of Russian missiles struck the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security at the nearby Yavoriv military complex

A view of damaged buildings and streets due to the ongoing Russian shelling and missile strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday

Ukraine has said it is willing to negotiate, but not to surrender or accept any ultimatums. Pictured: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky

A warehouse storing frozen products is seen on fire after shelling, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Kvitneve in Kyiv region yesterday

'Talked about people's struggle against Russian aggression, about Russia's criminal attacks on civilians.

'Thanked the partners for their important support. We appreciate it. Stop Russia'.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said he had spoken with Foreign Secretary Liz Truss about 'next steps to apply more sanctions on Russia'.

He tweeted: 'Call with @trussliz on next steps to apply more sanctions on Russia.

'Pressure must increase until Russia ceases its meaningless aggression and stops barbaric war crimes. Grateful to the UK for stepping up support for Ukraine.'

It comes as it emerged that Russia in recent days has asked China for military equipment to help bolster its forces in Ukraine.

U.S. officials are also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for chemical or biological weapons attacks launched by Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has made gestures supportive of Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with 'no limits.'

A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said that in recent days, Russia had requested support from China, including military equipment, to press forward in its ongoing war with Ukraine. The official did not provide details on the scope of the request.

It came as Electricity supply was restored at Ukraine's retired Chernobyl nuclear power plant that was seized by Russian forces in the first days of the invasion, energy officials in Kyiv said Sunday.

The restoration of power at the decommissioned site means that cooling systems will now operate normally and not have to use backup power.

Ukraine's nuclear company Energoatom had earlier warned that radioactive substances could be released if a high-voltage power line to the plant were not repaired after it was damaged in fighting.

'Today, thanks to the incredible efforts of Ukrainian energy specialists, our nuclear power engineers and electricians managed to return the power supply to the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which was seized by the Russian occupiers,' Ukraine's Energy Minister German Galushchenko said in a statement.

Zelensky visited wounded soldiers at a military hospital in Kiev on Sunday to boost their morale and award them medals for their bravery.

Volunteers position a 20 year old Russian made Lada, complete with a WW1 era machine gun into position, to join a 1970's Russian made Volga car which make up this central Kyiv checkpoint

Ukrainian soldiers protect a checkpoint made up of a 1970's Russian made Volga car in the centre of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine

'Guys, get well soon. I believe that the best gift for your statement will be our common victory!' said Zelensky, according to an English translation of a tweet posted by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine.

He awarded 106 servicemen of the armed forces in Ukraine the title of 'Heroes of Ukraine', 17 of which were awarded posthumously.



Among them was Senior Lieutenant Hutsul Volodymyr Olesksandrovych, who received the title for his actions in the Kherson region destroying 25 units of enemy equipment and 'about 300 invaders'.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky visits an injured Ukrainian serviceman in a military hospital in Kiev on Sunday

Zelensky takes a photo with the injured soldier at the military hospital in Kiev on Sunday as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues

Before visiting the military hospital, Zelensky warned against the formation of a 'pseudo-republic' in the south of his country

Kiev is becoming surrounded by Russian forces as analysts warn the worst days of the war in Ukraine could lie ahead

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (left) listens to a chief of Medical Forces Command Brigadier General Tetiana Ostashchenko (centre)

In a speech on Sunday, Zelensky warned against the formation of a 'pseudo-republic' in the south of his country.

Zelensky said Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a break-away region in the south, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk - which Putin declared as 'independent' at the start of the war.

Protection for the two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014 was used as a pretext by Russia to start the invasion.

Kherson, a vital Black Sea port of 290,000 residents, was the first major city to fall earlier this month.

'Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land,' Zelensky said in his address.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky address the nation on March 12 after Russian air strikes killed 35 people at a military base outside Ukraine's western city of Lviv

President Volodymyr Zelensky listens to a chief of the National military medical clinical centre Major General Anatolii Kazmirchu

Ukrainian officials on Sunday also accused Russia of organizing a 'fake referendum' in the south of the country now partially under control by Russian forces.

'Following 2014 playbook, Russians now desperately try to organize a sham 'referendum' for a fake 'people's republic' in Kherson,' said Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine's minister of foreign affairs.

'Given zero popular support, it will be fully staged. Severe sanctions against Russia must follow if they proceed. Kherson is & will always be Ukraine.'

Russia bombarded cities across Ukraine on Saturday, pounding Mariupol in the south, shelling the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, and thwarting the efforts of people trying to flee the violence.

Moscow expanded its offensive on Sunday, as waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base in western Ukraine, killing 35 people.

A wounded soldier arrives at Novoiavorisk District Hospital close to the facility after the attack on the base which is just 12 miles from the Polish border

Ukraine says 134 people have been wounded in the attack on the base, which is located between Lviv and the border with Poland. Pictured above is a young man thought to have been hurt in the attack

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov called it a 'new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border' and called for a no-fly zone to be put in place

The International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, which lies not far from the border with NATO member Poland, served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting it in its defence against Moscow's grinding assault.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, which has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the US and other countries in the western alliance.

Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscow's threats to target those shipments.

An attack so close to the border was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries that gave birth to NATO and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

Since Russia's invasion more than two weeks ago, at least 596 civilians have been killed, according to the U.N., though it believes the true toll is much higher. Millions more have fled their homes amid the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II.

Despite its superior firepower, Russia has struggled in its advance across Ukraine, in the face of stiffer than expected resistance, bolstered by Western weapons support.

Instead, Russian forces have besieged several cities and pummeled them with strikes, hitting two dozen medical facilities and leading to a series of humanitarian crises.

Many civilians have been caught in the barrage, and Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said Sunday that at least 85 children have been killed.

The missile strikes destroyed buildings on the military base, with footage after the attack showing parts of entire buildings demolished

This photo reportedly shows smoke and damage at the Yavoriv training area that was targeted by Russian forces this morning

Meanwhile, Biden is sending his national security adviser to Rome to meet Monday with a Chinese official amid concerns that country is amplifying Russian disinformation, and Pope Francis called for peace.

The attacked training base near Yavoriv is less than 15 miles from the Polish border and appears to be the westernmost target struck during Russia's 18-day invasion.

The base has hosted international NATO drills and a senior NATO official, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying 'the spirit of military cooperation' between Ukraine and international forces.

As such, the site is a potent symbol Russia's longstanding concerns that the 30-member Western military alliance is a threat to Moscow by operating so close to its territory.

NATO denies that it poses any threat, but Russia has repeatedly demanded Ukraine drop its ambitions of joining the alliance as a pre-requisite for ending the war.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the Russian missiles fired Sunday 'were shot down because the air defense system worked.' Those that got through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, which is less than 94 miles north of Romania and 155 miles from Hungary, countries that also are NATO allies.

NATO said Sunday that it currently does not have any personnel in Ukraine, though the U.S. has increased the number of American troops deployed to Poland.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the West would respond if Russia's armaments travel outside Ukraine and hit any NATO members, even accidentally.

Biden 'has been clear, repeatedly, that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory and that means every inch,' Sullivan said on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.'

Lviv itself so far has been spared the scale of destruction unfolding to its east and south. The city's population of 721,000 has swelled during the war with residents escaping bombarded population centers and as a waystation for the nearly 2.6 million people who have fled the country.

Ukrainian and European leaders have pushed with limited success for Russia to grant safe passage to civilians trapped by fighting, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said authorities have managed to evacuate nearly 125,000 people from combat zones.

Ukrainian authorities said more than 10 humanitarian corridors would open Sunday, with agreement from Russia, including from the battered and besieged port city of Mariupol, where the city council said 2,187 people have been killed.

The suffering in the port city is 'simply immense,' the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday, noting that hundreds of thousands of its residents are 'facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.'

'Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell,' the Geneva-based organization said in a statement. 'Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated.'

Zelenskyy said in a video address that a convoy carrying 100 tons of humanitarian aid was headed to the city, whose capture could help Russia establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Meanwhile, continued fighting on multiple fronts heaped further misery on the country Sunday and provoked renewed international outrage.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, authorities reported nine people killed in bombings. Meanwhile, they said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and others were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east.

Kyiv Region police said on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on a car carrying two American journalists. The force said Brent Renaud died and Juan Arredondo was wounded.

Chief regional administrator Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces appeared to be trying to blockade and paralyze the capital with day and night shelling of the suburbs.

He vowed that any all-out assault would meet stiff resistance, saying: 'We're getting ready to defend Kyiv, and we're prepared to fight for ourselves.'

Zelenskyy also alleged that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials in the southern Kherson region to form a 'pseudo-republic' like those in the two eastern regions where Russian-backed separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014.

Zelenskyy reported Saturday that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war. The Russians said days ago that several hundred of their forces have died but have not given a recent updated count.

The war has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear accidents, as fighting occurred around nuclear power plants.

On Sunday, Ukraine said it restored a broken power line to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. The plant was knocked off the grid last week and relying on generators. That raised concerns about its ability to keep spent fuel cool, though the International Atomic Energy Agency played down those worries.

In some of his strongest denunciations yet of the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis on Sunday decried the 'barbarianism' of the killing of children and other civilians and pleaded for the attacks to end 'before cities are reduced to cemeteries.'

Francis said Mariupol, which 'bears the name' of the Virgin Mary, has 'become a city martyred by the heartbreaking war that is devastating Ukraine.'

In Mariupol, which has endured some of the worst punishment since Russia invaded, efforts to bring food, water and medicine into the port city of 430,000 and to evacuate civilians, were prevented by unceasing attacks.

More than 1,500 people have died in the city during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

'They are bombing [Mariupol] 24 hours a day, launching missiles. It is hatred. They kill children,' Zelensky said during a video address.

Ukraine's military said on Saturday that Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening the armed squeeze on the strategic port.

Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Zelensky encouraged his people to keep up their resistance, which many analysts said has prevented the rapid offensive and military victory the Kremlin likely expected while planning to invade Russia's ex-Soviet neighbor.

'The fact that the whole Ukrainian people resist these invaders has already gone down in history, but we do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be for us,' he said.

Zelensky again deplored Nato's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he did not elaborate.

The president also accused Russia of employing 'a new stage of terror' with the alleged kidnapping of the mayor of Melitopol, a city 119 miles west of Mariupol.

COLONEL TIM COLLINS: Despite negotiations, Russia's onslaught has only been intensifying in its barbarity - but weapons for Ukraine can force Putin to talk peace

By Colonel Tim Collins for the Daily Mail

There were welcome reports last night that negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have been making progress in the bid to end this savage war.

But that has not stopped the slaughter on the ground.

Indeed, Vladimir Putin's onslaught has only been intensifying in its barbarity.

Yesterday morning, missiles were fired at a military base at Yavoriv, just 12 miles from the Polish border. An American journalist was killed near Kyiv, while explosions rocked the western city of Lviv for the first time.

Of these, the attack on the military base is the most worrying. A stray Russian bomb could have landed in Poland  a Nato member.

In this tense climate, any attack on Poland could have been the cue for a dramatic escalation in the conflict, since Nato members are bound by their treaty obligations to support any ally under fire.

Vladimir Putin's onslaught has only been intensifying in its barbarity. Yesterday morning, missiles were fired at a military base at Yavoriv, just 12 miles from the Polish border

For Russia's military planners, this risk was part of the very rationale for the strike.

The aim was to send the West a clear message: Moscow will no longer stand by as lethal aid is sent in ever greater quantities to Ukraine, especially anti-tank and anti-aircraft weaponry.

Russia's deputy foreign minister has even warned that Western arms shipments to Ukraine will now be regarded as 'legitimate targets' for military action.

Does this mean that the West is at risk of being drawn into the conflict  precipitating World War Three?

Not yet. Behind the tough rhetoric, the attack on the base at Yavoriv betrays the Kremlin's weakness. Our military aid is clearly having a devastating impact on Russia's capacity to wage this war.

Putin's generals are desperate to halt the flood of materiel precisely because it has so powerfully reinforced the Ukrainian resistance.

Understandably, the Ukrainians want us to go even further. Under non- stop assault, their leaders repeated yesterday their calls for a no-fly zone over their nation to 'secure the skies'.

Some figures in the West, most notably Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, have also hinted that they would support this policy.

Behind the tough rhetoric, the attack on the base at Yavoriv betrays the Kremlin's weakness. Our military aid is clearly having a devastating impact on Russia's capacity to wage this war. A map of the conflict is seen above

But such a step would be disastrous. It would require Nato planes to shoot down Russian aircraft.

That would practically guarantee a new world war, complete with the use of nuclear weapons, thereby heralding the extinction of life on Earth.

The same is true of the misguided attempts earlier this month for Poland and America to co-operate in the supply of MiG-29 fighters to the Ukraine air force. This too would have been tantamount to a Nato declaration of war against Russia.

Because the stakes are so high, the Western response has to be more subtle, degrading Russian forces without turning the conflict into a global cataclysm. The most effective means to that end is to step up the arms shipments, which are causing Putin's forces such damage.

Starstreak anti-aircraft missiles, for instance, can provide a remarkable return. Built in Belfast, they cost 100,000 each and are deadly against 30million Russian SU-30 aircraft and 10million Hind helicopter gunships.

Similarly, for 30,000 an NLAW short-range missile launcher can take out a 4million Russian tank. Other invaluable weapons for the arsenal include Javelin anti-tank systems and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles.

What makes this equipment all the more important is that, owing to sanctions, Putin's regime cannot quickly replace lost planes and tanks.

In 1940, Winston Churchill famously appealed for materiel from the USA, then neutral, in the fight against Nazi tyranny. 'Give us the tools and we will finish the job,' he urged  and President Franklin D Roosevelt was highly co-operative and imaginative, helping to turn the tide of the war.

That same spirit should prevail against Russia today.

Prolonged attrition can leave Putin's regime without any hope of victory, so that it is forced to negotiate further with Ukraine, whose independence should be the first condition of any such talks.

More negotiations could be brokered by China, which is dismayed by the blood-soaked war, having been promised by Putin that it would all be over in a few days.

With the pressures of its ravenous economy, China cannot endure a global meltdown triggered by prolonged conflict.

The only alternatives for Putin are either wholesale defeat, followed by his ousting from power and a journey to the International Criminal Court, or the apocalypse of nuclear war, bringing the whole world crashing down in flames.

A glimmer of hope came yesterday in the good news from the negotiations. But overall the situation remains so serious that we in the West will have to plan for the most horrific eventuality  while doing everything we can to avoid it.

Colonel Tim Collins OBE was Commanding Officer of the 1st Battalion, Royal Irish Regiment during the Iraq War.

Putin's forces strike close to Nato border: Explosions are heard in Ukraine's western city of Lviv that is haven for refugees fleeing war-torn nation as 30 Russian missiles hit military base and kill 35 just 12 MILES from Poland

BY LAUREN LEWIS, JACK NEWMAN AND MATTHEW LODGE FOR MAILONLINE

Explosions have been heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.

According to Ukrainian sources, Vladimir Putin's forces had launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning.

Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing 35 people and injuring 134.

The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and housed foreign military instructors, but Nato has said none of its personnel were on the base at the time.

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov renewed calls for a 'no-fly zone' over the country following the attack.'Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security near Lviv,' he wrote on Twitter.

'Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified. This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!'

Lviv's mayor said the missiles used in the attack are thought to have been fired by Russian planes located over the Black Sea, which had in turn flown out of the southern Russian city of Saratov.

Ukraine's Air Force Command West said on Facebook two cruise missiles were destroyed by air defence systems.

Michael Gove called the rocket attack a 'significant escalation', adding that Putin was 'pushing the boundaries'.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: 'We know that Vladimir Putin has no moral limits when it comes to the actions he's willing to take and he's pushing the boundaries in military terms.

'We've already seen the abuse of humanitarian corridors. The Russians say on the one hand they are allowed to leave but when they seek to leave they are then killed and bombed.'

The missile strikes destroyed buildings on the military base, with footage after the attack showing parts of entire buildings demolished

This photo reportedly shows smoke and damage at the Yavoriv training area that was targeted by Russian forces this morning

A wounded soldier arrives at Novoiavorisk District Hospital close to the facility after the attack on the base which is just 12 miles from the Polish border

Ukraine says 134 people have been wounded in the attack on the base, which is located between Lviv and the border with Poland. Pictured above is a young man thought to have been hurt in the attack

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov called it a 'new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border' and called for a no-fly zone to be put in place

Photos emerging from the air base show the facility in ruins, with wounded service personnel being attended to by medics.

Mr Kozytskyi said the strike had demolished a large part of a vault on the site, with emergency crews dealing with the aftermath, and urged anyone who can to help doctors at the hospital by providing equipment.

He said: 'On behalf of the whole Lviv region, I express my sincere condolences to the families of the deceased. We will not forget any Hero and will not forgive any occupant!'

In a statement released this afternoon, Russian Defence Ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov told Reuters it had attacked two separate bases and killed 'up to 180 foreign mercenaries'.

He added 'a large amount of foreign weapons were destroyed'.

Reuters could not independently verify the statements.

It comes a day after Russia said it considered convoys of weapons from Western nations into Ukraine as legitimate targets.

This morning there were reports on social media that explosions could be seen and heard from the outskirts of Lviv nearly 30 miles away.

The city has been a haven for refugees in recent weeks, with hundreds of thousands going through as they travelled west toward Poland and other EU countries.

During the night air raid sirens went off in the city, which is home to more than 700,000 people and has been largely spared the violence seen in other major settlements such as Kyiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv.

The attack has not stopped the flow of refugees, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky confirming nearly 125,000 people have been evacuated from conflict zones through humanitarian corridors.

Paramedics transfer a wounded man into Novoiavorivsk District Hospital following the attack. Oleksii Reznikov, the Ukraine Defence Minister, called the strike a 'terrorist attack'

Medical staff assist a wounded man arriving from the base to the hospital. the missiles in the attack are thought to have been fired from over the Black Sea by Russian fighter jets

Maksym Kozytskyi, mayor of Lviv, said strike had demolished a large part of a vault on the site, with emergency crews dealing with the aftermath, and urged anyone who can to help doctors at the hospital by providing equipment. Pictured is a patient being transferred into the hospital

Ambulances seen travelling to and from the military facility early on Sunday morning following the Russian attack on the site which is miles from the border with Poland

Meanwhile an Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday.

A worker shot in the hip survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating, with electricity reserved for operating tables, and people with nowhere else to go lined the hallways.

In the northern city of Chernihiv, less than 80 miles from Kyiv, emergency crews have been dealing with the damage caused by Russian bombs.

Dramatic video shows firefighters in the city trying to put out a burning housing block, which is alleged to have caught alight when it was hit by a bomb.

A doctor assists a wounded soldier following the attack on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security this morning

The attack took place 30 miles from the city of Lviv, which had until recently been free of the violence that has plagued the rest of the country

Another video from the city shows an unexploded bomb being lifted out of another building in the city, with the State Emergency Service of Ukraine saying three OFAB-500 air bombs have been removed from residential buildings in on day.

According to the manufacturer, these bombs which have been found in civilian areas are designed to 'destroy military industrial facilities, light-armoured and soft-skin targets, railway junctions and military fortifications'.

And Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine, said another mayor had been abducted by Russian forces.

He said Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in southern Ukraine, was taken days after Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the nearby city of Melitopol, was also kidnapped.

Mr Kuleba tweeted: 'Today, Russian war criminals abducted another democratically elected Ukrainian mayor, head of Dniprorudne Yevhen Matveyev. Getting zero local support, invaders turn to terror. I call on all states & international organizations to stop Russian terror against Ukraine and democracy.'

In other developments:

Kyiv says it has a two-week supply of food in case there is a Russian blockade, after a Russian tank column began to encircle the city;

Nine people were killed in air strikes in the Black Sea port city of Mykolaiv, with the UK Ministry of Defence saying forces from Crimea will attempt to go round the city to reach Odessa;

Residents took to the streets of the occupied city of Melitopol to protest against the abduction of its mayor by Russian forces, while another mayor in the nearby city of Dniprorudne was also abducted;

A humanitarian supply convoy is on its way to Mariupol to provide water, food and medical supplies to the city of 400,000 people which has been blockaded for days;

It has been confirmed that the eastern town of Volnovakha has been completely destroyed after days of Russian bombing.

The attack took place near the city of Lviv, which has become a safe haven for refugee looking to flee the conflict. Thousands have boarded trains in the city heading for Poland and other EU countries

Latest developments in the war in Ukraine Russia has launched a missile strike on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine and wounding dozens more

Explosions have been heard on the outskirts of Lviv, a city which had been a safe haven for refugees until recently

A tank column has begun to encircle Kyiv as Russia looks to cut it off from the rest of the country

Ukrainian officials say the strategically-located city of Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after being bombed by Russia for days

A psychiatric hospital and 50 schools have been destroyed in the eastern city of Kharkiv

A mosque housing 80 civilians was blitzed and a blockade has stopped new supplies getting through to Mariupol as the city continues to face heavy bombing from Russian forces

The mayor of Melitopol was kidnapped by Russian soldiers after refusing to cooperate with invading troops

Missile strikes in the city of Mykolaiv targeted a cancer hospital with hundreds of patients inside Advertisement

Polish president Andrez Duda has told the BBC he fears Russia could use chemical weapons in an effort to break the deadlock.

Speaking on Sunday Morning with Sophie Raworth, he said: 'Actually, politically, he has already lost his war and internally he is not winning it', adding that if Putin uses these types of weapons Nato will have to consider its next move.

However, he added that he thought putting a no-fly zone in place would mean 'the opening of a third world war'.

Also speaking on Sunday morning, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he was focusing on the situation in Ukraine, instead of calls for Boris Johnson to resign as Prime Minister following recent scandal.

Talking to Sky News' Sophy Ridge, he said: 'I haven't changed my mind on Boris Johnson. I think he has lost the moral authority to lead. I don't think he is fit to be our Prime Minister.

'I can't force him to resign. Only Tory MPs can do that. But I have to say that just at the moment, my total focus is on the Ukraine and what we have to do in response to the Russian aggression there.

'I think everybody will understand that my focus is on that vital issue just at the moment.'

Meanwhile, Michael Gove, the Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary, said more than 3,000 UK visas have been issued to fleeing Ukrainians.

Yesterday it was confirmed Russian forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign - but fighting continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule.

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Saturday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists'.

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble.

Moscow's troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an 'all-out assault' in the coming days.

Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said.

Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged.

Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha following a days-long bombing campaign

A woman walks past a destroyed tank in the Ukrainian town of Volnovakha after it was 'completely destroyed' by a sustained days-long Russian bombing campaign

A pro-Russian soldier in a uniform without insignia speaks with employees in the Emergencies ministry's office in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday, after the town was decimated in a days-long bombing campaign

Ukrainian President Vlodymyr Zelensky has accused Russia of shooting children and said Putin's forces will only take Kyiv if they 'raze the city to the ground', with Kremlin troops inching closer to the capital and conflict raging nearby on Saturday, endangering attempted evacuations.

And Vlodymyr Zelensky has slammed the West for its inaction, saying on Saturday that he 'doesn't see any bravery from NATO' as he pleaded for more involvement from allies in peace negotiations and offered to pay for more anti-missile systems.

In response, the US made lukewarm promises of taking 'diplomatic steps' to help the Ukrainian government.

Vladimir Putin's forces have 'completely destroyed' the eastern Ukrainian town of Volnovakha, including this church, following a days-long bombing campaign

Fighting in Volnovakha continues for territory there to prevent a Russian encirclement as citizens refuse to accept Moscow's rule

People gather in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during a bombing campaign by Moscow as part of the Russian-waged war on Ukraine

Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia drive a damaged car without a windshield while patrolling a street in Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Ukraine on Saturday

A view shows local residents' belongings in the basement of a local hospital, which was damaged during Russian shelling of Volnovakha, a town that 'no longer exists' after the bombing campaign

Civilians have been seeking refuge in basements in Volnovakha, Ukraine's Donetsk area, for more than two weeks, hiding from a Russian bombardment that has destroyed their hometown

Pro-Russian troops in uniforms without insignia are seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

Moscow's troops continue to use indiscriminate shelling to encircle key Ukrainian cities and are said to be bearing down on Kyiv for an 'all-out assault' in the coming days

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

A burnt-out car sits amidst the rubble in Volnovakha after the town endured a days-long bombing campaign that 'completely destroyed' it

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko confirmed the town had been destroyed late on Sunday, saying that Volnovakha 'no longer exists' after Moscow's 'war of annihilation' that has left the smouldering remains of the town 'in the hands of Russian-backed separatists' (pictured patrolling the streets of Volnovakha)

Residents of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region of Ukraine carry food and water supplies back to their homes after the town was 'destroyed' by Russian shelling

Residents of the 'completely destroyed' town Volnovakha in the Donetsk region warm themselves with a makeshift fire and boil a kettle after their homes were reduced to rubble by Russian shelling

A pro-Russian soldier in a uniforms without insignia seen atop of armoured vehicles as they enter the separatist-controlled town of Volnovakha in the Donetsk region on Saturday

Images and videos posted on social media showed Russian forces, complete with the tell-tale Z markings on their vehicles, entering the burnt out town that now primarily consists of rubble

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

Zelensky, who claimed 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed so far and 500 Russians surrendered yesterday, added: 'If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region, the history of the Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv.

'If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves.'

But there appear to be signs of slight progress in negotiations, with Zelensky saying the warring countries have begun discussing 'concrete' proposals rather than just 'exchanging ultimatums', although he said any negotiations must begin with a ceasefire.

The conciliatory tone was not resonating in the Kremlin though, with Putin raging after a 75-minute call with Emmanuel Macron and Olaf Scholz that Ukraine was guilty of 'extrajudicial reprisals against dissidents, taking civilians hostage, using them as human shields, [and] putting heavy armaments in civilian areas near hospitals, schools, kindergartens'.

Scholz and Macron implored Putin to end the war and stop the brutal siege of Mariupol but a French official said he did not show any willingness for calling off his inhumane invasion.

Meanwhile Russia has made dire threats to the West that any military shipments to Ukraine will be seen as 'legitimate targets', prompting fears there could be an escalation of conflict that could suck in other countries.

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets', after Joe Biden personally intervened to stop a shipment of Polish MiG fighter jets to Kyiv, fearing the move could lead to 'World War Three'.

And senior Russian officials incredulously flipped the narrative on its head on Saturday, warning that the humanitarian situation was deteriorating because of the actions of the country's armed forces - and even accusing Ukraine of shelling its own people.

'The humanitarian situation in Ukraine, unfortunately, continues to rapidly worsen, and in some cities has reached catastrophic proportions,' RIA quoted Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, as saying on Saturday.

Mizintsev, who said Russian forces were observing ceasefires, said Ukrainian forces had mined residential neighbourhoods and destroyed bridges and roads.

Ukraine has complained repeatedly that Russian forces do not always respect ceasefires so civilians can leave through evacuation corridors.

Russian armoured vehicles are still slowly advancing on Kyiv's northeast after being stalled for days, and a military airfield south of the city in Vasylkiv has been hit by missiles, destroying the runway, a fuel depot and an ammunition store.

The bulk of Russian ground forces are now around 15 miles from the centre but elements of the large column have dispersed in a bid to encircle the city, after pummelling the northwest suburbs including Irpin and Bucha.

A column of thick black smoke was seen rising from the eastern suburbs of Kyiv this morning, but there is still no sign of ground forces moving into the outskirts.

But a former NATO official said she is 'sceptical' that Russian forces will 'gain much success' from an expected brutal onslaught of Kyiv, as Ukrainians warned Putin to prepare for his own Stalingrad battle.

A despondent father plays with his daughter before she boards a Lviv-bound train in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine on Saturday

A man walks into a crater created by the impact of an aerial bomb that destroyed a cultural center and an administration building in the village of Byshiv outside Kyiv

A member of the Ukrainian forces takes position behind a car in Irpin, a neighbouring city of Ukraine which has seen intense bombardment

A view of a destroyed shoe factory in the aftermath of a missile attack, amid Russia's invasion, in Dnipro

Satellite images taken on Saturday morning showed extensive damage to civilian infrastructure and residential buildings throughout the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, a private US company said

Maxar Technologies said fires were seen in the western section of the Black Sea port city and dozens of high-rise apartment buildings had been severely damaged

A Ukrainian soldier holds a Next Generation Light Anti-tank Weapon (NLAW) that was used to destroy a Russian armoured personal carrier (APC) in Irpin,

Ukrainian servicemen carry a dead body on stretcher in the town of Irpin near Kyiv as Russian forces close in on the capital

A tram depot in Kharkiv was destroyed by Russian shelling in the city which has faced incessant attacks for days

A resident examines a destroyed tram depot in Kharkiv on Saturday with Ukraine's second biggest city facing continued shelling

A person is carried on a stretcher next to an upturned car by a destroyed bridge as people are evacuated from Irpin near Kyiv

Anastasiya Erashova wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood

Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling

Plumes of smoke billow from a building in the strategic port city of Mariupol which has endured 11 days of intense bombardment

A Ukrainian serviceman exits a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv with Russians closing in on the city

A column of smoke rises from burning fuel tanks that locals said were hit by five rockets at the Vasylkiv Air Base near the capital

Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region on Saturday morning

Cars line the streets out of Kyiv as desperate residents try to flee the city which is bracing itself for an imminent onslaught from Russia

A Russian KA-52 gunship helicopter is seen on a mission in Ukraine in footage shared by the Kremlin's defence ministry

Five newborn babies are evacuated from a clinic in Kyiv in bags and suitcases as desperate civilians try to flee from the invading Russians

Anti-tank barriers line a main street in Odessa, a strategic port city which is seen as a likely battleground in the coming days

Eight-year-old Dima struggles between life and death in intensive care after being injured in the Russian attacks in Kharkiv

A view of the damage in a cafe after shelling in Kharkiv with its windows destroyed and glass covering the floor

Deputy foreign minister Sergei Ryabkov warned the US 'that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isn't just a dangerous move, it's an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets'

People stand in front of a destroyed shoe factory on Saturday in the aftermath of a missile attack in Dnipro, the latest city targeted by Russia

A warehouse storing frozen products is seen on fire after shelling, as Russia's attack on Ukraine continues, in the village of Kvitneve in Kyiv region on Saturday

An explosion is seen in an apartment building after Russian's army tank fires in Mariupol, Ukraine yesterday

Firefighters extinguish a fire on a house after shelling in Kyiv but Russian ground forces are yet to enter the capital

A monument of Odessa's founder Duke de Richelieu is seen covered with sand bags for protection, amid Russian attacks

A man walks past as a strike hits a car park in the southern city of Mykolaiv near a residential complex

A building in Mariupol is seen on Saturday after it was destroyed by a Russian airstrike. The city has seen incessant bombardment for nearly two weeks

Former deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller says she believes current tactics betray a sign of weakness from Putin's forces, saying she is 'sceptical' of any success in the capital.

She slammed their poor logistics saying she does not believe they have enough fuel supply for battle in the city which has faced constant shelling but is still bracing for an all-out assault.

Three Russian generals out of 20 have been killed so far in Putin's botched invasion, which has also seen the loss of 173 tanks, 12 aircraft and 345 troop carriers.

In an address to the nation on Saturday, Zelensky said Ukraine has inflicted Russia's heaviest losses in decades, claiming 31 battalion tactical groups have been rendered incapable of combat.

The president also demanded the release of the kidnapped mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, who was seized after he 'refused to cooperate with the enemy', sparking protests of 2,000 people in the southern city.

It comes as Russian attacks are continuing throughout the county on Saturday despite a supposed ceasefire to allow trapped citizens to escape in evacuation routes.

Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko said: 'Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops... The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling.'

Putin's troops have also shelled a mosque housing 86 people including 34 children in the besieged city of Mariupol, whose eastern outskirts have now fallen into Russian hands. It is not yet known if there are any casualties.

A convoy loaded with 90 tonnes of food and medicine left the town of Zaporizhzhia for Mariupol on Saturday, according to local officials, with hopes that it will be able to evacuate civilians on the way back. Ukraine's emergency services said 487,000 people had been evacuated over the past 24 hours, including 102,000 children.

Mykolaiv remains under heavy bombardment, while new artillery and air attacks have targeted Dnipro and Kropyvnytskyi.
South Carolina Republican Senator Lindsey Graham announced on Sunday he would support a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over Ukraine if Vladimir Putin used chemical weapons on civilians there.

It comes as the White House threatens 'severe' consequences if the Russian autocrat uses chemical weapons during his invasion of the neighboring country.

Putin on February 24 ordered an unprovoked and devastating attack on Ukraine. Since then, Kyiv officials have said thousands of people have died -- mostly civilians, including women and children.

Leaders there have been begging for western governments to impose a no-fly zone over their airspace, though those calls have so far been resisted.

'I am all in. I don't want no boots on the ground, no fly zone yet. But if there are chemical weapons used by Putin, that's a war crime, then I support a no-fly zone,' Graham said on Fox News this Sunday.

He also called on the Russian people to 'take out' Putin, echoing his own earlier comments that sparked concern the Kremlin could see a sitting US lawmaker demanding the death of its leader as a threat.

'In my eyes he is a menace to mankind, he is a war criminal, and he needs to be taken out by his own people,' Graham said.

During his Fox News interview, Graham also called Vladimir Putin a 'menace to mankind' and reiterated his previous calls for the Russian people to 'take him out'

'What I hope the world will do is speak with one voice that Putin is a war criminal, that he's no longer a legitimate leader, and it is time for us to get him gone.'

The South Carolina Republican did not specify who 'us' was, though he then reiterated his demand that the Russian people take the autocrat down after more than two decades in power.

'This is the best chance in 20 years to take this guy out. The Russian people are the vehicle to do it,' he said.

US officials have been warning in recent days that Putin could launch a chemical attack against Ukrainian civilians. It comes after Moscow pushed and China supported wild conspiracies that the US is building and running biological weapons labs in Ukraine.

President Joe Biden's national security adviser Jake Sullivan told NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that the US and its allies were 'prepared' for Putin to stage a false flag crisis as a pretext to use bioweapons during his illegal invasion.

'I'm not going to, in public, lay out the specifics of the severe consequences that Russia would face were it to actually use chemical or biological weapons inside Ukraine. I will just say that the United States, in coordination with our allies and partners, is prepared to impose such severe consequences,' Sullivan said.

He added that the warnings have been communicated 'directly to the Russians.'

'When Russia starts accusing other countries of potentially doing something, it's a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves,' Sullivan said.

A view of damaged buildings and streets due to the ongoing Russian shelling and missile strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine on March 13

Officials fear Putin could soon begin using chemical attacks against Ukrainian civilians, after accusing the US of engineering bioweapons in Ukraine

'What we're here to do is to deny them the capacity to have a false flag operation to blame this on the Ukrainians or on us, to take away their pretext and to make the world understand that if chemical weapons are used in Ukraine, it is the Russians who will have used them. And the response will, as the president said, be severe.'

Democrat Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia is the only other senior lawmaker who publicly entertained the idea of a no-fly zone, stating he 'would take nothing off the table' during an interview with NBC last week.

The White House has repeatedly dismissed the notion of a no-fly zone, claiming it would lead to direct conflict with Russia that could break out into World War III.

On Sunday two separate Biden administration officials poured cold water over the measure.

They were responding to fresh calls for the added protection from Ukrainian officials after Russian troops launched an airstrike against a military base just miles from the Polish border.

Local officials there have said at least 35 people are dead and 134 are wounded.

The Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security held space where US and NATO forces trained Ukraine's defense fighters.

But both Sullivan and Pentagon spokesman John Kirby maintained the risks of confronting Russia over the attack, including with a no-fly zone, outweigh the benefits.

Biden National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan warned the consequences of using chemical attacks in Ukraine would be 'severe' for Putin, echoing the president's earlier threats

'Look, I mean, no-fly zone has a nice air policing sound to it, but I participated in one as a young officer on an aircraft carrier way back in the early 90s. It is combat. You have to be willing to shoot and to be shot at,' Kirby claimed on ABC News.

'President Biden has made it clear that US troops are not going to be fighting in Ukraine, and there's a good reason for that, because the United States getting involved in combat in Ukraine right now or over the skies of Ukraine right now leads to war with Russia.'

The retired admiral added, 'And there's very little that you can see that would make sense for this war to be escalated between two nuclear powers.'

Sullivan said the strike on the Yavoriv base was a sign that Russia's autocratic leader Vladimir Putin was growing 'frustrated' by Ukrainians' fierce resistance slowing down his invasion.

'What it shows is that Vladimir Putin is frustrated by the fact that his forces are not making the kind of progress that he thought that they would make against major cities, including Kyiv, that he is expanding the number of targets, that he is lashing out, and that he is trying to cause damage in every part of the country,' Sullivan said in a CNN interview Sunday.

However he too stressed that neither the attack's proximity to a NATO ally nor its distance from the supposed battlefront would push the US further toward a confrontation with Russia.

'What President Biden has made clear from the beginning is that we will not have U.S. military forces operating in Ukraine, and there are none operating there now. But we will defend every inch of NATO territory, even as we seek to provide military assistance to the Ukrainian fighters who are bravely defending their homes and bravely defending their cities,' Sullivan said.
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Gary Cabana, 60, is wanted by police for the attack at the MoMa yesterday. He is on the run

DailyMail.com has obtained the horrifying full video of the attack on two MoMa employees by a deranged 60-year-old who jumped over the counter and viciously stabbed them yesterday, a day after his museum membership revoked.

Gary Cabana, 60, jumped on the desk with a knife, rammed it into the victims' backs and collar bones and then ran away.

The two employees - one male, one female - survived and were taken to the hospital. Cabana, who has grey hair and wears thick-rimmed reading glasses, is now at large.

Police are still looking for him.

Cabana's address is listed as The Times Square, a charity-run building at 255 West 43rd Street for formerly homeless people or people who are mentally ill.

It is unclear what type of MoMa membership he had.

The cheapest is a $65-a-year pass for unlimited access to exhibits.

On social media, Cabana posted frantically about COVID, ranting about tourists not wearing masks and how he hated Donald Trump.

It remains unclear why specifically he targeted the two employees he attacked. The 24-year-old man and 24-year-old woman and recovering in the hospital.

The museum was closed on Sunday as crime investigators worked at the scene.

According to police, his membership to the museum was revoked on Friday for two unspecified incidents involving disorderly conduct. He is thought to have returned to the scene on Saturday to exact revenge.

Horrifying video footage from inside the museum shows him jumping on top of the reception desk, pulling out a knife, and stabbing the two employees before fleeing.

Police said one the employees was a 24-year-old woman being treated for stabs to the lower back and one stab to the back of her neck. The other was stabbed in the collar bone.

Cabana is shown climbing onto the desk with a knife in his hand and approaching the two workers yesterday at 4pm

This is the horrifying moment Gary Cabana, 60, stabs two female MoMa employees after climbing over the front desk of the museum to attack them

Cabana, 60, is shown brutally attacking the two women in the museum yesterday before going on the run

Police are on the hunt for the 60-year-old man who attacked the employees after his membership was suspended

Cabana ranted on Facebook about COVID and tourists in New York City not wearing masks

In other posts, the 60-year-old poses in the movie theater and in front of Broadway theaters

One of the stabbing victims was a 24-year-old woman working behind the reception desk

Despite her injuries, the woman was heard joking about receiving hazard pay after suffering stabs to her back and neck

The suspect, who jumped the museum turnstile and fled the scene after the attack, is wearing a dark jacket, blue facemask and sunglasses, sources told DailyMail.com.

One of the victims had said, 'I'm going to get hazard pay,' as she was taken into an ambulance, the New York Post reported. Police have yet to name the victims.

Cops lined up and down 53rd Street in Midtown Manhattan after they responded to reports of the stabbings, and people were advised to avoid the area, which is under investigation.

Police request anyone with information on the wanted suspect to contact investigators.

The MoMA and its stores will be closed to the public on Sunday.

Police are stationed at the entrance of the art gallery in Manhattan as the report two victims were attacked at around 4 p.m.

Museum visitors were instructed to quickly evacuate the scene. One group was stuck in the basement, with some people screaming and crying, before being called out by police to run out of the building (right)

Witnesses at the scene report that two women were being carried out on stretchers and taken to a nearby hospital

A FDNY ambulance was seen outside Moma as police said the victims' injuries were non-life threatening

One museum goer said the Moma was packed with visitors taking shelter from the snowstorm outside

John Miller, NYPD deputy commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said the suspect, who is on the run, was a member of the museum who had his membership revoked on Friday and attacked workers when they denied him entrance

Several people who were in the MoMA at the time of the stabbing filmed the hectic evacuation as they were ushered by museum security to quickly exit the building.

One Twitter user with the handle Cheerleader52 said her group was locked in the basement without being told what was going on when the stabbing occurred.

'People were screaming and crying. Police told us to RUN,' the user wrote as they filmed the escape out of the museum.

Museum-goer David Durjerko, of Chicago, told NBC New York that the museum was full of visitors taking shelter from the snowstorm when the attack happened.

'Suddenly they said ''the museum's closed'' and people started running,' Durjerko said. 'Little panic on the escalators, and then they started shouting, ''Get out, get out for your own safety.'''

MoMA officials could not be immediately reached for comment.

Police have yet to report any arrest or charges filed in the stabbing.

Police are asking anyone with information about the stabber to contact officials

Police instructed people inside the museum to evacuate quickly as they secured the premises

Police officials secured the museum quickly. The investigation is still on going
Scott Morrison says the government will seek to ease cost of living pressures in the federal budget, but warns factors behind higher petrol prices need to be addressed at a global level.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg will deliver his fourth budget on March 29 ahead of an expected May election, which opinion polls indicate the coalition could lose.

The budget is expected to include a slightly better than expected deficit, but debt heading towards $1 trillion.

Scott Morrison says the budget will ease household costs, but petrol prices are a global issue.

The prime minister and Mr Frydenberg have been framing the budget around the theme of strong economic management delivering the jobs, services and national security that Australians need.

Mr Morrison says Australians are well aware the price of petrol - which is hovering around $2.20 a litre - is being driven up by the Russia-Ukraine war.

With some interest groups pressing for a cut in fuel excise - which adds about 44 cents a litre at the bowser - Mr Morrison won't reveal what the government has planned.

But he told Nine on Sunday an excise cut might not make much of a difference given that the petrol price has already lifted from around $1.70 to $2.20 - more than the full cost of the excise.

If re-elected in 2022, the PM said tax cuts could again be on the agenda for low and middle income earners (stock image)

He said the government would work with other countries to release fuel reserves and ease pressure on petrol prices.

'The things we can do, we do, and the things we can't do anything about, well, we understand them and work with other countries around the world to try and relieve those pressures,' he said.

Mr Frydenberg has flagged further investment in defence to take the total military spend to just over two per cent of GDP.

The budget will also include a women's economic statement, more funding for skills and manufacturing and a strong focus on the regions to generate jobs.

It remains unclear whether the government will extend the low and middle-income tax offset, which provides up to $1080 a year to 10 million Australians on an income of less than $126,900.

Finance Minister Simon Birmingham said the government would "double down" on lower income tax settings to help with the cost of living.

'Right now our income tax cuts are providing around $1.5 billion a month extra into the pockets of hard-working Australian households and it's that type of disposable income that is necessary and helpful to deal with these sorts of pressures,' he said.

The budget papers will show a bringing forward of child care subsidy changes from July 1 to March 7, to cost around $224 million in 2021/22 and $670 million a year ongoing.

And there will be record spending on health and infrastructure.

'Our government is getting the job done by delivering the infrastructure needed to improve regional roads that were neglected and left to deteriorate under Labor,' Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce said.

Treasurer Josh Frydenberg has flagged further investment in defence to take the total military spend to just over two per cent of GDP.
A Peabody Award-winning American videojournalist was killed just outside Ukraines capital of Kyiv, local authorities disclosed.

Brent Renaud, 50, was fatally shot in Irpin and two other journalists were wounded when Russian troops opened fire, Kyiv Chief of Police Andrey Nebitov wrote on Facebook.

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The invaders cynically kill even international media journalists who are trying to show the truth about the atrocities of Russian troops in Ukraine, Nebitov wrote.

Of course, the profession of a journalist is a risk, but U.S. citizen Brent Renaud paid his life for trying to highlight the aggressors ingenuity, cruelty and ruthlessness.

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Renaud and his brother Craig made documentary films that have covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya, the fight for Mosul, extremism in Africa, cartel violence in Mexico, and the youth refugee crisis in Central America, according to their website.

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Their Vice documentary, Last Chance High, about a school in Chicago that serves students with severe emotional disorders, won a Peabody Award in 2014.

Brent Renaud (Mike Coppola)

Time Studios said Sunday that Renaud had been recently working for them on a project focused on the global refugee crisis.

Our hearts are with all of Brents loved ones, Editor-in-Chief Edward Felsenthal and President Ian Orefice said in a joint statement. It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Renaud also previously served as a correspondent for the New York Times, but was not working for the newspaper at the time of his death.

We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renauds death, a spokesman for the Times said in a statement. Brent was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan called Renauds death shocking and horrifying and promised appropriate consequences for Russia.

I will just say that this is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship and they have targeted journalists, Sullivan said on Face the Nation Sunday.
A pair of YouTubers face up to seven years in prison after breaking into a Target in Pennsylvania for a bizarre 24-hour overnight challenge to boost subscribers to their channel.

The pair that go by the name Saucy and Honey attempted to hide inside the store in Exton on February 22. However, West Whiteland Township Police arrested Johnson Larose, 25, - aka 'Saucy' - and Charlotte Fischer, 24 - aka 'Honey' - after the next day.

Authorities were called to the Target when the alarm was tripped but police searching the big-box retailer were unable to locate anyone inside.

The next day, Target employees found surveillance footage showing a man and woman walking around the shop for hours with their phones filming it.

'It became a little bit bigger of an investigation, trying to find out what they were doing, was there something criminal?' police detective Scott Pezick said.

Neither Larose nor Fischer actually stole anything nor did they destroy any property. But they will face trespassing charges that carry up to seven years in prison.

West Whiteland Township Police arrested Johnson Larose aka 'Saucy', 25, and Charlotte Fischer aka 'Honey', 24, for attempting to film themselves staying up all night in a closed Target in Pennsylvania

'Saucy and Honey' have over 21,000 subscribers - up about 4,000 from when the incident took place - to their YouTube channel

They attempted to stay all night in a Target store in Exton, Pennsylvania to film for YouTube

The pair largely record videos of pranks or attempts to complete challenges. Some examples include only eating gas station food for 24 hours; one pranking the other by serving fast food when promising a home-cooked meal; and distracting one another while playing video games.

The couple filmed what they termed as the '24 hour overnight challenge in Target' on their page for their subscribers in a video that lasted about 26 minutes.

As was seen on the security footage, the pair largely walk around aimlessly before attempting to set up a fort.

While they claimed to have spent the entire night inside the Target, police note that camera footage showed them leaving at about 3 am, tripping the alarm that would eventually lead to their arrest.

Larose and Johnson did return to the Target at about 8 a.m. in an attempt to stage an end to the challenge.

The poorly conceived prank gained them about about 4,000 subscribers to liver their YouTube channel total to 21,000.

Pezick said that the main offense the pair committed was the wasting of both police and the store's resources to track them down.

'When you go to burglary call, you have a heightened sense of awareness. Suddenly, you see somebody in there, or maybe they get spooked and run, our officers are well-trained, but it's not a great situation for anybody,' Pezick said. 'They weren't out to harm anybody, but we want to make sure this doesn't happen again.'

As seen on the security footage, Larose and Fischer largely walk around the Target aimlessly before attempting to set up a fort

While they claimed to have spent the entire night inside the Target, police note that camera footage showed them leaving at about 3 in the morning, tripping the alarm that would eventually lead to their arrest

Larose and Fischer face third-degree criminal trespassing charges, which could carry a term of up to seven years in prison

The pair have been released on $25,000 unsecured bail and are banned from every Target store in Pennsylvania.

Fischer is surprised at all the fuss and wouldn't have changed a thing about their adventure.

'I mean, no regrets just living life and having fun, it's kind of sad that all of this came out of it, we were expecting a fine nothing crazy,' Fischer told FOX 29.

Larose and Fischer are expected to appear in court again on March 24.
Former President Barack Obama announced Sunday afternoon: 'I just tested positive for COVID', but said Michelle is still clear of coronavirus.

'I've had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise,' the former president tweeted in describing his symptoms.

'Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative. It's a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven't already, even as cases go down,' Obama tweeted.

He did not mention whether either of his daughters Malia, 23, and Sasha, 20 were tested for the virus, but both are currently in college and likely away at school.

The diagnosis comes at a time when case rates and deaths in the U.S. are on the decline following the winter Omicron surge. It also comes as COVID restrictions are relaxing in the U.S.

Former President Barack Obama announced Sunday that he tested positive for COVID-19. Pictured: Obama speaks during a memorial service for the late Senator Harry Reid at The Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas, Nevada on January 8, 2022

He posted on Twitter Sunday afternoon describing his symptoms as mild, and added that his wife Michelle Obama tested negative

There were still 38,482 new COVID-19 cases reported on Friday, according to the most recently available data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Obama has been vaccinated for the last year.

He announced on Twitter in March 2021: 'Michelle and I got vaccinated against COVID-19 because we know it's the best way to beat this pandemic, protect one another, and get the country back up and running again.'

'So I hope you'll get the vaccine as soon as it's available to you. It could save your life,' he added.

The announcement came at a time when many impatient Americans were anxious to get the vaccine after it rolled out, but also when the Biden administration was struggling to get vaccine-hesitant Americans to get the jab.

Obama's tweet featured a video showing him and wife Michelle receiving the vaccine along with former Presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and their wives, former first ladies Rosalynn Carter, Hillary Clinton and Laura Bush, respectively.

Infections massively spiked over the winter with the emergence of the highly-contagious Omicron variant, but case-rates are back down and have led to relaxed restrictions similar to those over the summer

In the video, which was developed by Ad Council and the COVID Collaborative and released on Wednesday, the former presidents urged Americans to receive their coronavirus vaccines to protect themselves against COVID-19 and hopefully put a stop to the ongoing pandemic.

'This vaccine means hope. It will protect you and those you love from this dangerous and deadly disease,' Barack Obama said in the one-minute ad.

'We've lost enough people, and we've suffered enough damage,' Bill Clinton said.

Obama has faced criticism for his elitist lifestyle during COVID, including balking CDC guidelines in August of last year and hosting a large, glamorous and maskless 60th birthday bash at his home on Martha's Vineyard at a time when cases in Massachusetts were on the rise.

Massachusetts officials urged at the time that vaccinated residents and visitors put back on their face coverings in indoor public spaces amid a surge in new Covid cases after the mask guidelines were dropped earlier in the summer.

Guests at the event flew in from around the world to attend Obama's birthday weekend.

Well-wishes from lawmakers, global leaders and celebrities began pouring in within hours of the popular Democrat's announcement.

Among the most unexpected was GOP Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who wished Obama a 'speedy recovery' but then used her message to advocate against vaccine mandates.

'Wishing you a speedy recovery! After 2 yrs of Covid, the death rate is 1.2% & we know who is at higher risk of hospitalization or death. Thankfully 78,364,915 Americans have survived Covid. Vaccines should be a choice not a mandate, and natural immunity should be recognized,' Greene wrote on Twitter.

World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, on the other hand, praised Obama for using himself as an example to advocate for getting the jab.

'I wish you a swift and easy recovery from [Covid-19], President [Barack Obama] - and I couldnt agree with you more: its important for people to get vaccinated,' the public health expert said.

Comedian Kathy Griffin simply replied to Obama's tweet: 'Love you.'

'Sending good healing vibrations to you Sir,' actress Rosanna Arquette said.

Dave Cavell, Michelle Obama's former speechwriter who now works in Joe Biden's State Department, urged the former first couple to both take care of themselves.

'Rest up and feel better, Sir! Refuah Shleimah! My mother would prescribe a heavy dose of soup. We need you both at full strength for the fights to come,' Cavell stated.
Russian soldiers shot dead a disabled Ukrainian volunteer who had one arm and one left whilst he sat in his wheelchair, a local governor has claimed.

Alexander Kononov was shot and killed at his home in the village of Borivskyi in the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, said the Governor of Luhansk Oblast, Serhiy Haidai.

Kononov, who for years delivered water, food and medicine to Ukrainian soldiers fighting pro-Moscow militants in Luhansk, was murdered in his wheelchair by invading Russian soldiers, the governor told Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske.

'Alexander Kononov, Ukrainian volunteer, killed by Russians in his own house in Borivskyi, near Severodonetsk,' Governor Haidai said on Facebook.

Alexander Kononov (pictured) was shot and killed at his home in the village of Borivskyi in the Luhansk region, eastern Ukraine, said the Governor of Luhansk Oblast, Serhiy Haidai

Kononov, who for years delivered water, food and medicine to Ukrainian soldiers fighting pro-Moscow militants in Luhansk, was murdered in his wheelchair by invading Russian soldiers, the governor told Ukrainian broadcaster Hromadske

Konovov lost his right arm and left leg after suffering from an accident at a steel plant in Ukraine and had later volunteered to help Ukrainian forces who were fighting against pro-Russian rebels since 2014.

During the war, the volunteer was captured by the so-called Luhansk People's Republic militants at a checkpoint and tortured.

After 98 days, in October 2014, Konovov was released from captivity in exchange for other captives, according to local media.

Konovov's death comes as American freelance journalist, Brent Renaud, 50, was shot dead by Russian troops on Sunday while filming refugees in Irpin, a suburb of the Ukrainian capital of Kiev.

Renaud was in a car with other journalists in Irpin, near Kyiv, when Russian troops opened fire. He was shot dead and one of his colleagues was injured.

Konovov lost his right arm and left leg after suffering from an accident at a steel plant in Ukraine and had later volunteered to help Ukrainian forces who were fighting against pro-Russian rebels since 2014

A Ukrainian mayor was also abducted by invading Russian forces on Sunday, the second such kidnapping in days, bringing strong condemnation from the UK, EU and Zelensky.

Dmytro Kuleba, Minister of Foreign Affairs in Ukraine, said Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in southern Ukraine, was taken days after Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the nearby city of Melitopol, was also kidnapped.

Meanwhile, Russian missiles today also hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding 134, a local official said, in an escalation of the war

The International Center for Peacekeeping and Security served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting it in its defence against Moscow's grinding assault.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, which has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the U.S. and other countries in the western alliance.

Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscow's threats to target those shipments.

An attack so close to the border was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries that gave birth to NATO and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine

A man wounded in this morning's air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital on March 13, 2022 in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine. A series of Russian missiles struck the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security at the nearby Yavoriv military complex

Meanwhile, British Prime Minister told Zelensky that Putin's 'barbaric actions' were 'testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity'.

The Prime Minister spoke to the Ukrainian president on Sunday afternoon, according to No 10.

'He commended the president and the Ukrainian people on their fortitude. The Prime Minister said Putin's barbaric actions were testing not just Ukraine but all of humanity,' a Downing Street spokesman said.

'The leaders condemned the murders of Brent Renaud and countless innocent Ukrainians, and the abduction of the mayors of Dniprorudne and Melitopol.

'The Prime Minister outlined the support the UK continues to deliver to Ukraine. He said the UK would continue to pursue more options for bolstering Ukraine's self-defence, working with partners including at Tuesday's meeting of the Joint Expeditionary Force in London.

'The Prime Minister said the UK would continue to stand behind Ukraine in all their efforts to bring an end to this disastrous conflict.'

A Ukrainian firefighter drags a hose inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an airstrike in the early morning hours on the outskirts of Kyiv on Sunday

A view of damaged buildings and streets due to the ongoing Russian shelling and missile strikes in Kharkiv, Ukraine, on Sunday

Since Russia's invasion more than two weeks ago, at least 596 civilians have been killed, according to the U.N., though it believes the true toll is much higher. Millions more have fled their homes amid the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II.

Despite its superior firepower, Russia has struggled in its advance across Ukraine, in the face of stiffer than expected resistance, bolstered by Western weapons support.

Instead, Russian forces have besieged several cities and pummeled them with strikes, hitting two dozen medical facilities and leading to a series of humanitarian crises.

Many civilians have been caught in the barrage, and Ukraine's Prosecutor General's office said Sunday that at least 85 children have been killed.

An American journalist was killed and another wounded when their car was fired upon at a Russian checkpoint Sunday, police said.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser to Rome to meet Monday with a Chinese official amid concerns that country is amplifying Russian disinformation, and Pope Francis called for peace.

In this handout video grab taken from a footage released by the Ukrainian Presidency, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky speaks face camera in a street of Kyiv on March 11

The attacked training base near Yavoriv is less than 15 miles from the Polish border and appears to be the westernmost target struck during Russia's 18-day invasion.

The base has hosted international NATO drills and a senior NATO official, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying 'the spirit of military cooperation' between Ukraine and international forces.

As such, the site is a potent symbol Russia's longstanding concerns that the 30-member Western military alliance is a threat to Moscow by operating so close to its territory.

NATO denies that it poses any threat, but Russia has repeatedly demanded Ukraine drop its ambitions of joining the alliance as a pre-requisite for ending the war.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the Russian missiles fired Sunday 'were shot down because the air defense system worked.' Those that got through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, which is less than 94 miles north of Romania and 155 miles from Hungary, countries that also are NATO allies.

Ukraine Army troops dig in at frontline trench positions to continue repelling Russian attacks, in sub-zero temperatures, east of the strategic port city of Mykolaiv,

Footage released by Russia Ministry of Defense on Saturday March 5 shows Russian soldiers took control of a military base near the village of Radensk, Kherson region

NATO said Sunday that it currently does not have any personnel in Ukraine, though the U.S. has increased the number of American troops deployed to Poland.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the West would respond if Russia's armaments travel outside Ukraine and hit any NATO members, even accidentally.

Biden 'has been clear, repeatedly, that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory and that means every inch,' Sullivan said on CBS News' 'Face the Nation.'

Lviv itself so far has been spared the scale of destruction unfolding to its east and south. The city's population of 721,000 has swelled during the war with residents escaping bombarded population centers and as a waystation for the nearly 2.6 million people who have fled the country.

Ukrainian and European leaders have pushed with limited success for Russia to grant safe passage to civilians trapped by fighting, though Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said authorities have managed to evacuate nearly 125,000 people from combat zones.

Ukrainian authorities said more than 10 humanitarian corridors would open Sunday, with agreement from Russia, including from the battered and besieged port city of Mariupol, where the city council said 2,187 people have been killed.

The suffering in the port city is 'simply immense,' the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday, noting that hundreds of thousands of its residents are 'facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.'

'Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell,' the Geneva-based organization said in a statement. 'Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated.'

Zelenskyy said in a video address that a convoy carrying 100 tons of humanitarian aid was headed to the city, whose capture could help Russia establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Meanwhile, continued fighting on multiple fronts heaped further misery on the country Sunday and provoked renewed international outrage.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, authorities reported nine people killed in bombings. Meanwhile, they said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and others were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east.

Kyiv Region police said on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on a car carrying two American journalists. The force said Brent Renaud died and Juan Arredondo was wounded.

Chief regional administrator Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces appeared to be trying to blockade and paralyze the capital with day and night shelling of the suburbs.

He vowed that any all-out assault would meet stiff resistance, saying: 'We're getting ready to defend Kyiv, and we're prepared to fight for ourselves.'

Zelenskyy also alleged that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials in the southern Kherson region to form a 'pseudo-republic' like those in the two eastern regions where Russian-backed separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014.

Zelenskyy reported Saturday that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died in the war. The Russians said days ago that several hundred of their forces have died but have not given a recent updated count.

The war has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear accidents, as fighting occurred around nuclear power plants.

On Sunday, Ukraine said it restored a broken power line to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, scene of the world's worst nuclear disaster in 1986. The plant was knocked off the grid last week and relying on generators. That raised concerns about its ability to keep spent fuel cool, though the International Atomic Energy Agency played down those worries.

In some of his strongest denunciations yet of the war in Ukraine, Pope Francis on Sunday decried the 'barbarianism' of the killing of children and other civilians and pleaded for the attacks to end 'before cities are reduced to cemeteries.'

Francis said Mariupol, which 'bears the name' of the Virgin Mary, has 'become a city martyred by the heartbreaking war that is devastating Ukraine.'

In Mariupol, which has endured some of the worst punishment since Russia invaded, efforts to bring food, water and medicine into the port city of 430,000 and to evacuate civilians, were prevented by unceasing attacks.

More than 1,500 people have died in the city during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

'They are bombing [Mariupol] 24 hours a day, launching missiles. It is hatred. They kill children,' Zelensky said during a video address.

Ukraine's military said on Saturday that Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening the armed squeeze on the strategic port.

Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Zelensky encouraged his people to keep up their resistance, which many analysts said has prevented the rapid offensive and military victory the Kremlin likely expected while planning to invade Russia's ex-Soviet neighbor.

'The fact that the whole Ukrainian people resist these invaders has already gone down in history, but we do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be for us,' he said.

Zelensky again deplored Nato's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he did not elaborate.

The president also accused Russia of employing 'a new stage of terror' with the alleged kidnapping of the mayor of Melitopol, a city 119 miles west of Mariupol.
Scooter enthusiasts have been issued a tough warning with strict rules making it illegal to even ride the popular electronic devices.

Riders could be slapped with an $697 on-the-spot fine for riding a prohibited or uninsured vehicle on NSW roads or pavements, which includes electronic scooters, electric skateboards, and hoverboards.

Despite the devices being considered motor vehicles, they do not satisfy the Australian Design Rules and therefore can't be registered or insured.

Rules around the popular devices vary state to state in Australia, with some banning the scooters while others enforcing a list of strict requirements on riders.

Scooter enthusiasts could be slapped with an $697 on-the-spot fine for riding a prohibited or uninsured vehicle on NSW roads or pavements (pictured, a man rides an eScooter in Victoria)

The Hills Police Area Command posted a reminder of the rules to their Facebook page last week (pictured) and quickly sparked criticism from the rider community

Electric bikes are legal as they have pedals as their primary means of propulsion and are only assisted by a motor.

The only place eScooter riders can take their device for a spin is on private property, with shared roads, pavements and cycleways strictly off limits.

These strict new rules also apply to petrol-powered bicycles, motorised foot scooters, mini or 'monkey' bikes, segways, electric skateboards and hoverboards.

SCOOTER RULES ACROSS AUSTRALIA NSW, WA and SA: Riding an electric scooter is currently illegal Victoria, ACT, Northern Territory and Tasmania: E-scooters less than 200-watts are permitted to be ridden, only at a maximum speed of 10km/h Queensland: According to the Department of Transport and Main Roads, electric scooters are legal but can only be ridden on paths Source: Mondaq Advertisement

The Hills Police Area Command posted a reminder of the rules to their Facebook page last week and quickly sparked criticism from the rider community.

Many said it was time to update the laws and pointed to the environmental benefits of the electric devices, and the soaring price of petrol.

'They're a great idea. They should be legal. We just need simple, clear rules on where, when and how fast they should be used,' one man wrote.

'Time to update the laws. With petrol prices going through the roof more and more people will be using these,' a second agreed.

'It's a bit ridiculous when one authority allows them to be imported and sold in Australia and another authority bans their public use, would be logical if the Authorities actually communicated to one another,' a third pointed out.

'So behind the times.... And we are supposed to be an 'advanced nation'... Pffft Heavy Fines? Sounds draconian....' a fourth shared.

'Banning them doesn't make people safe or stop people using them or place selling them. Make laws that facilitate their use in public spaces so that people can do so safely,' another suggested.

'This has to change. This is an economical and environmental way to get around; easy to be stored when not using - no big parking space required,' one said.

'How many people were killed by cars, how many by scooters? Require a driver's licence if there is a safety concern but it's a pointless law and a literal waste of time to enforce,' another shared.

The only place eScooter riders can take their device for a spin is on private property, with shared roads, pavements and cycleways strictly off limits (pictured, riders in Melbourne)

Many Sydney scooter riders said it was time to update the laws and pointed to the environmental benefits of the electric devices, and the soaring price of petrol

Use of eScooters in public is banned in NSW and South Australia (pictured, riders in Brisbane)

In Brisbane, the law was amended to allow a trial of electric scooters with tourists and locals alike invited to rent Lime Scooters for a small price.

New Zealand also moved to legalise almost any battery powered vehicles as long as they fit the definition of a 'low-powered vehicle'.

The cheap and efficient means of transport is also legal to ride in the ACT and Tasmania but are still outlawed in NSW and South Australia.

In Victoria, eScooters can be ridden in public as long the device aren't petrol-powered, don't have over 200W in power and have a max speed of 10km/h.

In welcome news for Sydney riders, the city of Newcastle has been approached by multiple eScooter companies looking to launch a trial of the devices (pictured, a rider in Brisbane)

In Tasmania, riders are asked to wear a helmet and follow road rules with their devices also not to have over 200W of power.

Electric scooter laws in NT, SA, QLD, and WA allow riders to drive eScooters with a normal driver's license.

However, in ACT, NSW, TAS, and VIC, riders must complete training before taking the devices for a spin with their eScooters to meet certain requirements.

In welcome news for Sydney riders, the city of Newcastle has been approached by multiple eScooter companies looking to launch a trial of the devices.

A spokesperson for the City of Newcastle has said, 'Any future shared electric scooter trial would likely be by expression of interest and be undertaken in conjunction with Transport for NSW'.
A Ukrainian couple who first met during the 2015 war in the country have decided to get married before they take on Russian troops in the outskirts of Kyiv.

The couple, who met for the first time during the war in Donbas seven years ago, were photographed at the ceremony held in a hospital in Brovary earlier today.

The soldiers began their relationship in 2022 when they met by chance during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

'There is a hard time ahead of us, so we decided to do it now', said the bride as military chaplain and medic Yevgeny lead the ceremony for the couple.

Due to security reasons, the names of the couple are not disclosed.

The chaplain also held services for other military and medical personnel as well as for civilians.

Pictured: A Ukrainian couple who are fighting for their country and who first met during the 2015 war decided to get married before they take on Russian troops in the outskirts of Kyiv.

The couple were married in a hospital in Brovary, on the outskirts of Ukrainian capital Kyiv

Pictured: The couple said they decided to get married because they face 'hard times ahead'

This is the second frontline wedding to take place in Ukraine in recent weeks.

Earlier this month, Kyiv's mayor paid a visit to a newlywed couple who got married on the frontlines, donned in military uniform and serenaded by soldiers.

Video shared online showed a loved-up pair, Lesya and Valeriy, who are with the territorial defence, celebrating the nuptials near Kyiv as former champion boxer Vitali Klitschko offered the pair his blessings and gives the bride a good luck kiss.

In a tweet, Klitschko shared a clip of the ceremony, with the pair surrounded by applause, cameras and fellow soldiers, saying that 'life goes on'.

A video shows the grinning couple holding flowers as fellow soldiers around them shout 'Glory to Ukraine!' in the heartfelt moment, captured yesterday.

Lesya could be seen holding a bouquet of flowers as both her and Valeriy clutched champagne flutes.

Both the newlyweds were applauded and the bride looks to have swapped out her helmet for a white veil as she smiled and held Valeriy's hand.

Both the newlyweds were applauded and the bride looks to have swapped out her helmet for a white veil as she smiled and held Valeriy's hand

Vitali Klitschko paid a visit to a blockpost near Kyiv, to offer his well-wishes and blessings to two newlyweds in the territorial defence

A group of fellow soldiers also joined in a chorus to the couple, with one man playing what appears to be a bandura, a Ukrainian folk musical instrument similar to a lute.

The footage was shared by Paul Ronzheimer, reporter for German news outlet BILD-Zeitung.

Brovary is a city in northern Ukraine, an eastern suburb of the country's capital, Kyiv.

The UN has confirmed 549 civilian deaths, including 41 children, since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, but suggested the actual figure is far higher.

Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on Friday that more civilians had died in the war than Ukrainian soldiers, although estimates of Ukrainian military casualties vary widely

Since the invasion began on February 24, the Russian troops have seized numerous pockets of strategically important territory, particularly along the southern coast and to the east and north and are now positioned at Kyiv's northwestern and eastern edges.

But they seem to have run into difficulties in winning large cities such as Chernigiv or Kharkiv and in the northeastern Kyiv suburbs of Bucha and Irpin, as well as in the east.

While Russia's bombardment is massive and deadly, raising fears it will lay waste to cities as it did in Chechnya and Syria, the ground troops around Kyiv particularly seem to have hardly moved in recent days, according to a number of military experts.

The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline UKRAINE REFUGEE 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

To the east of Kyiv, Russian tanks a few days ago reached a point a few kilometres from Brovary, with the initial impression being that they had driven 150 kilometres (90 miles) from Belarus in the north, a close ally they can use as a rear base.

But Ukrainian military and numerous defence experts say the Russians actually travelled from the east and from Sumy some 300 kilometres away, near the Russian border, taking small roads through sparsely populated areas.

At the start of the week, the Russian tanks arrived a few kilometres from Brovary and positioned themselves in surrounding villages. Locals said they counted more than 70 military vehicles, including around 40 tanks and around 300 soldiers.

This column, or part of it, then moved towards Brovary and Kyiv and was halted Thursday at Skybyn, according to Ukrainian military experts, who question whether the Russians seriously thought they could use a few dozen tanks to enter Kyiv - a city of thre million prior to the invasion and now fortified with barricades.

"I don't know why they are doing that," says Berezenko.

"You'd have to be mad, or misinformed... Or else they just want to confuse us."

The incident in Skybyn reinforces Ukrainian soldiers' belief that the Russians have overestimated their resources, in terms of troops and equipment, and underestimated those of their opponent.

"They have to camp in villages in temperatures of nearly minus 10 Celsius at night. They lack provisions and have to raid houses," adds the Ukrainian soldier.

The Russians nevertheless have advanced far enough to raise fears of Kyiv becoming encircled imminently. In the capital, only the roads to the south are still open and the city is preparing to mount a "relentless defence", according to the Ukrainian presidency.

The Russians could continue to destroy and bomb Ukraine, but they "don't have enough men or equipment to occupy the country," says Berezenko, giving his view that Moscow's soldiers are "not numerous enough and (are) far from home" and "will end up wearing themselves out".
A 33-year-old woman was killed after she jumped off an overpass onto a busy four-lane New York City road, where she was fatally struck by an SUV driver who did not stop.

Police said the unidentified woman leapt from the E. 135th Street overpass above Harlem River Drive around 10am Sunday and was struck by a white SUV traveling northbound.

When authorities arrived on scene they found her unconscious, unresponsive and had suffered trauma to her body.

Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene. Police are withholding her identity pending family notification.

A 33-year-old woman was killed after she jumped off an overpass onto a busy four-lane New York City road, where she was fatally struck by an SUV driver who did not stop

Police said the unidentified woman leapt from the E. 135th Street overpass above Harlem River Drive around 10am Sunday and was struck by a white SUV traveling northbound

When authorities arrived on scene they found her unconscious, unresponsive and had suffered trauma to her body. Paramedics pronounced the woman dead at the scene. Police are withholding her identity pending family notification

Video footage captured around the time of the crash shows traffic on the four lane parkway at a standstill as NYPD officials in hazmat suits and firemen spraying hoses worked to clean up the scene.

Police say they are searching for the hit-skip driver. It is unclear if the driver was aware they struck the woman.

No further details on what led up to the tragedy have been shared by the NYPD.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a United States-based suicide prevention network of over 160 crisis centers that provides 24/7 service via a toll-free hotline with the number 1-800-273-8255.

It is available to anyone in suicidal crisis or emotional distress.
The Mail Force appeal hit a magnificent 7million yesterday  helping aid workers to save lives.

Big-hearted readers have flooded us with cheques and online donations for desperate Ukrainians.

Stars of stage and screen have backed the appeal too and yesterday ex Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips urged: Please, please donate whatever you can to the Mails Ukraine appeal. We cannot stand by and watch such suffering to so many people. Please help.

Penny Lancaster, the model wife of Sir Rod Stewart, said: Lets celebrate the contribution women all over the world make by uniting together and donating to help the women and children of Ukraine, the most vulnerable.

The money raised by the Mail Force charity is being passed to aid groups already on the ground in Ukraine and in surrounding countries helping stricken refugees

Broadcaster Angela Rippon gave a donation and added: Like just about everyone in Britain I am appalled by the news that is coming out of Ukraine daily.

How can this be happening in Europe in the 21st century?

Former Blue Peter presenter turned childrens author Konnie Huq said: This humanitarian crisis will devastate millions. Please help and support this Daily Mail campaign.

The money raised by the Mail Force charity is being passed to aid groups already on the ground in Ukraine and in surrounding countries helping stricken refugees.

At the request of Lord and Lady Rothermere, the Mails parent company DMGT has donated 500,000. Yesterday we highlighted how a tiny baby has known only war during his short life, having been born in a Kyiv hospital during a bombardment.

The hospital where Luka, born with pneumonia, and his mother Valeria are being looked after has received vital medical supplies from Unicef. The United Nations childrens charity has been sent 500,000 by the Mail Force charity to fund its vital work.

Mail readers who have sent in generous donations have written letters expressing outrage at the humanitarian crisis

Stars of stage and screen have backed the appeal too and yesterday ex Strictly Come Dancing judge Dame Arlene Phillips urged: Please, please donate whatever you can to the Mails Ukraine appeal. We cannot stand by and watch such suffering to so many people. Please help. Penny Lancaster, the model wife of Sir Rod Stewart, said: Lets celebrate the contribution women all over the world make by uniting together and donating to help the women and children of Ukraine, the most vulnerable

Mail readers who have sent in generous donations have written letters expressing outrage at the humanitarian crisis.

Jillian and Steve Clements, from Shelford in Cambridgeshire, wrote: We have supported many of your worthy causes, however we never envisaged the need to give money to aid a nation facing genocide.

Each day brings more horror. We are humbled by the courage and strength of the people of Ukraine as we are equally horrified by the actions of Putin. The Russian people are also Putins victims and must feel shame at what their country is doing.

Former US Marine John Lindquist, who served two tours in Vietnam, sent a donation and wrote: The people of Ukraine will fight for their country and they are right.

And Linda Jalowecka sent 100 in memory of her late father-in-law who was from the western Ukraine city of Lviv.

She wrote: When the Russians invaded during WW2, he, along with friends and family, were sent on a forced march to Siberia. He once told me, The Nazis were bad, but the Russians were far worse.

In Gods name stop the killing, says Pope

The Pope yesterday demanded an end to the massacre in Ukraine and condemned the barbarity behind innocent civilians deaths.

In the name of God, I ask: Stop this massacre, Pope Francis said to applause in his weekly address to crowds in St Peters Square.

The Pope did not refer to Russia by name but said there could be no valid strategic reason for the indiscriminate attacks.

With an aching heart I add my voice to that of the common people, who implore the end of the war, he said.

In the name of God, listen to the cry of those who suffer, and put an end to the bombings and the attacks. Let there be real and decisive focus on the negotiations.

He also pointed out that the besieged city of Mariupol  where thousands have been killed  was named after the Virgin Mary and said it had been martyred in the harrowing war.

He added: Faced with the barbarism of the killing of children, and of innocent and defenceless citizens, there are no strategic reasons that hold up. The only thing to be done is to cease the unacceptable armed aggression before the city is reduced to a cemetery.
Synamin Bell, 26, was allegedly murdered at her home in Millicent, south-east of Adelaide, SA. Police found her body on Saturday evening

A 'loving' mother-of-three has been found dead in her home and a man has been charged with her murder - with police investigating how the couple knew one another.

Officers found the body of Synamin Bell, 26, at home in Millicent, south-east of Adelaide, SA, on Saturday night after police were called to the property just after 11pm.

Detectives arrested 25-year-old Cody Edwards at the scene. Edwards is known to Ms Bell but the nature of their relationship is still being investigated.

Friends and family of the young mum remembered Ms Bell as a devoted parent and have started a GoFundMe page to help pay for her funeral costs.

'Synamin was loved by all and those lucky enough to have known her were blessed by her generosity and loyalty,' friend Luke McGaughey wrote. '

'No matter what may have been happening in her own life, she was never unavailable.'

Synamin Bell (pictured) a young mother-of-three - was found dead in her South Australian home on Saturday night after officers were called to the property just after 11pm

An elderly neighbour of Ms Bell said she saw the woman sitting with a friend at the doorstep of her Poole Street flat at about 7pm and went to bed around 11pm.

'We didn't hear anything. The first we knew about it was when we opened up our shutters at half past seven this morning and saw police cars and people everywhere,' the resident told The Advertiser.

'When the police detective came to interview me today he told me the children were at their nanna's when everything happened.'

Forensic officers attended the unit through Sunday as they continue to investigate the circumstances surrounding her death.

Mr Edwards was taken by police to Mount Gambier Police Station where he will remain in custody until he appears before Mount Gambier Magistrates Court on Tuesday.

It's believed he went across the road to tell a work colleague to call police after Ms Bell's death.

Police have been investigating the home for several days after the body of the 26-year-old was discovered on Saturday night

Superintendent Campbell Hill described the situation as 'tragic' and confirmed the children were not at the house at the time of their mother's death.

'It is devastating and it is shocking,' he said. 'It is a tragic circumstance which will reverberate and has reverberated across the community.

'If people have information, if they know how these two people knew each other, we urge them to contact us so we can fill that knowledge gap.

'They were known to each other but exactly what the dynamic of the relationship was is something we are working to establish.'

Ms Bell was remembered as a 'loving mother' who was looking to move into a career in healthcare to help support her kids

Ms Bell's friends and family are reeling from her death and revealed the 26-year-old was studying for a career in healthcare to help care for her children.

'Synamin had dreams of giving her kids the life and opportunities that we all hope our children have before them,' a friend wrote on her GoFundMe.

'She had goals of getting into medicine to help Jordy in her struggles and to help give her the best chance at a full life.

'She was trying her hardest with limited resources and support, trying to be the best mum she could be.

'The loss of your mother is something from which you never fully recover, but losing her so young leaves these beautiful kids with so much life to walk through without her. Your mother is your first and forever friend, you never truly get over that loss.'

Police are expected to remain at the Poole St property for several days, with forensic crews again on hand on Monday.
Taxes will not be cut in next weeks Spring Statement, ministers admitted yesterday as Gordon Brown joined calls for the national insurance increase to be cancelled.

The former prime minister warned Rishi Sunak the Conservatives are going to pay a price for the rise that will hit firms and workers.

As the crisis in Ukraine sends costs spiralling, there are renewed calls for ministers to scrap the increase, remove VAT from household energy bills and reduce fuel duties.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown warned Rishi Sunak (pictured) the Conservatives are going to pay a price for the rise that will hit firms and workers.

Gordon Brown (pictured) has joined calls for the national insurance increase to be cancelled

But asked yesterday if the Government is going to cut taxes with the Chancellors Spring Statement approaching, Michael Gove said: No.

Appearing on the BBCs Sunday Morning programme, the Cabinet minister added: What we have to do at the moment is to provide support in every way possible that is targeted.

We have cut taxes by cutting council tax for people who are on the lower bands, were doing that deliberately in order to target support at those on lower incomes at a time when we know that they face considerable pressures.

But behind your question may be a suggestion that we should do away with the national insurance increase. No, were not doing that.

We need that national insurance increase in order to make sure that we can fund the NHS and social care to deal with the Covid backlog. Employees, employers and the self-employed will all pay 1.25p more in the pound for national insurance (NI) from next month.

The Daily Mail has led a campaign to spike the tax hike, which will see a worker on 20,000 a year pay an extra 130, while someone on 50,000 will pay 505 more.

Mr Brown, the last chancellor to raise NI, said yesterday Mr Sunak was making a mistake. You cant put up fuel prices, you cant allow food prices to go up, you cant raise taxes and cut benefits  you cant do all these things at the same time, he told The Sunday Times.

Martin McTague (pictured), national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: The Chancellor has a choice: plough on with damaging tax hikes, or take steps to protect the most fragile and empower small firms to deliver his culture of enterprise vision

The former PM argued that Labour spent two years preparing for the national insurance rise in 2002. In contrast, Mr Brown said Mr Sunak had sort of dropped the bomb without any preparatory work and the Conservatives are going to pay a price for that.

His remarks came as business leaders and opposition party politicians stepped up demands for a rethink.

Martin McTague, national chairman of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: The Chancellor has a choice: plough on with damaging tax hikes, or take steps to protect the most fragile and empower small firms to deliver his culture of enterprise vision.

The time to deliver a low-tax, high-investment, dynamic economy is now... The Chancellor cannot control the wholesale price of gas and oil, but he can control tax policy.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey used his speech at his partys spring conference yesterday to call for Mr Sunak to cut VAT from 20 per cent to 17.5 per cent for a year, which he said would save families an average of 600.

He added: Its time the Chancellor listened and understood how his tax rises are hurting people hard. So, Rishi Sunak: drop your unfair taxes, scrap the NI hike, unfreeze income tax allowances. Do it... next week.
Fans were thrilled when Channel Seven confirmed Australian Idol would be making a return to screens 12 years after it last aired.

But on Saturday, an insider told The Daily Telegraph the highly anticipated show has been dropped from the channel's 2022 line-up.

'You need a good six months to get around to the towns for the talent search and we have run out of time to do that,' the source said.

Dropped: Australian Idol reboot 'won't go ahead' in 2022 - as Channel Seven 'run out of time' to film the series: Pictured judges Ian 'Dicko' Dickson (left), Marcia Hines (centre) and Mark Holden (right)

However, Australian Idol is still being considered for the network's 2023 line-up.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Seven for comment.

In October 2020, the show's return to television after 12 years was confirmed as part of Channel Seven's 2022 prime-time line-up.

The talent show is famous for discovering a string of top-selling artists, including Guy Sebastian, Jessica Mauboy, Casey Donovan, Matt Corby and Ricki-Lee Coulter.

Cancelled: An insider told The Daily Telegraph, the highly anticipated show has been dropped from the channel's 2022 line-up. Pictured: Rob Mills on Australian Idol in November 2003

Angus Ross, Seven's Director of Programming, said at the time: 'Idol is the granddaddy of them all! The biggest show in the world comes to Seven in 2022, and we know Australians are going to love it.

'We can't wait to bring Idol back to Australian audiences in 2022, putting our prime time content line-up even further ahead of the competition.'

'We're home to the biggest franchises in television at Seven, and Idol is the biggest of them all. Bring on 2022!' Mr Ross added.

'You need a good six months to get around to the towns for the talent search and we have run out of time to do that,' the source said

Based on the global Pop Idol format - the most-watched TV franchise in history - Australian Idol aired from 2003 to 2009 on Channel 10.

Channel 10 had originally bought rights to the Idol franchise for $15million in 2003.

The first season was a ratings bonanza and attracted more viewers than major events such as the AFL Grand Final.

Unlike other singing shows, Australian Idol has a track record for making bona fide stars, the most notable being its inaugural winner, Guy Sebastian.
The wheels of justice in New York ground to a halt in March 2020, and even now theyre just barely moving.

The already burdened court system, which was trudging through a backlog of hundreds of thousands of pending cases before the pandemic pause, has been set back even farther.

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The number of pending cases on the citys dockets stood at 522,538 on Jan. 30  rising by more than 20% since Mar. 22, 2020, when there were 433,431, according to data from the state Office of Court Administration.

Criminal courts and criminal supreme courts have 42,798 open cases, an increase of almost 15% between March 2020 and January 2022, OCA statistics show.

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Statewide, there are 2.1 million pending cases. More than 60% of those are in local civil courts.

With the continuing return to in-person appearances and the welcome easing of distancing requirements, we are able schedule more matters in all courts and most importantly increase criminal trials. We have been closely monitoring new filings versus adjudications and in most courts we are adjudicating more cases than are being filed, thus slowly chipping away at pending matters, said OCAs chief spokesman Lucian Chalfen.

When trials were stalled at the start of the pandemic, court administrators announced an eviction ban they said would last a week.

The moratorium lasted 22 months, leaving cash-strapped renters with little recourse when it expired on Jan. 15.

The number of unresolved cases in the citys housing courts rose by 25% to 229,008 over the last two years, according to the OCA.

While courthouses are open and cases are moving along, its not the same.

Everything is different, court officer Capt. Michael McKee told the Daily News.

A webcam films people testifying in the witness box encased in plexiglass so jurors, some of whom now sit in the public benches, can scrutinize their facial movements. (Molly Crane-Newman)

McKee was a fixture at what would be one of the citys last conventional criminal trials: Harvey Weinsteins sex abuse and rape case in early 2020. Not one spectator at the disgraced producers Manhattan Supreme Court sentencing on Mar. 11, 2020 wore a mask.

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Now courtrooms in the five boroughs box judges, prosecutors, and witnesses behind thick reflective plexiglass barriers to curb the spread of the virus.

Jurors need to be able to scrutinize a witnesss face when theyre testifying, which isnt easy with seven layers of acrylic in the way. A fish-eye lens camera is now above the stand to combat that and the whole scene plays out on a television screen.

A virtual court hearings during the pandemic. (New York Daily News)

Defendants in one Manhattan courtroom have to crank their neck 180 degrees to look at alternate jurors, who are now seated in the public benches to maintain social distance.

Lawyer Julie Clark said delivering an opening argument in a COVID-style courtroom is disorienting.

Its just very weird, Clark said. Doing the virtual does not give people the same kind of flavor as going to court and seeing a judge.

Inside Judge Johnny Lee Baynes courtroom at Brooklyn Supreme Court Civil on March 12, 2020.

Lawyers, court officers, and clerks who crowded into Judge Johnny Lee Baynes courtroom on Mar. 12, 2020, unknowingly attended the Brooklyn jurists last day on the bench. He died of COVID-19 weeks later.

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By Apr. 8, 2020, proceedings moved almost entirely online as the coronaviruss grave and invisible presence was made tragically clear.

The civil courts online system was reopened by May 25, 2020, for people looking to get divorced or file lawsuits. Actress Mary-Kate Olsen was the first in the city to file for divorce, in her split from from her ex-husband Pierre Olivier Sarkozy.

Lt. Stephen Shyti (R) escorting convicted film producer Harvey Weinstein out of Manhattan Criminal Court on June 5, 2018. The veteran courts' boss died of COVID-19 in September 2021. (Molly Crane-Newman/New York Daily 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. >

When a vaccine became available in March 2021, mistrust within the court systems 15,600-person workforce revealed itself. A vaccination mandate led to litigation and an ugly feud between the states chief judge, Janet DiFiore, and the court officers union president, Dennis Quirk, who dramatically retired after 47 years.

A social distancing sign in Manhattan Supreme Court in lower Manhattan on March 9, 2022. Credit: Molly Crane-Newman/New York Daily News. (Molly Crane-Newman/New York Daily News)

State court officials have echoed Mayor Adams sentiment that COVIDs new era demands a return to life in-person. But Chris Pisciotta, who runs the Legal Aid Societys Staten Island trial office is urging OCA to expand the use of virtual hearings to remedy the pandemic backlog.

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For our clients who are held at Rikers Island, not only did they have to suffer through the inhumane conditions that we put them through, but many suffered delays in access to the courts, said Pisciotta.

I hope weve learned that technology, when used appropriately, is a good way to effectively and efficiently run the court system.
Back in the 1990s they were rarely out of the capital's most hedonistic nightclubs.

But since supermodels Naomi Campbell and Kate Moss have put those days far behind them, they chose a far more sedate venue to kick back after attending the Burberry fashion show in London on Friday.

They retired to The Twenty Two, a private members' club in an elegant Edwardian townhouse that describes itself as 'a cultural space dedicated to the art of lingering'.

Supermodels Naomi Campbell (pictured) and Kate Moss have put their nightclubbing days far behind them, choosing a far more sedate venue to kick back after attending the Burberry fashion show in London on Friday

The pair retired to The Twenty Two, a private members' club in an elegant Edwardian townhouse that describes itself as 'a cultural space dedicated to the art of lingering'

New mum Naomi, 51, stayed on brand with a cut-out jumpsuit and blazer in Burberry's distinctive check pattern  but not yet available for hoi polloi to buy  while Kate, 48, bared her legs in a thigh-skimming leopard-print dress.

Kate recently sold her 11.5 million North London mansion and settled in the Cotswolds where, I'm told, she's been rearing chickens.

She's just bought a flock of Blue Marans, which are each capable of laying an impressive 300 eggs a year.

Hen parties now have a whole new meaning!

Actress Helena Bonham Carter isn't just content to wear extravagant outfits on the red carpet  she even lounges around at home in fur coats and sunglasses.

The Harry Potter star (right) let slip her unusual dress code when I bumped into her last week at the launch of Clover Stroud's new book The Red Of My Blood.

Helena was chums with Clover's flamboyant late sister Nell and she says: 'I do it in her name.

'You've got to dress up.'

After the past two years she has endured, it seems only fitting that Good Morning Britain presenter Kate Garraway should set up a company that inspires hope.

Kate's husband Derek Draper has been left desperately ill through Covid and last week The Mail on Sunday revealed that the couple's business had gone bust.

Now Kate, 54, has established Praespero 100  praespero being the Latin for hope.

The nature of the business is listed as 'radio broadcasting, TV programming and broadcasting activities'.
Princess Beatrice is still living in St James's Palace, nine months after buying a 3.5 million family home.

Why the delay?

I can reveal that the 33-year-old and husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi are carrying out an extensive refurb of their six-bedroom Cotswolds farmhouse, including transforming an outbuilding into a luxury guesthouse.

I can reveal that Princess Beatrice and husband Edo Mapelli Mozzi are carrying out an extensive refurb of their six-bedroom Cotswolds farmhouse

They are also installing 6ft security gates.

Beatrice, who gave birth to daughter Sienna last September, reportedly pays just 1,600 a month for the four-bedroom Palace flat, about a fifth the market rate.

But it's behind a security cordon so cannot be commercially let.

Princess Beatrice is still living in St James's Palace in central London (pictured), nine months after buying a 3.5 million family home

James Middleton's mutt-haves

James Middleton's gone to the dogs in a good way, of course.

The Duchess of Cambridge's brother, below with wife Alizee, was left with his tail between his legs when his marshmallow firm Boomf went bust and he had to sell it in January for 300,000.

Now he tells me he's focusing on his canine wellness firm, Ella & Co, which supplies healthy freeze-dried dog food.

James Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge's brother, (pictured with wife Alizee), was left with his tail between his legs when his marshmallow firm Boomf went bust and he had to sell it in January for 300,000

James, 34, says owning a pooch has never been more popular, adding: 'Younger people are getting dogs, almost as a first child.'

He worries, though, that pets bought in lockdown are suffering separation anxiety as their owners return to work.

His solution? 'I always keep the radio on for the dogs,' he says.

Matt Hancock must have plenty of time on his hands after quitting as Health Secretary  he's taken to posting earnest reviews on Tripadvisor.

Hancock has managed three so far, including for a restaurant in Bristol ('the falafel was absolutely delicious') and a hotel in Wales ('so good we wanted to give it 10 stars!').
Dominic West had to be helped into his hotel by a female pal in the early hours of Thursday morning after a nine-hour drinking session.

In pictures obtained by The Sun, the actor, 52, looked worse for wear as he was held upright by the woman, with a night porter lending a hand.

Just days earlier, the thespian had put on a united front with wife Catherine Fitzgerald, proving they were back on track after he hit headlines in 2020 when he was pictured on a cosy outing with actress Lily James.

Wild night: Dominic West had to be helped into his hotel by a female pal in the early hours of Thursday morning after a nine-hour drinking session

An onlooker told the publication: 'Dom was clearly having a great evening. He was smiling like a cheeky schoolboy and had loosened up by whipping off his bow tie.

'His face got redder as time went by and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

'Later he danced with a cab driver who helped him out his car. A man and woman then helped him into his hotel. It looked like hed had a wild night.'

United: Dominic's antics came days after he put on a united front with wife Catherine Fitzgerald, proving they were back on track after he hit headlines in 2020

In the pictures, Dominic looked bleary-eyed and struggled to stay upright without support after he danced in the street with the taxi driver.

The actor gave his pal a peck on the cheek before she helped him stagger up the stairs.

There is no suggestion that anything untoward happened between Dominic and the woman.

Earlier, The Affair actor had earlier cut a dapper figure as he attended Dunhill's pre-BAFTA filmmakers dinner and party at Dunhill House in London on Wednesday.

However, the publication reports that at 10pm, three hours after he stepped out at the dinner at 7pm, Dominic then headed off in a cab to celebrity hotspot Chiltern Firehouse with a group of female friends.

MailOnline have contacted representatives of Dominic for comment.

Calm before the storm: Earlier, The Affair actor had earlier cut a dapper figure as he attended Dunhill's pre-BAFTA filmmakers dinner and party at Dunhill House in London on Wednesday

Dominic's wild night out comes days after his earlier outing with his wife of 12 years Catherine, where they enjoyed a low-key trip to a London market.

Dominic had wrapped up against the chilly weather in a dark green wool hat and a matching navy jacket, while Catherine opted for a crochet red beanie hat and a cream scarf as they perused some of the items on offer.

It comes after Lily James herself appeared to break her silence on the scandal surrounding her snaps with Dominic while promoting her Hulu series Pam & Tommy, admitting she sympathised with Pamela Anderson after finding herself in a 'difficult situation.'

While Lily did not directly reference her outing with Dominic, who later insisted his marriage to wife Catherine was still going strong, she admitted that being under the same scrutiny as Pamela was 'a lot.'

She told Rolling Stone: 'Women in the public eye at some point experience some sort of difficult situation in their relationship between privacy and your life being in the tabloids.

'It was a lot. It's a story as old as time.'

Lily has previously declined to discuss the media storm surrounding herself and Dominic, after the pair were pictured exploring Rome in October 2020.

When asked about being at the centre of such a storm during an interview with The Guardian, she said: 'Ach, Im not really willing to talk about that. There is a lot to say, but not now, Im afraid.'

Following the snaps emerging, Dominic put on a public display of unity with his wife Catherine, with the couple releasing a statement about their marriage.

It read: 'Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together.'

Catherine is also said to have banned Dominic from speaking with the actress as part of a peace deal struck between the couple.

Dominic finally won forgiveness for the infamous photographs that showed him flirting outrageously with Lily.

Since the public scandal, Lily has found love with Queens of the Stone Age rocker Michael Shuman, 35, and has been pictured meeting his parents in the states.
Australian Idol host James Mathison has pleaded guilty to two corporate charges over a $120,000 tax bill.

The TV presenter was charged after failing to provide liquidators the financial records from his media company Whitlock Brennan & McCall, The Daily Telegraph reported.

Mathison, 44, is due to face Downing Centre Local Court on Tuesday, where he will be fined a maximum of $17,000.

Guilty: Australian Idol host James Mathison (pictured) has pleaded guilty to corporate charges over a $120,000 tax bill

Mathison was charged after liquidators complained to ASIC that he had hindered their investigation by not handing over financial reports.

He now faces the prospect of having a criminal record, according to the newspaper.

It comes after Mathison opened up about the backlash to his now-viral tweet about Ash Barty drinking a beer with Channel Nine's Australian Open commentary team.

The former Australian Idol host appeared on Hit NSW Breakfast with Maz & Lakey last month to defend himself against online attacks.

Charged: The TV presenter has been charged after failing to provide liquidators the financial records from his media company Whitlock Brennan & McCall, The Daily Telegraph reported

'It's been mischaracterised as if I am having an attack on Ash, who I love and adore and I think is an extraordinary role model,' he said.

He had previously accused Barty and Nine of 'glamorising' and 'glorifying' booze after the world No. 1 drank beer with the network's commentators to celebrate her Australian Open win.

He told radio hosts Maz Compton and Danny Lakey people were angry at him because they don't like anyone criticising Australia's drinking culture.

Response: It comes after Mathison opened up about the backlash to his now-viral tweet about Ash Barty drinking a beer with Channel Nine's Australian Open commentary team. Pictured here in 2008

Lightning rod: The former Australian Idol host appeared on Hit NSW Breakfast with Maz & Lakey last month to defend himself against online attacks. Barty is pictured with the Channel Nine commentators drinking beers following her Australian Open victory

'I was watching this with my kids and then the only way that is culturally or societally accepted to celebrate is with booze?' Mathison explained.

'Part of the reaction has been surprising because people don't want their relationship with booze ever questioned.

'The tweet was more about that, putting her [Barty] in a situation where she had to participate [in drinking] or be "un-Australian".'

However the media personality seemed resigned to facing the fury, admitting: 'The outrage machine needs to be fed and today it's me.'
Jill Duggar announced that she and her husband, Derick Dillard, had tested positive for COVID-19 Thursday on Instagram.

The 30-year-old reality television personality and her spouse, 32, were seen spending time in bed with each other in the first of her shots, and she also added a photo of two coronavirus tests.

The media figure also wrote a short message in her post's caption to let her followers know about how she and her husband were doing.

Down for the count: Jill Duggar announced that she and her husband, Derick Dillard, had tested positive for COVID-19 with a post that she shared to her Instagram account this past Thursday

Duggar began her statement by confirming that she and Dillard had contracted the coronavirus.

She wrote: 'Give me all the hot liquids and cough drops please!! Derick & I tested + for covid for the first time and it's not fun!'

The former 19 Kids and Counting cast member pointed out that she did not let the coronavirus get in the way of a special occasion.

'With a little help from family, we were still able to celebrate Derick's birthday at home yesterday, even though it was different than we'd originally hoped,' she said.

No big deal: The former 19 Kids and Counting cast member did point out that she did not let the coronavirus get in the way of a special occasion

Adding another: The reality television personality announced that she was pregnant with a post that was shared on the Dillard Family blog last Sunday

Duggar, who recently announced that she was pregnant, asked her fans to send her well wishes during their recovery period.

She wrote: 'Prayers appreciated for quick recoveries and for baby to stay healthy too!'

The reality television personality announced that she was pregnant with a post that was shared on the Dillard Family blog last Sunday.

Duggar began her message by referencing her previous miscarriage, which occurred last October.

Being honest: Duggar began her message by referencing her previous miscarriage, which occurred last October

'Ever since we were devastated last fall by the miscarriage of our sweet baby, River Bliss, we have prayed that, if it was God's will, he would bless us with another baby,' she wrote.

The former Counting On cast member then revealed that she and Dillard would be expanding their family this summer.

She wrote: 'We are excited to announce that God has answered our prayers and we are expecting our rainbow baby due July 2022!'

Duggar concluded by noting that she and Dillard were enthusiastic about adding a new child to their lives.

Anticipation: The former Counting On cast member then revealed that she and Dillard would be expanding their family this summer

She added: 'We are so thankful for a healthy baby and pregnancy so far and we look forward to finding out the gender soon!'

The reality television personality and her husband initially met when he arrived at her house while Christmas caroling.

The pair remained in contact for an extended period of time before they became engaged and got married in 2014.

Duggar and Dillard started a family with the birth of their son Israel in 2015, and they added another child named Samuel in 2017.
Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto cut stylish figures on Saturday as they attended the premiere of their new limited series WeCrashed at South by Southwest.

The 39-year-old actress and the 50-year-old actor walked the red carpet at the film and music festival in Austin, Texas.

The Oscar winners play real-life married couple Rebekah and Adam Neumann in the Apple TV+ show, which will debut worldwide on March 18.

On the red carpet: Anne Hathaway, 39, and Jared Leto, 50, attended the premiere of their new limited series WeCrashed at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, on Saturday

Anne dazzled in a long sleeveless silver mesh dress that featured a low V-cut neckline and cut-outs at the star's trim waist.

The Versace gown was embellished at the midriff with a large gold brooch fashioned in the luxury label's signature Medusa head logo along with gold and silver safety pin brooches.

The Devil Wears Prada star sported shiny silver heels and accessorized with a delicate gold necklace.

Stunning: Anne dazzled in a long sleeveless silver mesh dress that featured a low V-cut neckline and cut-outs at the star's trim waist

Designer darling: The Versace gown was embellished at the midriff with a large gold brooch fashioned in the luxury label's signature Medusa head logo along with gold and silver safety pin brooches. She paired it with a handbag from Pipatchara

The brunette beauty wore her long straight locks down and carried a tiny silver beaded Pipatchara handbag as she posed on the red carpet.

Jared looked sharp in a navy blue and gold pin-striped suit that was decorated with gold buttons.

The Thirty Seconds to Mars frontman wore his blazer over a gauzy white shirt with a draping neckline that bared part of his chest.

Dapper: Jared looked sharp in a navy blue and gold pin-striped suit that was decorated with gold buttons

Dynamic duo: The Oscar-winning pair discussed their new series during the audience Q&A at the screening

The Dallas Buyers Club actor parted his shoulder-length brown hair to the side and sported white leather dress shoes.

The Louisiana native carried a pair of sunglasses in his hand as he strolled down the red carpet.

Inspired by the podcast WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork, the Apple TV+ series will follow the larger than life story of a charismatic founder who floundered a multi-billion dollar business plan.

Hitting the gong: Inspired by the podcast WeCrashed: The Rise and Fall of WeWork, the Apple TV+ series will follow the larger than life story of a charismatic founder who floundered a multi-billion dollar business plan

WeWork is an American commercial real estate company that provides flexible shared workspaces for technology startups and services for other enterprises.

The series' plot also shines a light on the ups and downs of Rebekah and Adam's marriage.

The real-life couple are still married to this day and share five children together.

Love story: The series' plot also shines a light on the ups and downs of Rebekah and Adam's marriage

WeCrashed will document the 'greed-filled rise and inevitable fall of WeWork and the narcissists whose chaotic love made it all possible,' according to Variety.

Along with playing the lead roles, Anne and Jared also act as executive producers with Lee Eisenberg, who will takes on both showrunner and co-writer duties.

WeWork launched in 2010 and at its peak had co-working spaces in more than 110 cities in 29 countries with a valuation of $47billion.

Multitasking: Along with playing the lead roles, Anne and Jared will also act as executive producers with Lee Eisenberg, who will also take on both showrunner and co-writer titles

Rebekah was named the company's chief brand and impact officer, while also overseeing WeWork's education program WeGrow.

At the time, Adam Neumann was put on a par with the likes of Steve Jobs as a Silicon Valley innovator who would change the world, but WeWork's planned flotation on the stock market stalled and investors soured on the company, causing its value to plummet to just $10billion.

Neumann, who served as chief executive, essentially drove the briefly thriving company straight into the ground with his hard partying ways.

Bond: The real-life couple (seen in September 2009) are still married to this day and share five children together

In his book, Billion Dollar Loser: The Epic Rise and Fall of WeWork, Reeves Wiedeman described how ex-employees claimed that Neumann would blast music at party volumes and scream at anyone who asked for it to be turned down.

He also reportedly demanded that cases of Don Julio 1942 tequila were at every office and would 'lose his s***' if they were not there and staffer said that he would schedule meetings for 2am and then be 45 minutes late.

Neumann agreed to leave the company in October 2019 after its Japanese investors SoftBank bought $1billion of stock from him to get him out.
She's set to bring all the backstage gossip at this year's EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 in her role as the red carpet host.

And AJ Odudu cut a stylish figure as she kicked off her duties ahead of the event as she attended the BAFTA nominees reception at The Berkeley Hotel in London on Saturday.

The presenter, 34, looked elegant in a green and black dress with a semi-sheer skirt as she joined dapper co-star Tom Allen, 38, at the star-studded event.

Stunner: AJ Odudu cut a stylish figure as she kicked off her duties ahead of the ceremony as she attended the BAFTA nominees reception at The Berkeley Hotel in London on Saturday

And while a host of other big names in TV and film mingled at the party, AJ assured she looked her best in her dress which featured a plain black top half and a semi-sheer green leaf-print pattern which gave a glimpse of her toned legs.

The Strictly Come Dancing star boosted her height with towering black heels while she carried her night's essentials in a black clutch bag.

Rounding off her look, AJ added a pretty embellished necklace and glamorous drop earrings.

Duo: The presenter, 34, looked elegant in a green and black dress with a semi-sheer skirt as she joined dapper co-star Tom Allen, 38, at the star-studded event

She wore her raven locks in soft waves and highlighted her features with a glam make-up palette including green eye-shadow which coordinated with her gown.

Tom, who also teamed up with AJ when the nominations were announced on February 3, also dressed to impress as he slipped into a black three-piece suit.

The comedian rounded off his look with a black and white polka dot tie and smart black shoes.

The duo looked in great spirits as they larked about on the red carpet together ahead of delivering all the backstage news and interviews at the prestigious ceremony, which will be streamed live across BAFTAs social media channels.

Gorgeous; AJ assured she looked her best in her dress which featured a plain black top half and a semi-sheer green leaf-print pattern which gave a glimpse of her toned legs

Details: The Strictly Come Dancing star boosted her height with towering black heels while she carried her night's essentials in a black clutch bag

Glamour: Rounding off her look, AJ added a pretty embellished necklace and glamorous drop earrings

Beauty: She wore her raven locks in soft waves and highlighted her features with a glam make-up palette including green eye-shadow which coordinated with her gown

The duo were in great company on the night as Rebecca Hall turned heads in a sleek white midi dress which perfectly hugged her curves.

While Ariana DeBose, who is up for the EE Rising Star and Supporting Actress thanks to her West Side Story role, looked incredible in a chic grey strapless gown.

Also dressing to impress was Michelle Visage, with the Drag Race star looking stylish in a black pinstripe waistcoat and trousers combo.

Emilia Jones meanwhile, who is up for leading actress for her role in Coda, flashed her legs in a simple black dress which featured a semi-sheer skirt.

Looking sharp: Tom, who also teamed up with AJ when the nominations were announced on February 3, also dressed to impress as he slipped into a black three-piece suit

Scrubs up well: The comedian rounded off his look with a black and white polka dot tie and smart black shoes

Smelling of rose: The comedy star was seen checking out the floral arrangements at the event

Hosts: The duo looked in great spirits as they larked about on the red carpet together ahead of delivering all the backstage news and interviews at the prestigious ceremony,

Good times: The pair shared a giggle as the posed for photos

She looked elegant as she posed alongside Irish actor Ferdia Walsh-Peelo who rocked a quirky suit with an oversized collar and ruffled sleeves.

While Haley Bennett, who stars in Outstanding British film nominated Cyrano brought the glamour in a striking velvet blush gown with matching cape.

Elsewhere, EE Rising Star nominee Lashana Lynch caught the eye in a bold orange striped co-ord which featured hues of blue, green and cream.

The BAFTAs will be taking place on Sunday 13 March at the Royal Albert Hall and will be broadcast on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

A bit of all white: The duo were in great company on the night as Rebecca Hall turned heads in a sleek white midi dress which perfectly hugged her curves

Wow: Rebecca, who made her directorial debut on four-time nominated film Passing, added embellished silver pointed heels to her look

Dazzling: Rebecca added a metallic clutch and glittering earrings to her outfit

Gorgeous: While Ariana DeBose, who is up for the EE Rising Star and Supporting Actress thanks to her West Side Story role, looked incredible in a chic grey strapless gown

Australian actress and comedian Rebel Wilson, 42, will be taking on the main hosting duties at the Academy's 75th ceremony.

The nominations for the 2022 British Academy Film Awards were announced last month, with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading the nominations with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

A star is born: The beauty, who plays Anita in West Side Story, was simply glowing on the red carpet

Looking good: Ariana looked on fine form as she posed for snaps in her metallic dress

Dressed to impress: Ariana boosted her height in a pair of silver heels with a bow detail

Hair today: The stunner sorted a cropped hairstyle with brown highlights which was styled to the side

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

Smart look: Also dressing to impress was Michelle Visage, with the Drag Race star looking stylish in a black pinstripe waistcoat and trousers combo

Androgynous chic: The TV star looked fabulous in the sleek waistcoat which featured gold buttons on the front

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons.

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

There she is: Emilia Jones meanwhile, who is up for leading actress for her role in Coda, flashed her legs in a simple black dress which featured a semi-sheer skirt

Posers: She looked elegant as she posed alongside Irish actor Ferdia Walsh-Peelo who rocked a quirky suit with an oversized collar and ruffled sleeves

All black everything: Emilia looked stylish in her black dress with sheer skirt

Lovely: The beauty swept her brunette tresses into an up do

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

What a look: While Haley Bennett, who stars in Outstanding British film nominated Cyrano brought the glamour in a striking velvet blush gown with matching cape

Show-stopping: Haley's dress featured a flower embroidered necklace, ruffled on the bottom and a train

Her own style: The flame-haired beauty added a selection of quirky jewellery to her look

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing)

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Standing out: Elsewhere, EE Rising Star nominee Lashana Lynch caught the eye in a bold orange striped co-ord which featured hues of blue, green and cream

Bold look: The actress was bound to turn heads in her striking two-piece

Radiant: Lashana looked effortlessly stylish on the red carpet

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.
She has been in the public eye since her marriage to billionaire James Packer in the 1990s.

And Jodhi Meares, 50, looked like a woman half her age as she enjoyed a pampering session in Sydney's Rose Bay on Friday.

The age-defying former model looked youthful in a long flirty colourful dress as she had a manicure at a nail salon.

Stylish:Barefoot Jodhi Meares (pictured) looked stylish in a flirty colourful dress as she enjoyed a pampering session in Rose Bay

Age-defying: The former model looked youthful as she had a manicure at a nail salon

The stylish dress featured a plunging neckline and a large bow on the front.

Jodhi completed her look with a brown bag and went barefoot as she strolled along the path after leaving the nail salon.

She wore minimal makeup for the outing and left her long brunette tresses out.

Dressed to impress: The stylish dress featured a plunging neckline and a large bow on the front

Errands: Jodhi completed her look with a brown bag as she strolled along the path after leaving the nail salon

Jodhi is the founder of the highly successful The Upside brand, which she began in 2014.

The sportswear designer is believed to be single following her split from Prison Break actor Dominic Purcell, 51, two years ago.

The pair are believed to have ended their romance in January 2020.

Natural beauty: She wore minimal makeup and left her long brunette tresses out

Successful: Jodhi is the founder of the highly successful The Upside brand, which she began in 2014

Single: The sportswear designer is believed to be single following her split from Prison Break actor Dominic Purcell, 51, two years ago

The couple are rumoured to have initially called it quits in September 2019, less than three months after debuting their relationship.

But they appeared to rekindle their romance in December that year, only to break up again the following month.

She was married to James Packer from 1999 to 2002, but they remain good friends.

Over: The couple are rumoured to have initially called it quits in September 2019, less than three months after debuting their relationship
The Darling Buds Of May remake is set for another blow after it emerged that actor Tok Stephen, who plays Cedric Charley Charlton, may be quitting the troubled ITV comedy drama.

His expected departure comes shortly after Sabrina Bartlett, who played his on-screen girlfriend Mariette in The Larkins, announced she would not be returning for the second series which is due to begin filming in Kent next month.

Our report last week highlighted the fact that TV bosses were running out of time to replace her  while a downcast Sabrina herself was seen out jogging.

Programme bosses now face a race against time to cast replacement actors for the central roles alongside Bradley Walsh, 61, and Joanna Scanlan, 60, as Pop and Ma Larkin.

The Darling Buds Of May remake is set for another blow after it emerged that actor Tok Stephen, who plays Cedric Charley Charlton, may be quitting the troubled ITV comedy drama

Objective Fiction, which produces the drama, declined to comment but a source told The Mail on Sunday: This situation is far from ideal for those trying to get the second series ready to start filming in six weeks.

The programme is already in pre-production but they now need a new Mariette and maybe a Charley, too. Then, of course, there is the issue of the viewers getting used to their replacements. Nobody was expecting this.

Stephen, who graduated from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 2017, has also appeared in the ITV drama Grantchester and the BBC series Holby City and Silent Witness.

His role as Charley in The Larkins was made famous by Philip Franks in the original TV adaptation of H. E. Batess novel.

The Daily Mail revealed last month that Ms Bartlett, 30, had quit The Larkins. Amid claims of tension on set, her publicist insisted the decision was due to scheduling clashes

In an interview last year, he spoke fondly of his fellow cast members, saying: Bradley Walsh is hilarious and Sabrina Bartlett is lovely to work with, and Ive always really admired Joanna Scanlan. I think its any actors dream to shoot in a location where you dont have to imagine your surroundings. We were able to live it.

The Daily Mail revealed last month that Ms Bartlett, 30, had quit The Larkins. Amid claims of tension on set, her publicist insisted the decision was due to scheduling clashes, but there has been no subsequent announcement about her working commitments.

The episode is also understood to have been a factor in her decision to leave her agent, the London-based Independent Talent Group, on whose website she no longer appears.

While Ms Bartlett had previously enjoyed roles in the ITV drama Victoria and Netflixs Bridgerton, many believed that her casting as Mariette offered the potential of emulating Catherine Zeta-Jones  who played the eldest Larkin child in the original TV adaptation in the early 1990s before breaking into Hollywood.

The first series of The Larkins, which aired late last year, drew an average audience of 5.5 million viewers and received broadly positive reviews from TV critics.
The Young Doctors star Delvene Delaney has recalled the terrifying moment that she found her grandchildren floating on mattress during floods.

The 70-year-old actress revealed that her grandsons were rescued after they survived on a mattress during the worst of the flooding.

'I had to placate my two little grandsons, six and eight, from the trauma of being found on a floating mattress in the middle of the night as their dad's house went under,' she said during Nine's coverage of the flood appeal.

Former Australian soap star Delvene Delaney, 70, (pictured) recalled traumatising moment she found her grandchildren floating on mattress during floods

'My daughter was stranded in Murwillumbah, NSW for five days with no contact, we had no telephones, no internet.

'So it was the fear of not knowing where everybody was and how safe they were that I'm sure was felt by all people in this area, not just those affected,' she says.

Delvene is a beauty pageant winner who found fame on Australian television in the 1970s, appearing in The Paul Hogan Show and Sale of the Century.

The pub owner and former Nine boss David Gyngell were among the many millions who donated money towards the Australia Unites: Red Cross Flood Appeal.

Terrifying: 'I had to placate my two little grandsons, six and eight, from the trauma of being found on a floating mattress in the middle of the night as their dad's house went under,' she said during Nine's coverage of the flood appeal

The pair are believed to have donated $100,000 on their last night of owning the Hotel Brunswick, which was last week used as a rescue centre.

Australia Unites: Red Cross Flood Appeal sees the country's three major commercial networks forget about their traditional rivalries for a night to jointly present the special event.

The appeal was a smash hit with $25,249,796 raised by just after midnight.

Money raised will help enable volunteers to help in relief aid and support those impacted by the floods and help communities recover.

Glamour: Delvene was arguably one of the biggest Australian sex symbols of the 1970s

Flashback: The Queensland-born beauty, now aged 69, got her start in showbiz as a teen model before working as a weather girl in Brisbane and Melbourne

Did well: The appeal was a smash hit with $25,249,796 raised by just after midnight

A powerful roster of musical talent are on board to support the cause including Guy Sebastian, veteran rockers Hunters and Collectors, Kasey Chambers and The Wiggles.

Those phoning in had the chance to chat with a large cast of TV favourites including Home and Away's James Stewart and Ada Nicodemou, top comedians Magda Szubanski, and Dave Hughes and Married at First Sight's Johnny.

Larry Emdur (Channel 7's Morning Show), Renee Bargh (Channel Nine's The Voice Australia) and Daniel Doody (Channel 10, News) formed a trio to do a special report from inside the flood zone at Brunswick Heads.

They were joined by two local residents, actor Bridie Carter (Dancing with the Stars) and Mick Fanning (Surf Champ), who spoke about the courage of the selfless volunteers who done so much to bring some relief to flood victims.
China Red Cross Society sends emergency humanitarian aid to Ukraine

Xinhua) 20:32, March 13, 2022

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The Red Cross Society of China on Saturday announced that it has sent a second batch of emergency humanitarian aid supplies to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society.

The new supplies, including food, sleeping bags and moisture-proof pads, left Beijing on Saturday and are expected to arrive in Budapest at 8 p.m. Beijing time. They will then be transported to Ukraine.

The first batch of such supplies was shipped from Beijing on Wednesday.

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
The U.S. should crack down on Russian oligarchs hiding their wealth in places like Manhattans Billionaires Row to strike a blow at Russia and its war against Ukraine, New York politicians said Sunday.

Super-rich Russians have invested about $1 billion in properties along 57th St., where luxury high-rises tower over Central Park, said Rep. Carolyn Maloney and other pols at a news conference steps away from the posh stretch.

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The same oligarchs that are promoting and benefiting from this crisis have been using  corporate loopholes to fund their lavish lifestyles at the expense of the Ukrainian people, said Maloney, a Democrat whose congressional district includes the area.

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-NY, attends an abortion right rally, at the Women's Rights Pioneers Monument, in New York's Central Park, Monday, Sept. 13, 2021. (Richard Drew/AP)

She touted her Corporate Transparency Act, which was signed into law last year and requires more detailed reporting about limited liability corporations. LLCs are notorious for hiding the identity of their beneficiaries.

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State Sen. Brad Hoylman, who represents the area in Albany, called for passage of his LLC Transparency Act, which would require LLCs to report more information about their owners to the New York Department of State.

These oligarchs who have stolen money from the Russian people are propping up Putin in the meantime, Hoylman said. That money needs to be exposed and returned.

Since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, the U.S. and its allies have imposed severe sanctions on Russia, dealing a major blow to its economy. President Biden has promised to crack down on the rich Putin cronies known as oligarchs by going after their properties, yachts and other U.S. investments.

Manhattan has provided a safe harbor for the oligarchs money for decades, Borough President Mark Levine said.

They have chosen New York in part because they can buy obscurity here, he said. This has to end. We need to hold every single person who is implicated in the actions of the Putin regime accountable.

He called on the Treasury Department to target more Russian oligarchs with sanctions, a step that would allow for their properties to be seized [and] padlocked eventually.
When Rebel Wilson presented an award at the Baftas two years ago, her performance impressed bosses so much that they invited her back to host the entire ceremony.

But when the Australian comedian turned actress returns for tonight's glitzy show, she will do so minus a staggering five-and-a-half stone.

Photographed last Wednesday wearing a gown from Kim Kardashian's favourite label, Thierry Mugler, she looked half the woman she was when she presented the award for best director to Sam Mendes in 2020.

After arriving in London from the US last week, the star was taken for a walk around London's Royal Albert Hall where at tonight's ceremony she promises to tell the 'filthiest, cheekiest jokes' in a bid to 'push the limits'.

When Rebel Wilson returns for tonight's glitzy Bafta awards, two years after her previous appearance, she will do so minus a staggering five-and-a-half stone. Pictured: Wilson on Wednesday

Ms Wilson, star of the 2011 movie Bridesmaids and the comedy trilogy Pitch Perfect, says that she lost the weight by walking.

The Mail on Sunday can reveal that she has also recruited an impressive glam squad to get her ready for the show.

Her team includes Beyonce's stylist, Jennifer Rodriguez, as well as Elizabeth Stewart, a Hollywood fashion expert who is used to dressing the likes of Julia Roberts and Cate Blanchett.

Ms Wilson has also hired British make-up artist Karin Darnell, who has worked with the Spice Girls, while her tresses will be tended to by hairdresser Mikey Kardashian whose clients have included Adele.

Ms Wilson, star of the 2011 movie Bridesmaids and the comedy trilogy Pitch Perfect, says that she lost the weight by walking. Pictured: Wilson at the 2020 Bafta Awards

Speaking of her weight loss, which started shortly after the awards in February 2020, Ms Wilson, 41, said: 'I lost weight but very, very gradually.

'Sometimes I kicked up things a notch with some workouts and went hard, but the majority of the work for the year was just doing things like walking for an hour.'

At the 2020 ceremony she made a joke at the expense of Princes Andrew and Harry, with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge in the audience.

She said: 'It is really great to be here, at the Royal Andrew... Royal Harry... no, sorry, Royal Phil-ah at this royal... palace place.'

Ms Wilson is the only non-British host of the Bafta film awards other than Icelandic-born Magnus Magnusson, who did the honours in 1990.
Oscar winner Mira Sorvino has claimed her career was blighted by Hollywood bosses who once typecast her as Latina, but now block her from playing such roles.

The Mighty Aphrodite star said she was offered only Hispanic, Brazilian, Portuguese and Italian parts until she dyed her hair blonde to play a prostitute in Woody Allen's 1995 romantic comedy hit.

She now claims to be a victim of a new form of discrimination as political correctness in Hollywood means casting chiefs will no longer pick her to play characters from a different ethnic background.

'Early in my career I couldn't play a girl who wasn't either Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Puerto Rican  like I couldn't play a Joe Schmo girl from Middle America,' the 54-year-old actress told the WTF podcast. 'I only used to get characters with vowels at the end of their name.'

The actress, who was born in New York to a part-British mother and Paul Sorvino, a star of the film Goodfellas and of Italian descent, added: 'It's because of my exotic name, Mira Sorvino, because I didn't change it.'

Oscar winner Mira Sorvino has claimed her career was blighted by Hollywood bosses who once typecast her as Latina, but now block her from playing such roles

But Sorvino said she is also a victim of Hollywood's latest bias, where her past roles are now out of reach.

Her comments come after Maureen Lipman recently criticised the casting of non-Jewish Helen Mirren as former Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir and controversy erupted over Oscar-winning Spaniard Javier Bardem playing Cuban-American actor Desi Arnaz opposite Nicole Kidman in Being The Ricardos.

Miss Sorvino said: 'Now I can't play half the roles that I played then because they would be seen as taking them away from somebody who was Latina.

'So I wouldn't have been able to play at least three or four of the roles that I played early on because I was ethnically not authentic. You saw the big deal about Javier Bardem, there was a whole controversy that he's Spanish and is playing Cuban.'

The mother-of-four also claimed she suffered discrimination for starting a family, saying: 'I also lost several parts over the years from being pregnant.'

She said her career had begun to blossom again after a 20-year spell when she was confined to TV roles and independent films after rejecting the sexual advances of sexual predator producer Harvey Weinstein.
Adam Woodyatt is reportedly in talks to bank up to 300,000 to return to EastEnders.

Soap bosses are said to be keen to get the actor, 53, who played Ian Beale on the BBC soap from 1985 to 2021, back on board after Danny Dyer, 44, quit his role as Queen Vic landlord Mick Carter in January.

However, it is claimed if Adam returns now, he will have to pay his wife of 22 years Beverley Sharp more in their divorce settlement following their split in 2020.

Comeback? Adam Woodyatt, 53, is reportedly in talks to bank up to 300,000 to return to EastEnders

A source told The Sun: 'Adam was one of the highest earners in EastEnders and theres no doubt hed be looking to come back on at least the same amount of money, if not more.

'Theyre hugely keen to get him back after the massive blow of losing Danny.

'The belief is that if he signs it now it will mean he has to give Bev more in their divorce settlement.

Return? Soap bosses are said to be keen to get the actor, who played Ian Beale on the BBC soap from 1985 to 2021, back on board (pictured on EastEnders in 2020)

'But clearly the bosses at EastEnders need to know whats happening.'

It is claimed Adam is wanted back in Walford as a familiar face after Danny announced he was leaving after nine years at the start of this year.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for EastEnders and for Adam for comment.

Farewell: It is claimed Adam is wanted back in Walford as a familiar face after Danny Dyer, 44 (pictured), announced he was leaving after nine years at the start of this year

Adam left EastEnders last year before appearing on ITV's I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in November and December. He is now touring with stage play Looking Good Dead.

It comes after it was reported Adam has been entertaining BBC beautician Claire Martignetti in his campervan, which is parked up in Dartford, Kent.

A caravan owner on the site where Adam lives told The Sun: 'Whatever the cause of his marriage break-up, Adam certainly seems to have moved on now.

Separated: However, it is claimed if Adam returns, he will have to pay his wife of 22 years Beverley Sharp more in their divorce settlement following their 2020 split (pictured 2017)

'He has been staying in his caravan with his new partner. She has been seen going in, and coming out the next morning, heading to the shower blocks.'

The publication also reports that she takes him to the local Orchard Theatre, where he is appearing in thriller Looking Good Dead.

The source added: 'Clare and Adam seem to be very close. They are often seen arm in arm and appear very relaxed in each other's company.'

It is not known how makeup artist Clare met the actor.

In January, Adam said he was ready for a dramatic return to EastEnders, 12 months after quitting the show to star in a nationwide play.

The actor reportedly left his estranged wife Beverley furious when he was paid a six figure sum to take part in I'm A Celebrity.

Ventures: The actor said he was open to a return to Albert Square, after rounding off 2021 with an appearance on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here! (pictured on ITV reality show)

The actor is yet to finalise his divorce from his spouse, with whom he shares two children, and allegedly signed on the dotted line to receive 250,000 for his appearance on the ITV reality show.

And Bev was said to not be impressed with the deal according to The Sun which claims she's struggling to make ends meet.

An insider claimed that it was 'maddening' for Bev that the TV star decided to 'traipse off to Wales' for I'm A Celebrity before their divorce is even finalised.

While a friend of Bev reportedly added to The Sun: 'She has really struggled financially' and claimed Bev, would 'get Adam back' by consistently having the voting number for him to do Bushtucker trials on 'speed dial'.

The went on: 'I think it's inevitable he'll end up getting picked for lots of trials and I wouldn't blame Bev if she had his number on speed dial after all the pain and upset he's put her through.'
She made her debut hosting the burlesque and circus extravaganza earlier this month.

And Amber Davies put on a very raunchy display which saw her doused in water as she continued performing at Cabaret All Stars at Proud Embankment in London on Saturday.

The former Love Island star, 25, sizzled in a plunging red gown before slipping into a black PVC mini dress as she seductively climbed up the side of the stage.

Wow! Amber Davies put on a very raunchy display which saw her doused in water as she continued performing at Cabaret All Stars at Proud Embankment in London on Saturday

Amber appeared in her element as she entertained the crowd in her sexy scarlet dress which featured a thigh-high split and a low neckline which highlighted her cleavage.

And her red hot performance was soon cooled down as she founded herself drenched in a spray of water on stage.

The theatre star sensually ran her hands through her brunette locks and closed her eyes as the show stepped up a gear.

And one point, she was joined by a hunky shirtless performer who helped push her on a giant swing up on stage.

Sizzling: The former Love Island star, 25, sizzled in a plunging red gown before slipping into a black PVC mini dress as she seductively climbed up the side of the stage

Not content with sending temperatures soaring with her first outfit, Amber had also slipped into a racy PVC number as she continued to put on quite the show.

The beauty wowed in the gloved, skintight number which she teamed with yellow, knee-high snakeskin boots.

Amber finished her showstopping look with dark shades and a sweep of pillar box red lipstick.

Red hot: Amber appeared in her element as she entertained the crowd in her sexy scarlet dress which featured a thigh-high split and a low neckline which highlighted her cleavage

Let it rain: And her red hot performance was soon cooled down as she founded herself drenched in a spray of water on stage

Take cover: Amber stood under a large black umbrella as she continued with her racy show

Steamy: And one point, she was joined by a hunky shirtless performer who helped push her on a giant swing up on stage

Passion: Amber sang her heart out on Saturday night

She oozed confidence as she strutted about in between the the delighted audience.

Amber also looked stunning in backstage snaps with the star seen posing up a storm in her flowing red dress.

The performance was attended by her fellow Love Island alumni Kaz Kamwi, 27, who looked sensational in a white mini dress.

The reality star was joined by her sister Banji, with the blogger wowing in a black mini dress and orange heels.

Work it: Not content with sending temperatures soaring with her first outfit, Amber had also slipped into a racy PVC number as she continued to put on quite the show

Walk this way: The beauty wowed in the gloved, skintight number which she teamed with yellow, knee-high snakeskin boots

Lady in red: Amber also looked stunning in backstage snaps with the star seen posing up a storm in her flowing red dress

Woman of the moment Amber also stopped to pose behind-the-scenes with Cabaret performers Jessica Talbot-Smith and Lady Lydia.

Amber once again showcased her toned physique in a black crop top which she teamed with an oversized blazer and pale jeans.

It comes after Amber says she's finally found love with boyfriend Nick Kyriacou as the couple plan on buying their first house together following her decision to give up alcohol.

The Love Island winner admits she even begged her businessman beau, 29, to propose while they holidayed together in the Maldives.

Sizzling: The beauty showcased her toned pins in the thigh-split number

Leggy: Amber put her legs on full display as she kicked back behind the scenes

Look who it is: The performance was attended by her fellow Love Island alumni Kaz Kamwi, 27, who looked sensational in a white mini dress

Stunner: Kaz highlighted her hourglass curves in the strapless, bodycon number

Sibling: The reality star was joined by her sister Banji, with the blogger wowing in a black mini dress and orange heels

Posers: Kaz and Banji were in great spirits after enjoying the show

She told The Sun: 'Hes my future baby daddy. I was asking him every single day on holiday if he was going to propose.

'Its 100 per cent on the cards. Weve been together for nearly two years. He is "The One".

'Were buying a property in Surrey, so Im moving from Essex. Its all happening for me. I feel like Im in a transitional stage in my life and Im so excited.'

The couple found love during lockdown, after being introduced by a mutual friend in 2020.

Company: Woman of the moment Amber also stopped to pose behind-the-scenes with Cabaret performers Jessica Talbot-Smith and Lady Lydia (Lady Lydia pictured with Amber)

Flaunt: Amber once again showcased her toned physique in a black crop top which she teamed with an oversized blazer and pale jeans (pictured with Jessica Talbot-Smith)

Showgirls: While Amber flashed her midriff: Jessica flaunted her figure in black leather underwear worn beneath a sheer dress
America has Hollywood, India has Bollywood, and now Britain has Bolton.

The former mill town has become such a magnet for film crews that the same street appears in both of the current big-hitting Sunday night dramas, standing in for Birmingham in Peaky Blinders and London in The Ipcress File.

Le Mans Crescent, an impressive sweep of Grade II listed civic buildings from the 1930s, served as the exterior of the fictitious Shelby Sanatorium for Sick Children in the BBCs period gangster drama, while in ITVs spy thriller it stood in for Whitehall and the Embankment.

Bolton has become a magnet for film crews, standing in for Birmingham in Peaky Blinders

Meanwhile, the former mill town is a stand in for London in The Ipcress File

Bolton again features in tonights episode, when its former magistrates court will represent Aldermaston police station

And that is just the tip of the Greater Manchester towns burgeoning celebrity, with more than 20 shows filmed there last year.

Other recent shows shot in Bolton include the CBBC drama Dodger with Christopher Eccleston, Channel 4s Aids drama Its A Sin and the Dundee-set crime thriller Traces, starring Martin Compston.

ITVs No Return, with Sheridan Smith, used the former British Home Stores building for the interiors of a Turkish hotel.

Upcoming dramas featuring Bolton include the final series of Happy Valley starring Sarah Lancashire; detective drama Ridley with Adrian Dunbar; Nottinghamshire-set political thriller Sherwood, with Lesley Manville; and The Reckoning, with Steve Coogan playing sexual predator Jimmy Savile.

More than 20 shows filmed in the location in Greater Manchester last year alone

Other productions have stronger links with the location. The comedy Almas Not Normal and the BBCs new horror series Red Rose were created by Bolton writers. Local playwright Jim Cartwright hailed the towns accommodating Northern hospitality and varied landscapes. You can cut from cobbled streets to canals to rundown townscapes to the historic majesty of the town hall, all compact, he said.

David Mason, of Peaky Blinders makers Caryn Mandabach Productions, said Le Mans Crescent has great scale, stands in well for parts of London in the period we cover and the whole area can be easily closed off.

And Hilary Fairclough, deputy leader of Bolton Council, added: Its very exciting to see the town becoming a destination for these people. It is something we are very grateful for.
Vicky Pattison broke down in tears as she admitted she'd like to give her younger self a hug and tell her 'things got better', and 'not to sacrifice respect for attention'.

The newly-engaged former Geordie Shore star, 34, who said 'I do' to fiance Ercan Ramadan in Dubai this month, opened up about her mental and emotional health for Heart's No Filter series this week.

And the television personality admitted she struggled to find her true self as she became to be the person she thought other people wanted her to be rather than doing what made her genuinely happy.

Honest: Vicky Pattison, 34, broke down in tears as she admitted she'd like to give her younger self a hug and tell her 'things got better', and 'not to sacrifice respect for attention'

Getting tearful, she said: 'I think if I went back and gave myself any advice I would predominantly just give her a hug and I'd tell her things got better.

'I'd advise never to sacrifice respect for attention. If I would have listened to that advice, from my future self, I would have made my life a lot easier, I'll tell you that for nowt.'

Vicky found fame on MTV's Geordie Shore in 2011 and later went on to appear on the likes of Ex On The Beach and Celebrity Dinner Date.

Speaking out: The newly-engaged former Geordie Shore star, who said 'I do' to Ercan Ramadan in Dubai this month, opened up about her mental health for Heart's No Filter series this week

She won the 15th series of I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2015 and later had regular spots on Loose Women and This Morning.

But she said she became a 'caricature' of herself in a bid to fit in, changing herself according to what she thought people wanted from her.

'I was this person I thought everyone wanted me to be, loud and opinionated and sassy and strong,' she explained. 'Actually nobody is like that all the time and it was really draining.'

Chameleon: Vicky admitted she became to be the person she thought other people wanted her to be rather than doing what made her genuinely happy

She added: 'You just need to remember that all those things you think you hate about yourself, they're not there, they are not true.

'Theyre what other people have tried to condition you to believe. You are fabulously flawed, unique and perfect in your own way and once you believe that, once you accept your own potential, the sky is just the limit.

'You can do anything and that's pretty exciting isnt it?'

Heartfelt: Getting tearful, she said: 'I think if I went back and gave myself any advice I would predominantly just give her a hug and I'd tell her things got better'

The star recently told fans she was taking a break from social media in a bid to look after herself.

And she went on to explain how much the various platforms affect her: 'You have to give your body and your mind a chance to recuperate so you can be that bright shiny, brilliant version of you.

'Social media is so readily available, we have constant images of perceived perfection so it's difficult to love the skin you're in, to accept your flaws and to look in the mirror every morning and, rather than tear yourself apart, big yourself up.'

Announcement: It comes after the Geordie Shore star shared a black and white image which read: 'Temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance' as she took a social media break this week

It comes after Vicky announced she would be taking a social media break this week, to avoid 'toxicity, negativity and misplaced anger' after being a victim of incessant Instagram trolling.

She shared a black and white image which read: 'Temporarily closed for spiritual maintenance,' along with a lengthy caption explaining her decision.

The star wrote: 'I think I'm long overdue a bit of a break from social media.

It's not okay! Vicky explained how decided to take time out from social platforms after she was subjected to cruel trolling

'I intended to have one in Dubai but with the engagement & everything, all the lovely moments & beautiful things to take pictures of I think I just got too excited to share everything with you all.

'And that's what I love about social media - seeing everyone's big wins, achievements & gorgeous life moments & celebrating with them.

'But I also love people's honesty when things aren't going so well- it takes bravery to open up & be vulnerable on here as you never know how it's going to be received and as we all know people can be cruel, I feel like now more so than ever there's an anger to this platform.'

Romantic: Vicky returned from Dubai earlier this month after partner Ercan got down on one knee and proposed

Vicky continued, explaining how, although the world is angry with what's happening in Ukraine, that it's not right for that frustration to be directed at her.

She wrote: 'The world is angry atm- I get that... I am too- but projecting your fear, uncertainty & hate onto well meaning people across social media is not a suitable outlet for your .

'I just don't feel like I can win atm & I don't think trying to is the correct way to spend my time... If I'm curvier I've 'let myself go' but if I've lost weight I look 'ill' & 'I'm no longer 'an advocate for curvy women.'

In love: Ercan popped the question on the beach in Dubai with Vicky sharing her happy news online

'If I do a post regarding my normal life or something fun or lighthearted I'm a 'disgrace & should be ashamed of myself' because of what's going on in Ukraine however if I proactively try to do my bit then 'where was my support for Syria?' Or my effort isn't good enough!!'

Vicky returned from Dubai earlier this month after partner Ercan got down on one knee.

British jeweller Rox estimated her emerald cut solitaire ring was worth around 200,000.

The couple began dating shortly after Vicky called off her engagement to ex-fiance John Noble, after he was filmed grinding against a mystery woman on a night out in Dubai.

The couple were together for nine months before moving in together in 2019.

This marks Vicky's third engagement, as she was also previously engaged to Ricci Guarnaccio after meeting on Geordie Shore.

The couple split in 2013 after what Ricci called a 'volatile' relationship filled with 'constant fighting'.
Roxy Jacenko is enjoying more business success with her stylish 'Blobbie' candles set to be stocked in Myer.

The PR powerhouse has struck an agreement with the retail giant, according to Lucy Manly's Emerald City column this week.

The candles are sold under Roxy's XRJ Celebrations brand she created alongside billionaire chicken heiress, Jess Ingham.

Making moves: Roxy Jacenko (pictured in 2019) is enjoying more business success with her stylish 'Blobbie' candles set to be stocked in Myer

The once good friends have since gone their separate ways since beginning the business together.

Roxy's 'Blobbies' candles are currently sold on her XRJ Celebrations website, with them retailing for between $40 and $99.

Roxy will also be set to leave her Elizabeth Street offices in Paddington for more space in Alexandria.

On the move: The publication said Roxy would soon move out of her $2.6 million Paddington offices in favour of an $18 million commercial premises in Alexandria

The publication said Roxy would soon move out of her $2.6 million offices in favour of an $18 million commercial premises.

The premises already house her daughter's online toy business Pixies Pix.

Roxy's Paddington offices have been the site of vicious vandalism a number of times for the PR mover and shaker.

Takedown: The Instagram account @designwithincopy, who claim to document 'knock-offs in the design industry,' called out Roxy's 'Blobbie' candles in July last year

It comes nearly a year after a business accused Roxy of making 'sad copies' of another company's candles.

The Instagram account @designwithincopy, who claim to document 'knock-offs in the design industry,' called out the 'Blobbie' candles.

In the post, Roxy's XRJ Celebrations brand candles were compared side-by-side with New York design firm Talbot & Yoon's 'Goober' candles.

Defiant: Roxy weathered the angry posts with her hitting back saying she didn't think someone could 'own' a 'ball of wax' in the Sydney Morning Herald

Roxy weathered the angry posts with her hitting back saying she didn't think someone could 'own' a 'ball of wax'.

Talking about the scandal with the Sydney Morning Herald in July, the Sweaty Betty PR founder expressed skepticism that anyone could ''own' a blob of wax'.

'If anything, inspiration for some of the Blobbies shapes came from the incredible works of [sculptor] Carol Crawford,' the mother-of-two continued.
Tony Hawk walked the red carpet of of his HBO documentary unassisted at the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festival just days after snapping his femur.

While attending the premiere of Until the Wheels Fall Off in Austin on Friday night, the 53-year-old professional skateboarder sported a black jacket, jeans and a pair of Vans sneakers.

He showed no sign of pain from the break as he mingled with executive producers Mel Eslyn and Mark Duplass as well as director Sam Jones.

Pushing through: Tony Hawk walked the red carpet of of his HBO documentary unassisted at the 2022 SXSW Conference and Festival just days after snapping his femur

Earlier this week, he shared the news that he broke his leg and posted a series of photos of his recovery that included X-rays of his leg injury.

On Monday, the athlete also reflected on breaking his elbow 20 years ago, 'this recovery for a broken femur will be much harder because of its severity (and my age).

'There is a strange irony that this happened on the eve of HBO releasing a trailer for Until The Wheels Fall Off, Sam Jones' documentary about my life & career, which has a strong focus on the philosophy of how I/we do this at our age,' he wrote on Instagram.

Smiling through the pain: While attending the premiere of Until the Wheels Fall Off in Austin on Friday night, the 53-year-old professional skateboarder sported a black jacket, jeans and a pair of Vans sneakers

Standing on his own: He showed no sign of pain from the break as he mingled with executive producers Mel Eslyn and Mark Duplass as well as director Sam Jones

'The answer is complicated, but ultimately it's because I have found my sense of purpose and shaped my identity through skating, and it nourishes my mental health immensely.

'I've said many times that I wont stop skating until I am physically unable. A broken leg - with plenty of hardware - will probably be the biggest test of that creed,' he added.

Orthopedic surgeon David Abbasi told TMZ that the skating legend may have also fractured his hip, evidenced by an X-ray posted by Hawk that shows three screws in the area.

Group photo: Hawk posed for photos with executive producers Mel Eslyn and Mark Duplass and director Sam Jones

Coming soon: Tony Hawk: Until the Wheels Fall Off hits HBO on March 10

Abbasi called Hawk's injury 'very very serious,' noting that surgeons were able to stabilize his femur - one of the hardest bones in the body - with an intramedullary nail in the middle of the bone.

Video posted by Hawk shows the San Diego native walking carefully on crutches in a hospital hallway as a nurse follows closely behind with his medical equipment.

In one photo, he stands on his two feet in front of a hospital bed.

Ouch! Hawk, 53, announced that he broke his leg on Monday with a series of photos posted to Instagram on Tuesday, including one of him in front of a hospital bed

The California-born athlete shared an X-ray of his snapped femur, which appears to have been stabilized with an intramedullary nail

Hawk posted a video of himself walking on crutches in a hospital hallway. 'I'll be back maybe not at full capacity but I resigned to that notion years ago as I approached "mid-life,"' he wrote

'Some of the pictures look like he's already weight bearing on it,' Abbasi said of Hawk's hospital photo dump.

'Hopefully he's not overdoing it too soon, but I would love to see follow up X-rays of actual fracture area.

'Thats gonna be what determines how quickly he's able to recover from this.'

Hawk says he plans to continue skating after his recovery.

'I'll be back maybe not at full capacity but I resigned to that notion years ago as I approached "mid-life,"' he wrote Tuesday.

'Thanks to my unyieldingly supportive, tolerant family - and all of you - for the love and support through the years; I wouldn't be here without you. See you on the other side.'

Hawk is the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. He also licensed his name to a series of very successful video games titled Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, designed for PlayStation and other consoles.

Hawk is the owner of the skateboard company Birdhouse. He also lent his name to a successful series of video games for Playstation and other consoles. Above, Hawk in 2018

Also on Tuesday, the pro skater posted an International Women's Day tribute to his fourth wife, Cathy Goodman, and his daughter Kadence, from his previous marriage to Lhotse Merriam

Honest: Hawk revealed that his first three marriages failed because of his jet-setting career

Also on Tuesday, the pro skater posted an International Women's Day tribute to his wife, Cathy Goodman, and his daughter Kadence, 13, from his previous marriage to Lhotse Merriam.

'Happy International Women's Day to my beautiful, strong, funny, talented, empathetic girls that make the world a better place in countless ways,' he wrote.

'I hope there are women in your life that bring you even a fraction of the happiness and comfort that these two provide to us on a daily basis.'

In 2020, Hawk revealed the reason why his first three marriages failed.

The skater told the Sydney Morning Herald on Sunday that his jet-setting career was the main issue behind each split.

'The most challenging factor in my relationships remains travel and prioritizing my time,' said Tony, admitting that each marriage was still 'very different.'

'We connect on a deep level': Tony married fourth wife Catherine Goodman in 2015 - and has learned from his failed relationships. Pictured: Tony and Catherine on January 7, 2017

'There were all kinds of other elements, such as behaviors I've managed to get control of,' added Tony, when asked about his personal life.

He is now married to his fourth wife, Catherine Goodman, whom he said 'I do' to in 2015.

'We connect on a deep level in terms of our approach to life. I hate to use the word "alternative," but we have a unique approach to parenting,' said Tony of Catherine.

Catherine has two children from a previous marriage, and Tony has four of his own.

Tony was first married to Cindy Dunbar from 1990 to 1993.

He was then with Erin Lee from 1996 to 2004, before enjoying a five-year union with actress Lhotse Merriam from 2006 to 2011.

The star specifically said his marriage to Erin ended due to his travel commitments.

Frances Bean Cobain, 29, daughter of rock icons Kurt Cobain and Courtney Love, is dating Riley Hawk, 29, the athlete's son from his first marriage to Dunbar.

Coupling: Frances Bean Cobain, 29, confirmed she's dating Riley Hawk, 29, in Instagram post

Packing on PDA: Frances can be seen snuggling up with Riley while on holiday on a lake with his father Tony and his wife Catherine Goodman

The romance has sparked comments from fans who seem to like the idea that the offspring of two of the biggest 1990s icons have united as a couple.

At this point, it's unclear when the pair began their relationship, but Cobain confirmed the coupling in an Instagram post at the beginning of the 2022 new year.

After taking a year-long break from the social media platform, Cobain, 29, shared a series of snaps that she accumulated over the course of 2021.

Two of the images feature Riley, one of which shows him sitting in front of a Christmas tree flashing a beaming smile while holding a small dog.

Another photograph shows Riley and Frances snuggled up together while on holiday on a lake with Tony and his wife, Catherine.
Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe were seen at the premiere of The Lost City, which was held during SXSW Film Festival at the Paramount Theatre in Austin on Saturday.

The 57-year-old actress and her costar, 32, appeared to be enjoying each other's company as they posed for several photos on the event's red carpet.

The upcoming movie also stars performers such as Channing Tatum and Brad Pitt and it is scheduled to be released later this month.

Better together: Sandra Bullock and Daniel Radcliffe were seen at the premiere of The Lost City, which was held at the SXSW Film Festival at the Paramount Theatre in Austin on Saturday

Bullock wore an eye-catching bright orange jacket on top of a near-matching top that exposed slight portions of her toned tummy during the event.

The Blind Side star also rocked an equally vibrant set of pants and a pair of high-heeled shoes.

The actress' lovely brunette locks cascaded onto her shoulders and contrasted perfectly with the bright tones of her clothing.

Radcliffe opted for a burgundy jacket and matching pants, as well as a stark white t-shirt.

Standing out: Bullock wore an eye-catching bright orange jacket on top of a near-matching top that exposed slight portions of her toned tummy during the event

Color coordination: The Blind Side star also rocked an equally vibrant set of pants and a pair of high-heeled shoes. Radcliffe opted for a burgundy jacket and matching pants, as well as a stark white t-shirt

Development on the project was first announced in October of 2020, when it was revealed that Bullock was attached to the movie.

In addition to serving as its female lead, the performer acts as one of the film's producers.

The romantic comedy feature was originally entitled The Lost City of D, although its name was later shortened.

Heading to work: Development on the project was first announced in October of 2020, when it was revealed that Bullock was attached to the movie

During a Q&A following the premiere, Bullock joked that Pitt was was her 'eighth choice' to play a rugged former NAVY Seal that helps Tatum rescue her character.

'He and I both have the same hairdresser. She told him to do my movie and she told me to do his movie. I am not joking, thats how it happened,' she revealed.

Another surprising revelation the Oscar winner made was telling the crowd she will be focusing on raising her family and will 'probably' wait to do another film until her kids Louis, 11, and Laila, 8, are 'teenagers, solidly 16- or 17-year-olds'

Dual role: In addition to serving as its female lead, the performer acts as one of the film's producers

Making changes: The romantic comedy feature was originally entitled The Lost City of D, although its name was later shortened

The feature is centered on romance novelist Loretta Sage, played by Bullock, who embarks on a book tour with cover model Alan Caprison, played by Tatum.

When the writer is kidnapped by billionaire Fairfax, portrayed by Radcliffe, Caprison takes it upon himself to rescue her despite his lack of survival skills.

In addition to the feature's leads, the movie's cast includes performers such as Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Bowen Yang and Oscar Nunez.

Storyline: The feature is centered on romance novelist Loretta Sage, played by Bullock, who embarks on a book tour with cover model Alan Caprison, played by Tatum

Complications: When the writer is kidnapped by billionaire Fairfax, portrayed by Radcliffe, Caprison takes it upon himself to rescue her despite his lack of survival skills

Physical production on the feature initially began in May of last year, with much of the filming taking place in the Dominican Republic.

After several months of work, shooting for the project ultimately wrapped this past August.

Bullock spoke about how her costume became a challenge to work in during an interview with ET Canada, and she noted that her clothing was a major part of the feature.

On set: Physical production on the feature initially began in May of last year, with much of the filming taking place in the Dominican Republic

It's all over: After several months of work, shooting for the project ultimately wrapped this past August

'In The Lost City, the difficulties we had to overcome were: Jumpsuit. Jumpsuit. Jumpsuitthe jumpsuit is a character unto itself,' she said.

Co-director Adam Nee noted that he and his collaborators intentionally made the costume hard to move in during the filming process.

'We wanted to create the absolute least comfortable thing that you would choose to wear, especially on a jungle adventure,' he said.

Intentional: Co-director Adam Nee noted that he and his collaborators intentionally made the costume hard to move in during the filming process

The Lost City was originally set to have its wide release occur in April, although it was later pushed up.

Its Russian debut was also cancelled earlier this month in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

The feature is currently scheduled to be made available to the public on March 25th.
Scott Disick's new girlfriend Holly Scarfone rocked a figure-hugging black jumpsuit with a silver studded belt while enjoying a night out in Hollywood.

After leaving a late night dinner at LAVO Ristorante with her pals, the 23-year-old model beamed a bright smile as she strutted back to her car in a pair of black heels.

She completed her chic look with a elbow-length black leather gloves and a matching shoulder bag.

CHic: Scott Disick's girlfriend Holly Scarfone rocked a figure-hugging black jumpsuit with a silver studded belt while enjoying a night out in Hollywood

The beauty and her friends continued their fun-filled evening just a stone's throw away at the burlesque nightclub Bootsy Bellows.

Her outing comes just a week after she enjoyed a romantic getaway to France with her beau during Paris Fashion Week.

They were captured arriving to a popular Parisian night club on March 3, in coordinating all-black outfits.

Cool girl: While leaving a late night dinner at LAVO Ristorante with her pals, the 23-year-old model beamed a bright smile as she strutted back to her car in a pair of black heels

It appears they spent some intimate time together while in the city of lights based on a flirty Instagram exchange between the pair.

Holly, of Too Hot To Handle fame, stunned in a very revealing sheer black lace bra and matching underwear in a social media snap.

The beauty's lingerie Insta was taken on the balcony of their hotel with the Eiffel Tower glowing in the background.

'One of a kind,' she captioned a series of photos of herself lounging in the sexy ensemble on a white couch

Sultry: In one of the images from her night out, she leaned back and closed her eyes

Shortly after posting, Holly received a cheeky comment from Scott demanding that she credit him for seemingly capturing the sexy snap.

'Where is my photo credit?' commented the KUWTK alum.

Holly had captioned Tuesday's post, 'lounging in the city of amour,' followed by a black heart emoji.

Sizzling: Last Tuesday, Scarfone put on a sizzling display as she shared a snap from their recent trip to Paris on her Instagram

Their Parisian sightings came just one week after Scott and Holly were seen together for the first time following a dinner date at Nobu Malibu.

The social media influencer notably bares a striking resemblance to Scott's ex-girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian's little sister Kylie Jenner.

She's been compared to the makeup mogul not only for her facial features but also for her long raven tresses and Kylie-inspired fashion sense.

What gives?! Shortly after posting, Holly received a cheeky comment from Scott, 38, demanding that she credit him for seemingly capturing the sexy snap

Cheeky: 'Where is my photo credit?' commented the KUWTK alum; Scott seen in September

Doting dad: Disick was seen taking his son Mason out for a shopping trip at the Malibu Cross Creek Mall on Saturday

Holly appeared on the latest season of Netflix's reality show Too Hot To Handle, a show that centers around contestants who have to abstain from any sexual contact in order to receive the grand prize.

During her stint on the show, she was romantically linked to fellow contestant Nathan Sloan.

Holly hails from Canada but lives in the US; she graduated with a degree in psychology from the University of Colorado.

Getaway to paris: Scott and Holly ventured to Paris earlier this month to partake in the Paris Fashion Week festivities; pictured on March 3

Seeing double: The social media influencer (pictured right) notably bares a striking resemblance to Scott's ex-girlfriend Kourtney Kardashian's little sister Kylie Jenner (pictured left)

The brunette has over 600K followers on Instagram; in addition to being a reality star, she is also an Instagram model and influencer.

Prior to Holly, Scott was in a relationship with Lisa Rinna's youngest daughter Amelia Gray Hamlin, 20, from October 2020 until their shock split in September 2021.

He jumped into the romance with Amelia following his breakup with Sofia Richie, 23, who is the daughter of music legend Lionel Richie.
The Chernobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine was still powered by backup generators Saturday, three days after external power was cut.

Ukrainian workers at the site have been held captive around the clock for two weeks, Ukraines nuclear energy regulator Energoatom told the UNs nuclear watchdog.

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The plants staff of 211 technical personnel and guards have still not been able to rotate, in effect living there since the day before Russian forces took control, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Saturday in a press release. The Russian military seized Chernobyl on Feb. 24.

This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows a close view of Chernobyl nuclear facilities, Ukraine, on Thursday. (Satellite image 2022 Maxar Technologies via AP) (AP)

Initial reports about the Chernobyl generators said they could power the plant for two to three days before trouble started. The power outage struck Wednesday, but additional fuel for the generators arrived on Friday, the IAEA said. Repairs to the plants electrical system continued Saturday.

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The plant was the site of the worlds worst nuclear accident in 1986.

Nuclear energy experts have said that even if Chernobyl is completely cut off from electricity, cooling tanks have enough water to prevent an immediate release of radioactive material. Ukrainian officials warned that if such a disaster happens, the radioactive cloud would likely threaten Europe.

Increased radiation around Chernobyl has not been detected in the two weeks since Russian leader Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion of Ukraine, according to the IAEA.

About 400 Russian troops are also in charge of Europes largest nuclear power plant, the Zaporizhzhya plant in southeastern Ukraine, according to Ukrainian officials. However, staff at that site have been able to rotate shifts.
Maggie Gyllenhaal and her husband, Peter Sarsgaard, attended the 74th Annual DGA Awards in Beverly Hills on Saturday.

The 44-year-old actress and her husband, 51, stayed close to each other while posing for a set of photos before the former spent a bit of solo time in the spotlight.

Gyllenhaal earned an Outstanding Directing  First-Time Feature Film nomination for her directorial debut The Lost Daughter, which she'd go on to win later in the night.

Power couple: Maggie Gyllenhaal and her husband, Peter Sarsgaard, attended the 74th Annual DGA Awards in Beverly Hills on Saturday evening

Gyllenhaal wore a stunning white gown with a white mesh button-up top and a silky skirt with a shimmery net overlay.

She gave the ethereal ensemble some edge by painting her nails a maroon shade, as well as her lips.

Her beautiful brunette locks were cut short and styled in soft waves to frame her face.

Sarsgaard kept it classy in a black suit and matching pants while lending his support to his longtime partner at the ceremony.

Longtime love: The couple have been married since 2009

Soft: Her beautiful brunette locks were cut short and styled in soft waves to frame her face

Gyllenhaal was also seen posing with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was also nominated in the Outstanding Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director category.

She would beat out Miranda, as well as Passing's Rebecca Hall, Pig's Michael Sarnoski, Shiva Baby's Emma Seligman and Prayers for the Stolen director Tatiana Huezo.

Gyllenhaal joyously took to the stage to receive the coveted award.

Clearly honored by the win, Gyllenhaal spoke passionately to the star-studded crowd about her debut project.

Exciting: Gyllenhaal earned an Outstanding Directing  First-Time Feature Film nomination for her directorial debut The Lost Daughter, which she'd go on to win later in the night

Competition: Gyllenhaal was also seen posing with Lin-Manuel Miranda, who was also nominated in the Outstanding Achievement of a First-Time Feature Film Director category

The Lost Daughter is based on Elena Ferrante's novel of the same name, which was originally released in 2006.

The feature is centered on a woman whose coastal getaway takes a dark turn when she begins to face the demons of her past.

The movie stars Olivia Colman in the leading role, with Dakota Johnson, Ed Harris and Sarsgaard rounding out the cast.

Gyllenhaal began working on the project in 2018, when she acquired the rights to the book.

In addition to directing the feature, she penned its screenplay and served as one of its producers.

Winner: She would beat out Miranda, as well as Passing's Rebecca Hall, Pig's Michael Sarnoski, Shiva Baby's Emma Seligman and Prayers for the Stolen director Tatiana Huezo

Pure joy: Gyllenhaal joyously took to the stage to receive the coveted award

Physical production on the project began in September of 2020 and took place in various locations in Greece.

The movie toured around several other film festivals before it had its wide release on the streaming platform on December 31st.

The Lost Daughter received widely positive reviews from critics, many of whom praised its direction and performances.

Several of its cast and crew members were put up for various awards following the movie's debut.

Colman and Jessie Buckley were nominated for the Oscars for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.

Directorial debut: The Lost Daughter is based on Elena Ferrante's novel of the same name, which was originally released in 2006. The feature is centered on a woman whose coastal getaway takes a dark turn when she begins to face the demons of her past

Gyllenhaal was also nominated for the Best Adapted Screenplay award for her work on the project.

The 74th Annual DGA Awards in Beverly Hills were hosted by veteran director Judd Apatow, who previously hosted the ceremony in 2018.

While speaking about the show on their website last month, DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter gushed: 'What makes the DGA Awards so very special is that it is recognition by one's peers.'

'We could really use some laughs,' she said. 'There is no host that hits all these notes more perfectly than leading director, comedian, writer and industry force, the incredible Judd Apatow. We couldn't be more grateful that he's returning to the DGA Awards stage.'

'I am so excited to host again as part of my ongoing campaign for the Lifetime Achievement Award,' Apatow, 54, joked of getting tapped to host for the third time.

Hosting duties: The 74th Annual DGA Awards in Beverly Hills were hosted by veteran director Judd Apatow, who previously hosted the ceremony in 2018. Apatow previously hosted the ceremony in 2018, and again two years later

Unfortunately for Apatow, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction was given to Spike Lee.

His extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, from Do the Right Thing to BlacKkKlansman have cemented his status in Hollywood as a trailblazer and force of nature.

'Spike is an innovator on so many levels. His bold and passionate storytelling over the past three decades has masterfully entertained, as it held a stark mirror to our society and culture. And while he is no stranger to huge commercial success, he is also the beating heart of independent film,' Glatter said of the legendary film director, 64.

Honored: This year's Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction was given to Spike Lee; Lee pictured with his children Satchel and Jackson

She concluded: 'Even as countless filmmakers call Spike their mentor and inspiration, he continues to devote his time to teaching future generations how to make their mark. We are thrilled to present Spike with the DGA's highest honor.'

Back in 2020, he took home the DGA Honor for his distinguished contributions to our nation's culture in support of filmmaking.

Additionally, First Assistant Director Joseph P. Reidy, whose credits include Black Swan and Quiz Show, will receive the DGA's 2022 Frank Capra Achievement Award.

Mainstay: His extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, from Do the Right Thing to BlacKkKlansman have cemented his status in Hollywood as a trailblazer and force of nature

Manager Garry W. Hood will receive the DGA's 2022 Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award.

'Joe Reidy and Garry Hood are widely respected leaders in their fields who have dedicated themselves to representing their fellow members, standing up for their rights, and giving back to their union  including most recently through their participation on our Covid-19 Return to Work Committee,' said Glatter.

The DGA president added: 'Our Guild draws its strength from the service and commitment of our members, and these special award winners embody that spirit at the highest level.'
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Succession's Sarah Snook, Brian Cox and Kieran Culkin reunited on Saturday to attend the 74th annual Director's Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills.

The costars posed for photos on the annual ceremony's red carpet, before heading inside the venue to mingle with fellow presenters, attendees and honorees.

Several directors who have worked on the program have been put up for a prestigious award that were given out during the function.

Though he did not walk the red carpet, series star Jeremy Strong joined Snook, Cox, and Culkin to present one of the night's honors.

Reunited: Succession's Sarah Snook, Brian Cox and Kieran Culkin reunited on Saturday to attend the 74th annual Director's Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills

Snook wore a lovely black sequin dress that sparkled brightly as she spent time in front of the cameras.

The performer, 34, also rocked a set of matching gloves and high-heeled shoes, as well as several pieces of jewelry.

Culkin, 39, opted for a pinstripe vest and a matching set of pants worn underneath a jet-black jacket.

Cox kept it classy in a black suit and a blue shirt that were both accentuated by a deep purple tie.

The 75-year-old actor was joined at the event by his daughter Margaret.

Honored: McKay previously won a Director's Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series for his work on the show's pilot episode

Dazzling: Snook wore a lovely black sequin dress that sparkled brightly as she spent time in front of the cameras

Succession's first season initially premiered in 2018, and it currently airs on HBO.

The series is centered on the dysfunctional Roy family and its internal fights for control of media conglomerate Waystar RoyCo as their patriarch gradually ages.

The show features the talents of a sizable cast that also includes the likes of Jeremy Strong, Nicholas Braun and Alan Ruck, among others.

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay have served as two of the program's executive producers ever since its inception.

The first season of the show was met with widespread critical acclaim, with much praise going towards the performances of its principal cast.

Its second set of episodes was released in 2019, and a third made its debut this past October.

Honors: Several directors who have worked on the program have been put up for a prestigious award that were given out during the function; Cox pictured with his daughter Margaret Cox

Classy: Cox kept it classy in a black suit and a blue shirt that were both accentuated by a deep purple tie. Meanwhile, Culkin, 39, opted for a pinstripe vest and a matching set of pants worn underneath a jet-black jacket

The show's last two seasons have also been widely acclaimed by reviewers and audiences alike.

Many of Succession's cast and crew members have been put up for various awards for their work on the program.

The show's team has racked up an impressive nine Primetime Emmy wins over its time on the air.

McKay previously won a Director's Guild Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in a Dramatic Series for his work on the show's pilot episode.

Five other directors from the program, including Lorene Scafaria and Andrij Parekh, have been put up for the same award this year.

The 74th Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA), hosted by Judd Apatow, took place at the Beverly Hilton.

Party time! Snook and Cox were captured mingling with other attendees inside the venue

On the move: Snook had her clutch in hand as she moved from table to table with her costar in tow

While speaking about the show on their website last month, DGA President Lesli Linka Glatter gushed: 'What makes the DGA Awards so very special is that it is recognition by one's peers.'

'We could really use some laughs,' she said. 'There is no host that hits all these notes more perfectly than leading director, comedian, writer and industry force, the incredible Judd Apatow. We couldn't be more grateful that he's returning to the DGA Awards stage.'

Apatow previously hosted the ceremony in 2018, and again two years later.

'I am so excited to host again as part of my ongoing campaign for the Lifetime Achievement Award,' Apatow, 54, joked of getting tapped to host for the third time.

Leading man: The 74th Directors Guild of America Awards (DGA), hosted by Judd Apatow, took place at the Beverly Hilton

Unfortunately for him, the Lifetime Achievement Award for Distinguished Achievement in Motion Picture Direction will be going to Spike Lee.

His extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, from Do the Right Thing to BlacKkKlansman have cemented his status in Hollywood as a trailblazer and force of nature.

'Spike is an innovator on so many levels. His bold and passionate storytelling over the past three decades has masterfully entertained, as it held a stark mirror to our society and culture. And while he is no stranger to huge commercial success, he is also the beating heart of independent film,' Glatter said of the legendary film director, 64.

She concluded: 'Even as countless filmmakers call Spike their mentor and inspiration, he continues to devote his time to teaching future generations how to make their mark. We are thrilled to present Spike with the DGA's highest honor.'

Making his mark: His extraordinary efforts in the art of cinema, from Do the Right Thing to BlacKkKlansman have cemented his status in Hollywood as a trailblazer and force of nature; he is seen with his son and daughter at the event

Back in 2020, he took home the DGA Honor for his distinguished contributions to our nation's culture in support of filmmaking.

Additionally, First Assistant Director Joseph P. Reidy, whose credits include Black Swan and Quiz Show, will receive the DGA's 2022 Frank Capra Achievement Award.

Manager Garry W. Hood will receive the DGA's 2022 Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award.

'Joe Reidy and Garry Hood are widely respected leaders in their fields who have dedicated themselves to representing their fellow members, standing up for their rights, and giving back to their union  including most recently through their participation on our Covid-19 Return to Work Committee,' said Glatter.

The DGA president added: 'Our Guild draws its strength from the service and commitment of our members, and these special award winners embody that spirit at the highest level.'
She starred on the first three seasons of The Real Housewives of Melbourne before quitting in 2016.

And Chyka Keebaugh, 53, revealed to The Daily Telegraph's Stellar magazine on Sunday why she will never return to the show.

The event planner and entrepreneur said filming was 'no longer fun' as she's not a 'controversial person', and appeared to take a subtle dig at the new cast members.

Adamant: Former Real Housewives of Melbourne star Chyka Keebaugh (pictured), 53, revealed to The Daily Telegraph's Stellar magazine on Sunday why she will NEVER return to the show and took a subtle dig at the new cast

'Would I want to do something like that again? No. The only reality TV I would consider doing would be something creative, like planning a picnic or something,' Chyka told the publication.

The author went on to reveal that filming the series was not a true reflection of her day-to-day life.

'I'm not a controversial person. I'm not someone who fights with their friends, so when someone is attacking you over things that aren't even true... I realised it had gotten to a stage where it's not necessarily fun anymore,' she said.

No longer 'fun': 'I'm not a controversial person. I'm not someone who fights with their friends, so when someone is attacking you over things that aren't even true,' she said. Chyka also appeared to take a subtle dig at the new cast, saying: 'These girls now are very camera-ready, very aware of how they look'

Chyka also appeared to take a subtle dig at new cast members Kyla Kirkpatrick, Cherry Dipietrantonio and Simone Elliott.

'These girls now are very camera-ready, very aware of how they look. Often, they've got themselves stylists or designers, whereas none of us had any of that when we started,' she said.

During an appearance on Sunrise to promote her new homewares range in October, Chyka confirmed that she was asked back full time for the 2021 season.

She also stressed that she's still friends with many of her former co-stars, including Janet Roach and Gamble Breaux, and despite her comments to Stellar magazine, only had positive things to say about the show.

Popular: During an appearance on Sunrise to promote her new homewares range in October, Chyka confirmed that she was asked back full time for the 2021 season. She also stressed that she's still friends with many of her former co-stars, including Janet Roach and Gamble Breaux

Reflecting on her time on RHOM, Chyka said: 'The girls were great. I had an incredible time and it was an amazing experience.'

The former reality star is now building her own lifestyle brand and launched her own signature homewares line with Harris Scarfe.

While Chyka is extremely popular with viewers, Gina Liano is arguably the biggest star to come out of The Real Housewives of Melbourne.

Change of heart? Despite her comments to Stellar magazine, Chyka only had positive things to say about the show. 'The girls were great. I had an incredible time and it was an amazing experience,' she said

So it's no surprise that fans were disappointed when the big-haired barrister decided not to return to the series for season five.

In an interview late last year, the 56-year-old hinted that she could come back for season six, but it will only be under one condition.

'Put it this way, if the show needed saving, I would feel like, "oh god, I've gotta go in and fix this." I'm a fixer,' she told the Shine It Up podcast.

Will she? While Chyka is extremely popular with viewers, Gina Liano (pictured), 56, is arguably the biggest star to come out of The Real Housewives of Melbourne. In an interview late last year, Gina hinted that she could come back for season six, but it will be under one condition

Gina added that she hasn't decided whether or not she'll return yet, and will only come back if the show truly needs her.

Both Gina and fellow original Housewife Lydia Schiavello opted not to return for season five, leaving the door open for four new cast members to join.

In September, Gina told The Advertiser that she walked away from the hit series to focus on her legal career.

Fixer upper: 'Put it this way, if the show needed saving, I would feel like, "oh god, I've gotta go in and fix this." I'm a fixer,' she told the Shine It Up podcast

She was originally set to return for the fifth season and was announced as a cast member in 2020, but it was put on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic.

'When season five got cancelled last year I threw myself into my career and when they spoke to me about the new series I thought, I can't take six months off my practice, it's just too destructive,' she explained.

'So I just thought now I'll focus on my career, I've been a barrister since 1999, it's enough.'

Flashback: Season four's Gina, Lydia Schiavello (far right), Sally Bloomfield (centre left), and Venus Behbahani-Clark (centre right) all exited the show before season five

Chyka, Gina and Lydia Schiavello have all left The Real Housewives of Melbourne, along with season four newbies Venus Behbahani-Clark and Sally Bloomfield.

Season five saw the return of OGs Janet Roach and Jackie Gillies, as well as longtime cast member Gamble Breaux.

They also added four newbies with Kyla Kirkpatrick, Cherry Dipietrantonio, Simone Elliott, and Anjali Rao joining. Anjali sensationally quit the fifth season.

Current cast: Season five saw the return of OGs Janet Roach and Jackie Gillies (seated left and centre), as well as Gamble Breaux (seated right). They added four newbies with Kyla Kirkpatrick (far left), Cherry Dipietrantonio (far right), Simone Elliott (right), and Anjali Rao (second left) joining. Anjali has since quit
She's the former Bachelor star who is known to be quite the fashionista.

And Anna Heinrich proved that point in abundance on Saturday, as she slipped her frame into a daring hot pink latex dress for a 'big night out' with pals in Sydney.

The 35-year-old shared photos of herself in the $599 Manning Cartell number on Instagram, while posing next to her daughter Elle, one - who she sweetly described as her 'little helper'.

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One hot mama! Anna Heinrich slipped her slender frame into an incredibly daring hot pink latex dress for a 'big night out' with her pals in Sydney on Saturday

'Feeling spicy one minute, snoozy the next. My big night out means home by 10. Getting ready with my little helper Elle,' she captioned the photos.

Anna looked nothing short of sensational in the images, teaming the slinky ensemble with a pair of statement gold earrings and strappy heels.

She wore a flash of bronzer on her cheeks, as well as lashings of mascara and a nude lip colour.

How cute! She also shared a picture with her daughter Elle, one, who she described as her 'little helper' while she was getting ready

Gorgeous! Anna looked nothing short of sensational as she posed for selfies, teaming the slinky ensemble with a pair of statement gold earrings and a strappy heel

She styled her hair in a sleek beach wave.

Anna also shared a video of herself dancing at the glitzy event, appearing to have a whale of a time as she giggled and grooved with some girlfriends.

It comes after Anna recently opened up about her confidence following her appearance on SAS Australia.

'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,' she told Perth Now last week.

Groovy baby! Anna also shared a video of herself dancing at the glitzy event, appearing to have a whale of a time as she giggled and grooved with some girlfriends

Anna added that she took part in SAS Australia to gain emotional strength, and to one day impress her daughter Elle.

'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 recently 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.
She is known for her enviable wardrobe.

And Alexa Chung put on a chic display as she stepped out to attend the Charles Finch x Chanel pre BAFTA dinner at 5 Hertford Street in London on Saturday.

The model, 38, looked effortlessly stylish as she showed off her toned legs in the elegant pinafore mini dress.

Stylish: Alexa Chung, 38, put on a typically chic display in an elegant pinafore dress as she showcased her enviable legs at the Charles Finch and Chanel dinner in London on Saturday

The thigh-skimming number featured squares of neutral tweed fabric alternated with semi-sheer sections.

Dressed head-to-toe in the luxury French fashion house, Alexa added a pair of metallic silver and gold heels and carried a classic Chanel quilted clutch bag.

She accessorised with a snake style bangle that was worn high above her elbow and added a pair of statement circular earrings embossed with the designers logo.

Sensational: The thigh-skimming dress featured squares of neutral tweed fabric alternated with semi-sheer sections

Chic: Dressed head-to-toe in the luxury French fashion house, Alexa added a pair of metallic silver and gold heels

Classy: The model later slipped into a coordinating beige wool trench coat with delicate gold buttons as she exited the party

To finish off her ensemble she wore her brunette locks in her signature textured bob and opted for a sweep of bronze eyeshadow.

The television personality posed for photos alongside screenwriter Jemima Khan and Claudia Winkleman.

Scottish artist and poet Robert Montgomery also put in a an appearance at the event alongside his partner Greta Bellamacina.

Guests: The television personality, posed for photos alongside screenwriter Jemima Khan and Claudia Winkleman

VIPs: Scottish artist and poet Robert Montgomery also put in a an appearance at the event alongside his partner Greta Bellamacina

Elegant: Greta wore a black dress with a lace top section and sleeves that fell into a sheer skirt

Alexa then slipped into a coordinating beige wool trench coat with delicate gold buttons as she exited the party.

Charles Finch and Chanel held their 22nd annual Pre-BAFTA Dinner at the Georgian townhouse 5 Hertford Street, a private members club in London's Mayfair.

Even more special to be joining forces after a lack of ceremonies in 2021, Charles Finch and Chanel welcomed a host of international guests from the worlds of film, fashion, design, art and music who gathered for dinner.

The meal - held in Lou Lou's - was to celebrate the 75th annual BAFTA awards.
Naomie Harris looked effortlessly chic in a plunging V-neck gingham jacket as she stepped out for the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas on Saturday.

The actress, 45, was joined on the red carpet by her co-star Bill Nighy, 72, as the duo promoted their forthcoming series The Man Who Fell To Earth.

Naomie showcased her incredible sense of style as she flashed a grin for photographers at the star-studded event.

Smart: Naomie Harris looked effortlessly chic in a plunging V-neck gingham jacket as she stepped out for the SXSW Film Festival in Austin, Texas with Bill Nighy, 72, on Saturday

She teamed the look with a pair of boot cut denim jeans while stepping out in stylish V-cut heels which complemented the overall look.

The screen star showed off her flawless complexion with a rich palette of makeup while her raven locks were left to loosely cascade over her shoulders.

Meanwhile, her close friend and co-star Bill looked smart in classic black suit and white shirt.

The Love Actually star framed his face with a pair of his signature black square glasses at the star-studded event.

Radiant: The screen star showed off her flawless complexion with a rich palette of makeup as she promoted their forthcoming series The Man Who Fell To Earth

Confident: Naomie donned a pair of boot cut denim jeans which complemented the overall look

Dapper dude: Bill looked smart in classic black suit and white shirt

Smart: The Love Actually star framed his face with a pair of his signature black square glasses as he smouldered at the star-studded event

The outing comes as Showtime released the new trailer for the series adaptation of the film in February, while also revealing that the show will premiere in April.

Inspired by the novel of the same name by Walter Tevis, the series incorporates elements of the novel's 1976 film adaptation starring the late music legend David Bowie.

Naomie will play Justin Falls, described as, 'a brilliant scientist and engineer who must conquer her own demons in the race to save two worlds' while Bill will play Thomas Newton.

It also stars Chiwetel Ejiofor as a new alien character who arrives on Earth at a key point in human evolution as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance.

Trailer: Chiwetel Ejiofor and Naomie Harris help bring Walter Tevis' iconic 1963 novel to life in the new trailer for Showtime's The Man Who Fell to Earth

The trailer begins with a man saying, 'There's a door in front of you. On the other side is something I could never imagine,' as we get a glimpse at Naomie's character Justin, laying in bed awake next to her sleeping daughter Molly (Anelle Olaeye).

She is next seen power-washing her truck, saying, 'they're gonna take the house next month, I'm always working and Molly has no one.'

A shooting star - or so we think - is seen as Justin says, 'I saw something and it freaked me out.'

Justin and Molly: The trailer begins with a man saying, 'There's a door in front of you. On the other side is something I could never imagine,' as we get a glimpse at Harris' character Justin, laying in bed awake next to her sleeping daughter Molly (Anelle Olaeye)

Molly: She's next seen power-washing her truck, saying, 'they're gonna take the house next month, I'm always working and Molly has no one'

Faraday (Chiwetel) tells Justin, 'I was sent to find you,' as Justin freaks out and says, 'I'm talking to someone from another planet,' as Faraday calmly responds, 'So am I.'

Justin is seen driving Faraday in her truck, asking if he has a family, as we get quick glimpses of his alien family, telling her, 'They are waiting for me... if they survived.'

We get more glimpses from the alien planet as Faraday tells Justin, 'My planet is dying. Earth is on the same trajectory.'

Freak out: Faraday (Ejiofor) tells Justin, 'I was sent to find you,' as Justin freaks out and says, 'I'm talking to someone from another planet,' as Faraday calmly responds, 'So am I'

Family: Justin is seen driving Faraday in her truck, asking if he has a family, as we get quick 'glimpses of his alien family, telling her, 'They are waiting for me... if they survived'

Faraday asks, 'Can't you help me?' and Justin agrees, as he tells her, 'You are a scientist. You have the potential for all things.'

Hatch Flood (Rob Delaney) tells Justin, 'I need to know where he's from and I need to know what he's doing here.'

We also get a glimpse of Drew Finch (Kate Mulgrew) and Spencer Clay (Jimmi Simpson) meeting, as Drew orders agents to, 'take him now.'

Hatch: Hatch Flood (Rob Delaney) tells Justin, 'I need to know where he's from and I need to know what he's doing here'

Coming soon: The Man Who Fell to Earth, co-created by Alex Kurtzman (who directed the pilot episode) and Jenny Lumet, debuts Sunday, April 24 at 10 PM ET on Showtime

We also get a brief glimpse of Thomas Newton (Bill Nighy), who says, 'I brought you here to finish what I started,' as we see a mysterious array of lights shine throughout the city.

Thomas tells them, 'This is how we all survive,' as the trailer winds down with a number of dramatic shots and comes to an end.

The Man Who Fell to Earth, co-created by Alex Kurtzman (who directed the pilot episode) and Jenny Lumet, debuts Sunday, April 24 at 10 PM ET on Showtime.
Eddie Redmayne, 40, stepped out alongside his wife Hannah Bagshawe, 39, for the star-studded Charles Finch and Chanel dinner in the West End on Saturday.

The Fantastic Beasts actor, who never shies away from a bold ensemble, put on a typically colourful display for the pre BAFTA dinner at 5 Hertford Street in London.

The star donned a forest green two-piece suit with a 70s-style orange and brown printed shirt for the event.

Fashionable: Eddie Redmayne, 40, cut a bold figure in a 70s-printed shirt alongside his chic wife Hannah Bagshawe, 39, at the Charles Finch and Chanel dinner on Saturday

To tie his look together he added a pair of patent black loafers with green and red tassel detailing.

Hannah put on a very chic display as she contrasted her husband in an all-black ensemble.

She slipped into a maxi dress that featured a sheer skirt with ruffled detailing and white piping.

Statement: The star donned a forest green two-piece suit with a Seventies style orange and brown printed shirt for the event

The PR professional added a pair of heeled boots that laced up to her ankle and were embellished with silver studs.

To complete her look, she layered over a longline smart coat and carried a patent croc print clutch bag.

The couple, who met while attending Eton College, married in 2014 and share two children, Iris, five, and Luke, four.

Elegant: Hannah put on a very chic display in as she contrasted her husband in an all-black ensemble

Also in attendance was Harry Potter star Emma Watson, 31, who looked incredible in a simple blazer worn over a spaghetti-strap, cut-out dress.

Charles Finch and Chanel held their 22nd annual Pre-BAFTA Dinner at the Georgian townhouse 5 Hertford Street, a private members club in London's Mayfair.

Even more special to be joining forces after a lack of ceremonies in 2021, Charles Finch and Chanel welcomed a host of international guests from the worlds of film, fashion, design, art and music who gathered for dinner.

The meal - held in Lou Lou's - was to celebrate the 75th annual BAFTA awards.
Stars attending the 2022 BAFTA awards on Sunday night have been advised to 'dress respectably' due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The event will see Benedict Cumberbatch, Caitriona Balfe and Jessie Buckley grace the red carpet at Londons Royal Albert Hall.

But according to reports, celebrities such as Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, and Lady Gaga will likely be dressed in black.

'Dress respectably': Stars attending the 2022 BAFTA awards on Sunday night have been advised to 'dress respectably' due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine (pictured Rebel Wilson)

'Several senior showbiz agents have advised stars to dress respectably, amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,' a source told the Sun on Sunday.

'The last thing they want is something like Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress or anything too controversial.'

Lady Gaga infamously wore a meat dress to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

And Janet Street Porter took aim at the events organisers writing: 'It's business as usual. The organisers clearly believe "we've got through Covid, let's carry on enjoying ourselves".

Attention-grabbing: Lady Gaga infamously wore a meat dress to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards

The British ceremony will be hosted by Australian star Rebel Wilson, along with AJ Odudu (pictured at the BAFTA menu preview dinner on Wednesday) and Tom Allen

'Wouldn't we respect them more, if someone back at mission control had the guts to stand up and say - "let's call the whole thing off until peace is restored in Ukraine. This backslapping and awarding is grotesque".'

The nominations for the BAFTA awards were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

Backdrop: This photo reportedly shows smoke and damage at the Yavoriv training area that was targeted by Russian forces this morning

It comes after explosions were heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.

Vladimir Putin's forces launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning.

Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing nine people and injuring 57.

The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and up until recently has housed foreign military instructors, although its unclear if any have been caught up in the strike.
Married At First Sight was sent into chaos on Sunday's episode, after the majority of couples stormed off set upon discovering Carolina Santos and Daniel Holmes' bombshell affair.

But eagle-eyed viewers were quick to point out that some cast members didn't join jilted groom Dion Giannarelli in leaving the room in solidarity - most notably Olivia Frazer and her husband Jackson Lonie.

Olivia, 28, had previously teamed up with Carolina in a bitter argument against bride Domenica Calarco - but when the Brazilian-born influencer's cheating ways were exposed, Liv stayed silent and didn't appear to storm out the room with the cast.

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Yikes: Married At First Sight viewers noticed one couple didn't join jilted groom Dion Giannarelli in walking out of the commitment ceremony, after Carolina Santos and Daniel Holmes' (pictured) bombshell admission that they were a couple

'Olivia didn't walk out. So she really does love hanging out with trash,' one fan scathed online, while another wrote: 'So Olivia did not walk out. Typical proves what trash she is.'

'Don't think i didn't notice that Olivia and Jackson didn't walk out I saw that s**t i'm just not surprised,' another chimed in.

'OMG OLIVIA AND JACKSON STAYED!!! Wow,' another added.

'Of course, Olivia and Jackson don't leave when everyone else does. Gotta dig those heels in, right Liv? can't ever admit to being wrong,' another wrote.

Staying put: Fans noticed that Olivia Frazer (left) and Jackson Lonie (right) appeared to stay seated while the majority of brides and grooms made a swift exit

Gone: Many of the couples stormed out upon hearing that Carolina and Daniel wanted to re-join the experiment

Return: The camera then showed the couples returning to the room, with Al, Olivia and Jackson (pictured) already sitting on the couch

Spotted: 'Olivia didn't walk out. So she really does love hanging out with trash,' one fan scathed, while another wrote: 'So Olivia did not walk out. Typical proves what trash she is'

'Of course Olivia didn't leave lmao,' one fan laughed.

Others pointed out that fellow castmates Al Perkins, Brent Vitiello, Matthew Ridley and Kate Laidlaw appeared to stay seated during the stunning departure.

This comes in spite of the fact that the show's narrator said: 'After an unprecedented event, all the couples stormed out the commitment ceremony following the shock arrival of Carolina and Daniel and their request to re-enter the experiment as a couple.'

The camera later showed the couples returning to the room, with Al, Olivia and Jackson pictured already sitting on the couch.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Channel Nine for further comment.

Fuming: The majority of couples loitered around on-set after storming out amid the bombshell commitment ceremony

Many fans were left furious that Olivia's reaction was left out of the episode, with one writing: 'They've shown Olivia's face once in all of this.'

'Why aren't the cameras showing footage of Olivia's reaction during this dumpster fire scene? Where's her eye rolls and big mouth pout now?' another added.

'Olivia is still sitting there with Al,' one said.

During the bombshell episode, Carolina and Daniel interrupted Jackson and Olivia's couch session to announce their secret romance.

They explained that once Daniel's bride Jessica Seracino left the experiment, he sought out Carolina as a shoulder to cry on since she was in the same boat with Dion.

They then 'connected on every level' and found in each other what they came into the experiment for  behind everyone's back.

'I guess in short, that's how it was we caught up as friends connected because we both found ourselves in a difficult situation with the person that we match with,' Daniel explained.

Surprise! Carolina and Daniel had made a bombshell entrance into the ceremony to reveal they were a couple, leaving the rest of the cast in shock

'It became pretty evident that we had a lot of stuff in common that we just started connecting and building beyond a friendship between each other.'

Speaking to the experts, Carolina added: 'I think it was clear to me right before I wrote leave last commitment ceremony.

'That is when I knew that there was something more than just a friendship with Daniel.'

Dion and the others were then left livid when Carolina and Daniel brazenly asked the experts if they could stay in the experiment.

'We all came here for that the reason to meet some undeveloped feelings and fall in love and obviously the both of us didn't get that with who were initially matched with,' Daniel said.

'We are genuine and real about this experiment and how we feel about each other. So yes, there's a part of us that would like to continue to experiment together.'

'I've had enough for one night,' Dion said before exiting the room, spurring on a group walkout

Not happy: Fellow brides and grooms were seen walking out of the groom in a hurry

Dion then left the room in disgust, spurring on a group walkout.

Eventually they all calmed down and headed back into the room, to then discover that the experts would never give their blessing for Carolina and Daniel to return as a couple in the experiment.

'Now there is no question that this has happened before people have strayed outside of their marriages. What we haven't seen is someone stray with someone who's left the experiment already,' John Aiken said.

'I know Alessandra and Mel. And I know I speak for them here when I say there is absolutely no way we're gonna allow you to re-enter experiment as a new couple.

'It's not going to happen now, that's not gonna happen in the future and the reason for that is very clear, but you need to hear it.

Denied: Eventually they all calm down and head back into the room, to discover that the experts would never give their blessing for Carolina and Daniel to return as a couple in this experiment

Disgusted: 'It's not going to happen now, that's not gonna happen in the future and the reason for that is very clear, but you need to hear it,' John said

'This betrayal is incredibly unsettling and difficult for all of us to witness.

'We don't see any merit for this relationship that you have to continue on in this experiment. Firstly, Daniel, you've been out of it for weeks.

'You're no longer part of what's going on in this experiment.'

The pair accepted the decision, and exited the room.

Married At First Sight continues Monday at 7.30pm on Channel Nine
He made it through to the live finals of X Factor in 2012.

And Rylan Clark showed off his voice once again as he took to his Instagram stories on Friday to post a video of himself and his mum Linda enjoying a night out.

The TV presenter, 33, could be seen eating a nice meal at a restaurant as the mother and son duo started singing along to Dean Martin's Sway.

X Factor: Rylan Clark showed off his voice as he took to his Instagram stories on Friday to post a video of himself and his mum Linda enjoying a night out

Caption: Rylan also posted a picture of himself on Instagram in a blue jacket writing: 'Its Friday yeaaaaaa'

Captioning the video 'for f***s sake' along with several laughing face emojis, Rylan could be heard singing in the background.

He then asked mum Linda to 'Shimmy', before saying: 'Actually, no - don't shimmy.'

Rylan also posted a picture of himself on Instagram in a blue jacket writing: 'Its Friday yeaaaaaa'.

Mummy's boy: The TV presenter, 33, could be seen eating a nice meal at a restaurant as the mother and son duo started singing along to Dean Martin's Sway

Voice of an angel: Captioning the video 'for f***s sake' along with several laughing face emojis, Rylan could be heard singing in the background

It comes after Rylan was forced to miss his BBC Radio 2 show for two weeks after being rushed to hospital for an 'extended stay.'

He took to social media to reveal that he was rushed to hospital where he stayed for an 'extended time'.

The former Celebrity Big Brother star posted a photograph of himself with an IV in his arm, after being bedridden with the flu.

Worrying! It comes after Rylan was forced to miss his BBC Radio 2 show for two weeks after being rushed to hospital for an 'extended stay'

Rylan also shared that he was finally home, and would once again miss his BBC Radio 2 show the next day as he rested.

Rylan wrote alongside the worrying snap: 'Finally home after an extended trip to Costa del hospital. Slowly on the mend. Won't be on the wireless tomorrow. Resting up. Be back soon.'

The Supermarket Sweep host has not confirmed why he was in hospital.

Rylan stepped down from his BBC Radio 2 show for four months last year after splitting from former policeman Dan Neal.
Chile has just pronounced the countrys first husband and husband.

On Thursday, Javier Silva and Jaime Nazar made history in the South American country by becoming the first same-sex couple to legally tie the knot.

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The honor comes just three months after lawmakers overwhelmingly said yes to a law legalizing same-sex marriage.

Being the first couple to get married in Chile for us is an honor, something to be proud of, Silva told reporters after the civil ceremony, according to Reuters. We did it! Its something we didnt think could happen.

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The newlyweds, who have been together for seven years and share two young children, entered into a civil partnership three years ago.

Same-sex couples in the country of 19 million people have been allowed to register a Civil Union Agreement since 2015.

The law recognized same-sex couples without affording them full marriage rights  but activists had been pushing for the legalization of same-sex marriages for over a decade.

Now, as a legally married couple, Silva and Nazars children will have the same rights as children of heterosexual couples.

Breaking News As it happens Get updates on the coronavirus pandemic and other news as it happens with our free breaking news email alerts. >

And they will be able to have, we hope, a better future, that they will not be discriminated against for having two parents who love each other, Silva added.

Que alegria! Mis felicitaciones a Jaime y Javier por ser la primera pareja en casarse bajo la nueva ley de #MatrimonioIgualitario. A seguir avanzando por un Chile con igualdad de derechos y libertades para todas las personas. https://t.co/l7jNhDIN99  Gabriel Boric Font (@gabrielboric) March 10, 2022

Chiles new president, Gabriel Boric, who was sworn in on Friday, took to Twitter to celebrate the historic day for LGBTQ equality.

What joy! My congratulations to Jaime and Javier for being the first couple to get married under the new #MarriageEquality law, the 35-year-old progressive former student leader wrote.

Lets continue working for a Chile with equal rights and freedoms for everyone, he added.

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Chile is now the seventh Latin American country to legalize same-sex marriages, after Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Ecuador, Uruguay and Costa Rica, where the law came into effect in May 2020.

On Tuesday, lawmakers in Guatemala voted to explicitly prohibit same-sex unions and to ban schools from teaching about sexual conducts apart from heterosexuality as being normal.

Two days later, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei said that he plans to veto the bill, saying that its unconstitutional and that it violates international conventions.
Michael Brunelli rose to fame on Married At First Sight.

And the former reality star has been spilling all the secrets from the set - including how those 'morning after' scenes are filmed.

On Sunday, the 31-year-old was asked about those shoots by a fan, and admitted that they don't always happen when the couples wake.

Spilling: Michael Brunelli rose to fame on Married At First Sight. And the former reality star has been spilling all the secrets from the set - including how those 'morning after' scenes are filmed. Pictured with Martha Kalifatidis

'I don't want to ruin it for people but the morning scenes aren't actually filmed right when you wake up,' Michael wrote in an Instagram Stories post.

'They are normally filmed mid-morning or even afternoon sometimes,' he admitted, before revealing he and his bride on the show, Martha Kalifatidis, 33, shot the scenes later in the day.

'Martha and I would get up, eat breakfast, go to the gym and then be told we are filming a wake up scene so we would jump back into our PJs and producers and camera crew would come in to film.

Details: On Sunday, the 31-year-old was asked about those shoots by a fan, and admitted that they don't always happen when the couples wake

'I don't want to ruin it for people but the morning scenes aren't actually filmed right when you wake up,' Michael wrote in an Instagram Stories post

'They are normally filmed mid-morning or even afternoon sometimes,' he admitted

'Producers do have a key to your room,' he added.

It comes after it was reported that Martha and Michael will televise their real-life nuptials, after their MAFS wedding was watched by over a million Aussies.

According to Woman's Day, the couple have been inundated with offers from networks to film a TV special, after becoming engaged.

'They were hoping to do a wedding special on a free-to-air channel and they've been overwhelmed by all of the interest,' a source told the magazine.

Sweet: The influencer 'wed' Michael on the 2019 season of Married At First Sight (pictured)

Wedding belles: It comes after it was reported that Martha and Michael will televise their real-life nuptials, after their MAFS wedding was watched by over a million Aussies

'There's a bidding war going on to televise what they think will be the wedding of the year.'

Martha and Michael delighted Married at First Sight fans in December when they announced their engagement.

During an appearance on the KIIS FM Will & Woody radio show, Martha revealed the eye-watering cost of her stunning diamond engagement ring.

The influencer, who 'wed' Michael on the 2019 season of Married At First Sight, said the bling is priced 'close to $100,000'.
The Bachelor's Tara Pavlovic has announced she's expecting her second child with husband Nick Shepherdson.

The reality star, 31, confirmed the happy news on Instagram on Sunday, where she also revealed she had tested positive to Covid-19 at the same time she discovered she was pregnant.

'Flash back to 8 weeks ago What a day of mixed emotions that was!' she wrote alongside a picture of two positive tests - one for Covid, and one for pregnancy.

Baby on board! The Bachelor's Tara Pavlovic has announced she's expecting her second child with husband Nick Shepherdson

'Little MISS Shep, due September 2022. Paddy has no idea what is going on but Im sure he will love having a new friend to play with.

'@shepaa and I are super excited (& nervous ) and cant wait to meet our little girl.'

She also shared a picture alongside her partner and their son Paddy, who they welcomed in April last year.

Rollercoaster of emotions: The reality star, 31, confirmed the happy news on Instagram on Sunday, revealing that discovering she was pregnant two months earlier was a 'day of mixed emotions' as she tested positive to Covid-19 at the same time

'Little MISS Shep, due September 2022. Paddy has no idea what is going on but Im sure he will love having a new friend to play with,' she wrote alongside a picture with her husband and their 11-month-old son

In the image, the couple pulled shocked faces as Tara stared at the little one, hiding her baby bump in a gorgeous flowing pink dress.

Tara revealed she was expecting her first child in October 2020, only a month after she and Nick had married.

Tara shared a drone clip of the happy couple sitting on a beach while spraying Champagne, with the words written in sand: 'Baby Shep due May 2021.'

'Nick and I are so excited to finally share that we are expecting a little baby BOY in May 2021,' Tara captioned the short clip.

'We are both so grateful and we just can't wait to meet the little fella,' she added.

Earlier announcement: Tara revealed she was expecting her first child in October 2020, only a month after she and Nick had married. Tara shared a drone clip in which the couple are sitting on a beach with the words written in sand: 'Baby Shep due May 2021'

Baby love: Tara documented her growing bump in a series of Instagram images

She continued: 'Not going to lie, if he is anything like Nick, I am already worried about his teenage years.'

Tara and Nick tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in September 2020, after being forced to postpone their wedding in April due to the pandemic.

The former reality star gushed over Nick as she announced the news, before revealing that they fed guests McDonald's at the reception.

Delayed: Tara and Nick tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in September 2020, after being forced to postpone their wedding in April due to the pandemic

Sweet: 'I finally got to marry my best friend yesterday, I love you Nick,' Tara captioned a picture of their wedding rings

Tasty! The former reality star revealed that they fed guests McDonald's at the reception

'I finally got to marry my best friend yesterday, I love you Nick,' she captioned a picture of their wedding rings.

A picture shared to Instagram illustrated their fast food feast with a table crammed full of cheeseburgers and an array of other treats from the fast food giant.

She captioning the image: 'The food at the ceremony was beyond delicious. Such beautiful flavours.'

Love: She and Nick had known each other for 10 years before exploring a relationship together in 2018

Case of the ex: The couple went public with their romance in August 2018, just two months after reports Tara had separated from her Bachelor In Paradise fiance Sam Cochrane (right)

The couple went public with their romance in August 2018, just two months after reports Tara had separated from her Bachelor In Paradise fiance Sam Cochrane.

The pair had known each other for 10 years before exploring a relationship together in 2018.

Tara rose to fame on Matty 'J' Johnson's season of The Bachelor in 2017.
Jessica Rowe has been happily married to her husband Peter Overton for 17 years.

And on Sunday, the former Studio 10 star was left moved when she asked him about his pet peeve.

Appearing on her podcast, The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, veteran newsreader Peter, 55, said that he expects people to be 'decent'.

Happy together: Jessica Rowe has been happily married to her husband Peter Overton for 17 years. Both pictured

'It's not hard to be decent. It's not hard to have good manners. It's not hard to say, "how are you",' he said.

'It's not hard to pause, when you say, "how are you?" and actually listen to how they are,' Peter continued.

He added that it is 'so prevalent' for people to ignore how others are feeling and not really listen to them when they speak.

Decency: Appearing on her podcast, The Jess Rowe Big Talk Show, veteran newsreader Peter, 55, said that he expects people to be 'decent'

Speaking up: 'It's not hard to be decent. It's not hard to have good manners. It's not hard to say, "how are you",' he said

'I watch it all the time. Decency is a nice way to be. It's a nice way to live. And I think in an industry where decency can be challenged, it's nice to be consistent'.

Jess wrote in the caption: 'In case you missed it - my darling Petee is my podcast guest. His decency is at the heart of who he is.'

Last year Jessica shared a sweet tribute to her longtime husband.

'My heart is full': In May, Jessica shared a sweet tribute to her longtime husband Peter as he took their daughter Giselle (right) to her school dance

Uploading a gallery of images to her Instagram at the time, Jess revealed the sweet reason why Peter was absent from reading the evening's Channel Nine news bulletin in Sydney.

'Petee isn't on the telly tonight as he has important work taking our darling Giselle to the Yr 6 Father Daughter dance,' she wrote.

'My heart is full - what a lucky woman I am,' she continued.

The couple share two daughters together, Allegra, 15, and Giselle, 13.
Clara Amfo cut a glamorous figure as she arrived on the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The presenter, 37, looked sensational for the event in a silver sleeveless midi dress with a scooped neckline.

The garment featuring a metallic detail while Clara added height to her frame with a pair of open-toed heels.

Stunning: Clara Amfo cut a glamorous figure as she arrived on the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday

Adding to her outfit with a pair of gold TASAKI earcuffs, the broadcaster also sported a matching bracelet.

Clara posed up a storm on the red carpet alongside RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash.

Bimini opted for a white long-sleeved dress with a a sheer detail while she also sported matching ankle boots and tights.

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Wow: The presenter, 37, looked sensational for the event in a silver sleeveless midi dress with a scooped neckline

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

Looking good: Clara posed up a storm on the red carpet alongside RuPaul's Drag Race UK star Bimini Bon Boulash

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons.

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

Success: The nominations were announced last month with Dune leading with 11

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Success: The British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

You can watch RuPaul's Drag Race UK exclusively on Stan in Australia.
Katie Price has supported son Harvey from Thailand as he walked the runway in a fashion show in the UK to launch the latest edit of his Black and Gold clothing collection for fashion brand Born Anxious.

The former glamour model, 43, took to her Instagram Stories to share some snaps of Harvey as he wore a black T-shirt with a gold 'H' logo and black trousers.

Katie and her fiance Carl Woods, 32, are currently staying at the Melia Koh Samui in Thailand, with Harvey being joined at his event by her sister Sophie Price, 32.

In style: Katie Price, 43, has supported son Harvey, 19, from Thailand as he walked in a fashion show at home in the UK to launch the latest edit of his Black and Gold clothing collection

Sharing a picture of Harvey, 19, walking in the show on her Instagram Stories this weekend, Katie wrote: 'So proud of my Mr Price!'

Harvey, who is autistic and suffers with a genetic condition called Prader-Willi syndrome, launched his clothing line last year and he helped create the designs.

The Born Anxious brand, run by Anna Kennedy OBE, aims to raise awareness of neurodiversity and to promote comfortable and planet-friendly clothing for children and their carers.

Fashion focus: Harvey, who is autistic, suffers with Prader-Willi syndrome and is partially blind, wore a black T-shirt with a gold 'H' logo and black trousers

Professional: Katie took to her Instagram Stories to share some snaps of Harvey in some attire from the latest edit of his collection which was first launched last year

Meanwhile, Katie has been showing off her now more-than-ample assets while on holiday after having another breast enlargement.

She reportedly had her latest boob job and full body liposuction with bum fat removal in December, before secretly jetting back to Belgium in January for an eye and brow lift.

According to The Mirror, Katie's family are 'horrified' at her latest procedure and are said to be disappointed surgeons agreed to perform on her.

Family affair: Reality star Katie and her fiance Carl Woods, 32, are currently staying at the Melia Koh Samui in Thailand, with Harvey being joined at his event by her sister Sophie, 32 (pictured)

Ready to walk: Harvey looked excited as he prepared to walk in the fashion show, with Katie's son having helped create the designs

A source said: 'It's getting really silly now and more than a little irresponsible. Everyone's quite horrified, to be honest.'

Katie's mother Amy previously admitted she fears her daughter might have body dysmorphia, telling The Sunday Times: 'She doesn't tell me now because she knows I'll go ballistic.

'Maybe she does it because she doesn't feel she's attractive enough, or maybe it's body dysmorphia. Part of the problem is she gets her surgeries free, so someone is always capitalising on her name.'

Fun in the sun: Meanwhile, Katie has been showing off her now more-than-ample assets while on holiday in Thailand after having another breast enlargement

Happy couple: She reportedly had her latest boob job and full body liposuction with bum fat removal in December (pictured with Carl in Thailand this week)

The mother-of-five had her first cosmetic surgery at the tender age 18 where she had a boob job taking her breasts for a B cup to a C cup and had her first liposuction.

Last year on Steph's Packed Lunch, Katie visited Dr Prakesh who performed her first cosmetic operation and was told he wouldn't perform on her now.

He told her: 'If you came to me now, I would not do surgery. The risk of repeated botox and fillers is you age faster sometimes. With repeated surgery you are interfering with the skin, stretching it, and you lose elasticity.'

Carl has also told Katie to lay off the surgeries, previously telling OK! magazine: 'There is a point when it's too much and an unnecessary risk. I think the surgery does need to stop. You can look too plastic.'

A representative for Katie Price declined to comment when contacted by MailOnline.
Caitriona Balfe looked spectacular as she graced the red carpet for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon.

Posing up a storm at London's Royal Albert Hall, the Belfast actress, 42, stunned as she went braless in a plunging black velvet gown featuring pointed shoulders.

The Outlander star teamed her cut out dress with complementary jewellery and wore her brunette tresses slicked back while toting a velvet purse.

A vision in velvet! Caitriona Balfe looked spectacular as she graced the red carpet for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon

Her make-up was applied flawlessly by the professionals at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, who opted for a a slick red lip in the form of the Lip Cheat in the shade Bad Romance to accentuate her natural beauty.

Other products used on the starlet included the Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil, the Beautiful Skin Foundation and the Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Mascara.

Caitriona is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ma in Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth Branagh in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Wow! Posing up a storm at London's Royal Albert Hall, the Belfast actress, 42, stunned as she went braless in a plunging black velvet gown featuring pointed shoulders

Sensational: The Outlander star teamed her cut out dress with complementary jewellery and wore her brunette tresses slicked back while toting a velvet purse

Stunning: Caitriona's dress featured a dazzling hem while her open toe heels could be seen poking out from under her gown

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Gorgeous: Her make-up was applied flawlessly by the professionals at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty, who opted for a a slick red lip to accentuate her natural beauty

Stylish: As well as Belfast, Caitriona is best known for her starring role as Claire Fraser in the Starz historical drama series Outlander

Nominated: Caitriona is nominated for Best Supporting Actress for her role as Ma in Belfast

Belfast: The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneth Branagh's childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.
She's set to battle it out in the leading actress category for her her role in The Worst Person in the World.

And Renate Reinsve looked sensational as she graced the red carpet of the BAFTA 2020 Film Awards held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.

The Norwegian actress, 34, wowed in a floor-length white Louis Vuitton gown which featured an elegant gold lace cape over the top.

Leading actress nominee: Renate Reinsve looked sensational as she graced the red carpet of the BAFTA 2020 Film Awards held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday

Renate highlighted her trim figure by adding a gold belt, which cinched her her waist.

Allowing her stunning dress to do the talking, the beauty swept her brunette locks into a simple up do, while highlighting her features with a smoky eye and nude lip.

The stunner also kept her accessories to a minimum, opting to complete her look with a chunky silver and onyx ring.

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

A vision: The Norwegian actress, 34, wowed in a floor-length white Louis Vuitton gown which featured an elegant gold lace cape over the top

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?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

Sensational: Renate highlighted her trim figure by adding a gold belt, which cinched her her waist

Angelic: Allowing her stunning dress to do the talking, the beauty swept her brunette locks into a simple up do, while highlighting her features with a smoky eye and nude lip

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Wow: Renate showcase her intricate gold cape from the back, which was worn over her elegant scooped-back dress

Style: The stunner also kept her accessories to a minimum, opting to complete her look with a chunky silver and onyx ring

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

Duo: Renate posed for a snap with her film's director Joachim Trier

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Role: She's set to battle it out in the leading actress category for her her role in The Worst Person in the Worl

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year's list of nods falls short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year's 12.

In recent years BAFTA, and other film Academies such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have come under fire for a lack of diversity in their nominations list, and ahead of this year's ceremony, the British Academy bosses reiterated their vow to recognise a wider range of films and actors.
AJ Odudu made a phenomenal red carpet appearance for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon.

Posing up a storm at London's Royal Albert Hall, the gorgeous TV presenter, 34, was dressed in a striking gown comprising a mesh top half and stunning sequin bottom.

The black dress also featured a plunging frill and AJ completed her look with complimentary jewellery.

Stunning: AJ Odudu made a phenomenal red carpet appearance for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon

AJ, who is hosting this year's red carpet, opted for a full palette of makeup to accentuate her natural beauty and allowed her black tresses to cascade down her shoulders.

AJ shared a clip of herself getting her hair and makeup done in the Savoy Hotel ahead of the ceremony.

Speaking to her followers, she said: 'Getting my wig plucked, getting ready to meet all the stars on the red carpet from 3pm.

All smiles: Posing up a storm at London's Royal Albert Hall, the gorgeous TV presenter, 34, was dressed in a striking gown comprising a mesh top half and stunning sequin bottom

Host: AJ, who is hosting this year's red carpet, opted for a full palette of makeup to accentuate her natural beauty and allowed her black tresses to cascade down her shoulders (pictured with Tom Allen)

Pampering: AJ shared a clip of herself getting her hair and makeup done in the Savoy Hotel ahead of the ceremony

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony this evening, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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?'

Rebel treated herself to a facial on Saturday before the big night.

The Australian comedian shared a clip of herself wrapped in a towel during her pampering session before the work begins.

Bliss: Rebel Wilson, who is this year's presenter, treated herself to a facial on Saturday before the big night

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladmir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.
Shalom Brune-Franklin put on a busty display in a black cut-out gown as she graced the red carpet of the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards held at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.

The actress, 27, looked sensational in the plunging sequinned gown as she mingled with the great and good of film and television at the prestigious ceremony.

Shalom, who's best known for her roles in Our Girl and Line Of Duty, showcased her figure in the flowing dress which featured cut-outs that gave a glimpse of her toned midriff.

Gorgeous: Shalom Brune-Franklin put on a busty display in a black cut-out gown as she graced the red carpet of the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards held at London 's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday

The beauty boosted her height with strappy black heels, while opting to forgo other accessories save for a selection of silver rings and stunning earrings - all from iconic jewellers De Beers.

Shalom, who also stars alongside BAFTA-nominated Jamie Dornan in The Tourist, rounded off her chic look by sweeping her curly raven locks into a stylish up do.

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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.

Stunner: The actress, 27, looked sensational in the plunging sequinned gown as she mingled with the great and good of film and television at the prestigious ceremony

'Its a very hard time for comedians, because what can you say without being cancelled?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

Looking good: Shalom, who's best known for her roles in Our Girl and Line Of Duty , showcased her figure in the flowing dress which featured cut-outs that gave a glimpse of her toned midriff

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

Red carpet look: She boosted her height with strappy black heels, while opting to forgo other accessories save for silver rings and stunning earrings - all from iconic jewellers De Beers

Glowing: The actress looked radiant as she flashed a smile at the glitzy event

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Strie a pose: She stopped for a fun snap with fellow actress Naomi Ackie

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year's list of nods falls short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year's 12.

In recent years BAFTA, and other film Academies such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have come under fire for a lack of diversity in their nominations list, and ahead of this year's ceremony, the British Academy bosses reiterated their vow to recognise a wider range of films and actors.
Lucy Boynton cut a glamorous figure as she arrived on the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The actress, 28, ensured she caught the eye in a sheer black and white Chanel SS22 Couture dress with a leg split.

Bohemian Rhapsody star Lucy's gown featured sequinned detail at the top which glistened in the light as she posed.

In style: Lucy Boynton, 28, looked glamorous in a sheer black and white Chanel SS22 Couture dress at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday

The star wore a pair of sparkling silver pendulum earrings and a dazzling gold ring on her hand.

She added a few inches to her stature by opting for a pair of black and white heels.

Lucy wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features and wore her bob hairstyle hair in loose curls.

Glamour puss: Bohemian Rhapsody star Lucy's gown featured sequinned detail at the top which glistened in the light as she posed

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony this evening, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

Completing the look: Lucy wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features and wore her bob hairstyle hair in loose curls

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Accessorising: The star wore a pair of sparkling silver pendulum earrings and a dazzling gold ring on her hand

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year's list of nods falls short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year's 12.
Russian forces continued their relentless attack on Ukraine Saturday, making an all-out assault on the city of Mariupol.

Troops also continued to push toward the capital of Kyiv and batter other parts of the nation, but Mariupol is bearing the worst of the carnage in Vladimir Putins unprovoked war against Russias western neighbor.

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Ukrainian officials said Russians shelled a mosque where 80 people had gathered to take refuge from the assault. The Russians also pillaged a convoy trying to bring humanitarian aid to the besieged city.

Police officers and residents stand next to a shell crater in front of a house damaged by recent shelling, on Saturday. (DIMITAR DILKOFF/AFP via Getty Images)

They are bombing it 24 hours a day, launching missiles, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video address. It is hatred. They kill children.

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Mariupol is the 10th-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of about 430,000. It has strategic importance as a port on the Azov Sea.

The mayors office said more than 1,500 people have been killed in the city since Putin started the war on Feb. 24. The fierce shelling has thwarted efforts to bury the victims in mass graves.

A Mariupol hospital came under fire, and people seeking shelter lined the hallways.

One of them was Anastasiya Erashova, who held a sleeping child as she detailed how her other child and her brothers child had been killed in the attack.

We came to my brothers (place), all of us together. The women and children went underground, and then some mortar struck that building, Erashova said. We were trapped underground, and two children died. No one was able to save them.

A Ukrainian serviceman exits a damaged building after shelling in Kyiv on Saturday. (ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images)

Russian attacks have hit at least two dozen hospitals and medical facilities, the World Health Organization said.

Satellite images released Saturday revealed stark scenes of devastation, with fires burning in several parts of Mariupol and heavy damage to homes, apartments, homes and other structures.

An emergency coordinator for Doctors Without Borders, Alex Wade, told CNN that Mariupol has been without clean drinking water for a week.

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Theyre using snow and rain water, theyre breaking into heating systems to access the water in heating systems, Wade said. But for many, water has already run out and so has the food for many people.

The only people left with food are those who have stocks that theyre rationing, he added. I think we can say were in the disaster phase now.

The invaders continued their move on Kyiv. Russian forces that had been massed north of Kyiv had moved to within 15 miles of the city center and spread out, likely in a move to encircle the capital, Britains Defense Ministry said.

As the Ukrainian military and civilians continued their fight, their president said there is only one way Russia could capture Kyiv.

They will come here only if they kill us all, Zelenskyy said. If that is their goal, let them come.

Russian forces shelled a a convoy of hundreds of people fleeing Peremoha, about 12 miles northeast of Kyiv, killing seven people, including a child, Ukraines defense ministry said.

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In the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, bodies lay out in the open Saturday on streets and in a park.

When I woke up in the morning, everything was covered in smoke, Irpin resident Serhy Protsenko told a reporter. Everything was dark. We dont know who is shooting and where.

Zelenskyy also accused Russia of employing a new stage of terror by kidnapping Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of Melitopol, a city of 150,000 in the southeastern part of Ukraine.

Russians control Melitopol, and Fedorov was reportedly hauled off by soldiers on Friday for refusing to cooperate with the occupying forces.

During the abduction, they put a plastic bag over his head, Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraines interior minister, told the news agency Interfax Ukraine. The enemy detained him in the city crisis center, where he dealt with the life support of the Ukrainian city.

Residents took to the streets of Melitopol on Saturday to protest Fedorovs abduction.

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A man plays with a child before she boards a Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, on Saturday. (VADIM GHIRDA/AP)

Please hear in Moscow! Zelenskyy said. Another protest against Russian troops, against attempts to bring the city to its knees.

A new mayor, Galina Danilchenko, was installed, CNN reported.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the fighting began last month.

At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, the United Nations refugee agency reported.

President Biden approved an additional $200 million in arms and equipment for Ukraine, the White House said Saturday.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin revealed that Putin spoke Saturday with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz. On the 90-minute call, Putin talked about issues related to agreements under discussion to implement the Russian demands for ending the war, the Kremlin said without giving specific details.

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Putin previously has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and accept Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which Putin annexed from Ukraine in 2014.

A Russian news agency reported that a Russian official cautioned Sweden and Finland that Moscow would take retaliatory measures if those countries tried to join NATO.

A Swedish official dismissed Russias rant.

Russia has nothing to do with our independent decisions, Foreign Minister Ann Linde told Swedish news agency TT on Saturday.

In addition to appealing to the West for more aid, Zelenskyy is seeking ways to stop the fighting. He told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday that he would be open to meeting Putin in Jerusalem, but Russia would first have to institute a ceasefire.

Putin thus far has rejected Zelenskyys offers to talk.

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Two-time Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk nearly died of a heart attack last summer, so when his comedy colleague Bob Saget passed away it made him reflect on the kind of person he aspires to be.

'I only met him one time and he really was a genuinely sweet guy who cared about other people,' the 59-year-old Illinois native said on Sunday Today with Willie Geist.

'And you could have a brief conversation with him and feel very connected very quickly. I would like to try to be a little more like him as I move forward.'

Legacy: Two-time Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk (L) nearly died of a heart attack last summer, so when his comedy colleague Bob Saget (R) passed away it made him reflect on the kind of person he aspires to be

The Fuller House actor tragically died, age 65, from blunt head trauma on January 9 during a stop in Florida on his stand-up comedy tour.

Meanwhile, Odenkirk had stents inserted into his heart to fix a blockage in his widow-maker artery after collapsing on the New Mexico set of Better Call Saul on July 28.

'That's why it's called the widow-maker, because you die when that happens,' explained Bob, who was warned he had plaque buildup back in 2018.

'But I went down. And I was very lucky that my co-stars Rhea Seehorn and Patrick Fabian were right nearby.'

The 59-year-old Illinois native said on Sunday Today with Willie Geist (L): 'I only met him one time and he really was a genuinely sweet guy who cared about other people'

Odenkirk continued: 'And you could have a brief conversation with him and feel very connected very quickly. I would like to try to be a little more like him as I move forward'

RIP: The Fuller House actor tragically died, age 65, from blunt head trauma on January 9 during a stop in Florida on his stand-up comedy tour (pictured January 9)

The pair alerted their AMC show's health officer Rosa Estrada and Angie Meyer, who immediately performed CPR on the Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama author.

'They broke my ribs like you're supposed to and carried on until the ambulance arrived,' recalled Odenkirk.

'And also, Rosa had an AED device, which is a defibrillator, in her car. So because she had that, she was able to go get it and it took only three tries. I was not present [conscious] for any of it, but I was told it was a pretty shocking day on set.'

And while Bob considers social media a 'cesspool' he was touched by the fans and friends reaching out to him through their platforms.

Health scare: Bob had stents inserted into his heart to fix a blockage in his widow-maker artery after collapsing on the New Mexico set of Better Call Saul on July 28

The Comedy Comedy Comedy Drama author - who was warned he had plaque buildup back in 2018 - explained: 'That's why it's called the widow-maker, because you die when that happens'

Odenkirk added: 'But I went down. And I was very lucky that my co-stars Rhea Seehorn (R, pictured December 7) and Patrick Fabian (L) were right nearby'

'Occasionally it's a place that people share their best selves. And that's what people did with me,' the Nobody producer-star said.

'And I didn't know about it until about a week or two later when people showed me the outpouring of love that came my way that I don't deserve. But I appreciate very much. And for the rest of my life will be thinking about and trying to be worthy of.'

Odenkirk - who was back on the set by September 8 - has a newfound appreciation for the life he gets to live and the people in his life.

'We're all so driven these days, and pack our days full of work and activity,' Bob noted.

'They broke my ribs like you're supposed to': The pair alerted their AMC show's health officer Rosa Estrada and Angie Meyer, who immediately performed CPR on Bob

The Nobody producer-star recalled: 'And also, Rosa had an AED device, which is a defibrillator, in her car. So because she had that, she was able to go get it and it took only three tries. I was not present [conscious] for any of it, but I was told it was a pretty shocking day on set'

'You gotta take a moment to just look people in the eye and tell them you love them': Odenkirk - who was back on the set by September 8 - has a newfound appreciation for the life he gets to live and the people in his life

'And you gotta take a moment to just look people in the eye and appreciate that they're with you. And to tell them you love them. And I'm gonna try to do a better job of that moving forward.'

The SAG Award winner's latest project - Summer in Argyle - was truly a family affair with wife Naomi Yomtov producing the Audible Original podcast and their 23-year-old son Nate co-writing it.

Odenkirk is in Arizona on Sunday where he's bringing his 14-date book tour to the Tucson Festival of Books and he's scheduled to speak at 2:30pm.

Family affair: Bob's latest project - Audible Original podcast Summer in Argyle - was produced by his wife Naomi Yomtov (M, pictured Friday at SXSW) and written by their 23-year-old son Nate (L)

In demand: The SAG Award winner is in Arizona on Sunday where he's bringing his 14-date book tour to the Tucson Festival of Books and he's scheduled to speak at 2:30pm

Bob concludes his role in the 13-episode sixth and final season of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's 2002-set Breaking Bad prequel, which premieres April 18 on AMC.

'If you're a fan of Breaking Bad and you haven't seen Better Call Saul yet, you should catch up because in our final season, the two shows are enmeshed like they've never been before,' the Mr. Show alum teased.

In it, Odenkirk pulls triple duty as con-artist Jimmy McGill, corrupt Albuquerque attorney Saul Goodman, and Nebraska Cinnabon manager Gene Takavic (who are all the same person).

Watch Better Call Saul only on Stan in Australia.

'The wicked flee when no man pursueth': Odenkirk concludes his role in the 13-episode sixth and final season of Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould's 2002-set Breaking Bad prequel, which premieres April 18 on AMC

Bob teased: 'If you're a fan of Breaking Bad and you haven't seen Better Call Saul yet, you should catch up because in our final season, the two shows are enmeshed like they've never been before'
Ferne McCann threw a fun-filled peacock themed bash as she reunited with original TOWIE castmates, James Argent and Billie Faiers on Saturday.

The reality TV star, 31, took to social media to share some sweet snaps of the trio as they danced the night away at the star-studded party.

Hosting the event alongside her boyfriend, Lorri Haines, Ferne named the lavish bash The Flozza Party, as a play on the couples names.

'Old pals': Ferne McCann reunited with original TOWIE co stars James Argent and Billie Faiers as she hosted a lavish star-studded bash with beau Lorri Haines on Saturday

Ferne looked incredible as she slipped into a stunning peacock inspired mini dress that was embellished with blue feathers and complete with a train.

She wore her caramel locks pulled back into a chic high ponytail and elongated her legs with a pair of strappy metallic heels.

The friends were beaming as they smiled for the camera, the pair have been close friends for years, well before the first series of TOWIE launched back in 2010.

Pals: The reality TV star took to social media to share some sweet snaps of the trio as they danced the night away at the star-studded party

In a joint post with Ferne, Lorri took to Instagram as he donned a dapper velvet suit for a glamorous photo with his beau.

Explaining their reasoning behind the celebration, he penned: 'The FLOZZA Party Last night was put together for the closest people to us, to meet, combine their energys and embrace our universal love symbol.

'Youre my PERSONThe PERSON I cant live without, the PERSON I cant stay mad at, and that PERSON that supports me in everything that I do. Being someones PERSON is a commitment!'

Sensational: Ferne looked incredible as she slipped into a stunning peacock inspired mini dress that was embellished with blue feathers and complete with a train

'The Flozza Party': In a joint post with Ferne, Lorri took to Instagram as he donned a dapper velvet suit for a glamorous photo with his beau

Elsewhere, newly engaged Vicky Pattison stepped out alongside her fiance Ercan Ramadan as they posed for photos with Ferne.

Geordie Shore star Vicky, slipped into a metallic tasseled teal mini dress and added peacock feathers to her hair.

Alongside her photo Vicky penned: 'Lovely night at Casa McCann last night getting our peacock on! (I've still got no clue about the theme so don't ask me... I just did what I was told)

Thank you for a lovely night @FerneMcCann and @LorriHaines Oh and @ErcanRamadan you look FIT.'

Couple: Elsewhere, newly engaged Vicky Pattison stepped out alongside her fiance Ercan Ramadan

All smiles: Geordie Shore star Vicky, slipped into a metallic tasseled teal mini dress and added peacock feathers to her hair

'Such a good night!': Boxer Shannon Courtenay also put in an appearance at the star-studded event

Celebration: Explaining their reasoning, Lorri penned: 'Last night was put together for the closest people to us, to meet, combine their energys and embrace our universal love symbol'

Ferne and Lorri's extravagant party took place in a tent at Ferne's house that was decked out in peacock themed decorations, complete with a DJ and a huge cake.

Panning around the impressive room, Ferne showcased the event as she went all out for the celebration.

The TOWIE star has been in a relationship with Dubai based estate agent Lorri since January 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.
Daisy Ridley ensured all eyes were on her as she attended the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The actress, 29, looked nothing short of sensational as she donned a black off the shoulder gown with a ruffled embellishment.

The garment featured a pleated hemline and a sheer detail while Daisy added height to her frame with a pair of black heels.

Outfit: Daisy Ridley ensured all eyes were on her as she attended the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday

The Star Wars actress slicked her hair back into a sleek updo while she also sported a silver necklace.

Posing up a storm on the red carpet, Daisy completed her look for the evening with a light pallet of makeup.

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

Style: The actress, 29, looked nothing short of sensational as she donned a black off the shoulder gown with a ruffled embellishment

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

Radiant: The garment featured a pleated hemline and a sheer detail while Daisy added height to her frame with a pair of black heels

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons.

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

Success: The nominations were announced last month with Dune leading with 11

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Success: The British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.
Rachel Zegler put on a busty display in a blue off-the-shoulder gown as she graced the red carpet of the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards held at London 's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.

The actress, 20, exuded glamour in the showstopping plunging satin ensemble as she stepped out for the UK's biggest celebration of global excellence in film.

Rachel, who's best known for her standout role as Maria Vasquez in West Side Story showcased her phenomenal figure in the flowing dress which featured an elegant train.

Stunning: Rachel Zegler put on a busty display in a blue off-the-shoulder gown as she graced the red carpet of the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards held at London 's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday

The beauty elevated her height with a pair of gold strappy platform heeled sandals.

She finished off the best dressed look with a dazzling diamond drop necklace with pear shaped emerald stone and matching earrings while adding a selection of silver rings.

The American actress looked radiant as she styled her hair in an elegant bob with side parting.

Rachel was glowing as she opted for a full face of glamorous makeup with a nude lip.

Gorgeous: The actress, 20, exuded glamour in the showstopping plunging satin ensemble as she stepped out for the UK's biggest celebration of global excellence in film

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Elegant: The actress, 20, exuded glamour in the showstopping plunging satin ensemble as she stepped out for the UK's biggest celebration of global excellence in film

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

Co-stars: Rachel was joined on the red carpet with Michael David Faist who played Riff, the leader of the Jets, in Stephen Spielberg's West Side Story

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

Bling: She finished off the best dressed look with a dazzling diamond drop necklace with pear shaped emerald stone and matching earrings while adding a selection of silver rings

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

Looking good: The beauty elevated her height with a pair of gold strappy platform heeled sandals

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Best dressed look: The American actress was glowing as she styled her hair in an elegant bob with side parting

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year's list of nods falls short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year's 12.

In recent years BAFTA, and other film Academies such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have come under fire for a lack of diversity in their nominations list, and ahead of this year's ceremony, the British Academy bosses reiterated their vow to recognise a wider range of films and actors.
Kanye West took to Instagram on Sunday morning with a slew of new attacks aimed against a myriad of people and places, including social media, his children's private school and actor DL Hughley after his eight-year-old daughter shared a lip-synching TikTok clip on Wednesday to the account she shares with her mother, Kim Kardashian.

In one particular video, the 44-year-old rapper specifically targeted his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, and told her to 'stop antagonizing me' over North's interest in creating videos for the site, an issue he's long been against.

'Hey everybody I just got off the phone with Kim. I told her to stop antagonizing me with this TikTok thing,' he said in a minute-long clip posted with the caption 'No Tik Tok video.'

'I said it's never again. I am her father,' he said. 'I know ya'll don't respect fathers and the idea of family and the media tries to promote something. I said I am not allowing my daughter to be used by TikTok to be used by Disney.

Kanye West specifically targeted his estranged wife, Kim Kardashian, and told her to 'stop antagonizing me' over North's interest in creating videos for the site, an issue he's long been against

'I have a say so and then when people say they're going to use this for you in court ... I don't even, I didn't have a say so on whether or not they went to Sierra Canyon. Most men do not. There's no such thing as 50/50 custody in society today - It always leans toward the mom, and I'm happy that you guys got to see such a small piece of what I dealt with. You understand what I'm saying?'

West's first attack started earlier in the morning when he took a grab of Kim's face from the short clip and shared it to his own Instagram account with a lengthy caption.

'I told yall before about this tik tok stuff Now my 8 year old on here singing she fell in love with an emo girl Leftist dont want fathers to have no say in our childrens lives,' he wrote.

'I dont want my kids at godless Sierra Canyon school I got a voice and Im not having this And Perez Hilton you still aint answer my question And never put my name next to the word abuse Dont play with my name like that Im a real person who wants the best for my children And DL Hughley is a pawn.

'I have a say so and then when people say they're going to use this for you in court ... I don't even, I didn't have a say so on whether or not they went to Sierra Canyon,' he said in the winded rant. 'Most men do not'

'I have a say so and then when people say they're going to use this for you in court ... I don't even, I didn't have a say so on whether or not they went to Sierra Canyon. Most men do not. There's no such thing as 50/50 custody in society today - It always leans toward the mom, and I'm happy that you guys got to see such a small piece of what I dealt with. You understand what I'm saying?'

Long night: He then shared a screenshot of a Google image where he had looked up the comedian's name and wrote: 'Wuuuuuut??? DL lives in Calabasas???????? Yoooooo God is good'

'Yeah I know a king not supposed to address a pawn but I address everything and find addresses DL So dont speak on me or my children I can afford to hurt u.'

He then shared a screenshot of a Google image where he had looked up the comedian's name and wrote: 'Wuuuuuut??? DL lives in Calabasas???????? Yoooooo God is good.'

Just last week, Hughley said what was on everyone's mind during a conversation with VladTV as he admitted Kanye's outbursts online have crossed too many lines.

'He is stalking her. You can think its cute. If it was my daughter, Id do something about it,' Hughley said. 'I dont think its funny. I think that you cant write a beat so good that you get to do these things. And society laughs it off because they say, "Well, shes showing her ass all the time and hes this and hes that."'

Kanye continued on with posting screenshots from his phone and shared one gender-biased text which read: 'They're trying to use North against you. They know that's your only trigger. They aren't using the other kids because they aren't old enough & are pretty much babies. Saint on Tik Tok wouldn't trigger you as much because he's your son & our boys have US in them. North & Chi pull on your heart strings the most because they are the delicate children. They're girls & we our protectors due to our knowledge of women being abused in this world.'

A protector to the girls, but not the boys: Kanye continued on with posting screenshots from his phone and shared one gender-biased text

In one screenshot of a text to 'Kim Other Phone,' it appeared as though Kanye wrote in blue: 'When I say bring my kids somewhere, I'm not going through this no more. Why the f*** is it up to you where my kids are if we so called have joint custody.'

Yikes: In one screenshot of a text to 'Kim Other Phone,' it appeared as though Kanye wrote in blue: 'When I say bring my kids somewhere, I'm not going through this no more. Why the f*** is it up to you where my kids are if we so called have joint custody'

Kim and North starred in a new TikTok video shared on Wednesday night where they rocked out on social media in black makeup.

The eight-year-old seemed to play creative director as she picked up the phone to sing along to a Machine Gun Kelly and Willow Smith song called 'emo girl' with her cousin, Penelope Disick.

The girls knew all the lyrics to the punk rock beat where Kim made an appearance with jet black makeup streaming down her face despite multiple efforts by her estranged husband, Kanye West, to keep North off the online platforms.

Rock out: Kim Kardashian and her eldest daughter, North, starred in a new TikTok video shared on Wednesday night where they rocked out on social media in black makeup

It seemed to be all fun and games for the girls as North danced around wearing smudged black makeup around her eyes and on her lips.

She showed off braces and braided hair while wearing a white T-shirt to match her cousin's threads as they sang: 'I fell in love with an emo girl.'

Kim played along with her long brunette hair tied back except for a few strands framing her face, and dark makeup dripping down her cheeks for the quick clip that had already amassed two millions likes overnight.

Impressive: The eight-year-old seemed to play creative director as she picked up the phone to sing along to a Machine Gun Kelly and Willow Smith song called 'emo girl' with her cousin, Penelope Disick

Good times: It seemed to be all fun and games for the girls as North danced around wearing smudged black makeup around her eyes and on her lips

Star power: Penelope, Kourtney's daughter with ex Scott Disick, was having a blast with her aunt and cousin as she stepped in for a cameo on the clip

In a since-deleted post from earlier this year, Ye shared a picture of North, eight, on Instagram last month asking in the caption, 'Since this is my first divorce I need to know what should I do about my daughter being put on TikTok against my will?'

Hours later, Kim hit back on her Instagram slamming Kanye's 'constant attacks' on her, accusing him of causing their family 'pain' in a lengthy statement, where she referred to herself as the 'main caregiver.'

Kanye then responded again, screenshotting Kim's statement and posting another response saying: 'What do you mean by main provider ? America saw you try to kidnap my daughter on her birthday by not providing the address.'

Having fun: Kim played along with her long brunette hair tied back except for a few strands framing her face, and dark makeup dripping down her cheeks for the quick clip that had already amassed two millions likes overnight

Expert: She showed off braces and braided hair while wearing a white T-shirt to match her cousin's threads as they sang: 'I fell in love with an emo girl'

Custody drama: The former couple came to blows before arguing about Kim putting their daughter on TikTok 'against his will'

'You put security on me inside of the house to play with my son then accused me of stealing I had to take a drug test after Chicago's party cause you accused me of being on drugs. Tracy Romulus stop manipulating Kim to be this way.'

Tracy Romulus is the Chief Financial Officer of Kim Kardashian West Brands and a close friend of the Hulu reality star.

In Kim's lengthy rebuttal of Kanye's initial post, she wrote: 'Kanye's constant attacks on me in interviews and social media is actually more hurtful than any TikTok North might create.'

'As the parent who is the main provider and caregiver for our children, I am doing my best to protect our daughter while also allowing her to express her creativity in the medium that she wishes with adult supervision - because it brings her happiness.

'Divorce is difficult enough on our children and Kanye's obsession with trying to control and manipulate our situation so negatively and publicly is only causing further pain for all.'

Hitting back: Kim Kardashian has issued a fiery response to her estranged husband Kanye West after he claimed their daughter North is being put on TikTok 'against his will'

He's not done: Kanye then responded to Kim's initial rebuttal, claiming that he was made to take a drug test before entering Chicago's birthday party

Back for more: The rapper later posted the guidelines surrounding minors joining TikTok in another pointed dig at his ex Kim

'From the beginning I have wanted nothing but a healthy and supportive co-parenting relationship because it is what is best for our children and it saddens me that Kanye continues to make it impossible every step of the way.'

She finished her post by stating: 'I wish to handle all matters regarding our children privately and hopefully he can finally respond to the third attorney he has had in the last year to resolve any issues amicably.'

It comes just a month after Kanye stated in a podcast that he did not want North to appear on the social media platform, saying: 'I'm not there to approve that.'

Kim and North's joint TikTok account currently has 6.1million followers and says in the bio: 'Me and my bestie, Managed by an adult.'

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 estranged husband Kanye West. They share four children together.

Kanye has not taken their separation well and has continued to exhibit aggressive behavior against Pete and a slew of other Kardashian affiliates online.

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.
Millie Bobby Brown looked nothing short of sensational as she attended the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The actress, 18, was joined on the red carpet by her boyfriend Jake Bongiovi, 19, who is the son of musician Jon Bon Jovi.

The Stranger Things star donned a black velvet top with a plunging neckline which she paired with a sheer crop top.

Couple: Millie Bobby Brown looked sensational as she attended the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday alongside her boyfriend Jake Bongiovi

The garment also featured a pleated hemline while Millie paired it with a sheer pleated skirt.

Wearing her brunette locks slicked back, Millie added glamour to her look with a silver necklace.

Jake looked smart in a classic black suit which he wore with a white shirt and black bow tie.

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

Outfit: The Stranger Things star donned a black velvet top with a plunging neckline which she paired with a sheer crop top

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladmir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.

Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score.

Fashion: The garment also featured a pleated hemline while Millie paired it with a sheer pleated skirt

The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul.

Hans Zimmer was once again recognised in the Original Score category after battling it out against Being The Ricardos, Don't Look Up, The French Dispatch and The Power of the Dog.

However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf.

Success: Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night

Leading Actress Joanna admitted to being overwhelmed by her success when she took to the stage.

Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award.

But she explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears'.

Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film.

The success marked the first BAFTA win of Will's career, but he wasn't able to attend the ceremony in London.

Success: No Time To Die was a big winner on the night with Tom Cross and Elliot Graham winning Best Editing, beating Belfast, Dune, Licorice Pizza and Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).

After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award.

The actress, 34, portrayed MI6 agent Nomi inJames Bond's No Time to Die.

She said: 'Thank you everyone who voted. Wow thank you everyone involved in No Time To Die, my career, my parents, my grandparents who came from Jamaica - the Windrush generation. I am thankful for them for my existence.'
He lost out on the Best Actor gong in a surprise snub.

But Benedict Cumberbatch didn't let his loss dampen the party spirit as he was seen cosying up to his gorgeous wife Sophie Hunter at the BAFTA afterparty held at London's Grosvenor House on Sunday night.

The actor, who stars in the multi-nominated Power Of The Dog, looked dapper in a classic tux while showing his support for Ukraine with his lapel pin.

Sweet: Benedict Cumberbatch didn't let his loss dampen the party spirit as he was seen cosying up to wife Sophie Hunter at the BAFTA afterparty at London's Grosvenor House

The actor took the opportunity to show his support for the war-torn country, which has seen more than 2.6 million flee.

Benedict jazzed up his tuxedo by opting for a velvet black jacket, but more importantly wore a blue and yellow pin to represent the Ukraine flag.

Sophie oozed sophistication in her floor length dark gold frock, which featured pretty plaited straps and a faux cross-over neckline.

The theatre and opera director was able to forgo a handbag thanks to the useful pockets in the skirt of her dress.

Kiss me quick: The two were in great spirits at the afterparty, with a smitten Benedict kissing his wife for the cameras

Snubbed: The actor, who stars in the multi-nominated Power Of The Dog, lost out to Will Smith in the Best Actor category on Sunday night

Sophie's brunette tresses were styled into a chic bun at the nape of her neck and she accessorised with drop-earings.

The two were in great spirits at the afterparty, with a smitten Benedict kissing his wife for the cameras before they mingled with the likes of his Power Of The Dog co-star Kodi Smitt-McPhee.

Benedict's visual support for Ukraine comes after BAFTA attendees were advised to 'dress respectably' due to the ongoing Russian invasion.

'Several senior showbiz agents have advised stars to dress respectably, amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,' a source told the Sun on Sunday.

'The last thing they want is something like Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress or anything too controversial.'

Dream team: The Power Of The Dog did take home Best Film though with Benedict celebrating with his co-star Kodi Smit-McPhee and producer Iain Canning

Looking suave: Benedict jazzed up his tuxedo by opting for a velvet black jacket, but more importantly wore a blue and yellow pin to represent the Ukraine flag

What a night: The esteemed actor looked a tad bleary-eyed as Sophie guided him to their car after their night of partying

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

Making a statement: Earlier in the evening Benedict and Sophie were looking super chic as they posed together on the red carpet at London's Royal Albert Hall

Showing support: Benedict's visual support for Ukraine comes after BAFTA attendees were advised to 'dress respectably' due to the ongoing Russian invasion

Gorgeous: Sophie oozed sophistication in her floor length dark gold frock, which featured pretty plaited straps and a faux cross-over neckline
Lea Seydoux looked every inch the glamorous star as she graced the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The French actress, 36, wore a glitzy black and silver sequinned floor-length dress by Louis Vuitton for the star-studded event.

Her off-the-shoulder gown featured a low-cut sweetheart neckline, with the figure-hugging garment perfectly accentuating her hourglass figure.

Fashion focus: Lea Seydoux, 36, looked glamorous as she graced the red carpet at this year's BAFTAs in a glitzy black and silver sequinned floor-length dress by Louis Vuitton on Sunday

Lea gave onlookers a glimpse at her midriff through a black sheer panel just above the waist.

She wore a pair of matching sleeves and accessorised with a pair of sparkling pendulum earrings.

The Story of My Wife star Lea went for a simple look with her make-up to highlight her natural beauty.

In style: Her off-the-shoulder gown featured a low-cut sweetheart neckline, with the figure-hugging garment perfectly accentuating her hourglass figure

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony this evening, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

Fashion forward: Lea gave onlookers a glimpse at her midriff through a black sheer panel just above the waist

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Glitterati: She wore a pair of matching sleeves and accessorised with a pair of sparkling pendulum earrings

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year's list of nods falls short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year's 12.
Salma Hayek put on a busty display as she graced the red carpet for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon.

Posing up a storm at London's Royal Albert Hall, the House of Gucci star, 55, wore a plunging purple velvet dress with gothic mesh which accentuated her more than ample assets.

The Mexican-American actress completed her show stopping number with black heels that added height to her already toned pins.

Stunning: Salma Hayek put on a busty display as she graced the red carpet for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon

Salma wore her brunette tresses up in a slicked back bun and accessorised with statement rings and a black manicure.

The actress sported a make-up look created by Sofia Tilbury using products from her aunt Charlotte Tilbury's product line, including the Collagen Superfusion Facial Oil, the Beautiful Skin Foundation, the Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Mascara and the Matte Revolution Lipstick.

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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.

Wow! Posing up a storm at London 's Royal Albert Hall, the House of Gucci star, 55, wore a plunging purple velvet dress with gothic mesh which accentuated her more than ample assets

Leggy: The Mexican-American actress completed her show stopping number with black heels that added height to her already toned pins

Fashion: Salma wore her brunette tresses up in a slicked back bun and opted for a full palette of makeup

'Its a very hard time for comedians, because what can you say without being cancelled?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

Stylish: The actress accessorised with white bird earrings and showed off a fresh manicure

Beauty: The actress had the professionals at Charlotte Tilbury Beauty paint her face with a full palette of makeup, which focused particularly on accentuating her eyes

Beautiful: The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons.

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

Gothic: While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12

Adjustment: It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar

Elegant: While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog

Hello: The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

Pose: Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations

Gucci: The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing)

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.
She made history as the first black female 007 in No Time To Die.

And Lashana Lynch, put on an elegant display as she graced the red carpet for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.

The actress, 34, who is nominated for the EE Rising Star Award, looked sensational in a dramatic black midi dress at the star-studded event.

The asymmetric number featured a long train that fell from a bow at one shoulder and trailed across the red carpet.

Chic: Lashana Lynch stunned in an elegant gown at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards after she received a nomination for the Rising Star Award on Sunday

The dress was pulled in at her waist to showcase her incredible figure with a think ribbon that gathered the fabric together.

She added height to her frame with a pair of pointed toe stiletto heels and opted to keep her accessories to a minimum.

To complete her look, Lashana added a pop of colour to her ensemble with a slick of cherry red lipstick.

Elegant: The actress who is nominated for the EE Rising Star Award, looked sensational in a dramatic black midi dress at the star-studded event at London's Royal Albert Hall

Lashana is nominated alongside Harris Dickinson, Millicent Simmonds, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Ariana DeBose for the EE Rising Star award.

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

Sophisticated: The asymmetric number featured a long train that fell from a bow at one shoulder and trailed across the red carpet

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

Amazing! Lashana is nominated alongside Harris Dickinson, Millicent Simmonds, Kodi Smit-McPhee and Ariana DeBose for the EE Rising Star award for her role in No Time to Die

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

Wow! Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations

Successes: The action-packed epic landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

Show-stopping: Lashana made history as the first black female 007 in No Time To Die
There are many good reasons that New York isnt globally known as the static city or the city that never changes. Whats made it a global cultural icon and economic powerhouse is a sort of restless adaptability. Some of it has been hit or miss  just ask some New Yorkers about some of Robert Moses highways or the transformation of Times Square over the years  but its all served to keep the five boroughs dynamic.

Make way for housing. (Shutterstock/Shutterstock)

Now, were emerging from a transformative crisis, one which should force us to adapt. We have often joined Mayor Adams and other prominent officials in calling for employers to start charting a return to the office and reengaging with our dormant business districts, revitalizing neighborhood economies ravaged by the pandemic.

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Still, its pointless not to face facts: Some portion of the bustling ecosystem of city offices is gone, permanently. Employers are keenly aware that many of their workers have grown accustomed to the flexibility and convenience of at-home work, and will sooner leave their jobs rather than be forced back into the office. Thats a gamble many businesses wont take. Plus, theyre happy to save a few hundred thousand dollars annually on rents.

The worst thing we can do now is engage in wishful thinking or simply give up on this empty office space. Instead, its time to plan strategically about how to potentially repurpose it for optimal use for current and future New Yorkers. Its obvious that some of that will entail conversion to housing or other productive uses, and real estate industry players are right to focus particularly on less-desirable classes of office space in Midtown, the epicenter of deserted offices.

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Thousands of units, including gravely needed affordable housing, could be fashioned from current office buildings not liable to attract new tenants, putting abandoned space back on the tax rolls. This wont be easy or cheap, which is why we should revisit the restrictive Midtown rezoning, and provide incentives for conversions. Just dont let space sit fallow while theyre crying need.
Rebel Wilson dazzled as she graced the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The actress, 42, who is hosting this year's ceremony, showed off her glamorous sense of style in a tiered black mesh Giambattista Valli SS19 Couture dress with blue sequin detail.

Australian star Rebel showed off her slimline figure after her weight loss in recent months as the dress was cinched in at the waist by a black ribbon.

Star quality: Rebel Wilson, 42, dazzled on the red carpet at the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday in a tiered Giambattista Valli SS19 Couture dress

Her naked arms and shoulders were left exposed to the air as she arrived at the star-studded bash.

She wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features and accessorised with a pair of sparkling Bulgari Fiorever earrings in white gold with two pear diamonds, and 14 round brilliant diamonds as well as pave-set diamonds.

She carried a 1,760 Bulgari Cocktail hard clutch in black Papier nappa leather.

Glamour puss: Australian star Rebel showed off her slimline figure after her weight loss in recent months as the dress was cinched in at the waist by a black ribbon

Rebel recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes during the Academy's 75th ceremony this weekend.

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?'

In style: Her naked arms and shoulders were left exposed to the air as she arrived at the star-studded bash

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladimir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.

Glitterati: Rebel recently admitted to her nerves at hosting and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes during the Academy's 75th ceremony

Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score.

The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul.

Hans Zimmer was once again recognised in the Original Score category after battling it out against Being The Ricardos, Don't Look Up, The French Dispatch and The Power of the Dog.

Glitterati: She wore lashings of make-up to highlight her pretty facial features and accessorised with a pair of sparkling Bulgari Fiorever diamond earrings

However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf.

Leading Actress Joanna admitted to being overwhelmed by her success when she took to the stage.

Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award.

But she explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears'.

Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film.

The success marked the first BAFTA win of Will's career, but he wasn't able to attend the ceremony in London.

After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award.

The actress, 34, portrayed MI6 agent Nomi inJames Bond's No Time to Die.

She said: 'Thank you everyone who voted. Wow thank you everyone involved in No Time To Die, my career, my parents, my grandparents who came from Jamaica - the Windrush generation. I am thankful for them for my existence.

I am proud to come from a working class family, I have been taught about failure, about no's and how to celebrate your yeses. Now I get to celebrate a yes, I never expected.

'I want to thank the women who taught me how to be in this industry as a dark skinned women. Thank you for laying the foundations for people like me. I appreciate it. Thank you.'

And No Time To Die was a big winner on the night with Tom Cross and Elliot Graham winning Best Editing, beating Belfast, Dune, Licorice Pizza and Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).
Emma Watson looked effortlessly glamorous as she took to the red carpet for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon.

The Harry Potter star, 31, put on a show-stopping display in a statement gown featuring a plunging black halter-neck top and a cream tulle skirt with an elegant train.

She strutted up the red carpet at London's Royal Albert Hall in a pair of pointed black heels adorned with beaded ankle straps, which added several inches to her frame.

Wow! Emma Watson looked effortlessly glamorous as she took to the red carpet for the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday afternoon

Emma styled her brunette tresses in a loose wave while she bolstered her natural good looks with a smokey-eye make-up palette and a slick of lipgloss.

The actress accessorised her sensational ensemble with a glitzy pair of silver tassel earrings and an array of understated silver rings, while she held a white beaded clutch in one hand.

The Beauty And The Beast star appeared to be in excellent spirits as she was seen laughing and flashing a huge grin as she graced the BAFTA red carpet.

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

Gorgeous: The Harry Potter star, 31, put on a show-stopping display in a statement gown featuring a plunging black halter-neck top and a cream tulle skirt with an elegant train

BAFTA: She strutted up the red carpet at London's Royal Albert Hall in a pair of pointed black heels adorned with beaded ankle straps, which added several inches to her frame

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladimir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.

Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score.

The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul.

Chic: Emma styled her brunette tresses in a loose wave while she bolstered her natural good looks with a smokey-eye make-up palette and a slick of lipgloss

Stunning: The actress accessorised her sensational ensemble with a glitzy pair of silver tassel earrings and an array of understated silver rings

Fun times: The Beauty And The Beast star appeared to be in excellent spirits as she was seen laughing and flashing a huge grin as she graced the BAFTA red carpet

Hans Zimmer was once again recognised in the Original Score category after battling it out against Being The Ricardos, Don't Look Up, The French Dispatch and The Power of the Dog.

However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf.

Leading Actress Joanna admitted to being overwhelmed by her success when she took to the stage.

Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award.

Red carpet: Emma showed off her show-stopping sense of style as she struck a series of poses

Glamorous: Emma was the picture of radiance as she graced the red carpet

But she explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears'.

Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film.

The success marked the first BAFTA win of Will's career, but he wasn't able to attend the ceremony in London.

After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award.

The actress, 34, portrayed MI6 agent Nomi in James Bond's No Time to Die.

Career: Her appearance on the red carpet comes after she joined her Harry Potter cast mates for the reunion show

Fashionable: Emma showed off her toned pegs in her gorgeous dress, which featured a stunning tulle train

She said: 'Thank you everyone who voted. Wow thank you everyone involved in No Time To Die, my career, my parents, my grandparents who came from Jamaica - the Windrush generation. I am thankful for them for my existence.

I am proud to come from a working class family, I have been taught about failure, about no's and how to celebrate your yeses. Now I get to celebrate a yes, I never expected.

'I want to thank the women who taught me how to be in this industry as a dark skinned women. Thank you for laying the foundations for people like me. I appreciate it. Thank you.'

And No Time To Die was a big winner on the night with Tom Cross and Elliot Graham winning Best Editing, beating Belfast, Dune, Licorice Pizza and Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).

Ariana DeBose was awarded the gong for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story. The 31-year-old portrayed Anita in the adaptation of the 1957 musical. West Side Story also scooped Best Casting with Cindy Tolan.

Model material: The esteemed actress showed off her modelling skills as she struck a series of poses

Fans: She was seen stopping to sign autographs for her dedicated fans on the BAFTA red carpet on Sunday

Beauty: The bombshell flashed a huge smile and clutched a stunning beaded white clutch in one hand

The actress was against tough competition in the category as she went head-to head with Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Ariana said her win for best supporting actress in West Side Story is 'the wildest ride of my life' but she is 'thrilled' to see diversity at the London ceremony.

Speaking backstage after her win, DeBose said: 'Go in and show them what you have to offer, you are absolutely worthy, that is what this experience has taught me. It has been the wildest ride of my life and getting wilder every day.

'I will say it has been so overwhelming and exciting, this doesn't happen every day, but I am excited by the opportunity to work with different people - there is a rumour I am going to be in a Sony Marvel film, I am looking for new art to make.'

Belfast won Outstanding British Film, with director Kenneth Branagh saying: 'This is a black and white film about The Troubles, it was not an easy pitch but with the great talent in this room please remember if you build it, they will come.

Elegant: Emma added a few extra inches to her frame with her dainty heels

'Believe in the uniqueness of your story, your voice and the imagination of the public to embrace any story well told. Thank you very much for being so kind to ours, we deeply appreciate it.'

The actor also presented Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer which was awarded to Jeymes Samuel for The Harder They Fall.

Troy Kotsur took home Supporting Actor for Coda - following a teenager being the only hearing member of a deaf family, who struggles to balance her attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business and her own life aspirations.

Millie Bobby Brown and Florence Pugh gave him the award. The deaf actor, 53, said winning the BAFTA is a 'big pay-off for many years of hellish times'.
Haley Bennett looked flawless as she arrived at this year's BAFTAs at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The actress, 34, oozed glamour in a voluminous red gown featuring burgundy and brown body prints while accessorising her look with a collection of dazzling rings.

She coordinated the shade of her lipstick to the strapless number and wore her glossy ginger curls in a tousled ponytail.

Emerging: Haley Bennett looked flawless as she arrived at this year's BAFTA s at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Stunning: The actress, 34, oozed glamour in a voluminous red gown featuring burgundy and brown body prints

Chic: She accessorised her look with a collection of dazzling rings

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

Wow! She coordinated the shade of her lipstick to the strapless number and wore her glossy ginger curls in a tousled ponytail

Couple: The actress was joined by her partner Joe Wright who looked dapper in a black suit

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.
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The showbiz world united to make a statement against Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the British Academy Film Awards 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday.

Supermodel Naomi Campbell led the celebrities on the red carpet wearing black, while nominee Benedict Cumberbatch and former Made In Chelsea star Millie Mackintosh wore Ukrainian flag pins as a mark of solidarity.

Prior to the event, BAFTA bosses reportedly advised attendees to 'dress respectably' amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict' .

Red carpet: The showbiz world united to make a statement against Russia's invasion of Ukraine for the British Academy Film Awards 2022 at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday with Naomi Campbell (left) and Millie Mackintosh (right) leading the way

Naomi, 51, looked effortlessly demure in her floor-length gown which had sweeping sleeves and a square neckline, while Millie, 32, opted for an asymmetric powder pink satin dress and wore a ribbon with the colours of the Ukrainian flag on her waist.

Hollywood heavyweight Benedict, 45, whose film The Power Of The Dog leads the way with eight nominations, opted for a yellow and blue pin attached to the lapel of his black suit as he took to the red carpet with his wife Sophie.

Benedict, who has been nominated for the Leading Actor gong at the BAFTAs, said although he's looking forward to the ceremony, Benedict admits it's impossible to ignore the war in Ukraine.

Hollywood heavyweight Benedict, 45, whose film The Power Of The Dog leads the way with 11 nominations, opted for yellow and blue pin attached to the lapel of his black suit

Prior to the event, BAFTA bosses reportedly advised attendees to 'dress respectably' amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,' a source said (Benedict pictured with wife Sophie)

Awards night: The nominations for the BAFTA awards were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog (Benedict pictured) and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively

Speaking before the event, he shared: 'We have brothers and sisters who are suffering. It is a really shocking time to be a European, two-and-a-half hours' flight away from Ukraine. It's something that hangs over us.'

Benedict is keen to do everything he can to support the people of Ukraine, following the Russian invasion of the country.

The actor revealed he would even like to be part of a programme to take in Ukrainian refugees.

Walk this way: Naomi Campbell led the stars on the red carpet wearing black. The supermodel, 51, looked effortlessly demure in her floor-length gown which had sweeping sleeves and a square neckline

Fashion maven: Naomi, who is fresh from Fashion Week, complemented her red carpet ensemble with a chunky bracelet and green earrings

He told Sky News: 'Everyone needs to do as much as they can. I think already today the news has broken that there's been a record number of people volunteering to take people into their homes, and I hope to be part of that myself.'

Stephen Graham has also voiced his support for the people of Ukraine and wore a ribbon. The 48-year-old actor insisted the war in eastern Europe cannot be ignored.

Speaking on the red carpet, he said: 'It's lovely to be here with my family but at the same time it's important for me to acknowledge in public what is happening over there.'

Child actor Woody Norman and I'm A Celebrity star Jessica Plummer also wore ribbons to the Academy's 75th ceremony.

Gorgeous: Millie, 32, opted for an asymmetric powder pink satin dress with a giant bow and wore a ribbon with the colours of the Ukrainian flag on her waist

Support: The reality star attached the blue and yellow ribbon to her waist before she took to the red carpet

Smart: Benedict wore the blue and yellow pin on the lapel of his velvet suit blazer

Many celebrities stuck to the suggested black dress code, with Lady Gaga, Emma Watson and Daisy Ridley all looking incredibly glamorous in their gowns.

Ellie Bamber made an elegant arrival in a classy gown, which boasted a sheer skirt and embellished jumper, while Millie Bobby Brown looked incredible in a multi-layered ensemble.

Ahead of the ceremony, celebrities were said to be advised to keep their red carpet outfits somewhat understated in comparison to previous years in light of the conflict.

'Several senior showbiz agents have advised stars to dress respectably, amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,' a source told the Sun on Sunday.

'The last thing they want is something like Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress or anything too controversial.'

Joining the pack: I'm A Celebrity star Jessica Plumber also sported a blue and yellow ribbon as she arrived at the ceremony in a black floor-length dress with a cut out at the bust

Toned down: Ahead of the ceremony, celebrities were said to be advised to keep their red carpet outfits somewhat understated in comparison to previous years in light of the conflict

Statement: Stephen Graham (left) and child actor Woody Norman (right) also wore Ukraine ribbons to show their support to the war-torn country

Stephen showed off his ribbon as he smiled for the camera

Lady Gaga infamously wore a meat dress to the 2010 MTV Video Music Awards.

Loose Women's Janet Street Porter took aim at the events organisers writing: 'It's business as usual. The organisers clearly believe 'we've got through Covid, let's carry on enjoying ourselves'.

'Wouldn't we respect them more, if someone back at mission control had the guts to stand up and say - 'let's call the whole thing off until peace is restored in Ukraine. This backslapping and awarding is grotesque'.'

The nominations for the BAFTA awards were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

BAFTA 2022 Film Awards: (From L-R) Many celebrities stuck to the suggested black dress code, with Lady Gaga, Emma Watson and Daisy Ridley all looking incredibly glamorous in their gowns

Simply stunning: Star Wars sensation Daisy, 29, commanded attention in an off-the-shoulder Vivienne Westwood dress

BAFTA 2022 Film Awards: (From L-R) AJ Odudu looked breathtaking in a mesh sequin gown while Lucy Boynton and Supporting Actress nominee Caitriona Balfe took the red carpet by storm at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday

Leggy: Florence, 26, jazzed up a long sleeve mini dress with a pink mesh appendage, which traipsed down her back and onto the floor

Glamorous: Ellie Bamber made an elegant arrival in a classy gown, which boasted a sheer skirt and embellished jumper

Amazing: Millie Bobby Brown looked incredible in a multi-layered ensemble

Star-studded couple: Millie was joined by boyfriend Jake Bongiovi who cut an extremely dapper figure

It comes after explosions were heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.

Vladimir Putin's forces launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am.

Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing nine people and injuring 57.

A vision in velvet! Supporting Actress nominee Caitriona Balfe has been recognised for her role in acclaimed drama Belfast

Star quality: Rebel Wilson, 42, dazzled on the red carpet at the BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday in a tiered Giambattista Valli SS19 Couture dress

Glamour puss: Australian star Rebel, who is hosting this year's ceremony, showed off her slimline figure after her weight loss in recent months as the dress was cinched in at the waist by a black ribbon

Glowing: Joanna Scanlan has been nominated for Best Leading Actress for her role in After Love

Exciting: Lashana Lynch is also in the category for Rising Star

Gorgeous: Jessie Buckley, 32, showed off her edgy sense of style in an embellished asymmetric jumpsuit

The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and up until recently has housed foreign military instructors, although its unclear if any have been caught up in the strike.

Michael Gove called the rocket attack a 'significant escalation', adding that Putin was 'pushing the boundaries'.

Speaking to the BBC, he said: 'We know that Vladimir Putin has no moral limits when it comes to the actions he's willing to take and he's pushing the boundaries in military terms.

'We've already seen the abuse of humanitarian corridors. The Russians say on the one hand they are allowed to leave but when they seek to leave they are then killed and bombed.'

Backdrop: It comes after explosions were heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border
She's shortlisted for one of the big acting awards.

And on Sunday, Jessie Buckley, 32, showed off her edgy sense of style in an embellished asymmetric jumpsuit at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall.

The actress - who is nominated for the Supporting Actress gong for her role in The Lost Daughter - looked sophisticated in the one shouldered jumpsuit.

Gorgeous: On Sunday, Jessie Buckley, 32, showed off her edgy sense of style in an embellished asymmetric jumpsuit at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards at London's Royal Albert Hall

Jessie posed confidently on the red carpet while dressed in her artsy ensemble, which featured a dramatic singular ruffled strap.

At her waist, layers of peplum detailing were adorned with sequin segments, and long straps hung down the side of her sleek trousers legs.

Jessie were her blunt cut tresses loose and opted for a minimal make-up look.

She added extra glamour to her look with one long dazzling drop earring and cuffs as well as a diamond necklace and statement rings - all from iconic diamond jewellery specialists De Beers.

Talented: The actress - who is nominated for the Supporting Actress gong for her role in The Lost Daughter - looked sophisticated in the one shouldered jumpsuit and De Beers jewellery

The nominations for the Academy's 75th awards were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

Sensational: Jessie posed confidently on the red carpet while dressed in her artsy ensemble, which featured a dramatic singular ruffled strap

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year's list of nods falls short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year's 12.
It is one of the most esteemed events in the social calendar, but this year the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards are taking place amid Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

And Millie Mackintosh showed solidarity with war-torn Ukraine as she wore a blue and yellow ribbon as she graced the red carpet at London's Albert Hall on Sunday.

The Made in Chelsea star, 32, was the picture of elegance in a stunning blush one-shoulder gown, which featured a dramatic puff sleeve and a large bow cascading down her pencil skirt.

BAFTA Film Awards: Millie Mackintosh showed solidarity with war-torn Ukraine as she wore a blue and yellow ribbon as she graced the red carpet at London's Albert Hall on Sunday

She accessorised her elegant ensemble with a pair of pointed black heels, which she gave a flash off through her gown's back split.

The actress flaunted her natural good looks with a touch of coral blush and a slick of pink lipstick, while she framed her face with a pair of silver drop earrings.

She let her outfit do all the talking as she simply wore her brunette tresses in loose waves down her back as she struck a series of poses on the red carpet.

In a fashion statement against Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Millie adorned her stylish outfit with a Ukraine ribbon in a gesture also adopted by Benedict Cumberbatch.

Gorgeous: The Made in Chelsea star, 32, was the picture of elegance in a stunning blush one-shoulder gown

Pretty in pink: Her pastel gown featured a dramatic puff sleeve and a large bow cascading down her pencil skirt

Millie's appearance at the Academy's 75th ceremony comes after she welcomed her second daughter Aurelia with husband Hugo Taylor in November.

This year, BAFTA attendees were advised to 'dress respectably' due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

'Several senior showbiz agents have advised stars to dress respectably, amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,' a source told the Sun on Sunday.

'The last thing they want is something like Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress or anything too controversial.'

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Stunning: She accessorised her elegant ensemble with a pair of pointed black heels, which she gave a flash off through her gown's dramatic back split

Red carpet: The actress flaunted her natural good looks with a touch of coral blush and a slick of pink lipstick, while she framed her face with a pair of silver drop earrings

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladmir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.

Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score.

The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul.

Stylish: She let her outfit do all the talking as she simply wore her brunette tresses in loose waves down her back as she struck a series of poses on the red carpet

Mother: Millie's appearance at the Academy's 75th ceremony comes after she welcomed her second daughter Aurelia with husband Hugo Taylor in November

Hans Zimmer was once again recognised in the Original Score category after battling it out against Being The Ricardos, Don't Look Up, The French Dispatch and The Power of the Dog.

However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf.

Leading Actress Joanna admitted to being overwhelmed by her success when she took to the stage.

She said: 'Oh come on! Some stories have surprise endings, don't they?'

Ukraine: Her show of solidarity with the war-torn country came after BAFTA attendees were advised to 'dress respectably' due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine

Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award.

But she explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears'.

Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film.

The success marked the first BAFTA win of Will's career, but he wasn't able to attend the ceremony in London.

After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award.

Glamorous: Millie showed off her sensational sense of style as she showed off her elegant ensemble

Relaxing: She indulged in post-pregnancy pre-BAFTA self-care before taking to the red carpet

The actress, 34, portrayed MI6 agent Nomi inJames Bond's No Time to Die.

She said: 'Thank you everyone who voted. Wow thank you everyone involved in No Time To Die, my career, my parents, my grandparents who came from Jamaica - the Windrush generation. I am thankful for them for my existence.

I am proud to come from a working class family, I have been taught about failure, about no's and how to celebrate your yeses. Now I get to celebrate a yes, I never expected.

'I want to thank the women who taught me how to be in this industry as a dark skinned women. Thank you for laying the foundations for people like me. I appreciate it. Thank you.'

Smiling: The mother-of-two appeared to be in excellent spirits as she graced the BAFTA red carpet

Posing: Millie showed off her toned pegs through the dramatic back split in her blush gown, giving herself a few extra inches with her pointed heels

And No Time To Die was a big winner on the night with Tom Cross and Elliot Graham winning Best Editing, beating Belfast, Dune, Licorice Pizza and Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).

Ariana DeBose was awarded the gong for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story. The 31-year-old portrayed Anita in the adaptation of the 1957 musical. West Side Story also scooped Best Casting with Cindy Tolan.

The actress was against tough competition in the category as she went head-to head with Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Ariana said her win for best supporting actress in West Side Story is 'the wildest ride of my life' but she is 'thrilled' to see diversity at the London ceremony.

Much anticipated: The BAFTA Film Awards is one of the esteemed events of the social calendar

Joyful: Millie struck a series of poses on the red carpet as she let her outfit do all the talking

Speaking backstage after her win, DeBose said: 'Go in and show them what you have to offer, you are absolutely worthy, that is what this experience has taught me. It has been the wildest ride of my life and getting wilder every day.

'I will say it has been so overwhelming and exciting, this doesn't happen every day, but I am excited by the opportunity to work with different people - there is a rumour I am going to be in a Sony Marvel film, I am looking for new art to make.'

Belfast won Outstanding British Film, with director Kenneth Branagh saying: 'This is a black and white film about The Troubles, it was not an easy pitch but with the great talent in this room please remember if you build it, they will come.

'Believe in the uniqueness of your story, your voice and the imagination of the public to embrace any story well told. Thank you very much for being so kind to ours, we deeply appreciate it.'
Montana Brown looked incredible as she arrived at this year's BAFTAs at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

The former Love Island contestant, 26, flaunted her trim waistline in a sparkly green cutout top which she teamed up with a sheer feathered maxi skirt.

She added inches to her enviable frame with a pair of sparkly silver heels and toted her essentials around in a matching handbag as she hit the red carpet.

Emerging: Montana Brown looked incredible as she arrived at this year's BAFTA s at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday

Rebel Wilson, who will be hosting the Academy's 75th ceremony, recently admitted to her nerves and that she worries about being cancelled for her jokes.

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?'

The nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Gorgeous: The former Love Island contestant, 26, flaunted her trim waistline in a sparkly green cutout top

Towering: She teamed the number up with a sheer feathered maxi skirt and added inches to her enviable frame with a pair of sparkly silver heels

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

Out of this world: Montana's light brown locks had been styled into gorgeous curls

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.
Tom Hiddleston and Zawe Ashton put on a loved-up display at this year's BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday.

The actor, 40 looked besotted with his actress girlfriend, 37, as the couple held hands while dressed to the nines for the event.

Tom looked devilishly handsome in a black blazer and trousers, as he posed hand-in-hand with Zawe.

Cosying up: Tom Hiddleston, 40, and Zawe Ashton, 37, put on a loved-up display at this year's BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday

He teamed the suit with a white shirt and completed his look with a black bow tie and white pocket square.

Zawe looked effortlessly stunning in a flowing pink floor-length gown with an attached cape for extra drama.

Her brunette locks were slicked back and styled poker straight, while she added a touch of sparkle to her look with a pair of diamond earrings.

Zawe and Tom confirmed their romance during a steamy PDA-filled holiday at the beach in Ibiza in September last year before making their red carpet debut together at the Tony Awards in New York City later that month.

Sensational: Zawe stood out in her vibrant floor length dress

Loved up: The actor looked besotted with his actress girlfriend as the couple held hands while dressed to the nines for the event

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladmir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.

Dashing: Tom looked devilishly handsome in a black blazer and trousers

Debonair: He teamed the suit with a white shirt and completed his look with a black bow tie and white pocket square

Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score.

The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul.

Hans Zimmer was once again recognised in the Original Score category after battling it out against Being The Ricardos, Don't Look Up, The French Dispatch and The Power of the Dog.

Turning heads: The actor and his actress girlfriend pulled out all the stops as they dressed to the nines for the event

However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf.

Leading Actress Joanna admitted to being overwhelmed by her success when she took to the stage.

She said: 'Oh come on! Some stories have surprise endings, don't they?'

Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award.

But she explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears'.

Flawless: Zawe looked effortlessly stunning in a flowing pink floor-length gown with an attached cape for extra drama

Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film.

The success marked the first BAFTA win of Will's career, but he wasn't able to attend the ceremony in London.

After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award.

The actress, 34, portrayed MI6 agent Nomi inJames Bond's No Time to Die.

She said: 'Thank you everyone who voted. Wow thank you everyone involved in No Time To Die, my career, my parents, my grandparents who came from Jamaica - the Windrush generation. I am thankful for them for my existence.

I am proud to come from a working class family, I have been taught about failure, about no's and how to celebrate your yeses. Now I get to celebrate a yes, I never expected.

'I want to thank the women who taught me how to be in this industry as a dark skinned women. Thank you for laying the foundations for people like me. I appreciate it. Thank you.'
Licorice Pizza director Paul Thomas Anderson revealed Saturday at the 74th Directors Guild of America Awards that two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn tested positive for COVID-19 following his trip to Ukraine.

'Sean tested positive for Covid,' announced the 51-year-old filmmaker to laughter from the industry crowd at The Beverly Hilton.

'Which is kind of crazy considering what he's done for all of us. [It's like] a World War I veteran coming home, slipping on a step. So, it's a drag not to have him here.

On the mend! Licorice Pizza director Paul Thomas Anderson (L) revealed Saturday at the 74th Directors Guild of America Awards that two-time Oscar winner Sean Penn (R) tested positive for COVID-19 following his trip to Ukraine

'It's a pleasure to work with him and all the actors. It's the best part of this job that we all have...and I feel very grateful to be here.'

Paul was referring - not to Ukraine - but to the 61-year-old humanitarian's tireless work as co-founder of CORE, a crisis response organization which administered 2.6M Covid vaccines and 6.3M Covid tests.

Last summer, Sean and co-founder Ann Young Lee were named Variety's Philanthropists of the Year for their work with CORE, which was originally formed in 2010 following the massive 7.0 earthquake that ravaged Haiti.

Instead, Penn enlisted his Armani-clad estranged third wife Leila George to present a special medallion to Anderson, who lost the night's top prize to Jane Campion.

'Sean tested positive for Covid,' announced the 51-year-old filmmaker to laughter from the industry crowd at The Beverly Hilton

Paul continued: 'Which is kind of crazy considering what he's done for all of us. [It's like] a World War I veteran coming home, slipping on a step. So, it's a drag not to have him here. It's a pleasure to work with him and all the actors. It's the best part of this job that we all have...and I feel very grateful to be here'

Anderson was referring - not to Ukraine - but to the 61-year-old humanitarian's tireless work as co-founder of CORE, a crisis response organization which administered 2.6M Covid vaccines and 6.3M Covid tests (pictured January 12 with Dr. Anthony Fauci)

Last summer, Sean and co-founder Ann Young Lee (2-L, pictured August 26) were named Variety's Philanthropists of the Year for their work with CORE, which was originally formed in 2010 following the massive 7.0 earthquake that ravaged Haiti

No longer estranged: Instead, Penn enlisted his Armani-clad third wife Leila George to present a special medallion to PTA, who lost the night's top prize to Jane Campion

That same evening, the Flag Day director-star urged his 166K Twitter followers to watch HBO's 2019 miniseries Chernobyl because 'it's an X-ray snap-shot of willful misinformation campaigns of the Russian government.'

Sean was last seen in Malibu on Friday morning when a Malibu Sheriff pulled him over in his Dodge Charger R/T retrofitted with Police Bull-bars and flashing light strips.

Penn recently returned from war-torn Ukraine where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, and soldiers for his upcoming documentary about Russian aggression.

'They were rightfully humiliated by it': That same evening, the Flag Day director-star urged his 166K Twitter followers to watch HBO's 2019 miniseries Chernobyl because 'it's an X-ray snap-shot of willful misinformation campaigns of the Russian government'

Cited: Sean was last seen in Malibu on Friday morning when a Malibu Sheriff pulled him over in his Dodge Charger R/T retrofitted with Police Bull-bars and flashing light strips

Eye of the storm: Penn recently returned from war-torn Ukraine where he met with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (R, pictured February 24), Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, and soldiers for his upcoming documentary about Russian aggression

'It is the world's duty to do all we can to stop Vladimir Putin': The El Chapo interviewer has been flying back and forth to Ukraine for his doc, produced by VICE World News and Endeavor Content, as far back as November (pictured November 18)

The El Chapo interviewer has been flying back and forth to Ukraine for his doc, produced by VICE World News and Endeavor Content, as far back as November.

'It is the world's duty to do all we can to stop [Russian President] Vladimir Putin,' Sean tweeted last Wednesday.

Penn will next portray the late attorney general John N. Mitchell opposite Julia Roberts in Robbie Pickering's eight-episode Watergate political thriller Gaslit, which premieres April 24 on Starz!

The brand new series, Gaslit premieres April 24, only on Stan in Australia.
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Dominic West had to be helped into his hotel by a female pal in the early hours of Thursday morning after a nine-hour drinking session.

The Crown actor, 52, looked worse for wear as he was held upright by the woman after they danced on the street, with a night porter being forced to step in and lend a hand.

Just days earlier, the thespian had put on a united front with wife Catherine Fitzgerald, proving they were back on track after he hit headlines in 2020 when he was pictured on a cosy outing with actress Lily James.

Wow: Dominic West had to be helped into his hotel by a female pal in the early hours of Thursday morning after a nine-hour drinking session

An onlooker told The Sun: 'Dom was clearly having a great evening. He was smiling like a cheeky schoolboy and had loosened up by whipping off his bow tie.

'His face got redder as time went by and he was struggling to keep his eyes open.

'Later he danced with a cab driver who helped him out his car. A man and woman then helped him into his hotel. It looked like hed had a wild night.'

In the pictures, Dominic looked bleary-eyed and struggled to stay upright without support after he danced in the street with the taxi driver.

Busting a move: The actor, 52, looked worse for wear as he was held upright by the woman after they danced on the street, with a night porter being forced to step in and lend a hand.

Hilarious: An onlooker said: 'Dom was clearly having a great evening. He was smiling like a cheeky schoolboy and had loosened up by whipping off his bow tie'

Making friends: 'Later he danced with a cab driver who helped him out his car. A man and woman then helped him into his hotel. It looked like hed had a wild night'

Hysterical: In the pictures, Dominic looked bleary-eyed and struggled to stay upright without support after he danced in the street with the taxi driver

The actor gave his pal a peck on the cheek before she helped him stagger up the stairs.

There is no suggestion that anything untoward happened between Dominic and the woman.

Earlier, The Affair actor had earlier cut a dapper figure as he attended Dunhill's pre-BAFTA filmmakers dinner and party at Dunhill House in London on Wednesday.

Just pals: There is no suggestion that anything untoward happened between Dominic and the woman

In his element: It has been reported that at 10pm, three hours after he stepped out for dinner at 7pm, Dominic then headed off in a cab to celebrity hotspot Chiltern Firehouse with a group of female friends

Oh no! Dominic continued with his drunken antics on the streets of the capital

Tragic: He looked worse for wear as he climbed out of a car with the assistance of the driver

Chatting: He appeared to be in deep conversation with the man, who he blabbered away to on the street

However, the publication reports that at 10pm, three hours after he stepped out at the dinner at 7pm, Dominic then headed off in a cab to celebrity hotspot Chiltern Firehouse with a group of female friends.

MailOnline has contacted representatives of Dominic for comment.

Dominic's wild night out comes days after his earlier outing with his wife of 12 years Catherine, where they enjoyed a low-key trip to a London market.

Dominic had wrapped up against the chilly weather in a dark green wool hat and a matching navy jacket, while Catherine opted for a crochet red beanie hat and a cream scarf as they perused some of the items on offer.

Cha-cha: The pair appeared to enjoy their own dance for a moment, as they struck a ballroom pose on the pavement

Smooch: The actor gave the woman a peck on the cheek before she helped him stagger up the stairs

Staggering: Dominic looked worlds away from his dapper self as he stumbled down the street

Farewell: He appeared to be bidding his female friend farewell as he entered the swanky establishment

Tough love: Dominic's brown curls had been tousled by his antics during the wild night out

It comes after Lily James herself appeared to break her silence on the scandal surrounding her snaps with Dominic while promoting her Hulu series Pam & Tommy, admitting she sympathised with Pamela Anderson after finding herself in a 'difficult situation.'

While Lily did not directly reference her outing with Dominic, who later insisted his marriage to wife Catherine was still going strong, she admitted that being under the same scrutiny as Pamela was 'a lot.'

She told Rolling Stone: 'Women in the public eye at some point experience some sort of difficult situation in their relationship between privacy and your life being in the tabloids.

'It was a lot. It's a story as old as time.'

Sober: Earlier in the night, the actor appeared to be sober as he arrived at the exclusive restaurant, Chiltern Firehouse

Glamorous: His companion put on a chic display in a navy suit which she accessorised with a trendy grey scarf

Pals: The pals appeared to be a little chilly as they stood on the wintery streets of the Big Smoke

Ciggy: The female friend held cigarette as they waited together to be admitted to the luxury establishment

Beaming: Dominic couldn't wipe the cheeky grin from his face while looking ever-suave in his navy outfit

Making pals: Dominic held hands with a new buddy as he stepped out onto the street

Lily has previously declined to discuss the media storm surrounding herself and Dominic, after the pair were pictured exploring Rome in October 2020.

When asked about being at the centre of such a storm during an interview with The Guardian, she said: 'Ach, Im not really willing to talk about that. There is a lot to say, but not now, Im afraid.'

Following the snaps emerging, Dominic put on a public display of unity with his wife Catherine, with the couple releasing a statement about their marriage.

Couple: Just days earlier, the thespian had put on a united front with wife Catherine Fitzgerald (pictured), proving they were back on track after he hit headlines in 2020 when he was pictured on a cosy outing with actress Lily James

It read: 'Our marriage is strong and we're very much still together.'

Catherine is also said to have banned Dominic from speaking with the actress as part of a peace deal struck between the couple.

Dominic finally won forgiveness for the infamous photographs that showed him flirting outrageously with Lily.

Since the public scandal, Lily has found love with Queens of the Stone Age rocker Michael Shuman, 35, and has been pictured meeting his parents in the states.
Exactly 50 years ago, in the spring of 1972, my friend Bob and I put on black shirts and white ties (for some reason thats what we thought guys in the Mafia wore) and got on line to see The Godfather at the Mid-Island Mall in Plainview.

Because of the national buzz, there were hundreds of people standing toe to heel on a line that crossed over two other stores. Bob and I were the only ones dressed like that. We may also have been the only two refused entry because we were 15 and didnt have parental supervision.

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But I went back that night, with my parents. In the intervening half-century, Ive taken some time to reflect.

From left: James Caan, Marlon Brando, Al Pacino and John Cazale from the film, 'The Godfather', 1972. (Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images)

Heres the biggest question my reflection raises: If I could go back in time  but with the ethics and morals of my older self  would I have hung up a poster of Sonny Corleone on my bedroom wall, as I did back then? Is it okay to glorify criminals, even fictional ones? I cant escape the fact that I was captivated by the character, as played by James Caan. Sure, he was a hoodlum, but a rugged, funny and passionate one. (In my defense, I also hung up posters of Humphrey Bogart from Casablanca and Kate Jackson from Charlies Angels.)

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Heres what Ive decided about that: Back then, I believed there was a thick line between fact and fiction  that most of the bad guys with whom I was familiar from movies and television were firmly make-believe, and that real-life bad guys were not nearly as engaging. Now, however, there are bad guys all over the place. Elected politicians, award-winning actors, business titans, even television and radio hosts. Today I would not wish to add to the unraveling of society by lionizing a miscreant on my bedroom wall, real or imagined, because that line now feels so damned thin.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

I had always thought that The Godfather was a perfect movie. So did millions of others. Everyone bought into it as if it were real. Including my father, next to whom I sat in the theater that night. In the middle of Connie and Carlos wedding, outside the compound, when several men in business suits walk around and jot down license plate numbers, my father leaned over and with complete conviction said to me, Thats the FBI. He wasnt explaining the movie, but telling me what was really happening. As if it were news footage. Or something going down in front of our own house. It gave me an instant reverence for the art of film and the way movies can make us believe. I think it was that scene that made me long, more than anything else, to become involved one day with that kind of perfection. To grow up and make movies.

It was only much later, after watching it more than a dozen times, that I realized it was far from perfect. All devotees know at least one scene to which Im referring  that infamous one when Sonny beats up Carlo and clearly misses his head. But there are more subtle instances, such as the actions of Robert Duvalls Tom Hagen. As written, the character isnt nearly as smart as a consiglieri should be. What consigliere worth his weight in olive oil would warn a vicious adversary to stay clear of the one man who might try to kill him? But thats exactly what Tom does when hes temporarily kidnapped by Virgil Sollozzo. When Sollozzo tells Tom that the Don is dead, Tom says, Even Sonny wont be able to call off Luca Brasi. I know that Luca was already dead by this point, but Tom didnt know that. Dumb!

A minor criticism, perhaps, but on the 50th anniversary, its comforting to know that things dont have to be perfect in order to be, well, just about perfect. It somehow gives me hope.

Heres another source of comfort. Mario Puzo, author of the novel and co-writer of the screenplay, was 49 when The Godfather was published. It was his first real success after decades of trying. When I saw the film I was a teenage wannabe novelist and thrilled that if I didnt make it for another 34 years, it would be okay.

Im 64 now, and still waiting. For what its worth, Im still waiting to be able to make movies, too.

Which brings up one final point. In the famous wedding scene, Tom says to his wife, No Sicilian can refuse a favor on his daughters wedding day. It makes me wish I knew a Sicilian bride. Id rush over to her father and him to pull a few strings to make it 1972 again.

Samberg is a journalist and author whose new novel, about a Long Island family, is Almost Like Praying.
Adwoa Aboah cut a glamorous figure as she graced the red carpet for this year's BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday.

The model, 29, looked nothing short of sensational in a floor-length Yves Saint Laurent black gown as she arrived at London's Royal Albert Hall.

She accessorised her understated look with a chunky pair of black and gold earrings, while she added a few extra inches to her frame with a pair of statement black heels.

Chic: Adwoa Aboah cut a glamorous figure as she arrived on the red carpet for this year's BAFTA Film Awards on Sunday

Adwoa slicked her dark tresses back into a waist-length plait while she flaunted her natural beauty with a dusting of bronze eyeshadow.

The Vogue cover star, who appeared to be in good spirits, added a touch of colour to her all-black ensemble with a slick of bold rouge lipstick.

Adwoa was not the only celebrity to wear black on the red carpet, after BAFTA bosses reportedly advised attendees to 'dress respectably' amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The move was said to have come amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict'.

BAFTAs: The model, 29, looked nothing short of sensational in a floor-length Yves Saint Laurent black gown as she arrived at London's Royal Albert Hall

Glamorous: She accessorised her understated look with a chunky pair of black and gold earrings

'Several senior showbiz agents have advised stars to dress respectably, amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,' a source told the Sun on Sunday.

'The last thing they want is something like Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress or anything too controversial.'

The BAFTA nominations were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

While the Academy once again recognised three women in the Director's shortlist, this year's nominations fell short on BAFTA's vow to improve diversity, with only seven people of colour nominated in contrast to last year's 12.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

Stunning: Adwoa she added a few extra inches to her slender frame with a pair of statement black heels

Beauty: Adwoa slicked her dark tresses back into a long plait while she flaunted her natural beauty with a dusting of bronze eyeshadow

Red carpet: The Vogue cover star added a touch of colour to her all-black ensemble with a slick of bold rouge lipstick

While many of Dune's nominations came in the technical categories, it's also landed a nod for Best Film, alongside Belfast, Don't Look Up, Licorice Pizza and The Power of the Dog.

The critically-acclaimed film, the first of two films based on Frank Herbert's 1965 novel, had been tipped for awards glory, with Hans Zimmer once again recognised in the Original Score category, along with nods for Casting, Cinematography, Editing, Production Design, Costume Design, Makeup and Hair, Sound and Special Visual Effects.

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

Ukraine: Adwoa was not the only celebrity to wear black on the red carpet, after BAFTA bosses reportedly advised attendees to 'dress respectably' amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine

All smiles: Adwoa appeared to be in good spirits as she flashed a huge grin while strutting up the red carpet

Stylish: Adwoa gave a flash of her statement, chunky black heels as she headed in for the much-anticipated awards ceremony

The drama, which stars Jamie Dornan, Judi Dench and newcomer Jude Hill and is based on Kenneths' childhood growing up in Northern Ireland at the height of The Troubles, was also nominated for Outstanding British Film, Original Screenplay, Supporting Actress for Caitriona, Supporting Actor for Ciaran Hinds and Editing.

Following the surprise BAFTA success of 2012's Skyfall, the British Academy has also recognised Daniel Craig's swan song in the James Bond franchise, with five nominations.

The action-packed epic, which was delayed multiple times due to the Covid pandemic, landed nods for Outstanding British Film, Special Visual Effects, Editing, Cinematography and Sound.

In the Outstanding British Film category, Belfast and No Time To Die will fight it out for the honour alongside After Love, Ali & Ava, Boiling Point, Cyrano, Everybody's Talking About Jamie, House of Gucci, Last Night in Soho, and Passing.

The Leading Actress prize will go to either Lady Gaga (House of Gucci), Alana Haim (Licorice Pizza), Emilia Jones (Coda), Renate Reinsve (The Worst Person in the World), Joanna Scanlan (After Love), or Tessa Thompson (Passing).

Beauty: Adwoa showed off her natural good looks as she wore a dusting of light make-up

Wow! Adwoa accessorised her look with chunky gold earrings, and an array of silver earrings

Grinning: Adwoa couldn't help but laugh and smile on the BAFTA red carpet, a much-anticipated event

Adeel Akhtar (Ali & Ava), Mahershala Ali (Swan Song), Benedict Cumberbatch (The Power of the Dog), Leonardo DiCaprio (Don't Look Up), Stephen Graham (Boiling Point) and Will Smith (King Richard) are shortlisted for the Leading Actor award.

Nominated for Best Supporting Actress are Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ariana Debose (West Side Story), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Mike Faist (West Side Story), Ciaran Hinds (Belfast), Troy Kotsur (Coda), Woody Norman (C'mon C'mon), Jesse Plemons (The Power Of The Dog), Kodi Smit-Mcphee (The Power Of The Dog) have landed nods for Supporting Actor.

All of the performers in the Supporting Actor category are first-time nominees, with a total of 19 out of the 24 nominees up acting accolades earning their place on the shortlist for the first time.

Model: Ever the fashionista, Adwoa cut an elegant figure in her understated gown

Awards night: The catwalk Queen looked nothing short of sensational as she arrived at the Royal Albert Hall

Disney's critically-lauded musical Encanto leads the nominations for Animated Film, competing opposite Flee, Luca and The Mitchells Vs The Machines.

However, despite vows to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, this year's list of nods falls short on 2021, with seven people of colour nominated as opposed to last year's 12.

In recent years BAFTA, and other film Academies such as the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, have come under fire for a lack of diversity in their nominations list, and ahead of this year's ceremony, the British Academy bosses reiterated their vow to recognise a wider range of films and actors.

Amanda Berry, CEO of BAFTA, said: 'Congratulations to all our nominees, whose extraordinary talent and achievements have shone through in another incredible year for film.

'BAFTA celebrates its 75th anniversary this year, so it is a particularly special year for us and we are proud to be announcing the nominations from our recently redeveloped home at 195 Piccadilly.

Keep smiling: Adwoa appeared to be in excellent spirits as she arrived for the much-anticipated event

All-black: Many celebrities wore black ensembles on the red carpet as a fashion statement against Russia's invasion of Ukraine

'We look forward to celebrating our nominees' incredible talent in person when we welcome everyone to London's Royal Albert Hall for the EE British Academy Film Awards on 13 March.'

Krishnendu Majumdar, Chair of BAFTA, added: 'This year's nominations showcase a remarkable range of creative work in-front of and behind the camera. We know that by celebrating outstanding achievement today, we are inspiring future generations for years to come.

'Two years ago, we launched a wide-ranging review into our voting, membership and campaigning processes and I want to thank the BAFTA members and the wider industry for embracing these changes.

'Our goal is to level the playing field for awards entries so that more films and the true diverse range of exceptional creative talent in the UK and internationally is represented and celebrated. With 48 films nominated today, we're delighted to be able to shine a spotlight on such phenomenal breadth of stories and performances.'
Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed he hopes to take in Ukrainian refugees as he shared his support for the war-torn country while at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday.

The actor, 45, who is nominated for Best Actor thanks to his performance in The Power Of The Dog, took the opportunity to highlight the plight of his 'brothers and sisters who are suffering' in the wake of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.

Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet of the event at London's Royal Albert Hall, Benedict told how the suffering of millions of people can't be ignored as the war is 'something that hangs over us.'

Pledge: Benedict Cumberbatch has revealed he hopes to take in Ukrainian refugees as he shared his support for the war-torn country while at the BAFTA 2022 Film Awards on Sunday

He explained: 'It is a really shocking time to be a European two and a half hours flight away from Ukraine, and it's something that hangs over us' before going on to note the 'civilians who are being shelled and shot at, and killed and made homeless without power, without water, without food'.

And Benedict, who wore a Ukraine pin on his smart black tuxedo to show his support, continued: 'And while tonight is a celebration and this might look like tokenism, were celebrating the moving image, were celebrating pictures this is what Im trying to do.

'To show Im standing side-by-side with my brothers and sisters who are going through this.

'But we all need, as we know, to do more than wear a badge. We need to donate, we need to pressure our politicians to continue to create some kind of a refugee safety and haven here for people who are suffering.

Support: The actor, 45, took the opportunity to highlight the plight of his 'brothers and sisters who are suffering' in the wake of Vladimir Putin 's invasion of Ukraine (pictured earlier this week)

'I know thats ongoing, I know thats happening but everyone needs to do as much as they can.'

And the film star, who was in attendance with wife Sophie Hunter, added that he hopes to get involved in the government's humanitarian scheme and take in refugees himself after more than 2.6 million Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes.

He said: 'I think already today the news has broken that there's been a record number of people volunteering to take people into their homes, and I hope to be part of that myself.'

Meanwhile, fellow actor Stephen Graham also spoke out about the Ukraine crisis at the ceremony, adding to Sky News: It's lovely to be here with my family but at the same time it's important for me to acknowledge in public what is happening over there.'

Compassion: Speaking to Sky News on the red carpet of the event at London's Royal Albert Hall, Benedict told how the suffering of millions of people can't be ignored as the war is 'something that hangs over us'

While Kenneth Brannagh, whose film Belfast is up for several awards, said: 'The situations are utterly different but the human costs are the same. It is painful and tragic to see, I hope it ends very soon.'

It comes after BAFTA attendees were advised to 'dress respectably' due to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.

'Several senior showbiz agents have advised stars to dress respectably, amid fears attention-grabbing dresses and suits would appear distasteful in light of the Ukraine conflict,' a source told the Sun on Sunday.

Help: Benedict added that he hopes to get involved in the government's humanitarian scheme and take in refugees himself after more than 2.6 million Ukrainians were forced to flee their homes

'The last thing they want is something like Lady Gaga's infamous meat dress or anything too controversial.'

The nominations for the BAFTA awards were announced last month with Dune, The Power Of The Dog and Belfast leading with 11, eight and six respectively.

Denis Villeneuve's star-studded sci-fi epic landed a slew of technical nods, along with a nod for the top prize for Best Film, while Jane Campion's dark Western and Kenneth Branagh's Irish biopic follows close behind with eight and six respectively.

It looks set to be a competitive evening in the acting categories, with Lady Gaga, Caitriona Balfe and Benedict Cumberbatch battling it out for the leading honours, alongside newcomers Kodi Smit-McPhee, Ariana DeBose and Adeel Akhtar.

View: Meanwhile, fellow actor Stephen Graham also spoke out about the Ukraine crisis at the ceremony, adding to Sky News: It's lovely to be here with my family but at the same time it's important for me to acknowledge in public what is happening over there'

After its success at the Golden Globes, the dark Western The Power of the Dog landed eight nominations, including Best Film, Director and Adapted Screenplay for Jane Campion, Leading Actor for Benedict Cumberbatch, Original Score, Cinematography, and two nominations in the Supporting Actor category for Kodi Smit-McPhee and Jesse Plemons

Following close behind is Belfast, which landed six nods despite an unexpected snub for Kenneth in the Director category.

It comes after explosions were heard on the outskirts of the western Ukrainian city of Lviv after Russian forces launched an attack on a military base just 12 miles from the Polish border, killing at least nine people and injuring dozens more.

Thoughts: While Kenneth Brannagh, whose film Belfast is up for several awards, said: 'The situations are utterly different but the human costs are the same. It is painful and tragic to see, I hope it ends very soon'

Vladimir Putin's forces launched a missile strike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, also known as Yavoriv military complex, just before 6am this morning.

Initial reports suggested the base had been targeted by eight missiles, but Maksym Kozytskyi, Governor of the region later confirmed 30 cruise missiles had been fired, killing nine people and injuring 57.

The base has previously been used to host Nato drills and up until recently has housed foreign military instructors, although its unclear if any have been caught up in the strike.
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Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power of the Dog took home Best Film.

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladmir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.

Winners: The BAFTA Awards bark back! The Power Of The Dog and Dune swept the board, diversity triumphed at the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night (pictured Benedict Cumberbatch and Lashana Lynch)

Statement: The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladmir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity

Rebel made reference to Russia's invasion during the ceremony and was applauded by the star-studded audience when she made a rude hand gesture to Putin to the camera as she introduced a performance with sign language interpreters.

The actress said: 'In this performance there are two different interpreters one is signing America Sign Language and one is signing British Sign Language.

'Luckily though, in all sign languages this is the gesture for Putin,' before putting her middle finger up for the camera.'

Back! The 75th ceremony returned with a full audience at the Royal Albert Hall after a two year delay (pictured Rebel with the winners)

BAFTA 2022: Winners at a glance Best Film The Power Of The Dog Outstanding British Film Belfast Best Leading Actress Joanna Scanlan  After Love Best Leading Actor Will Smith  King Richard Best Supporting Actress Ariana DeBose  West Side Story  Winner Best Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur  CODA  Winner Best Director Jane Campion  The Power Of The Dog  Winner Outstanding Debut By A British Writer, Director Or Producer The Harder They Fall  Jeymes Samuel (writer/director)  Winner Film Not In The English Language Drive My Car Best Documentary Summer Of Soul (Or, When The Revolution Could Not Be Televised) Best Animated Film Encanto Best Original Screenplay Licorice Pizza  Paul Thomas Anderson Best Adapted Screenplay CODA - Sian Heder Best Editing No Time To Die  Tom Cross, Elliot Graham Best Production Design Dune  Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos Best Makeup And Hair The Eyes Of Tammy Faye  Linda Dowds, Stephanie Ingram, Justin Raleigh Best Sound Dune  Mac Ruth, Mark Mangini, Doug Hemphill, Theo Green, Ron Bartlett  Best Special Visual Effects Dune  Brian Connor, Paul Lambert, Tristan Myles, Gerd Nefzer Best Casting West Side Story  Cindy Tolan Best British Short Film The Black Cop Best British Short Animation Do Not Feed The Pigeons Best Original Score Dune - Hans Zimmer Best Cinematography Dune  Greig Fraser Best Costume Design Cruella  Jenny Beavan EE Rising Star Award (voted for by the public) Lashana Lynch Advertisement

Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score.

The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul.

Hans Zimmer was once again recognised in the Original Score category after battling it out against Being The Ricardos, Don't Look Up, The French Dispatch and The Power of the Dog.

However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf.

Meanwhile, Leading Actress Joanna admitted to being overwhelmed by her success when she took to the stage.

She said: "Oh come on! Some stories have surprise endings, don't they?" Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award.

But she explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears'.

Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film.

The success marked the first BAFTA win of Will's career, but he wasn't able to attend the ceremony in London.

After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award.

The actress, 34, portrayed MI6 agent Nomi in James Bond's No Time to Die.

She said: 'Thank you everyone who voted.'

'Wow thank you everyone involved in No Time To Die, my career, my parents, my grandparents who came from Jamaica - the Windrush generation.

'I am thankful for them for my existence.

'I am proud to come from a working class family, I have been taught about failure, about no's and how to celebrate your yeses.

'Now I get to celebrate a yes, I never expected.

'I want to thank the women who taught me how to be in this industry as a dark skinned women.'

'Thank you for laying the foundations for people like me. I appreciate it. Thank you.'

And No Time To Die was a big winner on the night with Tom Cross and Elliot Graham winning Best Editing, beating Belfast, Dune, Licorice Pizza and Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).

Ariana DeBose was awarded the gong for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story. The 31-year-old portrayed Anita in the adaptation of the 1957 musical.

West Side Story also scooped Best Casting with Cindy Tolan accepting the award.

The actress was against tough competition in the category as she went head-to head with Caitriona Balfe (Belfast), Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter), Ann Dowd (Mass), Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard) and Ruth Negga (Passing).

Ariana was caught on camera mouthing: 'Oh s**t!' as he name was announced as the category winner before taking to the stage in her sensational canary yellow custom Oscar De La Renta dress.

She said her win for best supporting actress in West Side Story is 'the wildest ride of my life' but she is 'thrilled' to see diversity at the London ceremony.

Smashed it! Will Smith picked up the gong for Best Actor for King Richard but chose to attend the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles - where he was also awarded with the Best Actor accolade (pictured at the Critics Choice 2022)

Science fiction: Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score

Science fiction: The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony (pictured Timothee Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson)

A-list: The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul

Biting back: However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf

Awards night: The Power Of The Dog, starring Benedict, took home two out of its eight nominations

Champ! Joanna Scanlan won the Leading Actress award. The 60-year-old star received the sought-after gong for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love

Powerful performance: Joanna explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears' (pictured in character)

Proud: Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award. Here she is pictured with Rebel

Best actor: Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film. He wasn't at the ceremony

Important: After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award

Bond girl: The actress portrayed MI6 agent Nomi inJames Bond's No Time to Die

Girl power! Last year's Rising Star winner Bukky Bakray and Lady Gaga took to the stage to present the award

Busty: Gaga teased a hint of cleavage as she went braless in the dress which had a dramatic train

Leading lady: The songstress, who was nominated for Best Actress in House Of Gucci but lost out to Joanna, looked incredible in a plunging forest green gown

Speaking backstage after her win, DeBose said: 'Go in and show them what you have to offer, you are absolutely worthy, that is what this experience has taught me. It has been the wildest ride of my life and getting wilder every day.

'I will say it has been so overwhelming and exciting, this doesn't happen every day, but I am excited by the opportunity to work with different people - there is a rumour I am going to be in a Sony Marvel film, I am looking for new art to make.'

Belfast won Outstanding British Film, with director Kenneth Branagh saying: 'This is a black and white film about The Troubles, it was not an easy pitch but with the great talent in this room please remember if you build it, they will come.

Winner: Ariana DeBose was awarded the gong for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story. The actress was against tough competition in the category as she went head-to head with Caitriona Balfe (Belfast) and Jessie Buckley (The Lost Daughter)

Talent: The 31-year-old portrayed Anita in the adaptation of the 1957 musical. West Side Story also scooped Best Casting with Cindy Tolan

Over the moon: Ariana said her win for best supporting actress in West Side Story is 'the wildest ride of my life' but she is 'thrilled' to see diversity at the London ceremony

Another win: West Side Story also scooped Best Casting with Cindy Tolan accepting the award

Whoops: Ariana was caught on camera mouthing: 'Oh s**t!' as he name was announced as the category winner before taking to the stage in her sensational canary yellow custom Oscar De La Renta dress

Thrilled: Belfast won Outstanding British Film, with director Kenneth Branagh saying: 'This is a black and white film about The Troubles, it was not an easy pitch but with the great talent in this room please remember if you build it, they will come'

'Believe in the uniqueness of your story, your voice and the imagination of the public to embrace any story well told.'

'Thank you very much for being so kind to ours, we deeply appreciate it.'

The actor also presented Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer which was awarded to Jeymes Samuel for The Harder They Fall.

The Troubles: The film stars Caitriona Balfe, Judi Dench (pictured), Jamie Dornan, Ciaran Hinds and Colin Morgan. The film, which Branagh has described as his 'most personal film', follows a young boy's childhood in Belfast during The Troubles

Taking to the stage: Belfast's director Kenneth (pictured) also presented Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director or Producer which was awarded to Jeymes Samuel for The Harder They Fall

Film: The Harder They Fall is loosely based on real cowboys, lawmen, and outlaws of the 19th-century American West. The film stars Regina King, Idris Elba and Lakeith Stanfield

Troy Kotsur took home Supporting Actor for Coda - following a teenager being the only hearing member of a deaf family, who struggles to balance her attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business and her own life aspirations.

Millie Bobby Brown and Florence Pugh gave him the award. The deaf actor, 53, said winning the BAFTA is a 'big pay-off for many years of hellish times'.

He said: 'I am extremely thrilled... I feel like a survivor, at times I sofa-surfed, I slept on the bed on set, all the choices I made, I was such a risk-taker... I just kept on in this crazy journey and I believed in myself.

Here come the girls: Millie Bobby Brown and Florence Pugh joined forces to present Best Supporting Actor

Dress code: Both ladies took to the stage in black dresses, with the colour a popular choice on the night as the stars showed solidarity to Ukraine

Moved: The deaf actor, 53, said winning the BAFTA is a 'big pay-off for many years of hellish times'. He said: 'I am extremely thrilled... I feel like a survivor, at times I sofa-surfed, I slept on the bed on set, all the choices I made, I was such a risk-taker'

Two BAFTAs: Coda won the award for Adapted Screenplay, while Troy Kostur received the Supporting Actor accolade (pictured with Sian Heder)

Stars: Rebel posed with Troy as he proudly showed off his gong in the winners room

Groundbreaking: Coda follows a teenager being the only hearing member of a deaf family, who struggles to balance her attempts to help her family's struggling fishing business and her own life aspirations.

'I feel like I have been an outsider for so long, you have to push your way in but now it feels like filmmakers are thinking outside of the box, trust me there are some great work to come.

'It took a long time for Hollywood to accept actors who happen to be deaf, there was so much fear, you have to cast A-listers and are afraid of losing money... we are trying to encourage filmmakers to fight for that authenticity.

'Hearing people are quite ignorant but after this film it feels that separation is being pulled together... the only difference between us is a different language.

'Our film has had such a great impact. Deaf people are not seen as a victim, my character was a hard-working father and he's fun, a vulgar sense of humour and he is a hero, I hope it influences culture,' he added.

Supportive: Gaga kissed Sian on the cheek as they bonded backstage

Boys: Justin Raleigh accepted the Best Makeup & Hair award for The Eyes Of Tammy Faye (left), while Ryusuke Hamaguchi poses in the winners room with the award for Best Film Not in the English Language

Champions: Jordi Morera and Antonin Niclass poses in the winners room with the award for British Short Animation Do Not Feed The Pigeons

Well done: Robert Fyvolent, David Dinerstein, Questlove aka Ahmir 'Questlove' Thompson and Joseph Patel, accepting the Best Documentary award for Summer Of Soul

Wow: Host Rebel looked incredible in a plunging red sequin gown. The actress, 42, referenced her incredible five stone weight loss as she told the audience: 'I might look a bit different from the last time you saw me here'

Weight loss: 'Everybody is asking me why did you lose weight? Well clearly it was to get the attention of Robert Pattinson. You know how they say 'once you have Bat, you can't go back'. I'm just joking', Rebel said (right pictured at the 2020 BAFTAs)

'Nightmare'! Andy Serkis, 57, skilfully ripped into Home Secretary Priti Patel 's visa rules and the UK's immigration policy, while presenting Best Director

Andy Serkis, 57, skilfully ripped into Home Secretary Priti Patel's visa rules and the UK's immigration policy, while presenting Best Director.

The Lord Of The Rings star branded the Tory MP's handling of visa applications 'a complete nightmare' while indicating that, in general, she has created a 'hostile environment' for asylum seekers.

'Whilst hopefully creating an atmosphere that inspires, is inclusive and values every single member of that family equally

'So it's no surprise that Priti Patel on her debut feature, Hostile Environment, found enormous problems.

Stealing the show: Sienna Miller looked incredible in a plunging gold gown with a pleated hemline and black lace gloves as she took to the stage to present an award

Gorgeous girl: Sienna smouldered for the camera as she posed backstage after presenting the award

'And that her follow up movie - All Refugees Are Welcome But Some Are More Welcome Than Others - is a complete nightmare.'

Taking to the stage, Andy said: 'A world class director is a visionary empowered to change the world with a story that they're burning to tell.

'Bringing together and leading a huge family of supremely talented strangers on a difficulty and chaotic journey.'

Best Costume Design went to Cruella, with Disney also scooping Best Animated film for Encanto, which follows The Madrigals family who live hidden in the mountains of Colombia in a charmed place called the Encanto.

The Eyes Of Tammy Faye came out top in the Hair and Make-Up category while Drive My Car triumphed in Film Not In The English Language.

Host Rebel looked incredible as she presented the show in a plunging red sequin gown. The actress, 42, referenced her incredible five stone weight loss as she told the audience: 'I might look a bit different from the last time you saw me here. That was me two years ago and I have had a transformation. I hope J.K Rowling still approves.

'Everybody is asking me why did you lose weight? Well clearly it was to get the attention of Robert Pattinson. You know how they say 'once you have Bat, you can't go back'. I'm just joking.

'Guys, seriously I didn't lose weight just for a guy, I did it to get more acting roles. I'm now so excited I can play the non-funny love interest in an Adam Sandler movie.'

Prince William, meanwhile, made a virtual appearance to speak about the Breakthrough charity initiative. He added: 'Congratulations to all the nominees, I wish you a wonderful evening.'

Virtual: Prince William made a virtual appearance to speak about the Breakthrough charity initiative. He added: 'Congratulations to all the nominees, I wish you a wonderful evening'
Sir Kenneth Branagh and his wife Lindsay Brunnock cut a glamorous pair as they posed arm-in-arm on the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards at the Royal Albert Hall in London on Sunday.

Director Sir Kenneth, 61, whose movie Belfast won the Outstanding British Film gong and was nominated in the Best Film category, looked dapper in a black tuxedo and crisp white shirt.

Lindsay, 52, coordinated with her filmmaker partner by wearing a floor-length black dress with a leg split.

In style: Sir Kenneth Branagh, 61, and his wife Lindsay Brunnock, 52, cut a glamorous pair as they posed arm-in-arm on the red carpet at this year's BAFTA Film Awards in London on Sunday

She carried a black handbag and accessorised with a platinum set diamond earrings by Moussaieff Jewellers for her outing.

Lindsay held hands as she posed with Kenneth who completed his look with a pair of perfectly polished patent shoes and a black bow tie.

Dune dominated the British Academy Film Awards held at the Royal Albert Hall on Sunday night, while The Power Of The Dog took home Best Film.

Glitterati: Director Sir Kenneth, whose movie Belfast won the Outstanding British Film gong and was nominated in the Best Film category, looked dapper in a black tuxedo

The science fiction movie swept the board as it scooped five out of its eleven nominations for the 75th ceremony which saw diversity triumph, with Lashana Lynch taking home Rising Star, deaf actor Troy Kotsur awarded Supporting Actor and West Side Story's Ariana Debose accepting the Supporting Actress gong.

Joanna Scanlan, 60, won the Leading Actress award for her performance in the Aleem Khan-directed drama After Love and Will Smith, 53, won the Leading Actor gong for his role in King Richard.

The politically charged show returned after a two-year delay with host Rebel Wilson giving Vladmir Putin the middle finger, while many of the stars wore black and Ukraine ribbons in a mark of solidarity.

Dune was awarded Special Visual Effects, Sound, Production Design, Cinematography and Original Score.

Looking good: Sit Kenneth looked stylish, wearing a black jacket with a white handkerchief in the pocket

The first of a two-part adaptation of the 1965 science fiction novel by Frank Herbert, directed by Denis Villeneuve, was presented the Best Cinematography Award by Naomi Campbell and Ru-Paul.

Hans Zimmer was once again recognised in the Original Score category after battling it out against Being The Ricardos, Don't Look Up, The French Dispatch and The Power of the Dog.

However, Dune lost out on the Best Film gong to the gritty Western movie The Power of the Dog. Director Jane Campion couldn't attend the ceremony and so producer Tanya Seghatchian accepted it on her behalf.

Cosy: The couple looked loved-up as they posed alongside one another at the star-studded event

Leading Actress Joanna admitted to being overwhelmed by her success when she took to the stage.

Joanna faced competition from Lady Gaga, Alana Haim, Emilia Jones, Tessa Thompson and Renate Reinsve for the award.

But she explained on stage that the film - which tells the story of a widow who discovers her late husband's secret family - was made with 'blood, sweat and tears'.

Earlier in the night, Will Smith won the Leading Actor gong for his role in 'King Richard'. The Hollywood star played the part of Richard Williams - the dad of tennis stars Venus and Serena Williams - in the hit film.

The success marked the first BAFTA win of Will's career, but he wasn't able to attend the ceremony in London.

After vows from organisers to improve diversity among the stars being nominated, the ceremony saw the likes of Bond star Lashana take to the stage, hailing her working class background after winning the Rising Star award.

The actress, 34, portrayed MI6 agent Nomi inJames Bond's No Time to Die.

She said: 'Thank you everyone who voted. Wow thank you everyone involved in No Time To Die, my career, my parents, my grandparents who came from Jamaica - the Windrush generation. I am thankful for them for my existence.

'I am proud to come from a working class family, I have been taught about failure, about no's and how to celebrate your yeses. Now I get to celebrate a yes, I never expected.

'I want to thank the women who taught me how to be in this industry as a dark skinned women. Thank you for laying the foundations for people like me. I appreciate it. Thank you.'

And No Time To Die was a big winner on the night with Tom Cross and Elliot Graham winning Best Editing, beating Belfast, Dune, Licorice Pizza and Summer of Soul (Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised).

Ariana DeBose was awarded the gong for Best Supporting Actress in West Side Story. The 31-year-old portrayed Anita in the adaptation of the 1957 musical. West Side Story also scooped Best Casting with Cindy Tolan.
Abbie Chatfield went public with boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen in November.

And the couple looked more loved-up than ever on Sunday as they stepped out in Sydney's Bondi Beach.

Abbie, 26, and Konrad, 31, packed on the PDA as they shared a passionate kiss before heading to breakfast together.

Loved-up display: Abbie Chatfield (left) and her boyfriend Konrad Bien-Stephen (right) packed on the PDA as they headed to breakfast in Sydney's Bondi Beach on Sunday

Get a room! The reality star couple shared a passionate kiss before grabbing brunch together

Konrad, who wore retro-inspired shorts and a green jumper, wrapped his arms around his girlfriend as she leaned in for a kiss.

He completed his look with orange sneakers, a black cap and sunglasses.

Meanwhile, Abbie showed off her curves in a black crop top, skimpy blue shorts and a pair of comfortable black sneakers.

Effortlessly cool: Konrad, who wore retro-inspired shorts and a green jumper, wrapped his arms around his girlfriend as she leaned in for a kiss

Details: He completed his look with a pair of orange sneakers, a black cap and sunglasses

Style: Abbie showed off her curves in a black crop top, blue shorts and comfortable sneakers

It comes after Abbie revealed that Konrad was moving into her apartment.

The former Bachelor star announced the news on Instagram alongside a loved-up selfie, writing: 'Chewwy bewwy has moved in!!!!'

Konrad shared the update on his his own profile, adding: 'Love this amazing woman.'

Next step: It comes after Abbie revealed that Konrad was moving into her apartment

Thrilled: The former Bachelor star announced the news on Instagram alongside a loved-up selfie, writing: 'Chewwy bewwy has moved in!!!!'

Agreement: The big step comes after Abbie previously said she'd make Konrad sign a 'pre-de facto' contract before they move in, likening it to a pre-nuptial agreement

The big step comes after Abbie previously said she'd make Konrad sign a 'pre-de facto' contract before they move in, likening it to a pre-nuptial agreement.

Speaking on her Hot Nights with Abbie Chatfield radio show earlier this month, the influencer revealed: 'When I move in with Konrad, he's signing something to say that he doesn't have any of my money... I'm, like, getting lawyers this week.'

She continued: 'If you're de facto, right, someone can take half your property or whatever or your net worth.'

Abbie, who previously vowed to never speak publicly about her dating life, went Instagram official with Konrad on November 24.

Explanation: Speaking on her Hot Nights with Abbie Chatfield radio show earlier this month, the influencer revealed: 'When I move in with Konrad, he's signing something to say that he doesn't have any of my money... I'm, like, getting lawyers this week'

Law: 'If you're de facto, right, someone can take half your property or whatever or your net worth,' she explained
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The biggest stars in Hollywood brought the glitz and the glamour to the red carpet for the 27th Annual Critics Choice Awards on Sunday.

Kristen Stewart, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Mandy Moore were some of the first standout looks as they arrived in eye-catching gold and silvery gowns, at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California.

However, it was Selena Gomez, 29, who really brought her fashion A-game for the awards show, rocking a stunning red Louis Vuitton gown with a glittering neckline.

Critics Choice Awards: Selena Gomez, Kristen Stewart, Jada Pinkett-Smith and Mandy Moore kicked off the carpet for the Critics Choice Awards on Sunday afternoon in LA. Selena wore Louis Vuitton, Kristen wore Dolce & Gabbana, Jada wore Maison Rabig Kayrouz and Mandy wore Elie Saab

Selena looked beautiful in a floor-length Louis Vuitton gown featuring a keyhole detail and a halter neckline that included a diamond accessory and a cape.

Kristen,31, oozed elegance in a gold spaghetti-strap Dolce & Gabbana frock and side swept hair; the Spencer star showcased her slender form in the sleek number.

Jada, who arrived with husband Will Smith, showcased her fit form in a strapless gold and black number by Maison Rabih Kayrouz; the elegant look also featured pockets.

Mandy, 37, showcased her cleavage in a plunging number that had silver beading as well as sheer white accents along the shoulders that cascaded to the floor. Mandy donned Elie Saab Haute Couture.

Movie star: Selena looked beautiful in a floor-length gown featuring a keyhole detail and a halter neckline that included a diamond accessory and a cape; Selena is wearing Louis Vuitton on the LA red carpet

Striking: Kristen oozed elegance in a gold spaghetti-strap frock and side swept hair; the Spencer star showcased her slender form in the sleek number on the red carpet in LA. She is wearing Dolce & Gabbana with Jimmy Choo heels

Strike a pose: Jada, who arrived with husband Will Smith, showcased her fit form in a strapless gold and black number; the elegant look also featured pockets in LA

Sparkling: Mandy showcased her cleavage in a plunging number that had silver beading as well as sheer white accents along the shoulders that cascaded to the floor in LA. She is wearing Elie Saab Haute Couture

CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS: Winners FILM Best Picture The Power of the Dog Best Director Jane Campion  The Power of the Dog Best Actor Will Smith  King Richard Best Actress Jessica Chastain  The Eyes of Tammy Faye Best Acting Ensemble Belfast Best Comedy Feature Licorice Pizza Best Animated Feature The Mitchells vs. the Machines Best Foreign Language Film Drive My Car Best Supporting Actress Ariana DeBose  West Side Story Best Supporting Actor Troy Kotsur  CODA Best Original Screenplay Kenneth Branagh  Belfast Best Adapted Screenplay Jane Campion  The Power of the Dog Best Young Actor/Actress Jude Hill  Belfast Best Visual Effects Dune Best Cinematography Ari Wegner  The Power of the Dog Best Production Design Patrice Vermette, Zsuzsanna Sipos  Dune Best Costume Design Jenny Beavan  Cruella Best Hair and Makeup The Eyes of Tammy Faye Best Editing Sarah Broshar and Michael Kahn  West Side Story Best Song No Time to Die, from No Time to Die Best Score Hans Zimmer  Dune TELEVISION Best Drama Series Succession Best Comedy Series Ted Lasso Best Limited Series Mare of Easttown Best Actor in a Drama Series Lee Jung-jae  Squid Game Best Actress in a Drama Series Melanie Lynskey  Yellowjackets Best Actress in a Comedy Series Jean Smart  Hacks Best Actor in a Comedy Series Jason Sudeikis  Ted Lasso Best Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Michael Keaton  Dopesick Best Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Kate Winslet, Mare of Easttown Best Supporting Actress in a Drama Series Sarah Snook  Succession Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Kieran Culkin  Succession Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series Hannah Waddingham  Ted Lasso Best Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series Brett Goldstein  Ted Lasso Best Supporting Actress in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Jennifer Coolidge  The White Lotus Best Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie Made for Television Murray Bartlett  The White Lotus Best Animated Series What If? Best Foreign Language Series Squid Game Best Movie Made for Television Oslo Best Talk Show Last Week Tonight with John Oliver Best Comedy Special Bo Burnham: Inside

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Lady Gaga arrived on the London red carpet for the Critics Choice Awards wearing an eye-popping Gucci gown.

The gorgeous movie star, 35, showcased her cleavage in the black and gold dress, which featured black floral sleeves and a turtleneck detail.

The frock had an open space on the torso with the bra separate in the center, connected to the gold torso and skirt; the bottom half featured a V-detail with crystallized accents along the waist.

The glamorous dress hugged the star's figure perfectly, and was statement making jewelry.

Lady Gaga wore Tiffany's & Co. jewelry, including earrings and a bracelet, both in platinum with diamonds from the 2022 Tiffany Blue Blue Collection.

She pulled her platinum blonde hair back into an elegant updo; she sported pink glossy lips and gold eye shadow.

Elle Fanning, 23, also chose gold for the event, opting for a strapless Oscar de la Renta gown.

Haacks star Jean Smart, Squid Games star HoYeon Jung and Ted Lasso star Juno Temple also rocked gold numbers while Carey Mulligan opted for silver; Jean chose Valentino Haute Couture, HoYeon chose Louis Vuitton, June wore Armani Prive and Carey picked Dior Haute Couture with Bvlgari jewels.

WandaVision star Kathryn Hahn, 48, arrived in a shiny pink number with an interesting neckline, which she accentuated with loose waves in her hair, courtesy of hairstylist Marilee Albin.

Albin used products from Better Not Younger - including the brand's New Dawn Activated Charcoal Scalp Cleanser and Lift Me Up Hair Thickener - to create the actress's 'do for the evening.

Outlander star Catriona Balfe, 42, chose a pale pink strapless Dior Haute Couture frock with a diamond choker, a jewelry trend that Indya Moore and Jasmin Savoy Brown also opted for.

Indya donned a pink, nude and white low-cut dress featuring sequins; the star added a nude clutch and silver heels.

Jasmin sported the diamond choker with a pleated pink Prada gown, adding a structured clutch and dark lipstick.

Rita Ora, 31, and boyfriend Taika Waititi, 46, posed up a storm on the red carpet; Rita chose a dark velvet Elie Saab Couture gown with cut-out details along the midriff and stomach revealing her underwear-free look.

Insecure star Issa Rae, 37, looked lovely in a bright red floral Carolina Herrera frock that had a flower detail along the halter neckline in LA. The nominee also sported a makeup look created by beauty pro Joanna Simkin using products from Chantecaille.

'The look feels like a soft springtime glow, with the added hint of some dark smoke and a wing. I specifically pulled from the flowers in the dress - tones of lavender and pink, and mirrored those tones on the eyes, cheeks and lips,' Joenna explained - revealing that she used the brand's Cheek Gelee to create a stunning flush on the cheeks, while the eyes were enhanced with Chantecaille's Giraffe Eye Quartet.

Finally Issa's pout was perfected with the Lip Definer and the newly-launched Lip Chic in Freesia.

Margaret Qualley donned a calf-length Chanel frock featuring black, white and floral elements; she walked the carpet in LA.

Halle Berry decided to go for a black pantsuit with a sheer white corset - all by Dolce & Gabbana for the ceremony. She walked the red carpet in LA with boyfriend Van Hunt.

The 55-year-old actress sported silvery dyed hair with bold green earrings for a pop of color.

Maggie Gyllenhaal, 44, chose a one-shoulder white Chloe dress featuring a voluminous sleeve.

The Power Of The Dog was the big winner at the 2022 Critics' Choice Awards just days after being criticized by veteran actor Sam Elliott for the movie's theme of repressed homosexual desire.

The Jane Campion directed film earned the top honor of Best Picture at the end of the star-studded gala which took place between two locations - the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California and Royal Albert Hall in London - for the 27th annual gala.

Campion was also recognized in the Best Director category as she was the only woman in the field: Paul Thomas Anderson  Licorice Pizza, Kenneth Branagh  Belfast, Guillermo del Toro  Nightmare Alley, Steven Spielberg  West Side Story, and Denis Villeneuve  Dune.

She also won Best Adapted Screenplay over Maggie Gyllenhaal  The Lost Daughter, Sian Heder  CODA

Will Smith accepted his second honor of the night in the Best Actor category just hours after winning the same prize at the BAFTA Awards earlier in the night.

He beat out top stars including: Nicolas Cage  Pig, Benedict Cumberbatch  The Power of the Dog, Peter Dinklage  Cyrano, Andrew Garfield  tick, tickBoom!, and Denzel Washington  The Tragedy of Macbeth.

The 53-year-old actor was recognized for his work in King Richard as he gave a heartfelt thank you to ttennis superstar sisters Venus and Serena Williams.

Jessica Chastain was not in attendance but she did win Best Actress for her role in The Eyes Of Tammy Faye.

The 44-year-old actress was up against a talented field including: Olivia Colman  The Lost Daughter, Lady Gaga  House of Gucci, Alana Haim  Licorice Pizza, Nicole Kidman  Being the Ricardos, and Kristen Stewart  Spencer.

When it came to the television portion of the award show there were not bigger winners than Succession and Ted Lasso.

Succession led winners in the drama television genre as the HBO series earned Best Drama Series over Evil (Paramount+), For All Mankind (Apple TV+), The Good Fight (Paramount+), Pose (FX), Squid Game (Netflix) This Is Us (NBC), and Yellowjackets (Showtime).

Executive producer Scott Ferguson accepted the gong as showrunner Jesse Armstrong is in London working on season 4.

The HBO series also earned individual honors in the Best Supporting Actor and Actress categories for Kieran Culkin and Sarah Snook, respectively.

Ted Lasso has continued its very successful awards show run as the AppleTV+ series earned Best Comedy Series beating out The Great (Hulu), Hacks (HBO Max), Insecure (HBO), Only Murders in the Building (Hulu), The Other Two (HBO Max), Reservation Dogs (FX on Hulu), and What We Do in the Shadows (FX).

Va va voom: Lady Gaga dazzled in a gold and black Gucci gown featuring lace long sleeves; she hit the show's red carpet in London at The Savoy

Statement: The 35-year-old singer and actress chose a Gucci frock for the London red carpet

Gucci dream: The star showcased her cleavage in the eye-popping look, which had an open neckline and torso

Princess: Elle Fanning looked incredible in a strapless gold Oscar de la Renta gown with a voluminous skirt in LA

Lovely: Thuso Mbedu chose a patterned gold dress with fringe detailing as she arrived on the red carpet in LA

Metallic: Jean Smart in Valentino Haute Couture (L), HoYeon Jung (LC), Juno Temple (RC) and Carey Mulligan wearing Dior Haute Couture (R) and Bvlgari diamonds

Goddesses: Venus Williams and Serena Williams both chose silvery gowns; the walked the carpet in LA; both wore Atelier Versace

Shades of pink: Kathryn Han (L), Catriona Balfe (LC), Indya Moore (RC) and Jasmin Savoy Brown (R) chose pink as their dress color - opting for different shades of the hue

Wow factor: Indya donned a pink, nude and white low-cut dress featuring sequins; the star added a nude clutch and silver heels

Think pink: Aunjanue Ellie (L) and Angelica Ross (R) donned pink shimmering looks

Bold: Zoey Deutch chose a hot pink floor-length gown featuring a corset bodice with a ruffled voluminous skirt in LA; She is wearing Alexander McQueen

Dazzling: Nicole Byer, who hosted the show with Taye Diggs, wore Christian Siriano; She walked the LA carpet

Crimson: Juliette Lewis wearing Alberta Ferretti (L) in LA and Danielle Brooks (R) in LA

Red hot: Kathryn Newton (L) chose a low-cut crimson gown that had a ball skirt while Elizabeth Olsen (R) chose a plunging burgundy velvet number by Giorgio Armani Prive with Cartier jewelry

Cute: Rita Ora and boyfriend Taika Waititi posed up a storm on the carpet; Rita chose a dark velvet Elie Saab Haute Couture gown with cut-out details along the midriff and stomach revealing her underwear-free look; he is wearing Giorgio Armani with an Omega watch. They walked the carpet in LA

Spring ready: Issa Rae looked lovely in a bright red floral frock that had a flower detail along the halter neckline in LA. Issa donned Carolina Herrera

Elegant: Margaret Qualley donned a calf-length Chanel frock featuring black, white and floral elements; she walked the carpet in LA

Edgy: Halle Berry decided to go for a black pantsuit with a sheer white corset - all by Dolce & Gabbana for the ceremony. She walked the red carpet in LA with boyfriend Van Hunt

Holding hands: Halle, 55, and boyfriend Van, 52, posed up a storm on the red carpet

Looking great! Sarah Jones (L), Melissa McCarthy (C) and Robin Thede (R) walked the red carpet in LA

Vision: Maggie Gyllenhaal, 44, chose a one-shoulder white Chloe dress featuring a voluminous sleeve; she walked the LA carpet

Joshua Jackson posed on the red carpet with wife Jodie Turner-Smith, who dazzled in a blue Gucci gown with a diamond hair accessory.

The lovebirds, who share daughter Janie, one, posed up a storm as they made their way on the red carpet.

Jodie wowed in a bright blue satin frock that featured a statement necklace and a long train; the actress rocked several diamond and emerald rings as well as an intricate bracelet and headpiece.

Joshua also wore Gucci, opting for a classic black and white suit with a bow tie.

Date night: Joshua Jackson kicked off the red carpet with wife Jodie Turner-Smith, who dazzled in a blue Gucci gown with a diamond hair accessory on Sunday in LA. Joshua also chose Gucci. They are also both wearing Bvlgari jewels

Good looking duo: The biggest stars in Hollywood brought the glitz and the glamour to the red carpet on Sunday afternoon as they arrived for the awards ceremony, which is set to take place at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California

Cute: The Dawson's Creek star, 43, looked dapper in his suit as he posed with the beautiful actress, whom he married in 2019

Gorgeous: Jodie wowed in the bright blue satin frock, adding several diamond and emerald rings as well as an intricate bracelet and head piece

Chic: Kirsten Dunst opted for a powder blue dress; she is wearing Julie de Libran Couture; in LA

Close: Kirsten struck a pose with fiance Jesse Plemons, 33; they share two children together. They walked the LA carpet. Jesse is wearing Giorgio Armani Made to Measure tuxedo and Santoni shoes

Statement: Marlee Matlin (L), Mayim Bialik (LC), Rita Moreno (RC) and Ella Purnell (R) wowed in blue and green toned frocks

Bright: West Side Story star Rachel Zegler chose a pleated green Dior Haute Couture frock with cut-out detailing and a shimmering hue with Tiffany & Co. jewelry; she walked the carpet in London

Lovely: Hannah Waddingham (L) walked the carpet in London rocking a busty black and green Carolina Herrera gown with Pomellato; Demi Singleton (R) wears black and pink dress, adding a belt and classic pumps in LA

The 27th annual awards show was co-hosted by Taye Diggs and Nicole Byer and took place at the Fairmont Century Plaza Hotel in Century City, California.

Nominations for the event were announced back in December.

The Critics Choice Awards were originally scheduled to occur January 9 but were postponed due to the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the omicron variant.

The Critics Choice Association said in a statement on January 13 they would be moving forward with an in-person event and working with the Los Angeles County Public Health Department 'to ensure that the proper COVID-19 protocols to keep all attendees safe and comfortable will be in place' by March 13.

Wow factor: Julianne Nicholson (L) and Kristin Chenoweth (R) and both choice cut-out black dresses. Kristin is wearing Pamella Roland from the Fall 2022 collection

Looking chic: Maria Bakalova (L) wowed in a glittery black Balmain dress for the show; the frock had a cut-out detail while Molly Shannon (R) chose more covered up version

Beaming: Amy Forsyth chose a strapless black and white tulle number; she walked the red carpet in LA

Sleek: Sonequa Martin-Green (L) wowed in a risque white number while Amelia Warner, wife to Jamie Dornan, opted for a pansuit. They all appeared on the red carpet in LA

Sultry: Emilia Jones (L) in London and Kristen Wiig (R) in LA

Bright: Ariana DeBose in London wearing Carolina Herrera

Jewel tones: MJ Rodriguez (L) and Stephanie Beatriz (R) chose jewel tones

'Following the science and tracking the course of the Omicron variant, we believe that March 13th will be the right day to properly honor the finest achievements in film and television during the past year,' CCA CEO Joey Berlin said in the statement.

'We could have proceeded with our original January 9th date with limited attendance or switched to a virtual awards show like we did last year, but we decided to wait until we could safely gather in person and truly celebrate with the creative community, industry leaders and our CCA members all together in one beautiful setting for all the world to see.'

The new date conflicted with another major awards show, the BAFTAS, which also took place March 13.

According to Variety sources, the CCAs and BAFTAs were in communication over the issue and had a mutual understanding amongst one another.

Vintage inspired: Jared Leto donned Gucci, opting for a seventies style suit; he walked the carpet in LA

Adorable: Alan Kim, nine, donned a patterned red suit with sneakers

Suited up: Ansel Elgort (L), Michael Keaton (LC), Kieran Culkin (RC) and Brian Cox (R)

Handsome: Jon Bernthal (L), Evan Peters (C) and Christian Slater (R) pictured

Looking good: Park Hae-soo (L), Lee Jung-Jae and Steven Krueger (R);They all walked the carpet in LA

Suit: Mike Colter donned a pinstripe suit as he walked the carpet in LA

Bold: Andrew Garfield donned a velvet suit on the carpet in LA

Good looking: Lakeith Stanfield rocked statement jewelry to go with this all black look; he carried a taupe jacket. The star walked the red carpet in LA

Looking good: Will Smith rocked a black and brown suit, complete with a vest

Smile: Sterling K. Brown (L) wore a tie on the carpet and Lin-Manuel Miranda did as well; both are in LA
Disgraced Daytime Emmy winner Shia LaBeouf and his pregnant rumored fiancee Mia Goth spent Saturday afternoon hanging out with friends in a park near his $5.4M four-bedroom Pasadena home.

The half-Brazilian, British 28-year-old - who's said to be eight or nine months along - showcased her burgeoning baby bump in a white T-shirt, navy-blue maternity leggings, and beige Birkenstocks.

Mia - rocking circular sunglasses - put both hands on her bump as she chatted up an elderly woman.

Arm in arm: Disgraced Daytime Emmy winner Shia LaBeouf (L) and his pregnant rumored fiancee Mia Goth (R) spent Saturday afternoon hanging out with friends in a park near his $5.4M four-bedroom Pasadena home

The 'canceled' 35-year-old actor sported a grey Miami Marlins T-shirt, black drawstring shorts, and $125 Caterpillar 'Stormers 6in Steel Toe' work boots.

LaBeouf - who said he 'would have killed' Goth during a heated 2015 altercation in Germany - filed for divorce in 2018 after nearly two years of so-called marriage.

However, Clark County Nevada tweeted that Shia and The House actress were never technically married by the Elvis Presley impersonator officiating their 2016 nuptials at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel.

The former Disney Channel star was still dating stylist Karolyn Pho in 2012 when he met Mia on the set of Lars von Trier's NC-17 drama, Nymphomaniac: Vol II.

Maternity wear: The half-Brazilian, British 28-year-old - who's said to be eight or nine months along - showcased her burgeoning baby bump in a white T-shirt, navy-blue leggings, and beige Birkenstocks

Any day now! Mia - rocking circular sunglasses - put both hands on her bump as she chatted up an elderly woman

Relaxing in fold-out chairs: The 'canceled' 35-year-old actor sported a grey Miami Marlins T-shirt, black drawstring shorts, and $125 Caterpillar 'Stormers 6in Steel Toe' work boots

On/off couple: LaBeouf - who said he 'would have killed' Goth during a heated 2015 altercation in Germany - filed for divorce in 2018 after nearly two years of so-called marriage

Sunday marked the world premiere of Goth's film X at South by Southwest's Stateside Theatre in Austin, TX - which was attended by her castmates Martin Henderson, Kid Cudi, Brittany Snow, and director Ti West.

The Independent Spirit Award winner portrays fame-hungry porn star Maxine/Pearl in A24's 1979-set horror film, which will be released in US/UK theaters this Friday.

Meanwhile, Shia flew to Puglia, Italy in November to star in director Abel Ferrara's untitled biopic on the Italian monk-turned-saint Padre Pio.

LaBeouf's career took a huge hit when his ex-girlfriend FKA twigs accused him of sexual battery, assault, and infliction of emotional distress in a lawsuit she filed in LA in December 2020.

'No marriage license': However, Clark County Nevada tweeted that Shia and The House actress were never technically married by the Elvis Presley impersonator officiating their 2016 nuptials at the Viva Las Vegas Wedding Chapel

Castmates: The former Disney Channel star was still dating stylist Karolyn Pho in 2012 when he met Mia on the set of Lars von Trier's NC-17 drama, Nymphomaniac: Vol II

The British 34-year-old (born Tahliah Barnett) also alleged the Echo Park native infected her with a sexually-transmitted disease during their turbulent 11-month relationship, which ended in May 2019.

Most actors wouldn't have a career at all if they were Shia - whose seventh arrest was in June 2020 for misdemeanor battery and petty theft charges.

In May, LaBeouf was placed into a judicial diversion program outlining that he take anger management therapy once a week, continue his alcohol monitoring, and he cannot obtain/use any weapons/violence - according to TMZ.

Skipped! Sunday marked the world premiere of Goth's film X at South by Southwest's Stateside Theatre in Austin, TX - which was attended by her castmates (from L-R) Martin Henderson, Kid Cudi, Brittany Snow, and director Ti West
Madeleine West has seemingly responded to her ex-partner Shannon Bennett's claim their break-up left him the primary carer of their six children and cost him his dream hotel redevelopment project.

The former Neighbours star, 41, appeared to reference her 'toxic' split from the celebrity chef in an Instagram post quoting former first lady Michelle Obama's oft-repeated mantra: 'When they go low, we go high.'

She revealed she kept the quote pinned to her fridge as a reminder to herself that 'you have to fall a few times when learning to fly'.

Breaking her silence: Madeleine West (pictured) has seemingly responded to her ex-partner Shannon Bennett's claim their break-up left him the primary carer of their six children

The former couple, who never married, announced their split in September 2018 after 13 years of dating. West said earlier this year the separation process 'turned love toxic'.

They share six children, Phoenix, Hendrix, Xascha, Xanthe, Xahlia and Margaux.

Bennett's management released a statement on Friday describing his struggles after their split, saying he'd been forced to give up his dream property redevelopment as a result.

Cryptic: West appeared to reference her 'toxic' split from the chef in an Instagram post quoting former first lady Michelle Obama's oft-repeated mantra: 'When they go low, we go high'

Bennett, known for running Melbourne's renowned Vue de monde restaurant, said he'd since relocated from Victoria to the NSW tourist town of Byron Bay, where West also lives, to help look after their children.

'Since relocating to Byron Bay with his six children after the breakdown of his relationship with their mother, his sole focus is the care and upbringing of his children,' his management team said.

His team revealed the chef had also divested his shares in Vue de monde, and ditched plans to turn a historic mansion near Melbourne into a luxury hotel.

'His sole focus is the care and upbringing of his children': Bennett's (left) management said on Friday he was forced to give up his dream property redevelopment as a result of his separation

Bennett took over the Burnham Beeches estate in the Dandenong Ranges - 40km east of the city - in 2010, but recently sold the property for $16.6million to hotel giant Sorrento.

'Burnham Beeches became superfluous to this focus [of looking after his children],' the statement given to The Herald Sun read.

'Shannon has no current hospitality projects on the horizon. He wishes the new owners all the success.'

Statement: 'Since relocating to Byron Bay with his six children after the breakdown of his relationship with their mother, his sole focus is the care and upbringing of his children,' Bennett's management team said

Split: West (second from right) has found new love since the split she says 'turned love toxic', moving on with Byron Bay environmentalist Maximo Bottaro (second from left)

Bennett had struggled to complete Heritage Victoria-mandated repair on the state-listed estate and it is believed he never completed all the required works.

In 2020, he said bureaucrats had ordered $250,000 in 'mad' repairs and he would not 'stand for it any more'.

Bennett's plans for the redevelopment included a hotel with a microbrewery, shop and new restaurant.

Pictured: The Burnham Beeches estate in the Dandenong Ranges, 40km east of Melbourne. Bennett took over the historic mansion in 2010, but recently sold the property for $16.6million to hotel giant Sorrento

West, who has pitched in with the flood clean-up in Lismore in northern NSW, is planning to run at the NSW state election next year as an independent.

In February, she described the soul-shaking moment she decided to leave the celebrity chef in 2018.

'I woke one morning and no longer recognised myself in the mirror. I loved so much about my life, but somewhere I'd lost myself within it. It no longer fit me,' she recalled of her decision to walk away.

Exes: The former couple, who never married despite being together for 13 years, share six children, Phoenix, Hendrix, Xascha, Xanthe, Xahlia and Margaux. (Pictured: Bennett and West on March 29, 2016, in Melbourne)

Describing the process of separation as 'painful', West confessed in an article for Mamamia: 'It tore apart my world, damaged the things I held dearest and turned love toxic.'

The star also listed the challenges she faced after leaving her relationship - learning how to parent as a single mother and how to cope with being alone when her kids were staying with their father.

West said she struggled to 're-establish' her identity as a single woman.

New love: The actress has moved on from those difficult years and has found new love with Byron Bay environmentalist Maximo Bottaro (right)

'I wish I'd known that divorce is more than a division of assets, it's a division of homes, friends, hopes, dreams,' she lamented.

West has since moved on from those difficult years and found new love with Byron Bay environmentalist Maximo Bottaro.

The couple were first pictured together in April 2020 when they were seen kissing at a secluded beach in the coastal NSW town.

The couple met while West was volunteering for Maximo's environmental organisation ReForest Now.

'Everything in life has a season': A year after their split, West said she was unlikely to ever get back together with Shannon

A year after their split, West said she was unlikely to ever get back together with Bennett.

'I'm a big believer that everything in life has a season. We change. We evolve,' the actress told The Kyle and Jackie O Show.

'At some point we go, "Well, I have certain needs I want to have met and you've got certain needs and if the two don't combine and cross in the middle, why fight it and be miserable?"

'I don't think that's fair to the children either to see two parents that are constantly across purposes.'

Extending an olive branch: West told Stellar magazine in 2018 she and Shannon were 'striving to reconnect as friends and parents'

She brushed off questions about a potential 'love interest' at the time and joked she was living 'like a monk'.

West told Stellar magazine in 2018 she and Shannon were 'striving to reconnect as friends and parents'.

She said having six children and 'two high-pressure careers' had put a strain on their relationship over time.
In New York, as nationwide, most community colleges have a split personality  part academically oriented junior college preparing students to transfer to four-year colleges and universities, part vocational school preparing learners for the workforce.

The academic mission has traditionally received more respect and funding, while the job-focused mission, although important to many students and the regional economy, is often seen as second-tier.

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But the COVID economic shock is posing a host of new questions. At New York States roughly 40 community colleges, as nationwide, the number of students enrolling in traditional, two-year academic education has plummeted, while at many schools, demand for short job-focused programs is soaring. Displaced by the pandemic and the economic change its unleashing, millions of New Yorkers need to reskill for new jobs, often in new, unfamiliar industries.

The challenge for the states community colleges: Can they pivot to address this changing demand, putting job training and career success more at the center of their mission and culture?

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Bronx Community College on University Avenue in the Bronx. (Alvarez, Enid/New York Daily News)

Even before the pandemic, many colleges in other states were rethinking their emphasis on academic programs. As more and more students, many of them midcareer adults, showed up at college looking for short, skills-focused courses rather than two-year degree programs, many schools responded by adjusting their mission. And the pandemic has only accelerated the shift, driving up demand for training to bridge the gap between unemployed workers and employers struggling to fill jobs.

New Yorks community colleges lag behind. Theyre moving toward a job-focused mission, but more slowly than many other states  to the detriment of job-focused learners and the New York economy.

At community colleges nationwide, students preparing for the world of work account for 54% of enrollments; those studying traditional academic subjects account for 46%. In New York  the City University of New York (CUNY) and the State University of New York (SUNY)  the ratio is reversed: 55% academic education to 45% vocational programs.

Nationwide, many colleges rely heavily on noncredit continuing education to provide job-focused courses. Among other advantages, unlike slow-moving academic departments, which often need up to two years to obtain approval for a new program, noncredit departments do not answer to accreditors or faculty committees. So they can respond in real time to the changing needs of employers and job seekers, making sure that the skills they teach are in demand in the local labor market.

Nationwide, nearly 60% of all noncredit learners are in job-focused programs. In New York, the number is just 40%, with most noncredit students enrolled in college prep courses or recreational classes like French cooking and photography.

Degree-seeking New York students are also much less likely to be preparing for the workplace. Just 23% of New York community college credit enrollments are job-focused, compared with a national average of 34%.

It isnt easy for colleges to rethink their mission. Obstacles include the schools traditional culture, academically-minded faculty and  perhaps most important  funding.

Workforce education is expensive. Technical programs must purchase costly equipment. Instructors with industry experience expect private-sector-level salaries. And unlike, say, English or sociology, phlebotomy cannot be taught in a lecture hall. Hands-on learning requires a much lower studentteacher ratio.

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Yet few states provide adequate funding for workforce education, and noncredit programs are at a particular disadvantage. Despite the long-term benefits for the city and the state, Albany provides no funding at all for noncredit programs that prepare learners to succeed in the workplace.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

It will require change in many quarters to remedy this imbalance, but both Albany and City Hall can help.

Gov. Hochuls proposed budget would expand the states Tuition Assistance Program to cover some noncredit education  an important start that should be approved by the Legislature. But scholarship funding would cover only tuition, and only for some courses  not the full cost of career programs.

Its a golden opportunity for Mayor Adams, who has spoken often about the need to accelerate economic opportunity and reconnect forgotten communities to growing industries. Why not create a fund to cover stipends for noncredit learners enrolled in programs leading to well-paying jobs in high-growth New York industries?

Stipends should come with strict conditions  clear definitions of well-paying jobs and high-demand industries. Only courses developed with input from employers should be eligible, and employer partners should have to promise to interview qualified graduates.

How much would it cost? At $1,000 per student, perhaps $45 million  not much more than a rounding error on the $1.4 billion the city set aside this year for CUNY community colleges.

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It would be a small price to pay for a big boost in economic mobility and, ultimately, a more competitive city.

Jacoby is president of Opportunity America and author of a new Manhattan Institute report, Training Tomorrows Workers: Next Steps for New York Community Colleges.
A powerful and quick-moving winter storm brought rain, sleet and snow to Connecticut on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

Eversource and United Illuminating reported thousands of customers without power due to strong winds, which continued into Sunday morning.

Update: 7 a.m.

More than 1,000 Eversource customers were still affected by power outages early Sunday morning. Harwinton and West Hartford residents had the majority of outages, Eversource reported.

United Illuminating, meanwhole, was reporting 64 customers with utility outages as of Sunday morning, a much lower number of customers than Saturday night.

Update: 10 p.m.

Just under 900 utility customers in New Haven are without power. United Illuminating reported as of 10 p.m. that 875 customers in New Haven, and 1,080 total in the state, had lost power.

Eversource reported at the same time that more than 5,500 customers were without power in the state.

Shortly before 10 p.m., the state Department of Transportation reported that Route 64 in Middlebury, near Park Drive and Steinmann Avenue, was closed due to a downed utility pole with wires across the road. Drivers are asked to seek an alternate route.

Update: 9:15 p.m.

About 6,000 Connecticut utility customers are still without power, with strong winds expected to continue into Sunday.

Eversource reported as of 9:15 p.m. that nearly 5,800 customers were without power. Farmington and Litchfield had the most customers in the dark, nearly 500 each.

United Illuminating reported at the same time that little more than 200 customers did not have power.

Update: 8 p.m.

The Harwinton Volunteer Fire Department reported several problem areas in town due to the winds bringing down trees.

One tree is down over power lives on Litchfield Road near Davis Road. Plymouth Road is closed due to a tree and wires down in the area between Rocky Road West and Steeple Chase Road. Eversource has been notified of these incidents.

As of 8 p.m., 365 Eversource customers in Harwinton were without power.

Fire officials warned of the likelihood of more debris on the roads, and slippery conditions due to earlier rain and snow combined with the rapid temperature drop.

Update: 7 p.m.

Roads in the state remain closed due to downed power lines, trees and other debris tossed by strong winds.

As of 7 p.m., the state Department of Transportation reported the following road closures: Route 616 in Colchester between Chestnut Hill Road and Halls Hill Road, Route 115 in Ansonia between Colony Road and Under Hill Road, Route 6 near Litchfield Road in Watertown, Route 188 near Bridle Path Road in Southbury, Route 217 near Route 66 in Middlefield, Route 82 near Wood Bridge Road in Salem and Route 148 in Killingworth between Lovers Lane and Birch Mill Road.

DOT officials advise commuters to drive carefully and seek alternate routes.

Update: 6 p.m.

More than 12,000 Connecticut utility customers are without power.

Eversource reported as of 6 p.m. that 11,065 customers had lost power, while United Illuminating reported 1,087 at the same time.

Litchfield, where 1,959 customers are without power, and Monroe, with 1,699, remain the hardest hit towns.

Update: 5:15 p.m.

More snow is expected throughout the state into the evening on Saturday. The National Weather Service issued a warning for New Haven County that more snow is expected between 5 and 5:30 p.m, with an additional half-inch to an inch of snow to accumulate into the evening hours.

As of 5:15 p.m., part of Route 6 in Watertown and Route 188 in Southbury were closed due to trees and wires down in the roadway.

Update: 4:30 p.m.

Strong winds and downed trees are continuing to disrupt power throughout the state.

As of 4:30 p.m., Eversource reported nearly 7,000 customers were without power, with Litchfield and Monroe being the hardest hit towns.

United Illuminating reported that as of 4:15 p.m., just under 1,500 customers had lost power. North Branford customers accounted for a quarter of the total outages.

Wind advisories remain in effect statewide.

Update: 3:30 p.m.

The National Weather Service announced it has extended the Winter Weather Advisory for parts of the state until 10 p.m. Saturday.

The warning was issued for Hartford and Tolland counties. Residents in those counties can expect up to one inch of additional snowfall, and wind gusts as high as 50 mph, the weather service said.

The weather service advised that drivers be cautious while traveling, as roads could be slippery, and high winds may bring trees, branches and other debris onto the roadway.

Part of Route 254 in Litchfield was closed just before 3:30 p.m. due to a tree and wires down across the road. That road remains closed at this time.

Update: 2:45 p.m.

The Easton Police Department was reporting that roads were slippery and strong winds were starting to bring down trees. Town and state highway departments are out treating roads and clearing trees, the department said on social media.

Eversource outages were increasing, with 2,161 customers without power. The most outages were still in New Milford with 735 customers without power. Weston has 326 customers without power, followed by Monroe with 224.

United Illuminating was reporting more outages as well, with 419 customers impacted. Fairfield has the most outages with 249 customers out followed by Bridgeport with 78 and Easton with 50.

Update: 1:45 p.m.

As the storm continues and winds pick up in the state, Eversource is reporting an increase in outages, with 1,737 customers now without power.

New Milford has the most outages, reporting 734 customers without power. Weston has 303 customers without power and Monroe has 121.

United Illuminating is reporting 151 customers without power, with 112 customers out in Fairfield, 23 out in Easton and 15 in Trumbull.

Update: 1 p.m.

Gov. Ned Lamont activated the states severe cold weather protocol beginning at 5 p.m. Saturday and continuing through noon Sunday.

The protocol is set up for state agencies and municipalities to coordinate with United Way 2-1-1 and Connecticuts network of shelters to make sure that anyone can receive shelter from the outdoors, including transportation to shelters, the governors office said in a statement.

Shelters and warming centers are open and available across Connecticut, Lamont said. Anyone can call 2-1-1 to get connected to a nearby shelter, and transportation can be provided if necessary.

As the snowstorm continued on Saturday, Eversource was reporting about 138 customers without power, with 82 customers without power in Norwalk.

United Illuminating was reporting 31 outages as of 1 p.m., with 19 customers out in Fairfield and 12 in Bridgeport.

Update: 12:45 p.m.

Due to the inclement weather, the Danbury Library announced that it will close Saturday.

Update: 12:30 p.m.

Eversource Energy was reporting about 50 customers without power as of 12:30 p.m. Saturday, down from an earlier report of 120 power outages, according to its website.

There were 16 customers in New Canaan and 30 in Wilton without power, and fewer than five in Groton and Ridgefield, according to Eversource.

Update: 12:01 p.m.

The rain has turned to snow in the western part of the state, and was starting to stick by the late morning.

Update: 11:30 a.m.:

In Norwalk, the St. Patricks Day Parade has been rescheduled for later this month.

The parade had been set to step off on Saturday, but it was instead postponed a week to March 19. It will still begin at 11 a.m. at Veterans Park.

The parade route will proceed onto Washington Street, then North Main Street and end on Pine Street. There will be a ceremony at ONeills Pub at 93 N. Main St. after the parade.

Update: 10 a.m.

An intensifying and quick-moving winter storm will bring rain, sleet and snow to Connecticut on Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

A Winter Weather Advisory has been issued for Fairfield, Litchfield, New Haven, Hartford and Tolland counties into Saturday evening, according to the National Weather Service. The weather service has also issued a wind advisory for Middlesex, New London and New Haven counties from 11 a.m. until 4 a.m. Sunday.

The weather service forecast calls for more snow in western Connecticut, with a predicted 3 inches for the Danbury area. Estimated totals decrease farther east in the state, with less than an inch estimated for New London.

Rain will begin to change to sleet and then quickly to snow around early afternoon Saturday as temperatures plunge below freezing, the weather service said in a briefing. Western cities such as Danbury and Bridgeport could see the change between noon and 1 p.m. while eastern cities may not see snow until 2 or 3 p.m.

The snow may be locally heavy immediately following the changeover, the latest briefing said.

Temperatures will fall quickly into the afternoon, resulting in a quick freezing of any standing water, the weather service said.

Winds will gust quickly behind the cold front, ranging from 15 to 25 mph, with gusts of up to 45 mph.

Travel may be difficult to dangerous, according to the service, due to falling temperatures on the snow-covered and/or icy untreated roadways.

christine.derosa@hearstmediact.com
Increasingly, it is computers that decide which children are chosen for magnet school seats, what neighborhoods have more policing, who gets hired for state jobs and more.

Many of these decisions are based on machine learning called algorithms. This is not necessarily bad, as algorithms enable computers to sort through vast amounts of data for patterns and predictions, ostensibly controlled by government agencies.

But  and this is a huge but  the algorithms are only as good as the assumptions made in creating them. And this scaffolding often is secret, veiled from public scrutiny under the guise of proprietary property.

The consequences can be unfair, life-altering and expensive.

A recent study by the Media Freedom & Information Access Clinic at Yale University Law School highlights the flaws found in algorithms used by governmental agencies around the country.

A man in Michigan was wrongly accused of unemployment insurance fraud, and in the two years it took to clear the charges, he had to file for bankruptcy. The decision to accuse, which even led to seizure of his $11,000 tax refund check, was made not by a person but by computers  the Michigan Integrated Data Automated System. It was one of about 48,000 accusations of fraud issued by the data system against those who received state unemployment.

In Illinois, a child welfare algorithm overestimated the number of children at high chance of death while at the same time didnt identify several high-profile deaths  including one where the algorithm failed to flag a child who had been the subject of at least 10 abuse investigations. Illinois dropped the software by Mindshare Technology.

Connecticut used that same software for three years, ending the contract in 2019, stating resource constraints, the Yale study reported. Up until then, the service was paid for by the vendor and a national foundation. The cost was not divulged.

Through Freedom of Information requests, three state agencies  the Department of Children and Families, the Department of Education and the Department of Administrative Services  were asked in the year-long study to provide data on their use of algorithms. The results were spotty, vague or, in the case of administrative services, nonexistent.

Algorithms are unaccountable, the Yale study concluded in an executive summary. Agencies acquire algorithms without fully understanding how they function or assessing their reliability, and then often fail to test their reliability in use. Deficiencies in current disclosure laws make it impossible for the public to know if government algorithms are functioning properly or to [identify] sources of ineffectiveness or bias.

The Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information and the Connecticut Foundation for Open Government advocate for stronger oversight in the use of algorithms for decision-making by public agencies.

To prevent significant errors or miscalculations in the future, many government algorithms need to be transparent so they can be publicly vetted before policy decisions are made or legislation becomes law, wrote Mitchell W. Pearlman, the states foremost expert on FOI and an executive officer of CFOG.

The public has a right to know how public agencies make decisions that affect myriad aspects of everyday life. Possibly your life.

Why now? March 13 to 19 is Sunshine Week, an annual event to promote a dialogue about the importance of open government and freedom of information, wrote Justin Silverman, executive director of the New England First Amendment Coalition. Sunshine refers to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Louis D. Brandeis comment about transparency in governance that sunlight is said to be the best of disinfectants.

Why care? As a technology, algorithms can be useful in sorting through volumes of data. But the public  and policy makers  should understand the underlying assumptions in the formula, which can be biased, and that takes legal, mandated transparency.

Otherwise, we are giving up our decision-making responsibility to computers.

Jacqueline Smith, a Bethel resident, is a board member of the Connecticut Council on Freedom of Information. She is a former editorial page editor with Hearst Connecticut Media. Contact her at Jacqueline.wordsmith@gmail.com .
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Throughout our history weve learned this lesson  when dictators do not pay a price for their aggression, they cause more chaos.

President Biden was of course referring to Russia, and he was dead right. But he could well have been speaking of Iran, which has time and again defied the international community with its nuclear program, its sponsorship of terrorism including bloody attacks against U.S. forces in Iraq and Jews worldwide, its threats to wipe Israel off the earth, and its continued repression and human rights violations at home.

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Iran was first added to Americas list of State Sponsors of Terrorism back in 1984, a distinction that has been reaffirmed every year since. Iran continues to back terrorist groups such as the Houthis in Yemen, officially known as Ansar Allah, a group responsible for civilian deaths and destruction across the Middle East including against allies in the Arabian Gulf. Iran has provided its most powerful terrorist proxy group, Hezbollah, with hundreds of millions of dollars in annual financial support, according to the State Department. Iran has also helped Hezbollah amass an arsenal of some 120,000-140,000 rockets and missiles, including more than 100 long-range precision missiles, many of which have been used against Israel. Earlier this year, the Pentagon laid blame for a spate of attacks against bases housing U.S. troops in Iraq and Syria on Iran-backed militias.

They keep moving, Biden continued in his State of the Union clarion call to confront dictators. And the costs and threats to America and the world keep rising.

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As America and its allies confront Russias aggression in Ukraine, how will we address the costs and threats of Tehrans mullahs? How will they pay a price for destabilizing the greater Middle East for decades? The question cannot be put off forever, particularly as Irans breakout capability to develop a nuclear weapon fast approaches and the Biden administration has made advances in getting Tehran back to the negotiating table.

Iran has been under strict sanctions, relieved briefly under President Obama and the terms of the Joint Comprehensive Plan for Action (JCPOA) nuclear agreement, but tightened and expanded under President Trump after he abandoned the flawed nuclear pact. And while the Iranian economy has suffered mightily as a result, rather than change the regimes behavior, the pressure has led Irans leadership to dig in. The most recent Iranian elections  which were deemed not to be free or fair by international observers  elected a new, hardline president who has thus far rejected all previous diplomacy and terms. Irans supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, has remained in power and the nuclear centrifuges keep spinning.

In this photo released by the official website of the office of the Iranian supreme leader, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaks during a televised video conference with an audience in the city of Tabriz commemorating the 1979 Islamic Revolution, in Tehran, Iran, Thursday, Feb. 17, 2022. (AP)

Biden has indicated that his intention is to restart the JCPOA rather than scrap it and start anew as some even in his own party have called for. The deal certainly has enough carrots to induce Iran, including unfreezing Iranian assets and relieving sanctions. On the matter of sanctions relief, there is a further, timely incentive to Iran, brought about by recent events: Russias invasion of Ukraine has created an energy crisis for Europe that has spiked gas prices in the U.S. Removal of sanctions against Irans energy sector can help meet global supply needs and bolster the crippled Iranian economy.

But does JCPOA have enough sticks if Iran reverts to past behavior, including supporting regional terrorist proxies, developing missile systems or again accelerating nuclear enrichment? Iran is more isolated than ever before, with the Abraham Accords effectively surrounding it with Gulf States aligned with Israel. Biden has said before that all options are on the table should Iran reject or violate the JCPOA. Israel surely has not ruled out military strikes should an existential threat emerge. The potential use of force, a deepening of sanctions, or the threat of increased U.S. support for Iranian opposition groups for any breach of the deal would certainly be construed as a stick to a rational actor. Only time will tell if regime survival is a strong enough motivator to stop Iran from developing nuclear weapons and menacing the world.

Bidens remarks about how to deal with dictators should be welcomed by friends of peace and freedom everywhere. If doctrinaire, his position should extend to Iran. So should the example of how the world has dealt with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. There has been a painful lack of global solidarity on how to contain Iranian aggression. When the Trump administration snapped back UN sanctions on Iran, it was against the will of our European allies. Its time for our allies to put up or shut up. If they want a return to JCPOA, they must lock arms with the U.S. on the penalties should Iran not come to the table and agree to and abide by a strengthened agreement that thwarts Tehrans stated nuclear ambitions.

Rosen is president of the American Jewish Congress.
The Telugu film Radhe Shyam starring Prabhas and Pooja Hegde, directed by Radha Krishna may have easily emerged as the highest opener in 2022 with a collection of Rs 72.41 crores across the country, but collections in the Hindi market were dented and hence the pan India presence too took a beating.

Giving it tough competition is the film The Kashmir Files that has grown by 140% on the second day as compared to the collections of the first day.

Radhe Shyams opening day collections worldwide came to Rs 72.41, beating Bheemla Nayak and Valimai which stood at Rs 61.24 and Rs 59.28 respectively. But Radhe Shyam managed a Rs 48 crores all India collection.

Having said that, the Day one Collections in Hindi for Radhe Shyam stood at Rs 4.5 crores and collected Rs 5 crores on the second day totalling to Rs 9.5 crores in two days.

Pre-release business helps the film

While we steer away from the phenomenal Baahubali collections, let us tell you that the Prabhas starrer Saaho which was Prabhas next release after Baahubali: The Conclusion collected Rs 24.40 crores and the combined collections across all languages was Rs 140 crores.

I will be surprised if this film collects a lot of money  will be happy if the producers recover their money, Prabhas told us recently, clearly aware of the limitations of the romantic subject Radhe Shyam. The film has collected more than Rs 100 crore by the end of the second day.

The pre-release business of Radhe Shyam was strong, where they reportedly cashed in more than Rs 200 crore from overseas, satellite and digital rights and sold the theatrical rights for over Rs 105 crore.

Kashmir Files beats Prabhas

The Anupam Kher starrer The Kashmir Files which had managed a surprising Rs 3.55 crores on the first day registered a 140 % growth or more than double the collections on the second day and got Rs 8.50 crores ending up with Rs 12 crores in 2 days which is much more than the Radhe Shyam collections in India.

The Kashmir Files has a lot more screens now and the film has had the highest ever growth for any film post covid era for the second day as compared to the first day. The film is growing by word of mouth, informs Trade Analyst Taran Adarsh.

The Kashmir Files, directed by Agnihotri, narrates the plight of Kashmiri Pandits in the 90s. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi also met the team of The Kashmir Files and fiercely praised the film, many critics who have not appreciated the filmmakers right-wing leanings still went on to praise the film for not attempting to either whitewash the story or take sides.

The film was released first in 700 screens worldwide while Radhe Shyam released in more than 3000 screens.

Sanskriti Media
Its not just sweat equity for the actresses but also investing their own monies into the brands that they are associated with. (By Arrangement)

Sara Ali Khan has become an equity partner in The Souled Store, a casual wear and pop-culture apparel brand, besides providing sweat equity to it. Being an ardent pop-culture lover, and a firm believer that originality and comfort are as important as fashion, I see the brand as a perfect fit to invest in, says Sara.

Shes not the only actress who has invested in a brand. Many actors and brand ambassadors see that a brand fits with their lifestyle and if they foresee an exponential growth in the brand, they invest in it.

Actors take risks in investing, just as they do in signing movies. If an actor likes a script, he or she takes a stake in the film or even becomes a producer in it, thereby not just reducing the risk, but showing confidence in the product. It is the same with brands, point out brand experts.

Katrina Kaif invested Rs 2.02 crores in Nykaa, and Alia Bhatt put in Rs 4.95 crore. I was familiar with the companys growing brand equity and market leadership and becoming an investor is the next logical step in sharing the Nykaa vision, Katrina had said in a statement. While the value went up 10 times during the IPO, it has fallen a bit subsequently.

Brands are bets. Those who bet on winners win, and those that dont, lose. Stars with money to invest look for different avenues. Many convert their sweat equity into money. The gain rate depends on how the brand does. Stars today invest in FDs, gold, stocks, cryptos, NFTs, new ventures and in co-promoted brands. These investments are a hedge, explains Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru and Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc.

Harish Bijoor, Brand Guru and Founder, Harish Bijoor Consults Inc. (By Arrangement)

Recently Samantha too picked up a stake in a brand called SustainKart.

It may be recalled that one of the biggest brand endorsers, Amitabh Bachchan, made the right call in investing in Just Dial and got a 46X increase in his investment when the company launched its IPO after signing him on as a brand ambassador. Salman Khan has a stake in Yatra.com and Sachin Tendulkar invested in Musafir.com. But actresses are taking a lot more risks than their male counterparts.

Due diligence

Many of these stars are also looking at a buyback option for their shares at a later date, considering the volatile nature of the stock market, which they dont understand as well as they do the film business.

Stars who were earlier shunning such investments are now even looking at taking stakes in semi start-ups as sweat equity along with a partial payment. However, we have to do a comprehensive due diligence and consider a lot of things before they take sweat equity or even invest in it at a later date, says a senior business manager of one of the stars.
The board then constituted a 'rolling task force' to inspect the industries and carried out five inspections between January 6 and February 8.  Representational image/AFP

HYDERABAD: The TS Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) ordered closure of five pharma companies in Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district for causing pollution and violating multiple norms.

Five pharma firms  Brundavan Laboratories in Yelagiri in Choutuppal mandal, Ravoos Laboratories, SVR Laboratories, VJ Sai Chem and Chemic Life Sciences, all located in Dhotigudem village of Pochampally mandal  have been issued the closure order.

The TSPCB had issued closure notices to these firms between 2017 and 2020. The firms requested the board to allow them to reopen, on the condition that they would rectify the . However, residents of Anthemmagudem and Dhotigudem villages again lodged complaints against these companies.

The board then constituted a 'rolling task force' to inspect the industries and carried out five inspections between January 6 and February 8. The team found several violations by all five firms, such as prevalence of odour, leakages, absence of several mandatory components to control pollution, etc.

On February 19, a hearing was held for the firms which was attended by complainants and industry representatives. Following discussions, the committee recommended closure of the industries, and directed that they would also forfeit bank guarantee of Rs 2 lakh with the board.

As per an order issued on March 2, the TSPCB directed the industries to immediately stop all industrial activities. It also directed TSSPDCL to disconnect power supply to the industries.
Karnataka government on Saturday initiated a new project Kandaya Dakhale Mane Bagilige, (Revenue Records on the doorsteps) to help farmers in the state.

Under this project, the state government proposes to provide documents related to the revenue department at the doorstep of the farmers at no cost. In Karnataka, about 45 lakh farmers are likely to get the benefit from this program.

Based on the list in the Farmers Registration and Unified Beneficiary Information System (FRUITS), the respective district administrations will provide the documents.

In Udupi, the district administration aims to distribute 6,61,230 RTCs, 13.10 lakh caste certificates, 8.01 lakh income certificates to the farmers at their doorsteps.

In Dakshina Kannada district 2,10,375 RTCs, 28,328 Atlas, and 2,80,348 caste and income certificates will be distributed.

The certificates will be printed and provided to the Taluk Offices by March 21. If the certificates are not printed and provided to the farmers, steps will be taken to provide the documents at Nadakacheri from March 21 to 26.
New delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a meeting of the high-level Cabinet Committee on Security (CCS) to review Indias security preparedness, and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) said in a statement, adding that Mr Modi was briefed on latest developments and different aspects of Indias security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain. According to media reports, discussions also took place at the CCS on efforts to attain self-reliance in the Indian defence sector as per the Make in India initiatives and the latest global technology in the defence sector.

The PMO meanwhile also said that Mr Modi was briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of Indias neighbouring countries, from Ukraine, adding that the PM directed that all possible efforts should be made to bring back the mortal remains of Indian student from Karnataka Naveen Shekharappa, who died recently in Kharkiv, the war-torn city in eastern Ukraine.

Those who attended the CCS meeting included defence minister Rajnath Singh, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and national security adviser Ajit Doval. Foreign secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla also attended the meeting. Discussions are also believed to have taken place on the energy security implications for India, particularly in the wake of the Ukraine conflict, galloping global oil prices and the sanctions imposed by the West on Russia.

Sources had said recently that the Indian authorities are making all efforts to transport back to India the body of Mr Shekharappa, who was killed in shelling at Kharkhiv a few days ago. The sources said the body was still at a morgue in Kharkhiv, which continues to see heavy shelling and raging battles between the warring sides.

Indias Operation Ganga, which has so far led to the evacuation of about 22,000 Indians from Ukraine via its western neighbouring countries in about 90 flights, has nearly ended with the recent safe return of about 700 students to India from Sumy in war-torn north-eastern Ukraine.

Referring to the war in Ukraine on Thursday evening, Mr Modi had said India believes in peace and resolution of issues through dialogue, adding that developing nations are suffering because the global prices of crude oil, palm oil and sunflower oil are increasing rapidly. Mr Modi had also noted that India has economic, security, educational and political ties with the nations directly engaged in the war and that its needs are linked with them. While Mr Modi did not then directly name Russia or Ukraine, the reference to them was obvious, particularly as it is well known that India has strong time-tested security and political ties with Russia, spanning decades, as well as growing economic ties with Moscow and robust educational ties with Ukraine as a large number of Indian medical students were studying there.

Meanwhile, commenting on the return of about 700 Indian students evacuated from Sumy in Ukraine as part of Operation Ganga earlier on Thursday, Mr Jaishankar had said: Their evacuation was particularly challenging. Operation Ganga, undertaken at the direction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has delivered due to both leadership and commitment. We are thankful to all those who facilitated its objectives. Our particular gratitude to the authorities in Ukraine and Russia as well as the Red Cross for the evacuation assistance. Ukraines neighbours --Romania, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and Moldova -- gave us exceptional support. My sincerest thanks to them.
Hundreds of medical students hailing from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who returned to India from Chinese universities after the Covid-19 pandemic broke out two years ago are desperately seeking immediate government action for their return to China. (PTI file photo)

HYDERABAD: Hundreds of medical students hailing from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh who returned to India from Chinese universities after the Covid-19 pandemic broke out two years ago are desperately seeking immediate government action for their return to China.

After 25 months of imposing Covid-19 restrictions, the Chinese government is yet to open the border to Indian students, at a time when educational institutions across the world reopened for offline classes months ago.

Last month, the Chinese foreign ministry informed that they would work on early return of Indian students to China in a coordinated manner, leaving the stranded students with no clarity on the matter. Around 28,000 Indian students enrolled with Chinese universities are said to have been stranded, of which close to 7,000 students are estimated to be from the two Telugu states.

The universities had asked them to wait until further notice on return to China, the students informed. Roopa Valladas, a native of Hyderabad and a student of the Medical College of Soochow University, said the stranded students from across the country were uniting on various platforms and running online campaigns, besides signing an online petition to pressurise both the Indian and Chinese governments.

The long wait was starting to have an impact on their mental health, she complained.

In the last two years, there were only online classes and no practical sessions, with some students nearing graduation. No medical practice puts them in danger of having their degrees cancelled. In another cause of worry, the Indian National Medical Council (NMC) recently clarified that students cannot take the FMGE (Foreign Medical Graduation Exam) if classes continue in online mode.

Little did K. Naveen Kumar, a third year MBBS student with Xuzhou Medical University, know that his winter holiday vacation in India would last for two long years, when he arrived in India in January 2020, weeks before the Covid-19 pandemic struck. A majority of students, however, had returned to India after fears of Covid-19 spread emerged later in February.
The armorer on the ill-fated Rust movie set said actor Alec Baldwins decision to point a gun at cinematographer Halyna Hutchins was counter to all rules and common sense.

Hannah Gutierrez Reed issued the statement Saturday in response to a legal filing from Baldwin on Friday where he tried to formally deflect blame for the fatal shooting of Hutchins on Oct. 21, 2021 in New Mexico.

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Alec Baldwin after the fatal shooting of Halyna Hutchins on Oct. 21, 2021, on Bonanza Creek Ranch near Santa Fe, N.M. (Jim Weber/The New Mexican/AP)

Baldwin knew that he could never point a firearm at crew members under any circumstances and had a duty of safety to his fellow crew members, Gutierrez Reed said, according to CNN. Yet he did point the gun at Halyna before the fatal incident against all rules and common sense.

Gutierrez Reed said she was supposed to inspect all weapons before they were used, but claimed she never got her hands on the gun Baldwin was holding before it went off, with a live round killing Hutchins and wounding director Joel Souza.

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"Rust" armorer Hannah Gutierrez Reed.

In his filing, Baldwin claimed that Gutierrez Reed should have double-checked the gun before it reached his hands. He also reiterated an explanation he first gave in December 2021, describing a scene in which Hutchins was instructing him on exactly where to position the gun for a shot. Baldwin said that was the only situation in which an actor would point a gun at another person on set.

Baldwin also claimed in his filing that Gutierrez Reed told him to cock the gun. Hes previously claimed that he never pulled the trigger, only cocked the hammer.

No criminal charges have been filed in the case, though New Mexico authorities are still investigating. Baldwin and other producers on Rust are facing several civil lawsuits, including one from Hutchins husband Matthew.
HYDERABAD: The Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee passed a resolution on Satuday supporting the leadership of former AICC president Rahul Gandhi and AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi. The resolution was passed at a TPCC executive meeting presided by state unit president A. Revanth Reddy.

The resolution comes ahead of Sundays Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on the electoral debacle in five states, and the demand by a section of the party for an organisational overhaul.

The executive committee discussed the defeat of the Congress in five states, Mana Ooru-Mana Poru, employment notifications by the TRS government, digital membership drive and Sarvodaya padayatra and other issues.

Congress leaders said that when Sonia Gandhi took up party responsibilities in the 1990s, the Congress was in power in two states. Later it came to power at Centre. If the Gandhi family members are weak in politics, why has Prime Minister Narendra Modi always targeted them, a Congress leader asked.

Party leaders said at the meeting that they would work harder to take the Congress to victory.
Two years since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic -on March 11, 2020 - finally, for India, there seems to be some light at the end of the pandemic tunnel. The daily new Covid-19 cases in the country have come down to around 4,000 to 5,000, the lowest in 22 months since May 2020. This has revived some of the discourses -- (a) whether the third wave of Covid-19 pandemic is over in India? (b) Has Covid-19 become endemic in the country? (c) Will there be another wave? and (d) Does everyone need a Covid-19 vaccine booster dose? These are some of the many questions that people have in the mind.

To start with -- in a pandemic or epidemic -- when the number of daily new cases comes down and stabilises at low levels, for at least two weeks, it is considered an end of the wave in that specific setting. If on a graph, these new cases are plotted on y-axis and the time on x-axis, a curve with a flattened pattern would appear towards the end. Moreover, at present, the daily new Covid-19 cases in India are lower than the cases before the third wave in the country. In this backdrop, it is logical to conclude that the Covid-19 third wave is over. However, a wave getting over does not mean that SARS CoV2 has gone. In fact, the newer pathogens including viruses, once detected, stays with humanity for long, possibly forever. This seems to be the most probable scenario with SARS CoV2 as well. It clearly is time for us to prepare to live with SARS CoV2.

That brings another question: Has Covid-19 become endemic in India? To start with, we need to understand that Covid-19 becoming endemic is not a binary that today it is a pandemic and tomorrow it is endemic. Also, endemic does not mean the end of the virus transmission. So, when do we call a disease endemic? An epidemic or pandemic starts with a pathogen (in this case a virus) but ends with a socio-political consensus. Therefore, when Covid-19 would be considered endemic in any setting or country is going to be determined by every country at different points of time. There is going to be some risk associated with SARS CoV2, which would be greater than pre-Covid period. Therefore, a decision on endemicity would be influenced by societal consensus and political leadership based upon how much risk any society or community is willing to accept, in the return to normalcy, in other spheres of life? Sweden, Denmark and Britain, without explicitly declaring Covid-19 as endemic, removed nearly all Covid-19 related restrictions. When these countries removed restrictions, the number of daily new Covid-19 cases were far higher than even the peak of the earlier waves in those settings.

The third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in India can be considered over. But in the last week of February 2022, a pre-print mathematical modelling study by a group of researchers at a reputed educational institution in India claimed that the fourth wave in India would start in June 2022. Since then, the study has been criticised for lack of rigour and methodological flaws, including by not taking relevant epidemiological aspects in the consideration, the findings are on a weak scientific footing and as good as an intelligent guess. Considering high population level immunity after either natural infection in the second and third wave and nearly 95 per cent of the adult population receiving at least one shot of Covid-19 vaccines, there is a situation of hybrid immunity in the country. Though immunity and protection decline over a period, two shots of the vaccines continue to provide protection from severe disease and hospitalisation for long. In this backdrop, the possibility of a fresh large-scale wave in India is very low. This is also to argue that there is no urgency to get a booster for a healthy adult population.

What would endemicity or living with SARS CoV2 mean? It would mean that for most people adherence to Covid appropriate behaviour of face masks and physical distancing - in public places - would become a voluntary decision. However, it would be pragmatic to remove the restrictions in a graded manner. First, the restrictions may be removed for the outdoor public spaces, then for closed spaces and before finally being removed for everyone. However, even when Covid-19 becomes endemic, it would be advisable for high-risk individuals - adults with co-morbidities or the 60-plus population, to voluntarily adhere to masks and distancing as deemed appropriate. It is very likely that for many months to come, some people will voluntarily wear masks in public places. The Covid-19 pandemic has underscored the relevance of staying healthy. Therefore, living with SARS CoV2 essentially would mean every individual needs to do their bit of adopting a healthier lifestyle, which would minimise their risk.

Living with Covid-19 would not mean no policy intervention would be needed. In fact, some areas would require sustained and priority policy attention. As an example, among all age groups, school-age children are at lowest risk of severe disease. Therefore, proactive interventions will be needed to bring everything for them to normalcy, urgently. The policy interventions needed to reopen schools with 100 per cent attendance in physical classes. The end of a wave or entering into the endemic stage also means that the face mask mandates for school-age children should be done away. Every effort by all state governments would have to be made to ensure continuity of school, which should not be disrupted by a temporary rise in cases. It is also the time to focus upon the physical and mental health of children through strengthened school health services.

At a broader level, even now, tackling misinformation (about various aspects of virus and disease) should remain a priority. Science communication with the public should be strengthened and sustained to counter misinformation. The general health services, both government and private facilities, for post and long Covid conditions need to be expanded and strengthened. The strengthened mental health services should get renewed attention. For both, post Covid and mental health services, tele consultation services should be strengthened.

One thing is certain -- the Covid-19 pandemic will be over. However, SARS CoV2 is likely to stay with humanity for long. All epidemiological and immunological evidence suggests that India is inching towards a Covid-19 endemic stage. It is time we as a society start preparing to live with Covid-19. This requires actions at individual, societal and policy level.
Airlines may find themselves swept up in unprecedented turbulence -- with air travel shunned over climate concerns, plagued by pandemic shutdowns and soaring oil prices -- but for private jet operators, business is booming.

The appeal of private jets has taken off since the start of the pandemic, amid fear of catching Covid-19 and as widespread cancellations and stringent measures have turned flying commercial into a logistics headache.

"The impact of Covid really forced people to look elsewhere for their travel needs," said Philippe Scalabrini, who heads the southern European division of the international private aviation company VistaJet.

"Anyone who can afford it wants an entire plane at their disposal," he told AFP, adding that "private aviation, as whole, has had an incredible surge of demand over the past two years."

Numbers from air traffic regulator Eurocontrol appear to confirm that.

Also read: Airline industry shifts attention to Russia risks after Ukraine closure

It found that private air travel nearly doubled its global market share between 2019 and 2021, when it stood at 12 per cent.

Standing inside the newest addition to the VistaJet fleet, the Global 7500 built by Canadian business jet maker Bombardier, Scalabrini showed off what air travel can look like in that exclusive market.

Abord the luxury plane, costing a whopping $72 million (65 million euros), clients can enjoy plush cream-coloured leather chairs, a large double bed, and wine tasting.

To limit jet lag, the cabin pressure can be better regulated than on commercial flights, allowing clients to sleep as soundly "as at their cabin in Saint-Moritz", the chic Alpine ski resort, Scalabrini said.

And their pets can travel in luxury as well, with toys and treats on demand.

With annual contracts starting at 500,000 euros ($550,000), VistaJet's target audience includes wealthy individuals and business leaders, with growing numbers from the tech sector.

"Obviously we see the evolution of clients following the macro-trends we see in the world," Scalabrini said.

More than anything, the pandemic has driven the latest upsurge in demand.

Scalabrini said "the Covid effect" last year helped VistaJet swell the number of flying hours sold by 90 per cent.

And the company, founded in 2004 by Swiss billionaire Thomas Flohr, announced last month the purchase of Air Hamburg, in a move it said would help grow its flying hours by another 30 per cent.

That announcement, however, landed just three days before Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine and Western countries unleashed a slew of harsh sanctions, sparking panic on markets and sending oil prices soaring.

Scalabrini said it was "a bit early" to determine how the crisis would affect his company.

"At the moment we cannot fly to Russia, we cannot fly to Ukraine unfortunately, so obviously there is an impact, but it's a minimal impact," he said, pointing out that Russian clients made up less than five per cent of VistaJet's turnover.

"We've got clients all over the world."

While private jet companies may weather the crises currently gutting commercial aviation, they face the same outrage over air travel's outsized contribution to climate change.

A private jet flight pollutes 10 times more than a commercial flight, according to the Transport and Environment NGO.

Environmental questions will in the long term be one of the biggest challenges facing business air travel, Philippe Berland, an air transport specialist with the Sia Partners consulting firm, told AFP.

In the short term, however, he said the immediate question would be how the sector manages to absorb soaring oil prices, and also whether private jet companies can hold onto the clients they gained during the pandemic as commercial flights return to normal.

"In this sector, where an hour of flying time is already very expensive, price is not the only factor," Berland said, suggesting that some of the newly won clients may have grown accustomed to the ease and speed of departures with private jets.

Pascal Fabre, aviation expert with the Alix Partners consultancy, said the sector was not very sensitive to rising oil prices.

When you buy a plane "for several tens of millions of dollars," he told AFP, "the fuel bill is not an issue."

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CSC Academy, the education and CSR wing of the Common Services Centers (CSC), has signed an MoU with GD Goenka University to deliver higher education courses and skilling programmes to students across the country.

The MoU was signed between Prof. Tabrez Ahmed, Vice-Chancellor, GD Goenka and Dinesh Tyagi, MD, CSC SPV & Chairman, CSC Academy, in the presence of other senior University and CSC officials. With the partnership, the CSC Academy centres will be able to enrol students in urban as well as rural areas for the Universitys graduate, post-graduate, and diploma programmes.

Under the partnership, new multi-disciplinary skills courses in agriculture sciences and engineering; aptitude testing and career counselling for school students will also be introduced. Furthermore, teacher training courses using online and self-study mode will also be made available. Short term courses in blended learning format coupled with hands-on training at industry partner locations or local dealers will also be explored for skilling rural youth.

Elaborating on the partnership, Dinesh Tyagi, MD, CSC SPV & Chairman, CSC Academy, said,  With the National Education Policy stressing on digitisation of education, our partnership is in the right direction and will help us reach out to students, particularly in rural areas, who lose out on opportunities of higher education and skilling due to the digital divide.

Gurugram based GD Goenka University, recognised by UGC, is one of the top-ranking private universities in Delhi NCR. The University offers a wide range of programmes for a doctorate, degree, diploma and certification.

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The Congress has to fight on two fronts in the coming days as it has to contain the internal rift within the party and also keep itself relevant in the Opposition camp after the rise of the AAP, particularly in Punjab. The latter after its victory in Punjab has made it clear that it has national ambitions after winning two states.

The internal rift within the party is now spreading after the Congress's 'G-23' leaders, held a meeting on Friday to discuss the poll debacle and are planning to organize a bigger meet in the coming days to push for a change in the leadership. The dissenters are understood to have sought that there should be no more delay in electing a new party President while an AICC session should be called to discuss the poll results. Sources said the matter is likely to be raised in the Congress Working Committee meeting to be held shortly.

The G-23 meeting was held at senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's residence here, and was attended by Kapil Sibal, Manish Tewari, Anand Sharma and Akhilesh Prasad Singh while some other leaders joined virtually.

Also Read  Congress to hold meet today to discuss poll debacle

As per sources, the leaders wanted that accountability be fixed for the poll debacle and changes be made in the composition of the Congress Working Committee, the party's highest decision-making body. The issue of organisational polls was also discussed.

The meeting was held a day after the results of the Assembly elections held in five states came out, with the party losing its stronghold Punjab, failing to mount a serious challenge in Goa, Manipur and Uttarakhand, besides getting virtually decimated in Uttar Pradesh. After the poll debacle, the G-23 leaders are reportedly miffed with the style of functioning of the party leadership.

One prominent leader said that "it is time that the first family of the Congress steps aside and paves the way for a new leadership or acts in tandem with the party leaders and be available 24x7 for party work, or else there won't be a revival of the Congress in the country."

Also Read  Like a drowning boat in turbulent ocean: G23 leaders on Congress debacle

The leaders pointed out that the present set-up is non-performing and it has to be changed as the party is not "someone's fiefdom" and everyone has a stake in it.

The second challenge is to maintain relevancy in the Opposition camp with the party being reduced to governing just two states and being the junior partner in three states. If the party fails to win Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh in the next polls there will be problems in the 2024 general elections as AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal could give a tough fight to the party.

The first regional party that has won outside its state of origin, Arvind Kejriwal's AAP is set to foray into national politics. The landslide win in Punjab has positioned the AAP in direct competition with the grand old party, the Congress.

In the five-state Assembly polls, which were regarded as a kind of semi-final, the Congress has been demolished. Arvind Kejriwal, while addressing the party workers at the party office in Delhi on Thursday after the results, said that this was a stamp on honest politics. "Bhagat Singh said that the system has to be changed and the people of Punjab have changed the system."

Also Read  Congress leadership brace for heated working committee meet

The party has often made a mention of its national ambitions, and has fielded candidates in several states. With the Punjab win, the ambition finally seems to be taking shape.

The elated party workers say that Kejriwal will be the Prime Ministerial candidate in the future as an alternative to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Kejriwal shares a good rapport with non-BJP leaders, including Mamata Banerjee, Sharad Pawar and Akhilesh Yadav. He may become a joint Opposition candidate at the cost of the Congress in view of the latter's continued downslide since 2014.

The AAP's Punjab in-charge Raghav Chaddha said that the BJP took 10 years to form its government in a state, but the AAP has expanded its base to a second state in Punjab and in both the states the AAP has got landslide victories.

Apart from Punjab, the AAP has performed well in Goa where it secured around 4 per cent of the votes. In Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh, the party has contested and though it has not won, but it has tried to make the organisation active in each district of the state.

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Despite the BJP's historic victory in Uttar Pradesh, the drubbing faced by 11 ministers of the Yogi Adityanath government, including Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Maurya, who was credited with the party's win in 2017, and Sugarcane Minister Suresh Rana, has raised many questions within the party.

The defeat of Rana from Shamli district, Rajendra Pratap Singh alias Moti Singh from Pratapgarh, Chandrika Prasad Upadhyay from Chitrakoot, Anand Swarup Shukla from Ballia, Upendra Tiwari, Satish Dwivedi from Siddharthnagar district, Lakhan Singh Rajput from Auraiya and Chhatrapal Singh Gangwar from Bareilly, Ranvendra Singh from Fatehpur and Sangeeta Balwant from Ghazipur and the controversial MLA Sangeet Som, has raised several questions about the party's prospects in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

While the BJP broke the trend in Uttarakhand by returning to power for the second time, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami lost the election from Khatima, which has made it difficult for the party to elect a new Chief Minister.

Also Read: BJP workers celebrate by crushing bicycles with bulldozer in UP

Uttar Pradesh polls have proved that the Modi-Yogi bond is stronger than the combined popularity of Samajwadi party's Akhilesh Yadav, and the Congress's Rahul-Priyanka pair.

For the first time in 37 years, Uttar Pradesh has returned a party to power, that too, with a thumping majority of 273 seats. In a state where the government is usually formed with 30 per cent votes, the BJP is set to form the government for the second time in a row, by securing over 40 per cent votes.

While Priayanka Gandhi's failure in resurrecting the Congress in Uttar Pradesh called for revamp in the party, Modi held a massive roadshow in Gujarat, the very next day after poll results, to kickstart his party's campaign for the Assembly elections in the state scheduled this year.

Assembly elections are due in Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat, which is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi where he has been the Chief Minister for over 12 years.

The BJP has been winning the Assembly elections in Gujarat since 1995. However, since 1993, no party has been been voted to power twice in a row in Himachal Pradesh.

Even though the Congress is the main opposition party in both the states, the BJP, which is determined to win both the elections, has already fielded its most popular faces for the post of Chief Minister.

However, unlike the Congress, the BJP constantly analyses its election results and accordingly keeps on altering its future strategies.

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Overzealous BJP workers in Uttar Pradesh's Badaun district crushed a row of bicycles with a bulldozer to celebrate their party's success in the state's Assembly polls.

While the bicycle is the Samajwadi Party (SP) symbol, the bulldozer had become synonymous with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's campaign against the mafia.

Yogi had said in his election meetings that "BJP will bulldoze SP's bicycle in the Assembly polls".

A video of the celebrations has been widely shared on social media.

Also read: Congress to hold working committee meet on March 13 to discuss poll debacle

"We are extremely happy that SP has lost the elections, and turncoats like Swami Prasad Maurya have lost the elections. Those who backstabbed the BJP, have got a befitting reply. The BJP's win has proved that the public wants an honest government," said a party worker.

Another BJP leader said that 'Bulldozer Baba' (a name that Yogi is now known as) will continue to demolish the castles of the mafia.

"Yogi's win means that goons will never be able to return to the state."

The Chief Minister had earlier said that bulldozers were being used for building expressways and highways and, at the same time, were also used to crush the mafia.

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A Ukraine mayor was abducted by invading Russian forces on Sunday, the second such kidnapping in days, bringing strong condemnation from the European Union.

"The army of the Russian Federation captured the mayor of the city of Dniprorudne," in the Zaporizhzhia Oblast region of southeast Ukraine, the regional administration head Oleksandr Starukh said on Facebook.

On Friday the mayor of southern Ukraine's Melitopol was kidnapped by Russian soldiers occupying the city, because "he refused to cooperate with the enemy", according to the Ukraine parliament.

Also Read | China will face consequences if it helps Russia evade sanctions: US National Security Adviser

"The EU strongly condemns the kidnapping of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudne by Russian armed forces," EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a post on Twitter.

"It is yet another attack on democratic institutions in Ukraine and an attempt to establish illegitimate alternative government structures in a sovereign country," he added.

European Council President Charles Michel also condemned "in the strongest terms Russia's indiscriminate bombing of civilians in Ukraine as well as Russia's kidnapping of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudne and other Ukrainians. "These kidnappings and other pressure on Ukrainian local authorities constitute another flagrant violation of international law," he added.

Also Read | White House adviser to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine with China's top diplomat

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called Saturday on the leaders of France and Germany to help secure the release of the mayor of Melitopol.

"During the night and today, we are talking to our partners about the situation with our mayor. Our demand is clear: he must be released immediately... I have already phoned (German) Chancellor Olaf Scholz. I have spoken to (French) President Emmanuel Macron... I will speak to all the necessary people to get our people released," Zelensky said in a video released by the Ukrainian presidency.

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It was the middle of an emergency session of the UN Security Council, late on the evening of February 23, and Vassily Nebenzia looked shaken -- his face pale, his shoulders sagging.

Russia, the country he represents at the United Nations, had just invaded Ukraine, sending shock waves around the world that continue to reverberate today.

At nearly 60, Nebenzia -- a bald man, massively built, who wears thin-framed glasses and often fiddles with his watch -- was chairing the Council.

It was a shocking first for the UN: The man presiding over the august body dedicated to defending global peace was also the representative of a nuclear power now waging war against a democracy...

Did he know, when he opened the session and sat listening as his colleagues delivered impassioned pleas for Moscow to pull back the armed forces surrounding much of Ukraine -- that they had already invaded?

More generally, does he believe the words in the speeches he reads?

Read | Ukraine accuses Russia of fake Kherson referendum plot

"I don't know, but I believe not," one UN official told AFP, speaking on grounds of anonymity.

Several ambassadors said they shared that impression.

The Ukrainian ambassador, Sergiy Kyslytsya, regularly asks Nebenzia if he is actually in touch with Moscow.

British envoy Barbara Woodward, a specialist in Russian and Chinese affairs, reminded Nebenzia that "the great Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitsyn wrote: 'Man is given not only one life, but also one conscience.'"

"I know that you've spoken under instructions today, but I ask you to report faithfully back to Moscow what you have heard today -- the urgency of this Council's calls for peace."

Nebenzia did not respond to an AFP request for an interview.

He has, in resigned tones, followed his government's line at emergency meetings of the Council since war broke out, and further sessions are expected this week.

Under the exasperated eyes of his foreign colleagues, he has read speeches denying media reports of the destruction of civilian sites.

In impromptu replies, he has on occasion used the word "war" -- a word banned by Moscow in regard to Ukraine. But each time he has been careful to note that the word was first used by his boss, Foreign Secretary Sergei Lavrov.

"The Russian system has never been as centralized," said one Western ambassador, speaking anonymously.

Read | On Kyiv's eastern front, Ukrainians hold off Russian tanks

Russian diplomats "are excellent professionals, but they are not in a position to interact with power, they are simply there to execute government dictates, whether involved in preparing them or not -- and usually not."

At the UN, Nebenzia is known for his deep mastery of the issues. His career has taken him to Bangkok and Geneva, with a specialty in international organizations. He is fluent in the arcana of multilateral maneuvering and uses his deep understanding of procedure to his country's benefit.

Outside the sometimes theatrical jousting in the hallowed halls of the Security Council, his relations with colleagues are cordial and polite -- and have remained so since the invasion, according to several sources.

The ambassador is a man of culture with a sense of humor.

"I can do two things at the same time," he told AFP with a smile, after displaying the surprising ability to deliver a speech in Russian while listening to its English translation simultaneously on his headphones.

Russians are trained in this multi-tasking, his aides say. That allows them to ensure that their addresses are rendered as precisely as possible in the language in which most will hear them -- and to correct any errors on the spot, diplomats say.

At diplomatic receptions Nebenzia shows a convivial side. His favorite cocktail? "Half vodka, half Champagne," he once told two French journalists.

Married and father of a son, the ambassador likes to take off on weekends on his European motorbike -- a solitary hobby that goes well with the newly solitary status thrust on him by the Ukraine crisis.

But he is never far from the drama these days.

On February 28, during a news conference marking the end of his month leading Russia's rotating presidency of the Security Council, he abruptly interrupted the proceedings to answer his cell phone.

After listening for a moment without speaking, he hung up and announced -- adopting a tone of victimhood -- that the United States was expelling 12 members of his diplomatic mission.

Sources in Washington have said the 12 are spies -- with no connection to the war.

Diplomats later told AFP the 12 are members of the military.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has warned Russian forces they face a fight to the death if they try to occupy the capital Kyiv, as air raid sirens again woke residents on Sunday morning.

"If they decide to carpet bomb and simply erase the history of this region ... and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves," Zelenskyy said on Saturday.

The president, who has repeatedly appeared on social media from the capital, said some small towns no longer existed in the third week of Russian attacks, the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two.

Russian shelling has trapped thousands of people in besieged cities and sent 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing to neighbouring countries.

Read | On Kyiv's eastern front, Ukrainians hold off Russian tanks

Ukraine accused Russian forces on Saturday of killing seven civilians in an attack on women and children trying to flee fighting near Kyiv. France said Russian President Vladimir Putin had shown no readiness to make peace.

The Ukrainian intelligence service said the seven, including one child, were killed as they fled the village of Peremoha and that "the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back."

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report and Russia offered no immediate comment.

Moscow denies targeting civilians since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24. It blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities, an accusation Ukraine and its Western allies strongly reject.

Zelenskyy said Moscow was sending in new troops after Ukrainian forces put 31 of Russia's battalion tactical groups out of action in what he called Russia's largest army losses in decades. Reuters could not verify his statements.

"We still need to hold on. We still have to fight," Zelenskyy said in a video address late on Saturday, his second of the day. Saying about 1,300 Ukrainian troops had been killed, he urged the West to get more involved in peace negotiations.

The United States said it would rush up to $200 million in additional small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine, where officials have pleaded for more military aid.

The Kremlin describes its actions as a "special operation" to disarm Ukraine and unseat leaders it calls neo-Nazis. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of choice that has raised fears of wider conflict in Europe.

Zelenskyy discussed the war with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron, who urged Putin to order an immediate ceasefire.

A Kremlin statement on their 75-minute call made no mention of a ceasefire. A French presidency official said: "We did not detect a willingness on Putin's part to end the war."

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the United States of escalating tensions and said the situation had been complicated by convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine that Russian forces considered "legitimate targets".

In comments reported by the Tass news agency, Ryabkov made no specific threat. Any attack on such convoys before they reached Ukraine would risk widening the war.

Crisis talks between Moscow and Kyiv have been continuing by video link, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, according to Russia's RIA news agency. He gave no details, but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would not surrender or accept any ultimatums.

Read | Ukraine accuses Russia of fake Kherson referendum plot

Humanitarian corridors

Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region, Interfax Ukraine quoted its mayor as saying.

The exhausted-looking governor of Chernihiv, around 150 km (100 miles) northeast of Kyiv, gave a video update in front of the ruins of the city's Ukraine Hotel.

"There is no such hotel any more," Viacheslav Chaus said, wiping tears from his eyes. "But Ukraine itself still exists, and it will prevail."

Britain's defence ministry has said Russian ground forces were massed 25 km (15 miles) from the centre of Kyiv, while Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and the key Black Sea port of Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling.

The general staff of the Ukraine armed forces said Russia had slowed its offensive and in many places its forces had been stopped. The military's Facebook post did not give details.

Ukrainian officials had planned to use humanitarian corridors from Mariupol in the south as well as towns and villages in the regions of Kyiv, Sumy and some other areas on Saturday.

Around 13,000 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities on Saturday, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

The Donetsk region's governor said constant shelling was complicating bringing aid into Mariupol. Fires were burning in the western section of the city and dozens of apartment buildings heavily damaged, according to images taken on Saturday by private U.S. satellite firm Maxar.

At least 1,582 civilians in Mariupol have been killed as a result of Russian shelling and a 12-day blockade, the city council said on Friday. Reuters could not verify casualty figures.

"There are reports of looting and violent confrontations among civilians over what little basic supplies remain in the city," the U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

People were boiling ground water for drinking, using wood to cook food and burying their dead near where they lay, a staff member for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) in Mariupol said.

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Jail officials moved former Empire star Jussie Smollett to a psychiatric ward after deeming him a risk of self-harm, according to an outraged brother of the actor.

Two days after Jussie was sentenced to five months at Cook County Jail in Chicago for lying to police about a made-up homophobic and racist attack, the actors sibling Jocqui Smollett slammed his placement in a psych ward as a complete lack of justice.

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Whats very concerning is that there was a note attached to his paperwork today and clipped on the front of his jail cell saying that hes at risk of self-harm, Jocqui said Saturday in an Instagram video.

I want to just make it clear to folks that he is in no way, shape or form at risk of self-harm, he continued. He wants to let folks know ... that he is very stable, he is very strong, he is very healthy and ready to take on the challenge that ultimately has been put up against him.

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Jussie Smollett at the Leighton Criminal Court Building on Thursday. (Brian Cassella/AP)

Jussies sentencing took place Thursday, more than three years after the actor told police he was attacked by two men who hurled racist and homophobic slurs at him, put a rope around his neck and poured a chemical on him in January 2019.

An investigation led to Jussie being accused of staging the incident by paying two brothers to attack him. In December, Jussie was found guilty on five counts of disorderly conduct for lying to police.

[ Empire actor Jussie Smollett sentenced to 150 days in jail in hate hoax case ]

Jussie, 39, has maintained his innocence. After receiving his sentence last Thursday, the actor declared he is not suicidal.

If anything happens to me when I go in there, I did not do it to myself, he said at the Leighton Criminal Courthouse.

In the Instagram video, Jocqui also stressed his brothers innocence and condemned him being moved to the psych ward.

This is not right, Joqui said. This is completely lack of justice. Its angering. Its an outrage.

Officials with the Cook County Jail have not publicly commented on Joquis claim.
Britain will pay people to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion as the government moves to deflect anger over its response to the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.

The new scheme called "Homes for Ukraine" will let refugees from the war come to Britain even if they do not have family ties, the government said on Sunday.

Britain will pay people 350 pounds ($456) a month if they can offer refugees a spare room or property for a minimum period of six months.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to portray Britain as helping lead the global response to the Russian invasion - which Moscow calls a "special operation" - but his government has faced criticism over delays in accepting refugees.

Lawmakers from all the main political parties have attacked the government's insistence that Ukrainians seek visas and biometric tests before arriving in Britain, saying this prioritised bureaucracy over the welfare of those fleeing war.

Under the new scheme, members of the public, charities, businesses and community groups should be able to offer accommodation via a web page by the end of next week, the government said.

"The UK stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour and the British public understand the need to get as many people to safety as quickly as we can," Michael Gove, the minister for housing, said in a statement.

"I urge people across the country to join the national effort and offer support to our Ukrainian friends. Together we can give a safe home to those who so desperately need it."

Anyone offering a room or home will have to show that the accommodation meets standards and they may have to undergo criminal record checks.

The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine could rise to more than 4 million, double the current estimates of about 2 million, the UN's Refugee Agency said last week.

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US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan, who is due to meet with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday, warned Beijing that it would "absolutely" face consequences if it helped Moscow evade sweeping sanctions over the war in Ukraine.

Sullivan told CNN the United States believed China was aware that Russia was planning some action in Ukraine before the invasion took place, although Beijing may not have understood the full extent of what was planned.

Now, he said, Washington was watching closely to see to what extent Beijing provided economic or material support to Russia, and would impose consequences if that occurred.

"We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions, evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them," Sullivan said. "We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world."

Also Read: White House adviser to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine with China's top diplomat

A senior administration official said the war in Ukraine would be a "significant topic" during Sullivan's meeting with Yang, which is part of a broader effort by Washington and Beijing to maintain open channels of communication and manage competition between the world's two largest economies.

"This meeting is taking place in the context of Russia's unjustified and brutal war against Ukraine, and as China has aligned itself with Russia to advance their own vision of the world order, and so I expect ... the two of them will discuss the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security," the source said.

No specific outcomes were expected from the meeting, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The United States on Saturday said it would rush up to $200 million worth of additional weapons to Ukrainian forces as they try to defend against Russian shelling in the largest war in Europe since World War Two.

The Russian assault, which Moscow calls a "special military operation," has trapped thousands of civilians in besieged cities and sent 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries.

The United States and its allies have imposed sweeping, unprecedented sanctions against Russia and banned its energy imports, while providing billions of dollars of military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

Individually and together they have appealed to China, Gulf nations and others that have failed to condemn the Russian invasion to join in isolating Russia from the global economy.

Beijing, a key trading partner of Russia, has refused to call Russia's actions an invasion, although Chinese President Xi Jinping last week did call for "maximum restraint" in Ukraine after a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Follow live updates on Russia-Ukraine crisis here

Xi also expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains, amid growing signs that Western sanctions are limiting China's ability to buy Russian oil.

Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-backed Chinese Global Times newspaper, said on Twitter: "If Sullivan thinks he can persuade China to participate in sanctions against Russia, he will be disappointed."

The International Monetary Fund last week said the crisis could also see China miss its 5.5 per cent growth target this year, and its chief said she had spoken with China's top central banker and expected mounting pressure on Russia to end the war.

While in Rome, Sullivan will also meet with Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi to continue coordinating the strong global response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "war of choice," the source said.

The United States and the Group of Seven advanced economies on Friday ratcheted up pressure on Russia by calling for revoking its "most favored nation" trade status, which would allow them to jack up tariffs on Russian goods.

Trade made up about 46 per cent of Russia's economy in 2020, much of that with China, its biggest export destination.

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Instagram users in Russia have been notified that the service will cease from midnight on Sunday after its owner Meta Platforms said last week it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as "Death to the Russian invaders".

An email message from the state communications regulator told people to move their photos and videos from Instagram before it was shut down, and encouraged them to switch to Russia's own "competitive internet platforms".

Meta, which also owns Facebook, said on Friday that the temporary change in its hate speech policy applied only to Ukraine, in the wake of Russia's Feb. 24 invasion.

The company said it would be wrong to prevent Ukrainians from "expressing their resistance and fury at the invading military forces".

Also Read: Russian billionaires reshape their fortunes while they can

The decision was greeted with outrage in Russia, where authorities have opened a criminal investigation against Meta and prosecutors on Friday asked a court to designate the US tech giant as an "extremist organisation".

The head of Instagram has said the block will affect 80 million users. Russia has already banned Facebook in the country in response to what it said were restrictions of access to Russian media on the platform.

The message to Instagram users from the regulator Roskomnadzor described the decision to allow calls for violence against Russians as a breach of international law.

"We need to ensure the psychological health of citizens, especially children and adolescents, to protect them from harassment and insults online," it said, explaining the decision to close down the platform.

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Millions of people across China endured lockdowns on Sunday as virus cases doubled to nearly 3,400 and anxiety mounted over the resilience of the country's 'zero-Covid' approach in the face of the worst outbreak in two years.

A nationwide surge in cases has seen authorities close schools in Shanghai, lockdown central neighbourhoods in the southern tech powerhouse of Shenzhen as well as whole northeastern cities, as almost 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.

The city of Jilin -- centre of the outbreak in the northeast -- was partially locked down Saturday, while residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were confined to their homes Sunday.

Also Read | China tightens controls as more Covid cases reported

China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict 'zero-Covid' policy enforced by swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.

But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is testing the efficacy of that approach.

Zhang Yan, a Jilin health commission official, conceded that the response from local authorities had been lacking.

"The emergency response mechanism in some areas is not robust enough," he said at a press briefing on Sunday.

"There is insufficient understanding of the characteristics of the Omicron variant... and judgment has been inaccurate."

Also Read | How Covid has affected the control of neglected tropical diseases

Residents of Jilin have completed six rounds of mass testing, with the city reporting more than 2,200 cases of the Omicron variant since Saturday.

The neighbouring city of Changchun -- an industrial base of nine million people -- was locked down Friday, while at least three other small cities have been locked down since March 1.

The mayor of Jilin and the head of the Changchun health commission were dismissed from their jobs Saturday, state media reported, in a sign of the political imperative placed on local authorities to contain virus clusters.

But the strain is showing, with officials increasingly urging softer and more targeted measures to contain the virus, while economists warn tough clampdowns are hurting the economy.

In Shenzhen, the southern city of around 13 million bordering Hong Kong, residents have been caught between nerves over a renewed outbreak and angst at the swift, draconian measures to squash clusters.

"It's the worst since 2020," a Shenzhen resident surnamed Zhang told AFP. "The closures are too sudden, my friend woke up in the morning to find her building was sealed overnight without warning. Her boss had to mail her laptop to her."

The Shenzhen subdistrict of Futian which was locked down Sunday is home to 300,000 people and a thriving commercial district. It shares a land border crossing with Hong Kong, where the caseload over recent weeks has soared, alarming officials in Beijing.

Hong Kong currently has one of the world's highest death rates from the virus, as the Omicron variant cuts through its elderly population among whom vaccine hesitancy proliferates.

In China's biggest city Shanghai, authorities have temporarily locked down individual schools, businesses, restaurants and malls over close-contact fears rather than using mass quarantines.

Authorities advised residents not to leave the city unless necessary and tourist attractions started requiring visitors to provide negative Covid tests.

"I have friends who I hung out with a few days ago but were suddenly quarantined recently," Shanghai resident Serena Li told AFP.

The government's approach will "protect citizens", she said, adding: "In the long run, it's good."

Long lines were seen outside hospitals Sunday as people rushed to get tested.

"There's no other way. We definitely have to do what the government has arranged," said a data analytics worker surnamed Zhang.

As cases rise, the country's National Health Commission announced Friday that it would make rapid antigen tests available for citizens to buy online or from clinics for "self-testing".

Although nucleic acid tests will continue to be the main method of testing, the move suggests China may be anticipating that official efforts will not be able to contain the virus.

Last week, a top Chinese scientist said the country should aim to co-exist with Covid, like other nations, where Omicron has spread like wildfire.

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"Twelve ballistic missiles" fired from outside Iraq on Sunday targeted the capital of autonomous Iraqi Kurdistan, Arbil, and the US consulate there, Kurdish security forces said.

"The missiles were fired outside the borders of Iraq and Kurdistan, (coming) more precisely from the east," a press release from the Kurdistan counter-terrorism unit stated.

The attack caused some material damage but no casualties, it added.

US interests and coalition troops in Iraq have regularly been targeted in rocket and armed drone attacks.

They have never been claimed, but Western officials have blamed them on hard-line pro-Iran factions demanding the departure of US troops.

Iran shares a long eastern border with Iraq, and wields considerable political and economic influence with its neighbour.

Washington said there was "no damage or casualties at any US government facility".

"We condemn this outrageous attack and display of violence," a State Department spokesperson said.

Local television channel Kurdistan24, whose studios are not far from the US consulate, posted images on social networks of its damaged offices, with collapsed sections of false ceiling and broken glass.

Arbil's airport said it had suffered no damage and flights had not been disrupted.

It houses a base for the US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

"We condemn this terrorist attack launched against several sectors of Arbil, we call on the inhabitants to remain calm," Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a statement.

The health ministry in Arbil said there had been no casualties.

Iraq saw a surge in rocket and armed-drone attacks at the beginning of the year as Iran and its allies commemorated the second anniversary of the death of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani and his Iraqi lieutenant Abu Mehdi al-Mouhandis, killed by American drone fire in Iraq in January 2020.

In late January, six rockets were fired at Baghdad International Airport, causing no casualties.

Sunday's attack on Arbil comes nearly a week after two officers from Iran's Revolutionary Guards were killed in Syria in a strike attributed to key US ally Israel.

The Revolutionary Guards, the Islamic republic's ideological army, vowed revenge on Israel for the attack.

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Four key coalition partners of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government have not yet decided their stance over the Oppositions no-confidence motion against him, with one of them even blackmailing in return for support, giving the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party sleepless nights ahead of the crucial vote in Parliament, a media report said on Sunday.

The Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), an important ally of the PTI at the Centre and the Punjab province, has reportedly asked Prime Minister Khan to announce Chaudhry Parvez Elahi as the replacement of Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar before calling the National Assembly session to take up the Oppositions no-trust motion, the Dawn newspaper reported.

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday alleged that the PML-Q was blackmailing the government in return for support, it said.

Also Read | Pak PM Imran seeks legal opinion on no-confidence motion

Criticising Ahmed, Federal Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Moonis Elahi took to Twitter to allege that the interior minister used to make money from the partys elders during his student life.

His blackmail remark had come during a press conference in Quetta when the PML-Q leaders, after holding a consultative meeting here on Saturday, decided to meet again on Sunday to finalise the partys stance and strategy, the report said.

The exchange of such acrimonious remarks from both sides clearly indicates that the gulf between the ruling PTI and the PML-Q has started widening, the report said, adding that the PML-Q also criticised Prime Minister Khan for his recent utterances.

We condemn the prime ministers speech. We consider it shameful and below the status of the prime minister, said PML-Q senator Kamil Ali Agha.

Also Read | Pakistani opposition moves no-confidence motion to seek PM Khan's ouster

Asked about the reason behind the delay in decision-making, which was adding to the countrys political uncertainty besides giving sleepless nights to the ruling party, Agha said that his party leadership always took decisions after consultations and deliberations.

In response to another question, Agha refuted media reports that Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had asked them to merge the party into the PTI to get the Chief Ministers office of Punjab.

The PML-Q Senator ridiculed the information minister and said that they did not consider him an appropriate person to talk about such serious political matters.

Agha also hit out at the interior minister for targeting the PML-Q and said it seemed that he was in a fear of losing the ministry.

The PML-Q Senator further said that Ahmed always got the ministries in the past by pleading and through sycophancy.

The PML-Q has now acquired a central role in the ongoing political drama despite having only five Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), the report said.

It seems that the three other allies -- the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) -- are waiting for each other to make a decision, it said.

Given the party's position in the National Assembly, it is clear that if any two of the four allies make a decision to quit the ruling coalition, Prime Minister Khan will lose the majority in the 342-member house, the report said.

As many as 17 MNAs belong to these four coalition parties or alliances and the ruling party had the support of 179 MNAs at present, it said.

Earlier, Interior Minister Ahmed said that he was standing with the prime minister like a rock but not responsible for the other allies as even those having five members are blackmailing for chief ministership in Punjab.

When asked whom he was calling a blackmailer, he said, Im talking about Punjab politics.

He said the government had decided to deploy Rangers and Frontier Corps personnel for security of the Parliament House and Parliament Lodges seven days prior to the voting on no-confidence motion so that there would remain no complaint of law and order.

Under Article 245 of the Constitution, he said, the government could summon the army as well, nevertheless, the situation had not reached that point yet.

In a separate development, the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat has declared the Opposition parties' no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan legitimate, Geo News reported.

The NA Secretariat has advised Speaker Asad Qaiser to summon the session before March 22, it said.

On paper, Khan still enjoys a majority, comprising 155 members of his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and 23 from coalition partners, including five each from Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), three from Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), one each from Awami Muslim League (AML) and Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) and one independent member.

The total opposition number is 163, including 84 from PML-N, 56 PPP, 15 Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan, four Balochistan National Party (BNP), one Awami National Party (ANP) and three independent lawmakers.

The Opposition has claimed that they have the backing of 28 lawmakers of the ruling party and others from an ally of the government.

Prime Minister Khan, 69, came to power in 2018 and the next general election is scheduled to be held in 2023.

In the 342-member National Assembly, the Opposition needed the support of 172 members to oust Prime Minister Khan.

Last year, Khan received 178 votes when he sought a vote of confidence after a candidate supported by his party lost the Senate election.

The Speaker of the National Assembly is expected to call the lower house in session by March 22, while voting on the no-confidence motion must take place between March 26 and March 30, an earlier Dawn report said.

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Russia said Sunday that an airstrike it carried out in Ukraine, near the Polish border, killed foreign citizens who had joined Kyiv's army in its fight against Russia.

"As a result of the strike, up to 180 foreign mercenaries and a large cache of foreign weapons were destroyed," Russian defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said, a statement that could not be independently verified by AFP.

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Thirty-five people died and more than 130 were injured when Russian troops launched airstrikes on a military training ground outside Ukraine's western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, on Sunday. Meanwhile, Polish President Andrzej Duda said that the use of chemical weapons by Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine would be "game-changing" and require a rethink of the conflict by NATO. Stay tuned for live updates.
Russian troops fired warning shots at peaceful protesters Sunday as thousands demonstrated in the southern city of Kherson, which was seized by the Russian army earlier this month, a local broadcaster reported.

Waving national flags and chanting "Kherson is for Ukraine" and "Glory to Ukraine", several thousand protesters gathered in a show of defiance on the central Freedom Square, the Suspilne Kherson public broadcaster reported.

Protesters marched down a central boulevard past a line of Russian armoured vehicles marked with the "Z" symbol used by the invaders and manned by troops wielding guns and wearing face coverings, a witness video posted by Suspilne Kherson on Telegram showed.

Follow live updates of Russia-Ukraine crisis here

At one point, troops fired several volleys, which Suspilne Kherson reported were "warning shots".

The video showed protesters shouting "Fascists" and "Go home!" in Russian.

Some wrapped themselves in Ukrainian flags, standing next to tank traps that still littered the square. On Sunday, the city marked 78 years since its liberation from the Nazis.

One protester held a hand-drawn placard saying "Kherson is Ukraine".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky posted a video of the Kherson protest on Telegram, writing: "I am grateful to each person... who does not surrender. Who protests. Who demonstrates to the occupiers that Ukraine is our land."

Russian forces seized the port city, which has a population of 290,000 people, on March 3 following a three-day siege. It was the first major city to fall following Moscow's invasion.

Ukrainian officials on Saturday accused Russia of planning a fake referendum on creating a pro-Moscow "people's republic" in the city.

"Russians now desperately try to organize a sham 'referendum' for a fake 'people's republic' in Kherson," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.

Due to "zero popular support", such a referendum "will be fully staged", he added.

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Ukrainian officials on Saturday accused Russia of planning a fake referendum on creating a pro-Moscow "people's republic" in the southern Black Sea city of Kherson.

Russian forces seized the port city, which has a population of 290,000 people, on March 3 following a three-day siege. It was the first major city to fall following Moscow's invasion.

"Russians now desperately try to organise a sham 'referendum' for a fake 'people's republic' in Kherson," Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tweeted.

Due to "zero popular support", such a referendum "will be fully staged", he added.

Read | 7, including child, killed in Russian firing: Ukraine

"Severe sanctions against Russia must follow if they proceed. Kherson is & will always be Ukraine," the minister added.

Kuleba drew a parallel with Russia's annexation of the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea in 2014, when it held a referendum on joining Russia after deploying troops there.

The Kherson plan was following a "2014 playbook", Kuleba said.

Ukraine's ombudsman Lyudmyla Denisova wrote on Telegram that Russian occupying forces were phoning lawmakers from the local legislature, asking them to vote for the plan.

Denisova said such a referendum would be illegal on the occupied territory, since under Ukrainian law any issues over territory can only be resolved by a nationwide referendum.

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Feature: Chinese Juncao technology spells bright future for Tanzania's mushroom growers

Xinhua) 21:24, March 13, 2022

Bathsheba Mchuza, founder and sales officer for Uyogaplus project, shows the growing of mushroom during a workshop on "Applications of Juncao Technology and its Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania" in Kinondoni District, outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

DAR ES SALAAM, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Participants in a workshop held in Tanzania's capital Dar es Salaam wore broad smiles as they were exposed to the wonders of a Chinese Juncao technology saying the technology spelled a bright future for mushroom growers and livestock keepers in the country.

Juncao, which in Chinese literally means "mushroom" and "grass", can be used, as its name suggests, to grow edible and medicinal mushrooms, as livestock feed or as a green barrier to control soil erosion and stop desertification.

The Juncao technology has been developed by the National Engineering Research Center for Juncao Technology of the Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University (FAFU) of China.

The technology has a multi-faceted approach of cultivating mushrooms for food and medicinal purposes while at the same time addressing soil erosion for maintaining the volume of arable land, and also supporting livestock feed development.

On the third day of the workshop on "Applications of Juncao Technology and its Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania" organized by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN-DESA), the participants visited Uyogaplus, a mushroom farm at Mabwepande in Kinondoni district on the outskirts of the commercial capital Dar es Salaam.

The Uyogaplus project is an intensive program of health and economic empowerment of women and youth through mushroom production in Tanzania.

"We have been producing mushrooms by using sawdust, banana leaves, and other supplements which are very expensive. We are now in the process of adopting Juncao grass as a substitute for sawdust," said Bathsheba Mchuza, founder and sales officer for Uyogaplus project.

Uyogaplus has established a nursery for cultivating Juncao grass for growing mushrooms, said the 25-year-old female university graduate, adding that the Juncao grass seedlings were planted in February 2021 after they were supplied by the Sokoine University of Agriculture (SUA) based in Morogoro region that introduced the technology to the project.

"By using Juncao grass to cultivate mushrooms the future looks brighter," Mchuza told the participants of the four-day workshop that brought together national policy makers, academicians, researchers, farmers, livestock keepers and experts from FAFU and the UN.

Mchuza is among 5,000 mushroom growers in Tanzania who are producing 1,000 tons of mushrooms annually.

Elly Ligate, a senior lecturer, researcher and national Juncao technological consultant at the SUA, with over five years of experience in Juncao technology projects in Tanzania, said the Juncao technology is being championed by the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries in Tanzania mainland and the Ministry of Agriculture, Irrigation and Livestock in Zanzibar, adding that farmers and local government authorities in the country have widely accepted the technology.

"I see good opportunities as far as Juncao technology is concerned. This technology is comprehensive as it involves production of grass and mushrooms. The Juncao grass is very important in our country in eliminating challenges of shortage of fodder," Ligate, an ecologist, told Xinhua on the sidelines of the workshop.

"The second challenge that we want to address is environmental degradation. If we provide grass to livestock keepers it will improve carrying capacity and minimize the pressure on the land. In that case, management of the land will be a little easy," said Ligate, a PhD graduate at Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University of China (FUFA) where he also learnt about the Juncao technology.

Asimwe Rwiguza, director of Grazing Land and Animal Feed Resources in the Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, said intensification of high forage producing species such as Juncao grass is a useful strategy to ensure sustainable pasture production in order to feed the existing and ever-increasing number of livestock throughout the year.

Rwiguza said the Juncao technology is expected to conserve the environment through sustainable livestock production, especially in semi-arid areas of the country where animal pastures are limited and land degradation is high.

Lin Zhanxi, inventor of Juncao technology, and chief scientist and director of the National Engineering Research Center for Juncao Technology of the FAFU of China, said on a video conference that Juncao technology is helping in adapting and mitigating challenges posed by climate change.

Yuan Lin, the economic and commercial counselor of the Chinese Embassy, said during the past two decades, this handy and practical technology has taken root in more than 100 countries.

Participants visits Uyogaplus Farm during a workshop on "Applications of Juncao Technology and its Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania" in Kinondoni District, outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

Elly Ligate, a senior lecturer, researcher and national Juncao technological consultant at Sokoine University of Agriculture, shows the Juncao grass during a workshop on "Applications of Juncao Technology and its Contribution to the Achievement of Sustainable Agriculture and the Sustainable Development Goals in Tanzania" in Kinondoni District, outskirts of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, on March 10, 2022. (Photo by Herman Emmanuel/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhao Tong, Bianji)
Sci-fi epic Dune won five prizes and brooding Western The Power of the Dog was named best film as the British Academy Film Awards returned Sunday with a live, black-tie ceremony after a pandemic-curtailed event in 2021.

New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion was named best director for The Power of the Dog, becoming only the third woman to win the prize in the awards 75-year history.

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Ian Canning, from left, Tanya Seghatchian, and Emile Sherman hold the Best Film award on behalf of Jane Campion for the film 'Power of the Dog' at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Joel C Ryan/Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Lead acting trophies went to Hollywood star Will Smith and British performer Joanna Scanlan, as an event that has worked to overcome a historic lack of diversity recognized a wide range of talents  including its first deaf acting winner in Troy Kotsur for CODA.

Last years awards ceremony was largely conducted online, with only the hosts and presenters appearing in person. This years return to in-person celebration at Londons Royal Albert Hall took place in the shadow of Russias brutal invasion of Ukraine.

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Shirley Bassey attends the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 dinner at The Grosvenor House Hotel on March 13, 2022 in London, England. (Kate Green/Getty Images)

British film academy chairman Krishnendu Majumdar opened the show, hosted by Australian actor-comedian Rebel Wilson, with a message of support for Ukraine.

We stand in solidarity with those who are bravely fighting for their country and we share their hope for a return to peace, he said.

After that came the glitz, with 85-year-old diva Shirley Bassey and a live orchestra performing Diamonds Are Forever to mark the 60th anniversary of the James Bond films.

Bond is turning 60, and his girlfriends are turning 25, joked host Wilson, who toned down her usual bawdy material for the ceremonys early-evening TV broadcast on the BBC.

Denis Villeneuves Dune, a space epic set on a desert planet, took five trophies from its 11 nominations: visual effects, production design, sound, Greig Frasers cinematography and Hans Zimmers score.

The Power of the Dog, set in 1920s Montana and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a ranch owner, was nominated in eight categories and won two big ones: best film and best director. Campion is only the third female winner in that category, but the second in two years after Chloe Zhao for Nomadland in 2021.

This image released by Netflix shows Benedict Cumberbatch, left, and Jesse Plemons in a scene from "The Power of the Dog." (KIRSTY GRIFFIN/NETFLIX  2021/AP)

Cumberbatch lost to Smith, who was named best actor for his performance as the father of Serena and Venus Williams in King Richard.

Scanlan was a surprise best-actress winner, beating contenders including Lady Gaga to win for After Love, a first feature by Aleem Khan about a woman who makes a life-changing discovery after her husbands death.

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Some stories have surprise endings dont they? said a disbelieving Scanlan.

Joanna Scanlan holds her Best Actress award for her role in the film 'After Love' at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Joel C Ryan/Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Kenneth Branaghs semi-autobiographical Belfast, the story of a childhood overshadowed by Northern Irelands violent Troubles, was named best British film.

Ariana DeBose was named best supporting actress for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielbergs lavish musical West Side Story. The supporting actor prize went to Kotsur for CODA, in which he plays the deaf father of a hearing daughter. Kotsur, who is also Oscar-nominated, is the first deaf actor to win a BAFTA.

Have you considered maybe a deaf James Bond? he asked in his speech, delivered in sign language.

Ariana Debose holds her Supporting Actress award for her role in the film 'West Side Story' at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Joel C Ryan/Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Lashana Lynch, who made a splash as a double-0 agent in Bond thriller No Time To Die, took the rising star award, the only category chosen by public vote. She thanked the women of this country who taught me what it is to be in this industry as a dark-skinned woman. I thank you for laying the foundation for people like me.

No Time to Die also won the prize for best editing.

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Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchis Oscar-nominated drama Drive My Car was named best film not in English. Encanto, the story of a Colombian clan with magical powers, was named best animated feature, and 1960s Harlem music extravaganza Summer of Soul won the best documentary prize.

Sian Heder won the adapted screenplay prize for CODA. Best original screenplay went to Paul Thomas Anderson for coming-of-age story Licorice Pizza.

Lady Gaga arrives for the 75th British Academy Film Awards in London, England on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Joel C Ryan/Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

The British awards are usually held a week or two before the Academy Awards and have become an important awards-season staging post. This years Oscars take place March 27.

The British film academy has expanded its voting membership and shaken up its rules in recent years in an attempt to address a glaring lack of diversity in the nominations. In 2020, no women were nominated as best director for a seventh consecutive year, and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white.

Majumdar said this years more diverse field showed that change has come. But the celebration of cinema was subdued, with many attendees reflecting on the war raging on the other side of Europe.

Benedict Cumberbatch, left, and Sophie Hunter arrive for the 75th British Academy Film Awards in London, England on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Vianney Le Caer/Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Cumberbatch wore a lapel badge in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. He said it was to oppose the megalomaniac Russian President Vladimir Putin raining down terror on Ukraine.

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Its a very scary and sad time, he said on the red carpet. Although this is a gesture, and people can say its hollow, its just something I can do tonight  along with pressuring British politicians to take in more refugees from the war.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen, director of animated feature Flee, the story of an Afghan refugee, said it was surreal to be at an awards show when the world is burning.

But he said images of the millions driven from their homes in Ukraine underscored the message that these stories need to be told.
Thirty-five people died and more than 130 were injured when Russian troops launched airstrikes on a military training ground outside Ukraine's western city of Lviv, near the border with Poland, local officials said Sunday.

Russia "launched an airstrike on the International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security", the head of the Lviv regional administration, Maksym Kozytsky, said on his verified Facebook page.

"I have to announce that, unfortunately, we have lost more heroes: 35 people died as a result of the shelling of the International Peacekeeping and Security Centre," Kozytsky later wrote on Telegram, updating an initial toll of nine.

Also Read | Russia strikes military base outside Ukraine's Lviv

"134 more with injuries of varying severity are in a military hospital," he added, saying the information on the toll was still being updated.

Fires at the base have been almost fully extinguished and pyrotechnics experts were examining the debris, the governor said.

The military base in Yavoriv, located some 40 kilometres (25 miles) northwest of the city, was a training centre for Ukrainian forces with foreign instructors, including from the United States and Canada.

It was also a hub for joint exercises involving Ukrainian soldiers and NATO allies.

Follow live updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis, here

Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said "foreign instructors work here", although it was unclear whether any were present during the attacks.

Foreign troops left Ukraine shortly before Russia launched an invasion of its pro-Western neighbour on February 24.

The United States said on February 12 that it withdrew 150 of its instructors from Ukraine.

Reznikov condemned the bombardment as a "new terrorist attack on peace & security near the EU-NATO border", calling for the imposition of a no-fly zone.

"Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!" he wrote.

Also Read | Indian Embassy in Ukraine temporarily shifted to Poland

Cruise missiles were fired from Russian planes located over the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov, the regional governor said.

Washington on Saturday authorised $200 million in additional military equipment for Ukraine.

Russia the same day warned that its troops could target supplies of Western weapons to Ukraine.

Many Ukrainians have fled to relative safety in Lviv since the launch of Russia's invasion.

A short drive from EU member Poland, the city is also a transit hub for those leaving Ukraine.

Separately, the mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk in western Ukraine said the city's airport was targeted in a strike.

"Our morning in Frankivsk began with explosions. This is already the third strike on Frankivsk. They hit the airport," mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv said on Facebook.

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President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser for talks with a senior Chinese official in Rome on Monday as concerns grow that China is amplifying Russian disinformation in the Ukraine war and may help Russia evade punishment from economic sanctions.

The talks between national security adviser Jake Sullivan and senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi will center on efforts to manage the competition between our two countries and discuss the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security," said Emily Horne, speaking for the White House national security council.

The White House has accused Beijing of spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with US support. US officials said China was attempting to provide cover for a potential biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians by the Russian military.

Also Read: Russia says nearly half its reserves are frozen, counts on ties with China

Sullivan said on NBC's Meet the Press on Sunday that when Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, it's a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.

He also said China and other countries should not try to help Russia work around the sanctions and the US has made it clear that other countries should not bail out the Russian economy. We will ensure that neither China nor anyone else can compensate Russia for these losses, Sullivan said.

The striking accusations about Russian disinformation and Chinese complicity came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged with no evidence that the US was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs.

The Russian claim was echoed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who claimed there were 26 bio-labs and related facilities in which the US Department of Defense has absolute control. The United Nations has said it has received no information backing up such accusations.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki last week called the claims preposterous."

Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them, Psaki tweeted Wednesday night. It's a clear pattern.

Sulllivan, who appeared on several of the Sunday news shows before his trip, told Face the Nation on CBS that the Russian rhetoric on chemical and biological warfare is an indicator that in fact the Russians are getting ready to do it and try and pin the blame elsewhere and nobody should fall for that.

The international community for years has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons in carrying out assassination attempts against Putin detractors such as Alexei Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war.

Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, CIA Director William Burns also noted grave concern that Russia might be laying the groundwork for a chemical or biological attack of its own, which it would then blame on the US or Ukraine in a false flag operation.

This is something, as all of you know very well, is very much a part of Russia's playbook, he said. They've used these weapons against their own citizens, they've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere, so it's something we take very seriously."

Also Read: Russia says nearly half its reserves are frozen, counts on ties with China

China has been one of few countries to avoid criticizing the Russians for its invasion of Ukraine. China's Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, just weeks before Russia launched the Feb. 24 invasion.

During Putin's visit to China last month, the two leaders issued a 5,000-word statement declaring no limits in the friendship between the two countries.

The Chinese abstained on UN votes censuring Russia and has criticized economic sanctions against Moscow. It has expressed its support for peace talks and offered its services as a mediator, despite questions about its neutrality and scant experience mediating international conflict.

Chinese officials have also said Washington shouldn't be able to complain about Russia's actions because the US invaded Iraq under false pretenses. The US claimed to have evidence Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction though none was ever found.

For Russia, China could be a crucial economic partner in mitigating the severe sanctions levied by the US, Britain, the 27-national European Union and other countries, though there are questions how far Beijing will go to alienate the alliance and put its own economy at risk.

The Biden administration is looking to impress on China that any efforts to ease sanctions for Russia could have ramifications for its relations with the United States and Western allies.

Sullivan and Yang last met for face-to-face talks in Switzerland, where Sullivan raised the Biden administration's concerns about China's military provocations against Taiwan, human rights abuses against ethnic minorities and efforts to squelch pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

That meeting set the stage for a three-hour long virtual meeting in November between Biden and Xi.

Sullivan is also to meet Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, while in Rome.

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Polish President Andrzej Duda said on Sunday that the use of chemical weapons by Moscow in its invasion of Ukraine would be "game-changing" and require a rethink of the conflict by NATO.

If Russian President Vladimir Putin "uses any weapons of mass destruction, (it) will be game-changing in the whole thing... for close alliances", Duda told BBC TV.

In that case, NATO, which Poland joined in 1999, should seriously consider its further moves, the president added.

Also Read | Ukraine says 35 killed, 130 wounded in Russian air strike on military base

"Because then it starts to be dangerous, not only for Europe, not only for our part of Europe... but for the whole world," he added, speaking in Polish with an English translation.

Duda said Putin would resort to any means especially as he had already lost this war "politically", while in military terms he is no longer capable of winning it.

Citing expert estimates, Duda said up to five million refugees could leave Ukraine during the war, of whom half will end up in Poland.

Also Read | Russia strikes military base outside Ukraine's Lviv

His country has so far received almost 1.7 million refugees since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24.

"More than half of all refugees who have left Ukraine are in Poland. So if there are 5 million, then just imagine that we will get 2.5 million," Duda said.

"It is hard for me to imagine. So we need support here on the ground. We need kind help, financial assistance," he added.

On Sunday, the war got close to the Polish border as 35 people died and 134 were injured in a Russian attack on a military base in Yavoriv in western Ukraine, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) from Poland.

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US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday to discuss Russia's war against Ukraine and its impact on regional and global security, a source familiar with the plans said.

The meeting had been in planning for some time as part of a broader effort by Washington and Beijing to maintain open channels of communication and manage competition, but the war in Ukraine would be "a significant topic," the source said.

"This meeting is taking place in the context of Russia's unjustified and brutal war against Ukraine, and as China has aligned itself with Russia to advance their own vision of the world order, and so I expect ... the two of them will discuss the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security," the source said.

Also Read: Russia says nearly half its reserves are frozen, counts on ties with China

No specific outcomes were expected from the meeting, the source added, speaking on condition of anonymity.

"It is important for (People's Republic of China) officials to hear directly from the national security adviser his assessment of how we see the situation," the source said.

The United States on Saturday said it would rush up to $200 million worth of additional weapons to Ukrainian forces as they try to defend against Russian shelling in the largest war in Europe since World War Two.

The Russian assault, which Moscow calls a "special military operation," has trapped thousands of civilians in besieged cities and sent 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing to neighboring countries.

The United States and its allies have imposed sweeping, unprecedented sanctions against Russia and banned its energy imports, while providing billions of dollars of military and humanitarian assistance to Ukraine.

Individually and together they have appealed to China, Gulf nations and others that have failed to condemn the Russian invasion to join in isolating Russia from the global economy.

Also Read: US journalist shot dead in Ukraine

Beijing, a key trading partner of Russia, has refused to call Russia's actions an invasion, although Chinese President Xi Jinping last week did call for "maximum restraint" in Ukraine after a virtual meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Xi also expressed concern about the impact of sanctions on global finance, energy supplies, transportation and supply chains, amid growing signs that Western sanctions are limiting China's ability to buy Russian oil.

The International Monetary Fund last week warned that the crisis could also see China miss its 5.5 per cent growth target this year, and its chief said she had spoken with China's top central banker and expected mounting pressure on Russia to end the war.

While in Rome, Sullivan will also meet with Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi to continue coordinating the strong global response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's "war of choice," the source said.

The United States and the Group of Seven advanced economies on Friday ratcheted up pressure on Russia by calling for revoking its "most favored nation" trade status, which would allow them to jack up tariffs on Russian goods.

Trade made up about 46 per cent of Russia's economy in 2020, much of that with China, its biggest export destination.

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A missile is fired. And like a word spoken in haste, it cant be retrieved. On March 9, during a Directorate of Air Staff Inspection (DASI) exercise at an Indian Air Force (IAF) base in north India, a Brahmos missile got accidentally fired and landed in Pakistan. The missile was without a warhead, it crashed harmlessly, there was no immediate military tension between India and Pakistan, and the Pakistan military dealt with the situation with great maturity. A catastrophe was thus averted. Story over. Let us all move on.

Unfortunately not. India and Pakistan are nuclear weapon states that came close to climbing the escalation ladder in the aftermath of the Balakot airstrikes just three years ago. My column in this paper on February 27 (Three years ago, we were on the brink of war) had warned of the risks highlighted in February-March 2019, which have been overlooked since. The accidental firing of an Indian missile has brought the spotlight on those risks again. It would be irresponsible to ignore them now.

Let us look at what happened. Pakistan military went public on March 10 that the previous evening, an unarmed Indian supersonic missile had intruded into Pakistani territory, endangering several airliners in its trajectory, and finally hit a private property near Mian Channu. Trying to highlight its alertness, Pakistan Air Force claimed to have continuously monitored the missiles flight path, starting from first picking it up when it was 104 km inside Indian territory, at Sirsa in Haryana, at an altitude of 40,000 feet and travelling at a speed more than Mach 2.5.

The missile, as per the Pakistani claim, first headed south-west and after travelling 70-80 km took a right turn to head north-west towards Pakistan. It went into Pakistan south of Bahawalpur and reached a maximum speed of Mach 3. The brief Indian statement on March 11 confirmed nothing but that a technical malfunction led to the accidental firing of a missile.

Pakistan has claimed that the DGMO-level hotline wasnt activated to inform it of the accidental firing of the missile and its trajectory. This has been neither disputed nor explained by the Indian side. There are numerous other questions from the incident blighting the long-established reputation of the Indian security establishment and its political masters. Its recent record, going back to the Balakot incident and the Chinese border crisis, has been marked by obstruction and obfuscation of news to further the political agenda of the ruling party. Imagine if a missile had fallen on Indian territory and the Pakistani side had claimed accidental firing, would the Indian political leadership and jingoistic media have accepted that explanation?

Having come second best when the IAF targeted a Balakot seminary in February 2019, the PAF was at pains to assert that it, in response, initiated required tactical actions in accordance with its own standard operating procedures (SOP).

The missile travelled 124 km inside Pakistan and was in Pakistani airspace for 3 minutes, 44 seconds. As Pakistani military has made no claim of intercepting the missile, it makes one wonder about the Pakistani SOP which does not warrant shooting down a supersonic missile coming from India. If the missile had a warhead and was heading toward a major Pakistani military or nuclear installation or a densely populated town, would the Pakistani air defence authorities have responded in the same mature manner?

India and Pakistan, as subcontinental neighbours, do not have the luxury of time for considered decision-making when missiles are flying in either direction. Consider that the entire flight time of this accidently fired missile was about six minutes. That is about the time available for the decision-makers in either country to take a call. Essentially, 360 seconds are all that are available to Islamabad and New Delhi between doing nothing or going to war, accidental and unintended.

India, as the bigger country, has the cushion of geography, while Pakistan, driven by the insecurity of a small territory, has a nuclear security doctrine of first use. To avoid the destruction of its arsenal and delivery systems by a pre-emptive Indian strike, it deems it necessary to strike India first in the event of hostilities threatening to break out. This makes the situation more dangerous in the subcontinent.

An environment of relative calm between India and Pakistan, with a ceasefire on the LoC in Kashmir, definitely helped the Pakistani military keep its cool in the face of an Indian missile. Would it have reacted so maturely in the midst of military or political tensions? Or can Pakistan be blamed if they assume that certain rogue elements had taken control of the missile system in India and fired on it? Crucially, if the missile had a self-destruct feature, why wasnt it activated?

Should we expect every junior Pakistani military officer to display the same sagacity and courage as the Soviet naval officer Vasili Arkhipov, the Brigade Chief of Staff on submarine B-59, who refused to fire a nuclear missile and prevented a nuclear disaster in 1962? Or of the Soviet military duty officer Stanislav Petrov who, on seeing an early-warning system showing an incoming US strike, with about half-a-dozen missiles, in the early hours of September 26, 1983, made the call  in the face of incomplete information and doubt -- that it was a system malfunction, instead of reporting it to his superiors as enemy missile launches? In doing so, Petrov put himself and his country at risk but saved the world from US-Soviet mutually assured destruction, since if he had reported it as a missile attack in progress, the Soviet protocol was to automatically launch its own missiles in response.

'Can't rely on lucky breaks'

The lives of 1.6 billion people of India and Pakistan cannot be dependent on such lucky breaks. It is for these reasons  the destructive capacity of nuclear weapons, the minimal time available to take a decision, and Pakistans strategic mindset  accidents are unacceptable. Questions raised in western capitals about the safety and security of our nuclear weapon systems and processes were regularly dismissed by New Delhi by citing its impeccable track-record and supposedly fool-proof systems. It allowed India, despite the concerted efforts of certain American experts, to de-hyphenate itself from Pakistans poor track record of proliferation, its weak security systems always seen to be at risk of being infiltrated by religious extremists in uniform.

On issues of nuclear safety, Pakistan has always attempted to bracket India with itself, but has often failed. But now, we have come out looking like either bumbling idiots or out of control, while the Pakistanis have come out as being both capable and mature. India can dismiss all Pakistani allegations but there will be renewed questions from the US non-proliferation lobby that are going to be tougher for New Delhi to respond to.

The work of the Indian diplomats over this issue is not going to be made easier by the Indian security establishment if it continues to take two days to issue a sketchy statement after a major incident. New Delhis journey toward regaining credibility on strategic issues will only begin with an honest and transparent acknowledgement of the situation. A thorough review of systems and processes to avert another accident is an imperative and would also need to focus on the professionalism of the security establishment, a record blighted by political favouritism and jingoism in recent years. If the government continues to traverse down the path of hubris wrapped in nationalistic rhetoric and flag-waving to shut down all questions, the consequences could be devastating. Luck and providence can only hold for so long.

(The writer is Senior Fellow, Centre for Policy Research, New Delhi)

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The outcome of Manipur elections is likely to have implications that would be, perhaps, unprecedented.

Voters in Manipur have not only decided their legislators but also played a role in determining the future course of the Naga peace talks. Any solution to the vexed and long-pending Naga political issue could lead to a new era of peace and prosperity for the entire Northeast region, and more so for the state of Manipur.

The Nationalist Socialist Council of Nagaland (Isak-Muivah), or NSCN (IM), with its organisational presence among the Tangkhul Nagas tribe, has several pockets of influence in the hills of Manipur. NSCN (IM) general secretary Thuingelang Muivah is a Tangkhul and kept a close eye on the Manipur polls, particularly the results in the Naga areas of the state.

The Congress nominee from the Chingai seat, Sword Vashum, is the kin of a senior NSCN (IM) functionary. Of course, elections and alleged 'militant involvement' is always a mixed bag. The NSCN (IM) has openly favoured the Naga People's Front (NPF) in some constituencies, which won five seats. In some, even other parties or candidates.

Also Read: JD (U) offers support to BJP in Manipur

There are other complexities too. The Meitei population, mostly Hindus, who comprise a substantial electorate in the valleys, have reasons to be cautious about the Centre's future move. Incumbent Chief Minister N Biren Singh has the 'image' of a leader who struggled to present the 'Meitei perception' on the Naga issue to Union Home Minister Amit Shah in 2019, which has also helped the BJP.

Previously that role of taking up the Meitei cause regarding the Naga demand for 'greater Nagaland' and possible disintegration of Manipur state was with Congress veteran Okram Ibobi Singh. Ibobi Singh contested this time, but his party's lackadaisical poll management and campaign were not taken seriously by voters and ticket aspirants.

That Congress suffered immensely, and its tally has come down to single-digit, making it evident once again that the "double engine" concept of Prime Minister Narendra Modi works best in states such as Manipur. In the run-up to the two-phase polls in Manipur, several voters and political analysts have said that what perhaps matters most for the electorate in Manipur is who rules in Delhi.

The Congress vote share has plummeted, halving from 35.1 per cent in 2017 to 16.8 per cent in these elections, while its seats have come down from 28 to a mere five. The National People's Front (NPF) of Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has emerged as the second-largest party in the Assembly, with seven seats and a 17.3 per cent vote share.

The BJP's vote share has remained consistent, increasing marginally from 36.3 per cent in 2017 to 37.8 per cent now. Its seats have increased from 21 in 2017 to 32 in a house of 60. It is to the credit of the BJP's poll management that the party has increased its vote share to this level from two per cent in 2012.

In this, the role of Meitei voters has been significant. For ages, the Meiteis have maintained social and cultural ties with the Hindu tradition and culture. The Meiteis comprise more than half of Manipur's population of nearly 29 lakh (2011 Census). The majority are Hindus, but the community has a small number of Muslims, too. Both are opposed to the 'disintegration' of the Manipur state.

Those in the know of things say the push for an early solution to the Naga problem was given in recent weeks by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. The BJP's comfortable win in Manipur, now that it does not need to depend on allies, like the Naga People's Front (NPF), should make it easier for its government to resist pressure from the Naga legislators.

BJP-RSS work

For decades, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)'s work in education and welfarism is also helping the BJP. But the BJP's electoral success in 2017 and 2022 and its governance have had less to do with Hindutva politics and more about its welfare schemes and delivery to people.

Also Read: Will Biren Singh get a second term as Manipur CM? BJP high command yet to decide

To cite one example, the School Fagathansi Mission is an initiative launched by the Biren Singh-led government to improve the education sector in the state, which covered 60 schools, and it increased enrollment in government schools by 25 per cent. While the government tried to improve education, health and roads, the RSS and 15 Sangh inspired organisations have been active, particularly in Imphal and Churachandpur, since the 1980s. Leaders like Jagdamba Mall spent more than three decades in the Nagaland-Manipur region.

In the health sector, under the CM's Health for All and Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), 8.09 lakhs beneficiaries had been enrolled, and 1.1 lakh beneficiaries received free treatment worth Rs 123 crore rupees till October 2021.

Of course, there is an issue with the demand of the Meitei community for the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The chief minister has said, "The state government has never sidelined the ST demand for Meiteis." The new government will need to deal with that.

Demand for Inner Line Permit

In December 2019, President Ram Nath Kovind gave his nod to the introduction of the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Manipur. The Meitei community, and overwhelming women, had been very vocal, demanding the implementation of the ILP in the state. The Manipur Assembly, under N Biren Singh, also had, in 2018, passed a Manipur People's Protection Bill that defines Manipuris' and 'non-Manipuris' and seeks to control the flow of 'outsiders'.

Apart from that, the projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 4 in Imphal, the state capital, helped the sentiment in the BJP's favour. The projects included the landmark Steel Bridge built over the Barak River and fulfilled the long-awaited demand of the people. This will ensure seamless year-round connectivity between Imphal and Silchar in the Cachar district of Assam. The road link to Imphal is via Kohima in Nagaland, and commuters and truckers often face multiple challenges.

(Nirendra Dev is a Delhi-based journalist)

Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author's own. They do not necessarily reflect the views of DH.

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Three tribal men were arrested on Sunday for allegedly sexually harassing women in full public view in Alirajpur district of Madhya Pradesh, while two others were detained for filming this incident and posting videos on social media, police said on Sunday.

Efforts are on to arrest three to four more persons who were involved in harassing women and instigated the other accused, a police officer said. We have detained the man who made the video and another one who made it viral. Besides, we have arrested three accused who were seen misbehaving with women, Alirajpur Superintendent of Police Manoj Singh told PTI.

The arrested accused and the detained men are tribals, he said. The video showed some men, who appeared to be in their 20s, pushing and hugging some women walking on a crowded street and trying to kiss them forcibly amid shouting by other men.

At least two men involved in the act were seen wearing saffron towels. However, the police denied that the "molesters" were politically affiliated. Singh said the trio was booked under sections 354 (assault or criminal force to woman with an intent to outrage her modesty) and 345-A (sexual harassment) and 34 (criminal acts done by several persons with common intention) of the Indian Penal Code.

No woman has lodged a complaint with us. We took the action based on the video that has gone viral, he added. The incident occurred two days back in the Wallpur area of the tribal-dominated Alirajpur district, around 392 km away from Bhopal.

Yes, we have detained the man who shot this video and another who made it viral on Saturday, another police officer said. Some locals from Alirajpur said this video was shot on Friday.

The miscreants were visiting Wallpur to participate in 'Bhagoriya', a tribal festival when the incident occurred.

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The AAP is no alternative to the BJP, which is going to be the only single viable option in Punjab in the future, Union Minister Jitendra Singh said on Saturday, asserting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brought a "new political culture" in the country.

Assembly poll results of five states were announced on Thursday and the BJP won Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Manipur, while in Goa, it on its own has touched the halfway mark.

In Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory defeating the Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and the BJP-led alliance.

Prime Minister Modi has also broken the jinx about anti-incumbency, Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a function here after being asked about his party, BJP, retaining power in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa.

The new political culture broke the jinx about anti-incumbency which was a notion created by the Congress during its 50 or 60 years of rule, he said.

"It had become a norm in the past to win elections on the basis of caste, creed and religion. Modi has broken this jinx," the minister of state in the Prime Minister's office said.

Asked about the challenge posed by the AAP that has scripted a stellar victory in Punjab, winning a three-fourths majority, Singh said, "I make this forecast today, BJP is going to be the only single viable option in Punjab and for its people."

"You cannot draw a parallel, you have to understand the basic difference. The vote AAP has secured in Punjab is not pro-AAP party and it is an anti-establishment vote and incidentally the BJP was not part of the establishment in Punjab," he said referring to the outgoing Congress government in the state and asserted that AAP is no alternative to the BJP.

He said the BJP was actually living up to the commitment of "alliance dharma- the NDA dharma".

"The Akalis (SAD) were our oldest partners and there were suggestions from time to time that we should part ways from Akalis so that we could do better, but we did not. Everyone always cited the example that during the emergency when (former Prime Minister Indira) Gandhi had put all our senior leaders behind the bars, it was senior (Parkash) Singh Badal who came forward in support of the BJP," Singh said.

"Now this time also, it was the Akalis who walked out and we did not walk out. We have to start fresh. Next time or in days to come, you will again realise and I make this forecast today: BJP is going to be the only single viable option in Punjab and for the people of Punjab," the minister said.

Singh said that the BJP government at the Centre is working for the welfare of all, irrespective of creed, caste and religion.

We in the BJP are proud that Prime Minister Modi has given birth to a new political culture in the country as a result of which opposition parties are compelled to think to follow suit. Modi ensured a reach out to those in need even if he is the last man in the queue, Sabka Saath and Sabka Vikas and no discrimination with anyone, Singh

On the unity call of West Bengal Chief minister Mamta Banerjee to the opposition, he said Modi has shown how to fight an election in the 21st century.

"They have to review their strategies. Modi has shown them how to fight the elections in the 21st century...whether a male or a female, a Hindu or a Muslim or any other religion, how to take everyone in the country along and serve the people full time," he said.

Responding to another question about a group of 23 leaders of the Congress, who had demanded an overhaul of the party organisation, he said it is an internal matter of the grand old party. As far as the BJP is concerned, we are working 24x7. We do not have time to look here and there, Singh said.

Asked about reports of senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad not being happy with his party and that he might quit or form a new party in Jammu and Kashmir, he said, I do not want to get involved in it. There is no need for speculation.

On holding of assembly elections in Jammu and Kashmir, he said it is the prerogative of the Election Commission of India and it is the one to decide about it.

I am not in a position to tell the timing of the elections. ECI will take its call, he said, adding as far as the BJP is concerned, we are always ready, 24x7 and this is the main reason when there is an election, all our leaders and activists come together and work in unison to reach out to the voters (to ensure the win of the party candidates).

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The chorus for making Rahul Gandhi Congress president again grew louder on Sunday as several leaders and workers voiced support for him to take on the mantle of party chief.

Ahead of a crucial Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting, Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that no one was taking on Prime Minister Narendra Modi as Gandhi does and was fighting resolutely.

"The prime minister has to start his speech after targeting Rahul Gandhi, you can understand what this means," Gehlot said.

Also Read | Congress Working Committee to meet today: Key things to know

He accused the BJP of winning the recent round of assembly polls by indulging in polarisation. However, he accepted that Congress lost in Punjab due to infighting.

Karnataka Congress president D K Shivakumar also backed the idea to make Gandhi the party chief.

"As I have said it earlier as well, Sh. Rahul Gandhi should take up the Congress presidency in a full-time role immediately. This is the wish of millions of Congress workers like me," he tweeted.

Also Read | CWC meet begins to discuss poll loss in five states

Congress workers from around Delhi, who converged near the party office, were not allowed to enter the AICC headquarter as traffic was held up and the road outside the party office was barricaded by the police.

A group led by Delhi Congress leaders, including Alka Lamba, voiced support for Gandhi to lead the party and raised slogans in his and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's favour.

Youth Congress chief Srinivas B V said the Gandhi family is the thread that binds together not only the Congress but all sections of the country and it is not dependent on any electoral victory or defeat.

Rahul Gandhi had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in general elections in 2019. Sonia Gandhi, who took over the reins of the party again as interim president, had also offered to quit in August 2020 after strong criticism by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.

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On Saturday Night Live, a faux President Biden asks the youth to save the world.

In a cold open ripped from the headlines, the sketch comedy shows Biden, played by James Austin Johnson, joined a group of TikTok stars to strategize over how to stop the spread of Russian misinformation online during the countrys ongoing Ukrainian invasion.

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I suggested it as a joke and then it actually happened, White House press secretary Jen Psaki, played by Kate McKinnon, griped.

Biden, who called himself the landline of presidents, admitted that he doesnt understand technology  or computer as he refers to it  and instead gave the job to the influencers.

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While Putin might have tanks and bombs, theres something even more powerful we can attack him with: poems, Chloe Fineman, playing actress from The CW, said before paraphrasing 90210 alum AnnaLynne McCords baffling spoken word promise that she would have raised the Russian president better.

A member of the rap/prank squad Boo-Boo Boys, played by Andrew Dismukes, suggested pushing Putin down a flight of stairs, while Jason Derulo (Chris Redd) could only offer his own name.

A giggling Aidy Bryant, playing a 12-year-old girl who does animal makeup for kids, immediately pivoted to a right-wing conspiracy theory.

You mean the (war) started by your son Hunter Biden? With his pals at Burisma? Wheres the laptop? Is it in this room? she quizzed the president.

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Charles F. DAmelio, a roofer from Pittsburgh played by Kenan Thompson, quickly realized he had accidentally been invited instead of actual TikTok star Charlie DAmelio.

President Biden (James Austin Johnson) invited a group of TikTok stars to the White House. (NBC/SNL)

Finally, a shirtless Bowen Yang with a toilet plunger stuck to his nipple arrived to save the day.

You know, the idea of asking TikTok stars how to fight Russia might sound like a joke, but remember, they said the same thing about the radio in World War II, Yang said.

Never underestimate the importance of new technology and how it reaches young people in ways you can never understand. TikTok isnt some childish gimmick. It has more power and more influence than the nightly news.

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That was truly inspiring, young man, Biden responded.

Oh, Yang said, Im 55.

Elsewhere in the show, The Batman star Zoe Kravitz hosted with musical guest Rosalia, who performed Chicken Teriyaki and La Fama.
Rattled by the disastrous Assembly election results, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) on Sunday authorised interim president Sonia Gandhi to effect "necessary and comprehensive" organisational changes and address the weaknesses engulfing the party even as she said she and her family were willing to sacrifice anything for the good.

At the meeting, sources said, Sonia said that "whatever sacrifices we (Gandhis) have to make, we (Gandhis) will do" and that she was "willing to do whatever you (CWC) decide", amid speculation that she would offer to resign from the post, but the CWC "reaffirmed" its faith in her leadership and that there cannot be a whisper about her leadership.

Rahul Gandhi told the meeting, which was held after the party was routed in five states, that the party needs to change and give opportunity to younger leaders as young voters and their expectations were different.

After the four-and-half-hour-long deliberations that saw the attendance of over 50 senior leaders, the CWC decided to hold a 'Chintan Shivir' (brainstorming session) immediately after the Budget Session of Parliament to discuss the party's strategy for the upcoming Assembly elections in 2022 and 2023 as also the Lok Sabha elections in 2024. Sources said the likely venue will be Rajasthan.

Also read | One day Indian voter will surprise BJP: Shashi Tharoor

Before the 'Chintan Shivir', which will be held for the first time after such an exercise in Shimla in 2003, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said that the CWC would meet again, likely in March, to "discuss organisational changes and strategies". He said Sonia has been asked to take immediate corrective measures to restore organisational capabilities.

"The CWC unanimously reaffirmed its faith in the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and requests the Congress president to lead from the front, address the organisational weaknesses, effect necessary and comprehensive organisational changes in order to take on the political challenges," Venugopal read out a statement at the press conference.

The meeting was expected to be stormy with G-23 leaders raising the pitch. G-23 leaders or change-seekers Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik, who had written to Sonia seeking clarity on leadership issues, were speculated to do the tough talk but, sources said the discussions were "creative and looked at the way forward.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala even referred to Azad's intervention at the meeting explaining his experience in Uttar Pradesh as General Secretary after Priyanka Gandhi Vadra made her presentation on the dismal performance in the state. He told the meeting, sources said, about the need for wider consultations, engaging with several players and dealing with coalition partners in UP.

While one member, who attended the meeting, denied any leader raising the issue of Rahul taking over as the party president immediately, sources said three to four, including Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, raised the matter but Sonia intervened and said that the organisation election process was on and it should not be disturbed.

The CWC accepted the "shortcomings" in the party's strategy and that it could not "effectively expose the misrule" of BJP state governments in four states and overcome the anti-incumbency in Punjab in the short time after effecting a change of leadership.

Leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge, Ambika Soni, Meira Kumar, Rajiv Shukla and Dinesh Gundu Rao told reporters separately that Sonia would lead the party. There was no challenge to Sonia's leadership, Soni said, while Kumar said the emphasis was on the work to be done for the upcoming elections.

Sonia Gandhi said that she along with her family members Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are ready to sacrifice their posts for the party, but we all rejected this," Congress Lok Sabha leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said.

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After losing Punjab to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa to the BJP, the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is set to meet on Sunday at 4 p.m. But before that, senior leader Vivek Tankha said that it was the need of the hour to keep arrogance aside and work for the party selflessly.

Highlighting reasons for the poll debacle, Congress leader and senior lawyer Tankha told IANS: "We all have to come together and strengthen the party. Neither the G-23 nor the high command can run alone. When there is no unity in the family, the family collapses.

"We lost Punjab due to lack of unity, could have won Uttarakhand, but there were differences too. Now time has come when everyone has to put their ego aside and tell what they can give to the party unconditionally. Because this is the time to give, not to take.

Also Read | Congress Working Committee to meet today: Key things to know

"Controversies arise only due to personal reasons. When you are in a big position, you think you are always right. But it is not the time to ask what the party can give us. It is time to let us know what we can give."

According to the Congress leaders, the state polls debacle have come against their expectations and they have realised the party's need to work on the ground. The Congress won two seats in Uttar Pradesh, 11 in Goa, five in Manipur, 18 in Punjab and 19 in Uttarakhand.

The leaders of G-23 met on Friday, at the residence of senior leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, after the party's poll washout. At the meeting, the possibility of early election of the new president and changes in the CWC were raised.

Talking about the CWC meeting, Vivek Tankha said: "I don't think anybody is a rebel in our party. We have a meeting of the working committee, where all senior Congress leaders will sit and talk about our performance. I have complete faith in my high command, and I know a plan will be chalked out by taking everyone into consideration.

"A change in CWC is also necessary and it will be decided by the high command. The younger generation must also come forward and accelerate the process while the high command decides on the election of the new president."

The G-23 leaders had written to party president Sonia Gandhi in August, 2020 demanding a change of the active president and the "drift" in the party.

Although Priyanka Gandhi worked hard to woo the public of Uttar Pradesh, the party has faced crushing defeat in the elections.

Talking about her efforts in Uttar Pradesh, Vivek Tankha said: "I was told by the leaders of other parties about Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's hard work and request her to not move away, to stand in the field, whatever the results may be. And if it continues this way, the Congress will definitely bring 20 to 25 seats in the next parliamentary elections."

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When the last vote is cast in an election, public and politicians wait with bated breath for an unavoidable ritual: exit polls.

TV studios and social media whip themselves into a frenzy over the projected figures even as the politicians, especially those predicted to lose, dismiss the numbers.

This is a script that everyone is quite familiar with. Whether we like it or not, exit polls are firmly wedded to the election cycle.

But it is also true that they also get it horribly wrong, with some famous examples being Bihar 2015 and West Bengal 2021 Assembly polls.

A cursory look at around 100 exit polls for 11 Assembly elections since 2015 shows that three in every four were off the mark or nowhere near the actual results. Some of them got the winning party right but the numbers were wrong.

Take the case of 2015 Delhi Assembly elections. None of the seven exit polls that DH analysed predicted a complete sweep by the AAP when it won 67 out of 70 seats. The highest prediction was 53. One of the polls even put the BJP ahead of AAP with 35 seats, when the saffron party won just three seats.

The 2017 Punjab Assembly polls are another example. While one of the three polls predicted the Congress winning around 70 seats, predictions for the AAP were way off the mark, with one giving it as many as 67 seats while two others gave the party around 50 seats. The party eventually won 20 seats.

The 2015 Bihar polls saw just one pollster getting it right as the Grand Alliance trounced the BJP with 178 seats.

In the latest round of exit polls for Assembly polls in five states, most of them got the winners right but when it comes to actual numbers, many of them were off the mark.

While all of them predicted a BJP alliance victory in Uttar Pradesh, only two could get somewhere near the actual figure. In Punjab, nine exit polls were clear about the AAPs victory but only two could get the extent of the AAP surge.

Why do exit polls go wrong? Is it sampling, inaccuracy in data analysis or external pressure to tweak the results?

Many of them are conducting opinion polls and showing it as exit polls, says political analyst and psephologist Bhamidipati Ramamurthy, who previously conducted surveys for the Congress and earlier held positions in the party.

But other pollsters vouched for their methodology.

Ankit Lal, founder of Politique Advisors who had previously headed AAPs social media team, says many times pollsters are not able to capture the last-minute changes in voter behaviour.

Ramamurthy says one needs to study the pattern of constituencies and the state for at least two years before venturing into exit polls. You cannot just parachute, you need to have the poll rider constantly, he says.

Animesh Pandey, co-founder of Politique Marquer which does exit polls on the brand name P-MARQ, agrees on this point but also stresses on data collection.

"It is important to capture insights from multiple sources and multiple methods. Technology and analytics capabilities of each polling agency also help in fine-tuning the prediction, he tells DH.

Pollsters put a premium on sampling and the questionnaire. Ramamurthy says even if the methodology adopted is correct, a bad sample can get your exit polls wrong.

Talking about challenges, Abbin Theepura, co-founder of Politique Marquer, says huge capital is required to do research, survey and analysis".

The bias of respondents is another issue. "We need to alienate these samples so that the analysis becomes more accurate. Finding the right kind of resources to be deployed on ground, training and monitoring them is a huge task," he says.

It is worrying for pollsters to get numbers wrong but they say in waves like in Punjab, they could only sense it and not predict the actual numbers. Same was the case in Uttarakhand and Goa in 2022, where the BJP won but exit polls showed a close contest.

Pollsters complain that voters do not open up that easily and they sometimes mislead surveyors. Another challenge is capturing the mood of minority voters and women as well as the floating population. Correctly capturing vote share is another concern area for pollsters.

But to blame just the pollster would be erroneous. In one case in the latest exit polls, a political analyst said a channel showed the AAP on the ticker though it is not a player in UP. This was because a senior editor in the channel has a liking for the party, he said.

Sometimes, sources said, the numbers are tweaked keeping the advertisement pie in mind. So the channel would not go against the ruling party, fearing that if by chance it returned to power, they could feel the heat.

Monetary considerations, political affiliations all determine the exit poll results. You need to be dispassionate with data. That is the challenge before a pollster and an editor, a pollster said.

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The Indian voter has always been capable of throwing up surprises and the BJP will also get to know about it one day, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday.

His remarks came in the backdrop of the party's debacle and drubbing in the just-concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur.

The Congress could have done much better in Uttarakhand, and in Goa, "we had very good chances of being the single largest party", Tharoor said at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).

"But mind you in both the states the number of voters are relatively small, and that perhaps contributed," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said.

Also Read: Sonia Gandhi to remain Cong interim president as CWC 'reaffirms' faith in her

In the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, despite a high-pitched campaign led by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party could manage to win only two of the 403 assembly seats with the vote share plummeting to a meagre 2.33 per cent and most of its candidates losing security deposits.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did remarkable and energetic campaigning for the party, and "from my point of view, I don't think that the Congress per se can be faulted because on the grounds of one person's campaigning", Tharoor said.

"I think the issues are rather larger for the party as well as for party viability in some states where our presence has been systematically going down," he said.

On Priyanka Gandhi's campaigning, the MP said, "You would have seen her everywhere, including getting arrested a couple of times by the Uttar Pradesh Police. You have seen her very much on the spot and running through the state."

The 66-year-old leader also expressed surprise over political analysts describing the results as a "foregone conclusion", saying very few predicted BJP's victory until the exit polls came out.

"If it was a foregone conclusion, all the pundits should have been saying that for the last five-six weeks of election campaign. Very few, if any did, it was only when the exit polls were coming out that the tale turned and people said BJP is going to win.

"Until then there was no question in my mind that most of people were expecting a very, very close fight, and some were saying anecdotally that Samajwadi Party was ahead," Tharoor said.

The Indian voter has the capacity to surprise and one day, they will also surprise the BJP. "But right now they have given the BJP what it wanted," he said.

The JLF's 15th edition started here on Thursday and is being held in a hybrid format for the first time since its inception in 2006. It was held virtually from March 5 to 9 because of Covid.

Turkish bestselling novelist Elif Shafak, American writer and 2002 Pulitzer Prize for fiction finalist Jonathan Franzen, South African novelist and 2021 Booker winner Damon Galgut, Australian author and 2003 Booker winner DBC Pierre, English actor-writer Rupert Everett, and eminent Jamaican poet Kei Miller are among the 250 authors participating in the JLF this year.

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As the term of five Rajya Sabha members elected from Punjab is going to expire in April, the Election Commission (EC) has announced the schedule for the biennial election to the Upper House of Parliament from the state.

The term of office of Rajya Sabha members Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (Shiromani Akali Dal), Partap Singh Bajwa (Congress), Shwait Malik (BJP), Naresh Gujral (SAD) and Shamsher Singh Dullo (Congress) is due to expire on April 9.

Punjab's Chief Electoral Officer S Karuna Raju on Sunday said according to the schedule, the notification for the biennial election will be issued on Monday (March 14).

The last date for filing nominations is March 21, while a scrutiny of the nominations will be carried out on March 22, according to an official release.

Also Read: AAP strength in Rajya Sabha to increase by three-fold by July this year

The last date for withdrawal of candidature has been fixed on March 24.

Polling will be held from 9 am to 4 pm on March 31 and the counting of votes will be taken up at 5 pm on the same day.

The poll process shall be completed before April 2, Raju said.

He further informed that the nomination papers are to be filed with the secretary of the Assembly, who is the returning officer for the Rajya Sabha election.

Nomination papers cannot be presented on March 18 because of the festival of Holi and on March 20 (Sunday).

However, nomination papers can be filed on March 19.

In order to become a member of the council of states, a candidate should be registered as a voter in any parliamentary constituency in the country.

To satisfy the returning officer on this count, the candidates should produce a certified copy of the relevant entry of the electoral roll in force, the release said.

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After hours-long operation against suspected terrorists, the Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday claimed to have arrested four Bangladeshi nationals from two different locations in Bhopal.

Police said that those arrested belong to the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the terrorist group involved in the 2018 Bodh Gaya bombing. They have been identified as Fazhar Ali alias Mehmood (32), Mohammad Aqeel alias Ahmed (24), Zahooruddin alias Ibrahim (28) and Fazhar Zainul Abdeen alias Akram Al Hasan (25), police said in an official statement on Sunday evening.

The operation was carried out jointly by Madhya Pradesh police and the central agencies in two locations in the state capital Bhopal. The operation was carried out maintaining complete secrecy and without informing the local police station. The operation was carried out around 3.30 a.m. to 4 a.m., however, the official announcement from the state police came in the evening.

They have been arrested from a building located near Fatima Mosque in Bhopal. Police said, apart from Bhopal, a search operation was also conducted in Karond area, located in the outer circle of Bhopal.

"These terrorists were living as tenants in Bhopal and they were making a team of a remote-based sleeper sell to execute their terrorist activities in the future. On the basis of inputs, a search operation was carried out and four Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested," the state police said in an official statement.

During the search operation, police have recovered several incriminating materials, laptops, provocative materials from them. Apart from these, several mobile phones and laptops were also confiscated from their possession.

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A sadhu, Pravesh Giri, allegedly killed another monk whose half-burnt body was found in the Shivalik ranges in the Badshahi Bagh region of Saharanpur district.

The sadhu was killed by an axe following an argument between the victim and the accused.

Giri, after allegedly killing his friend in a fit of rage by slitting his throat and later burning the hut, went to the police station to report the fire. He claimed that some miscreants had set fire to the hut in which his friend was killed.

However, the police suspected him due to the inconsistency in his statements.

On being questioned further, Giri confessed to having killed his friend in a drunk state on Saturday.

Giri has been sent to jail and the body has been sent for post-mortem.

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Caretaker Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a historic victory in the state assembly elections.

Yogi Adityanth on Sunday reached the national capital to discuss the formation of a new cabinet with Prime Minister Modi and the party's central leadership.

Sources said that Prime Minister Modi and Adiytanath discussed the assembly poll results and the formation of a new cabinet in Uttar Pradesh. It is learnt that a series of meetings have been scheduled to finalise the new cabinet, taking care of social and regional balance, also induction of new faces as 11 ministers have lost the polls.

Also Read | After BJP's win in Uttar Pradesh, bulldozer tattoos are a rage

Earlier Adityanath met Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu.

He also met BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh and discussed cabinet formation. Adityanath, however, termed the meeting with Santhosh a courtesy call but sources claimed that the formation of a new cabinet was also discussed. Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was also present during Adityanath's meeting with Santhosh.

Adityanath is also expected to meet BJP chief J.P. Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Also Read | Election victory is expanding Yogis national profile

Sources said that the key agenda in the meeting with the top BJP leadership will be the formation of a new cabinet. "Social equation will play a crucial role in the formation of the new cabinet and it will be discussed with the central leadership along with finalizing the date of swearing-in," a party insider said.

It has been learnt that a tentative list of probable ministers has been finalised after discussion with the central leadership.

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Paytm founder Vijay Shekhar Sharma was arrested and released on bail after he allegedly hit the car of a Deputy Commissioner of Police from behind and fled from the scene, police said on Sunday.

The incident took place near Mother's International School on Aurobindo Marg in south Delhi on February 22. DCP (South) Benita Mary Jaiker was not in the car when the incident took place.

"On investigation, the offending vehicle was identified and its driver Vijay Shekhar Sharma was arrested and released on bail. Both the vehicles were impounded and mechanically inspected. Investigation is in progress," a Delhi Police spokesperson said.

Jaiker's driver, Constable Dipak Kumar, had slowed down the car near the school due to traffic and Sharma's Jaguar Land Rover hit the car from behind, according to an FIR registered by Delhi Police on a complaint filed by Kumar.

Kumar said he along with Constable Pradeep were going to a nearby petrol pump to fill fuel when the incident took place. He said in his complaint that the driver of the vehicle which hit his car drove away from the scene and that he could identify him.

Officials said Kumar had in his complaint provided details of the vehicle with Haryana registration. Investigations showed the vehicle was registered with a firm in Gurgaon, which told police that it had given the car to Sharma.

Sharma was summoned to Malaviya Nagar police station following this and he was arrested for rash and negligent driving. He was released on bail soon after.

A Paytm spokesperson said there was no harm caused to any person or property in the said incident.

"Media reports claiming the nature of the arrest are exaggerated. The complaint against the vehicle was for a minor offense under a bailable provision of law and requisite legal formalities were completed on the same day," the spokesperson said.

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A plea has been filed in the Supreme Court questioning the change in rules, related to the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker in Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, saying the amendment would result in selection rather than election.

The petition filed by BJP MLA Girish Dattatraya Mahajan claimed the notification gave arbitrary power to the chief minister to himself decide and recommend the date for the election of the Speaker of state Assembly. However, as per the old rules, the Governor fixed a date for the election of Speaker.

The appeal filed through advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh challenged the Bombay High Court's order of March 9, which dismissed the PIL in this regard.

The petitioner sought a stay on the notification issued by the Maharashtra government on December 23, 2021, saying it arbitrarily and undemocratically changed the procedure of the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, which was in existence since 1960.

The plea said, calling of the election of the Speaker, the head of the Assembly, is the discretion and function of the Governor, on which he is not bound by the aid and advise of the Council of Ministers.

"The election of the Speaker in a state Assembly directly impacts democracy and administration. The Speaker has several powers and duties for the smooth running of such an Assembly, however, if the Speaker himself is elected by undemocratic means then the free and fair functioning of the state Assembly can easily be hampered by the ruling party," the plea said.

The plea also claimed that the selection of the Deputy Speaker with the method enumerated in the notification would lead to favouritism and bias in the House.

The notification will allow selection of the Deputy Speaker instead of a free and fair election and the same is therefore in clear violation of the Article 178 of the Constitution of India which states that every Legislative Assembly of a state shall choose two members of the assembly to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof," it said.

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William Hurt, the Oscar-winning actor whose prolific acting career included standout performances in such films as Kiss of the Spider Woman and Broadcast News, died Sunday at age 71, his family announced.

It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday, the actors son, Will Hurt, said in a statement, according to multiple reports.

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He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes. The family requests privacy at this time.

William Hurt in December 2013. (Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Hurt was a four-time Oscar nominee who won best actor in 1986 for Kiss of the Spider Woman, a best picture-nominated film about a pair of prison inmates during the military dictatorship in Brazil. Hurt also won honors at the Cannes Film Festival and British Academy Film Awards for his performance in the drama.

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Oscar nominations followed for Hurt in 1987 for the romantic drama Children of a Lesser God and in 1988 for the classic romantic comedy Broadcast News, in which he played a TV news anchor in over his head.

William Hurt after winning the Oscar for best actor in 1986. (Bettmann/Getty Images)

Born in Washington, D.C., Hurt burst onto the New York City theater scene during the 1970s, performing as part of the Circle Repertory Company, where his roles included the title character in Hamlet.

He received the lone Tony nomination of his career in 1985 for the dark comedy Hurlyburly.

Hurt made his movie debut in the 1980 science-fiction horror Altered States, earning a Golden Globes nomination for best new actor for his portrayal of a psychopathologist who experiments with different states of consciousness.

He appeared in more than 100 film and TV roles during a career that spanned more than four decades, including 2001s Steven Spielberg-directed A.I. Artificial Intelligence and the 2005 thriller A History of Violence, for which he was nominated for best supporting actor at the Academy Awards.

More recently, Hurt appeared in multiple Marvel movies, portraying General Thaddeus Ross, including in last years Black Widow.

William Hurt as a newscaster in a scene from the film 'Broadcast News' in 1987. (Archive Photos/Getty Images)

The Daily News Flash Weekdays Catch up on the days top five stories every weekday afternoon. >

Hurt battled prostate cancer that spread to the bone, according to CBS San Francisco Bay Area, which reported in 2018 that the actor supported the use of a therapy treatment without side effects.

Its a moment you only know when it happens to you, Hurt said at a press conference at the time.

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I didnt want to hear the word chemo out of your mouth. I had fought tooth and nail for five years to change my life so that word didnt happen to me. Here it was and I was really upset.

Actor William Hurt attends the world premiere of Marvel's "Captain America: Civil War" at Dolby Theatre on April 12, 2016 in Los Angeles. (Charley Gallay/Getty Images)

Hurts death was mourned Sunday by others in the industry, including Albert Brooks, who also starred in Broadcast News.

So sad to hear this news, Brooks wrote in a Twitter tribute. Working with him on Broadcast News was amazing. He will be greatly missed.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 33 Naomi Judd, the Kentucky-born matriarch of the Grammy-winning duo The Judds and mother of Wynonna and Ashley Judd, has died, her family announced Saturday, April 30, 2022. She was 76. (Josh Anderson/AP)

Mark Ruffalo, who plays the Hulk in the Marvel films, shared a similar sentiment.

Wow, another Major loss to the acting community, Ruffalo tweeted. Great actor. Great mind. RIP.
AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said after many years, Punjab is going to get an honest chief minister and asserted that his party will give an honest government to the state.

"Tussi kamaal kar dita.... I love you Punjab," he said, thanking the voters of the state for the huge mandate they have given to his party.

"The whole world is discussing you. The world is yet to believe that such a big inqilab (revolution) has come to Punjab," Kejriwal said during a roadshow organised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to celebrate its landslide poll victory.

AAP's chief minister-designate Bhagwant Mann also took part in the roadshow.

Also Read | AAP opening new front on Delhi civic poll deferment

The AAP won 92 of the 117 Assembly seats in Punjab, decimating the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine.

Kejriwal noted that the voters of Punjab made leaders like Parkash Singh Badal, Sukhbir Singh Badal, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Charanjit Singh Channi, Bikram Singh Majithia, Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, Manpreet Singh Badal and Rajinder Kaur Bhattal bite the dust in the just-concluded election.

"It is a very big inqilab and only Punjabis could do this," he said.

"I am happy that after many years, Punjab is going to get an honest chief minister. My younger brother Bhagwant is fiercely honest. An honest government will be formed," the Delhi chief minister said.

Also Read | What turned fortunes for the AAP in Punjab?

He said if a minister or an MLA of the party is found to be indulging in any kind of wrongdoing, he will be put behind bars.

"There will be a fiercely honest government," Kejriwal said while targeting other political parties for allegedly looting the state.

"This loot will now be stopped. Every single penny from the government coffers will be spent on you, on the poor and on Punjab," he added.

The AAP supremo said his party will honour all the poll promises made to the people of Punjab. "Some may take time, some can be done instantly, but we will honour all promises," he said.

On March 16, Mann will be sworn in as the new chief minister at the oath-taking ceremony at Khatkar Kalan in Nawanshahr, Kejriwal said, adding, "Not only Bhagwant Mann, but every single person of Punjab will be the chief minister."

Also read: AAP wins Punjab emphatically, Congress tastes defeat

"Now, there will be development in Punjab. We will make it 'rangla' Punjab and prosperous Punjab," he said.

Mann said the names of the people of Punjab will be written in golden letters in history for "breaking the record" on March 10, when the poll results were declared.

"You voted for yourself, for your children, your elders, you voted for good farming and for a good standard of living," he said.

Mann said the voters ensured that those who "looted" the state alternatively for 70 years were defeated in the polls with big margins.

"The kind of record you have made with 92 seats, it has never happened in the history of Punjab," he said as he recalled that the AAP was born out of a movement at the Ram Lila ground in Delhi.

"We will start working from day one," Mann said.

Also Read | Poll message: Yogi no.2 in BJP, Kejriwal can rival Mamata in Opposition space

On the withdrawal of security of 122 former ministers and MLAs, Mann said 403 police personnel and 27 police vehicles are now back at police stations.

He reiterated that there will be no photograph of the chief minister at government offices and "only the pictures of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh and B R Ambedkar will be put up".

Referring to seasoned politicians getting a taste of electoral defeat, he said, "They have not lost, but it is the people of Punjab who have won."

The swearing-in ceremony, which was traditionally held at the Raj Bhawan, will now be held at Khatkar Kalan, the native place of Bhagat Singh, Mann said.

The roadshow started from Kachheri Chowk. AAP supporters showered flower petals on both Kejriwal and Mann who stood atop an open vehicle. Newly-elected MLAs of the party were also part of the roadshow.

Also Read | I'm not a terrorist, thank you Punjab, says Kejriwal after poll win

Waving the tricolour and party flags, the supporters, including several elderly people and women, came to Amritsar from various parts of the state to witness the roadshow.

"We are very happy that the AAP has come to power. Now, Punjab will become prosperous once again," said a young man who came all the way from Jaitu in Faridkot.

Another AAP supporter from Amritsar's Ajnala said, "People were disenchanted with the traditional political parties and they saw the AAP as a ray of hope for giving a new direction to Punjab."

Cut-outs of Kejriwal and Mann as well as "Dhanyavad Punjab" posters were put up at many places in the holy city.

The AAP supporters danced to dhol beats and patriotic songs were also played.

Tight security arrangements were made during the roadshow.

Earlier, Kejriwal, along with Mann, paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) officials at the information centre presented them with a "siropa" (robe of honour).

The two leaders also paid floral tributes at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial and offered prayers at the Durgiana Mandir and the Sri Ram Tirath Mandir here.

Kejriwal, who was accompanied by Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, was received by Mann at the airport. AAP leader Raghav Chadha was also present.

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The Mumbai cyber police have issued a notice to senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis, asking him to appear before them on Sunday in connection with a case of alleged illegal tapping of phones, an official said on Saturday.

Fadnavis, however, said that a senior police officer called to inform him that police will visit his residence to take the required information and there was no need for him to visit the BKC cyber police station.

Phones of political leaders, including state Congress chief Nana Patole, minister Bachchu Kadu, former MLA Ashish Deshmukh, former MP Sanjay Kakade and others were tapped illegally by IPS officer Rashmi Shukla, when she was the state intelligence chief, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had alleged last month.

"In the notice issued to Fadnavis, police have said that questionnaires were earlier sent to him in sealed envelopes in connection with the case, but he did not respond to them. Besides, notices were also issued to him twice to seek his reply, but he had again failed to reply," the police official said. In addition to this, three letters were sent to Fadnavis, reminding him to appear before the police. However, he failed to give any reply. In the fresh notice, he has been asked to appear before the cyber police on Sunday, he said.

A case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at the BKC cyber police station in Mumbai last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents. The complaint was lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID). However, before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had leaked the confidential report.

Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID. She found herself at the centre of controversy after Fadnavis cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department. The letter also had details of intercepted phone calls, leading to an uproar with leaders of the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permission.

In April last year, the Mumbai police had summoned Shukla for interrogation before the BKC cyber cell. She did not turn up citing the coronavirus pandemic. In May, a team from the Mumbai cyber police recorded her statement in Hyderabad in connection with the phone tapping leak case.

Yesterday, Fadnavis, who is the Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Assembly, told reporters that he had received the notice and he would visit the police station at 11 am on Sunday as being asked. Later, he tweeted saying, Just received a call from joint CP (Crime) informing me that there is no need to visit BKC cyber police station. They will come to my residence to take the required information. I will be at my residence. I have cancelled all Pune programmes for tomorrow. They can come anytime.

The former chief minister said the notice was served to him because he had exposed the MVA government of Shiv Sena, NCP and Congress. "I demand that the investigation of this (phone tapping case) should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The state government cannot conduct a proper probe in such cases," he said.

"The state is trying to pressure me because I had exposed the scam of transfer in the state police force...I have more proofs with me, which I will hand over to the CBI only. I will cooperate with the Mumbai police in tomorrow's probe as well," he said.

The leader of Opposition in the assembly alleged that the state government and the police department have panicked, which is why the notice has been issued to him. Walse Patil had also claimed that a high-level probe had found that senior IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had tapped phones illegally. On Saturday, Maharashtra BJP president Chandrakant Patil said that party workers would burn the photocopy of the notice served by the Mumbai police to Fadnavis.

Speaking to reporters in Kolhapur, Patil said, It is wrong and illegal for the Maharashtra Police to issue a notice to Devendra Fadnavis. Whatever information was revealed by Fadnavis was in the public interest. "He can give additional information to the CBI, the probe agency. But Fadnavis is not under any obligation to disclose his source, he said.

When asked about the submission of a pen drive by Fadnavis in the Assembly which allegedly contained videos of "conspiracies hatched by MVA leaders to implicate BJP MLA Girish Mahajan and others", Patil said, The MVA government has issued a notice to Fadnavis regarding the allegations levelled by him against the MVA government some months back. What Fadnavis exposed in the ongoing budget session about these video clips is not even used for filing an FIR in this case.

The Ramayan of the fresh allegations is yet to start. All wrongdoings of the MVA government are piling up and it would crash under that burden for sure, he added.
Hours after the Mumbai Police recorded his statement in a case involving unauthorised phone tapping, Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis said that he got the impression that he was being questioned as if he was an accused though he did the job of a whistleblower.

The Bandra Kurla Complex cyber police station had issued a notice to Fadnavis under section 160 CrPC, requiring attendance as a witness.

The Mumbai Police had initially asked him to appear at the Bandra Kurla Complex cyber police station, however, later changed its mind and went to the Sagar bungalow in Malabar Hill, the official residence of the Leader of Opposition.

Also Read: Maharashtra: BJP workers burn copies of police notice issued to Fadnavis in phone tapping case

Initially, the police sent me a questionnaire.now they have come (to record my statement)from the line of questions, it gave me an impression whether I am being treated as an accused or co-accused, Fadnavis told reporters after his questioning of over two-and-a-half-hours was through.

As Leader of Opposition, I have privilege (not to share details from where I got the information)but still I went ahead and decided to share details as a responsible citizen.in fact, I am the whistleblower and I should get protection under the Whistleblowers Protection Act, he said.

Fadnavis, a former Chief Minister, who held the Home portfolio for five years, was asked to appear at the Bandra-Kurla Complex cyber police station under section 160 CrPC vis-a-vis a case registered under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 - vis-a-vis the transfers/posting scam.

However, later on Saturday evening, the Mumbai Police communicated to him that there was no need to come and instead cops would visit his official home, Sagar at Malabar Hill, to record his statement.

The police team is with Fadnavis now, said Lad.

In March, 2021, Fadnavis had exposed the transfers/postings scam during the tenure of the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh.

Instead of acting on the report over transfers/posting scam, the government has directed the Mumbai Police to register an FIR with the vindictive approach, Fadnavis said.

With the Budget session of the Maharashtra Legislature currently underway - the development would have its echo on Monday.

It may be mentioned, the Maharashtra government had earlier told a Mumbai court that Fadnavis is a witness in the case registered over illegal phone tapping that allegedly took place when IPS officer Rashmi Shukla was Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department.

Shukla, an officer of 1988-batch of IPS, is currently on central deputation and posted in Hyderabad as the Additional Director General (South Zone) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

In August, 2020, Shukla drafted a report indicating cash for transfers and promotions in Maharashtra Police which was forwarded by then director general of police Subodh Jaiswal to the then Additional Chief Secretary (home) and later Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte to be shown to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray.

However, the Chief Minister passed on the report to the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and no action was taken.

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A team of Mumbai Police is currently at the residence of Leader of Opposition Devendra Fadnavis to record his statement in connection with his expose of alleged corruption in transfers and postings in the Maharashtra Police department.

The development is taking place in Sagar bungalow in Malabar Hill, the official residence of Leader of Opposition in Assembly.

The police team is led by Assistant Commissioner of Police Nitin Jadhav.

Meanwhile, there were waves of protests across Maharashtra for the action against Fadnavis. The former Chief Minister, who held the Home portfolio for five years, was asked to appear at the Bandra-Kurla Complex cyber police station under section 160 CrPC vis-a-vis a case registered under the Official Secrets Act, 1923 - vis-a-vis the transfers/posting scam.

However, later on Saturday evening, the Mumbai Police communicated to him that there was no need to come and instead the policemen would visit his official home, Sagar at Malabar Hill, to record his statement.

The police team is with Fadnavis now, said Lad.

In March, 2021, Fadnavis had exposed the transfers/postings scam during the tenure of the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh. Instead of acting on the report over transfers/posting scam, the government has directed the Mumbai Police to register an FIR with the vindictive approach, Fadnavis said.

With the Budget Session of the Maharashtra Legislature currently under way, the development may be discussed on Monday.

It may be mentioned, the Maharashtra government had earlier told a Mumbai court that Fadnavis is a witness in the case registered over illegal phone tapping that allegedly took place when IPS officer Rashmi Shukla was Commissioner of the State Intelligence Department.

Shukla, an officer of 1988-batch of IPS, is currently on central deputation and posted in Hyderabad as the Additional Director General (South Zone) of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

In August, 2020, Shukla drafted a report indicating cash for transfers and promotions in Maharashtra Police which was forwarded by then director general of police Subodh Jaiswal to the then Additional Chief Secretary (Home) and later Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte to be shown to Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray. However, the Chief Minister passed on the report to the then Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and no action was taken.

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The financial capital of Mumbai set an ambitious goal to achieve net-zero by 2050 ahead of the Government of Indias deadline of 2070.

It may be mentioned, the recently published Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Working Group II report warns of severe damages from sea-level rise, critically high temperatures and increased risks from climate impacts for coastal cities like Mumbai, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is committed to building a climate-resilient city.

After a vulnerability assessment, greenhouse gas (GHG) and natural green cover inventory over the last six months, the BMC with technical support from the World Resources Institute (WRI) India and the C40 Cities network, on Sunday inaugurated Mumbais first Climate Action Plan (MCAP), a policy document to adopt an evidence-based planning approach and mobilize resources to move from action planning to strategic projects.

Also Read | Sea-level rise, cyclones: IPCC report's warning for Indian megacities

Launching the move, Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray said: While India is on pace to meet its Nationally Determined Contributions, Maharashtra is committed to leading India's battle against the impending climate crisis through policy-governance changes and instilling the culture of climate action. The MCAP is designed to fulfil the Paris Agreement's aim of reducing global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius. Mumbai will become a climate-resilient metropolis as a result of the evidence-based policies that led to the creation of MCAP.

Through the plan, the BMC also has its eyes set on Mumbai achieving net-zero ahead of the Government of Indias deadline of 2070.

Achieving a balance between the quantity of greenhouse gas emissions generated and the amount removed from the atmosphere is referred to as net-zero. This holds significance in light of announcements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Conference of Parties (COP26) at Glasgow setting a 2070 Net Zero goal for the country.

Various recent extreme weather disasters in Maharashtra, such as Cyclone Tauktae, urban floods, and untimely rains, have demonstrated the importance of implementing localised mitigation and resilience techniques. Our goal is to urge people to take action on climate change at the local level. In a city like Mumbai, achieving climate resilience requires striking the ideal balance between development aspirations and environmental preservation, said Environment, Tourism and Protocol Minister Aaditya Thackeray.

The MCAP has an overall mitigation goal of attaining net-zero emissions by 2050.

The plan's interim and long-term objectives include a 30% decrease in emissions by 2030, a 44% reduction by 2040, and a net-zero reduction by 2050 compared to base year emissions (2019). For 2019, the base year emissions were calculated to be 23.42 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions (CO2e), or 1.8 tonnes CO2e per person.

There is a 30% gap of residual emissions, two-thirds of this is dependent on a speedy transition of cooking fuels to electric in all buildings, scientific treatment of wastewater, and protecting and leveraging the carbon sink potential of our natural ecosystems  mangroves, mud-flats, dense groves of trees, urban forests and our water bodies, While natural ecosystems perform the important function of carbon removal, they also buffer the city from extreme climate risks, said Lubaina Rangwala, the program head of the urban-development-and-resilience team at WRI India.

To guarantee continuity and consistency across outcome indicators and objectives, the six sectoral action plans align with important national programmes and policies such as the National Clean-Air Action Planning (NCAP) standards, the Swachh Bharat Mission targets, and the Climate Smart Cities guidelines, said Municipal Commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal. MCAP aims to guide the city towards a net-zero future through inclusive, low carbon urban development, he said.

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With the phenomenal rise of Yogi Adityanath, almost the entire landscape between the Himalayas and the Vindhyas is gradually turning saffron. Except for Punjab, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is either the ruling party or the challenger in the entire stretch.

The political narrative of the last two decades also brings forth a significant point: once the BJP entrenches itself in a state, it persists in remaining a contender. But, Bengal may alter this record if the recent civic polls in altogether 113 urban concentrations of Bengal, including Kolkata, are any indicator.

Amidst allegations of large scale vote loot and terrorising of the opposition, the state's ruling Trinamool Congress has secured 109 out of 113 municipalities and corporations, while three were hung, and one went to the CPI-M. The ruling party has won nearly 90 per cent wards securing about 65 per cent of the vote share.

What stands out along with this phenomenon is that the Left-Congress combination has marched ahead of the BJP in these elections. In the latest round of the civic polls in 108 municipalities, the Left-Congress duo has together secured 17.2 per cent vote, while the BJP managed 12.6 per cent. In the Kolkata Corporation, which polled last December, the CPI(M) alone bagged more votes than the BJP.

Also read: Bengal BJP to oppose states ambitious coal block development project

The vote percentages of the opposition parties are abnormally meagre, but the reason was made explicit by the veteran TMC MP Saugata Roy. "What has happened (violence and vote loot) is not good," he said and added, "People will not trust us anymore."

In the youth versus old tussle in the party, the 74-year-old is considered close to Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Mamata Banerjee and uncontested number two of the party, who made repeated appeals to his party to follow true democratic norms and spirit. But Abhishek Banerjee's words do not impact the rank and file of the party, and the following year's panchayat election will, in all probability, be an action replay.

Precisely this situation explains why the majority of those who dared to vote against the TMC opted for the Left-Congress.

We need to peruse a little of a backgrounder to understand the point. Bengal's political culture is deeply entrenched by 'khela' that includes violence, silent terror, and vote loot. This time, nine journalists were attacked, and Kolkata Press Club failed to react to the attacks, is incidental. Notable is that within twenty-four hours of Left's victory in Nadia district's Taherpur town, the local OC (officer-in-charge) has been transferred to the police lines.

The CPI(M) mastered this art in the 1990s when its popularity had started waning. To play out this scheme of things, it used strongmen. But the Left's entire muscle powerhouse shifted to the TMC as soon as it scaled the power in Bengal. Winning a panchayet seat or a civic ward provides scope to earn easy money and use power to get the other coveted elements of life, not only for the elected person but also for those close to him. So, the lower levels, inclusive of the musclemen, cannot leave anything to chance to elect the right person.

Also Read: Mamata Banerjee undermining people's electoral choice; failed to build consensus as PM nominee: BJP

The TMC excelled in this game as soon as it came to power. Then a considerable section of the anti-TMC voters (oscillating between 52 to 56 per cent in the last ten years) shunned the Left-Congress when they failed in the 2016 Assembly elections. Three years later, in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP's vote share rose from 10 per cent secured in 2016 to 42 per cent.

But after the failure of the BJP in the last Assembly poll, perhaps the majority of anti-TMC voters have realised if anyone can pay back the TMC in its own coin and resist the 'silent terror' or 'vote loot', it is the old and firmly entrenched secular parties of Bengal and not a newcomer that has squandered away its chances.

In other words, the political culture of Bengal is helping the Left-Congress combination. And they have another advantage that may help them in the near future.

After the recent mysterious death of Anis Khan (February 18), a student activist who opposed both the TMC and BJP, the Muslim mind is agitated. The needle of suspicion, in this case, points at the police force that raided his house on the night of his death, and the killers have not been identified yet. It may turn off a sizable chunk of the Muslim voters (30 per cent), who almost all voted for the TMC in the last Assembly polls. The only alternative for them is the Left-Cong combination.

So, though it is early to conclude anything, a strong possibility is brewing that Bengal may turn into an exceptional state where the BJP may fail to hold on to its gains.

(The writer is a journalist and author based in Kolkata)
You might have heard the phrase ahimsa paramo dharmah or non-violence is the greatest dharma, oft quoted from the Mahabharata. With war on everyones minds because of the horrific scenes in Ukraine, why not explore what ancient Sanskrit texts say about wars and violence?

Kautilyas Arthashastra pragmatically tells us of three kinds of kings who try to conquerthe dharmavijayi, who simply wants the other side to submit to him. Such a person is happy if the opponent surrenders, and the Arthashastra advises one to surrender to such a king, especially for protection from other enemies.

The second kind is the lobhavijayi, who conquers out of greed for land and wealth. The Arthashastra advises one to appease such a king with money.

The final kind of conqueror is the asuravijayi, who wants to take away not just land and wealth, but the family and life of the one he attacks. In such cases, the Arthashastra advises giving away ones land and wealth, and protecting oneself and ones family, and taking steps to prevent harm.

While Krishna advises Arjuna in the Gita to do his duty and fight the war against his relatives, the Kurukshetra war in the Mahabharata is a good illustration of the rules set forth for a dharmic war.

Bhishma explains to Yudhishtira while giving him advice on being a good king that wars must follow some rules: Only cavalry must attack cavalry, chariots must attack chariots, and so on. Neither side should use poison-tipped arrows, and those who are wounded or those who surrender must not be fought. If someone is injured, they must either be given medical care or sent to their own realm for care.

If there must be war, these sound like good rules; unfortunately, the Kurukshetra war is the great exception to them all! Both sides attack charioteers, multiple people fight against a single person, and continue fighting after the other is injured.

But Sanskrit writers were not oblivious to the ugly sights of war. While Sanskrit plays typically dont show disturbing death scenes, following the dictum of the Natya Shastra, the Mahabharatas gruesome description of the battlefield, replete with vultures that have descended on the bodies after the Kurukshetra war, leaves little to the imagination.

The entire section is called the Stri Parva and tells us of the laments of the women who lost their dear ones in the war. The scene is all the more powerful, narrated as it is by Gandhari, the queen of Dhritarashtra, who has removed her blindfold for the first time  to see her sons, relatives, and friends lying dead on the battlefield. The sight is so heart wrenching that Yudhishtira never quite overcomes his guilt, despite being advised to perform sacrifices as repentance. And Gandhari is so stricken that she curses Krishna, God himself, that his entire clan would perish, because he allowed the war to take place. A sombre note to end on, but perhaps a timely reminder as so many of us try to justify war.
By Francisca Mutapi for The Conversation

Neglected tropical diseases is an umbrella term used to describe a group of 20 infectious diseases. These diseases affect over 1.7 billion people.

They can disable, debilitate and even kill. The worlds most vulnerable and poorest are most affected. In the past, the diseases in this group have been overlooked internationally and poorly funded domestically: hence the neglected in the name.

Some common neglected tropical diseases are Buruli Ulcer, Dengue Fever and Hansens disease (also known as leprosy).

There are already tools to prevent and treat these diseases.

Also Read: Two years of Covid: What we got right, what we got wrong

They include drugs, vector control, veterinary public health interventions and provision of safe water and toilets.

In the past 10 years there have been significant global efforts to control neglected tropical diseases. In 2012, pharmaceutical companies, donors, endemic countries and non government organisations came together to sign the London Declaration on Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Together, they committed to control, eliminate or eradicate ten of these diseases by 2020 and improve the lives of over a billion people.

Support from the signatories ranged from donation of the essential medicines to financing the delivery and distribution of the drugs, research, and funding for sanitation and safe water.

These concerted global efforts have yielded successes and are grounds for optimism.

To date, 600 million people no longer require treatment for neglected tropical diseases. Cases of some of these diseases, such as leprosy, sleeping sickness and Guinea worm disease, are at an all-time low.

Forty-four countries have eliminated at least one neglected tropical disease as a public health concern. Most recently the Gambia and Saudi Arabia eliminated trachoma, a bacterial infection which causes blindness.

However, this progress is now at real risk of reversal as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Drug programmes have been interrupted, health budgets re-prioritised and aid cut.

As I have previously highlighted, interrupting control programmes could lead to rebound infections and disease. These could be worse than the original levels.

This is now an imminent reality for neglected tropical diseases if control programmes do not resume quickly enough.

Interrupted disease control

One of the most important tools to use against neglected tropical diseases is national mass drug administration. This involves treating every member of a population, regardless of their infection status, because treatment is cheaper than diagnosis and the drugs are safe.

Also Read: Two years on, WHO warns pandemic 'far from over'

Typically the national treatment programmes are annual events conducted in schools or health centres. It takes time, effort and money to plan and implement these programmes.

And its critical to maintain momentum. Every dollar spent on these programmes yields a significant return on investment. This is why neglected tropical disease control has been termed a best buy in development.

The pandemic has affected neglected tropical disease control in three ways.

First, mass drug administration was stopped or interrupted by the lockdown and social distancing policies. And disruptions in global trade and transportation affected supply chains.

A recent World Health Organisation survey indicated that, as of early 2021, disruptions in neglected tropical disease control programmes occurred in 44% of countries.

Second, national governments in neglected tropical disease endemic countries have low health budgets.

Changing priorities during and after Covid-19 has meant that the resources allocated to neglected tropical diseases may be shifted to other diseases and health services.

Third, a significant amount of funding for neglected tropical disease control programmes comes from international development partners and foreign governments.

Post-Covid-19 economic contraction in their economies and shifts in funding priorities are threatening the gains made in controlling neglected tropical diseases.

For example, the UK recently withdrew over 150 million of funding to neglected tropical disease programmes as part of cuts to the countrys aid budget.

This wiped out a third of donor funding for tackling neglected tropical diseases, with an impact on treatments to 250 million people and as many as 180,000 surgeries to prevent disabilities.

Long term consequences

Continued neglect of these diseases has dire consequences. Those affected continue to suffer the devastating diseases, associated health inequities and cycles of poverty. The effects of these diseases are pervasive and wide-ranging.

As long as neglected tropical diseases are a huge burden on health systems in endemic countries, these countries will continue to haemorrhage resources, finances and lives to these diseases.

Also Read: History will be written as before and after Covid: Dr Devi Shetty

This will further weaken their health systems, compromising their ability for timely surveillance, detection and containment of the next epidemic.

From the Global Health Security Agenda, we know that weakened health systems anywhere in the world compromise health security globally. Local health security is the foundation for global health security, as Covid-19 has amply demonstrated.

The opportunity to put global attention back on neglected tropical diseases will come later this year when the London Declaration is superseded by the Kigali Declaration.

This high-level political declaration, led by Rwanda and Nigeria, aims to mobilise political will and secure commitments to achieve Sustainable Development Goals targets for these diseases.

It is important to remember that controlling neglected tropical diseases is in the best interest of all countries  those where the diseases are endemic and those where they are not.

(The author is a Professor in Global Health Infection and Immunity. and co-Director of the Global Health Academy, University of Edinburgh)

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By Rutvij A. Khanolkar and Eddy S. Lang for The Conversation

Calgary, Mar 13 (The Conversation) Public health measures, such as masking and physical distancing, that have been a high-profile part of the Covid-19 response for the past two years are now beginning to lift. However, surprisingly little attention has been paid to the remarkable effects of these measures on other respiratory illnesses that are caused or exacerbated by viral infections.

These effects are a valuable research discovery from the pandemic. Its a discovery that suggests that selective, non-mandated use of public health measures like masking, physical distancing and hand-washing may have a continued role as we enter the endemic phase of Covid-19. Collectively, these measures are known as non-pharmacologic public health interventions (NPIs).

Following the onset of the pandemic in March 2020, many regions around the world reported a dramatic decrease in demand for acute health-care services, including urgent care visits to emergency departments and inpatient hospital stays.

Early on, this was likely driven by stringent lockdown measures, patients avoiding health-care settings due to fears of contracting Covid-19 or the perception that hospitals were overwhelmed and unable to accommodate non-emergency cases.

Also read: How Covid has affected the control of neglected tropical diseases

However, as public health measures were relaxed over the following months, there was a rapid rebound in health-care services for conditions such as heart disease and appendicitis. Meanwhile, the decrease persisted for respiratory illnesses attributed to non-Covid-19 viruses.

In Canada, the usual annual surge in influenza infections has not occurred during the two winters since the beginning of the pandemic.

Our research group  all front-line health-care workers  analyzed nationwide admissions data. Our analysis revealed that hospital admissions for major respiratory illnesses dropped sharply in the year following the start of the first lockdown.

Specifically, flare-ups of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), a severe lung disease related to long-term smoking, and community-acquired non-Covid-19 pneumonia decreased by nearly 40 per cent across Canada following the implementation of NPIs like masking and physical distancing.

These findings were supported by another study of 15,677 patients from nine countries. That study reported a 50 per cent reduction in the hospital admissions for COPD following the onset of the pandemic.

This is not entirely surprising as both COPD and non-Covid-19 pneumonia are often triggered by common cold viruses. If you are like most Canadians, you have not caught a cold in nearly two years.

So, whats the big fuss about a few runny noses and colds? While a viral infection such as the common cold or influenza is unlikely to significantly harm a healthy individual, it can be debilitating and sometimes deadly for someone who is elderly, immunocompromised or suffering from a lung disease. It can result in the need for acute care in the hospital, or even the ICU in severe cases, and some patients do not survive.

Also read: Never a dull moment, only dull growth

In Canada, acute and chronic respiratory diseases are the third greatest cause of death, trailing behind only cancer and heart disease. This also means virally linked respiratory illnesses place a substantial burden on limited health-care resources.

There were several periods during the pandemic when our health-care systems were over capacity, and there was a fear that hospitals would need to triage resources and deny ICU care to some critically ill patients.

Thankfully, this did not come to pass, and it seems that the likely reason was the significant additional capacity that became available due to hospitalizations avoided for other virally linked respiratory illnesses.

As the pandemic drags on, people have become fatigued with ongoing public health restrictions. With vaccination rates in Canada among the highest in the world and expected to reach even higher with the approval of vaccinations for pediatric populations, many are looking forward to a time when NPIs may no longer be needed.

However, before dispensing with the measures entirely, it is important to consider whether their demonstrated benefits warrant continued use. The fact that hospitalizations for non-Covid-19 respiratory illnesses have remained low, despite the relaxation of stringent lockdown measures, suggests that these benefits may be sustained with the use of masking and practices such as frequent hand-washing.

Also read: Do not dismiss Lancet on Covid orphans data

Even prior to the pandemic, public masking was a common practice in many Asian countries. With this now being the norm in Canada as well, continuing these practices may have significant merit and offer protection to the most vulnerable demographics of our society.

This will certainly be challenging given opposition from a vocal minority and the lack of awareness among the general public about the benefits of continuing use of NPIs. Currently, most available evidence is largely observational, as no randomized trials have yet evaluated the efficacy of NPIs for reducing non-Covid-19 viral respiratory illnesses at a population level.

Additionally, there is no consensus on which specific NPIs may be most effective in preventing disease spread. Its also unknown whether reductions in acute care use have translated into a reduction in mortality rates for specific conditions.

These limitations are currently being addressed in a large-scale Albertan study of over 500,000 patients. The preliminary results  which will be published in the proceedings of the 2022 American Thoracic Society International Conference  show that NPIs are an effective strategy for preventing both acute care visits and mortality related to respiratory illnesses.

However, in the interim, public policy-makers should consider this compelling evidence and weigh in on whether the continued use of masking and other NPI measures is warranted, especially for individuals at high-risk for serious illness from viral respiratory infections and those close to them.

Recommendations, policies or, if deemed necessary, mandates can be amended in the future as new evidence emerges. Until then, NPI use, even on an interim basis, may reduce the strain on our health-care system and help protect the most vulnerable members of our society.

(Khanolkar is a medical student at the University of Calgary, Lang is a Professor at the university's Cumming School of Medicine)

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Election over, loot resumes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on May 6, 2021  just two days after votes cast in the assembly polls in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal and Puducherry were counted. His tweet came after petrol and diesel prices climbed for the third consecutive day across the country. Just 10 months later, on March 5, two days before the final phase of polling in Uttar Pradesh, he again issued a warning on Twitter: Get your petrol tank full immediately. The Modi governments election offer is going to end.

It is deja vu of sorts when it comes to elections in the recent past and the freeze during the polls and the rise in fuel price immediately after the results are in. Is someone reading too much into the freeze on fuel price hike? Is it just a poll-time propaganda by the opposition? The recent months could give one a birds eye view. Petrol and diesel prices were not raised since November 4 last year. One could argue that the cut in excise duty on petrol and diesel on that day and the subsequent unofficial freeze on hike was to put more money into the pockets of common men hit by the Covid-19 pandemic. The international crude oil prices have crossed the $100 per barrel for the first time in several years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, but the oil companies in India have not gone for a hike even by a single penny although their account books are bleeding.

Reports have already suggested that a hike is in the offing after March 10 counting of votes in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab and Goa, where the assembly polls have been held over the past few weeks. For the record, oil companies are free to fix the prices based on market realities without any interference from the government after the deregulation of the pricing mechanism  by the UPA government in 2010 in the case of petrol and by the Modi government in 2014 in the case of diesel. In 2017, the Modi government made another change by allowing the oil companies to increase or decrease fuel prices daily on the basis of international prices of crude oil.

Read | Crude shock: Road ahead for India

While the international crude price was around $105 in 2014 and on a decrease since then before it again rose above $100 in the last few days, the consumers were not benefited as the government decided to milk the fuel for boosting its revenues. In September last year, crude prices were around $71. During the election seasons, the common man enjoyed relief, but for a few days. The run-up to 2015 Bihar Assembly polls saw oil companies putting off a Rupee 1 per litre hike on petrol and Rs 2.28 per litre hike on diesel prices as the BJP was taking on JD(U), which had then joined hands with the RJD and the Congress. Was it a one-off incident?

5 years ago

And it was the same five years ago when the same set of states went to polls as it is now. Take the case of Gujarat Assembly elections in December 2017. For 14 days, there was no revision of fuel prices. Soon after the polls and counting of votes, the prices started increasing. Six months later, in May 2018, people got some respite as Karnataka went to polls. For 19 days, there was a freeze on petrol and diesel prices despite crude prices rising by around $5. However, immediately after elections, reports said, fuel prices were increased  Rs 3.8 on petrol and Rs 3.38 on diesel over a few days.

Same was the case during the Lok Sabha elections as well as the assembly elections to Bihar in 2020 and West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Assam and Puducherry in 2021. After the last phase of Lok Sabha elections, 83 paisa per litre on petrol and 73 paisa per litre on diesel were increased in nine days. In May 2021, the prices that were in a frozen state for around 20 days started moving up soon after the counting of votes. In three days since May 4, 2021, petrol and diesel prices were up by 30 paisa per litre.

This is the biggest fraud on people when you say the fuel prices are determined by oil companies and not the government. The government has a clear role in it and that is obvious during every election. Now people have to anticipate a huge hike, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury told DH.

In May 2011, the then Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi had ripped apart ruling UPA for massive hike in fuel prices saying it will put a burden of hundreds of crores of rupees on his state. Now, as Prime Minister, he is facing a backlash. His opponents are sharing images of A B Vajpayees protest against fuel hike in 1970s while several are mocking BJP leaders protest during the UPA period. The question now is when the fuel price hike is returning.
Jujutsu Kaisens action-packed world of deadly curses and ultra-powerful sorcerers is coming to theaters with the March 17 release of Jujutsu Kaisen 0, a prequel film that takes place before the anime series.

The movie features several familiar characters that longtime fans of the series will recognize, but for the uninitiated, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a good starting place as well as it primarily follows Yuta Okkotsu, a young special class sorcerer who has been recruited by teacher Satoru Gojo to hone his skills at Jujutsu High.

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Satoru Gojo is one of the returning characters fans will recognize in "Jujutsu Kaisen 0." (Courtesy photo)

Anairis Quinones, an Altamonte Springs native who has previously voiced characters in popular anime like Attack on Titan, My Hero Academia and Sword Art Online takes on the role of Rika Orimoto in this film, a powerful cursed spirit known as the Queen of Curses.

Quinones was initially attracted to the film project because it features a very mature storyline. Its darker than what we normally see in shonen anime, she said, adding that the world was fun to play with creatively.

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And while the movie definitely deals with some heavy themes, Quinones says Jujutsu Kaisen 0 has something for everyone: You have these interesting, you know, wonderful flights that are animated by Mappa who Is just an amazing anime studio, but then you also have these characters that kind of go against the grain. You know, characters that have been through trauma, characters who have grown to be very developed in their own way.

The film also showcases new and returning female characters, who get the spotlight once again: Jujutsu Kaisen is very well known for having really interesting badass characters, badass ladies that ... have ... abilities that are just so talented and fantastic. But then they could still be girly, or they could still be ... guarded or whatever their personality is. And so you have this wide array of personalities and abilities and I think that really stands out.

Ultimately, Quinones says that the film is about love, saying, Jujutsu Kaisen 0 is a story of innocent love, but also a tragic love, and adding that the main characters discover a new type of love and how to use it to be powerful and to protect others

Yuta Okkotsu, a young special class sorcerer is the focus of the new film. (Courtesy photo)

Tickets are now on sale for several Central Florida theaters showing this film, including CMX Cinemas Plaza Cafe 12, AMC Disney Springs 24, Regal Winter Park Village and Universal Cinemark at CityWalk. Screenings are available in both English and Japanese with English subtitles.

More information about the film and links to purchase tickets are available at crunchyrollmovienight.com.

Want to reach out? Email me at akondolojy@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi said State cabinet expansion or revamp will be taken up only after completion of the State budget session.

Speaking to media persons, before participating in a mega welcome rally for guiding BJP to a huge victory in Uttarakhand as election in-charge of the party in the State, here on Sunday Joshi said till April 8 there will be no talk of a cabinet reshuffle in the State.

He also said that the party high command is discussing the appointment of new Chief Ministers for the four states where the party has secured a victory.

Also Read: Deve Gowda rules out pre-poll alliance with BJP

Joshi claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modis four visits to Uttarakhand changed the election scenario for BJP. Modi has proved again that he is one of the most trusted leaders in India and people of the four States by voting BJP back to power has reimposed Modis popularity, he said and added that it was Prime Minister Modis stature at world-stage that helped India to bring back more than 22,000 Indians stuck in Ukraine back home safely.

Premature celebrations

Joshi termed Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee President D K Shivakumars visit to Goa to manage the Goa after polls as premature celebrations. Even before the child was born, the Congress leaders were preparing for the naming ceremony. I dont know if Shivakumar was sent to manage party or to create trouble in Goa, he said.

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Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai announced that The Kashmir Files movie will be tax-free in Karnataka.

In a tweet, he said, "Kudos to Vivek Agnihotri for #TheKashmirFiles, a blood-curdling, poignant & honest narrative of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their homeland.

To lend our support to the movie & encourage our people to watch it, we will make the movie tax-free in Karnataka."

The movie was released and several prominent BJP leaders have promoted the movie.

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Artists across the world have always reacted to wars, invasions, and military conflicts with angst and anger. In the backdrop of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine, many anti-war images painted by famous artists over time flash through ones mind.

On top of the list would be Pablo Picassos Guernica (1937) often regarded as the most powerful anti-war painting of the 20th century. It is well known that the Spaniard (who had been in exile in France since 1901) painted the large 11 feet by 25 feet canvas in response to the destruction of the town of Guernica in northern Spain by Nazi bombers on 26 April 1937. With a plethora of signs and symbols aimed at conveying human suffering, pain, misery, and death, the monochromatic painting is also seen as the artists protest against the indiscriminate mass killing of civilians by men in power.

Interestingly, some of the most evocative anti-war paintings were created by Russian artists in the past. Among the scores of such images is Vasily Vereshchagins The Apotheosis of War painted way back in 1871. The unsettling work shows a massive pyramid-like pile of human skulls in the middle of a barren desert. A ruined city in the background and a flock of dark, hungry, and menacing birds fluttering over the pile heighten the tragic tone of the picture. The painting was inspired by (and originally named after) Tamerlane (Timur), the 14th-century Mongol ruler of Samarkand known for his gruesome military campaigns and bloody invasions which had resulted in the slaughter of millions of people. The Turkish Mongol conqueror Tamerlane had made it a custom to leave a pyramid of the heads of victims on the outskirts of the conquered cities.

First-hand impressions

Vereshchagin (18421904) is remembered to this day for his authoritative and authentic portrayal of battle scenes. Born in the town of Cherepovets (about 500 km from Moscow), and having attended the Marine Military School in St Petersburg as a teenager, Vereshchagins first taste of war came in 1867-68. The 26-year-old youth accompanied the Russian Army on an expedition to modern-day Uzbekistan as a volunteer. Holding the rank of a junior officer he witnessed and sketched first-hand impressions of war. The experience left a deep impression on the young soldier-artist and helped him engage himself in realistically painting the battle scenes.

Vereshchagin continually travelled to areas of conflict not only to observe but also to actively participate in military manoeuvres. It would be impossible, he wrote, to

achieve the aim I have set myself, to give society a picture of war as it really is, by observing battles through binoculars from a comfortable distance. I have to feel and go through it all myself. I have to participate in the attacks, storms, victories and defeats, experience the cold, disease and wounds. I must not be afraid to sacrifice my flesh and my blood, otherwise my pictures will mean nothing.

Vereshchagins images showed in great detail both the triumphs and defeats of armies and more importantly, the tragic fate of soldiers. He often depicted common soldiers, not as triumphant heroes but victims and puppets of barbarous generals on the battlefield. The Turkestan series painted based on sketches and studies done during the war brought him considerable fame and recognition. At the same time, some of his paintings were censored by the authorities for the brutally frank portrayal of life on the battlefield and for showing the Russian army in a poor light.

One of the first Russian artists to be widely recognised and exhibited abroad, Vereshchagin was an indefatigable traveller and a prolific author of insightful travel books. Among the countries he visited were China, Japan, America, the Philippines, Cuba, Syria, and Palestine. He was known to possess a robust figure with broad shoulders, bushy black beard, and a benevolent-looking face; his conversations

were always interesting, original, articulate, frank, affable, and unaffected.

As in life, Vereshchagins death was also linked to war. He was aboard the Russian flagship Petropavlovsk taking part in the battles of the Russo-Japanese war. On

April 13, 1904, the ship struck two mines and sunk. Vereshchagin, along with most of the crew on the ship, drowned to death.

Although he participated in military operations, Vereshchagin always maintained an anti-war stance in his work. More than a century ago, he wrote: Does war have two sides  one that is pleasant and attractive and the other that is ugly and repulsive? No, there is only one war, that attempts to force the enemy to kill, injure, or take as many people prisoner as possible, while the stronger adversary beats the weaker until the weaker pleads for mercy.

Indian connection

Vereshchagin made two trips to India  in 1872-74 and 1882-83. He travelled all over India particularly Rajasthan, Gujarat, Delhi, Bombay, Ladakh, and the then independent kingdom of Sikkim. He made a large number of sketches and paintings of varying subjects  architectural monuments; Buddhist temples and monasteries; mosques and minarets; and portraits of the nobles and commoners.

He seemed to love the Himalayas and extensively toured and painted the mountainous terrain. His paintings of the Taj Mahal and Delhis Moti Masjid are hailed for their sensitive handling of colours and moods, besides attention to detail. His epic portrayal of The State Procession of the Prince of Wales into Jaipur in 1876 is regarded to be the third-largest painting in the world.

Vereshchagin made several paintings showing how Indians were subjected to tyranny by the British colonialists. Blowing from Guns in British India is a horrific image showing British soldiers executing men tied to the barrels of cannons.
This week, Google announced to roll out an Air alert update on mobile phones to ensure the safety of Ukraines people. The new feature is really helpful in providing information to the residents about the countrys situation in the current scenario.Ukraines government has requested Google and other Tech Giants to deploy a feature that will assist Android users to get an update on airstrikes based on the signals sent by Ukraines intelligence services. Considering current circumstances in Ukraine, neighboring countries such as Poland, Germany, France, Romania, Hungary, and so on are accepting refugees from Ukraine. More than 2 million refugees have fled the war in Ukraine since Russia started to launch its missile attack and sent its troops to Ukraine. Consequently, Google launched its air raids alert system on android in response to Volodymyr Zelenskyys solicitation. So, now the people will know before the launch of the attack in the nearby location. The android pings will be based on official alerts sent by the regulatory authorities.Furthermore, Google has decided to take several other steps to help Ukraine. The Company has restricted monetization on YouTube channels that are run by Russian content creators. They have also stopped payments and subscriptions on Google cloud services and other applications for Russian users. For this latest update, the user will have to on the devices location and make sure the internet is properly connected. If the android version is 12, then go to settings, proceed to safety and emergency, and Ukraine air system alerts will be available on the mobile phone. For android 5-12, turn on-location services, and air alerts will be available.The air alert system will aid Ukraine's already existing air operations and will aid the low-latency alert mechanism that Google built for natural disasters' alerts on mobile phones. Well, I think the air alert system works on the wireless emergency alert system already built-in several Android mobile sets. In the same vein, I believe Apple may introduce a similar kind of feature for iPhones.Read next: Chrome Users Can Now Translate Image Text With Google Lens On Desktop
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Bessie Coleman on the wheel of a Curtiss JN-4 Jennie in her custom-designed flying suit, about 1924. - Original Credit: National Air and Space Museum - Original Source: Smithsonian Institution (Courtesy photo)

Shes soared through Flashback before, but Womens History Month especially seems a fine time to return to the story of Bessie Coleman  her grace, her grit, her daring.

By walking historys pathways, we learn to step forward with confidence, notes the National Womens History Alliance. Coleman had confidence, and like some other trailblazers, you have to wonder where it came from  she had so much going against her.

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In the early years of the 20th century, when most Black women in Chicago, where she lived, were limited to jobs such as maids or manicurists, Coleman gained a coveted international pilots license in 1921.

Ida Bell Wells-Barnett User Upload Caption: Journalist and activist Ida B. Wells, here as a young woman, spoke years later at Bessie Colemans Chicago funeral. - Original Credit: Natiuonal Portrait Gallery - Original Source: Smithsonian Institution (Courtesy photo)

She had been born in Texas, on Jan. 26, 1892, and moved in 1915 to the Windy City. When her brothers returned from World War I, they told her tales of wartime aviation and also described the lack of prejudice they had experienced in France. Colemans mind was made up: She would learn to fly.

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Undaunted after U.S. flight schools turned her down, she traveled to France to get her license. On her return, she became a flier and also lectured, determined to combat discrimination.

Friends in Orlando

During a Florida speaking tour, Coleman met the Rev. H.K. Hill of Orlandos Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Institutional Church and his wife, Viola Tillinghast Hill, a respected community activist. She became close to the Orlando couple and stayed with them at the Mount Zion parsonage.

For Bessie, the spacious house on shady, tree-lined Washington Street became the center of her life, the idyllic home she had never had, Doris L. Rich writes in her biography, Queen Bess: Daredevil Aviator. The Hills encouraged her to open a beauty shop to earn money to buy her own plane.

Coleman had lost her first airplane during a crash, and she was buying a used Curtiss JN-4, or Jenny, from a Texas company in installments.

Edwin Beeman, a wealthy white Orlandoan whose family had made its money in chewing gum and who was fascinated by aviation, gave Coleman the money for the final installment, historian Jim Clark notes in his book Orlando: A Brief History.

With her plane paid for and on the way from Texas  flown by mechanic William D. Wills  Coleman headed to Jacksonville for an exhibition. During a rehearsal on April 30, the plane spun out of control.

Coleman was flung to her death; Wills died in the crash.

Thousands of mourners attended services for Coleman in Jacksonville, including schoolchildren who had heard her speak only the day before she was killed. Then her body was put on the train to Orlando, where, on May 3,1926, Mount Zion was the scene of one of the largest funerals in its history.

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Founded in 1880, Mount Zion was Orlandos oldest church serving the Black commmity, and mourners included prominent residents such as educator Moses Crooms, who was a pallbearer. They honored a daughter of Chicago who had found a place in the hearts of Orlandoans, as well as other Floridians.

After the May 3 service, mourners crowded the Orlando railroad station to say goodbye as Colemans body was placed on a train bound for Chicago. Hundreds of Black Orlandoans sang the melody of My Country, Tis of Thee, " according to a news report. At Colemans Chicago funeral, her eulogy was delivered by activist and journalist Ida B. Wells. In all, in both Chicago and Florida, more than 15,000 people paid their respects to the woman who inspired so many, and continues to do so.

Mark your calendars

On March 26 at 1 p.m., the Enterprise Museum presents Ladies Taking Liberty: Celebrating 100 Years of Womens Suffrage. Written by Deborah McShane, Ladies was originally presented as a play and fortunately was filmed, Christy Jefferson of the Friends of the Deltona Library writes in an email. It was a great reminder of the women who have helped shape our rights, and how far we still have to go, she adds. The Enterprise Museum is at 360 Main St., Enterprise. Details: 386-259-5900 or www.OldEnterprise.org.

On April 2 at 2 p.m., the Holocaust Memorial Research & Education Center of Florida presents Uprooting Prejudice: Conversations for Change at the JCC Auditorium in Maitland. Activist Daryl Davis will be joined by Jeff Schoep and Scott Shepherd to talk about how the three men turned peaceful conversations into friendship. Schoep, a former leader of the nations largest neo-Nazi organization, has since founded Beyond Barriers, a nonprofit dedicated to countering extremism. Shepherd also denounced white supremacist ideology after getting to know Davis, a Black jazz musician whos dedicated his life to having respectful dialogues with those of opposing views. A question-and-answer session will follow. For more information and to register, visit www.holocaustedu.org and click on events.

Joy Wallace Dickinson can be reached at joydickinson@icloud.com, FindingJoyinFlorida.com, or by good old-fashioned letter to Florida Flashback, c/o Dickinson, P.O. Box 1942, Orlando, FL 32802.
Duncan, OK (73533)

Today

Cloudy skies this morning followed by strong thunderstorms during the afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 71F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds SE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall near an inch.
The Irish League of Credit Unions (ILCU) is calling for an urgent, root-and-branch review of the regulatory restrictions imposed on credit unions, who have over 15 billion of surplus funds. It says that a significant portion of these funds could potentially be used to:

provide competition in the mortgage market

support first-time buyers

support housing supply

support small businesses through SME lending as they recover from the impact of Covid

Under the current lending limits set by the Central Bank, credit unions can only offer just 3% of mortgage loans and less than 10% of SME loans in the market. In comparison, Irelands three pillar banks share 70% of the mortgage market with the remainder primarily held by KBC and Ulster Bank, which are exiting the market. The SME lending market is similarly highly concentrated with the top three banks holding 90% of the market share.

Credit unions cannot reach their potential and become a key provider of community banking, as committed to by the Government in the Programme for Government, with such restrictive lending limits, said David Malone, Deputy CEO, ILCU.

At a time when the banking duopoly is not subject to the restrictive measures placed on credit unions and competing in the mortgage and SME market, it is time for the Government to level the playing field and allow credit unions to offer Irish consumers and businesses an alternative banking solution.

Right now, when we need money circulating in the economy to support first-time buyers, housing supply, and support business recovery from Covid, restrictions on credit unions are effectively taking money out of circulation when its needed most.

The call for an urgent review comes following recent remarks by Sean Fleming, the Minister responsible for Financial Services, Credit Unions and Insurance, who said that he would like to see the credit union sector "filling the void" in the lending market left following the departure of Ulster Bank and KBC.

However, the ILCU believes that the full potential of the credit union movement in the financial services sector can only be fully unlocked if and when there is a level playing field and policy is fair and inclusive across all financial institutions.

The ILCU says it welcomes the Ministers comments in the Seanad that his policy review will seek to include proposals to support regulatory engagement while respecting the need for regulatory independence. In this context, ahead of a meeting with Minister Fleming at which the detail of his legislative framework policy review document and proposals are to be laid out, the ILCU is also seeking the establishment of a Policy Taskforce, involving the Department of Finance, the Central Bank, and the credit union representative bodies.

The establishment of such a taskforce, the ILCU says, would ensure that policy development is fully informed, fit for purpose, and sustainable, and support the rollout of a credit union-led community banking model for Ireland. Without such a forum involving key stakeholders at the policy initiation stage, Irish credit union policy will continue to be developed in a vacuum, it adds.

David Malone, Deputy CEO of the ILCU, said: Were asking for a level playing field and for the chance to compete in a meaningful way in the market. With a network of credit unions throughout the country, we have the capacity, resources, and, importantly, the funds to support many people to buy homes, support local businesses, and provide the full range of banking services to communities. Regulatory constraints, particularly lending limits, are severely limiting our credit unions potential, and it is Irish consumers, businesses, and prospective homeowners who are losing out.

Internationally, were outliers. The regulatory environment in which international peers operate is competitive and acts as an enabler for business and supports a competitive financial services market. The regulatory roadblocks imposed on Irish credit unions are archaic and outdated. Our policy lags behind.

At a time when retail banking in Ireland is undergoing fundamental change, and when there is greater demand than ever for the community banking role that credit unions can provide, an urgent review of the regulatory constraints on credit unions is now required, with a view to unlocking their potential to enable them to compete on a level playing field. We see the establishment of a credit union Policy Taskforce, which we fully engage with, as the appropriate body to carry out this review, ensuring policy is not developed in a vacuum.
Sinn Fein spokesperson for Tourism, Media and Sport, Imelda Munster TD, raised concerns that the Minister for Tourism, Culture, Arts, Gaeltacht, Sport and Media, Catherine Martin TD, failed to answer serious questions relating to Departmental estimates posed at the Dail Select Committee on Tourism, Culture, Arts, Sport and Media, and refuses to appear before the Committee on the Irish language, Gaeltacht and Irish Speaking Community.

Teachta Munster said:

I am particularly worried about Minister Martins unwillingness to face parliamentary scrutiny and accountability where the spending of taxpayers' money is concerned.

Both Teachta Ciaran Cannon and I raised important questions about the 15 million that was announced only this week for the Live Performance Restart Grant Scheme (LPRGS) when Minister Martin came before us to discuss expenditure, and they remain unanswered.

Previous Live Performance Support Schemes (LPSS) made funding to venues and production companies conditional on organising performances, meaning there was a guarantee that at least some of the money would trickle down to pay musicians and performers, but no such conditions apply this time.

The Minister appeared to confirm that previous LPSS and emergency Covid funding recipient companies will automatically qualify for grants of up to 100,000 this time, without having to provide any further information outlining how the money will be used.

If all those eligible apply for this automatic funding, that could use up 14.39 million of the 15 million, leaving only 610,000 for new applicants. When I pointed this out to the Minister, she refused to do anything about it now, only saying shell consider providing extra funding if the scheme is oversubscribed.

The Minister needs to explain why she has designed a scheme where grants will be provided without expenses being vouched, and clarify what measures she is putting in place to ensure this funding  intended for performance  will not be used for other activities, bearing in mind that the primary focus of many eligible applicants is the pub business and selling alcohol. Culture funding must go to support culture, not alcohol sales.

Venues and production companies need funding to help restart, but so do artists and performers, and we need confirmation that this funding will actually reach the pockets of musicians, who have been struggling for two years with little to no work.

We also need confirmation that Minister Martin will finally go before the Committee on the Irish language, Gaeltacht and Irish-speaking Community to address their questions on these estimates, something my colleague Johnny Mythen TD raised at our Committee.

Despite being solely responsible for giving the Irish language and Gaeltacht sector the smallest share of her Departments budget (only 7%), and having sole direct oversight over funding for TG4 as Media Minister, Minister Martin has refused point blank to attend and show the Committee responsible for those areas the same respect she has shown us, choosing instead to send Minister of State Jack Chambers who has no role in these decisions and cannot answer questions on them.

If Minister Martin is serious about transparency, she should agree to go before the Irish language Committee post haste, start providing answers to all of these questions, and stop hiding from parliamentary scrutiny.
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.
Shannon Nazworth, president and CEO of Ability Housing, gives Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer a tour of the Village on Mercy, a $27.4 million housing development on Mercy Drive where there were once blighted apartments, on Wednesday, March 13, 2019. (Ricardo Ramirez Buxeda/Orlando Sentinel)

Orlando is proposing cutting developers a break on permitting fees if they include affordable housing in their developments, amid rising housing prices and rents.

Under the proposal the city council is due to vote on Monday, the city plans to dedicate $1.5 million from its fund to offer permitting fees rebates to developers.

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Its just another carrot that we can throw out there to incentivize affordable housing, said Lillian Payne, Orlandos deputy director of economic development.

Florida faces a severe shortage of affordable housing units, while also seeing the housing market explode in recent years. Also, rents in metro Orlando increased over the past year faster than any other city in the sunbelt, according to a study by CoStar.

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The group said apartment rents in Lake, Orange, Osceola and Seminole counties increased 24.3% in the past year, making the cost an average of $1,680. Nationwide, rents jumped 13% last year.

Fees charged for large developments can be costly. In one example, the Pendana at West Lakes senior housing development, which had all of its units affordable, would qualify for a $95,000 rebate, Payne said.

Orlando collects fees on permits it issues, based on construction values, which are required to be spent on enforcing Floridas building code. Typical enforcing expenses include staff costs for reviewing permits, inspections and training, Payne said. But Florida law limits how much of those funds can be carried over to future years.

Last year, the city brought in nearly $14 million in fees to its building code revenue fund, said Samantha Holsten, a city spokesperson.

The proposal is also retroactive, meaning developments closed out by the city in 2019 or later that qualify could apply.

Building affordable housing is tricky  securing financing can take years  and with construction costs rising, any reduction to costs is helpful for building more units or lowering rents, said Shannon Nazworth, president and CEO of Jacksonville-based nonprofit Ability Housing.

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It really does matter. Every line item has to be paid for, said Nazworth, who is supportive of the rebates. If you can get a municipality to really lean in and get them to bring to the table what they can bring to the table thats just an incredible incentive to bring developers to the community.

Guests tour the new affordable housing project, Village on Mercy. Friday, December 13, 2019. (Sarah Espedido / Orlando Sentinel) (Sarah Espedido/Sarah Espedido)

Such a fee reduction can help offset the rise in costs to lumber, steel and other materials, she said.

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Ability Housing has built 321 affordable units in Central Florida, including 166 in the city limits at the Village on Mercy. The complex on Mercy Drive between West Colonial and Silver Star Road opened in 2019.

Nazworth said Ability Housing is looking at two more sites to build affordable units in the Orlando area.

To qualify for the rebate, the citys Housing and Community Development department must certify the project as being affordable. Projects with between 20% and 59% affordable units would receive a 50% cut on permitting fees, while projects with more than 60% of the units being affordable would get 100% back.

Funds would be available for three years, or until they run out. Payne said the $1.5 million likely could cover between 10 and 14 projects.

rygillespie@orlandosentinel.com
Eileen Dowd, 95, who was living in the Nevins Nursing & Rehabilitation Center in Methuen at the start of the pandemic, waves toward her grandchildren Molly and Shannon Manuel, of Andover. The center did not allow visitors into the facility at the time, limiting human contact.
A Cork man accused of sticking his finger into the eye of a garda saying, I hope you lose your eye, has been remanded in custody for a further fortnight.

Sergeant Gearoid Davis applied for the adjournment of the case until March 24, stating that directions were not yet available from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Judge Olann Kelleher granted that adjournment.

Philip Barry, 35, of St. Vincents hostel, Anglesea Terrace, Cork, appeared by video link from prison to Cork District Court. His solicitor, Diarmuid Kelleher, was present in court for the brief mention of the case.

Philip Barry faces five counts, including three charges related to assault to members of An Garda Siochana  two of those charges involving assault causing harm.

The most recent incident relates to January 4. Sergeant Brendan Curry said, It is alleged that at 10.30pm Garda Ian King was assaulted at the Bridewell garda station.

It is alleged that Mr Barry was highly aggressive and abusive to gardai when in custody and that when he had his handcuffs removed he swung punches at gardai and attempted to get out.

"He placed his fingers around the glasses of Garda King and caused pressure to the eye area. It is alleged that he also showed intent by stating, I will rip the eye out of your head. I hope you lose your eye.

"Garda Ian King had to have three paper stitches and a tetanus injection.
Cork Chamber has given a warm welcome to the approved planning permission for a 16-storey office block overlooking the Lee in Cork city centre, to be built on the site of the The Sextant and Carey Tool Hire.

However, the Chamber president warned there is also a need for affordable housing in the in the city.

The original planning application for the site, filed by the JCD Group, was a Strategic Housing Development application (SHD) for a 125m 25-storey build-to-rent apartment tower with 200 apartments.

However, the group later said it was not financially viable to go through with the original plan and have now been granted planning permission for what will be the city's tallest office block.

Mrs Cogan said the progress should act as an accelerant to the other projects ongoing in the area.

It is very positive to see this significant 100m development progress through planning," Cork Chamber President Paula Cogan said.

"The ever-present demand for office space in Cork is a sign of a strong and competitive economic environment despite the numerous global challenges of recent and current times.

Mrs Cogan said the progress should act as an accelerant to the other projects ongoing in the area.

It is also essential that the URDF, and initiatives such as Croi Conaithe now deliver for the docklands and wider urban area to ensure that essential apartments and residential infill are wholly part of the evolving urban fabric.

Also a need for housing

The Cork Chamber president reiterated the organisations stance on the need for housing and affordable housing.

Cork Chamber and the CIF, published a report last year with KPMG Future Analytics warning that Government policy must support apartment viability and affordability.

"The current Government initiatives must prove their worth by delivering.

The developers have said they will now begin the detailed design and tendering process.

The project is being designed by Henry J Lyons Architects and London-based Richard Coleman of City designer.
Micheal Martin has said there is an increasing view within Northern Ireland that the Brexit protocol is working.

The Taoiseach said everyone he has met in Northern Ireland wants continued access to the EU single market.

His comments come after Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said on Friday he will not go back into the Stormont Executive until the matter of the protocol is dealt with.

Mr Martin was asked what the Irish governments communication channels were like with the DUP and how likely it is that the issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol will be resolved by the time of the elections.

Speaking to reporters at the Embassy of Ireland in London, Mr Martin said the Irish government has good channels of communication with all parties in Northern Ireland.

He said: Whats very interesting from our perspective though is that whats increasing and growing is a view within Northern Ireland, particularly in Northern Ireland business and industry, that the protocol is working in terms of inward investment into Northern Ireland, and in terms of access to the EU single market.

So anybody Ive met in Northern Ireland all want to continue access to the EU single market. Its a good basic principle to start off on.

"And my view, given the improved relationship between the UK and the EU as a result of the partnership on Ukraine, I would like to think that in the fullness of time we will be able to resolve this issue.

But well take it step by step. And theres a channel there between the European Union and the United Kingdom thats ongoing and were going to take this step by step. Sir Jeffrey was applauded at Crossgar Orange Hall on Friday night as he said his party would not re-enter the Stormont Executive until the Government acts to protect Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.

Paul Givan resigned as first minister earlier this year as part of the DUPs action against the protocol in a move which also removed deputy first minister Michelle ONeill from the joint office.
A Ukrainian doctor has said a group of Cork volunteers have saved many lives by successfully delivering humanitarian aid across the Polish-Ukrainian border after two failed attempts.

Cork Humanitarian Aid Ireland, which is made up of ten volunteers from Cork Penny Dinners and Cork City Missing Persons Search and Recovery (CCMPSAR) left Cork last Tuesday with 15 tonnes of humanitarian aid donated by the people of Cork.

Turned away

The volunteers were turned away from the border crossing at Medyka on Friday night, when Polish border officials told them they could not enter the neutral zone between Poland and Ukraine to hand over six tonnes of medical supplies and baby food to a Kyiv-based doctor who had traveled to meet them.

Officials told the Cork group they could enter Ukraine but might not be allowed return to Poland for an unspecified period of days.

Border police had been allowing foreign humanitarian aid into the neutral zone until Thursday, but local sources said the Polish authorities had doubled security since Thursday.

Six of the Cork volunteers returned to Medyka early on Saturday morning, where they queued for almost nine hours before being allowed into the neutral zone but were then turned away again, this time, border officials said, because they did not have the original logbooks for their rental vans.

Finally allowed through

At this point, Dr Anastasia Koloka, a cardiologist who had journeyed from Kyiv to collect humanitarian aid from the Irish group, and who had been waiting in the neutral zone for over 24 hours, contacted the Ukrainian consulate, and the Cork volunteers were allowed through.

The volunteers were turned away from the border crossing at Medyka on Friday night.

Dr Koloka told The Echo that there is a critical shortage of medical supplies and baby food in Ukraine and the aid from Cork was desperately needed.

Our friends from Ireland have saved many lives with the supplies they brought to us.

We are very thankful to all the people who travel thousands of miles to save the lives of Ukrainian babies, she said.

Caitriona Twomey, co-ordinator of Cork Penny Dinners, said it had been a great day for the Irish group, and she and the other volunteers had delivered over seven tonnes of humanitarian aid to Redemptorist priests in Lezajsk, and had bought 2,000 worth of aid for the refugee reception centre at the train station in Tarnow.

Father Kristoff told us the aid we had delivered would help many people in Ukraine, Ms Twomey said.
Corks ghost ship has split in two after a spate of storms and bad weather in recent months.

The MV Alta washed up in East Cork on February 16 2020 and has been grounded along the coast of Ballyandreane in Ballycotton ever since.

A local information Twitter page called @BallycottonIRE shared some pictures of the boat since it snapped in half.

And she has finally split pic.twitter.com/Z8zQVPPe6C  Ballycotton (@BallycottonIRE) March 12, 2022

The MV Alta has a long and mysterious history since being abandoned by its 10 man crew during a storm in Bermuda in 2018 while traveling from Greece to Haiti.

The ship wandered the seas for 16 months before settling off the coast of Cork.

Cork County Council decommissioned the ship, in that they searched and removed any dangerous or toxic substances that might have been on board and removed entry points, such as a ladder, to prevent people from attempting to explore the abandoned vessel.

Read More New TV drama by Cork's Graham Norton airs this week

However, no steps were taken to tow the ship to a harbour with the local authority citing cost as the main reason.

In recent months, storms Dudley, Eunice and Franklin battered the coast of Cork with gusts of up to 110km per hour which appears to have substantially weakened the vessel until it could withstand no more.

The 44 year old cargo vessel is seen to have split, with the bow and stern separated and bits of the boat strewn on nearby rocks.
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I-4 traffic flows by apartments under construction in Lake Mary, Friday, March 11, 2022. A report from the Seminole County property appraiser calls the county critically underhoused, with rent for a studio apartment in Seminole averaging more than $1,700 a month. (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel) (Joe Burbank/Orlando Sentinel)

As more people move into Seminole County every year, they will find it increasingly difficult to buy a new home as large swaths of vacant property to build residential subdivisions diminishes in one of the states smallest but most densely populated counties, officials said.

Were running out of land very quickly to build on, so we definitely have a supply and demand problem, Seminole Property Appraiser David Johnson said this week during a presentation before county commissioners. Were not going to have people saying: Were not moving to Seminole County. And thats because of the quality of life. So, were going to have to figure out a place where to put these folks at some point. ... We are critically underhoused in this county.

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That increase in demand and drop in supply will continue to raise property values and rent prices, analysts said.

The median sales price of existing single-family homes in Seminole bumped up by more than 14% in the past year from $314,250 in 2020 to $359,000 in 2021, according to county data. And the median sale price of a new townhome last year was $346,350, a jump of nearly 11% from the previous year.

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It also means that more apartment buildings with 300 units or more are expected to go up in Seminoles core, particularly along the U.S. Highway 17-92 corridor between Casselberry and Sanford, as land becomes scarce and developers look to build up, Johnson said.

His office estimated that 3,240 apartment units are scheduled to be built in Seminole this year.

Renters will find eye-popping prices. The current average rent for apartments in the Seminole area, which includes Maitland, is $1,672, well above the national average of $1,570, according to CoStar Group, a real estate analysis firm. And a year from now, the average rent is expected to soar to $1,825.

But its not just in Seminole. Rent in the metro Orlando area  which includes Seminole, Orange, Osceola and Lake  climbed 24.3% in 2021, faster than in any other area in the South, according to CoStar.

We have a supply and demand imbalance in most of the Orlando area, said Lisa McNatt, director of Market Analytics for CoStar Group in Orlando. And even though the metro area has 16,000 new apartment units under construction, its not enough to offset the robust renter demand from in-migration.

Seminole also is moving away from becoming a bedroom community for Orlando and Orange County, as more businesses move into the county and residents find professional jobs closer to home.

Were becoming more urbanized, Johnson said, pointing to large corporations, including Verizon and Deloitte, that have moved into the Lake Mary area over the past two decades. Seminole residents realize that they dont have to get on I-4 every morning to go to work in Orange County and come back home every night. We have our own economic incubator or dynamics that were not there 20 years ago.

Today, about 65% of Seminoles total value of its property tax roll is residential and 35% is commercial property. About 30 years ago, it was 85% residential and 15% commercial. By comparison, about 51% of Orange Countys total value of its property tax roll is residential and 49% is commercial, according to data from the Orange County Property Appraisers Office.

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The sale of commercial properties in Seminole more than tripled in the past year from $425 million in 2020 to $1.3 billion in 2021.

Seminoles population is expected to jump by nearly 11% from the current 475,000 residents to 526,400 in 2030.

However, at 309 square miles, Seminole is the fourth-smallest county in Florida. And about one-third of Seminole is protected from high-density development, including within the rural boundary east of the Econlockhatchee River, where development is limited to one home per five acres or one home per 10 acres.

We all know that were very small geographically. So thats an issue were going to have to address as we move forward in planning for future growth, Johnson said to commissioners.

Commissioners said people wanting to move to Seminole is not a bad thing.

What makes us special is that people will want to move here because of our quality of life, Commissioner Lee Constantine said. So we want to make sure that our quality of life stays at a premium.

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mcomas@orlandosentinel.com
Athens, AL (35611)

Today

Mostly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 80F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 59F. Winds NE at 5 to 10 mph.
With no end in sight to the global semiconductor shortage, Ford will temporarily offer some Explorer SUVs without the electronics necessary to access the cars heating and air conditioning controls from the rear passenger seats. Following a report from Automotive News, a Ford spokesperson shared confirmation of the plan with The Verge on Sunday, telling the outlet the move is an effort on the automakers part to get those cars to customers faster.

They added Ford would offer those SUVs at a discount and noted they will still come with functioning front-seat climate controls. The automaker reportedly plans to ship the missing chips to dealers within a year, at which point owners of those models will need to bring their cars in for installation.

Ford wont be the first automaker to ship a car without parts in response to the chip shortage. Last year, some Tesla Model 3 and Model Y buyers got cars with missing USB-C ports. BMW, meanwhile, removed touchscreen controls on some of its vehicles, including X5 and Z4 models, to cope with the shortages.
With the Kremlin restricting access to online platforms like Twitter and Instagram in recent days, people in Russia are quickly losing access to information about the war in Ukraine that doesnt come from the government. Enter Squad303, a website created by a group of Polish programmers to help people from around the world establish a dialogue with their Russian counterparts.

Spotted by The Wall Street Journal, the website randomly generates a number or email address for you to contact. It pulls from a database that contains 20 million cellphone numbers and approximately 140 million email addresses. Since the Squad303 went online on March 6th, its creators told The Journal that individuals from around the world have sent nearly 7 million text messages and 2 million emails in Russian, along with countless images and videos from the conflict.

Our aim was to break through Putins digital wall of censorship and make sure that Russian people are not totally cut off from the world and the reality of what Russia is doing in Ukraine, a spokesperson for told the outlet.

This is crazy. The person questioned me being American so I had to prove it. Ive sent over 200 messages thanks to @squad3o3 to Russian cell phones. This one got me, it roughly translates to its terrible in Russia @xxNB65 @YourAnonNews @xenasolo @ZelenskyyUa got a new friend pic.twitter.com/UOunxs2aIJ  Mr. T aka Masta Chef/CireX14 (@titancrawford1) March 6, 2022

The website is named after the Royal Air Forces famous 303 Fighter Squadron. It was one 16 units made up of Polish airmen that flew for the RAF during World War II. The 303 played a pivotal role in the Battle of Britain, shooting down the largest number of Luftwaffe aircraft during the months-long campaign. In another historical allusion, the creators of Squad303 compared their project to Radio Free Europe, which began as a US-funded effort to broadcast news, information and analysis to Soviet satellite states during the Cold War.

Using the website, The Journal was able to talk to a 25-year-old law student from Moscow. They told the outlet they opposed the war but said they didnt plan to protest against it for fear of retribution from the government. Am I supposed to risk my education, my future? the student said. I know Putin is killing people in Ukraine, but it is not my fault, I am not killing anyone, and I am not supporting any wars.

Even engaging in conversations like the one above is risky for Russians. Videos have recently emerged allegedly showing Russian police stopping commuters to screen the messages on their phones for signs of dissent. Visit The Journal to read more about the effort.
Weather Alert

...FLOOD WATCH REMAINS IN EFFECT FROM 6 AM CDT THIS MORNING THROUGH THURSDAY MORNING... * WHAT...Flooding caused by excessive rainfall continues to be 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 6 AM CDT this 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. Low-water crossings may be flooded. Extensive street flooding and flooding of creeks and rivers are possible. * 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 will last much of Wednesday night before ending Thursday morning. Storm total amounts of 2 to 5 inches are expected. Given recent rainfall, these additional amounts may cause flooding. - 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. &&
ENID, Okla.  Local area education advocates from different sides of the political aisle say they are opposed to the states private school funding bill thats expected to make it to a full Senate vote Monday at the Capitol.

Roxanne Pollard, one of the founding members of the Greater Enid chapter of the nonpartisan Parent Legislative Action Committee, said she believes the bill would be a continued form of segregation in American schools.

These types of voucher programs, they invite discrimination and the misuse of taxpayer funds, Pollard said.

Oklahomas, she said, would be the latest development in a private-school funding movement that began shortly after the U.S. Supreme Courts Brown v. Board of Education school desegregation ruling in 1954.

Jennie Scott, another Enid PLAC co-founder and an elementary school teacher, said she believes public dollars should solely go to public institutions, as is required by the state constitution.

If we are not giving everyone the same chance, then we are no longer that land of opportunity, Scott said.

Senate Bill 1647, authored by GOP Senate Pro Tem Greg Treat, didnt make it to a floor vote during Thursdays full session but is expected to be on the table in Mondays session.

Pollard said Treats proposed Oklahoma Empowerment Act also has too many unanswered questions about accountability.

According to SB1647, a third-party management company would handle operations of the so-called empowerment savings accounts  commonly deemed vouchers by those opposing the legislation  with money that would follow Oklahoma students to cover tuition and expenses at a non-public school or program of their choice.

The state Department of the Treasury would be able to audit a random 10% of empowerment accounts and investigate potential misuses. However, no language exists in the bills current floor version on auditing the management companies or the private schools themselves.

Somebody has to show where these dollars go so we dont end up in another situation like we did with Epic, Pollard said, referring to the state charter school system that has been embroiled in public auditing controversies.

Scott said she takes issue with vouchers being funded off the top before state dollars are sent out to districts, leaving public schools across the state with a lower stream of revenue, whether theyre located in rural, urban or suburban areas.

Oklahoma ranks 47th in the nation in per-pupil funding provided by the state Department of Education to its 509 public school districts for general operations, according to the state.

When we are still at the bottom of the nation (in per-pupil funding), we just have no business reducing that fund, Scott said Friday.

+4 What we know about an Oklahoma bill seeking to implement school vouchers A school voucher bill that has divided the statehouse advanced in the Senate last week, and new estimates show the program would likely cost o

Pollard, a Republican, and Scott, a Democrat, both unsuccessfully sought their respective parties primary state House district nominations in 2018 before starting the Enid PLAC chapter with longtime Garber educator Sally Clickner in January 2019. Around 50-200 people attended informational meetings before the COVID pandemic shuttered meetings, Pollard said.

Though she said the issue has become more partisan and framed as one of school choice, Pollard, whos also president of the Garfield County Republican Womens Club, said shes always been in favor of school choice.

Every parent, every child should have a choice of schools, she said, but it shouldnt be a choice of schools at taxpayer money.  Would you go next door and ask your neighbor, I would like to send my child to a private school, would you mind helping me pay for it? Because in essence, thats what youre doing.

Public schools and Oklahoma CareerTech districts also already receive ad valorem tax revenue as a major funding source, said Pollard, who is a member of Autry Technology Centers board of education.

Under the states equalization formula, public schools that run low on property tax dollars and other local sources of revenue  including Enid Public Schools  often rely on that funding for general fund expenses. These largely include teacher salaries, educational materials and school programs.

Thats what determines the quality of the educational experience, Scott said. If we were in the top 10, Im not sure how much I would be fighting vouchers, but were 47th.

Both women said the majority of Oklahomans dont support the voucher proposal either, citing recent state poll that asked around 600 Oklahoma respondents, Do you favor or oppose using taxpayer dollars to fund private school tuition?

A majority 68% of possible voters answered that they were opposed to the funding source, with 33% answering in favor, according to the poll commissioned by the Oklahoma Education Coalition.

Among Democrats, 86% were opposed to vouchers, while 59% of Republicans were opposed; independents landed between, at 65%.

The poll also showed that over 80% of respondents were in favor of increasing state funding for pre-K to 12th-grade education to hire more teachers and decrease class sizes, as well as increasing salary and benefits for teachers and support professionals.

The coalitions 10 members include state educator groups such as the PTA, the Oklahoma State School Board Association, rural and suburban school organizations and the Oklahoma Education Association educators union, as well as Oklahoma City and Tulsa public schools.

OEA President Katherine Bishop said the coalition purposefully used the Tarrance Group, a prominent, right-leaning pollster group that she said was well-respected in conservative groups.

In contrast, a poll of 500 Oklahoma voters, conducted in January by the conservative-leaning Cole Hargrave Snodgrass & Associates, found strong support for school choice.

The survey asked an initial question more about school choice than about funding private school tuition with public taxpayer dollars: School choice gives parents the right to use tax dollars associated with their childs education to send their child to the public or private school which better serves their needs. Generally speaking, do you favor or oppose the concept of school choice?

The American Federation for Children  former U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos conservative advocacy group focusing on school privatization  commissioned the survey.

Pollard quote Every parent, every child should have a choice of schools, but it shouldnt be a choice of schools at taxpayer money." ~ Roxanne Pollard, Greater Enid Parent Legislative Action Committee

Around 60,000 students attend private school in Oklahoma, Bishop said.

Considering Oklahomas roughly $3,600 per-pupil funding, she said around $216 million is already missing from the state funding pie appropriated to districts each year.

You shrink the pie, then you shrink the pieces of the pie, she said. So every district will be affected (by SB1647).

Oklahoma already ranks 16th in school choice and has more public money being sent to private schools, Scott said. The state has two private school choice programs: the Oklahoma Equal Opportunity Education Scholarship Act program and a voucher program for students with disabilities called the Lindsey Nicole Henry Scholarship Program.

Scott said Oklahoma also has numerous options for online, charter schools and magnet schools, as well as some of the loosest homeschooling laws in the country.

The local school districts havent been denying students in this community for years, said Scott, who knows students who have freely transferred without issue to and from Enid, Chisholm and Drummond public school districts in Garfield County.

She also said she knows Oklahoma Bible Academy, the largest private school in the Enid area, already has an ample amount of scholarships, and regular fundraising helps cover tuition costs, which reach nearly $8,000 a year for high school grades.

I think we already have quite a few choices, Scott said. I dont understand what choices arent available.
Saturday, March 12, 2022

Bookpleasures.com welcomes as our guest Santino Zafarana author of Think Before You Shoot: The Art of Taking Creative Photographs.

Santino was born in Sicily and introduced to photography by his uncle Salvatore Dolce, who gave him his first camera?a Kodak brownie. For more than 45 years, he has been devoted to taking photographs that capture the magic of light and the wonders of ordinary people and the everyday world.

In addition to creating his own works of photographic art, he has helped thousands achieve their dreams of taking great photographs. He teaches and mentors at the Creative Photography Workshops school in Los Angeles, which he owns with his wife Tracey Landworth, an equally accomplished photographer.

Good day Santino and thanks for taking part in our interview.

Good day to you Norm, thank you for having me on.

Norm: Tell us about your first introduction to photography. What drew you into this world? As a follow up, when did you realize that photography was a path you wanted to follow full-time?

Santino: I was introduced to photography by my uncle Salvatore Dolce, who had a Kodak brownie he was constantly photographing with. My uncle was always taking photographs that I found very fascinating.

On my tenth birthday, he asked me if I wanted the brownie. I was thrilled with the possibilities of taking interesting shots of my toys, street scenes in my neighborhood, friends and family almost everything interested me.

I was about 17 when I bought my first single lens reflex camera, a Nikon F. I started to take portraits, pictures of animals, trees or just droplets of water on a pond. Everyone loved the images that I was taking, they talked about the way I was able to capture depth and the quality of light, no matter what the subject I was photographing. That's when I realized that I had a talent for seeing what most people didn't see, or simply capturing a point of view which pleased people when they viewed my photographs.

Norm: How would you describe your own photography?

Santino: Well, that's a hard one. I'm not a singular topic photographer. Since my earliest days I liked photographing everything that interested me. But viewers have described my photos as Nostalgic, Inviting, Dimensional, Imaginative, Accessible, Quiet Emotions, Dreamy, Humanistic and Tranquil.

Norm: What makes a photo a piece of art?

Santino: For me an artful photograph has to affect the viewer in an emotional way.. having a feeling that reaches somewhere deep in their soul or lives, arousing a poignant connection with the photograph.

Norm: Who or what have been the most prominent artistic influences on your career?

Santino: My influences have come from many different areas--painting, philosophy, music, design, architecture, and of course, photography. I believe that our minds, eyes and emotions are closely related when taking an image, as well when we view an image.

Norm: Some of the images in Think Before You Shoot: The Art of Taking Creative Photographs capture normal, daily activities, but you make them so intriguing. How did you realize that you wanted to highlight those seemingly mundane moments in a person's life?

Santino: Knowing the artistic craft & skills of photography very well, I focus on making each photograph as personal as possible. I am always trying to create a feeling in my photographs that connect with viewers' lives.

Norm: What is some advice you would give to photographers who are just starting out? Can one be taught to take good photos or do you need a natural talent?

Santino: I believe you can be taught skills that would make you a very good photographer, but to be a great accomplished photographer, you have to be able to set yourself free to create. That's where understanding and translating what you want to say in a photograph is crucial to having a successful photograph that affects people when they feel it.

Norm: In your opinion, what is the most difficult part of taking photos? How do you know when it's the right moment to capture an image? Please summarize your process.

Santino: Trying not to overthink the process when you're taking the photograph and know what you are trying to say or capture in your photograph are key components to make a successful photograph. That is why I called my book Think Before You Shoot. Do all the technical first, this way you are just focused on your subject or scene and you don't miss anything while you are taking the photograph.

Norm: What motivated you to publish Think Before You Shoot: The Art of Taking Creative Photographs? What were your goals and intentions in this book, and how well do you feel you achieved them?

Santino: Over the course of my career, people always asked me how I take such great photographs so effortlessly. So, 20 years ago, my wife (an accomplished photographer in her own right) and I started a photography school called Creative Photography Workshops in Los Angeles.

After thousands of students successfully learned the techniques & art of taking creative photographs, I felt it was time to help more people by writing a simple and concise book that combines Fine Art with 21 pages of proven techniques on how to take creative photographs.

Just released mid-February 2022, it has become a great gift book for anyone who loves and appreciates photography, as well as learning the art of taking creative photographs.

Norm: What was the most difficult part of creating this book?

Santino: First, making sure that my images are all correctly balanced to express the feeling that images are trying to convey. And second to make sure the 21 techniques were as simple to understand as possible. That's why those pages have three paragraphs only on each technique.

The first two paragraphs are explaining the technique and the third paragraph is discussing why that particular technique makes a more creative art photograph.

Norm: What are your upcoming projects?

Santino: Since the book is being distributed in 20 countries around the world, I am involved in many interviews and book signings to help budding photographers or just anyone interested in learning to take better creative photographs. I am also working on an exhibit for next year, exploring new materials to display my images.

Norm: How can readers find out more about you and Think Before You Shoot: The Art of Taking Creative Photographs?

Santino: The book is being sold online at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, local bookstores and fine gifts shops across the US, Europe, and Asia.

Norm: As this interview comes to an end, if you could invite three well-known photographers to your dinner table, who would they be and why?

Santino: First, there would be many more than just three photographers, but my first one would be Andre Kertesz, who I had the great fortune & pleasure to meet in Greenwich Village, NY, where I grew up.

His work spans all areas of photography from abstract, to portraiture, street scenes and still-life's, known for the visual lyricism and humanism that characterized his practice.

Second, Roy DeCarava; his photography embodies passion and joy, and everyday black life in Harlem, capturing the varied textures of the neighborhood and the creative efflorescence of the Harlem Renaissance.

Third, Irving Penn, whom I feel was a soul catcher in the field of fashion, as well as his personal work. He was able to get to the essence of both people, objects and related innovative images relating to beauty & style. He inspired me to be a young fashion photographer in New York to make a living.

Norm: Thanks once again and good luck with all of your future endeavors.

Santino: Thanks, Norm, it was a pleasure speaking with you.

Follow Here To Read Norm's Review of Think Before You Shoot: The Art of Taking Creative Photographs




From: Frank King -- Your TED Talk Coach Eugene , OR Saturday, March 12, 2022



Who cares for the care givers Video Clip: Click to Watch #suicideprevention #mentalhealth #mentalhealthawareness #depression #anxiety #mentalhealthmatters #suicide #suicideawarness #ptsd #mentalillness #selfcare #suicideawareness #love #depressionawareness #depressionhelp #suicidepreventionmonth #mentalhealthadvocate #endthestigma #mentalhealthsupport #selflove #recovery #youarenotalone #bipolar #trauma #hope #mentalhealthrecovery #loveyourself #mentalwellness #therapy #bhfyp #construction #constructionindustry #suicidepreventionworkplace #workplacesuicideprevention #attorneys #lawyers #physiciansuicide #physician #doctor #medicine #healthcare #medical #doctors #nurse #medstudent #medicalstudent #health #medschool #medicalschool #surgeon #hospital #surgery #covid #futuredoctor #physicianassistant #doctorsofinstagram #medlife #physicians #pathology #premed #dentist #doctorlife #cardiology #wellness #anatomy https://youtu.be/SGzPh1cUXOQ Susan R. Bailey, MDImmediate Past PresidentAs physicians, we are well-conditioned to deliver difficult truths to our patients whenever the situation demands it. We are not as comfortable accepting such truths about ourselves, even when we know that physicians can suffer from the same physical and emotional ailments that affect our patientsincluding depression and suicide.Burnout Management Tip-of-the-WeekReduce stress in your practice with:The third annual observance of National Physician Suicide Awareness Day on Sept. 17 offers an opportunity to shine a light on this troubling issue, strip away the stigma that surrounds it, and encourage physicians and other health care professionals who are struggling with burnout and depression to seek the help they need.The facts are devastating. U.S. physicians have one of the highest rates of suicide of any profession. Multiple factors fuel this tragic situation. The modern working environment for physicians and other health professionals can best be described as high-stakes dysfunction. Physicians are under increasing demands and scrutiny to deliver quality care amid ever-changing rules and administrative hassles that interfere with their primary mission.Strains at each career stage.Starting in medical school, or even earlier at the undergraduate level, an emphasis on physical stamina and mental toughness leads to a normalization of high levels of stress, sleep deprivation, excessively long workdays and a lack of free time to spend with family or friends.Many physicians face anxiety that stems from crushing levels of student debt, the hassles posed by a poorly designed digital workplace, administrative burdens and red tape, and a host of other stress-inducing factors, plus the added strain that comes with raising children and other responsibilities in the home.Related coverageAmid COVID-19 strain on physicians, 5 steps to build peer supportAll of this and more leads to higher levels of stress, burnout and depression within our physician ranks. Such feelings of stress and anxiety may never factor into a person's decision for self-harm. But it is also true that our profession is becoming more complex, more burdensome and more challenging by the day.The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated this situation and brought physician wellness to a crisis point through increased social isolation, reduced access to community support and fewer opportunities to seek counseling or other mental health resources, among other factors.Seeking help shouldn't be penalizedOur AMA is well aware of the physical and mental demands that modern medicine places on medical students, residents, practicing physicians and their colleagues. We continue to speak out against the long-held stigma placed against those who might otherwise choose to seek care for behavioral health issues, partly because they fear doing so might jeopardize their medical licenses and careers.Long-standing AMA policy encourages state licensing boards and other credentialing bodies to ensure confidentiality when physicians seek out counseling or other services to address their feelings of burnout, career fatigue, stress or depression. A physician's mental health should only factor into licensing and credentialing when it currently adversely affects his or her ability to practice medicine in a competent, ethical and professional manner.Earlier this year, the Medical Society of Virginia played a key role in securing a new state law creating the SafeHaven program, which provides confidential behavioral health resources and ongoing wellness support to physicians in a manner that does not place their medical license at risk, except in extraordinary circumstances.Related CoverageCOVID-19 casts new light on an old problem: Drug shortagesTexas, Idaho and other states provide confidentiality protections for physicians undergoing the care of a mental health professional; these protections should be available to physicians in every state. The AMA has also drafted model legislation to raise awareness of this critical issue and to influence policymakers.Additional resources designed to reduce stress and foster well-being can be found in our AMA STEPS Forward practice-improvement strategies and elsewhere on the AMA Ed Hub. For example, one of the evidence-based online modules focuses on assessing risk factors and warning signs for suicidal ideation, while another helps identify at-risk physicians with an emphasis on prevention strategies and facilitating access to care.Use the right wordsFinally, I urge physicians to join the movement to change the way we talk about suicide. A great deal of stigma and a sense of shame surrounds the phrase "to commit suicide" The verb "commit" frequently has a negative connotation, and is often used when discussing crimes or sins. It needlessly distinguishes a self-inflicted death from all other types of death, conveys guilt and culpability, and depicts the person who died as an offender rather than a victim of a mental health condition. Saying that someone died by suicide helps dispel the sense of shame that still surrounds it.If we are to end the devastation wrought by physician suicide, a single day that calls attention to this crisis is merely a starting point. We must be vigilant for signs of burnout and depression within ourselves and among our colleagues, and we must not hesitate to seek help when we recognize something is amiss. Physicians have resilience and self-reliance in abundance, but when we rely on those traits above all others, we put our own well-being and that of our patients and colleagues at risk.EXPLORE SERIES


Its an old Southern tradition: When you come into an unexpected sum of money  particularly government money  the socially acceptable thing to do is get drunk and spend like tomorrow is Judgment Day.

Now, were not accusing members of the Florida Legislature of over-consumption. But theyre throwing cash around like people who have knocked back more than a few at a Capitol-adjacent watering hole  or people who are acutely aware that they will soon face voters election-day reckoning.

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The total theyve approved is intoxicating. Last week, lawmakers had to work out a compromise between the House (which wanted to spend $105.3 billion) and the Senate (which initially proposed spending $108.6 billion). So they met.

But not in the middle.

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Their final budget, due to be voted on Monday, clocks in at $112.1 billion. Thats  a lot. (Last years total was $101.5 billion). The spending plan was fueled by a faster-than-expected economic recovery and a flush of federal COVID-relief cash that added at least $3.5 billion to the pot.

Some of the spending decisions were clearly cynical. Start with an absolute frenzy of seasonal tax breaks. Was it mere coincidence that lawmakers chose October for a month-long 26.5-cent-a-gallon cut in the states gas tax ? Surely, it has nothing to do with the fact that statewide elections are set for November. Some are arguing that this cut should extend over a longer time, since many low-income families are suffering from fast-rising gas prices. But other items in the massive  and somewhat random  bunch of tax cuts lawmakers agreed to in early March are harder to figure out. In addition to the familiar breaks on back-to-school clothes and supplies and hurricane-box items, lawmakers want holidays from taxes on a dizzying array of merchandise including tools, pool toys, energy-efficient refrigerators, garage doors, baby (but not adult) diapers, personal computers, Daytona 500 tickets and gun-club memberships.

We cant imagine how those last two items got in there.

Many of these breaks obviously fall into the nice-but-not-necessary category. Its not hard to find better ways to spend this money.

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

And to give them credit, lawmakers did include many low- and middle-class working families in the largesse. They mandated dramatically improved funding for family members who rescue young relatives from abusive or neglectful homes, and committed some funding  but not nearly enough  toward reducing the 22,759-names-long waiting list for disabled Floridians who need intensive services and the 57022 seniors waiting on community care. Theyre boosting annual per-student public school funding to $8,142, another record high. Add to that more than $200 million for after-school groups, summer camps and tutoring for K-12 students. Lawmakers insisted on an across-the-board 5.3% raise in state salaries, and specified bonuses for various categories of workers, including police, firefighters and EMTs. They also set a minimum wage of $15 an hour for all state employees, including the often-overlooked contract workers who fall under the other personal services category. They set the same bar for thousands of people who work for companies that contract with the state.

They also set aside $362.7 million for down-payment assistance and construction of more rental units.

Its the best Florida has ever done for affordable housing, and lawmakers deserve praise for that. But it wont be enough. Florida is facing some of the fastest-rising housing costs in the nation. Many state workers will need their raises  and then some  just to keep roofs over their heads.

Lawmakers should be asking themselves: Whats going to happen next year, when federal money starts to dwindle? Are they going to walk back the pay raises, take services away from needy Floridians or deflate public-school spending?

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The answer to those questions should be an obvious no  which is why we wish lawmakers had curbed some of their more frivolous impulses and prioritized spending in the areas where its most needed. Lawmakers may see the next round of budget-setting as more than a year  and one very important election cycle  away. But they should find a way to reassure Floridians that he most vulnerable residents wont be the ones who suffer when the budget picture sobers up.

The print version of this editorial had an incorrect figure for last years budget. It was $101.5 billion.

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.
Commentary From Crisis Management Expert Edward Segal, Author of the Award- Winning Book "Crisis Ahead: 101 Ways to Prepare for and Bounce Back from Disasters, Scandals, and Other Emergencies " (Nicholas Brealey)

One of the biggest challenges in trying to recover from a crisis is to declare victory over a crisissuch as Covid before it is really over.

More than two years into the Covid crisis, it is understandable why Americans want it to be overor assume or jump to conclusions that there is no more danger or risk. Recent declines of new Covid infections and hospitalizations have led to states relaxing or canceling their mask and other mandates.

But all of those decisions may not be based entirely on science.

For example, "In California, decisions about masking are sometimes more about geography and politics than infection rates," according to EdSource. "In more liberal areas, often with lower Covid rates, mask mandates are more likely to remain than in conservative areas with much higher infection rates."

Paul Duprex is a British scientist and advocate for vaccines and global health. He serves as the director of the University of Pittsburgh's Center for Vaccine Research and Regional Biocontainment Laboratory.

He informed 60 Minutes last year about the dangers of coronavirus variants before Delta and Omicron hit the United States. Duprex told the news magazine on Sunday that, "'The pandemic is not over. But we're in a very different place today than we were one year ago.''

Another sign that the pandemic is not over: the release last week by the White House of a new 96-page plan to address the crisis.

Covid Reality Check

Deaths

According to Johns Hopkins University, the number of pandemic deaths around the world now exceeds six millionand counting.

Infections

According to CNN, "there have been an estimated 140 million Covid-19 infections in the U.S., the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates, even though only 74.3 million cases have been reported as of January 31.

Vaccinations

AP reported recently that, "The average number of Americans getting their first shot is down to about 90,000 a day, the lowest point since the first few days of the U.S. vaccination campaign, in December 2020. And hopes of any substantial improvement in the immediate future have largely evaporated."

But getting lulled into a false sense of complacency and securityand prematurely lowering your defensescan help inject new life into a crisis, prolong the situation or make it worse.

President Joe Biden might have had this in mind last week when in his State of the Union message to a joint session of Congress, he said that, "We will continue to combat the [Covid-19] virus as we do other diseases. And because this is a virus that mutates and spreads, we will stay on guard."

Warning The Country

Jumping to conclusions is never a good thing to doespecially in a crisis. But some people may have jumped to the conclusion that the Covid crisis was over when Biden pointed out that, "...with 75% of adult Americans fully vaccinated and hospitalizations down by 77%, most Americans can remove their masks, return to work, stay in the classroom and move forward safely."

Preparing For New Variants

Biden warned the U.S. that, "...we must prepare for new variants. Over the past year, we've gotten much better at detecting new variants. If necessary, we'll be able to deploy new vaccines within 100 days instead of many more months or years.

"And, if Congress provides the funds we need, we'll have new stockpiles of tests, masks, and pills ready if needed. I cannot promise a new variant won't come. But I can promise you we'll do everything within our power to be ready if it does," he said.

New Covid Tracking Tool

The CDC recently launched Covid-19 Community Levels, a new tool to help communities decide what preventative steps to take based on the latest data. Levels can be low, medium, or high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions, and the total number of new Covid-19 cases in an area.

The CDC advised people to, "Take precautions to protect yourself and others from Covid-19 based on the Covid-19 Community Level in your area."

The Next Pandemic

According to a recent article in Nature, "After the Omicron variant brought a fresh wave of SARS-CoV-2 infections and anxiety at the start of 2022, some nations are starting to record a decline in case numbers. But after two years of oscillating between pandemic surges and retreats, even people in these countries cannot help but wonder when the next blow will comeand what form it will take.

"I think it is inevitable that we will see new variants with varying degrees of immune evasion," says Andrew Rambaut, who studies viral evolution at the University of Edinburgh, U.K. "They could emerge from wherever there is widespread transmission."

###
Saturday, March 12, 2022

Lviv Region

The Westernmost part of Ukraine, the Lviv region, was until 1939 part of Poland. When the Stalin Hitler pact of 1939 agreed to divide Poland between the two countries, the border of Ukraine moved about 200 miles Westward to include Lviv city, population 700,000. To approximately divide the area between Kiev and Lviv in half, that old boundary before 1939 and/or the longitudinal line 27.5 degrees would seem to be a reasonable boundary of a Ukraine Humanitarian Zone that could be monitored and free from armed forces. This area, about 20% of Ukraine's territory, is relatively underpopulated compared to Central and Eastern Ukraine, so this area would be less important to the Russians. That would make this idea, if adopted by the UN General Assembly, less controversial to the Russians. Western Ukraine has no Russian troops so far, unlike the Center and East.

Kiev Rail lines

Fortunately, the rail lines out of Kiev to the West actually starts out Southwest to Vinnytsia, the headquarters of the Ukrainian Air Force. So, it will take the Russians longer to cut this important refugee rail line as they begin to encircle Kiev to the West.

Ukrainian Strategy

Ukrainians have been very effective setting up traps for the invading Russians. While Russia has used only 761 missiles so far, the Ukrainians have 17,000 anti-tank Javelin missiles and 3000 Stinger anti-helicopter and anti-aircraft missiles. The Ukrainians have destroyed 350 tanks and killed three Russian generals. Although outgunned, the Ukrainians have 1400 helicopters almost as many as the 2000 the Russians have. These should be used to attack the artillery behind the Russian lines, which are usually lightly guarded. Artillery is a major cause of civilian deaths. During World War Two artillery were responsible for 78% of all military deaths. Outnumbered two to one, Robert E. Lee used Stonewall Jackson's cavalry (the helicopter of that age) to route the Union troops with a left hook strategy. There is an opportunity for a similar left hook attack behind the Western flank of the Kiev attack force seeking to disrupt vulnerable supply lines and artillery. This could be decisive to defending Kiev from encirclement and keeping the train lines open. The Ukrainians, like the Americans, seem to have strong independent sergeants, while the Russians are very top down and less resourceful at the small unit level.

Putin Trump

Both of them never hesitate to lie. Both of them see the world as killers (them) versus losers (others), and both of them are most comfortable around other so-called strong leaders. Both will deny responsibility and project on to others their own failings and deficiencies. They are so alike, it is scary. Both have pliable media that echo their endless lies and putdowns. Both are constantly attacking all enemies. To Putin, Trump has always been a "useful idiot" for Russia. Both are sociopaths. Both are violent, as the January 6 insurrection and Ukraine show. Both will do anything to stay in power. Putin has trained Trump well, almost like an organ grinder monkey.

No Fly Zone

NATO can't use a no-fly zone because "taking out" anti-aircraft guns in Russia would be necessary to control the skies over Ukraine. And that, as Biden says, leads to World War Three.

Humanitarian corridors have a much lower trigger, monitors of that policy will not shoot first, firing second only to punish a rogue intruder who breaks the rules and fires on civilians.

Empire Problem

Pushing another country around until they fight back, is the empire problem when NATO expanded Eastward despite prior agreements. Native Americans in the nineteenth century and Iraq in 1991 faced the same kinds of treatment, where the dominant powers kept changing the rules unilaterally. All the pious statements on the Sunday morning shows seldom ever consider the over eager posturing of empire states. That "normality" is seldom called out for its over aggressiveness. Kind of like passive aggressive behavior. Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Stages of Empire:

https://www.academia.edu/5415354/STAGES_of_EMPIRE_Twelve_15_ppt_3_p_2007

Please cite this work as follows: Reuschlein, Robert. (2022, March 12), "Ukraine Humanitarian Zone" Madison, WI, Real Economy Institute. Retrieved from: https://www.expertclick.com/NewsRelease/Ukraine-Humanitarian-Zone,2022268498.aspx

Dr. Peace, Professor Robert Reuschlein, Real Economy Institute, Nobel Peace Prize nominee 2016-2022 with accelerating interest from the deciding Norwegians. A consistently growing pattern shows intense interest in my work on my expertclick.com website; daily "hard looks" per year went from 2 to 3 to 48 to 128 to 200 to 322 by the October 8th, 2021 Nobel Peace Prize announcement.

Contact: bobreuschlein@gmail.com

Info: www.realeconomy.com
A motorcyclist died early Saturday after a SUV struck his bike while heading north on U.S. 281, San Antonio police reported.

The 45-year-old man was riding his Harley Davidson about 5:15 a.m. in the 14200 block of U.S. 281 North when the left front of a Honda Element hit the right side of his bike, throwing him off, according to police. The SUV spun out and crashed into a concrete barrier.

The Honda driver, who had been driving behind the motorcycle, told police that the motorcycle had either slowed down or stopped, and that she wasnt able to avoid a collision.

The motorcyclist was pronounced dead at the scene.
Ken Branca /File photo

Two men were killed in separate shootings on Saturday night, according to the San Antonio Police Department.

A 48-year-old man was shot when two men approached him and demanded he give them the keys to his truck around 8:20 p.m. in the 900 block of SW 36th Street.
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One of former District 1 Councilwoman Maria Berriozabals fondest memories of Mary Esther Bernal is singing in Spanish as Bernal played the piano at Christmas parties and other events in the 80s and 90s.

(That was) where she was, I think, her best, Berriozabal, 81, said. With her music. Our music.

Bernal, 86, died of natural causes at home Thursday. She had a reputation as an accomplished local pianist, even serving as the music director of the San Fernando Cathedral for nearly half a century. She also was known as a passionate advocate for the Mexican American community in San Antonio.

She just touched so many people and children and families with her personal and professional life, retired educator Minnie Abrego-Sanchez said.

Born to a Mexican father and an American mother in San Antonio on March 21, 1935, Bernal came of age in an era in which Texas law banned the speaking of Spanish in schools in a misguided effort to compel Mexican American students to develop fluency in English faster.

It wasnt publicly discussed, but students knew  Dont speak Spanish,  recalled her husband, former state Sen. Joe Bernal, 95.

The two met at a dance while Mary Esther Bernal was studying for her bachelors degree in music at Our Lady of the Lake University. Marrying on June 2, 1956, after she graduated, the two shared a firm belief in the necessity of bilingual education. During his time in the Texas Senate, Joe Bernal helped abolish the law forbidding the use of any language other than English in the classroom and pass the states first bilingual education act.

For her part, Mary Esther Bernal took pride in our language, realizing how important self-knowledge is for a child, Berriozabal said.

When she was hired by the San Antonio Independent School District in 1958, Mary Esther Bernal found a way to work around the language policy while it was still in place.

She would use tunes that were common in Hispanic culture, but she would use English words to teach them music, said her son Patrick Bernal, 63. So she wasnt allowed to use Spanish, but she could relate to them in the form of music.

On ExpressNews.com: Bernal school's namesake a pioneer

Mary Esther Bernal stayed at SAISD for about 40 years. During that time, she held many titles, including program specialist for the districts bilingual education program, director of the cultural and creative arts center, director of bilingual education and director of arts and languages. The year after she retired in 1995, she ran for the districts board of trustees and won.

Bernal had such a big heart, Abrego-Sanchez said, describing her as a leader and a mentor. And all while doing everything that she did, she still raised a fabulous family that is so giving and nurturing of our community still. And she was just an excellent role model for women.

Over the years, Bernal accrued many accolades for her work as both a musician and an educator, including the San Antonio Hispanic Chamber of Commerces Leadership Award and Texas A&M Universitys Dick Scobee Teacher Excellence Award in 1989. In 1991, she was inducted into the San Antonio Womens Hall of Fame. In 2010, the National Hispanic Heritage Hall of Honor named her one of its annual honorees for her contributions to education.

Bernal is survived by her husband, Joe; sons Richard and Patrick Bernal; daughter Rebecca Villarreal; six grandchildren; and two step-grandchildren. Her youngest son, Bernard Bernal, died in 2016, according to obituary records.

The family will hold a rosary at 7 p.m. April 4 at Angelus Funeral Home.

CORRECTION: This story has been updated to correct her age.

caroline.tien@hearst.com
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With her arm over her 11-year-old daughters shoulder, Esperanza Garza-Danweber weaved through downtown streets with other marchers Saturday during the San Antonio International Womens Day March & Rally.

The outing is somewhat of a tradition for Garza-Danweber, 47, who has been going to the march for the past two decades. Garza-Danweber said she can recall bringing her daughter, Octavia Danweber, when she was still in a stroller, and marching with her husband before they were married.

An ever-present drive to support of womens rights and a concern over Gov. Greg Abbotts recent directive regarding transgender children were two things that drew Garza-Danweber to this years march that started in Travis Park.

Abbotts directive equates gender-affirming care for transgender youth as child abuse. Though the Legislature didnt pass Senate Bill 1646, which aimed to classify gender-affirming care as child abuse, Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton issued a nonbinding legal opinion equating sex reassignment surgery, puberty blockers, and testosterone and estrogen treatments to child abuse.

This new threat is terrifying, Garza-Danweber said. Somebodys got to get out there. We have to show our solidarity.

On ExpressNews.com: Texas judge halts CPS investigations into families of trans kids, ruling Abbott overstepped

About 200 people braved the late-season cold front to participate in the 31st San Antonio International Womens Day March. It would have been the 32nd had COVID-19 not led to last years march cancellation.

March organizer Rachell Tucker, from the Party for Socialism and Liberation, said recent traumatic events like the COVID-19 pandemic make it especially important for people to heal together by demonstrating.

This years marchers and speakers were standing up for several issues, from the right to abortion to support for transgender youth to housing and health care as human rights.

Sam Owens /Staff photographer

In her speech during the rally ahead of the march, health care organizer with Texas Organizing Project Sofia Sepulveda pulled from her own experience as a transgender woman. She recalled being punished by her parents growing up when she acted feminine, leading her to consider suicide.

In more than half the country, states are introducing legislation to deny access to abortion care and trans care to our communities, Sepulveda said. Many times these bills have been introduced by white, cisgender males that have no idea about the science and about our bodies and have no business making decisions for us.

International Womens Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women and calls for womens equality, according to its website. It was on March 8.

The struggle for liberation is continuous, Garza-Danweber said of why she continues to come to the march each year. As long as humans exist, were always going to be fighting for our freedom. So we have to keep standing up, showing up for each other.

On ExpressNews.com: Texas high court ends months-long challenge to 6-week abortion ban

Marchers made a 1.6-mile trek from Travis Park to Maverick Park, chanting for the separation of church and state as they passed First Baptist Church of San Antonio, and about housing being a human right as they walked by a homeless encampment near Brooklyn Avenue. Organizers also called for support of the San Antonio Symphony musicians as they passed by the Tobin Center.

The phrase No nos moveran! We Will Not Be Moved! was also shouted during a rally in Travis Park ahead of the march. Jessica O. Guerrero, a march organizer, said it was chosen at the march slogan this year for its historical significance; We will not be moved is an English song that she said was first translated to Spanish by Emma Tenayuca and other pecan shellers in San Antonio while they were in jail after marching for better pay and safe working conditions in the 1930s.

Several local nonprofit and grassroots organizations collaborated to bring the march to life, including the San Antonio chapter of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, the Autonomous Brown Berets De San Anto and the Bexar County Young Democrats.

Sam Owens /Staff photographer

Leaders from several local organizations made their voices heard at the rally, including Myra Dumapias, founder and lead community organizer for the Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders for Justice in San Antonio.

Dumapias emphasized the importance of coming together to create change and build solidarity. Her organization held a peace vigil following the march to mark the upcoming one-year anniversary of the anti-Asian attacks in Atlanta that killed eight people.

The march has become a family affair for the Sanchezes, who have made it out to the event for the past few years. Andrea Sanchez, 39, attended Saturday with her husband and two of their three children and said she thinks it is beautiful that so many people come together to stand up for others.

I just want them to understand that its very important for them to march and stand up for their rights Sanchez said of her children. If we dont, then who is?

Correction: The list of organizers for this event has been updated.

megan.rodriguez@express-news.net
Webb County, a Democratic stronghold and home to Laredo, is set to become the most populous county to embrace Gov. Greg Abbotts border security operation to arrest migrants suspected of crossing the border illegally on state charges, according to the county judge.

Were just in the initiation stages, County Judge Tano Tijerina said. Were almost there to start getting everything that we need to do as far as arrests.

The partnership would be a win for Abbott, who has found Democratic regions less willing to participate in his catch-and-jail strategy.

Other Webb County officials did not return phone calls, and the governors office declined to comment on the expansion, referring questions to the Texas Department of Public Safety, which did not immediately respond. At a news conference Thursday, DPS Director Steve McCraw and Abbott said trespassing arrests were set to start in other counties shortly.

We are expanding the operation to other counties where were also making the arrest for trespass, Abbott said at the event in Weslaco, which the governor used to boast about his border initiatives accomplishments after one year in operation.

Last March, Abbott flooded some border regions with thousands of Texas National Guard members and state police shortly after President Joe Biden was sworn into office and during a sharp rise in illegal border crossings. A year into his Operation Lone Star, Abbott this month touted more than 11,000 arrests and the seizure of a record amount of fentanyl.

Beginning last July, Abbott ordered state police to make mass trespassing arrests in two border counties of men who were suspected of crossing the border illegally, resulting in a slew of mistakes by police, prosecutors and courts. The arrests have led to countless court fights and growing pleas for the federal government to intervene over concerns that the arrests unconstitutionally discriminate against migrants and overstep state authority in immigration law, which is under federal jurisdiction.

U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, a San Antonio Democrat who penned the first complaint to the federal government against the trespassing arrests, said the operation is a complete failure.

Hes wasted money, mistreated guard members and violated peoples basic constitutional rights  all for politics, he said in a statement Thursday. Im surprised any county would want to be part of that colossal mess at this point.

Prison officials report that more than 3,500 migrants have been locked up in two state prisons that Abbott converted into immigration jails, largely to hold those accused of trespassing on private property. The migrants have often been imprisoned for months before being transferred to immigration officials, who either deport, detain or release them into the country pending asylum claims.

The arrests started around Del Rio in Val Verde and Kinney counties in July, with migrants booked into the Operation Lone Star jail system at a Del Rio processing tent and sent to prison. After Val Verde Countys misdemeanor prosecutor, a Democrat, said he rejected or dismissed most of the cases brought to him because the migrants were seeking asylum, state troopers stopped arrests in the county as of November and focused on making arrests in more conservative Kinney County.

But last month, Abbott announced an expansion into Jim Hogg County, between Laredo and the Rio Grande Valley. The state popped up a new tent center to begin processing more arrestees. On Wednesday, 57 of the nearly 900 men held in the state prisons for Operation Lone Star had been arrested in Jim Hogg County, the prisons reported.

Tijerina said Webb County will process arrested migrants in Jim Hogg County and otherwise operate similarly to Kinney County, where more than 2,200 men through January had been arrested and imprisoned solely for allegedly trespassing, according to DPS data.

Its going to be exactly the same kind of situation, and its going to happen here, Tijerina said.

The Democratic county judge said some ranchers have already signed agreements with DPS to allow troopers to arrest anyone on their property for trespassing.

When you have a lot of these ranchers that are having problems with a lot of these immigrants coming in, it changes the dynamic of this, he said.

Growing up on ranches, Tijerina said, he always encountered people on the properties who were crossing the border illegally, and for the most part, almost all of them do not mean us any harm.

Nowadays, theres a lot of changes that have happened, he said. You have a lot of people who do have malintent.

In the Laredo region, like all of the U.S.-Mexico border, agents with the Border Patrol encountered significantly more people illegally crossing the border last year, according to federal data. Immigration officials reported more than twice as many encounters in the region in fiscal year 2021 versus 2020. But the increase was nowhere near the uptick seen in the Del Rio sector, where Abbotts arrests first began. That sector, in a less populous region, saw more than six times as many encounters during the same time.

Tijerina said the governors office is providing grant funding to help county prosecutors and courts, but he did not have specifics. Some funds were still pending from the governors office, he said.

As far as the constitutional concerns raised by Abbotts trespassing arrests, Tijerina said he believed the operation was largely about securing the border. But he acknowledged there will likely be challenges ahead.

We havent gotten started, so maybe some of those (issues) are going to be speed bumps were going to have to address when we do it, he said.

The Texas Tribune is a nonprofit, nonpartisan media organization that informs Texans about public policy, politics, government and statewide issues.
Re: No wishing away gender dysphoria, Another View, Tuesday:

Dr. Timothy C. Hlavinkas op-ed expressed graceful application of medical expertise and evinced the humaneness of a true health care provider. He reminded me of my 26-year career as a college health science instructor, especially teaching medical ethics.

I only wish Gov. Greg Abbott and the Texas Republican were as reasonable as the good doctor.

Carlos Valle Jr.

Grace and courage

Thank you for printing the essay by Dr. Timothy C. Hlavinka.

After presenting his personal and professional reasons for treating gender variances, his marvelous final paragraph is a model for speaking in opposition to Gov. Greg Abbotts misguided opinions and legislation.

He refrained from personally attacking the governor and compared the governors grace and courage in dealing with the impact that his own physical disability had on his life to his failure or refusal to show the same grace and courage regarding others comparable conflicts.

His final sentences are worth repeating verbatim: Those human beings were given a set of genetic material that impacted the remainder of their lives, much as your accident impacted yours. God bless you for being a role model.

Bruce Gardner

Lovely musical gift

Re: Dropkick Murphys music is good for fighting times, Other Views, March 6:

I am an 80-year-old great-grandmother and had never heard the name of the band until Brandon Lingles column in last Sundays paper. I listened to one song, The Rose Tattoo. This is a marvelous band. I love the array of different instruments and that Irish brogue I can hear coming through.

Thank you for a lovely gift.

Glenda Joanne Duming

Meant to be free

Freedom! That inner yearning and basic God-given need to be free  to live, to love, to express our thoughts, to choose  to be who we are. The world is watching and experiencing entire societies, groups of citizens and the country of Ukraine putting their lives on the line for freedom.

Having despotic leaders subjugate others is a thing of the past. It is a consciousness of yesteryears, no longer satisfying or even tolerable. Leaders who think they can threaten, intimidate, bully, even kill off detractors are fighting a losing battle. Their time has passed. We have come too far. Ones who have experienced that deep sense of freedom cannot go back and wont go back.

Because we know the truth  we were meant to be free.

Kay Mijangos

Research candidates

It seems like every election there are surprises when it comes to the outcome of judicial races, with judges losing their elections through no apparent fault of their own.

Voters must search a little harder to find out about the candidates, which doesnt always happen. That can lead to uninformed voting.

No matter the election, we all should take the time to learn more about judicial candidates on the ballot, including their record and whether they are committed to applying the law as written  not legislating from the bench.

Amber Pearce, board chair, Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse of Central Texas

Missing Carlos, a victim of gun violence and the unholy triad

We met Carlos five years ago after we had just moved in our apartment.

He told us that he was a handyman and was available for small repairs, and gave us his phone number. I estimated him to be in his late 40s. He lived on the South Side with his mother, but we never learned much else about him. He always answered our calls and would show up fast in urgent situations.

I am 87 and not very steady on my feet. One evening I fell and went right through a window. My wife called Carlos and within 30 minutes he showed up despite the late hour. He removed the remaining shards from the window frame, closed the hole with a board and measured what size glass was needed for permanent repair. It was midnight before he was done.

He did the things I can no longer do myself and was very reasonable in his charges. We considered him a friend.

Last December we could not reach him despite several calls. We could not leave a message because his mailbox was full.

My wife finally reached a friend of Carlos, who told her that he had been shot dead. We were stunned.

Now, getting up in the morning and stepping on the wooden floor that Carlos laid, I am sad. Using the microwave he installed to heat some coffee, I think about him. Walking past the large Mexican mirror he hung on the wall for me, I imagine seeing him.

I came from Holland, where murders and shootings particularly were very rare. I have lived in America for about 60 years, and they are way too common here.

The unholy triad of gun producers, the NRA and compromising politicians resists any attempt to interpret the Second Amendment with common sense. I am certain that if the Founding Fathers could speak today, they would see nothing wrong with registration and regulation of the flood of weapons now inundating our country.

Johan Zwaan, M.D., Ph.D.


The latest data from analytics company Forward Keys indicates that the ongoing war in Ukraine has caused an immediate stall in flight bookings to Europe, with almost all markets in the former Yugoslavia affected. Excluding Ukraine and Moldova, which closed their airspace, and Russia and Belarus, which are subjected to flight bans and safety warnings, bookings to Croatia and Slovenia have been among the most affected in Europe, declining between 30% and 50% compared to previous weeks before the start of the war. The markets of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo saw bookings decrease between 10% and 30%, while bookings for flights to Serbia decreased less than 10%. The latest data from analytics company Forward Keys indicates that the ongoing war in Ukraine has caused an immediate stall in flight bookings to Europe, with almost all markets in the former Yugoslavia affected. Excluding Ukraine and Moldova, which closed their airspace, and Russia and Belarus, which are subjected to flight bans and safety warnings, bookings to Croatia and Slovenia have been among the most affected in Europe, declining between 30% and 50% compared to previous weeks before the start of the war. The markets of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo saw bookings decrease between 10% and 30%, while bookings for flights to Serbia decreased less than 10%.

Intra-European air traffic was more negatively affected than transatlantic travel. Flight bookings within Europe fell an average of 23%, whereas they decreased 13% from the United States. Montenegros National Tourist Organisation has warned that the ongoing war will have a big impact on the countrys summer tourism season. During the corona-impacted 2021, over 15% of all holidaymakers arriving to Montenegro were either from Russia or Ukraine. Flights between Russia and Montenegro have not been in operation since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020. In 2019, a total of 631.561 passengers flew between Moscow and Tivat alone, with services from a number of other Russian cities, including Saint Petersburg, which accounted for 62.147 travellers. This summer will mark the absence of flights between Belarus and Tivat as well. Last summer, prior to the introduction of sanctions against Belarus, the countrys national carrier, Belavia, was planning up to four daily flights to Tivat. Finally, the fate of summer flights from Ukraine remains highly uncertain. Last summer, Ukraine International Airlines maintained twelve weekly flights to Tivat from four Ukrainian cities, while SkyUp Airlines operated twelve weekly services from three cities, and Windrose Airlines ran two weekly rotations from the Ukrainian capital.





New routes that were due to commence this summer from Ukraine to former Yugoslav markets included Ryanairs service from Lviv to Zagreb, Ukraine International Airlines flights from Kiev to Split, Pula and Tivat, as well as Windrose Airlines service from the Ukrainian capital to Ljubljana. The Ukrainian market accounted for 3.3% of European passenger traffic and 0.8% of global traffic in 2021. The Russian international market represented 5.7% of European traffic (excluding the Russian domestic market) and 1.3% of global traffic in 2021. The sudden spike in fuel prices is putting further pressure on airline costs. When we made our most recent industry financial forecast last autumn, we expected the airline industry to lose $11.6 billion in 2022 with jet fuel at $78/barrel and fuel accounting for 20% of costs. As of March 4, jet fuel is trading at over $140/barrel. Absorbing such a massive hit on costs just as the industry is struggling to cut losses as it emerges from the two-year Covid-19 crisis is a huge challenge. If the jet fuel price stays that high, then over time, it is reasonable to expect that it will be reflected in airline yields, IATAs Director General, Willie Walsh, said.




Within sight of Central Floridas popular tourist destinations are neighborhoods that deserve more. Many of them are distressed, underserved places where desperation exists instead of hope. Forgotten places where talk of the future rarely means going to college but rather how to get the next meal on the table or pay this months bills. It does not have to be like this. But we cannot do it all alone. We need your support, and your communities need you.

When the Harris Rosen Foundation first started the Tangelo Park Program in Orlando 29 years ago, residents from the Tangelo Park neighborhood were committed to end their communitys infiltration by drug dealers  a recurring topic in the media. This was not how the Tangelo Park community wanted to be defined.

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Harris Rosen is president and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts and of The Harris Rosen Foundation. - Original Credit: Courtesy photo (Courtesy photo)

Today, the Tangelo Park Program provides comprehensive educational opportunities with free preschool, parenting classes, and full college or vocational school scholarships  including free tuition and books, and room and board  for everyone eligible in the community. The turnaround has been quite remarkable. Close to 100 percent of Tangelo Park high school students graduate and grades have risen dramatically, while crime rates have declined by 80%. And now, Tangelo Park students are successfully attending college with great hope for the future.

The success of the Tangelo Park Program has encouraged a second Harris Rosen Foundation community initiative in another underserved neighborhood, the Parramore community in downtown Orlando. The Parramore neighborhood is approximately five times larger than Tangelo Park and has demonstrated an equal promise of success.

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At this very moment, the private sector is desperate to find qualified individuals to fill voids in their operations. What better way to fill the voids, than to create a Tangelo Park Program in every underserved community in Florida and throughout America, giving our youngsters the skills they will need to succeed and thrive?

Michael Brown is president and CEO of Travel + Leisure Co. - Original Credit: Courtesy photo (John Susan Francis / Courtesy photo)

The Travel + Leisure Co. last year joined the effort to change America, one community at a time. As a partner in the hospitality industry, Travel + Leisure Co., working with the Orange County Public Schools, supports this life-changing program for the residents living in the historic Eatonville community. The next generation of Eatonville neighbors can now achieve their academic and professional aspirations as the Travel + Leisure Charitable Foundation will offer its first scholarships to high school graduates this spring.

Through the years, the Rosen team has repeatedly demonstrated to other community leaders and to businesses throughout the nation that the Tangelo Park model is not only affordable, but it is highly effective. Simply speaking, it is an approach that eliminates educational and financial inequity. One would think it would be an easy sell. But sadly, it has proven not to be. Today, there are dozens of diverse neighborhoods remaining to be adopted in Central Florida, and sadly thousands more across America.

Travel + Leisure Co. represents the first corporate partner to join the movement. But we can change that. We ask everyone to bring awareness of this mission to your employer. Get involved. Companies, we ask you to join us and adopt a neighborhood in need. We are wasting millions of minds in America, something we can no longer afford to do. The path is clear.

Harris Rosen is president and COO of Rosen Hotels & Resorts and of The Harris Rosen Foundation. Michael Brown is president and CEO of Travel + Leisure Co.
Parsons, KS (67357)

Today

Thunderstorms, some heavy this morning, then periods of rain during the afternoon. High 61F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near an inch..

Tonight

Rain. Low 58F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
Dr. David L. Eisler has served as president of Ferris State University since July 2003. On campus, Dr. Eisler has worked with faculty, staff and students to develop and implement a vision that focuses Ferris State University as a career-centered university. Under his leadership the University has embarked on an ambitious program of curricular innovation, technology integration, classroom renovation, cooperative programs with community colleges, and providing opportunity to students who may not otherwise attended college. During this period Ferris State University has enjoyed record enrollments.

President Eisler speaks widely on educational issues, the growing crisis of student debt, student engagement and economic development through higher education partnerships. As an academic leader, President Eisler believes strongly in the value of excellence in undergraduate education. He is committed to ensuring the integrity of the college experience based upon an education that develops mature communication and quantitative skills, and a knowledge core with both breadth and depth. He believes the higher education experience should prepare students for successful careers, create a pattern of intellectual rigor and provide the foundation for lifelong learning.

In partnership with the American Association of State College and Universities and the New York Times, Dr. Eisler helped create the American Democracy Project. Nationally he serves AASCU as a member of the Board of Directors. Dr. Eisler is actively engaged in issues of higher education and economic development, serving on the boards of Presidents Council for State Universities of Michigan, Talent 2025 and the Midwestern Higher Education Compact. Committed to volunteer involvement, he is past Chair for the Board of the Michigan Nonprofit Association, and serves on the Michigan Research Council. As an arts advocate, he serves on the board of the Grand Rapids Symphony and is past chair of the University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre and Dance alumni board.

In 2013 Dr. Eisler was selected as the Newsmaker of the Year in Education by the Grand Rapids Business Journal and Ferris State University was chosen for the uncommon Greatness Award by the Center for Community Leadership.

President Eisler earned bachelor and doctoral degrees in Clarinet Performance from the University of Michigan and his master's degree from Yale University. In 2007 he was inducted into the University of Michigan School of Music Theatre and Dances Hall of Fame.
A Bipartisan Trio of Ferris Alumni Reflects Upon Elected Office

As part of its mission statement, Ferris State University proclaims that it "prepares students for successful careers, responsible citizenship and lifelong learning." Holding public office is arguably the highest form of responsible citizenship  especially for graduates of an institution whose founder also served as Michigan governor and United States senator.

Three Ferris alumni serve in the Michigan State House of Representatives. This article focuses on the highs and lows of being in public service, how these alumni became interested in running for office and how Ferris helped them achieve that goal.

103rd District Rep. Bruce Rendon

Bruce Rendon of Lake City (T' 71) was elected in November 2010 to his first term in the Michigan House to represent residents of Missaukee, Roscommon, Ogemaw and Iosco counties. He has been owner and operator of Rendon Quality Construction Inc. in Lake City for nearly 30 years. Rep. Rendon has been married to Daire Moore Rendon for 39 years. They have two daughters and three grandchildren.

I wanted to run for office because...

As a small-business man, I recognized the only way to make change was through holding office. I started a construction company and became involved in professional organizations, including the Michigan Association of Home Builders, the third largest such organization in the country with approximately 12,000 members. I eventually became MAHB president. I was politically involved as far back as my high school days at Thornapple-Kellogg High School in Middleville. I took a class called "20th Century Problems," which led me to get involved.

Ferris State University helped prepare me for public office because. . .

In high school, I had a talent for art, for being able to put things in visual perspective. I was raised in a builders home and wanted to go to a trade school for drafting. Ferris gave me that opportunity. I have always been a hands-on person, so Ferris was a good fit for me. The one-on-one attention I got at Ferris made me see that you can make a difference in someone's life.

The hardest part about being a public servant is...

The toughest thing about being a legislator is conveying information back to constituents who are worried about the effects votes will have in their own backyard. We don't want change to affect us. Twenty-nine years of making payroll makes you see the whole story. The toughest thing is to make decisions and cast votes based on all the facts. The media has only so much time to get a story across. With technology, you can reach thousands of people at the same time, but nothing beats one-on-one contact  just like at Ferris.

The best part of being a public servant is...

The best thing is being able to help people. In this life, there are givers and takers. I like to think that I'm a giver. I am in awe of being here. I am one of 110 representatives in the state. Few people get the opportunity to be in my position, and I am truly respectful of that.

The public perception of elected office is changing because...

I think the times are swinging back to there being more respect. It seems like the silent majority is having its due, especially in Michigan. People are resilient  they want to do what's right. When I take tough votes and get pushback, constituents tell me that they sent me to make a difference and understand those votes. I agree with term limits, but in the house, three two-year terms are too short. This keeps us from becoming bipartisan. Everyone is concerned with being re-elected. You're never not running. There were campaigns for seats in Michigan that cost more than $1 million. It shouldn't be like that. There's a loss of experience.

Someone considering running for public office should...

First, consider your family. Second, have an open mind. Third, you need a strong work ethic. This is a 24-hour-a-day job.

My future plans include...

I've had the desire to serve for years. I don't see that changing, so I have no intention of retiring. I have been married 39 years and I celebrated my 60th birthday in September. I have two grown daughters and three grandchildren. At the time that I ran unsuccessfully in 2004, my wife developed a very serious form of cancer. On June 30 this year, she celebrated the four-year anniversary of her successful adult stem cell transplant. At that time, if I'd had to make the choice, I would have chosen caring for my wife over being in office. I think everything happens for a reason.

90th District Rep. Joseph Haveman

Joseph Haveman (AS'83) represents the cities of Holland, Hudsonville and Zeeland, and the townships of Blendon, Holland, Jamestown and Zeeland in Ottawa County. He formerly was the director of business development at GDK Construction, executive director of the Holland Home Builders Association, as well as Holland City Council member and Ottawa County Commissioner. Rep. Haveman has been married to his wife, Kim, for 28 years, and has four children: Brooke, Carter, Hope and Mackenzie.

The best part of being a representative is...

The camaraderie with colleagues is fantastic, and I've been able to meet diverse groups of people  in our community, in Lansing and around the state. I've enjoyed the robust debates, the variety of ideas and the willingness to work together to find solutions. People criticize us for being partisan, but there's a lot more bi-partisanship and friendship than the media or anyone would let you know. I've made an effort to get to know all of my colleagues, from both parties and because of this I'm better able to serve our community and the state.

The toughest part of holding public office is...

I love what I'm doing, so it's hard to come up with something I don't like. You really have to have a focus and a direction, and stick to your convictions because you're not going to make everyone happy. You get bombarded with everyone's issues, and you have to be able to speak intelligently about all of them, understand a little bit and then rely on your people who are the experts. That keeps it interesting, but it's a challenge, too. Then theres the fundraising, which is probably my least favorite. Also, so much of the public's perception comes from, I believe, what they see in Washington. People don't differentiate between Washington D.C. and Lansing. I think we're tarnished by that.

Ferris helped prepare me for public office because...

I was president of the student body. I came to Ferris in 1979 and started with a general Business degree. I majored in Public Administration with the idea that I would gravitate toward city management. I graduated in '83 and worked on a campaign in '84 for Al Hoekman, who became a state representative. Later on, I rubbed elbows with him on a monthly basis, talking about legislative issues. I ran in 2008 and took office in 2009. I just turned 50. People ask me, "How long have you been thinking about running?" I tell them, "Since college." I'm a slow starter.

Someone thinking about running for office should...

Do your homework, plan early. Set your sights on when you want to run, make sure you have family support, and then start making your contacts early. There is a lot of legwork up front, then it's a year of just hard work. Make sure your family is behind you. I had talked about running back in my 30s, but my wife and I decided it wasn't going to happen when our kids were that age. There are some legislators who are young enough to be my kids, and there are others in-between, with young kids at home. I say, "More power to 'em, if they can do it." We decided that wasnt going to be good for us. Youve got to have an understanding spouse or family to put up with the lifestyle.

My future plans include...

I really mean it when I say, "I dont know." We'll cross that bridge in a couple of years. I'm not going to wait until the last minute, obviously. I don't want to have one foot in Lansing while also handing out resumes because then I'd be short-changing the public. I'm very close to being an empty nester; I've got a house that's going to be way too big for me. I would like to stay involved in some kind of public policy or community service. My wife and I will talk about where the Lord wants to take us, and well go from there.

95th District Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes

Rep. Stacy Erwin Oakes (EHS'94) obtained her bachelor's degree in Criminal Justice from Ferris and earned her teaching certification while working as a corrections officer at the Saginaw Correctional Facility. She went on to earn her law degree from Michigan State University Law School while working for the Michigan Department of Civil Rights. She and her husband, Michael, have two children, Michael II and Kingston.

I wanted to run for office because...

As a former teacher, corrections officer, attorney and mother, I felt that I would be an effective voice for advocacy for both the 95th district and the state of Michigan. From my observations, it is only when an individual has made him or herself an instrumental part of the political process does one truly get a place at the table thus allowing them to exercise influence. This is true for grassroots advocates and public servants alike. Political muscle needs to be exercised just like any other.

Ferris helped prepare me for public office because...

Ferris allowed me, as a young adult, to establish a solid educational foundation upon which the rest of my adult career would be built. I was provided a rigorous yet economical education in a diverse and unpretentious atmosphere. These attributes definitely proved to be beneficial in the legislative process. By attending Ferris, I was able to graduate certified in law enforcement without going to the police academy. This distinction often times set me apart from others, represented commitment, and provided options over and above those of my peer group.

The hardest part about being a public servant is...

The hardest part is facing the reality that you will run into roadblocks which are difficult to overcome. Explaining separation of powers and the difference between local, state and federal issues to our constituents can be tricky. For instance, we have constituents who come to us with issues which may be local or federal in nature. Try as one might, since we are elected at the state level, we are in a position to most effectively deal with affairs at the state level, not the federal. We can engage with federal agencies and elected officials, but we may be unable to resolve the issue as our constituent would have liked. Be it a local, state or federal issue, we own it simply by merit of being in elected office.

The best part of being a public servant is...

The best part is the immense and valuable gratification you receive when you are able to assist someone in a matter which is important to them. As an advocate for my district, I assist my constituents in everything from resolving issues with the Department of Treasury, to clarifying issues with the unemployment agency, to state licensure issues, etc. New issues pop up every day, and with every issue resolved comes greater institutional knowledge from which I can draw upon in assisting constituents who contact me in the future who may have a similar issue.

The public perception of elected office is changing because...

In this era of term-limits, the electorate no longer has as much time to cultivate the strong familiarity with their elected officials. Technology can help in filling the void of interpersonal interaction. One must tread cautiously, however. As we have seen, technology can be unforgiving and the media scrutiny given to gaffes can border on the sensational. In addition to term limits and technology, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the hyper-partisan political culture which has seemed to infiltrate our political discourse. Most, if not all, public officials serve for one reason: to ensure that they leave their township, city, state or nation a better place for their family, neighbors and community. Even if we have different ideals as to how to achieve those ends, we should respect one another's good intentions.

Someone considering running for public office should...

Someone considering running for public office should remember that they are not out to serve or represent themselves, but that they are always in the service and representation of others. I encourage political engagement for people of all ages, backgrounds and affiliations. Being in the service of others is one of the most rewarding experiences I have had in my life.

My future plans include...

My future plans include running for re-election for the 95th district. I am honored to serve the good people of my district and that they saw fit to cast their vote for me is not something I take lightly. I will serve with full knowledge of the responsibility which I carry in any elected office.
Ferris State University alumnus Jeffrey Rowe received the Michigan Pharmacists Association Pharmacist of the Year Award during the Association's Annual Convention and Exposition at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center. The award is Michigan's highest honor in the pharmacy profession.

Rowe and his wife, Annette, have always shown the utmost support for the profession and for the development of up-and-coming pharmacists. In 2015, the Rowes donated $1.5 million to Ferris' College of Pharmacy to support the renovation of the Hagerman Pharmacy Building and a scholarship for student pharmacists who are accepted into the Doctor of Pharmacy/Master of Business Administration program at FSU.

He has further been engaged in many areas of pharmacy practice, supported the future of the profession, and volunteered his time and expertise to the MPA and the community. With more than 30 years of experience in the specialty pharmacy industry, Rowe most recently served as executive vice president and a board member for Diplomat Inc., the largest independent specialty pharmacy company in the United States. During his tenure with Diplomat, the company grew from a single location with less than $5 million in revenue to 16 locations and $3 billion in sales. In addition, it became a publicly traded company in the New York Stock Exchange.

Rowe joined Diplomat in 1993 as a staff pharmacist, concentrating on building the organization's compounding and complementary services. He also served as the pharmacy manager from 1997-2006. Before joining Diplomat, he owned two successful independent pharmacies in Genesee County.

A member of MPA since 1979, Rowe is a past president and treasurer of Genesee County Pharmacists Association. He has frequently served as a delegate to the MPA House of Delegates and served as treasurer on the MPA Executive Board from 2002-07. Rowe is currently active on the MPA Third Party Committee, a group he has been a member of since 2000. He is also a member of the American Pharmacists Association and National Community Pharmacists Association.

In his community, Rowe serves on the board for several non- and for-profit organizations, including St. Luke's New Life Center, a nonprofit dedicated to educating and training at-risk individuals to prepare them for the job market. He currently serves as board president for St. Luke's. Additionally, Rowe is a volunteer at Genesee County Free Clinic.

The Michigan Pharmacists Association, representing the nearly 9,000 pharmacists and 15,000 pharmacy technicians in Michigan, strives to serve members by providing support, advocacy and resources that ultimately improve patient care, safety, health and the practice of pharmacy.
Jon Mandrell, a graduate of Ferris State University's Doctorate in Community College Leadership program, has assumed the presidency of the Tennessee College of Applied Technology, based in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.

Mandrell received unanimous support for his appointment from the Tennessee Board of Regents. He comes to TCAT-Murfreesboro from Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, Illinois, where he will depart as vice president of Academics and Student Services.

I have literally spent my entire life at SVCC, as I would visit there as a 4-year-old with my mother, who was on the faculty, Mandrell said. I met my wife there, returned as an adjunct faculty member, and through the support of my DCCL training, became an administrator at Sauk Valley. I would not be able to continue my career advancement if it was not for the preparation I received from Ferris program. It has certainly changed my life.

Mandrell said he is encouraged by the focus on industry and community response at TCAT.

They opened a campus in Smyrna, directly across the road from a Nissan manufacturing plant, that employs 8,400 people, Mandrell said. That campus, which is less than two years old, houses the Nissan Training Center in a public-private partnership. TCAT offers a variety of regionally important programs, such as healthcare, pharmacy technology, cosmetology, digital graphic design, administrative office training and surgical technology. I have structured my focus in education with the end in mind, and the DCCL program prepared me to promote and support student success and workforce development. It also taught me to embrace change and innovation, I am hoping to do exactly that at TCAT. The state of Tennessee seems to be very progressive. I feel that TCAT, like many colleges, serves as a lifeblood of our communities.

Mandrell began his studies as part of Ferris third cohort, in 2012, commuting from Illinois along with a SVCC peer, Steve Nunez. Both men graduated from the DCCL program in May 2015.

I actually switched to the DCCL program after beginning doctoral studies at another institution, because of Ferris flexibility and access, Mandrell said. Steve will be moving into my role in Academics and Student Services, as we apply what we have learned as instructors, graduate students to benefit our respective faculties and colleges. I have also heard from many of my Ferris classmates, following my appointment, offering calls of congratulation, along with DCCL administrators and instructors.

Mandrell also plans to contribute to Ferris program, as he has accepted a position on the DCCL advisory board.

With its multi-state focus, the program has really exploded, Mandrell said. This is a very timely development, since many leaders of two-year institutions nationally are at, or nearing the end of their careers. I am excited to have the opportunity to support the DCCL in its effort to meet the demands of career and technical education leadership.
Ferris State University has turned to its strong alumni base to add a pair of new leaders for the University with the gubernatorial appointments of Kari Sederburg and Kurt Hofman to the University's Board of Trustees.

Sederburg, of East Lansing, is a senior program officer with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund in Lansing. Hofman, of Grand Rapids, is the executive vice president at RoMan Manufacturing, Inc. They are serving eight-year terms that expire Dec. 31, 2026.

Ferris President David Eisler stands ready to work with the Board's new trustees.

"We are so pleased to welcome Ms. Sederburg and Mr. Hofman to the Ferris State University Board of Trustees," Eisler said. "Both bring a broad range of experiences to our Board and as alumni understand firsthand the difference Ferris can make for students and their futures. I very much look forward to working with them to continue the advancement of our university and the education we provide."

Prior to her current position as senior program officer with the Michigan Health Endowment Fund in Lansing, Sederburg served as the executive director of the Michigan Aging and Adult Services Agency. In 2002, she earned her bachelor's degree in Public Relations from Ferris' College of Business and added her master's degree in Public Administration from Ohio University.

In addition to his current position, as executive vice president at RoMan Manufacturing, Inc., Hofman serves on the advisory board for Ferris' Welding Engineering Technology program and is chair-elect for The Ferris Foundation Board of Directors. Hofman earned an associate degree in Welding Engineering Technology in 1983 from Ferris' College of Engineering Technology, and a bachelor's degree in Welding Engineering from Arizona State University.
An eighth-grade science teacher at Mason County Central Middle School is thankful for her good fortune through interactions with the National Science Teachers Association.

Brianna Wise, a 2017 alumna of Ferris State Universitys Teacher Education program, said her recent visit to the 2019 NSTA National Conference in St. Louis, Missouri was a learning opportunity, as she was one of 17 recipients of the Maitland P. Simmons Memorial Award for New Teachers.

I have been a member of the association since my college days, and I also won an NSTA sweepstakes, which provided my airfare to attend the national conference, Wise said. Since I am just in my second year as a teacher, sorting out my post-graduate finances means seeking out avenues, like the Simmons Award, which went toward my expenses for participation in the conference.

Wise wrote a short essay that detailed her experiences in the classroom, and her hopes for her career as an educator, to earn acceptance as part of the 2019 cohort of teachers with five years or fewer in the classroom.

Scott Kelly, the astronaut, was the conferences keynote speaker. He spoke about his participation in a study along with his twin so that the effects of being in space could be assessed, Wise said. I also visited the St. Louis Science Center, which gave me plenty of great ideas for my instruction. I believe my sections on astronomy and climate change will be much improved, as a result of attending the conference.

Wise also sought and received assistance from the K-12 Educator Incentive Program of the Michigan Space Grant Consortium, which is administered by the University of Michigan, in support of her participation in the NSTA National Conference.

It is kind of amazing how everything came together, Wise said. It was a great experience to take part in the conference.
LYSAKER, NORWAY / ACCESSWIRE / March 13, 2022 / TECO2030 ASA (OSE:TECO) has decided to publish an operational update about the developments of our Marine Fuel Cells. Through 2021 we saw great progress in both the technology and production developments and reached several milestones.

The Marine Fuel Cells have moved a long way through 2021 with several interesting zero emission fuel cell projects. The Fuel Cell development has been progressing according to schedule, and the first fuel cell modules will be deployed in the demonstrator project of a zero-emission construction site with Implenia Norway during the summer of 2023. This project has been funded by the state enterprise ENOVA. The project group has biweekly meetings to align for execution of the project and mid-February TECO2030 visited Implenia Norway's construction site right outside Oslo, "Fornebubanen". The visit gave the project team a good understanding of what a future construction site will look like and boosted the motivation for continued success. If we now go back to the developments, the fuel cell has performed thousands of hours in AVL's testbench and is outperforming our expectations. The performance numbers achieved are substantially higher than what we expected in the feasibility study. Several of the components have been through detailed evaluation, simulation, and selection. The decision of components is a large milestone for the engineering team of TECO2030 and is a large step towards a zero-emission fuel cell future.

The project in Narvik for the Port of Narvik is waiting for feedback from ENOVA. The Port of Narvik is looking for a high-speed zero-emission hydrogen fuel cell workboat. The fuel cells will be delivered during 2023, pending financing with a total energy capacity of 1.6 MW. The project will be the first vessel to demonstrate and pilot a TECO2030 FCC1600 onboard, another large milestone for TECO2030.

The first fuel cells and prototypes will be delivered to customers during second and third quarter 2023.

There are plenty of other very promising and interesting projects ongoing and further details will be released in timely manner and according to stock exchange requirements. The ongoing projects are of every size and includes Green Hydrogen @ Blue Danube which is currently waiting for an answer on its IPCEI application. There is no doubt that renewable energy will play a key role in decarbonizing the heavy duty and marine applications in the coming years and TECO2030 is positioning itself to be a key player in the hydrogen field.

The EU recently also launched its "REPowerEU" initiative after the ongoing sanctions with Russia were enforced. The European Commission unveiled proposals to further boost renewables and quadruple current 2030 targets for green hydrogen supplies as part of a hastily assembled strategy to cut the EU's reliance on Russian gas by two-thirds as soon as the end of this year. This will spark a boost in the European hydrogen industry and leads to higher reliance of hydrogen fuel cells in the years to come.

Things are happening in Narvik as well. The kick-off for the development of the production facility in Narvik started in early December 2021 with our first employee onboard, followed by a second employee who started in January 2022. The team in Narvik, along with several employees at Lysaker have started working closely with AVL's production planning engineers. Currently the team is designing the floorplan with the proper dimensions of all necessary machines and other equipment. Simultaneously, there are several certification processes being worked on, such as ISO-certifications, RamBase Technology implementation and a broad hiring process. TECO2030 Innovation Center is looking for 5 new colleagues, the positions needed are Facility Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Technical Lead Engineer, Production Engineer (both Electro/Automation and Mechanical).

Tuesday March 1st 2022, we had the Norwegian Prime Minister, Jonas Gahr Stre, visiting us for a tour of the facility where he was introduced to our plans with the building in Narvik. Prime Minister Stre was very pleased and engaged with all aspects of the facilities and the fact that we found an existing building which was perfect for our needs. The tour ended in a conference room with a short power point discussion around the holistic possibilities with TECO2030 Marine and Heavy-Duty Fuel Cells.

TECO2030 is proud to have present higher efficiency at the Innovation Center with an increased production capacity, and the company is now aiming to achieve 1.6GW of annual PEM fuel cell production in the facilities in Narvik in 2030. The increased production capacity is in line with the market demands and the newly published strategy of the European Commission "REPowerEU". The EU's consumption of renewable energy is expected to increase substantially in the years towards 2030, and a new strategi quadrupling the current 2030 targets for renewable energy.

In January 2022, TECO2030 signed a strategic cooperation agreement with Al Misehal Group in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). The cooperation is built to contribute towards the KSA's "Vision 2030" with an ultimate goal of achieving net zero by 2060. The TECO2030 and Al-Misehal cooperation aims to be a leading supplier of zero emission hydrogen-based fuel cells in the region, with an intended goal of converting various power sources towards zero emissions. The vision is built around three themes: a vibrant society, a thriving economy, and an ambitious nation. This strategic cooperation will be a rewarding partnership in terms of knowledge sharing, economic growth, and innovative thinking for achieving the ultimate goals of the net zero vision.

"We are currently in a good position to deliver PEM fuel cells to the maritime and heavy-duty industry, and the interest among clients is high. Currently I would estimate that we are involved in 65 fuel cell projects in all sizes and appropriate stock exchange notices will be given when ready for launch," said Tore Enger, Group CEO, TECO 2030. "The current market situation for hydrogen is accelerating from the hype stage we saw a couple years ago, to the take-action stage we are now experiencing. The future will include hydrogen as an energy source, and we are striving daily to deliver world-class fuel cell systems to our clients," Enger adds.

SOURCE: TECO 2030 ASA

View source version on accesswire.com:https://www.accesswire.com/692829/TECO2030-Fuel-Cell-Update-March-2022
SafeBase, a San Francisco, CA-based provider of a smart trust center for B2B SaaS companies to close enterprise deals by streamlining the security assessment process, raised $18M in Series A funding.

The round was led by New Enterprise Associates (NEA), with participation from Y Combinator and Comcast Ventures.

The company intends to use the funds to accelerate growth and recruit new talent.

Led by CEO Al Yang, and and CTO Adar Arnon, SafeBase is a smart trust center for sharing the users security posture and automating access to sensitive documents. The portal provides companies with self-serve access, allowing InfoSec teams to learn everything about a companys security program, which speeds up the sales cycle while building trust with customer prospects by allowing complete visibility. In addition to security and compliance issues in the sales process, the solution also empowers business development and sales teams to streamline security and compliance processes for companies integrating third-party technology vendors.

The company is designed to automate access and provide security and compliance information for industry standards such as GDPR, HIPAA compliance and SOC2.

SafeBase already has more than 100 customers, including Linkedin, Jamf and cybersecurity company, Snyk.

FinSMEs

13/03/2022
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15-week abortion ban is unacceptable

In the United States, we value the pursuit of liberty and freedom. How can deciding whether or not to grow a family not be a basic human right in a democratic republic? (Florida bans most abortions after 15 weeks, March 4)

Letting the government make the decision for families about growing a family is unacceptable. The pregnant person, their health-care provider, and their family know what is best given their circumstances. We do not allow the government to dictate other health-related decisions. Why should we allow them to do so for such a deeply personal decision that will impact families for decades?

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State Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, speaks at a rally outside the Florida Capitol protesting a proposed 15-week abortion ban. (Skyler Swisher)

Abortion is health care. Taking away access to this reproductive health care will fall hardest on those who already face barriers to health care: people of color, sexual and gender minorities, and those with few resources.

As it stands, Floridas House Bill 5 is unconstitutional both under the Roe v. Wade precedent set forth by the Supreme Court of the United States and under the Florida Constitutions privacy provisions. For the sake of public health, human rights, and local economic health, I hope Gov. DeSantis vetoes this anti-abortion nonsense called House Bill 5.

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Ginger Mundy Orlando

Ginger Mundy is the co-chair of the League of Women Voters of Florida Reproductive Health & Justice Action Team.

Abortion ban saves sanctity of life

For President Joe Biden, who claims to be a Bible-believing Catholic, to say hes against Floridas proposed law prohibiting abortions after 15 weeks is the epitome of hypocrisy (Biden says he wont stand for dangerous law, March 5).

Political Pulse Weekly Get latest updates political news from Central Florida and across the state. >

He claims the law is part of a continued erosion of womens constitutional rights. Since when is harm to innocent children a constitutional right?

When the article goes on to say the U.S. Supreme Court has become more conservative because of appointments made by former President Donald Trump, that merely emphasizes that those justices are more concerned with the sanctity of life.

Kenn Hall Mount Dora

Most businesses were woke long ago

Our state Legislature and governor combined to create and pass anti-woke legislation. Obviously their knowledge of recent American history is lacking.

Businesses have been waking up since the 1960s with their embrace of the civil rights movement; in the 1970s they woke to the environmental movement; in the 1980s they woke to the evangelical Christian political movement; in the early 2000s they woke to climate change and now they have woken to the rights of the LGBTQ movement. All of these awakenings have one thing in common  businesses realized they could increase sales, revenue, and profits by aligning with these movements.

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Now it is much easier for workers to push corporate leaders to take stands on these cultural/political issues by using social media  and corporate leaders are reacting. Corporate leaders are faced with open public prodding and criticism by employees for not taking public stands. Republicans are angry because large corporations are taking the opposite side in these culture-war issues instead of remaining quiet so they create fake issues to pass poorly thought-out laws. Our schools and businesses do not teach people are inherently racist, sexist, or oppressive whether consciously or unconsciously. Its very unfortunate our governor and state Legislature waste time on these issues instead of working to resolve bigger problems.

Stuart Peisner Longwood
Abortion should be legal in all circumstances

Abortion should be legal in most circumstances

Abortion should be legal in a few circumstances

Abortion should never be legal in any circumstances

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Sunday worship: Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 2650 NW Highland Drive in Corvallis, will share Gods Word and Holy Communion at 9 a.m. Sunday, March 13, both in the sanctuary and via livestream worship, accessible at www.svlccorvallis.org and facebook.com/shepherdcorvallis.

Pastor Eric Bohlmanns sermon will be Jesus, Like a Mother Hen. As of March 12, the congregation no longer requires indoor maskin, and respects an individuals decision to wear a mask or not. General seating during worship will have masked and unmasked individuals. For an undetermined period, a mask-required seating area also will be available.

Multi-Gen Bible Study time follows worship at 10:30, both in the church and via Zoom. This weeks study will be about the Ten Commandments. For access to the Zoom meeting, call the church office at 541-753-2816.

Lent observed: First United Methodist Church, 1165 NW Monroe Ave. in Corvallis, will hold services at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, March 13, in person and at https://www.facebook.com/CorvallisFUMC/live.

The congregation will continue the series Living Lent 2022: Creativity  A Spiritual Discipline. This Sundays theme will be Creative Obstacle: Opportunity. Creativity is not about expectation. What temptations keep you from accessing your true spark? Based on Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18.

Bahai devotions and discussion: The Harmony of Science and Religion is set for 10:30 a.m. Sunday, March 13, via Zoom.

The Bahai writings state that religion and science are like the complementary wings of a bird. Religion and science are the two wings upon which mans intelligence can soar into the heights, with which the human soul can progress. It is not possible to fly with one wing alone! Join the group for an insightful program featuring a selection of passages from the Bahai writings exploring the harmony of science and religion.

The Zoom chat room will open at 10:15 a.m. For the Zoom link, visit https://tinyurl.com/2ejv7cth, where you will find the readings and a link for the meeting.

Lenten service: Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church, 2650 NW Highland Drive in Corvallis, will hold a midweek Lenten service on Wednesday, March 16.

At 6 p.m., a soup supper will take place. The second in the series The Life-Giving Habits of a Disciple will follow at 7 p.m., both in person and streaming. Livestream worship is accessible at www.svlccorvallis.org and facebook.com/shepherdcorvallis.

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Gettysburg, PA (17325)

Today

Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 77F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Some passing clouds. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
People walk on Times Square in New York, the United States, Nov 23, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

According to a Russian news release on Thursday, United States-funded biological laboratories in Ukraine are actively cooperating with the US military on biological research programs.

According to the news release, experts of the Russian Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Defense Force found evidence that the laboratories had been working with dangerous pathogens such as anthrax, the plague and Malta fever among others as well as carrying out experiments using bat coronavirus samples.

The US of course has called the claims "preposterous" and said the labs conduct peaceful scientific research and disease surveillance programs, and do not run covert biological weapons programs. But if that is the case why are these labs funded by the Department of Defense?

The US has 336 biological labs in 30 countries worldwide and claims they run programs aimed at reducing bio-security risks and strengthening global public health. But if they are for enhanced bio-security, bio-safety and bio-surveillance as it claims then it should not have any problem revealing what pathogens they are studying, and where.

Just like Zhang Jun, China's permanent representative to the UN, said, the US always advocates transparency, if the claims have been fabricated by Russia and the research is above board then the US should have no problem giving a clear account of the activities of its biolabs both at home and abroad.

According to Ned Price, the spokesman for US State Department, "The United States does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine, it is in full compliance with its obligations under the Chemical Weapons Convention and Biological Weapons Convention, and it does not develop or possess such weapons anywhere."

Yet, as Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said, the US is the sole state party to have chemical weapons. The international community has repeatedly asked the US to complete the destruction of its chemical weapons stockpiles. However, the US has twice missed the deadline for destruction.

The US has also been standing alone for the past 20 years in opposing a legally binding Protocol to the Biological Weapons Convention to establish a verification mechanism for compliance.

It's hard to imagine how US politicians can have the gall to call for "origin-tracing" of COVID-19 in China, alleging that the novel coronavirus leaked from a lab in China. But the possibility that the US has been engaging in military funded biological research programs in Ukraine, including studies on bat coronaviruses, does offer some food for thought. Perhaps these US politicians have been trying to deflect attention from where it should be directed  at one of the US' many biolabs.

The US should stop pointing fingers of blame at others and instead give a clear account of its bio-military activities both at home and abroad, and accept multilateral verification and complete the destruction of all its chemical weapons as soon as possible.
The test rocket wasnt very big and it didnt go that high, but officials with Space Coast company Vaya Space were thrilled with the results.

We attempted to launch a rocket for the first time, said company CEO Grant Begley about the Jan. 29 liftoff from a test site in Mojave, California. The launch was successful, and that is highly unusual that a rocket company does a successful launch on the first attempt. That is a foot stomper.

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The company previously known as Rocket Crafters is based in Cocoa with testing and manufacturing facilities in Cape Canaveral. The company last year got the OK from the Federal Aviation Administration to prove that its 3-D printed fuel using recycled plastics could work. It had already performed 90 test fires of the hybrid rocket engine from its Brevard County facilities.

For the launch, the company created three test rockets only 15 feet high and about a foot in diameter with less than 1,000 pounds of thrust.

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The Vaya Space Demonstrator rocket sits on the launch pad at a Mojave, California site ahead of a suborbital test flight on Jan. 29, 2022. (Vaya Space)

They called the test rocket the Demonstrator, a silver single-stage fuselage sporting the companys green-and-black logo plus tagline Vaya Con Dios. It was designed to fall under the FAAs requirements to launch at the Mojave site, with flight restricted to fly no higher than 50,000 feet, about 9 1/2 miles high.

That was was sort of a Manhattan Project, Begley said. We kept it internal  the board of directors and a couple of the shareholders because typically the first rocket launches are not successful, and ours was highly successful. We hit all nine of our objectives.

The company brought back the two unused rockets to Florida as well as the recovered hardware from the one that did fly, as it had a parachute-assisted landing. The goal is for them to analyze the launch data to help them build out their operational orbital rocket that will be called Dauntless. The goal is to fly it by the end of 2023.

The companys approach to rocket building is primarily focused on the fuel, which is a 3-D printed fuel grain cylinder of thermal plastic, around which they wrap a carbon fiber exterior.

We have been using feed stock that has included recycled plastics like water bottles, he said. The team calculates that the launch we did on the 29th, we consumed about 2,500 empty water bottles. And our goal for the launch at the end of next year  2023  is to put 2,000 pounds of payload into orbit and thats the equivalent of about 2 million water bottles.

Also, the fuel cant ignite at normal temperatures, so its safer than other kinds, Begley said.

This rocket engine has never been done before and been successful, this type of technology, he said noting the hybrid engines name  STAR-3D  stands for safe, throttleable, affordable and reliable.

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Unlike other new rocket companies such as Astra Space and Relativity Space, both of which also look to launch from Cape Canaveral, Vaya Space has taken a debt-free approach to development, having only raised around $14 million to date. It plans to raise more soon, but nowhere near the front-end loaded investments north of $200 million seen in competing small rocket companies.

I wish all those other companies well. I really do, Begley said, noting the demand for small satellite launches is forecast to be more worth than $1 trillion in the next 25 years. The forecast is pretty phenomenal, and if you look at the launch service providers. Theres not enough right now.

The demand to launch low-Earth orbit satellites continues to grow, and those launched now are designed for replacement in just a few years time as technology improves.

If Astras successful, Relativitys successful, Fireflys successful ... if all of the small satellite launch companies were successful, theres still not enough launch capacity to meet satellite launch demand right now, he said. So Im not really worried about our competitors. I dont see that as an obstacle.

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Its business plan aims to keep costs low with its recycled fuel, but also looks to lean on its Florida base to find success.

Vaya Space's Demonstrator rocket lifts off from a site in Mojave, California on a suborbital test flight on Jan. 29, 2022. (Vaya Space)

We are a Florida company, he said. Unlike other rocket companies that build the rockets other places  SpaceX, Relativity, Astra, any of them  they dont build the rockets here in the state of Florida.

Go For Launch - Space News Weekly Fix your telescope on all space-related news, from rocket launches to space-industry advancements. >

The company is still only about 30 employees, but has recruited talent out of the Florida Institute of Technology in Melbourne, Embry-Riddle in Daytona Beach and Florida State University as well as try to attract staff from existing rocket companies like United Launch Alliance.

Begley said Vaya Space has lined up one customer he would not name that expects its first launch in 2023 with more in line through 2025. Launches would occur from Space Launch Complex 46 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which is run by Space Florida, the states aerospace economic development agency.

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This rendering shows a version of the Vaya Space Dauntless rocket. The final design looks to be complete this year with a potential first launch in late 2023. (Vaya Space)

Vaya Spaces plan is to develop the Dauntless design, which will be changing from whats currently proposed on the companys website. The end result will be a rocket that can produce around 25,000 pounds of thrust, enough to put up to 2,200 pounds of payload into sun-synchronous orbit, Begley said.

He also said the company likely will use the two remaining Demonstrator rockets to test other launch features to incorporate into the new design, and with that perform a static engine test. If that goes well, then Begley said he is optimistic Vaya might not need another test launch before actually sending up a payload.

It certainly depends on the level of the quality of the static engine test, he said. Then it would that would dictate whether wed need to have the expense to go do a practice launch or the team is confident enough, comfortable enough that we go straight to the commercial launch.
Gillette, WY (82718)

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Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High near 50F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

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Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 38F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.
I cant yet say that Ive done the impossible, because what I achieved was accomplished by dozens, if not hundreds of fellow cyclists on March 5. But it sure felt like a challenge.

Im not one to back down from a dare, so it was with the utmost confidence I hopped on my Giant Stance 1 mountain bike and spun my legs for 50 miles on that recent Saturday. The task at hand was finishing the Epic 50 ride at the annual Santos Fat Tire Festival, a fundraiser for the Ocala Mountain Bike Association.

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Set on one of Floridas best mountain bike trail systems, the route would take me along dirt paths traversing pine flatwoods, scrub habitat and forests with formidable live oaks. I had ridden some of these trails before, but never all in combination. I was excited for the chance to explore more of the scenic and storied Cross Florida Greenway.

The night before the Epic 50, I gained a little inspiration from Kathy (from Kentucky, originally), a jovial entrepreneur who was near the trailhead still slinging barbecue burnt ends and brisket as dusk approached and other food trucks packed up for the day.

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I have a goal, and thats to make $7,000 this weekend, she said enthusiastically, noting that she had gone to nursing school while raising four kids and paid for the food truck in cash. Meaning to say  Kathy always crushes her goals.

If that wasnt enough to motivate me, I dont know what was.

The tent is set up and the mountain bike ready to go at the Santos campground near Ocala on March 4, 2022. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Ready, set, go!

After a night of mostly sound sleep  sometimes interrupted by a passing train or car engine turning over  I awoke ready to chug some coffee and face the day.

I didnt think much about what I was about to do, as the task at hand was already etched into my mind. I simply suited up in riding gear, triple-checked the supplies in my daypack and got on my bike.

When I usually ride Floridas off-road bike trails, I tend to push myself, muscling through every climb and turn. This time, I knew keeping a steady pace was the key to success, along with hydration and nutrition. It would have been possible to accomplish these trails on a self-supported ride, but having SAG (support and gear) stops along the way definitely helped.

The miles felt slow at first. By the time I reached the first aid station, about eight miles in, I was feeling good but had to reckon with the fact the ride wasnt even 20 percent complete. After an orange slice and a banana, on I went.

Central Florida Explorer Patrick Connolly made a new friend, Dave, on the Epic 50 ride during the Santos Fat Tire Festival near Ocala on March 5, 2022. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Finding the flow

By this point, I had linked up with my camp neighbor, Dave, to roll through some miles together. We traveled west, headed toward the Land Bridge that crosses over Interstate 75, and my Melbourne-based riding partner remarked how good he was feeling.

Dave had ridden multiday endurance rides before, including a self-supported bike adventure that took him through the Georgia mountains. However, a recent bout with COVID-19 had left my new friend in less than ideal shape for distance riding, so we parted ways around mile 16 as he took the paved trail back.

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While some of the mountain bike trails that stretch along the Cross Florida Greenway feel remote, I was never alone on my ride. I chatted with another rider named Patrick and later found myself amid a small group of riders from Tallahassee. We quickly discovered we had mutual friends and I remembered the cool, tight-knit sense of community that can be found within Florida mountain biking.

After nearly 27 miles on the saddle, I was oh-so-relieved to find ham sandwiches and snacks waiting for me at the Ross Prairie Trailhead. Time for a proper break halfway through the big ride.

Cyclists take a break around mile 16 while attempting the Epic 50 ride during the Santos Fat Tire Festival near Ocala on March 5, 2022. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Staying strong

I tried to rest during my short break but didnt delay scarfing down my sandwich and getting back on the bike. I knew if I hung around much longer, I might never ride back.

The miles after lunch are where I really found my stride. Even on slightly more technical blue trails, such as Ern N Burn, I found my comfort zone and made easy work of punchy climbs. I relished the flowing downhills found on Nayls South, and even the small, nagging ache in my left thigh didnt slow me down too much.

While paused at an intersection with the paved trail, gathering my thoughts and my legs, I witnessed two riders roll past as they commented on a painted yellow arrow on a tree designating the return route.

Are you guys lost? I inquired.

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Nah, we decided to bail, went something like their reply as they pedaled back on the pavement.

I remembered that some riders are content to pound out a few solid miles, maybe hit some jumps and then head back to the trailhead to relax and crack open a beer. Some days, I am that cyclist. But not today.

Central Florida Explorer Patrick Connolly finished the Epic 50 ride strong during the Santos Fat Tire Festival near Ocala on March 5, 2022. (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

Finally, the finish

After crossing back over the I-75 Land Bridge and taking the Coyote Corner trail, I returned to the first SAG station, which signaled I was within 10 miles of the trailhead. Volunteers advised I could skip one of the trails and be back in about five miles (versus closer to eight), but I wasnt prepared to quit.

I usually love the miles of flowy singletrack contained within Twister, but Ive never enjoyed riding the route less than I did that day. Near the end of the trail, I encountered an orange-clad rider Id passed earlier.

Its good to see someone else out here, Im kind of hitting a wall, I remarked, breathing heavily.

Travel Unraveled Weekly Get away from it all with vacation ideas, trip planning help and money-saving tips. >

Me too, me too, he agreed, as I cheered back with a quick, We got this, so close!

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Central Florida Explorer Patrick Connolly took on the Epic 50 ride during the Santos Fat Tire Festival. If it wasn't on Strava, did it really happen? (Patrick Connolly/Orlando Sentinel)

I made my final pit stop to down a sleeve of Clif Bloks energy chews, and I knew once I crossed the road Id be in the final stretch. The contingent of Tallahassee riders passed me again, right about the time I looked down to find an encouraging message from my brother on my phone.

I can do this, Im so close now, I thought to myself.

After my quick break and a newfound determination, rediscovered for the fifth time that day, I hopped on my bike and went steady through the last twists and turns of the trail. I wound up behind a slow rider as he used up the last of his energy reserves, striving to reach the 50-mile mark. I kept pace behind him, and we crossed the finish line together, triumphant.

Fifty miles down, a yelp of glee, a finisher medal and a photo op later, I was reveling in my accomplishment. I had spent nearly six hours riding and almost eight hours total in pursuit of this goal, navigating almost 1,300 feet of elevation gain, and wow  it was worth the effort.

The last thing left to do was rinse the layer of dusty dirt off my legs and cheers to my Epic 50 with a cold beer. I had earned it.

Find me @PConnPie on Twitter and Instagram or send me an email: pconnolly@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun things, follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.
CINCINNATI, March 09, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Orange Grove Bio, a preclinical drug investment and development firm, and Cincinnati Childrens Hospital Medical Center today announced the establishment of a collaboration designed to advance the development and commercialization of novel therapeutics by supporting the translation of scientific discoveries made by researchers at Cincinnati Childrens. The collaboration aims to increase entrepreneurship and education as well as boost promising technologies emerging from Cincinnati Childrens. These efforts will be focused in the areas of autoimmune and inflammatory diseases, oncology, and cell and gene therapies.



Cincinnati Childrens has a rich history of developing new innovations, including the Sabin oral polio vaccine, another vaccine to combat rotavirus, the first practical heart-lung machine, the identification of surfactant proteins as a routine treatment for respiratory distress syndrome in premature infants, and the first human esophagus organoid grown from pluripotent stem cells.

We have identified Greater Cincinnati as one of the most promising up-and-coming hubs of cutting-edge biopharmaceutical research within the U.S., and the talented scientists at Cincinnati Childrens are one of the primary drivers of this innovation, said Marc Appel, Orange Grove Bios chief executive officer. By working collaboratively with Cincinnati Childrens and other leading institutions across Ohio, we can help accelerate the translation of the breakthrough discoveries that are happening everyday within laboratories throughout the state.

With its corporate headquarters located in the Cincinnati Innovation District (CID) and a partnership already in place with the University of Cincinnati, Orange Grove is working aggressively to cultivate the biotechnology landscape within not just the greater Cincinnati area but the entire the state of Ohio. To this end, the company will continue to increase its on-the-ground presence by onboarding new team members from the Cincinnati area, who will perform critical scientific and business functions.

Abram Gordon, vice president of Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures, shared: Our researchers are advancing novel science that has the potential to make a meaningful difference in the lives of patients dealing with a broad range of human disease. By collaborating with Orange Grove Bio, we are building a bridge that will enable more rapid translation of our researchers discoveries, accelerating their advancement into clinical development and toward the commercial market. We are excited that Orange Grove Bio is planting roots in Cincinnati, which we believe will allow our collaboration to operate even more efficiently while helping to elevate the stature of our region.

Under terms of the collaboration, Orange Grove Bio will provide commercialization guidance and support to Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures. Orange Grove Bios chief business operations officer, Ryan Fox, will advise on the potential of emerging technologies from the Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures pipeline. In addition, Orange Grove Bio leaders will be available to speak with interested post-doctoral students about internship opportunities and offer seminars for investigators and researchers.

We are excited to have the opportunity to collaborate with Cincinnati Childrens Innovation Ventures as well as their faculty and young scientific talent. Importantly, the location of Orange Groves headquarters right near the main campus of Cincinnati Childrens will offer key accessibility advantages, allowing our team to directly interact with researchers, said Mr. Fox.

Orange Grove Bios mission is to develop new therapeutic options for patients by harnessing the significant research potential found in universities and academic medical centers across the United States. Orange Grove Bio fosters strong relationships with technology transfer offices outside of the traditional medical technology hubs of Boston and San Francisco. Collectively, Orange Grove Bios team possesses decades of drug development and company creation experience, allowing it to build and finance innovative programs from the research and development stage to clinical trials.
NEW YORK, March 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (New Oriental or the Company) (NYSE: EDU) and certain of its officers. The class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, and docketed under 22-cv-01876, is on behalf of a class consisting of all persons who purchased New Oriental American Depository Shares (ADSs) between April 24, 2018 and July 22, 2021, both dates inclusive (the Class Period), seeking to pursue remedies under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (the Exchange Act) against New Oriental and certain of the Companys senior officers and directors.



If you are a shareholder who purchased or otherwise acquired New Oriental ADSs during the Class Period, you have until April 5, 2022 to ask the Court to appoint you as Lead Plaintiff for the class. A copy of the Complaint can be obtained at www.pomerantzlaw.com . To discuss this action, contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888.476.6529 (or 888.4-POMLAW), toll-free, Ext. 7980. Those who inquire by e-mail are encouraged to include their mailing address, telephone number, and the number of shares purchased.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

New Oriental provides educational programs, services, and products to students across the Peoples Republic of China (China or the PRC) and delivers online courses through its online learning platforms. In the early 2000s, the Company entered the K-12 after-school tutoring sector. Moreover, in 2005, New Oriental commenced its online education services through its Koolearn platform. The Company now provides comprehensive online education services through its subsidiary, Koolearn Technology Holding Limited.

In February 2018, the Chinese government released a set of regulations aimed at reining in excessive tutoring fees and limiting the perceived societal harm resulting from the ubiquity of for-profit tutoring programs such as those offered by New Oriental. Among other changes, the regulations prohibited after-school tutoring institutions from providing courses more advanced than the syllabus and curricula applicable to the respective primary and secondary school students, providing courses designed to enhance exam-taking skills, and linking school enrollment with tutoring results. Overall, the regulations were aimed at reducing disparities in school performance between relatively affluent students able to afford after-school tutoring and those that could not.

Because New Oriental operates in a highly regulated industry within China, the impact of new laws and regulations impacting the Chinese tutoring industry and the Companys compliance with the Chinese regulatory framework and government prerogatives are of material importance to investors. In fact, New Oriental acknowledged the material importance of maintaining strict compliance with Chinese laws, regulations, and government prerogatives. In New Orientals Form 20-F filed with the SEC on September 16, 2020, New Oriental stated that the Company was continuously making efforts to comply with the requirements under these regulations and implementations governing after-school tutoring businesses imposed by the Chinese government, and any failure to do so could materially and adversely affect [New Orientals] business and results of operations.

The complaint alleges that, throughout the Class Period, Defendants made materially false and misleading statements regarding the Companys business, operations, and compliance policies. Specifically, Defendants made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (i) New Orientals revenue and operational growth was the result of deceptive marketing tactics and abusive business practices that flouted Chinese regulations and policies and exposed the Company to an extreme risk that more draconian measures would be imposed on the Company; (ii) New Oriental had engaged in misleading and fraudulent advertising practices, including the provision of false and misleading discount information designed to obfuscate the true cost of the Companys programs to its customers; (iii) New Oriental had falsified teacher qualifications and experience in order to attract customers and increase student enrollments; (iv) New Oriental had defied prior government warnings against linking school enrollments with the provision of private tutoring services; (v) as a result of the foregoing, New Oriental was subject to an extreme undisclosed risk of adverse enforcement actions, regulatory fines and penalties, and the imposition of new rules and regulations adverse to the Companys business and interests; (vi) the new rules, regulations, and policies to be implemented by the Chinese government following Chinas annual Two Sessions parliamentary meetings were far more severe than represented to investors by Defendants and in fact posed an existential threat to the Company and its business; and (vii) as a result of the foregoing, Defendants positive statements about the Companys business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and lacked a reasonable factual basis.

On April 25, 2021, media reports revealed that the City of Beijing had fined four online education agencies, including the New Oriental subsidiary Koolearn, the maximum fine of 500,000 yuan (approximately $80,000) each for misleading customers with false advertising regarding course pricing.

On May 12, 2021, news reports revealed that an impending crackdown by the Chinese government on the private tutoring sector would be further reaching and more drastic than previously publicly known, including that regulators had already taken adverse actions against New Oriental and other for-profit tutoring companies.

On this news, New Orientals ADS price fell $2.77 per ADS, or 19.4%, over the following two trading sessions to close at $11.51 per ADS on May 13, 2021.

On June 1, 2021, Chinese regulators announced that they had fined fifteen off-campus training institutions, including New Oriental, for illegal activities such as false advertising and fraud.

On this news, New Orientals ADS price fell $1.77 per ADS, or 16%, over the following two trading sessions to close at $9.32 per ADS on June 3, 2021.

Then, 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, effectively ending any potential growth in the for-profit tutoring sector in China.

On July 25, 2021, New Oriental published an update on the new regulations, which stated that the Company will comply with relevant rules and regulations when providing educational services and expects such measures to have material adverse impact on its after-school tutoring services related to academic subjects in Chinas compulsory education system.

On this news, New Orientals ADS price fell $4.46 per ADS, or nearly 70%, over the following two trading sessions to close at $1.94 per ADS on July 26, 2021.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com
NEW YORK, March 12, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of Gatos Silver, Inc. (Gatos or the Company) (NYSE: GATO). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at newaction@pomlaw.com or 888-476-6529, ext. 7980.



The investigation concerns whether Gatos and certain of its officers and/or directors have engaged in securities fraud or other unlawful business practices.

[Click here for information about joining the class action]

On January 25, 2022, post-market, Gatos issued a press release disclosing that [d]uring the Companys resource and reserve update process for the Los Gatos Joint Venture (LGJV) . . . the Company concluded that there were errors in the technical report entitled Los Gatos Project, Chihuahua, Mexico with an effective date of July 1, 2020 (the 2020 Technical Report), as well as indications that there is an overestimation in the existing resource model. Accordingly, [o]n a preliminary basis, the Company estimates a potential reduction of the metal content of CLGs mineral reserve ranging from 30% to 50% of the metal content remaining after depletion and advised that the mineral resource and reserve estimates in the 2020 Technical Report should not be relied upon.

On this news, Gatos stock price fell $7.02 per share, or 68.89% percent to close at $3.17 per share on January 26, 2022.

Pomerantz LLP, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, Paris, and Tel Aviv, is acknowledged as one of the premier firms in the areas of corporate, securities, and antitrust class litigation. Founded by the late Abraham L. Pomerantz, known as the dean of the class action bar, Pomerantz pioneered the field of securities class actions. Today, more than 85 years later, Pomerantz continues in the tradition he established, fighting for the rights of the victims of securities fraud, breaches of fiduciary duty, and corporate misconduct. The Firm has recovered numerous multimillion-dollar damages awards on behalf of class members. See www.pomlaw.com .
Pune, India, March 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The global lung cancer diagnostics market size is projected to experience dynamic expansion in the upcoming years owing to the increasing prevalence of smoking, finds Fortune Business Insights in its report, titled Lung Cancer Diagnostics Market, 2021-2028.

Industry Development:

June 2019: First in vitro diagnostic immunohistochemistry (IHC) assay was launched by Roche Diagnostics with an aim to offer improved detection of lung cancer.





Request a Sample Copy of the Research Report: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/request-sample-pdf/lung-cancer-diagnostics-market-102003





Market Growth Drivers:

In recent years, there has been an increasing awareness about lung cancer among the world population due to the emergence of advanced technologies in healthcare industry and the wide availability of internet and data across the world. Thus, this is a major factor driving the growth of this market.

Introduction of Technologically Advanced Systems to Propel Lung Cancer Diagnostics Market Growth

Extensive Distribution Network, Strong Portfolio, and Stout Brand Presence to Boost the Market

Rapid Shift towards Latest Technology in Developed and Emerging Countries

Launch of Innovative and Advanced Products is Propelling the Growth of the Market

Clinical Efficiency of New Products to Boost its Adoption during 2021-2028

Higher Demand in COVID-19 Pandemic to Propel Market Growth

Product Innovations and Regional Expansions to Augment Market Growth

Growing Research & Development Investments and Increasing New Product approvals to Drive Market Growth

Robust Product Offerings by Key Players to Propel Industry Growth

Strategic Partnerships Coupled with Strong Brand Presence to Foster Company Growth





Click here to get the short-term and long-term impact of COVID-19 on this market.

Please Visit: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/lung-cancer-diagnostics-market-102003





Market Segments:

On the basis of cancer type, this market is categorized into Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC).

Based on test, the market is divided into imaging tests, sputum cytology, biopsy, molecular tests, and other tests.

By end-user, the Lung Cancer Diagnostics Market is classified into hospitals, specialty clinics, and others.

Based on geography, the market is clubbed into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa.

Regional Analysis:

North America region is anticipated to witness substantial growth in the lung cancer diagnostics market share on account of the increasing technological advancements in lung cancer treatment and the increasing prevalence of smoking in this region.

Asia Pacific region is projected to grow at a decent pace in this market owing to the improvement in the research and development of diagnostic tools in this region.





Have Any Query? Ask Our Experts: https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/enquiry/queries/lung-cancer-diagnostics-market-102003





Competitive Landscape:

The prominent companies in the lung cancer diagnostics market are focusing on the introduction of advanced devices for lung cancer treatment and early diagnosis in order to reduce the adverse impact of lung cancer. This has resulted in the increasing competition among key companies which will enable them to widen their business horizons and strengthen their market position.

List of key players:

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd

Thermo Fisher Scientific

AstraZeneca plc

Illumina Inc.

Agilent Technologies, Inc.

Qiagen





About Us:

Fortune Business Insights offers expert corporate analysis and accurate data, helping organizations of all sizes make timely decisions. We tailor innovative solutions for our clients, assisting them address challenges distinct to their businesses.

Contact Us:

Fortune Business Insights Pvt. Ltd.

US :+1 424 253 0390

UK : +44 2071 939123

APAC : +91 744 740 1245
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Thursday, March 17, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host a joint summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy. This summit is an important opportunity for the US Government to reflect Kronos Fusion Energy's existing approach to accelerating the delivery of this critical technology.

Continual and rapid developments in fusion technology increasingly put commercial fusion energy on a glide path to inevitability. As a result, fusion energy is now gaining widespread acceptance, representing the unavoidable source of the upcoming energy revolution that will transform America, and the world. Paul Owen, CEO of Kronos Fusion Energy Defense Systems, stated that "Here at Kronos Fusion Energy, we recognize the criticality of this technology and are already grabbing the bull by the horns, building a team that incorporates leadership from across the three pillars of Academia, Government and Industry, in a unified effort to deliver clean, limitless fusion energy to the American people."

Fusion Energy promises incredible world changing potential, including addressing the full spectrum of the United States' energy needs. To that extent, Kronos Fusion Energy has adopted a synchronized effort to ensure that this technology is developed simultaneously across Energy, Defense, and Space.

Recent events in Ukraine bring to stark relief the importance of our work in ensuring that America becomes permanently energy independent, severing our reliance on fossil fuels, their environmental impact on the world in which we live and the geopolitical consequences of this reliance. By developing the first commercially viable fusion energy power plants, capable of providing clean, unlimited energy to the US grid, we can achieve total energy sovereignty, supplying the power needs of our cities and industrial base for the long-term future.

Simultaneously, we are developing applications of this technology that have a direct and transformative impact on our national defense capabilities. Miniaturized fusion generators provide US Military installations with an independent power supply, enabling their full autonomy from the national grid, and augmenting the security of this critical infrastructure. Mobile fusion generators provide the capability of meeting the energy requirements of deployed units, at any scale, anywhere in the world, and enhancing America's global force project capabilities. Applied at the micro scale, fusion technology represents the ability for a quantum leap forward in military tactical capabilities, providing war-winning advances in range, reliability and lethality of assets across all military domains.

Given the vital nature of this technology, Kronos Fusion Energy welcomes the White House's summit and urges our government to recognize that now is the time for action. As clearly demonstrated with the hugely successful Operation Warp Speed, the government can, with sufficient motivation, enable and accelerate private sector investment through direct subsidies or grants, defined advance market commitments and the expedition of the regulatory process. Adopting a similar approach to the opportunity of achieving global leadership in the field of fusion energy is the fastest and surest way to attaining America's energy independence and maintaining our defense supremacy for the long-term future.

For further information:

Kronos Fusion Energy

1122 Colorado St

Houston, TX 78701

https://www.kronosfusionenergy.com

PR contact: Erin Pendleton - e.pendleton@kronosfusionenergy.com

Kronos Fusion Energy Defense System is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company will develop algorithms, simulations, and micro fusion energy generators that will optimize fusion energy. The company will provide America with a competitive advantage in the future energy market with a focus on clean and limitless energy. It has partnerships with leading facilities and experts in essential areas worldwide. The government partners include NASA, the Department of Defense, and DDE National labs. The private partners extend to IBM, Deloitte, Harvard Business School, SAP, and Mathlabs Ventures.

Related Images











Image 1: Kronos Fusion Energy - White House Event





Kronos Fusion Energy - White House Event - America









This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com.

Attachment
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
Bamako, Mali (PANA) - Mali and Mauritania have decided to organise joint patrols along their common border to create a joint framework for consultation, pooling and sharing of information to effectively prevent any unfortunate event at the border between the two countries
Max Verstappen was on top on Saturday, setting the fastest time by far in the final test session. No one seemed to come close to that time at the drop of the flag, but after nine F1 teams were already packing up their gear, Haas out of nowhere set the second fastest time of the day.

Because their equipment arrived late prior to the test week, the American team was given extra time on Friday and Saturday, to make up for lost time. On Friday Kevin Magnussen already set the fastest time and on Saturday Schumacher tried the same. He set the second-fastest time, half a second behind Verstappen.

Positive mood at Haas

The German is entering his second year in F1 this season, and it looks like this year he is going to be more successful, he explained on The site of Haas. "We have a good car, we have something we can work with, so everyone can be really happy and proud of themselves that weve achieved that. Now we have to be able to put it down on track when it matters, and thats next week. Im very much looking forward to whats coming this year."

Magnussen, who was only announced as a Haas driver for 2022 at the first test day in Bahrain, is also happy with the development of his old team. The only blemish on the test week in Bahrain is the limited number of laps the duo were able to drive. Due to various problems they were not able to do the amount of laps, but it seems that Haas has much more speed in them than a year ago.
Ferrari had two solid weeks of testing and currently seem to be favorites. According to Charles Leclerc, it was the "smoothest" Formula 1 test of his career.

After three days of testing in Bahrain, Leclerc dared to be cautiously optimistic. His team showed promising speed and actually had no reliability problems during the tests in Barcelona and Bahrain.

Preparations went well at Ferrari

"Its definitely one of the smoothest preparations Ive had [before] a season," Leclerc is quoted by F1.com. The Monegasque reveals that with a brand new car he had expected some problems, but in the end those problems weren't too bad. Only the 'porpoising' is still a problem in some circumstances according to Leclerc.

Ferrari is often pointed out in the paddock as one of the strongest teams at the moment, but like team boss Mattia Binotto, Leclerc does not yet want to reveal how fast he thinks he will be. "But for now I honestly have no idea where we are."
If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this





Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here
It was waiting until the very last day of testing. Red Bull drove out of the pit lane on Saturday morning with, among other things, modified sidepods, almost immediately set the fastest time of the week and everyone knew: the team of world champion Max Verstappen is favorite for the first Grand Prix.

Updates successful

Five out of six test days, first in Barcelona and later Bahrain, the teams were convinced that Ferrari was the strongest. After Verstappen had outperformed the competition on the sixth day, the verdict was unanimously changed, according to Auto, Motor und Sport. It was clear to the other teams that the updates had worked: in addition to the side pods - which meant that the cooling had to be adjusted - also the new base plate.



The competition immediately started to calculate. The German magazine quotes an engineer from Mercedes. "It's Red Bull ahead of Ferrari, according to our calculations we are half a second behind," it was reportedly said. A figure that was confirmed by Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko. "The upgrade gave us more than half a second."

Understeer gone

A week before the first Grand Prix at the same circuit in Bahrain, those time gains came mainly from the reduction of understeer. With the new parts, the team was able to find a better setup for the front of the car, so that the understeer disappeared.
Alfa Romeo had shaky test weeks in Barcelona and Bahrain. At times, the car of Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou was fast. But the car was anything but reliable. This gives cause for concern when thinking about the first Grand Prix, which is one week away.

No reliability

In Barcelona, Alfa Romeo was sidelined because of a technical problem. In Bahrain more laps were completed, for example on the final day when 150 laps were clocked. But still it wasn't perfect. Far from it. For example, there were still issues, which made Bottas pull the car over towards the end of his session.



Speaking to Motorsport.com Bottas says he wonders if Alfa Romeo will make it to the finish line in the first race. Confidence is currently fragile for the Finn, who says he hopes the team will have identified and resolved all the problems by this weekend. He does not expect an answer before next Friday.

Positive points

Yet Bottas says there are also bright spots. The former Mercedes driver says he gets a good feeling with the Alfa Romeo, which he calls a clear step forward compared to last season. Working on the balance of the car for next weekend is also necessary, but nevertheless Bottas says he is ready for a new season.
Mercedes and Red Bull Racing expressed their expectations for the new season in recent days. Sebastian Vettel, however, does not find these credible, as it is still difficult to say where the teams stand. He let it be known to the German RTL.

During the test days in Barcelona and Bahrain, all teams worked hard to prepare for the new season. It was not only a moment for the racing teams to try things out, but also for Formula 1 followers it was informative. It provided a lot of information about the strengths of the cars.

Read more Vettel and Schumacher hope for Grand Prix at Nurburgring

A number of drivers attempted to name the contenders for victory in Bahrain, but according to Vettel that is virtually impossible. Indeed, some teams did not show everything yet, he states. "Nobody really knows where they stand at the moment," said Vettel.

Vettel does not expect wins for Aston Martin

For Aston Martin, the main thing in the coming months will be to improve parts in order to work towards the subtop of the standings. Vettel states that, for the time being, it does not seem logical that he can be found at the front of the driver field. "At the moment I don't think we will be fighting for victories," he says.

Read more Vettel garners hefty criticism with helmet design calling for peace
Toto Wolff has been under severe stress for years at Mercedes. However, the team boss has found a way to find a balance in his life, as he has been seeing a psychiatrist for more than fifteen years. He tells this in conversation with The Times.

The 50-year-old Austrian has been with the Mercedes team since 2013 and therefore experienced up close how Lewis Hamilton strung together world titles for years. Because of those successes, expectations were raised every season, which did not always make things easy for Wolff. He himself, however, has few problems keeping a balance in his life.

"I have been going to a psychiatrist since 2004," he explains. "I think Ive had over 500 hours of therapy. Ive suffered mentally and still do. Getting help is a way to overcome my problems and its helped me access my untapped potential."

Mercedes tinkers with W13

Mercedes is working hard on the W13, with which it will start next weekend in Bahrain. Although Mercedes already made a number of improvements to the car, for the time being it seems that the team is lagging behind the competition. However, Wolff previously expressed his satisfaction with the efforts within the team.
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There were 26 people hospitalized with COVID-19 on Sunday, according to a news release from the Joint Information Center.

There were three people in intensive care, and three on ventilators.

Twenty of the people in the hospital were vaccinated, and six were not.

There were 32 cases of COVID-19 reported out of 187 tests.

Additional results are pending analysis and submission from other clinics. They will be reported on Monday.

Guam has had 46,331 COVID-19 cases, with 337 deaths. There were 1,812 active cases on Sunday.

Shot clinic moves

The COVID-19 vaccination clinic at the Guam Community College closed on Saturday and will reopen Monday at Agana Shopping Center.

The clinic will be located on the second floor, and will run from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

While walk-ins are accepted, residents are encouraged to make appointments at tinyurl.com/vaxguam.

Vaccines and boosters will also be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday at the Southern Region Community Health Center in Inalahan and the Northern Region Community Health Center in Dededo. Appointments for both clinics can be made at tinyurl.com/covidstopswithme.

Community testing

Due to a decrease in demand, the community testing clinic in Tiyan will run four days a week beginning Monday.

COVID-19 testing at the old carnival grounds in Tiyan, Barrigada, will be conducted 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday and 8-11 a.m. Saturday. No symptoms are needed to be tested at the clinic.

Testing is also available, by appointment, for those with symptoms at the Northern and Southern Regional Clinics from 9 a.m. to noon. Call 671-635-7525/6 to schedule an appointment at the northern clinic, or 671-828-7604/5/7518 for the southern clinic.

COVID treatment

Monoclonal antibody therapy treatment is available at the mAb Treatment Center at the Mangilao Senior Citizens Center.

Therapeutic services are available 8 a.m. to 4 p.m Monday through Saturday. Patients must receive a referral from a physician to qualify for treatment. To schedule an appointment, call 671-998-4627.

For best results, individuals are encouraged to schedule treatment within 10 days of when symptoms start.

Free at-home tests

Guam residents can place orders for additional free, at-home COVID-19 tests from the federal government. Up to four tests can now be placed through COVIDtests.gov or special.usps.com/testkits.

Orders will not ship to addresses that are used more than twice. Residents also can receive their tests at a post office box address.
The price of power in Guam increased slightly at the beginning of February because of rising fuel costs, but that was before the Russian invasion of the Ukraine sparked an additional sharp increase in global oil prices.

The Guam Power Authority is now assessing whether the current fuel surcharge, which is supposed to be in effect through July, is adequate, according to GPA General Manager John Benavente.

The fuel surcharge likely will be on the agenda for the Public Utilities Commissions March 31 meeting, according to commission administrative law judge Fred Horecky.

He said the fuel surcharge could be changed during that meeting, based on the most recent information about fuel prices, if at least four commissioners vote in favor of an adjustment.

LEAC

The fuel surcharge, also known as the Levelized Energy Adjustment Clause is the most expensive part of customer power bills and normally is adjusted twice a year to allow GPA to recover the cost of fuel burned by the islands main power plants.

If GPA gets too deep in the hole on its fuel costs, it might not be able to afford its monthly fuel shipment, which must be paid in advance.

The fuel surcharge is 18.08 cents per kilowatt-hour, which means a customer who uses 1,000 kilowatt-hours of power now pays $278.36. Of that amount, $180.84 is for fuel.

Although the fuel surcharge normally is in effect for six months, it can be changed sooner through an emergency filing with the Public Utilities Commission. Horecky said the PUC, which constantly monitors fuel prices, has the authority to change the surcharge even if GPA does not request it.

If the fuel surcharge increases, residents who already are experiencing higher prices at the gas pump also will take a hit in their monthly power bill.

Update

Residents will know more about the situation Thursday morning, when GPA is scheduled to provide an update on its fuel costs and the fuel surcharge to the Consolidated Commission on Utilities. The GPA work session is scheduled for 8:30 a.m.

The fuel price has increased substantially beyond what is the current LEAC rate in effect, Benavente said.

When GPA petitioned for the current fuel surcharge, it projected the price of fuel oil would be as high as $87.48 per barrel by the end of July.

As of March 10, the high-sulfur fuel oil GPA buys from Singapore cost about $106 per barrel, which means fuel costs already are about 21% higher than projected.

GPA also burns fuel made from gasoil 10ppm at some of its power plants. A barrel of gasoil from Singapore, which cost $75 last August, cost $157 late last week. Not a pretty picture, Horecky said.

When the current fuel surcharge was approved, GPA expected to be a total of $20 million in the hole for its fuel expenses by the end of July.

In the red

That deficit could be greater if fuel prices remain at current levels and customers dont pick up more of the cost. As of last month, GPA was $17.6 million in the red in fuel expenses, Horecky said.

GPA is reviewing current events and expected fuel prices which would require LEAC rate adjustments in order to have adequate funds to keep purchasing fuel required, Benavente said.

GPA is in the process of getting more of its energy from solar power, which is expected to reduce the islands dependence on fossil fuel and stabilize power costs for customers, possibly lowering them.

According to GPA, it is on track to get half of its energy from the sun by 2030.
Janssen: Progressives believe in a future that is better for all the people of Guam
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Haiti - FLASH : Visa for Haitian university students in the DR, a glimmer of hope...





Following the demonstration Thursday, March 10 in front of the Embassy of Haiti in Santo Domingo of Haitian university students claiming their passport entrusted to the Embassy of Haiti to obtain their student visa https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36148-haiti-flash-visa-for-haitian-students-in-the-dominican-republic-still-suspended.html Ambassador of Haiti Smith Augustin said Friday, March 11 "I understand the reaction of students because the passport is the key document for their activities abroad [...]" specifying however that "The decision to grant visas to Haitian university students depends on the Dominican Government."



Augustin assured the students that the situation has not been resolved [at the Dominican level] for lack of will or commitment, but that the decision is in the hands of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mirex). Recalling that during his brief meeting with President Luis Abinader on February 27, he told him about the situation of Haitian university students.



Adding that the issue is on the agenda of Prime Minister Ariel Henry, during his meeting with Luis Abinader in Chile, on the sidelines of the inauguration of President-elect Gabriel Boric.



Recall that last February Roberto Alvarez the Dominican Minister of Foreign Affairs declared that the political and governmental situation in Haiti made it impossible to move forward in discussions on bilateral issues, such as the possible reinstatement of the special visa program for Haitian students as discussed in Argentina with Haitian Chancellor Jean Victor Geneus



For her part, Raquel Pena, the Vice President of the Dominican Republic assured that the Dominican authorities concerned were working for the issuance of visas for Haitian students who pursue their studies in the country. She affirmed that the Dominican Government has always provided students with all the necessary support and that "this time will not be different", promising that the process will be accelerated so that all students of Haitian nationality not only finish this semester, but until upon graduation.



To be continued...



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36148-haiti-flash-visa-for-haitian-students-in-the-dominican-republic-still-suspended.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35787-haiti-politic-haitian-student-visas-in-the-dominican-republic.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-35246-icihaiti-dominican-republic-traffic-of-student-visas.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35153-haiti-flash-suspension-of-haitian-student-visas-in-the-dominican-rep-clarification.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-35150-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-34458-haiti-flash-200-first-dominican-visas-issued-to-haitian-students.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33683-haiti-flash-visa-applications-for-haitian-students-approved-by-the-dominican-authorities.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33269-haiti-flash-towards-a-visa-for-more-than-2-800-university-students-in-dr.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33662-haiti-flash-a-special-visa-for-haitian-university-students-in-the-dominican-republic.html



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Journalism and media : Call for projects, open submissions





The Knowledge and Freedom Foundation (FOKAL) and its support program for journalism and the media in particular have been subsidizing information actors for many years with the aim of supporting their efforts to produce quality information, balanced and accessible on social issues, a process necessary for democratic construction, launches a call for projects.



This call is open to media (community, commercial and alternative), journalists and associations working in the field of information in Haiti, whether they are located in the metropolitan area or in the provinces. This call favors Haitian actors, as well as projects taking place in Haiti, but encourages partnerships in Haiti and abroad.



The call for projects is open from March 11 to April 11, 2022 for projects to take place within a maximum period of one year following the approval of the grant. This call is addressed to the written and spoken press, television or online and to the audiovisual sector.



Main lines and values that this call for projects aims to promote :

Ethics, reliability, credibility, integrity, accessibility of information, transfer of skills, coherence of the setting up of the project and its objectives, innovation, social justice, tolerance and gender equity. Projects that are built around these values and that demonstrate them will be given priority.



The jury will be particularly attentive to projects that allow the production of sustainable information on themes related to human rights and the dynamics carried by social and popular movements, feminist organizations and peasant organizations across the country will be privileged.



7 to 12 projects for which the request addressed to FOKAL does not exceed 10,000 US dollars will be supported through this call.



Excluded from this call for projects :



Strictly cultural or recreational programs or productions (talk shows)



The production of work in the fields of photojournalism or photography (which is supported through the Fund for Emerging Photography in Haiti)



Assistance for international mobility (which is the subject of a specific line of the program open all year round depending on the availability of funds)



Projects whose values go against the values of FOKAL

Documentary films



Application and submission procedure:

To respond to this call for proposals, the candidate must complete the online form. All information and modalities as well as the online form at : https://www.fokal.org/index.php/journalisme-appel-22



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Diaspora Covid-19 : Daily Bulletin #723





GLOBAL SITUATION 2019-2022:

Epidemiological situation:



Sunday March 13, 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 cases 457,271,277 (+1,617,827 in 24 hours ), the day before (+1,870,283)



Number of infected countries: 224



*Healings: 390,596,232 people have been cured of Covid-19 worldwide (+1,146,383 in 24 hours), the day before (+1,546,604)

*Deaths: 6,062,949 people died of Covid-19 worldwide (+4,137 in 24 hours), the day before (+7,296)

*Active cases (minus deaths and recoveries) in the world is currently 60,612,096 cases (+467,307 in 24 hours), the day before (+316,383)



Average cure rate in the world: 85.41% (-)



Average mortality rate in the world: 1.32% (=)



World: Number of daily confirmed cases:





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 11.04 billion doses of vaccine injected (+20 million doses injected in 24 hours. Updated March 12, 2022 (latest data available).



HAITI:

Epidemiological situation:

According to the Ministry of Public Health, +8 new cases of Covid-19 and its variants have been confirmed in Haiti as of March 9, 2022 (latest partial data available ) for a total of 30,446 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 (+8 cases as of March 8, 2022).



Healings: 26,302 (+82)



Cure rate: 86.38% (+)



Deaths: 827 deaths (+0) ()



Death rate: 2.71% (=)



5th Wave (Omicron Dominant):

Total of the 5th wave (starting December 27, 2021) 4,451 confirmed cases and 61 deaths



Haiti: Active Cases Trend: (less recoveries and deaths)





(Day-1)



Screening since the start of the pandemic: 182,367 tests (+253 in 24 hours) 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: 736 (+2); Petion-ville 613 (+0); Port-au-Prince 405 (+0); Tabarre 286 (+1); 233 (+0)



Confirmed cases by department (2022 / 2021 / 2020):

West: 2022: 2,527 cases; (2021: 9.890); (2020: 6,945 cases)

North: 2022: 263 cases; (2021: 664); (2020: 677 cases)

Center: 2022: 221 cases; (2021: 1.001); (2020: 508 cases)

Artibonite: 2022: 170 cases; (2021: 855); (2020: 593 cases)

Northeast: 2022: 147 cases; (2021: 404); (2020: 314 cases)

Southeast: 2022: 238 cases; (2021: 768); (2020: 274 cases)

South: 2022: 213 cases; (2021: 891); (2020: 262 cases)

North West: 2022: 249 cases; (2021: 383); (2020: 229 cases)

Grand'Anse: 2022: 158 cases; (2021: 861); (2020: 176 cases)

Nippes: 2022: 35 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

40-49 years: 78 deaths

50-59 years: 133 deaths

60-69 years: 186 deaths

70-79 years: 181 deaths

80 years and over: 137 deaths



Vaccination:

157,002 Haitians (1.35% of the population) +1,178 in 8 days have received a 1st dose of vaccine since July 16, 2021, date of the first injection through 149 open vaccination centers and 106,114 Haitians are fully vaccinated (2 doses, 0.91% of the population) +1.130 in 8 days. Update March 6, 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 the first case (February 29, 2020): 81,169,534 cases (+14,574 in 24 hours), the day before (+46.174)

*Healings: 55,915,138 healings (+157,765 in 24 hours), the day before (+157,198)

National Cure Rate: 68.88% (+)

*Deaths: 993,693 deaths (+649 in 24 hours), the day before (+1,784)

National death rate: 1.22% (=)

*Active cases (minus deaths and recoveries): 24,260,703 (-143,840 in 24 hours), the day before (-112,808)

Tests: 964,154,387 last data available.



USA: Number of daily confirmed cases





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 556.74 million doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, date of the first injection in the United States (+130,000 doses in 24 hours). Updated March 12, 2022 (latest data available).



DOMINICAN REPUBLIC:

Confirmed cases since March 1, 2020: 576,494 cases (+127 in 24 hours) the day before (+66 in 24 hours). First case (March 1, 2020)

Healings: 571,751 healings (+95 in 24 hours), the day before (+118)

National Cure Rate: 99.17% (+)

Deaths: 4,374 deaths (+0), previous (+0)

Death rate: 0.75% (=)

Positive rate over 4 epidemiological weeks: 1.96% (-)

Active cases: (excluding deaths and recoveries) 369 cases (+32 in 24 hours) the day before (-52)



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 Altagracia: 4 new cases in 24 hours ()

Maria Trinidad Sanchez: 12 new cases in 24 hours ()

Santiago: +9 new cases in 24 hours (-)

Puerto Plata: 8 new cases in 24 hours ()

Barahona: 4 new cases in 24 hours ()

Tests (since the 1st case): 3,162,871 tests (+5,078 in 24 hours), the day before (+3,899)



Vaccination: 15.36 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). Updated March 12, 2022 (latest data available).



QUEBEC:

Warning: Quebec health authorities no longer update data on the Covid situation on weekends. The figures below are therefore the latest available.



Confirmed cases since the first case (February 27, 2020): 934,622 (+1.179 in 24 hours), previous (+1.267)

Healings: 907,358 people (+1,396 in 24 hours), previous (+980)

Cure rate: 97.08% (-)

Deaths: 14,154 deaths (+13 in 24 hours), previous (+15)

Death rate: 1.51% (=)

Active cases: (excluding death and recovery) 13,110 cases (-230 in 24 hours), previous (+272)

Quebec: Trend of daily confirmed cases:





(average weekly trend)



Test: 16,850,668 people tested since the first case (+13,992 in 24 hours)



Vaccination: 18,505,552 doses of vaccine injected since December 14, 2020, date of the first injection (+7,894 doses in 24 hours), latest data available - MSSS as of March 12, 2022)



FRANCE:

*Confirmed cases since the first case (January 24, 2020): 23,453,722 cases (+72,443 cases in 24 hours), previous (+72,399)

*Healings: 22,146,749 healings (+58,952 in 24h), previous (+76,489)

National Cure Rate: 94.42% (-)

Deaths: 140,080 deaths (+51 in 24 hours), previous (+149)

Death rate: 0.59% (=)

Active Cases: 1,166,893 (+13,440 in 24h), previous (-4,239)

Test: 246,629,975 (last data available February 27, 2022)



France: Number of daily confirmed cases:





(Day-1)



Vaccination: 141.26 million doses of vaccine injected since December 27, 2020, date of the first injection in France (+20,000 doses injected in 24 hours. Update March 12, 2022 (latest data available)



Previous bulletin : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36161-haiti-diaspora-covid-19-daily-bulletin-722.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...





Triple kidnapping and one death

Friday evening, March 11, in the Poste Marchand area, near Lalue, heavily armed individuals killed one person and kidnapped the Director of the Jacques Roumain College, Ernst Lafleur his wife and a third unidentified person.



Ounaminthe : A hundred repatriated Haitians

Saturday, March 12 in Ounaminthe, 28 people including 2 women and a child, out of a total of 100 Haitians repatriated from the Dominican Republic, were welcomed at the Border Resource Centers (CRF) managed by the International Organization for Migration (IOM - Haiti). See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-23513-haiti-news-zapping.html



Work stoppage of lawyers at the TPI in Port-au-Prince:

A resolution adopted by the General Assembly of lawyers of the Bar of Port-au-Prince asks lawyers to refrain from attending the Court of First Instance at the Bicentenaire because of the climate of insecurity. Berto Dorce, the Minister of Justice says he disagrees with this work stoppage which will not solve the problem and reminds the Bar that steps are underway for the relocation of the TPI.



Village-of-Dieu, the hell of the PNH

Georges R. Vivender, Desilus Wislet, Eugene Stanley, Ariel Poulard, Lucdor Pierre, 5 police officers who fell on duty under the bullets of Village-de-Dieu bandits during the operation of March 12, 2021 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33226-haiti-flash-failure-of-the-anti-gang-operation-in-village-de-dieu-several-police-officers-killed-others-injured.html . A year later, the remains of these police officers are still in the Village-de-Dieu, the police having never been able to recover them... See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-33233-haiti-politic-i-am-never-afraid-i-am-not-a-coward-dixit-jovenel-moise.html



Police Debit Cards

Thursday, March 10 Frantz Elbe Director General ai of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), accompanied by other members of the high command brought together the various officials of the PNH involved in the operations of distribution of debit cards of the National Bank of Credit (BNC), granted to the staff of the police institution. A report was made on the process of distributing this card from January to February 2022, across the 10 departments.



The PM in Chile

On Friday, Acting Prime Minister Ariel Henry attended the inauguration ceremony of the new President-elect, Gabriel Boric (36), in Chile. He also took part in a lunch given by the new President of Chile in honor of the Heads of State and Government.



See also :

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36162-haiti-news-zapping.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-36142-haiti-politic-the-prime-minister-ai-in-chile.html



HL/ HaitiLibre


















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On the 8th of March, the Kurds launched a campaign to collect signatures in the Syrian capital, Damascus, demanding the removal of the PKK name from the list of "terrorist organizations".

In this context, the Kurds issued a statement today in this regard, which was read by the administrator in the People's Assembly in Damascus, Fadel Majdin, in the presence of a number of people.

The statement stated that keeping the PKK on the "terror list" constitutes an obstacle to achieving peace in the region.

In their statement, the Kurdistan Region called on the Council of the European Union and the relevant authorities to remove the name of the PKK from the list of terrorist organizations.

This campaign is scheduled to continue until March 21st.

A

ANHA
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As CERAWeek 2022 approached, the agenda for last weeks annual energy conference  the so-called Davos of energy  had been set, panelists booked, themes established.

Much time was going to be devoted to the energy transition, what the industry is calling the move from traditional, climate-warming fossil fuels to cleaner, renewable sources. Hydrogen, in particular, was a popular subject on the weeks schedule.

Then geopolitical forces upended everything. Russias invasion of Ukraine and the subsequent sanctions imposed by the West roiled energy markets, helped drive up the price of gasoline and cast doubt on the worlds ability to provide enough oil to provide stability for the economies of the U.S. and Europe.

On HoustonChronicle.com: U.S. Energy Secretary to oil and gas execs: Increase production now

The 40th CERAWeek gathering, which with its 5,800 industry insiders, politicians and policymakers in attendance has always been important to Houston, now found itself an invaluable resource of energy insight at a key moment in world history. And what the experts determined was that the world now needed oil and gas as much as ever.

A conference that hoped to use hundreds of choreographed panels to examine the possibilities of an energy transition turned its attention to the availability and price of fossil fuels.

We had to think through: how do we proceed? said S&P Global Senior Vice President Carlos Pascual, a former U.S. ambassador to Mexico and Ukraine who advised then-Secretary of State John Kerry on energy. Kerry is now the Biden administrations climate chief.

As COVID numbers waned and the conference schedule set in stone, Daniel Yergin, the events Pulitzer Prize-winning moderator, had to retrace the hours of preparation hed done for each of his dozens of onstage interview subjects. With the war in Ukraine front-and-center, organizers retooled panels to cover geopolitics and added a new one examining sanctions and their effects on energy.

The result was an energy conference that never seemed more timely, addressing news events as they happened.

On HoustonChronicle.com: Energy security 'should have never left' the world's frontburner, ConocoPhillips CEO says

This years CERAWeek was absolutely at the center of the energy universe at a critical time, said James Rosenfield, senior vice president at S&P Global and the conferences founder and co-chairman.

The war also shook up the attitude toward fossil fuels.

In a key moment of the conference, Yergin asked Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm what message she would have for investors who have grown wary of putting their money in oil and gas and have pushed for cleaner forms of energy.

Investors, like every human on the planet, we have to do something. We all have to give, Granholm said. I hope investors are listening because we cannot have one element holding back for what we need for the world.

Her response, which called on the world to produce more oil in this moment, surprised a lot of people, Rosenfield said.

Granholms comments and the renewed focus on oil and gas may have altered the course of the energy transition, because what emerged was a recognition that all energy forms  old and new  would be needed going forward.

Thats probably the biggest thing I think will change on the heels of whats going on, and I think thats what youre seeing at CERAWeek, said Ken Medlock, director of the Center for Energy Studies at Rice Universitys Baker Institute for Public Policy.

Peoples definition of security needs to expand, and I think thats whats happening.

On HoustonChronicle.com: US energy industry is best defense against Russia, says Sen. Manchin at Houston's CERAWeek

Medlock pointed to a shift in the European Unions thinking about natural gas, for example, as tensions grew between Russia and Ukraine. The member countries now say natural gas is a clean form of energy needed to aid the transition.

There was increased recognition throughout the week that the energy transition needs the traditional fuel complex to advance the move to cleaner sources of power, said Tom McNulty, managing director of Chiron Financial, a Houston-based energy investment banking firm. The oil and gas industry has been working  and spending  on new energy technology for years, and the transition needs that money and that skill set, he said.

An understanding grew out of this timely CERAWeeek conference, he said, that new energy should not be segregated.

Energy is one thing. It has to be viewed as one complex with elements of the old feeding in the new, McNulty said. Theyre not segregated and shouldnt be, because then youll get bad results.

There was a push and pull between the administration and some executives over whether energy security should  for a time  trump the transition.

We can come back to climate, Tellurian CEO Charif Souki said at one point.

Granholm, in her remarks, said the industry must push forward to expand oil and gas production while also aiming to cut emissions and move to cleaner-burning fuels. That means well walk and chew gum at the same time, she said.

On HoustonChronicle.com: How Baker Hughes got swept up in Mexico's 'Houstongate' controversy over former exec's Conroe house

To be sure, the conference and the growing energy crisis ushered in a new chapter in the relationship between the Biden administration and the oil and gas industry, observers said. Coming into the event, the situation was tenuous.

There were reasons for the oil and gas industry to feel bitter toward the administration, said Maynard Holt, co-founder of Houston-based energy investment firm Tudor, Pickering & Holt and CEO of the new energy-focused media platform Veriten. Industry leaders have said for months that the world was headed for an energy crunch, but until now no one was listening, he said. At the same time, the administration was advancing climate goals without input from the traditional energy industry, which, Holt said, was left out of last years U.N. Climate Change Conference in Glasgow.

This is the equivalent of Kennedy going to the moon and were not going to invite the aerospace industry, Holt said.

On the bright side, Holt said, the urgency of the moment and the timing of CERAWeek forced the two sides together. We dont have the luxury of not sitting down and talking, he said.

amanda.drane@chron.com
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One Texas-based salsa company went viral earlier this month on Twitter, with thousands of people raving about the taste.

The daughter of Jaime Lopez, one of the co-owners of Salsa El Gallo, tweeted a photo of herself on March 4 next to shelves of the salsa products and encouraged her followers to buy from the company. She was met with over 100,000 reactions to the post.

Run by the Lopez family, the Hispanic-owned company started in 2011 in Brownsville. It now sells its products at H-E-B stores for just over $5. Its loyal customers are legion.

One Twitter user said that they drive six hours to San Antonio to buy the salsa because of its addictive flavor. Many commented, calling the salsa "fire" and "authentic" and naming their favorite flavors.

DIVERSITY IN BUSINESS: Hispanics drive the local economy 12 months a year

Juan Lopez, 47, is a co-owner of the company along with his brother, and said their salsas are traditional Mexican recipes made using fresh ingredients.

He said that their demand comes from people wanting authentic salsa that "tastes like how salsa is supposed to." On their website, they say that they don't "water down their salsa."

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

"We grew up working in the fields, we know the produce and when it's ripe," Lopez said. "It was just natural for us to start this business."

Last September marked the 10th anniversary of Salsa El Gallo's opening, and Lopez said they hope to expand even more in 2022. Before making it onto H-E-B shelves, Lopez said they started the company operating out of a garage and would go door to door to small business across the Rio Grande Valley, asking to have their products put on the shelves.

Today, they are in the process of moving their operations from McAllen east to Donna, into a new building that they finally purchased.

HOUSTON'S VERY OWN: Meet these Houston Latinos who are making a difference

Lopez said he's so grateful for how far they've come  for those who have supported them along the way. He emphasized the importance of his family and how each person plays their part in the business, including his niece's tweet.



"That (tweet) was a home run, we're very excited" he said. "The response that we saw was so strong and further encourages us to use social media and get involved with the younger crowd."

They sell four flavors: which are the habanero, fire-roasted green jalapeno, restaurant-style green jalapeno and red jalapeno. They can be purchased online or at select H-E-B stores.

Malak.Silmi@express-news.net
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Maurits Cornelis Escher saw the world differently. The Dutch artist created a few dozen images that, because of his peculiar perspective, have endured. But many of those images  two hands drawing each other, impossible architectural constructions with perpetually flowing water, lizards and other creatures emerging from sketch to reality  havent exactly helped canonize Escher as a major artist of the 20th century. Rather he has become the da Vinci of the dormitory  an artist whose work has become widespread on posters, T-shirts, calendars.

Michael S. Sachs is a participant in the commodification of Escher  he wears a necktie and wristwatch bearing Escher images  but hed like to see Escher treated with a mix of the wonder that so many of us bring to Eschers work when we are younger, accompanied by recognition of a meticulous theoretician, craftsman and artist.

People say, Hes not an artist, he does this gimmicky thing, Sachs says. He could draw as well as anybody. He decided to do this modern work. He chose it. And it exhibits consummate craftsmanship.

Befitting its subject, Virtual Realities: The Art of M.C. Escher from the Michael S. Sachs Collection is a mind-bending exhibition opening this weekend at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Roughly 475 items are on display, charting Eschers evolution through woodcuts, lithographs, sketches, linocuts, watercolors, mezzotints. Contrasted with Eschers reputation for reproduction, these pieces explode in person.

Virtual Realities: The Art of M.C. Escher From the Michael S. Sachs Collection When:Wednesdays-Sundays through Sept. 5 Where: Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, 1001 Bissonnet Details: $19-$24; 713-639-7300, mfah.org See More Collapse

It brings a whole new light to Escher, seeing these in person, not just in a book or a reproduction or a poster, says Dena Woodall, curator, prints and drawings at the MFAH. Thats the way a lot of us learned about Escher. But for me, this has been a revelation.

The depth and precision of Eschers lines here pull eyes in close. The conceptual framework is better appreciated. Several of the actual pieces of wood he cut are on display, and they create conversation with works on the wall, illustrating the depth of work by an artist who thought multi-dimensionally.

Sachs acquired around 90 percent of Eschers estate in 1980, nearly a decade after the artists death.

I have buddies who collect Eschers, who are serious about it and spend lots of money, he says. Theyd come here and die for these.

Reflections and patterns

Sachs is eager to guide viewers through Eschers work, though he stops at Hand With Reflecting Globe. The famed 1935 lithograph of Escher looking into a reflective globe is one of the artists most famous images. Because Escher worked his way toward being ambidextrous, viewing the piece makes it difficult to discern which hand is doing the drawing and which holds the globe when you consider the printing process and the image.

Youre on your own, Sachs says.

But more often, Sachs identifies the elements that make Eschers work distinctive. He finds three elements that can be identified in some of the artists best-known works: tessellation, or a tiling surface using multiple geometric shapes; metamorphosis, or the ways his images undergo gradual transformations; and a play between two- and three-dimensions, as when a sketch of a lizard yields a more lifelike lizard that crawls off the page.

Escher referred to Dragon from 1942 as an obstinate beast.

Escher talked about how the dragon realizes hes on a piece of paper, two-dimensionally, Sachs says. And he doesnt like that. Hes a living, three-dimensional figure. So hes trying to prove here, hes three-dimensional. Its a perfect example of how he works between two- and three-dimensional.

Sachs very much wants people to understand the processes undertaken by the artist to create these works, both creatively and technically. Virtual Realities accomplishes both. Graph paper studies show how Escher envisioned and executed the bulging exterior of Balconies. But the pieces of wood and linoleum from Sachs collection are crucial to understanding the painstaking processes in arriving at his works.

Several implements harmonize to tell the story of Stars, in which Escher placed a pair of chameleons into a geometric figure. One version of the work boasts six colors, but only three wood blocks that allowed Escher to execute the vision.

Its a true feat of printmaking, Sachs says, an understatement.

Printing process

So many iconic Escher images are included in the exhibition. But the real joy in Virtual Realities is seeing signature ideas and styles emerge from traditions like reptiles from his sketch books. Gary Tinterow, executive director of the MFAH, points to some early pieces he feels connects Eschers work to a Dutch tradition that also informed Piet Mondrian. He cites Eschers distinctive anamorphic perspective, offering strong but distorted points of view.

The exhibition follows Eschers work from the Netherlands to Rome and Spain. While landscapes and architecture changed based on place, Eschers fascination with presentation also evolved sharply.

With Escher temptation is to fall into the conceptual nature of his work: the impossible buildings and the ways patterns evolve across space. Tinterow points to the piece de resistance in the show, a sprawling and densely tessellated Metamorphose which starts with the titular word, evolves into a checkerboard pattern, then lizards, wasps, horses, birds and buildings before morphing into a chess board. The piece is several feet long, and its corresponding wood plates are an awe-inspiring counterpart.

Still, the ubiquitous nature of Eschers work had some effect of softening his renown. Sachs hopes to inform about the processes and works that resulted.

If you take a (Marc) Chagall watercolor or a (Alexander) Calder watercolor, you photograph it, print it on lithographic paper in an edition of 100, signed and numbered, its not the same thing, Sachs says. Its not the same as when you have an artist who used a wood block and cut into it, and you print directly from that.

Tinterow says laughing, its easier to make a drawing than a print. The laborious process feels alive here.

Sachs says these works  whether cut into wood or metal or linoleum  offer a direct connection to the artist. The artist worked on their surface. Theres no intervening camera or machine. My father was a businessman, but a sophisticated businessman. He could never understand why any piece of paper was worth more than $5. Its because theyre a direct connection with the artist.

Old virtual realities

While Virtual Realities seeks to present a fuller etching of Escher, the exhibition still leans into the visceral response his works prompts. Knowing the process adds to the awe, but theyre still visionary pieces capable of connecting with viewers old and very young. Though Woodall points out that Escher wasnt a standout student with regard to mathematics, his work speaks to mathematicians. They feel like he could conceptualize their theories, she says. Scientists and naturalists are also fond of Escher, who was intrigued by their fields of study.

A small room has been arranged with a deceptive floor and ceiling to offer some feeling of standing inside an Escher work. A black light room presents a rainbow of color at the exhibitions end, showing how his concepts and images are so often coopted.

Virtual Realities spans nearly a half century of work from Eschers life. His last piece was created in 1969, and he died three years later.

Some of the tessellated works are done in watercolor, gorgeous patterns that Escher kept in file folders in a drawer for years. Sachs marvels at a tapestry, a tessellated mix of demons and angels.

It looks so much better on the wall here with this lighting  

He lets the thought linger.

Escher never sold a drawing or watercolors or any constructed objects, he says. He kept them until the end of his life. What makes this collection and exhibition unique is these drawings, the watercolors, the printing plates. They show the process. We know people are interested in his work. I hope the general public also finds the process interesting. To see his process.

andrew.dansby@chron.com
March 11-July 31

Notorious RGB exhibit

Holocaust Museum Houston will host the Texas debut of Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, presented by PNC, on view March 11 through July 31. The exhibition is based on the New York Times bestselling book and Tumblr blog of the same name. Throughout Notorious RBGs run, HMH will hold special events and public programming, including a free day, March 15, in celebration of Justice Ginsburgs birthday, presented by H-E-B. Other key public events include the HMH NEXTGens Notorious Sip and Stretch Yoga March 30, Notorious RBG in Song performed by soprano/composer Patrice Michaels and internationally acclaimed pianist Andrew Harley and May 18, and free admission during extended hours from 2 to 8 p.m., Thursdays April 14, May 12, June 9, and July 14, generously sponsored by Shell Oil Company. Located at 5401 Caroline Street, HMH is closed Mondays except Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; open Tuesdays through Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 5 p.m. Admission is $19 for adults; $15 for seniors (ages 65-plus), AARP members and active-duty military; always free for children and students through age 18; and free to all visitors Thursdays from 2 to 5 p.m. Parking is available at the Museums adjacent lot for $8 for a four-hour period. Tickets are available exclusively online. For more information, visit hmh.org/visit.

March 17

Repurpose, Refresh & Remix

The Houston Area Professional Express Network will meet at 11 a.m. Thursday, March 17, for a networking luncheon and a presentation by Nikki Smith, a clothing and cosmetics with 365NNC (No New Clothes). Registration and networking begins at 11 a.m. with the luncheon beginning at 11:30 a.m. at Holiday Inn & Suites Houston West-Westway Park. Early registration is $30; or pay at the door for $38. For more information go to www.abwa.org.

March 18-20, 26-27

Houston Symphony celebrates Andres Fest: A Symphonic Celebration

Honoring and celebrating the legacy of Andres Orozco-Estradas eight-year tenure in his last season as Music Director, the Houston Symphony has announced full programming for the March 2022 two-week festival Andres Fest: A Symphonic Celebration. Paying tribute to what Orozco-Estrada has brought to the Houston Symphony and to the city of Houston, the festivals performances feature repertoire associated with the conductors time with the organization, Houston Symphony commissions including two world premieres, and solo performances by Symphony musicians. For tickets and more information call 713-224-7575 or visit houstonsymphony.org/andres-fest-a-symphonic-celebration.

March 22

The City Market

Join The Houston Junior Forum at The City Market, a shopping experience to be held from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. March 22 at Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road, Houston, TX 77045. The City Market will showcase a wide variety of high-quality merchants offering an assortment of items - there will be something for everyone. General admissions tickets are $15 through March 21 and $20 at the door. Special event and VIP packages are also available. For more information and to buy tickets visit https://thecitymkt.org.

March 23

Uptown District Board of Directors monthly meeting

The Uptown District meets the fourth Wednesday of the month at 2:30 p.m. (unless otherwise stated on the agenda). Meetings are held at 1980 Post Oak Boulevard, Ste. 1700 in Houston. Meeting notices and agenda are posted 72 hours prior to the meeting date at 201 Caroline, Suite 460 in Houston. For more information, visit https://uptown-houston.com.

March 26

Color Fun Run

Color Fun Run benefiting Community Project Prom for Northbrook and Spring Woods High School is scheduled to start at 10 a.m. Saturday, March 26, at Northbrook High School, 1 Raider Circle Drive. The Color Fun Run is a fundraiser for the community-managed fundraising initiative to help support the class of 2022 prom at Northbrook and Spring Woods High School. According to the projects Facebook page, both proms are drastically underfunded due to limited fundraising opportunities because of COVID. Registration is $25 for adults and $12 for children 12 and under and includes a t-shirt, sunglasses, and two powder throws. Additional T-shirts, sunglasses and powder throws will be available for purchase at the event. Registration for the Color Fun Run is at https://tinyurl.com/2hxr5bt8.

March 27

The Kite Festival returns to Miller Hill

On Sunday, March 27, Hermann Park Conservancy will welcome the return of the Kite Festival to the Park! This family-friendly event will take place on the Miller Hill and Jones Reflection Pool, and is completely free. In addition to more kites flying than you can count, the whole family can enjoy a variety of food vendors, live performances, arts and crafts, kids activities, and more. Dust off those kites, get some practice in, and mark those calendars for the Kite Festival's comeback. Festivities are from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

March 28

Spring Branch ISD board of trustees meeting

The Spring Branch ISD board of trustees regular meeting will meet in the Board Room of the Wayne F. Schaper, Sr. Leadership Center at 955 Campbell Road at 7 p.m.

April 8

Energy Corridor Management District board meeting

The Energy Corridor District Board of Directors meet every second Friday of the month at 8:30 a.m. Meetings are held at 777 North Eldridge Parkway, Suite 270, in Houston. Board of Directors meeting dates and times are subject to change. Call 281-759-3800 to confirm meeting schedules.

April 14

Houston ISD board of trustees meeting

The Houston ISD board of trustees regular meeting will meet in the Board Auditorium, 4400 West 18th Street, in Houston at 5 p.m. Board of Education meetings are broadcast live on Comcast 18 and Uverse 99 and also streamed live at HoustonISD.org/livetv. Meetings are rebroadcast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 9 p.m., and Saturday and Sundays at noon.

April 20

Great Futures Dinner

Boys & Girls Club of Greater Houston 34th annual Great Futures Dinner is scheduled to start with a silent auction at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 20, at Hilton Americas Hotel, 1600 Lamar St. The premier annual fundraising event of the year for BGCGH showcases how youth are positively impacted by our Clubs every day and how the clubs have helped them overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles. This years dinner honors Kroger and the Moody Memorial Permanent Endowment Fund for their partnerships with BGCGH. The attire is business or cocktail. Individual tickets are $500 and table sponsorships start at $5,000. Information about the event and a link to buy tickets or sponsor tables is at www.bgcgh.org/Events/Great-Futures-Dinner.

April 23

Walk With Me 5K

The 11th annual Walk With Me 5K is scheduled for Saturday, April 23, at the Houston Zoo. The event benefits Easter Seals Greater Houston, a non-profit organization that provides services for people of all ages with all types of disabilities. Registration for Walk With Me is at https://tinyurl.com/2p8k4khr.

To have calendar events posted on the Examiner Calendar, please email editor Roy Kent at rkent@hcnonline.com.
The Friends of West University Parks have done their part to help make the enclave city a greener space.

The 30th annual Park Lovers Ball on Feb. 5 at Hotel Zaza Museum District served as a means for Friends of West U Parks to raise money for the future development of green spaces and parks in the area.

The ball was an elegant affair, which included appearances from Dr. Linda Christians, senior pastor of West U Methodist Church, who provided invocation for the event; and Emmy-award-winning former anchor and reporter for ABC 13 Ilona Carson, who served as the balls emcee.

After missing a year of celebration due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ball returned this year, and with it more than 400 eager West U residents attended. The ball sold out completely, raising more than $400,000. According to Chairwoman of Friends of West University Parks Board Sami Morrison, coming off the heels of the pandemic was what really made people enjoy the ball that much more.

It was a wonderful success on two fronts: Obviously, it was a great success, with raising over $400,000. But even more importantly, with this particular year coming off of COVID, and missing last years ball, there was a lot of energy created there. And I think coming off of COVID like this was a particularly important time for people to really feel like there was some sense of normalcy in their lives.

There were also various raffles and auctions held at the ball. One such auction had a generous pool of rewards including a seven-day stay in Seagrove, Fla.; a casa in New Mexico; a Uniquely Houston package consisting of a custom David Peck dress; a Rosie Cannonball gift certificate; and a stay in a luxury suite at Hotel Zaza Museum District.

Morrison has been working with Friends of West University Parks since 2016. As someone who works with them, as well as working as a liaison with the city of West University Parks and Recreation board and the city council, Morrisons been working hard for years at the advancement of greenery in the West University Place area.

The Friends of West U Parks hold two major fundraisers every year, Morrison explained. The Park Lovers Ball being the largest fundraiser we do every year. It started as just a Valentines Day dance 30 years ago with some of the neighbors in West U raising money for parks in the city. And what started as a neighborhood dance, 30 years later has become our biggest fundraiser each year.

The work of The Friends of West University Park is dedicated toward its goal of developing green spaces and parks. In the past, they Developed the Jennie Elizabeth Hughes Park and Huffington Park, and also contributed to the development of the west side of Colonial Park, according to Morrison.

Its been very rewarding for me, Morrison said. I decided I wanted to get involved with it, because at the time I had two very young children. And not only was I seeing how wonderful the park was for my children, but for myself being a new mom, meeting so many people. And so, I wanted to give my time to something that was vital to not only my familys life, but my neighborhood and communitys lives.

Morrison said that neighbors and community members of West University were happy to attend the ball once again after it was postponed.

For more information on the Friends of West U Parks Fund, visit its website at westuparks.org.
Rice Broocks

By Mimi Elliott

CBN.com GOD'S NOT DEAD

Rice grew up in a nominal Christian home. When he was a junior in college, Rice gave his heart to the Lord. His brother, Ben was a junior in law school and wanted to meet Rice at their parents' home to "talk him out of this born-again thing." As Rice listened to Ben and simply addressed his older brother's doubts, the truth of God's word began to soften Ben's heart. "I could see he was doubting his doubts," says Rice. At the end of the day, Rice batptized his brother in a swimming pool! That was thirty years ago and a turning point for both men. Ben gave his life to the Lord, is still serving God today and is a successful trial attorney in Texas. Since that day, Rice began working primarily with university students around the world.

Rice is also the senior pastor of Bethel World Outreach church in Nashville. Some of the members of the nationally-acclaimed Christian music group, The Newsboys, attend his church and asked Rice to write a book to accompany their 2012 hit single, God's Not Dead. So he did. He says faith in God is rising but so is skepticism.

In 2012, Rice attended the Global Atheist Convention in Melbourne, Australia. His goal was to simply listen and, after all of their rants, speaker after speaker ridiculed Christianity. "Atheists don't have arguments; they have insults," says Rice. Faith is being framed as irrational and illogical. He further explains that real faith isn't blind and includes not believing everything said in the name of "science." "The evidence that God exists is all around us and inside of us," says Rice. Atheists believe a story that the universe just happened, by chance, and that all of this life came from nothing. Reason helps us sort out helpful beliefs from hurtful ones and demands that we examine claims made in the name of faith or science in the same way we would examine anything else. Rice urges skeptics to wrestle with "blind faith" on which skepticism is based and to see how hard it is to justify those beliefs to those who do not share them. He also urges believers to wrestle with their personal and culture's objections to the faith.

NINE PROOFS

Rice offers nine proofs of evidence for God:

1. Real faith isn't blind. It is evidence-based and requires all our efforts in pursuit of the truth.

2. Good and evil are no illusions. Evidence of evil is not evidence of God's absence in the universe but evidence of His absence from our lives.

3. There was a beginning. When someone asks for evidence of the existence of God, reference the fact that the universe itself demonstrates the reality of our God.

4. Life is no accident. Life appears to be designed and the probability of this happening by chance is so vanishinly small that atheists have to propose an infinite number of universes to explain it away.

5. A pointless beginning points to a pointless existence. We are created in the image of God, on purpose and for a purpose.

6. Jesus and the resurrection. The death and resurrection of Christ verified His identity as the Son of God and proved His words were the words of God Himself.

7. The witness of Scripture. The truth of the Bible speaks to the core issues of everyone's life.

8. The grace effect. Grace brings a deep sense of civility and compassion for one another.

9. Living proof. There is no better time to demonstrate the reality of God through His presence that empowers us to go through the toughest times with the greatest of hope.




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March 18

International Womens Day Market

International Womens Day Market is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday, March 18, at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy. More than a dozen local women-owned businesses have signed up to join the event. Multiple booths will be on site promoting their product and services, plus a women-centric photo wall. For more information and a list of participants go to https://tinyurl.com/z9srstze.

March 19

The Boho Market

The Boho Market is scheduled for 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at Sugar Land Town Square, 15958 City Walk in Sugar Land. Admission is free as well as parking. The event is family and pet-friendly. For more information or to apply to be a vendor through The Boho Market at www.thebohomarket.co.

Post Pattys Day Block Party

Join the Post Pattys Day Block Party from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy. Entry is free. Included in the event are green beer, Irish slammers and pot-o-gold shot specials; live Irish-themed music; photo-imprint beer, swag and souvenir giveaways from Guinness; and brand vendors and activities on site. Children are welcome if accompanied by a parent. Bar Louie is providing an alcohol-free kids zone featuring a shamrock decorating station, coloring station, balloon artist and face painter. For more information go to https://tinyurl.com/2p958emd.

March 21

Richmond City Commission

The city of Richmond will hold its regular commission meeting on Monday, March 21, at 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Annex located at 600 Morton St. in Richmond. For questions, contact City Manager Terri Vela at tvela@richmondtx.gov or 281-342-5456.

Missouri City City Council

The regular meeting of the Missouri City City Council is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, March 21, in the City Hall, Council Chamber at 1522 Texas Parkway. For more information go to www.missouricitytx.gov.

March 22

The City Market

Join The Houston Junior Forum at The City Market, a shopping experience to be held from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, at Bayou City Event Center, 9401 Knight Road, Houston, TX 77045. The City Market will showcase a wide variety of high-quality merchants offering an assortment of items  there will be something for everyone. General admissions tickets are $15 through March 21 and $20 at the door. Special event and VIP packages are also available. For more information and to buy tickets visit https://thecitymkt.org.

March 24

Childrens Music Class in the Park with Vivaldi

Childrens Music Class in the Park with Vivaldi is scheduled for 10-10:45 a.m. Thursday, March 24, at Sugar Land Town Square, 15958 City Walk in Sugar Land. Vivaldi Music Academy welcomes families with children ages 1-5 years old to join them in the Plaza for a free, fun morning full of singing, dancing and learning.

March 26

Raxx Vintage Market

Raxx Vintage Market is scheduled for noon-6 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at Sugar Land Town Square, 15958 City Walk in Sugar Land. Entry is free. There are expected to be more than 50 vintage vendors in the plaza. For more information go to https://raxxbu.com.

Aspiring Artists Micro Music Festival

The Aspiring Artists Micro Music Festival is scheduled for 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, March 26, at LaCenterra at Cinco Ranch, 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy. Enjoy live music from local musicians and free cans of ASPIRE Healthy Energy Drinks in Heritage Square. No tickets are required; attendance is free. For more information go to https://tinyurl.com/mryr8e7f.

March 27

Farmers market

The Farmers Market at La Centerra is presented the second and fourth Sunday of every month from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 23501 Cinco Ranch Blvd. in Katy. There will be local vendors and artisans at Heritage Square selling honey, cheese, fresh eggs, seasonal vegetables and more. To become a vendor email customer@yourneighborhoodfarmersmarket.com.

April 1

Movies at Wessendorf

The city of Richmond presents Movies at Wessendorf at 7:45 p.m. Friday, April 1, at Wessendorf Park at 500 Preston St. The feature presentation will be Peter Rabbit 2. Bring your own chairs/ blankets. Food truck and Sno-Balls will be on site for purchase. The Rotary Club of Richmond will provide free popcorn. For more information go to www.richmondtx.gov.

April 2

Art Walk & Motor Madness

The Sixth Annual ART WALK & Motor Madness Set for 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, April 2, along Morton Street between 2nd and 5th streets in Richmond. The event is presented by the Historic Richmond Association in partnership with downtown merchants. Classic car enthusiasts will be able to participate in the Motor Madness car show featured at City Hall on Morton Street between 4th and 5th streets. For the second year Art Walk & Motor Madness brings Bark in the Park to this event. Attendees will also find a selection of artisan vendors and food trucks. There will be beer and wine available. Morton Street merchants will open their stores for artists to showcase their works while working live, and art lovers/ attendees are invited to shop and sip wine while engaging with artists on the Art Walk. Plein air painters, youth art projects and sidewalk chalk art will complete the unique experience for attendees at 2022 Art Walk and Motor Madness. For more information, email hra.rtx@gmail.com or check out Facebook @artwalkrichmondtx.

April 3

Car Wash for Kids Doubling the Impact

Sunday, April 3, Hope For Three Teen Huddle and over 100 teen volunteers from across the county will rev up to raise awareness and acceptance during April, Autism Awareness Month. The event, presented by Sugar Land Baptist Church will take place at C & C Dental, 17003 Southwest Freeway in Sugar Land. Teens from area schools are on hand to wash cars with an Eco-Friendly solution, from 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The cost is free of charge; however, donations are welcome. Sugar Land Baptist Church is matching donations up to $3,500! Were doubling our impact! Volunteer and sponsor opportunities available. For more information or to find autism resources, visit: www.hopeforthree.org/events or call 281-245-0640.

April 5

Sugar Land City Council

The Sugar Land City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. N. For more information go to www.sugarlandtx.gov.

Rosenberg City Council

The Rosenberg City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 5, at Rosenberg City Hall, 2110 4th St. Council meetings may be viewed live on YouTube, the city of Rosenberg website, or by Rosenberg Comcast customers on channel 16. For more information go to www.rosenbergtx.gov.

April 18

Richmond City Commission

The city of Richmond will hold its regular commission meeting on Monday, April 18, at 4:30 p.m. at the City Hall Annex located at 600 Morton St. in Richmond. For questions, contact City Manager Terri Vela at tvela@richmondtx.gov or 281-342-5456.

Missouri City City Council

The regular meeting of the Missouri City City Council is scheduled for 7 p.m. Monday, April 18, in the City Hall, Council Chamber at 1522 Texas Parkway. For more information go to www.missouricitytx.gov.

April 19

Sugar Land City Council

The Sugar Land City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at Sugar Land City Hall, 2700 Town Center Blvd. N. For more information go to www.sugarlandtx.gov.

Rosenberg City Council

The Rosenberg City Council is scheduled to meet for its regular session at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, at Rosenberg City Hall, 2110 4th St. Council meetings may be viewed live on YouTube, the city of Rosenberg website, or by Rosenberg Comcast customers on channel 16. For more information go to www.rosenbergtx.gov.
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You could almost get the impression that state leaders have an issue with Harris County.

The mask mandate that County Judge Lina Hidalgo attempted to put in place after COVID-19 reached the region two years ago, for example, was swiftly ensnarled by an executive order from Gov. Greg Abbott. Drive-thru voting, one of the popular innovations pioneered in the 2020 election  was banned by law in 2021, for no good reason. Harvey funds? Forget about it, according to the General Land Office.

They are very much pushing us around, said Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee on Thursday. I definitely didnt come here to roll over and just take that. Im a litigator.

Those may sound like fighting words because they are. Since being elected in 2020, Menefee has shown that hes eager to be in the fray  and in the courtroom, on behalf of the county.

People get sued. It happens all the time, Menefee said, explaining that he personally doesnt find such proceedings stressful. And, you know, some of the great civil rights victories in this country started in the courtroom. You dont get a Voting Rights Act, or a Civil Rights Act, without the lawsuits that laid the foundation for why there needed to be change in this country.

This is a bracing attitude from the county attorney, and one which points to a potentially interesting turn in the states ongoing war against local control, particularly in the states large, Democratic-led counties.

The office is normally an obscure one, and poorly understood. Menefee says he sometimes has to explain that hes not the district attorney  that would be Kim Ogg, also a Democrat  or an attorney, small a, in Harris County.

On the campaign trail in 2020, he would explain to voters that the job has three responsibilities: to be the chief civil attorney for the county, offering legal advice and representation to county officials and agencies  but also to be a sword, when possible, and a shield, when necessary.

And so, after being elected in 2020, Menefee began working on a fair-chance hiring policy for the county, under which applicants for county jobs wont be asked about their criminal history at the outset of the hiring process; this proposal was approved by commissioners court in January. On Thursday, when we met, he was visibly excited about a newly announced summer legal academy that his office is launching this year for high school students who someday might be interested in becoming attorneys.

But many days, Menefee said, he finds himself playing defense in response to state action: thats the shield function of the office he described.

A vivid illustration came last month, when Gov. Greg Abbott, armed with a nonbinding opinion from Attorney General Ken Paxton, directed the state Department of Family Protective Services to report and investigate Texas parents who might help their transgender children access gender-affirming health care  a form of child abuse, according to the two Republicans.

Menefee was underwhelmed by the directive, and the nonbinding opinion that served as a fig leaf for it. And so, after several hours of reviewing the laws at hand, Menefee announced that his office simply wouldnt prosecute such investigations in Harris County.

He was the first locally elected official in Texas to take such a stance, but a number of others, mostly in other large counties, put out similar statements in subsequent days. The states policy is also now being challenged in court, by Lambda Legal and the ACLU. A district court judge in Travis County, after hearing arguments in the case on Friday, halted such investigations for the time being. (Paxton has appealed the injunction.)

Obviously, theres legal implications from what we did, Menefee said. But, also, its sending a signal to these families: hey, you dont have to be hiding in the shadows; your entire government is not against you.

Menefee was raised in a Coast Guard family. Both of his parents joined the service after extremely poor upbringings, in San Antonio in his mothers case, and in Houstons Fifth Ward for his father.

One of his earliest political memories came in third grade, when a teacher straw-polled the children about their preferences in the 1996 presidential elections. Seeing a sea of little hands shoot up for Bill Clinton, Menefee decided to buck the trend and be a Bob Dole guy.

Thats when I came out as a Republican, joked Menefee, who is a Democrat. He was elected by a comfortable margin in November 2020 against Republican John Nation, after winning 50.45 percent of the vote in a three-way Democratic primary against incumbent Vince Ryan and environmental lawyer Ben Rose.

In addition to being the first African American to serve as Harris County attorney, Menefee, who took office at age 32, is the youngest person to hold the post. But one of his role models for the job, he pointed out, was similarly youthful when he took the office.

Right there, Menefee said, pointing behind me.

I swiveled and saw a portrait of a mustachioed man with solemn eyes. This was Mike Driscoll, Menefee explained, who after being elected Harris County attorney at age 34 in the early 1980s proved himself to be a firebrand, a lawyers lawyer, and unafraid of a fight, whether with the state or with other players in Harris County. In fact, he continued, it was Driscoll who helped affirm the independent powers of the county attorneys office in 1985s Driscoll v. Harris County Commissioners Court.

Menefee isnt surprised that those powers are being tested.

One of the earliest core principles of modern day conservatism is that you govern at the lowest level possible, right? he said, adding dryly: But of course, when people who look differently start running those institutions, you got to push back. So I suspect youre going to see a whole lot more of it.

Its not all strife, to be clear. The Harris County Attorneys Office partnered with the state Attorney Generals Office on last years opioid settlement, for one thing. But still.

Therell be plenty to litigate about going forward, Menefee anticipates.

Im fine with us continuing to have these fights in court. Its no skin off my back, he said. Im not worried about it at all.

Perhaps its the state leaders who should worry.

erica.grieder@chron.com
A Louisiana man was fatally stabbed Saturday night at a large gathering in Montgomery.

Steven Smith, 33, was found unresponsive at 9 p.m. when police arrived at a disturbance call in the 1600 block of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Montgomery County Sheriff's Office officials said.

Officers had been told there was possible stabbing there, and found Smith and a large gathering of up to 40 people. A suspect was also located and as of Saturday night was being interviewed by homicide investigators.

Police officials did not identify the suspect, citing the investigation and no charges being filed as of Sunday morning.
Former Texas congressman Beto ORourke used some of his sharpest language of the campaign to attack Gov. Greg Abbott on Saturday, describing the two-term Republican as a thug and an authoritarian during an appearance at Austins South by Southwest festival.

Asked by Texas Tribune CEO and founder Evan Smith to describe how he differed from Abbott, ORourke noted that hed just had a chance to meet with the European Union ambassador and that they discussed the rise of authoritarians and thugs.

And we have our own right here in Texas, ORourke remarked.

Smith interrupted, Greg Abbott is a thug in your mind?

ORourke replied, Hes a thug. Hes an authoritarian. Let me make the case.

Not only could this guy through his own incompetence not keep the lights on in the energy capital of the planet last February, but when people like Kelcy Warren and other energy company CEOs make more than $11 billion in profit over five days, selling gas for 200 times the going rate, not only did he not claw back those illegal profits, not only was there no justice for the more than 700 people who were killed, who literally froze to death in their homes, outside, in their cars, (or for) people who are paying now tens of billions of dollars cumulatively to pay for the property damage that the flooding that ensued caused in their homes, but hes taking millions of dollars in payoffs from these same people who made it, ORourke said. Hes got his own oligarch here in the state of Texas. You think this stuff only exists in Russia and other parts of the world, its happening right here.

Abbotts campaign released a statement to the Texas Tribune: Its unfortunate Beto ORourke continues to run a campaign based on fear mongering and tearing down Texas.

ORourke, a Democrat who represented the El Paso area in Congress for three terms, is seeking to deny Abbott a third term in the November election. Both recently won their party primaries. ORourke narrowly lost a bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018.

Warren, the chairman of the board of directors of Energy Transfer Partners, one of the nation's biggest pipeline companies, is suing O'Rourke for defamation for criticizing his company's actions in the 2021 Texas winter storm and referring to his subsequent $1 million donation to Abbott as "pretty close to a bribe."

The lawsuit alleges that O'Rourke is trying to "publicly humiliate Warren and discourage others from contributing to Gov. Abbott's campaign." ORourke has dismissed the suit as frivolous and aimed at keeping him from telling the truth about Abbotts failure to keep millions from losing power during a bitter-cold snap.

The Wall Street Journal has reported that Energy Transfer Partners made an additional $2.4 billion last year when the state's grid manager pushed power prices sky-high to end rolling blackouts. The freeze killed more than 200 people by the state's estimate  and hundreds more by one count  and resulted in billions in property damages.

In the past year, state leaders have vowed to fix the problems, enacting new laws and rules supposedly shoring up the system that delivers power to Texas homes and businesses. Yet energy experts say there is still plenty to do to adequately prepare the state for future weather disasters.

ORourke also blasted Abbott for successfully pushing for new voting restrictions that he says have made it harder to vote, citing the case of a 95-year-old World War II veteran whose mail-in ballot application was twice rejected. Thousands of Texans could not vote in the March primary election because their mail ballots were rejected under the states new voting law.

You think there are rigged elections in other parts of the planet, ORourke said. It is the toughest state in the nation in which to vote, right here.

Abbott has said the restrictions are needed to combat widespread voter fraud, which has not been proved.

ORourke also accused Abbott of attacking women for signing a law that bans most abortions after six weeks in Texas and authorizes citizens to sue anyone who helps a woman obtain an abortion after cardiac activity is detected.

In signing the highly restrictive abortion law last year, Abbott said it ensures that the life of every unborn child who has a heartbeat will be saved from the ravages of abortion.
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Mia Huckman held tight to her painting, as her face moved from proud to perplexed to astonished. The shock eventually sent tears down her face.

The Foster High School junior was holding an art piece worth more than a quarter-million dollars, the second of back-to-back record prices paid for art during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo art auction.

Minutes after the 2022 best in show art piece claimed a then-record $250,000 at the rodeo, Huckmans painting, Partners in Time, winner of the reserve champion prize, fetched $265,000. The sum is $44,000 more than a Reserve Champion has ever fetched, and far more than Huckman, 16, expected, based on her facial expressions as two teams of bidders kept shooting up sale price.

I want to spend the rest of my life making things that people will love, Huckman said after the auctioneers gavel fell.

The painting was nabbed by an eight-person team of bidders and marked the third year in a row the reserve winner was claimed by a group including Cheryl and Gary Deitcher.

Combined with the sum paid for rodeo champion Gracin Nguyens In His Hands drawing, Sundays auction total was set to be a record-breaker for the rodeo. Nguyens drawing of a bull rider kneeling behind the chutes to pray garnered a lot of attention from bidders.

For her to put her faith on display is what this is all about, said Paul Somerville, one of the eight people to purchase the Dawson High School students painting.

Though the rodeo took 2021 off, the auction did not, with the top two pieces netting a combined $275,000. Huckmans piece nearly topped that solo. All told, 72 pieces sold for $2.1 million.

The rodeo continues until March 20, through its 90th year. Over the decades, officials estimate it has raised $550 million for educational purposes throughout Texas.

RodeoHouston 2022 lineup Feb. 28: Cody Johnson

March 1: Keith Urban

March 2: Tim McGraw

March 3: for KING & COUNTRY

March 4: Ricky Martin

March 5: Jon Pardi

March 6: Los Tucanes de Tijuana

March 7: Luke Bryan

March 8: Maren Morris

March 9: Kane Brown

March 10: Journey

March 11: Bun B's H-Town Takeover

March 12: Parker McCollum

March 13: Dierks Bentley

March 14: Sam Hunt

March 15: Gwen Stefani

March 16: Khalid

March 17: Chris Stapleton

March 18: Marshmello

March 19: Brad Paisley

March 20: George Strait with Ashley McBryde (concert only performance)

Students entered in the art auction win scholarships, as well as earn some of the money raised. Each sold painting is assured to land $1,500 in the artists pocket, with a cap of $2,500.

For many it is their first foray into the professional art world, and a chance at early immortality. Though the outcome is up to the buyers, the art pieces can end up in various settings. Some hang in homes and private collections, while others adorn office walls or lobbies. Often, many of the bidding teams donate paintings to museums and other western-themed cultural institutions, attendees and officials said. Theres always a chance the artist could later on sell pieces for far more, as many pursue art careers.

Kamryn Phillips, 15, of Friendswood didnt know where her drawing of a cow, titled Its Show Time would go, but the money would help with her school. Like many of the entrants, Phillips said her plans include building on her art experience, hopefully at Rice University or Texas A&M University. Having a painting sold for $25,000 is part of that.

Its just very exciting, Im thankful, she said.

Later, watching as drawings and paintings continued to claim $10,000-plus prices, Stuart Epps, 55, joked that he would be rethinking his own ambitions.

My mom used to put them on the wall in the kitchen, Epps said of his school-age scribbles. I wonder what they could go for?  I was terrible at drawing, but someone would take pity on me.

dug.begley@chron.com
They have never once been right.

Did you ever notice that? Do you ever think about it? Never once.

Oh, in matters of, say, foreign affairs or military strategy, one might contend that conservatives have had their moments, made arguments that, arguably, made sense. But on matters of social evolution, theyve compiled a remarkable record: Theyve never been vindicated by history. Rather, theyve always been repudiated by it, always been wrong.

You think thats harsh? You think its overly sweeping? The record begs to differ.

They stood athwart the civil rights movement, William F. Buckley once arguing (and later repenting) that white peoples cultural superiority entitled them to dominate African Americans.

They opposed womens rights, Barry Goldwater once saying that he had nothing against a woman running for vice president, just so she can cook and get home on time.

Nor are the rights wrongs limited to matters of human freedom. Every art form that ever dared deviate from status quo  music, film, books, comic books  has had to run a gauntlet of conservative opprobrium. As far back as the 1920s, they were up in arms over a new music called jazz.

Its a history that provides a jaundiced context for the latest right-wing crusade. Meaning the one against LGBTQ kids. Floridas Legislature passed its obnoxious Dont Say Gay bill last week. Gov. Ron DeSantis, evidently determined to leave no principle untrampled in his hoped-for march to the White House, is expected to sign it.

The bill, which says educators may not encourage discussion of sexual orientation or gender identity, is just the latest front in the rights war on LGBTQ young people, particularly those who are transgender. The ACLU counts dozens of such bills working their way through legislatures in over two dozen states. This includes Texas, whose attorney general has defined gender-affirming health care as child abuse.

NEWSLETTERS Join the conversation with HouWeAre We want to foster conversation and highlight the intersection of race, identity and culture in one of America's most diverse cities. Sign up for the HouWeAre newsletter here.

If you didnt know better, youd think transgender people just dropped onto the planet from space. They didnt. The former George Jorgensen made news way back in 1952 when he had sex reassignment surgery in Denmark and returned to the U.S. as a woman named Christine. No, the only thing that is new here is transgender peoples refusal to hide, their determination to live full, free and visible lives in the American mainstream.

Which brings them into conflict with conservatisms reflexive terror of anything that does not fit inside the white picket fence of its imagination. That tendency to look ever backward toward an imagined better past, that timorous inability to face the future  heck, to face the present  and the challenges of change, is what had conservatives at odds with everyone from Louis Armstrong to Martin Luther King to Gloria Steinem.

Now it has them standing between children and their teachers and doctors. It is cold comfort to know that these acts of invasive cruelty will one day stand condemned by history, but they will. Weve seen this movie too many times to doubt it. Youd think that would matter to conservatives; youd think theyd think about it. Then you remember that fear and thought are incompatible; its almost impossible for them to exist in the same space.

So, LGBTQ kids and their allies can only put their heads down, work for change and take such satisfaction as they may find in the fact that, where social evolution is concerned, conservatives lost the 20th century.

Now theyre about to lose the 21st.

Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for the Miami Herald.
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Christian Menefee, the youngest and first African-American elected Harris County attorney Tuesday evening, took little time to celebrate his historic victory.

By 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, he was meeting with the offices first assistant, beginning the transition process so he can hit the ground running in January. During his campaign, the 32-year-old litigator had pitched himself as a progressive advocate eager to work on issues, including bail reform.

I ran for this office because I saw that it has a real opportunity to impact life for everyday people, Menefee said Wednesday. In every issue, the way I will approach it is, how does this affect the collective good of the people of Harris County?

With the full, unofficial results tallied, Menefee bested Republican John Nation by more than 141,000 votes. He defeated three-term incumbent Vince Ryan in the March primary.

Menefee, who has never held public office, told the Houston Chronicle editorial board he wants to aggressively pursue polluters and also be a strong advocate of local control. Harris and other large urban counties in the state, which are run by Democrats, have clashed repeatedly in recent years with Republican state leaders on issues such as the COVID-19 response, eviction policies and election procedures.

The County Attorneys Office essentially serves as the in-house law firm for Harris County, representing the interests of residents and public officials in lawsuits. Menefee said he wants to immediately fill 15 vacancies among the 120 staff attorney corps, and look to create additional positions in the future.

He said he also wants to help attorneys develop expertise in certain areas, such as election law, so the county can rely less on outside lawyers when those issues arise.

I want to get the office constituted in a way that best utilizes our resources and puts us in the position to aggressively fight for the things I want to fight for, Menefee said.

The Texas Organizing Project, a progressive advocacy group that backed the first-time candidate, was thrilled about his victory. Devin Branch, a lead criminal justice organizer, said the group had grown disillusioned with current County Attorney Vince Ryan over the countys misdemeanor bail settlement last summer.

The county attorney, Branch said, was more of a hindrance than a help in implementing the changes, which replaced the countys cash bail system for low-level criminal defendants with one that allowed about 85 percent of accused offenders to be released on bond.

Criminal justice reform groups, as well as some members of Commissioners Court, want to next reform the felony bail system. Branch said Menefee is a crucial ally in that fight.

One of Christians top priorities is bail reform, Branch said. Defending the existing settlement and moving forward on felony bail reform, and being supportive of both of those efforts.

Branch said TOP also is eager to work with Menefee on implementing law enforcement accountability measures. Commissioners Court is considering several ideas for additional oversight in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by Minnesota police in May.

Menefee began his legal career at Norton Rose Fulbright and previously served as an intern in the Harris County Public Defenders Office. He also served on the Houston Independent Police Advisory Board.

Menefees victory continues a shift in Harris County toward younger leaders. County Judge Lina Hidalgo is 29. County Clerk Christopher Hollins is 34, though his interim appointment will end this month.

For the third consecutive cycle, Democrats won every countywide race in Harris County, including sheriff, district attorney, tax assessor-collector and county clerk.

zach.despart@chron.com
Posted by Liam on at 08:16 AM CST



Technically, Star Wars: The Clone Wars isnt the first Star Wars spinoff film set outside the core saga to be released theatrically. The 1980s television films Caravan of Courage: An Ewok Adventure and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor received limited theatrical screenings in some European countries.







isnt the first spinoff film set outside the core saga to be released theatrically. The 1980s television films and received limited theatrical screenings in some European countries. The Clone Wars certainly proved it wasnt just for kids, as the animated film received both a junior and adult novelization. The official adult novelization hails from author Karen Traviss, author of the highly popular Republic Commando book series. Traviss later left the Star Wars franchise due to the way The Clone Wars contradicted her version of the Mandalorians.







certainly proved it wasnt just for kids, as the animated film received both a junior and adult novelization. The official adult novelization hails from author Karen Traviss, author of the highly popular book series. Traviss later left the franchise due to the way contradicted her version of the Mandalorians. Outside of the prequel episodes The Hidden Enemy and Cat and Mouse, The Clone Wars planned to return to Christophstis in the canceled arc featuring Quinlan Voss alliance with Asajj Ventress to take down Count Dooku. The arc was adapted into the novel Dark Disciple .







. Ahsoka doesnt return to Christophstis in The Clone Wars , but the novel Ahsoka features flashbacks when she remembers her introduction to the Jedi Order. The official audiobook was narrated by Ashley Eckstein herself.







, but the novel features flashbacks when she remembers her introduction to the Jedi Order. The official audiobook was narrated by Ashley Eckstein herself. Christophstis is only briefly mentioned on Rebels in the episode The Lost Commanders, but it was a playable location in the online game Star Wars Rebels: Ghost Raid .







in the episode The Lost Commanders, but it was a playable location in the online game . This wouldnt be the last time Anakin visited the crystal planet. Darth Vader observes an Imperial presence on Christophsis in John Jackson Millers short story Orientation. The tie-in to the Lords of the Sith novel was featured in the 157th issue of Star Wars Insider .







novel was featured in the 157th issue of . Christophstis still has a presence in the New Republic era, as it's a site where the Church of the Force operates in the novel Aftermath: Empires End .







. In The Hidden Enemy, Rex and Cody arrest the clone Sergeant Slick after he betrays the Republic to Ventress. Hes not the only clone to go to jail; the idiosyncratic Dogma is imprisoned at the end of Carnage of Krell for killing General Krell after his deceit is revealed.







In Cat and Mouse, Bail Organas words to Obi-Wan are an homage to Princess Leias speech in A New Hope .







. Christophstis continues to be an important location within the High Republic era. The Clone Wars showed a more ruined planet devastated by war, but the crystal cities are at the height of prominence in The High Republic: Into the Dark.

Hey there,fans! This week on the site were headed back to the Battle of Christophsis, a pivotal conflict between the Republic Army and the Separatist Fleet that audiences first experienced in the 2008 theatrical film Star Wars: The Clone Wars. Make sure to read our  Expand Your Mind

 article first to learn about the pivotal meeting between Anakin and his padawan Ahsoka, but stay tuned throughout the week for more articles, insights, videos, and information on the best merchandising content.The Battle of Christophsis was an early example of howwould fundamentally change the dynamic of the saga, and introduced the new brand of animation to fans. With a harder edge than the standard animated fare of the time,film explored a darker side to the war is hell mentality of conflict. As a result, it's a series that saw many fans of all ages turning to Cartoon Network each week to check out new episodes. Read some of our Force Facts on Christophsis andfilm and series.What do you think,fans? What are some of your favorite planets introduced in? Would you like to see more adventures set on Christophsis? Let us know in the forums , and as always, may the Force be with you!Check out Rebelscum.com merch!Be sure to follow us on all of our social media platforms:
Hudson, NY (12534)

Today

Cloudy skies with a few showers this afternoon. High 61F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 30%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low 49F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
BCC Hosts Meet and Greet for Prospective, Current Nursing Students

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  Berkshire Community College (BCC) welcomes prospective and current nursing students to a free Meet & Greet on Tuesday, March 15 at 2 pm.

The session will be held in Room 110 of Hawthorne Hall, located on the main campus. To register for the event, visit www.berkshirecc.edu/nursinginfo

Dean of Nursing Lori Moon will offer an overview of BCC's various nursing programs, including the Practical Nurse certificate program that serves as a precursor to becoming a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN); the Associate Degree in Nursing/Registered Nurse (ADN/RN) program; and the Bridge program, which transitions current LPNs into the ADN/RN program. Questions from students are welcome.

Moon will be joined by representatives from Advising/Admissions and Financial Services, who will explain the steps necessary to apply to the nursing program and explore financial aid options.

The application deadline for the fall ADN program is Friday, April 1.
Pittsfield Public Virtual Academy Approved for Another Year

PITTSFIELD, Mass.  The Pittsfield Public Virtual Academy will remain in place, at least through fiscal 2023 through the use of ESSER III funds.

The School Committee approved the second of three proposals on Wednesday based on the recommendation of Superintendent Joseph Curtis.

This configuration will serve 215 students in Grades 1-12 (with some combination of grades). This will require 21 full-time equivalent staff positions at a cost of $1.75 million.

The first proposal would have served 235 students in K-12 at a cost of $2.4 million; option three would have been 175 students in Grades 6-12 for $1.5 million.

The School Department will use Elementary and Secondary Education Emergency Relief funds, a grant program through the federal American Rescue Plan Act. If the School Committee had voted to discontinue the academy, the funds would have been put toward counselors and interventions within the district.

The PPVA gives students the same learning opportunities as students attending in-person but makes education more accessible.

Teachers, students, parents, and guardians commented on Wednesday of the effectiveness the academy had on students' academics and mental health, especially marginalized populations.

Substitute teacher Michael Vincent Bushy explained that although it takes three years to get academic results, educators are already noticing the social emotional benefits.

"Students feel 24 percent safer than their peers at the secondary level. Specifically and markedly they feel 40 percent less likely to be disrespected, 24 percent less worried about violence and tellingly, in the area most likely to threaten a virtual population, 90 percent of the PPVA secondary students feel safe from cyber bullying, that's 19 percent higher than the district average," Bushy said.

She demonstrated that some of the marginalized populations experienced benefits beyond the mainstream population.

"Special ed students are showing enthusiasm for classes ranging from 6 to a staggering 41 percent above the other district secondary schools," she said. "African American students who make up 3 percent more of the PPVA population than the district average also feel a heightened sense of belonging ... So virtual learning is not going to disappear."

The next year of the academy is being considered as a transitional year and the School Committee charged the administration to develop a hybrid model that would impact students and help families while still being financially sustainable and aligning with the district's long-term strategic plan.

"During the 2022-2023 school year, the Central Office, school leadership, and staff will collaborate with stakeholders of existing programs such as the PPVA, Learning Labs, POPs Program, and Dropout Prevention Program to develop a hybrid model that is impactful to students and financial sustainability," Curis said.

Parents and guardians gave their personal experiences on how the program has affected their families. They found that this model of teaching helped students, particularly those with a history of behavioral issues, manage their social skills.

"I've come here tonight to thank the staff at the PPVA for all they've done for my granddaughter in the last 18 months," one guardian said. "Through their efforts, they've taken a student who has a class and behavioral issue, and one who didn't, who appeared to have a strong disinterest in school in any of the learning that goes along with it  they turned her into an honor student."

Students with a history of social anxiety have also found the PPVA form of teaching to be effective as it creates an atmosphere where they feel safe and can thrive. One speaker mentioned her fear of losing PPVA because of how much it helped her niece with social anxiety and believed that her returning would lead to the student committing suicide.

"Last month, I heard so many different things about how the money could go better here, could go better there. But we were discarding the students that are in PPVA. As if they were just going to go back to brick and mortar and be fine," she said. "But I'm here to tell you, my niece will never go back to brick and mortar, she will not be fine. If she went back to brick and mortar, she would probably end up committing suicide and I am not exaggerating."

Bushy also demonstrated the idea that PPVA creates a safe environment for students with mental illness.

"Virtual learning could be a safe environment for students with anxiety disorders or mental illnesses that right now just do not excel in a large classroom setting," she said. "But through the virtual setting, they could keep their academics up and possibly be able to start interacting with others within what they can may consider to be a safe zone."

One parent mentioned how her son is learning skills in a way that he otherwise would not have learned in the school building.

"I can attribute this fact that the PPVA allowed him to learn how he learns, not just how taught. He has learned that he does well when he just hears teachers teaching but understands better sometimes when he can read it aloud to himself," she said. "He has learned time management skills, organizational skills, responsibility, among other things that he would not have gotten the same way in brick and mortar."

One speaker mentioned the range of possibilities PPVA brings to students and teachers. It gives ill students and teachers a way to learn or teach without being present in the classroom and could increase the number of students in the district by including home school students.

"Teachers who need extended leave, maybe instead of leaving, they can be offered to transfer to PPVA temporarily. Early retirements due to injury or illnesses possibly transfers to PPA. Obviously that's a teachers union discussion, not for us," she said. "Perhaps home schoolers can be brought back into the district with the collaboration of PPVA and homeschooling organizations, you can homeschool, you could probably make a rather good Zoom class helper."

The district has applied for a grant that would allow PPVA students to be offered Advanced Placement courses through the virtual high school.

If a student chooses to do so, PPVA will help transition them back to the mainstream. The schools are also looking into setting up a referral process that would help students transition into PPVA.

Bushy argued that PPVA will put Pittsfield into the "cutting edge of a whole new educational frontier" and that it would be a detrimental to throw away all the knowledge that they have learned through the experience the past two years.

"The idea that academic growth and personal development cannot exist in a virtual setting is a prejudice that persists only because we allow it to that sort of narrow thinking constricts the growth of our community, and mostly falls on our students who will suffer for it," Bushy said.

"And we all like to talk about new ideas all the time. Well, this is a new idea staring us right in the face. We only need to be bold enough to commit to nurturing it instead of stuffing it out in its infancy along with the academic hopes of a small but no less important population students."tion students."
A Place for All Conservatives to Speak Their Mind.
An award-winning US journalist working in Ukraine, Brent Renaud, has been shot dead in Irpin, outside Kyiv, on Sunday 13 March. Ukrainian police said he had been targeted by Russian soldiers. Two other journalists were injured and taken to hospital. It is the first reported death of a foreign journalist covering the war in Ukraine. The International and European Federations of Journalists (IFJ-EFJ) condemn the killing and call for the killers to be brought to justice.

Brent Renaud, 50, was a journalist and documentary filmmaker who lived and worked in New York City and Little Rock, Arkansas. He had previously worked for the New York Times. His film and television projects have covered the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya, the fight for Mosul, extremism in Africa, cartel violence in Mexico, and the youth refugee crisis in Central America.

One of the injured journalists, Juan Arredondo, was with Brent Renaud when they came under fire: We were across one of the first bridges in Irpin, going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, he said in a video published on Twitter. Somebody offered to take us to the other bridge and we crossed a checkpoint, and they started shooting at us. So the driver turned around, and they kept shooting; theres two of us. My friend is Brent Renaud, and hes been shot and left behind I saw him being shot in the neck.

A third victim, a Ukrainian who had been in the same car as Brent Renaud and Juan Arredondo was also wounded, according to a medic at the scene.

The news comes less than two weeks after Ukrainian journalist Yevheniy Sakun, a camera operator for the Ukrainian television channel LIVE, was killed when a building near the TV transmission tower in Kyiv was hit by shelling.

On 26 February, two Danish journalists had also sustained gunshot wounds after unknown gunmen targeted their car in Ukraine.

On 28 February, a British television crew for Sky News was ambushed while covering the war in Ukraine. Despite their shouting that they were journalists, they were shot at various times: a bullet hit Chief correspondent Stuart Ramsay in his lower back while camera operator Richie Mockler was shot twice in his flak jacket.

A few days later, on 6 March, a Swiss journalist covering the war in Ukraine, Guillaume Briquet, was shot and wounded after coming under fire in the Mykolayiv region, in southern Ukraine.

We are shocked by the increasing number of attacks on journalists trying to cover the war in Ukraine, said IFJ General Secretary Anthony Bellanger. The deaths of journalists Brent Renaud and Yevheniy Sakun cannot go unpunished. The authorities must do everything possible to identify the perpetrators of these war crimes.

These systematic attacks on journalists and other war crimes require a strong response from the international community, added EFJ General Secretary Ricardo Gutierrez. The EFJ calls once again for the establishment of a special international tribunal on these war crimes committed in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This murderous spiral must be stopped!.
Since 1963, The Independent has helped create a great community!

Since our founding in September of 1963, The Independent has been dedicated to giving Livermore, Pleasanton, Dublin, and Sunol readers the news they need to be in-the-know about what's going on in the Tri-Valley region.
Actress Mila Kunis, who has her roots in Ukraine, has come out to defend the citizens of Russia. During an interview, she urged the world not to blame the 'Russian people' for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

Mila, born in Ukraine, lived there until she was seven years old. Her Jewish family fled the Soviet country in 1991 and relocated to the United States.

Twitter

In an interview with journalist Maria Shriver for The Sunday Paper, Mila spoke about the turbulent situation that unfolded in the past few weeks at her birthplace.

Instagram

When Maria asked what Mila thinks people around the world should be doing. She made an honest plea to everyone across the globe and said, I dont believe that we need to consider the people of Russia an enemy."



times of israel

Mila also said, There is that if you are not with us, you are against us mentality, and I dont want people to conflate the two problems that are happening. I dont think its the people of Russia, so I dont want there to be a thing of, all Russians are horrible human beings.' I dont want that to be the rhetoric."



She also added,

AP

Its the people in power, not the people themselves.



Mila, who previously considered herself very much American, said after Putin invaded her birth country, she felt like a part of her heart got ripped out.

Instagram

She even confessed that she would just tell people she was Russian rather than Ukrainian because many Americans didnt know where Ukraine was.

AGENCIES

However, she says now she has a lot of pride in her Ukrainian heritage but continues to reinstate she is still grateful to live in America and to have enjoyed everything the country has given her.

Justin K. Aller/AFP

In several social media posts, the couple announced they would match donations of up to 2.5million ($3million). In an honest plea, Mila and Ashton urged people to donate. She was quoted as saying,

AP

There is no place in this world for this kind of unjust attack on humanity." Kutcher and Kunis launched the GoFundMe page last week when they spoke publicly for the first time about the 'devastating' conflict in Ukraine.

(To get the latest updates from Bollywood and Hollywood, keep reading Indiatimes Entertainment.)
After a Yemen court dismissed Indian national Nimishi Priya's appeal against her death sentence on Monday, on Saturday a petition has been filed in the Delhi High Court seeking to direct diplomatic interventions and negotiations on her behalf.



The plea filed by the Save Nimisha Priya International Action Council states that Nimisha was held guilty of murder and awarded death sentence after she allegedly gave sedatives to a man who hid her passport and kept her as a slave in Yemen.



Nimisha, a nurse from Kerala, had been working in Yemen when travel to and from the country was banned in 2016 due to the Civil War. Her husband and daughter returned to India in 2014, but she couldn't due to her job.



Google

Later, she was accused of killing the Yemeni national in July 2017.



Priya, a trained nurse by profession, is found guilty of murdering Mahdi by chopping his body into pieces and disposing off the corpse in a water tank. The duo acquainted each other after she was keen to start her own medical clinic in Sanaa. She had sought Mahdi's aid, as under Gulf regulations, only nationals can set up businesses and foreign nationals/entities are required to attain sponsorships from locals.



The petition is filed by 'Save Nimisha Priya- International Action Council', in her assistance, after an appeal court in Sanaa, on March 7, dismissed the appeal by the Indian citizen who is sentenced to death.



Unsplash/Representational image

The aforementioned Council has been formed since September 2020 in association with a group of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) mostly Keralites, based in different countries or parts of India. The group's objective is to bring justice to Nimisha Priya and also raise funds in a bid to pay blood money if the kins of the victim decided to pardon her.



Priya, who is accused of the murder of Talal Abdo Mahdi, a Yemeni national. The murder is said to have taken place in July 2017 after Mahdi allegedly injected Priya with sedatives to seize her passport and restrain her movement. Reports suggest that Priya has repeatedly accused the Yemeni national of torturing and harassing, thus inflicting abuse on her.



The petitioner's advocate Subash Chandran KR told the Delhi HC that the Yemeni court tried Priya in 2020, subsequently, Priya had filed an appeal against her sentence, however, the judge upheld her death penalty, diminishing the scope for a further chance of appeal at the Supreme Court.



"Though another chance of appeal to the Supreme Court still exists, Nimisha Priya is unlikely to be spared the punishment awarded by the lower court for the 2017 murder. The apex court rarely sets aside the verdict of the appeal court as it will only examine if any procedural errors affected the outcome of the case, not its merits. She can hope to come out of the death row even now only if the victim's family accepts blood money and she managed to get relief from legal procedures," ANI quoted the petitioner as saying.



Also, it was brought to the fore that the petitioner has mentioned that even after the appeal, the negotiation has not begun with the victim's family. Moreover, 'neither Nimisha's family members nor the members of the Petitioner organisation are able to travel to Yemen for negotiations at present as the respondents have declared a travel ban for Indians to Yemen since 2016," the plea stated.
Russian forces have advanced closer to Ukraine capital Kyiv from the north, west and northeast. Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky also said Russia was sending new forces after suffering what he said were its biggest losses in decades.



Russian forces appeared to make progress from the northeast in their slow fight toward Ukraine's capital, while tanks and artillery pounded places already under siege with shelling so heavy that residents of one city were unable to bury the growing number of dead.



The invading Russian forces also killed seven evacuees, including a child, near Kyiv, said the Ukrainian government on Saturday. Ukraine says Russian troops shot at the group of women and children evacuees leaving a village near Kyiv.



AFP

The incident came on the day when Ukraine evacuated a record number of people out of the country.



Around 13,000 people were evacuated from a number of Ukrainian cities on Saturday, the deputy prime minister said, almost twice the number who managed to get out on Friday.



In a media briefing, Zelensky said that the approach was in contrast to earlier talks at which Moscow only "issued ultimatums" and that he was "happy to have a signal from Russia" after President Vladimir Putin said he saw "some positive shifts" in their dialogue.



Putin indicated previously that negotiations are "now being held on an almost daily basis".



AFP

The governors of Kyiv and Donetsk regions said Russian attacks were continuing in areas where Ukraine was trying to evacuate people and bring aid through humanitarian corridors.



Meanwhile, Russian forces pounded the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, shelling its downtown as residents hid in an iconic mosque and elsewhere to avoid the explosions.



Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have held several rounds of talks since Putin sent in troops to the country.



AP

Turkey on Thursday hosted the first talks between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers since the invasion.



The talks have led to the opening of several humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians from combat areas. Both sides have accused each other of blocking these efforts.



The war, which began on February 24 when Russia launched a full-scale invasion of its neighbour, has continued for over two weeks now.

For more on news and current affairs from around the world, please visit Indiatimes News.






NASA's Juno spacecraft recently captured a mind-blowing image of Ganymede, Jupiter's moon casting a shadow on the planet.

The gas giant has numerous moons, but Ganymede is significantly large - as evident in its ability to cast a shadow on the planet - which is also the largest in our solar system.

The image was captured by NASA's Juno spacecraft last month and shared by Kevin Gill, a citizen scientist who regularly posts processed space images.

Jupiter shadow by Ganymede | Kevin Gill/NASA/Juno

Juno's goal: To study Jupiter

The Juno spacecraft's mission is to Jupiter, its atmosphere, moons, and auroras. It has been in orbit since 2016 and received an extension of the mission to keep it working till 2025 or until the end of its life, depending on whichever comes first.

Space.com

Since then, the spacecraft has shared some riveting images of the gas giant and its giant storms. While NASA keeps sharing the raw images, the images deliver perfectly after some processing.

A second shot of the shadow of moon Ganymede on Jupiter as @NASAJuno departs Perijove 40https://t.co/k1BTQi7ZE1 pic.twitter.com/tZNC9wPy6W  Kevin M. Gill (@kevinmgill) March 8, 2022

Also read: Amazingly Huge! Guy Captures Jupiter-Sized Solar Prominence On Sun's Surface

Jupiter is the largest planet in our solar system, and Ganymede is its largest moon. In terms of size, it is trailed by Saturn and Uranus. Our home planet, Earth, is the fifth-largest planet in the solar system by surface area.

Reuters

Also read: NASA Citizen Scientist Discovers Jupiter-like Planet 379 Light-years Away



The gas giant has no surface, just hot steamy gases packed into a giant size ball. If humans ever tried to land on Jupiter, they'd die under the immense pressure and with no surface to land on. Jupiter has about 53 named moons and 26 that still haven't been named. Scientists now think Jupiter has 79 moons.

With the Juno mission, scientists hope to find more details about the elusive giant ball of gas and its moons. What do you think about this stunning image? Let us know in the comments below.

For more in the world of technology and science, keep reading Indiatimes.com.


In an adorable gesture, traffic police stopped traffic to let a family of otters cross the busy Orchard Road safely at Singapore's presidential palace, Istana.

The incident was caught on camera and the video of the same was shared on social media.

In the sped-up video, a family of 16 otters can be seen attempting to cross the road with short pauses. Meanwhile, the traffic light at the intersection was flashing red.

Our local otters have been dropping in on the Istana. Appreciate the care by Istana staff, @nparksbuzz, @SingaporePolice and members of public to help them co-exist with us safely in our urban environment, e.g. crossing the road safely.  LHL https://t.co/H8jGiAmTLB pic.twitter.com/j0lzTZIiyU  leehsienloong (@leehsienloong) March 11, 2022

This is when the police officers came to their rescue and signalled the oncoming vehicles to slow down and stop. A guard was also forced to stand in the middle of the road to hold the traffic.

People on the internet couldn't stop loving this video and found it adorable. Many even lauded the traffic police officers for taking such good care of these otters. One user said, "Really it's very amazing. We need to take care when seeing this kind of situation."

Amazing and wonderful.  A Chatterjee (@VegaKat) March 11, 2022

Really it's very amazing. We Need to take care when see the like this situation..  VLOGGER MAZHARUL (@VMazharul) March 13, 2022

wow so cute, i love this otters. really lovely  Mazibur Rahaman (@Mazibur151) March 13, 2022

Very nice

It does a great job.I resped  waiwsi (@waiwsi14) March 12, 2022

Great Job...  Soe Hlaing (@Zulu1011) March 12, 2022



The police guards usually handle traffic outside the main gate of The Istana when convoys exit the building, according to a Mothership report. Except, this time, they were escorting a group of otters for humanitarian reasons.



The otter population of Singapore is on the rise after decades of habitat loss and pollution. Recently, the figure has added to 150, which is roughly twice as many otters as in 2017.

For the latest from trending, click here.
A video of an unusual-looking 'furry green snake' has been doing the rounds. This mysterious reptile was spotted in a swamp in Thailand.

In the said video, the two-foot-long creature is seen moving inside a vessel. Interestingly, its fur aligns with the zig-zag movement.

Youtube

According to reports, this snake was spotted in Thailand's Sakhon Nakhon by a 49-year-old local named Tu. However, the date, exact location, and authenticity of the clip have not been verified yet.

"I have never seen a snake that looked like this before. My family and I thought it would be useful to let people find out what it is and research about it," Tu's 30-year-old niece was quoted as saying by Yahoo News.

The creature has been kept in Tu's house and awaiting identification by authorities.

Youtube

As per The Science Times, locals put forth the idea that the furry snake could be a puff-faced water snake. For long, it would have waited to catch its prey in shallow and rocky crevices, leading to moss growing on its body.



The scales are on top of the skin and mostly made of keratin. Its like having a layer on top of the skin and when they shed theyre shedding the outside of those scales, Sam Chatfield, snake species coordinator at Wildlife ARC on the NSW Central Coast, was quoted as saying by Yahoo News Australia.

Next time it sheds it (the algae layer) will come off, Chatfield added.

Puff-faced water snake is also called masked water snake. They are a species of mildly venomous snake in the Homalopsidae family found in tropical areas of Southeast Asia.

For the latest from trending, click here.
Real-time social media posts from local businesses and organizations across Northern Virginia, powered by Friends2Follow. To add your business to the stream, email cfields@insidenova.com or click on the green button below.
Thursdays Speak Out is open to the press and will be livestreamed on the following platforms: www.facebook.com/NCBCP/ and #RolandMartinUnfiltered.
We expected it would end quickly. But it has already lasted 18 days. Who knows, it may carry on for months.

by Victor Cherubim

My day in Ukraine is different to what I am used to in my barracks in my country.

I now have to fight not only the military forces of the Ukrainian army, but the civilians who are surrounding us and have taken up arms. Ukrainian civilians have surrounded us, round our armoured carriers. They are all armed with rifles. They are taking us everywhere - into their schools, into their hospitals, even into their cemeteries.

Our invasion began in the eastern Donbas region on 24 February 2022 after forces tried to liberate the Russian speaking citizens, as we crossed the line of control into the non-occupied parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Our forces are trained to use the 220 mm Uragon Rocket which triggers at least seven cluster explosions. But would you believe, Ukrainian civilians are walking down when there are immediate explosions?

You see everyone is covered with blood. Looking at it, they drove us into a kindergarten, while we were on the motorway bridge at Stoyanka, 20 miles from Kiev on the third day of our attack."

You see according to our Russian State Service of Extraordinary Situations", our troops pulled out two men and two women alive from the wreckage. But a third victim, a boy of around eight or ten, was found dead inside one of the cars.

We were taught to use our "GRAD" BM21, 220 mm; "SMERCH" 300 mm weaponry. But we don't have a chance to use these hand arms.

Of course, our aerial bombers have done our work as you have seen on TV.

We are killing small numbers - 10 people died and 35 injured during the heavy bombardment of central Kharkiv. You know the success in any war is the product of two crucial factors - our ability to fight, and the willingness to suffer the costs. You know this war will cost about $20 billion a day?

We know it takes three to four months to produce replacements and ammunition.

It is a tax on our working people, a drag on our economic growth.

We thought that our men and our weaponry were superior to the enemy.

We expected it would end quickly. But it has already lasted 18 days. Who knows, it may carry on for months.

The military costs of war have been exacerbated by the unprecedented level of international sanctions by a large coalition of countries.

Russian citizens have been targeted. Generous estimates suggest the Russian economy could shrink by 7 percent by next year, instead of the 2 percent growth that was forecast before the invasion. Some others estimate, it could double up to 15%.

The Russian people are calculating if this cost is worth their Eastern border being extended, as most are Russian speakers.
Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), who sits on numerous House committees, including the Judiciary, Budget, and Homeland Security, has made the reparations legislation her top priority during the 117th Congress.
Recently, US media reported that Elon Musk SpaceX is seeking permission from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to extend the company Starlink satellite broadband Internet service to planes, ships and cars.

In an application filed with the FCC on Friday, SpaceX said it would be in the public interest to extend Starlink satellite broadband Internet service to mobile vehicles across the United States and to mobile ships and aircraft around the world.

However, on Monday at local time, Musk said: "It is not possible to connect Tesla cars to the Starlink network because our terminal mass is too large. This application is for aircraft, ships, large trucks and RVs."

SpaceX noted in its application that it has received permission from the Federal Communications Commission to deploy up to one million user terminals in the United States.

SpaceX started public beta testing of its Starlink Internet service in the US at the end of October. The company is currently offering Starlink satellite Internet service to users in the northern United States, Canada and parts of the United Kingdom, but it has unveiled plans to bring its broadband Internet service to more countries. Currently, the company Starlink satellite Internet service has more than 10,000 users.

Affected by extension of Starlink satellite broadband Internet service of Space X, the 72212c bearing market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market rising. Bearings are an important part of modern machinery and equipment, and its downstream is widely used in industrial automation, high-end equipment, robotics, automobile manufacturing and other fields. In recent years, due to the decline in demand from downstream industries such as automobiles and machine tools, as well as the adjustment of industrial structure, the phase of transformation and upgrading, the phasing out of backward production capacity has changed the relationship between supply and demand. If you are looking for 72212c bearing or get more information about 72212c bearing, please send an email to sales@spark-bearing.com.

The price of 72212c bearing continues to be affected by some kind of factors such as market rising momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2022 to 2027, the global 72212c bearing sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that In the second half of this year, the price of 72212c bearing will increase to a certain extent.

Due to changes in the raw material price of bearings rising, consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of 72212c bearing, the cost of 72212c bearing is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of 72212c bearing will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of 72212c bearing will increase slightly from next year.

The market trend of 72212c bearing?

The cost of raw materials is still the biggest concern for manufacturers. Raw materials account for approximately 60-62% of bearing manufacturers revenue. The price of raw materials for bearings fluctuates continuously according to market economic conditions. Such fluctuations in raw material prices are becoming a real challenge for companies to maintain competitiveness and ensure sustainable profits. As high-grade steel and alloy steel are the main raw materials used to manufacture 72212c bearing, bearing prices are highly correlated with global steel price trends. Therefore, fluctuations in the price of raw materials have brought challenges for bearing manufacturers to compare prices and quality to manufacture bearings. In addition, the bearings require regular maintenance to avoid failures and extend their service life, which further increases maintenance costs. Therefore, factors such as raw material price fluctuations and regular maintenance costs are expected to hinder the growth of the bearing market.

The market demand for 72212c bearing?

The global bearing market value in 2020 is 123.34 billion U.S. dollars and is expected to reach 153.62 billion U.S. dollars by 2027, and the compound annual growth rate will also increase steadily.

A bearing is a mechanical element that supports relative movement and helps reduce friction caused between moving parts. Bearings are widely used in various industries such as automobiles, wind turbines, construction machinery, mining machinery, agricultural equipment, and machine tools. It is used in automobiles to ensure smooth driving of automobiles, electric vehicles (EV) and other types of vehicles (such as light commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles such as trucks). Due to the increasing utilization of bearing 72212c bearing in various end-use industries, rolling mills and electric vehicles, the global 72212c bearing market has become more and more important. The development of technology has improved the overall efficiency of bearing products in the field and extended the product shelf life.

About WSBC bearing

Wuxi Spark Bearing Co., Ltd is a complete, one-stop 72212c bearing supplier and manufacturer. All bearings products are qualified and have passed the ISO 9001 certification. We have more than 12 years of experience in bearings, is a modern high-tech professional high-quality roller bearing manufacturer specializing in R&D, manufacturing, sales and service. In order to keep WSBC bearings in sync with the world, we have invested in many advanced CNC equipment and a complete set of precision testing equipment committed to building a high-quality workforce and introducing advanced manufacturing and management technologies. We have strict quality control and environmental protection.

If you are looking for 72212c bearing or get more information about bearings, please send an email to sales@spark-bearing.com

Or visit the following website: https://www.spark-bearing.com/
The vaccine is already available, but the epidemic is still getting worse. The number of newly diagnosed new crown cases in Germany has exceeded 20,000 daily, and the disease control department expects that the future will continue to "significantly increase." The worried Chancellor Merkel tried to contain the epidemic through stricter measures, but was forced to abandon the "Easter blockade" ban under numerous obstructions.

Vaccination and rapid antigen testing were the basis for Germany\'s partial unblocking in early March. However, the AstraZeneca vaccine crisis disrupted Germany vaccination plan. The German Minister of Health, Spand, said that vaccination alone cannot contain the third wave of the epidemic because the number of vaccines is not enough. The situation will ease in April, but there may be only about 15 million vaccines available in Germany. Quick testing is not a solution in itself, but an important tool. In order to curb the spread of the virus, restrictions that have been lifted may have to be re-implemented.

Affected by the Germany lifts the "Easter blockade", the spherical ss316l powder market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next February 2021-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. If you are looking for spherical ss316l powder or buy spherical ss316l powder in bulk, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com .

The price of spherical ss316l powder continues to be affected by factors such as market growth momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2020 to 2026, the global spherical ss316l powder sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that from today to next week, the price of spherical ss316l powder will increase to a certain extent.

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of spherical ss316l powder, the cost of spherical ss316l powder is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of spherical ss316l powder will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of spherical ss316l powder will increase slightly from today to next week.

However, KMPASS provides high purity spherical ss316l powder with steady price. In order to feedback to old customers, the company is still in full operations to provide spherical ss316l powder with competitive price. said Aimee, sales manager of KMPASS.

About KMPASS

KMPASS is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. As a leading nanotechnology development and spherical ss316l powder manufacturer, KMPASS dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are looking for spherical ss316l powder, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com

OR go to the following link:

https://www.kmpass.com/titaniumbased/Spherical-Nitinol-Alloy-Powder-NiTi-3D-Printing-Metal-Powder.html

https://www.kmpass.com/titaniumbased/China-Supply-High-Purity-3D-Printing-Metal-Powder-TC4-Powder--Ti6Al4V.html
US President Joe Biden plans to invite Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the White House for a summit meeting as soon as April, Axios reported Wednesday. If finalized, it would be Mr. Biden first face-to-face meeting with a foreign leader since taking office, according to administration sources. Analysts said the talks will focus on how to deal with the "China challenge".

US media reported that the meeting between Biden and Suga was intended to show the international community that the US administration takes into account the "China threat" and will position the US-Japan relationship as the foundation for peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific. The exact date of the meeting will be determined by the state of the COVID-19 epidemic and may be delayed beyond May. Japan Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper said the US-Japan summit is expected to focus on strengthening the alliance, promoting a "free and open Indo-Pacific" and dealing with China moves in the East and South China Seas.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Austin are planning to visit Japan in the middle of this month, although the date of the meeting between the two leaders has not been set yet, the NHK television website reported Monday. They will hold a "2+2" meeting with Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi and Defense Minister Nobuo Kishi. The two will be Mr. Biden first cabinet trip to Japan since taking office. Japanese media said the two sides are likely to discuss China strategy."China is modernizing its military and narrowing the arms gap with the United States," Austin said in an interview with US media on Tuesday."China is stepping up its regional offensive and threatening America Allies. Allies are very important to the United States."

Affected by The first face-talks of Joe Biden with foreign leaders, the nj310 bearing market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market rising. Bearings are an important part of modern machinery and equipment, and its downstream is widely used in industrial automation, high-end equipment, robotics, automobile manufacturing and other fields. In recent years, due to the decline in demand from downstream industries such as automobiles and machine tools, as well as the adjustment of industrial structure, the phase of transformation and upgrading, the phasing out of backward production capacity has changed the relationship between supply and demand. The number of bearing industries has declined. If you are looking for nj310 bearing or get more information about nj310 bearing, please send an email to sales@ericbearing.com

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of nj310 bearing, the cost of nj310 bearing is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of nj310 bearing will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of nj310 bearing will increase slightly from next month.

The price of nj310 bearing continues to be affected by factors such as market decline momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2022 to 2025, the global nj310 bearing sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that In the second half of this year, the price of nj310 bearing will increase to a certain extent.

The market trend of nj310 bearing?

The cost of raw materials is still the biggest concern for manufacturers. Raw materials account for approximately 60-62% of bearing manufacturers revenue. The price of raw materials for bearings fluctuates continuously according to market economic conditions. Such fluctuations in raw material prices are becoming a real challenge for companies to maintain competitiveness and ensure sustainable profits. As high-grade steel and alloy steel are the main raw materials used to manufacture nj310 bearing, bearing prices are highly correlated with global steel price trends. Therefore, fluctuations in the price of raw materials have brought challenges for bearing manufacturers to compare prices and quality to manufacture bearings. In addition, the bearings require regular maintenance to avoid failures and extend their service life, which further increases maintenance costs. Therefore, factors such as raw material price fluctuations and regular maintenance costs are expected to hinder the growth of the bearing market.

The market demand of nj310 bearing?

The global bearing market value in 2020 is 123.34 billion U.S. dollars and is expected to reach 153.62 billion U.S. dollars by 2027, and the compound annual growth rate will also increase steadily.

A bearing is a mechanical element that supports relative movement and helps reduce friction caused between moving parts. Bearings are widely used in various industries such as automobiles, wind turbines, construction machinery, mining machinery, agricultural equipment, and machine tools. It is used in automobiles to ensure smooth driving of automobiles, electric vehicles (EV) and other types of vehicles (such as light commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles such as trucks). Due to the increasing utilization of bearing nj310 bearing in various end-use industries, rolling mills and electric vehicles, the global nj310 bearing market has become more and more important. The development of technology has improved the overall efficiency of bearing products in the field and extended the product shelf life.

About Eric Bearing Limited

Since the establishment of ERIC BEARING LIMITED in 2011, Eric Bearing Co., Ltd. has established partnerships with some distributors who have authorized world-renowned manufacturers, such as Swedish SKF bearings, German FAG and INA bearings, and so on. Compared with other competitors, our price is very competitive, 30% lower than the customer local market. We have set up multiple branch warehouses in Hong Kong Free Port, Shanghai Port and Guangzhou Port. We have more than 8 years of export experience can help you find the ideal purchasing solution. Various brands of bearings have abundant stocks, if you are interested, please feel free to contact us.

Looking for the nj310 bearing or get more information about any other bearings, please send an email to sales@ericbearing.com
It is reported that the term "carbon neutral" has been frequently mentioned in South Korea in the past six months. Last October, South Korean President Moon Jae-in mentioned South Korea 2050 emission reduction target for the first time in his policy speech. In December of the same year, South Korea issued the "2050 Carbon Neutrality Declaration." Recently, the Ministry of Environment of South Korea issued the "Republic of Korea Carbon Neutral 3+1 Strategy", which means that in order to promote carbon neutrality by 2050, South Korea has implemented it in relevant functional departments and proposed specific measures.

South Korea promotion of its carbon neutral strategy is not only driven by the international environment, but also has an inherent motivation to solve domestic environmental problems. Before and after the change of the US government, many South Korean think tanks included climate change cooperation into their research reports. The political and academic circles in South Korea generally believe that the issue of carbon neutrality will usher in an opportunity for international cooperation.

Affected by the South Korea solves environmental problems , the spherical ss316l powder market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next February 2021-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. If you are looking for spherical ss316l powder or buy spherical ss316l powder in bulk, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com .

The price of spherical ss316l powder continues to be affected by factors such as market growth momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2020 to 2026, the global spherical ss316l powder sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that from today to next week, the price of spherical ss316l powder will increase to a certain extent.

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of spherical ss316l powder, the cost of spherical ss316l powder is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of spherical ss316l powder will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of spherical ss316l powder will increase slightly from today to next week.

However, KMPASS provides high purity spherical ss316l powder with steady price. In order to feedback to old customers, the company is still in full operations to provide spherical ss316l powder with competitive price. said Aimee, sales manager of KMPASS.

About KMPASS

KMPASS is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. As a leading nanotechnology development and spherical ss316l powder manufacturer, KMPASS dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are looking for spherical ss316l powder, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com

OR go to the following link:

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Tungsten-Disulfide-WS2-Powder-.html

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Molybdenum-Disulfide-MoS2-Lubricating-Material-Powder-.html
It is reported that the Philippine New Crown Task Force issued a statement saying that the Philippines will close the border for another month to deal with the new wave of epidemics and the surge in cases of variant new coronavirus infections. Under the ban, foreign citizens and some overseas Filipinos will be barred from entering the country.

According to reports, officially approved foreign government officials, Filipino citizens returning to work from overseas, and people in emergencies will be exempted from the entry ban. In addition, the Civil Aviation Administration of the Philippines on the 16th set the daily number of inbound passengers at Manila International Airport from March 18 to April 19 at 1,500.

Affected by the Philippines continues to close the border, the sis2 market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next February 2021-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. If you are looking for sis2 or buy sis2 in bulk, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com .

The price of sis2 continues to be affected by factors such as market growth momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2020 to 2026, the global sis2 sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that from today to next week, the price of sis2 will increase to a certain extent.

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of sis2, the cost of sis2 is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of sis2 will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of sis2 will increase slightly from today to next week.

However, KMPASS provides high purity sis2 with steady price. In order to feedback to old customers, the company is still in full operations to provide sis2 with competitive price. said Aimee, sales manager of KMPASS.

About KMPASS

KMPASS is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. As a leading nanotechnology development and sis2 manufacturer, KMPASS dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are looking for sis2, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com

OR go to the following link:

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Tungsten-Disulfide-WS2-Powder-.html

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Molybdenum-Disulfide-MoS2-Lubricating-Material-Powder-.html
It is reported that on the 17th local time, the Japan National Tourism Administration released estimated data that in February 2021, the number of foreign tourists visiting Japan was 7,400, which was a 99.3% decrease from the same month in 2020, and a year-on-year decline for 17 consecutive months, which is also August 2020. Since the beginning of the month, there are less than 10,000 people again. In terms of major countries and regions, the largest number of foreign tourists visiting Japan was 1,700 from China (a decrease of 98.1% year-on-year), followed by 900 from South Korea (a decrease of 99.4% year-on-year) and 600 from India (a decrease of 90.9% year-on-year). %).

The report pointed out that since the summer of 2020, the Japanese government has relaxed some restrictions on entry for business and long-term stay. However, with the spread of the new crown epidemic, in January 2021, the Japanese government once again issued an emergency declaration, which changed in principle to not allow new entry of foreigners from all countries.

Affected by the decrease in foreign tourists in Japan, the sis2 market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market growth. This year-on-year upward trend in the market indicates that the next February 2021-2026 will show an oval but steady growth. If you are looking for sis2 or buy sis2 in bulk, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com .

The price of sis2 continues to be affected by factors such as market growth momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2020 to 2026, the global sis2 sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that from today to next week, the price of sis2 will increase to a certain extent.

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of sis2, the cost of sis2 is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of sis2 will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of sis2 will increase slightly from today to next week.

However, KMPASS provides high purity sis2 with steady price. In order to feedback to old customers, the company is still in full operations to provide sis2 with competitive price. said Aimee, sales manager of KMPASS.

About KMPASS

KMPASS is a trusted global chemical material supplier & manufacturer with over 12 years experience in providing super high-quality chemicals and Nanomaterials. As a leading nanotechnology development and sis2 manufacturer, KMPASS dominates the market. Our professional work team provides perfect solutions to help improve the efficiency of various industries, create value, and easily cope with various challenges. If you are looking for sis2, please send an email to: sales 2 @nanotrun.com

OR go to the following link:

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Tungsten-Disulfide-WS2-Powder-.html

https://www.kmpass.com/chemicals/Molybdenum-Disulfide-MoS2-Lubricating-Material-Powder-.html
Foreign media said that the report made by Russia National Airlines said that General Manager of Russia National Airlines, General Manager of Russia, China National Airline Director Ke-Jian Zhang, signed the Memorandum of Understanding of the Federal Government Cooperation Construction of International Monthly Research Stations.

Russia National Aeronautics Company said in the news: "Russian National Airlines and China NASA will promote extensive cooperation in the International Moon Research Station, open the national and international partners of interest, strengthen scientific research exchange, and promote all human beings. Peaceful exploration space used. "

According to this report, the signing ceremony is carried out through a video conference. Experience in Sino-Russian State In Space Science, R & D, and Space Technology will jointly develop the construction road map of the International Moon Research Stations. The International Moon Research Station in cooperation in two countries is to conduct multidisciplinary multi-objective research activities on the moon surface or moon track.

According to AFP, Moscow reported on September 9, Russia and China announced the cooperative construction plan of the International Entrance Research Station. The background of this initiative is Moscow seeking to restore its ancient glories during the Soviet period.

Influenced by the joint establishment of an international lunar research station by China and Russia, the nj310 bearing market is changing rapidly. These changes are indicators of market rising. Bearings are an important part of modern machinery and equipment, and its downstream is widely used in industrial automation, high-end equipment, robotics, automobile manufacturing and other fields. In recent years, due to the decline in demand from downstream industries such as automobiles and machine tools, as well as the adjustment of industrial structure, the phase of transformation and upgrading, the phasing out of backward production capacity has changed the relationship between supply and demand. The number of bearing industries has declined. If you are looking for nj310 bearing or get more information about nj310 bearing, please send an email to sales@ericbearing.com

Due to changes in consumer demand, import and export conditions, and various investigations on the development of nj310 bearing, the cost of nj310 bearing is constantly changing. Taking into account the current market macroeconomic parameters, value chain analysis, channel partners, demand and supply, the cost of nj310 bearing will also be affected to a certain extent. It is estimated that the cost of nj310 bearing will increase slightly from next month.

The price of nj310 bearing continues to be affected by factors such as market decline momentum, various opportunities and challenges. However, during the forecast period from 2022 to 2025, the global nj310 bearing sales market is expected to continue to be above average. The growth rate will continue to increase. It is expected that In the second half of this year, the price of nj310 bearing will increase to a certain extent.

The market trend of nj310 bearing?

The cost of raw materials is still the biggest concern for manufacturers. Raw materials account for approximately 60-62% of bearing manufacturers revenue. The price of raw materials for bearings fluctuates continuously according to market economic conditions. Such fluctuations in raw material prices are becoming a real challenge for companies to maintain competitiveness and ensure sustainable profits. As high-grade steel and alloy steel are the main raw materials used to manufacture nj310 bearing, bearing prices are highly correlated with global steel price trends. Therefore, fluctuations in the price of raw materials have brought challenges for bearing manufacturers to compare prices and quality to manufacture bearings. In addition, the bearings require regular maintenance to avoid failures and extend their service life, which further increases maintenance costs. Therefore, factors such as raw material price fluctuations and regular maintenance costs are expected to hinder the growth of the bearing market.

The market demand of nj310 bearing?

The global bearing market value in 2020 is 123.34 billion U.S. dollars and is expected to reach 153.62 billion U.S. dollars by 2027, and the compound annual growth rate will also increase steadily.

A bearing is a mechanical element that supports relative movement and helps reduce friction caused between moving parts. Bearings are widely used in various industries such as automobiles, wind turbines, construction machinery, mining machinery, agricultural equipment, and machine tools. It is used in automobiles to ensure smooth driving of automobiles, electric vehicles (EV) and other types of vehicles (such as light commercial vehicles and heavy vehicles such as trucks). Due to the increasing utilization of bearing nj310 bearing in various end-use industries, rolling mills and electric vehicles, the global nj310 bearing market has become more and more important. The development of technology has improved the overall efficiency of bearing products in the field and extended the product shelf life.

About Eric Bearing Limited

Since the establishment of ERIC BEARING LIMITED in 2011, Eric Bearing Co., Ltd. has established partnerships with some distributors who have authorized world-renowned manufacturers, such as Swedish SKF bearings, German FAG and INA bearings, and so on. Compared with other competitors, our price is very competitive, 30% lower than the customer local market. We have set up multiple branch warehouses in Hong Kong Free Port, Shanghai Port and Guangzhou Port. We have more than 8 years of export experience can help you find the ideal purchasing solution. Various brands of bearings have abundant stocks, if you are interested, please feel free to contact us.

Looking for the nj310 bearing or get more information about any other bearings, please send an email to sales@ericbearing.com
A Brightline train struck and killed a person Saturday night just south of the Sheridan Street crossing in Hollywood.

The incident happened at about 6:45 p.m. and no vehicle was involved, according to Officer Christian Lata of the Hollywood Police Department. He said police were still investigating and had no information about the victim.

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The person was killed near Scott Street, where the street dead-ends at the Brightline tracks. Nearby, the homeless facility Broward Outreach Center faces the railroad tracks at 2056 Scott St.

We dont know what events led up to it. As of now, there are no witnesses, but were still investigating, Lata said.

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[ RELATED: As Brightline struggles with deadly accidents, what will future hold for South Florida rail expansion? ]

The pedestrian fatality is the third in three months in Hollywood, where a man walked in front of a train near Van Buren Street in December, and another man was struck by a train at Harrison Street in January.

Staff writer Ben Crandell can be reached at bcrandell@sunsentinel.com.
The Taoiseach says he did not "get into" UK concerns over Ireland's open door policy on Ukrainian refugees in a meeting with Prime Minister Boris Johnson yesterday.

Micheal Martin held a bilateral meeting with Mr Johnson ahead of Ireland's rugby victory over England at Twickenham but told the BBC that Mr Johnson had not raised concerns that the Irish-UK Common Travel Area could lead to refugees bypassing UK border checks.

Reports in English media during the week suggested the UK Cabinet had voiced concern that the Irish border would be used to enter the mainland UK.

However, Mr Martin this morning told the BBC that he and Mr Johnson did not discuss the issue. He said that Mr Johnson had praised Ireland's humanitarian approach, which he said had seen 5,500 Ukrainians come to the country already.

Mr Martin said that this approach was based on "huge empathy for what we're seeing on our screens" as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continues.

Taoiseach Micheal Martin speaking to Prime Minister Boris Johnson at Twickenham Stadium during his visit to the UK. Irish Government/PA Wire

"The humanitarian response trumps anything as far as we're concerned," he said, adding that Ireland maintains border checks but is quickly allowing those fleeing the war to access Irish social protection.

"We can all see the humanitarian crisis and we do know that can be exploited by certain bad actors, but we will use our security personnel to keep an eye on that."

Furthermore, the Taoiseach says he will consider personally taking in Ukrainian refugees.

Micheal Martin has interests in a number of properties including the family home, a holiday home and an apartment in Dublin.

Mr Martin said that he was not privy to any conversation between British Home Secretary Priti Patel and Justice Minister Helen McEntee but said that Mr Johnson's "only impulse" was to praise the Irish approach.

"We didn't get into the security issues."

Mr Martin told the broadcaster that taking up to 100,000 or more refugees would be "logistically challenging".

"This is something that Ireland has never experienced on this scale before but we believe that we need to do it. This is a battle between democracy and authoritarianism, fundamentally."

He said that the challenge would "stretch the budgetary framework". On Irish neutrality, Mr Martin reiterated his stance that Ireland is not neutral in the war in Ukraine.

He said that "what Ireland does best is peacekeeping and humanitarian support".
We all seem to cheer when daylight saving time arrives every March. The idea of an extra hour of daylight at the end of the day is what most of us need after the chilly shorter days of December, January, and February. But where did the crazy idea of "shifting time" come from? Benjamin Franklin gets some credit for the idea. In a letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris, Franklin jokingly recommended the people get out of bed earlier in the morning to minimize the use of candles and lamp oil.

In 1895, George Hudson, an entomologist from New Zealand, came up with the modern concept of daylight-saving time. He proposed a two-hour time shift, so he'd have more after-work hours of sunshine to go bug hunting in the summer. Hudson suggested moving clocks ahead two hours in October and then a two-hour shift back in March. In 1905, William Willett, a British builder, suggested moving clocks ahead 20 minutes every Sunday in April and then setting them back every Sunday in September. That's eight time changes every year!

In the United States, daylight saving time was first used in 1918 when a bill introduced the idea of a seasonal time shift. It lasted seven months before the bill was repealed.

During the 1973 oil embargo, the United States Congress ordered a year-round period of daylight-saving time to save energy. The period would run from January 1974 to April 1975. The plan did little to save energy and in October 1974, the U.S. switched back to standard time. From 1987 through 2006, daylight saving time started the first weekend in April, running through the last weekend in October.

In 2007, the start and end of daylight-saving time shifted again. That year, it began on the second Sunday in March, and it ended on the first Sunday in November. And that's where we are in 2022. Daylight saving time starts on Sunday, March 13th this year.

The Future of Daylight-Saving Time. In recent years, there has been a push to make daylight saving time year-round. Several states have passed legislation to make this law. I guess "time" will tell if we see year-round daylight-saving time in the future. Dont forget to spring forward and set the clocks one hour ahead, or you may find yourself an hour late to everything!

BY CHIEF METEOROLOGIST GARY STEPHENSON NATIONWIDE

PUBLISHED MAR. 13, 2021
As a high schooler, Key resident Ali Mejia led a double life. During the day, she was a top-notch student at Ransom Everglades School, focused on academic success. But her secret passion was pajamas  comfortable pajamas.

She loved rummaging through her mothers and grandmothers closets, admiring their beautiful sleepwear. After school, she would ride her bicycle to her seamstress Gracielas house on Buttonwood to watch her sew, enchanted and mesmerized.

Ali graduated from Princeton University in 1994 and landed a job with a prestigious bank on Wall Street. But something didnt click. I had what many would consider a dream job, she explains, but I didnt feel fulfilled. I wasnt happy.

When Ali was 23, the bank was taken over and she was laid off. In retrospect, she is grateful. Losing her job gave her the time and space to ponder what she wanted out of life.

Ali took her severance money and headed to Florence, Italy. While there, immersed in the arts, she had an epiphany: she wanted to lead a creative life. She left New York and moved back to Key Biscayne to pursue that goal.

She got a day job but spent her free time focused on creating the sleepwear and lingerie brand of her dreams. A pattern maker named Ana with a studio on South Beach took Ali under her wing. The two spent long hours playing with fabric.

Before long, Ali and her business partner, Mariela Rovito, were ready to launch. We had no experience, no mentors, and had never worked in fashion, Ali admits.

But they had a vision and passion and were determined to make a go of it. They named their fledgling company Eberjey, taken from a Nigerian dialect. It means joy.

In 1997, the duo rented a booth at a trade show in New York City. After spending three days without a visitor, they were close to calling it quits. Then, in walked a miracle customer who loved the product and bought up the entire stock. Eberjey was on its way.

From the get-go, Eberjeys mission has been to provide women with what we really want in sleepwear. We want women to have beautiful sleepwear that is comfortable and that allows us to relax and be ourselves. In our first photoshoot, we featured a model making pancakes in her Eberjey, Ali explains, laughing at the memory.

From its humble roots, Eberjey has grown to be wildly successful. The company now operates retail stores in Coral Gables, Miami Beach, New York City, and Newport Beach. The line is carried in prestigious specialty and department stores worldwide.

Melissa McCaughan White, executive director of the Key Biscayne Community Foundation, has the utmost respect for Ali. She is not only the co-founder and executive officer of one of the most well-regarded modern fashion companies, Ali is also a true Key Biscayner  elegant and confident without pretense.

Ali offers this advice for young people exploring career interests. Try out as many jobs as possible. Seek out internships. Experience different workplaces and ask yourself, Is this something I could see myself doing? 

As for those already in business, she advises, Listen to your customers. Really get to know them and the products they need. Ask how those products will improve their lives.

Ali acknowledges that Eberjey has done well the past two years. During the pandemic, many people discovered that its important to honor your own space and your downtime, to engage in self-care, to be the best person you can be.

Ali Mejia is someone we all should look up to. She discovered her passion, followed her dreams, and has stayed true to her commitment to helping women everywhere embrace our authentic selves.
Raised on Cuban coffee and pastelitos, Danny Gonzalez doesnt stray too far from his heritage when it comes to overseeing mojitos being blended at his parents unique bar and restaurant, The Cleat, at the entrance of No Name Harbor off Key Biscayne.

Version en espanol

Last week, in the Wall Street Journal  a publication well regarded for its hard news coverage of politics, finance and world affairs  author Matthew Kronsberg took a lighter approach, selecting the non-traditional mojito and the stunning atmosphere at The Cleat among six venues in a story entitled, In Miami, a Search for a Perfect Mojito.

The El Farito Mojito, affectionately named for the nearby iconic Cape Florida Lighthouse  built in 1825 and is the oldest structure in Miami-Dade County  was the subject of the story.

Matt originally is from South Florida, but moved away, Danny explained. When he was trying to make that connection (between Cuban drink and environment), he wanted to visit us as one of his first places. I think its cool to be recognized. We dont have a website, our Instagram page is not active ... just word of mouth. We like it that way.

What makes the El Farito special is the splash of guava puree and a whisper of coconut syrup, further sweetening the mix of rum, lime, mint, sugar, soda and ice.

Its a very classy drink; the better the rum you use, the better the mojito, said Dannys mom, Reina.

The El Farito was actually concocted by well-known mixologist and cocktail author Gabe Urrutia, who also developed the Jose El Picante, a twist on a standard margarita, and three other signature drinks at the establishment, which opened in September of 2020 with a beautiful U-shaped Italian terrazzo bar, and priceless, stunning sunset views.

We had a tasting session to see which (drinks) made the most sense, and some are on the cutting room floor, Danny said, laughing. But Im sure well bring some of them back. Things come and go.

How popular is the mojito?

Despite its stirred, not shaken status, James Bond even once set aside his traditional Vodka martini to sip on the Cuban drink in the 2002 movie, Die Another Day, when Pierce Brosnan turned to Halle Berry at the bar and said: Mojito? You should try it.

Reina pointed out that Ernest Hemingway also helped popularize the cocktail when he lived in Cuba, where hed sit at a bar in Havana called La Bodeguita Del Medio (which still exists today), perhaps providing drink for thought for The Old Man and The Sea.

And, in the Miami area, where thousands of liquor licenses are granted, the mojito  in some form or fashion  is readily available, even at the local Pollo Tropical drive-through, where a ready-to-drink can from the La Palmita Cocktail Co. will cost you $2.

I wouldnt doubt it, laughed Danny, who hasnt yet visited some of the other five locations on the Wall Street Journal mojito list, covering South Beach, Coral Gables, Wynwood, Little River and Little Havana.

Danny, 41, runs the day-to-day operations for his parents, David and Reina, the concessionaires at the adjacent Boaters Grill restaurant in the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park.. Danny might be better known in the Miami area and abroad as the bass player in the well-traveled rock band, Jacuzzi Boys, which once got a nice shout-out from punk legend Iggy Pop. Theyll be performing this month after a two-year pandemic layoff.

Lately, Danny has preferred a simple Rum and Coke (basically a Cuba Libre, without the lime), only because when were busy I can go behind the bar and make one swiftly without getting in anybodys way, he said, jokingly.

The El Farito Mojito and the Jose El Picante are just two of The Cleats top-selling alcoholic beverages. In addition to the always-popular Pina Colada, theres The Miami News, named after the former evening newspaper (printed from 1896 to 1988), and contains Vodka, lavender syrup, Prosecco blueberry and a splash of sparkling water, which gives it a light purplish color, and is a big seller, Reina said.

As far as the latest national publicity, both Danny and Reina remain humble and low key.

Yeah, were not necessarily pushing that, Danny said. It just happened. Weve always been a family business, and when something happens organically and naturally, on its own, it just feels more satisfying, especially having someone acknowledge it.

Reina echoes those sentiments.

I think its important for every business to get publicity, especially if its the Wall Street Journal, she said. I think, sometimes, you can take things for granted ... were so involved In our business. Im not being vain, but we either got lucky or were doing a good job.

Cheers to that!

The Cleat, a casual bar with a small menu, is located next to Boaters Grill at the Bill Baggs Cape Florida State Park and is open 3 to 8 p.m. Tuesday-Wednesday; 3 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday; 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday; and 2 to 8 p.m. Sunday.

#tasteofkeybiscayne
George Lucas is one of history's most financially successful filmmakers responsible for the Star Wars franchise and Indiana Jones, he has been nominated for four Academy Awards for his work. The multi billionaire, visionary, film director, producer, screenwriter, and entrepreneur turns  Click for more.
NEW YORK  William Hurt, whose laconic charisma and self-assured subtlety as an actor made him one of the 1980s foremost leading men in movies such as Broadcast News, Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71.

Hurts son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died Sunday of natural causes. Hurt died peacefully, among family, his son said. The Hollywood Reporter said he died at his home in Portland, Oregon. Deadline first reported Hurts death. Hurt was previously diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to the bone in 2018.

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In a long-running career, Hurt was four times nominated for an Academy Award, winning for 1985s Kiss of the Spider Woman. After his breakthrough in 1980s Paddy Chayefsky-scripted Altered States as a psychopathologist studying schizophrenia and experimenting with sensory deprivation, Hurt quickly emerged as a mainstay of the 80s.

In Lawrence Kasdans 1981 steamy neo noir Body Heat, Hurt starred alongside Kathleen Turner as a lawyer coaxed into murder. In 1983s The Big Chill, again with Kasdan, Hurt played the brooding Vietnam War veteran Nick Carlton, one of a group of college pals who gather for their friends funeral.

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Hurt, whose father worked for the State Department, traveled widely as a child while attending prep school in Massachusetts. Hurt studied acting at Julliard and first emerged on the New York stage with the Circle Repertory Company. After The Big Chill, he returned to the stage to star on Broadway in David Rabes Hurlyburly, for which he was nominated for a Tony.

Actor William Hurt plays with his dog, Lucy, in Riverside Park in New York on Oct. 10, 2013. Hurt, the Oscar-winning actor of Broadcast News, Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71. Hurt's son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died Sunday, March 13, 2022 of natural causes. (Frazier Moore/AP)

Shortly after came Kiss of the Spider Woman, which won Hurt the best actor Oscar for his performance as a gay prisoner in a repressive South American dictatorship.

I am very proud to be an actor, Hurt said, accepting the award.

In 1986s Children of a Lesser God, it was his co-star, Marlee Matlin, who took the Oscar for her performance as a custodian at a school for the deaf. Hurt played a speech teacher. For Hurt and Matlin, their romance was off-screen, as well  but it wasnt Hurts first experience with his private life finding notoriety.

Hurt was first married to actor Mary Beth Hurt (also a Big Chill co-star) from 1971 to 1982. While he was married, he began a relationship with Sandra Jennings, whose pregnancy with their son precipitated Hurts divorce from Mary Beth Hurt. A high-profile court case ensued six years later in which Jennings claimed she had been Hurts common-law wife under South Carolina law and thus entitled to a share of his earnings. A New York court ruled in Hurts favor, but the actor continued to have a strained relationship with fame.

Acting is a very intimate and private thing, Hurt told The New York Times in 1983. The art of acting requires as much solitude as the art of writing. Yeah, you bump up against other people, but you have to learn a craft, technique. Its work. Theres this odd thing that my acting is assumed to be this clamor for attention to my person, as if I needed so much love or so much attention that I would give up my right to be a private person.

In her 2009 memoir, Matlin detailed physical and emotional abuse during their relationship. At the time of its publishing, Hurt issued an apology saying: My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives.

In those years, Hurt also struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and attended rehabilitation clinics. He also developed a reputation for not always being an easy collaborator. The New Yorker called him notoriously temperamental. In 1989, Hurt married to Heidi Henderson, who he met at rehab. They had two children together. Hurt also had a daughter with French actress and filmmaker Sandrine Bonnaire, whom he met while making the straight-to-video 1992 Albert Camus adaptation The Plague.

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Among Hurts greatest performances was James L. Brooks 1987 comedy Broadcast News, as a slick but lightweight anchorman who symbolized the emerging fusion of entertainment and journalism.

Albert Brooks, Hurts Broadcast News co-star, was among the many who responded to Hurts passing Sunday. So sad to hear this news, wrote Brooks on Twitter. Working with him on Broadcast News was amazing. He will be greatly missed.

After his torrid 80s run, Hurt fell increasingly out of favor with filmmakers in the 90s, and some reasoned that it was because of his reputation. Hurt, however, continued to defend his approach, telling The Los Angeles Times in 1994 that I give more by solving the truth than by pandering to expectations and facile hopes.

If a director tells me to make the audience think or feel a certain thing, I am instantaneously in revolt, Hurt said. Im not there to make anyone else think or feel anything specific. I have agreed to something the whole piece says. Beyond that it is my only obligation to solve the truth of the piece. I dont owe anybody anything  including the director.
Jacksonville, TX (75766)

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Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 88F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph..

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Mainly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 71F. Winds SSE at 5 to 10 mph.
Johnson City, TN (37604)

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Mostly cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy this afternoon. High 76F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

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Mainly clear. Low 51F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
Charlie Crist, Nikki Fried and Annette Taddeo came together over the weekend, united in their diagnosis of the biggest problem they see plaguing Florida: Gov. Ron DeSantis.

Healing, they said, requires his removal from office in the November election.

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During late-night speeches to elected officials, activists and political donors gathered for the Broward Democratic Partys annual Obama Roosevelt Legacy Gala on Saturday, they lambasted the Republican governor for what they said are policies that will hurt female, Black and LGBTQ Floridians.

[ RELATED: Growing field of candidates? Second Fort Lauderdale elected official considers run for Congress ]

So intense is the Democratic dislike for DeSantis, that he displaced the Democrats previous top villain, former President Donald Trump, who was mentioned far less frequently than the current Florida governor.

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After almost 25 straight years of Republican governors, we finally have found the worst of them all, said Fried, the state agriculture commissioner.

Trump wasnt completely off of the Democrats minds. Crist, a Democratic congressman from St. Petersburg, offered this assessment of DeSantis: Hes as arrogant as Trump. He is mini-Trump. DeSantis is a disaster, lets face it. I mean if youre LGBTQ, you get no respect from him. If youre a woman you get no respect from him. Youre African American, you get no respect from him.

[ RELATED: These Democrats want to take on Ron DeSantis. Each has pluses, minuses. ]

State Sen. Annette Taddeo, a candidate for Florida governor, speaks during the Broward Democratic Party fundraising dinner on March 12, 2022, at the Signature Grand in Davie. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel)

Its so bad, Crist said, that it makes him think that every night [DeSantis] goes to bed, hes got to think about what group am I going to screw tomorrow? Seriously. Its a lot of hate. It is. It really is. And its not right, and it aint Florida.

Crist, Fried and Taddeo differed on style, but the main difference was the solution to what they identified as the DeSantis problem. Theyre all running for the Democratic nomination to run for governor, and each depicted themselves as the partys best hope to deprive him of a second term.

Fried and Taddeo both highlighted the annual legislative session, which wrapped up most of its work for the year on Friday. The Legislature, controlled by Republicans, couldnt finish all its work on time, and lawmakers are set to return to Tallahassee on Monday.

[ RELATED: Will new abortion restrictions, long-sought goal of conservatives, produce a political backlash and help Democrats in 2022 elections? ]

The pain of the last 60 days, the cruelty that has been inflicted upon our state is unimaginable, Fried said.

Frieds narrow victory in the in the race for state agriculture commissioner in 2018 made her the only statewide elected Democrat in Florida, and she said her time in office has given her insight in how to challenge DeSantis.

I go into a room every day with him and battle him. Not only do I throw punches, but I land him, Fried said. There is nobody in the state of Florida who makes him twitch as much as I do. The second that I open my mouth in Cabinet meetings you see this twitch that he gets. I wear that as a badge of honor.

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Taddeo, a state senator from Miami-Dade County, said the problem is grave. Florida has a red tide problem, and not just in our water, Taddeo said. But also in Tallahassee. The Tallahassee red tide kills democracy, suppress voters rights, and the laws they passed just this session leaves a really bad smell as well.

Legislation on contentious social issues supported by the governor included banning almost all abortions in Florida after the 15th week of pregnancy (abortion is currently legal until the 24th week), limiting the discussion of sexual orientation and gender identity in schools  labeled the Dont Say Gay bill by critics  and restricting discussion of race and racism in schools and employee training programs.

State Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, a candidate for Florida governor, speaks during the Broward Democratic Party fundraiser dinner, Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Signature Grand in Davie. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel)

Those issues united and enraged the candidates for governor, and the other Democrats at the event, who described what they saw as attacks on women, the Black community and the LGBTQ community by DeSantis and the Republican-controlled state Legislature.

The stage at the Democratic Party gala had six American flags  plus a rainbow LGBTQ flag and a blue, pink and white transgender flag. U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Broward/Miami-Dade county Democrat, led the audience in chanting Lets say gay.

U.S. Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick, a Broward/Palm Beach County Democrat and the first Haitian American Democrat elected to Congress, said DeSantis is trying to prevent us from empathizing with people in the #LGBT community. It sounds so similar to how they dehumanized us as Black people.

[ RELATED: Can Democrats beat DeSantis next fall? A look at the odds, and what it would take. ]

The governor is focused on doing things that really dont change peoples lives, except crate more hate and division against gay people, against women, against Latinos, against everybody. You know I think the only people he likes are middle aged or older white guys, Crist said.

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Plenty of Floridians feel differently. Governor DeSantis might be the villain in the Democrats story, but Floridians know hes the hero that saved them from draconian Democrat rule, Julia Friedland, Florida communications director for the Republican National Committee, said Sunday via text. Public opinion polling suggests DeSantis is in a good position to win re-election, which may propel him to a widely expected candidacy for the Republican presidential nomination. Many political analysts and Democratic insiders see DeSantis as tough to beat.

People are saying Democrats cant win, that DeSantis is unbeatable. But they are wrong. That narrative is wrong, Taddeo said.

Democracy is on the line, decency is on the line, the future of our country, the future of the world is resting on what we as Democrats do this November, Fried said.

U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, a candidate for governor, mingles with the crowd during a Broward Democratic Party fundraiser dinner, Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Signature Grand in Davie. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel)

Democratic efforts

Ken Evans, the Democratic state committeeman for Broward, said the fundraising event event took in about $190,000 before expenses, the sold-out 400 dinner seats and sponsorships.

County Democratic Chairman Rick Hoye said the funds would be used for the partys get out the vote efforts this year. Broward is the states Democratic stronghold. Though it cant propel its parties statewide candidates to victory on its own, without a strong Democratic showing in the county, the partys statewide candidates have no chance to win.

Bigotry, the Big Lie, insurrection, they are the enemies of democracies. Their purveyors are hard at work. And they will not stop until we stop them, Hoye said. The Big Lie is the label Democrats have given to the unsubstantiated claims that Trump didnt really lose the 2020 election.

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.@KenevansdncFl kicks off @browarddems Obama Rosevelt Legacy Gala. Its the partys major annual fundraiser; first one in person since 2019. pic.twitter.com/AoVX92GZ5L  Anthony Man (@browardpolitics) March 13, 2022

Several participants, including keynote speaker Cedrick Richmond, a former Louisiana congressman and current White House director of public engagement, praised Biden.

Wasserman Schultz credited Biden and the Democratic Congress for bringing U.S. out of Trumps COVID ditch and restoring the nations economy from its pandemic low.

And she said, Biden is doing a far better job than Trump would have in dealing with the invasion of Ukraine ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Thankfully we have an American president who stands up to Putin. Not one who licks his boots like the last one, she said.

Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics
Joplin, MO (64801)

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Thunderstorms, some heavy this morning, then periods of rain during the afternoon. High around 60F. Winds E at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected..

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Periods of rain. Low 59F. Winds ESE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.
The United Nations will have multiple meetings this week about Russias war in Ukraine, though it is unclear if they will lead to the adoption of an official text, diplomats said.

On Monday, the Security Council will discuss the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau is expected to speak during the session, one of the diplomatic sources told AFP Saturday.

Although this is an annual meeting, it will place special focus on the war in Ukraine and will likely see fresh calls for peace.

For two weeks, a French-Mexican draft resolution on humanitarian aid has been debated by some council members. Members originally hoped to vote on the text in early March, but a date for a vote has not yet been set.

On Friday, Chinas ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun told AFP he had not yet seen a finalized text.

According to the draft version, obtained by AFP, the council would deplore the dire humanitarian consequences of the hostilities against Ukraine.

The body would demand an immediate cessation of hostilities, particularly all attacks on civilians.

The text would also require the protection of civilians, including humanitarian personnel and persons in vulnerable situations such as children.

The draft is at risk of being vetoed by Russia, which has been rejecting all political texts, according to diplomats  some of whom have suggested the draft be submitted directly to the UN General Assembly.

There is no veto power in the larger forum, but resolutions passed by the assembly are not binding like those passed by the Council.

On March 2, the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution that deplores Russias invasion of its neighbor and demands the immediate withdrawal of troops.

A total of 141 countries voted in favor of the resolution and five against, with 35 abstaining.

In addition, the Security Council may finally meet on human rights violations, according to diplomats.

The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), Britains Karim Khan, who would attend such a meeting, urged Friday for the parties in Ukraine not to use heavy weapons in populated areas.

The ICC, based in the Hague, was created in 2002 to try individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Ukraine did not sign the Rome Statute, the ICCs founding treaty, but in 2014 Kyiv recognized the courts jurisdiction over crimes committed in its territory.

Moscow withdrew its signature from the Rome Statute in 2016, meaning Russians can only be prosecuted if they are arrested within the territory of a country that respects the ICCs jurisdiction.
The Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) said on Sunday that government forces were responsible for burning a Tigrayan man to death, a barbaric act circulated in a widely-shared video that sparked outrage on social media.

Ethiopias government on Saturday vowed to investigate and take action against anyone involved in the extremely savage act depicted in the video, which shows an unarmed man being set on fire as a group of people, including some wearing army uniforms, taunt him.

On Sunday, the EHRC said the victim was a Tigrayan man who was burnt alive with the participation of government security forces and other people.

The atrocity occurred on March 3 in the northwestern region of Benishangul Gumuz, which borders Sudan and South Sudan. It followed an attack a day earlier that left at least 20 people dead, the state-affiliated independent rights body said.

Security officials later captured and shot dead eight Tigrayans suspected of involvement in that assault, it added.

The bodies of the deceased were taken by security forces to a nearby forest and burned, the EHRC said in a statement, citing eyewitness testimony.

In between this, an ethnic Tigrayan who was suspected of having contact with the deceased, was arrested and thrown (on the pyre) with the deceased, with him dying of fire burns, the EHRC quoted eyewitnesses as saying.

Those who were in the area were Ethiopian army soldiers, Amhara region special police forces and Southern region police forces, the rights body said, calling for a criminal investigation.

The video could not be independently verified by AFP and it was not immediately clear if the atrocity was connected to the ongoing 16-month war in northern Ethiopia.

The conflict between government forces and Tigrayan rebels in Africas second most populous country has killed thousands of people. There are widespread reports of atrocities, including mass killings and sexual violence.

According to the UN, the fighting has also displaced more than two million people, driven hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation and left more than nine million in need of assistance.

Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Council announced that Fatou Bensouda, a former chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), would head a UN investigation into a wide range of alleged violations committed by all sides in the war.
"A Business Proposal" starring Kim Sejeong, Ahn Hyo Seop and more released a new adorable drama making video that includes clips from episode 3 and 4!

Kim Sejeong Highlights 'A Business Proposal' Cast's Synergy Behind the Scenes

Based on the popular web novel of the same name, "A Business Proposal" centers around the chaotic romance between an office employee who goes on a blind date with her company's CEO in place of her best friend.

Ahn Hyo Seop stars as Kang Tae Mu, the narcissist CEO with a stern personality while Kim Sejeong plays the role of Shin Ha Ri, a food researcher who pretends to be an heiress on a blind date.

The newly released drama making video includes various clips from the previous episodes. At the beginning of the video, Kim Sejeong and Ahn Hyo Seop film the scene where their characters meet Tae Mu's grandfather Kang Da Goo (Lee Deok Hwa).

After a few technical difficulties, the trio finish the restaurant scene and go back outside. When Da Goo asks Ha Ri if she likes steamed buns, Tae Mu stops him. Behind the cameras, Lee Deok Hwa warns Ahn Hyo Seop jokingly, "Tae Mu, this is broadcasted. You're going to be confronted by steamed buns vendors."

In the next scene, Kim Sejeong and her co-workers film a commercial. She struggles to catch the cabbage thrown at her. Kim Sejeong exclaims, "Ha Ri is a fool!"

After wrapping up the exhausting scenes, she cheers on everyone, saying, "Working hard today, too!"

To further display their chemistry as a cast, Kim Sejeong takes over the camera and asks her co-stars to give sincere messages to the viewers.

Introducing "Ha Ri TV," Kim Sejeong interviews her co-stars Kim Hyun Sook, Yoon Sang Jung and Lim Ki Hong.

When Lim Ki HJong introduces himself and his character, Kim Sejeong pretends that she needs to fix the camera's focus and refilms the actor.

Lim Ki Hong then says, "The atmosphere here is not good!" sending everyone to laughter.

At the end of the clip, Kim Sejeong asks Lee Deok Hwa to invite viewers to anticipate the drama. The actor says, "You'll regret it if you don't watch it!"

ALSO READ: Ahn Hyo Seop, Kim Sejeong's 'A Business Proposal' Peaks With Double Digit Viewership Rating

Kim Sejeong, who is satisfied with her clips for "Ha Ri TV," gives a big thumbs up to her co-stars.

Watch the hilarious drama making clip here:

'A Business Proposal' Episode 5 Spoilers: Kim Sejeong Enters Hell

Previously, Kang Tae Mu (Ahn Hyo Seop) and Shin Ha Ri (Kim Sejeong) celebrated their first fake anniversary to avoid any suspicions on their love story.

After a night well-spent, the two bid each other good night. However, Ha Ri accidentally leaves her wallet at Tae Mu's car, blowing up her cover.

"A Business Proposal" episode 5 depicts how Kang Tae Mu handles the truth about his "fake girlfriend" and employee.

The CEO's childish acts and pettiness are the highlights of the upcoming episode.

Moreover, "A Business Proposal" episode 5 is scheduled to air on Monday, March 14 at 9:00 p.m. KST.

Watch "A Business Proposal" episode 5 preview here:

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
The forthcoming spy movie "Yaksha: Ruthless Operations" starring GOT7 Jinyoung, Park Hae Soo, Sol Kyung Gu, Lee El, Yang Dong Geun and Song Jae Rim releases its new teaser poster and video teaser!

It is a new spy action drama that will take viewers to an exhilarating movie experience. Keep on reading to know more!

GOT7 Jinyoung Works With Park Hae Soo, Sol Kyung Gu, More in 'Yaksha: Ruthless Operations'

"Yaksha: Ruthless Operations" follows the Black Ops team, a secret operations team led by the "Yaksha" of the National Intelligence Service (NIS) in Shenyang, China. It is known as the largest battleground for spies.

The film centers around the battle between the Black Ops team, the special inspector, prosecutor, and intelligence agents from different parts of the world.

GOT7 Jinyoung returns to the limelight after his outstanding performance in "The Devil Judge."

Lee El, Song Jae Rim, Yang Dong Geun, Sol Kyung Gu, who plays the role of "Yaksha" Ji Kang In, and Park Hae Soo decorate the thrilling poster.

The tense image infers a fierce battle between the two sides as bullets fly across the poster. The words on the poster reads, "A war of spies shooting without mercy." This heightens the tension between the characters.

'Yaksha: Ruthless Operations' Exhilarating Teaser Revealed

The main trailer of the new spy film is also released ahead of its premiere.

In the beginning of the video, the words, "I heard this city has the highest density of spies in the whole world," ring in the viewers' ears.

Following the Black Ops team is prosecutor Han Ji Hoon (Park Hae Soo), who has been demoted from the Seoul Central District Prosecutor's Office, to monitor the team's every move.

The Black Ops team's mission in Shenyang, China, also features the battles of spies from multiple countries including Japan and North Korea.

Guns, bombs, and the cat-and-mouse chase of the characters amplify the t adrenaline of the viewers.

Check out the teaser here:

'Yaksha: Ruthless Operations' Film Details and More

The forthcoming film "Yaksha: Ruthless Operations" is distributed by Showbox and helmed by director Na Hyun, the man behind the success of the 2017 film "The Prison."

As the risk of the pandemic heightens, the upcoming spy film "Yaksha: Ruthless Operations" will be available on Netflix on April 8 for a safer film experience.

KDramaStars owns this article.

Written by Elijah Mully.
A second elected official in Fort Lauderdale, Commissioner Ben Sorensen, may seek the Democratic nomination for a suddenly open congressional seat.

Many elected officials in Broward and Palm Beach counties have been assessing whether to run since U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch announced two weeks ago he wouldnt seek re-election.

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The first to enter is Jared Moskowitz, currently a Broward County commissioner.

Also weighing whether to run is Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis.

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[ RELATED: Hes as arrogant as Trump. He is mini-Trump. DeSantis is a disaster. Crist, Fried, Taddeo rally Broward Democrats. ]

Broward County Commissioner Jared Moskowitz, left, and Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis at a reception before the Broward Democratic Party's annual Obama Roosevelt fundraising dinner on March 12, 2022, in Davie. Moskowitz is running for the Democratic congressional nomination to replace U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch who isn't seeking re-election. Trantalis is assessing a candidacy. (Anthony Man / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Sorensen said he is looking hard at the race.

Any time you have folks that come to you and say, Hey you should really look at this congressional seat its humbling. Its an honor and its something were never going to take lightly, Sorensen said.

Some Democratic Party insiders said they expected an imminent announcement, but Sorensen said that isnt the case. Were in no rush and were going to take our time working together and thinking through it and make sure whatever decision we make is the right one, he said Saturday evening.

Moskowitz, Sorensen and Trantalis were all at the Broward Democratic Partys Obama Roosevelt Legacy Gala, the partys annual fundraising dinner and the pre-dinner reception.

This is an open seat, Moskowitz said. Im sure other people will get in. At the end of the day, were going to run our race regardless of who decides to get in.

Moskowitz has been rolling out endorsements, including from several elected officials who had considered running themselves, since announcing his candidacy on March 4  four days after Deutch said he was leaving Congress.

Fort Lauderdale Commissioner Ben Sorensen and his wife Anna at a reception before the Broward Democratic Party's annual Obama Roosevelt fundraising dinner on March 12, 2022, in Davie. Sorensen is considering running for the Democratic nomination for the congressional seat U.S. Rep. Ted Deutch is vacating. (Anthony Man / South Florida Sun Sentinel)

Im going to tell my story to the voters of my 15 years of public service from when I was a city commissioner to when I was a state representative to what we did with the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School Safety bill and what I did is the director of emergency management both helping Florida recover from a Category 5 storm and from a one-in-100 year pandemic, Moskowitz said.

Trantalis said Saturday hes continuing to evaluate the viability of a run for Congress. I just dont jump into things. We have to assess, he said.

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A significant complicating factor for Trantalis and Sorensen: Under the states resign to run law, theyd have to resign their current positions to qualify as candidates for Congress. Moskowitz, who was appointed to fill a County Commission vacancy that runs through the November election, isnt in the same position.

Congressman Ted Deutch listens to a speaker during a Broward Democratic Party fundraising dinner, Saturday, March 12, 2022, at the Signature Grand in Davie. His decision to forgo re-election has set off a scramble among potential candidates to replace him. (Michael Laughlin/Sun Sentinel)

He was appointed to the County Commission, and earlier as state emergency management director, by Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis  who is despised by Democratic Party activists and was repeatedly criticized at Saturdays Democratic dinner.

The DeSantis selections of Moskowitz prompted a poke from Trantalis on Saturday. Hes a talented person, Trantalis said of Moskowitz, otherwise Governor DeSantis wouldnt have appointed him.

Moskowitz said the appointments show his effectiveness. I think the fact that there are other people [DeSantis] that disagree with my policies, but think Im the most competent person for two jobs, I think that speaks volumes.

Will it be a negative in a party primary? Im sure some Democratic candidates that decide to run against me that called me when they needed help and I was there for them, Im sure theyll now try to make that an issue, he said, adding that when Fort Lauderdale needed assistance with personal protective equipment, testing and vaccines during during the pandemic they called me and I batted a thousand for them.

At @browarddems pre-dinner reception, congressional candidate @JaredEMoskowitz, left, speaks with former Broward Sheriff Ken Jenne. pic.twitter.com/AJnYKnIfpA  Anthony Man (@browardpolitics) March 13, 2022

Sorensen, 43, said hes a lifelong Democrat whose story is a little unique. He is in the Navy Reserve, has worked in national security and is a former teacher. He won his first election to the city commission in 2018 by just 55 votes out of 5,477 votes cast, which he jokingly refers to as a landslide, and was re-elected in 2020 without opposition.

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Deutch, first elected to Congress in a 2010 special election, is the 31st House Democrat who decided not to seek re-election in 2022. On Oct. 1, he becomes CEO of the American Jewish Committee.

[ RELATED: Congressman Ted Deutch will resign and not seek re-election. Hes becoming CEO of major Jewish organization ]

Congressional district boundaries are changing this year to reflect population changes uncovered in the 2020 census, but the district is likely to remain Democratic based on the voter registration in northern Broward and southern Palm Beach counties.

Deutch left open the possibility of making a primary endorsement. Jareds outstanding. I dont have a plan to get involved right now. Jareds a great candidate, he said.

Anthony Man can be reached at aman@sunsentinel.com or on Twitter @browardpolitics
She'd just celebrated her baby shower in Ukraine. Hours later, she was fleeing bombs
The Russian war in Ukraine has brought the world to the brink of a food crisis. In this image, farmers harvest with their combines in a wheat field near the village Tbilisskaya, Russia, July 21, 2021.
Joanna Dales plays with her children five-year-old Finleigh and 17-months-old Fiona at their home in London, Ontario on Friday, March 11, 2022. Dales started to worry about her young children as soon she heard of Ontario's plan to lift mask mandates in most settings, including schools and daycares, later this month. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins
SOMERS  What Would George Washington Do?

That question will be posed and discussed during a virtual panel discussion Tuesday at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. It will explore the nations first presidents multi-faceted career and his legacies as a political leader, diplomat, businessman, and cultural figure, and the relevance of his accomplishments in 2022.

The virtual discussion will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. and will be made available for public viewing via livestream.

Featuring the findings of four leading Washington scholars, the panel will strive to move beyond the marble man image of Washington to discuss his efforts to launch the Constitution and ensure the successful launching of the new American republic. His efforts were not limited to the political arena; they also included achievements on the battlefield, as an entrepreneur, and as a planter.

The panelists will highlight their recent books and then engage in a conversation with each other and the audience.

Sandy Moats, professor of history at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, will moderate the panel. She recently released her second book on the early American republic, titled, Navigating Neutrality: Early American Governance in the Turbulent Atlantic. Her book analyzes the role Washingtons 1793 Neutrality Proclamation played in energizing the U.S. governments constitutional responsibilities to support and promote Americas commercial and sovereign interests. Designed to avoid warfare, neutrality encompassed a wide range of issues, including diplomacy, law, defense, commerce, and domestic politics.

Panelists joining Moats are Alexis Taines Coe, Mark McNeilly, and David O Stewart. Coe is the New York Times bestselling author of You Never Forget Your First: A Biography of George of Washington.

McNeilly, professor of the Practice of Marketing at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill Kenan-Flagler Business School, provides a different view of Washington in his book, George Washington and the Art of Business: The Leadership Principles of Americas First Commander-in-Chief, which analyzes the presidents military career, drawing parallels to business.

Stewart is author of George Washington: The Political Rise of Americas Founding Father, which explores the development of a president, who honed his skills to become a master politician and take advantage of the political arena.

Panelists will explore the challenges Washington faced, the decisions he made, and the political advice he might offer to a deeply divided United States in 2022.

George Washington was not only the first president, but he was the most important because every decision he made was unprecedented, said Moats. How the new U.S. Constitution would work in practice was a question he confronted every day. We can learn how to govern by studying the choices he made in his two terms.

For more information and livestream registration, visit www.uwp.edu/csspsevents.

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Rocio and Charles Cunningham of Kenosha blame COVID for the death of their 7-month old daughter.

Calani Cunningham died Feb. 25 after a virulent bout of staphylococcus aureus, a bacterial infection that ran like wildfire through the infants tiny body, affecting her organs and causing severe brain damage.

The Cunninghams believe, despite the severity of the infection, had it been caught earlier their daughter might still be alive.

They blame COVID, not just because it was her daughters original diagnosis but because, in their opinion, that COVID diagnosis prevented medical professionals from considering other possible causes for Calanis illness.

In a recent interview in their Kenosha home, the Cunninghams discussed events that led to Calanis death and offered advice for other parents for preventing a similar tragedy.

The timeline

They first noticed Calani didnt feel well on on the evening of Saturday, Feb. 19. She wasnt eating or sleeping very well, cried a lot and had a fever of 102, said Rocio, 30. Also she was breathing rapidly and it looked like she couldnt catch her breath.

Sunday morning they took Calani to the emergency department at Aurora Medical Center, Kenosha, where a swab test indicated their daughter had COVID. Staff instructed them to take Calani home and give her over-the-counter medications.

On Monday when Calanis breathing worsened, they took her to a pediatric clinic where they were advised to take her to Childrens Hospital if her symptoms did not improve.

On Tuesday, the Cunninghams took Calani to the ER of Childrens Wisconsin, Milwaukee.

There Calani was put on an IV and a high-flow oxygen machine and the hospital staff did some blood work, her mother said.

Although they were told the oxygen should help Calani relax, it did not. At that time, Calanis neck began to swell. I voiced my concern but was told it was normal, that this happens all the time with COVID, Rocio said.

Calani was kept overnight for observation. She was taken to a floor of the hospital that the Cunninghams say was not the place for a baby as sick as Calani.

On that floor she was pretty much being treated as an outpatient, said Charles, 31. It was like, Shes getting over something and we know whats wrong with her ... so were pretty much sitting there until were ready to go home.

Wednesday morning when they went to see their daughter they were dismayed to see she had not improved. Some conditions, including swelling of her neck and stomach and breathing, had worsened.

(Medical staff) just referenced the neck swelling back to COVID and compared it to other children who had had COVID, Charles said.

There were several people who monitored her but the attitude was We have a COVID diagnosis on her and shes a COVID-positive patient, so this is what weve seen. It more like a relaxed comment and they were just waiting for her to get better.

When Charles asked about it, he said he was told Everythings going to pass in two or three days, you just have to give it time.

But she did not get better, Rocio said.

Wednesday at 2 p.m. Calani was given an ultrasound of her neck and at 3 p.m. it was decided to move her to the ICU.

Before she got there, her vitals crashed. Calani was intubated and put on life support and her condition stabilized.

Meanwhile, fluids extracted from the babys neck and lungs found she had staphylococcus. Doctors were hopeful they could treat the infection.

By Thursday afternoon the Cunninghams learned that a CT scan showed catastrophic damage to Calanis brain and lungs.

Faced with a worst-case outcome, the Cunninghams terminated their daughters life support on Friday afternoon.

Voicing concerns

Calanis death was attributed to Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus also known as MRSA. Thats what she was battling, not COVID, Rocio said. It was a staph infection that they missed. Two hospitals missed it.

It was definitely treatable and survivable but just ignored. They had tunnel vision on one diagnosis, Charles added.

The Cunninghams said they may never know why Calani contracted a fatal infection, but they want answers. They want to know, if the infection had been found sooner, could it have been treated for a better outcome.

They feel that chest X-rays and/or blood work done early on might have saved their daughter.

Had we not been in this pandemic we feel they would have explored other contributing factors. We feel the whole world is caught up in COVID-COVID. Our medical professionals are so caught up in it they have forgotten there are other things going on.

She sat for so long and in so much pain. If they had just taken COVID out of their heads and thought We have to figure out why this 7-month-old is not breathing correctly they probably would have caught what was wrong, Rocio said.

Their concerns were echoed by medical staff, the Cunninghams said.

(In the ICU) some nurses said, She got to us way too late, he said.

Even the surgeons told us she never should have been on that floor (where she was prior to the ICU), Rocio said.

On the suggestion of medical staff, the Cunninghams lodged a formal complaint with the hospitals department of patient services.

When contacted, Aurora Health Care said it was unable to share any information about the familys concerns, adding, The safety of our patients is always our top priority, and our hearts go out to this family for their unimaginable loss.

Childrens Wisconsin offered the following: The childs family is in our thoughts and has our deepest sympathy. Nobody should have to endure the loss of a child. Childrens Wisconsin is committed to providing the best and safest care to every child and family we serve, and we have a process in place for reviewing concerns and working with families.

Broken hearts, not spirits

While pushing for answers, the Cunninghams has established a GoFund Me page to help them pay medical and funeral expenses and share Calanis story.

The message is about voicing concerns to medical professionals, Charles said.

Even though we took ourselves to a hospital and they are professionals, you have to understand that professionals are still humans and human make mistakes. So its OK to voice your concerns and its OK to advocate and ask questions and demand answers, he said.

I dont know whats going to happen down the road, but I feel like were going to roar until something changes. Im not letting her go out like that, Rocio said. So Im fighting until I cant fight any more, at least until Im at a place where her storys going to keep being heard, and were going to keep helping other parents.

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On February 22nd, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas turned essential medical treatments for transgender adolescents into a crime, ordering the state to investigate them as child abuse.

The following day, a patient came to one of us (Dr. Morse), and through sobs recounted the gender identity-related maltreatment that she had experienced throughout her youth. She had survived bullying at school, transphobic slurs in the streets, and multiple threats of physical assault. She carries emotional scars, including nightmares and flashbacks, related to these experiences. What the governor said flips the truth about abuse on its head. Were the ones who have faced abuse and discrimination, she said. And now he is threatening to turn those who want to help usour parents and doctorsinto criminals.

Joelle is a 17-year-old young woman who I have seen in my mental health clinic for the past three years. (My patients name and identifying details changed to protect patient confidentiality.) Although she was born with male sexual organs, and was assigned the gender of male at birth, Joelle knew herself to be female from early childhood. She was blessed with parents who accepted her gender identity. They supported her choice to wear dresses, paint her nails, and play with dolls. They told her that she would always be their child and she would always be loved. The acceptance she found at home helped her weather the discrimination that she faced outside.

As puberty began, Joelle experienced distress associated with starting to develop a masculine body. This distress associated with having a body that differs from ones gender identity is a medical syndrome known as gender dysphoria. To treat gender dysphoria, Joelle received puberty blockers. These medications paused the growth of facial hair and reduced the development of muscle bulk  leading her gender dysphoria to recede. She is now considering medical procedures which would allow her body to fully align with her female gender. Although this gender-affirming care has promoted her mental health, providing such care would be illegal in our second largest state if Gov. Abbotts directive goes into effect. Furthermore, doctors who support this treatment, like me, will be considered to be criminals engaged in child abuse.

As physicians who are mental health specialists at Georgetown University, we vehemently reject the governors directive as medically harmful, scientifically unfounded, and unethical.

Numerous scientific studies demonstrate that gender-affirming care is beneficial to mental health. This research shows that providing youth access to gender-affirming hormone therapy in adolescence is associated with improved mental health outcomes, compared to deferring this care until adulthood. Treatments such as gender-affirming hormone therapy and chest reconstruction are associated with decreased symptoms of depression, decreased suicidal thinking and behavior, and improved self-image.

While medical care helps trans people, transphobic directives like Governor Abbotts dehumanize trans people and legitimize violence against them. Such directives foster an environment hospitable to physical assault and murder. Governor Abbotts directive contributes to a culture of fear that damages trans youth mental health throughout the country. My patient Joelle is just one example. Just as anti-Black racism negatively impacts Black youth mental health and has been shown to correlate with suicidality, discrimination against trans and other queer youth has far-reaching harms. It drives elevated rates of depression, anxiety, and suicide.

But there is hope. Acceptance of and respect for trans people fosters resilience. For example, supporting trans youth by respecting their chosen pronouns and creating affirming spaces is associated with lower rates of suicide attempts. Just as Joelles parents unflinching love helped her to bear the storm she facedour solidarity with trans youth today will help to face down this newest form of discrimination.

As physicians, we are bound by our ethical principles to help patients and to avoid doing harm. We are guided by strong scientific evidence that gender-affirming care improves, and sometimes saves, the lives of young people like Joelle. We are committed to providing gender-affirming care to trans patients, to providing mental health care to patients affected by transphobia, racism, and other forms of discrimination, and to fighting back against those that attack our patients and our values.

Michael Morse is a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Christian Moser is a psychiatry resident.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
Were just two months into 2022 and already seven endangered Florida panthers have been killed on roadways  an average of about one every week. Its hard to process this ongoing tragedy along with all the other things in the world. But we cant let our despair at seeing so many panthers killed by vehicles obscure the fact that there are concrete actions we can  and must  insist that our government leaders take to change the future for panthers.

And we have a special opportunity right now.

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Floridian Shannon Estenoz was tapped by President Joe Biden to be assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks, in charge of the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Estenoz, who was formerly with the Everglades Foundation, is among the top U.S. officials in charge of protecting endangered species. How significant it would be to witness a Floridian in the federal government work to save the panther, our official state animal. Only an estimated 120 to 240 Florida panthers remain on Earth  all clustered in fast-developing southwest Florida. They need our protection more than ever. But human-caused threats are mounting.

Bonnie Malloy, of Tallahassee, is an attorney for Earthjustice.

Here are a few key actions we should insist that local and federal officials like Estenoz take to stop these spiraling panther deaths:

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Strengthen federal protections for Florida panthers under the Endangered Species Act to make sure they arent harmed by the new roads and traffic that will come with massive housing and commercial developments now planned in panther habitat. Theres been talk that the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering down-listing the panthers from endangered to threatened  an absurd idea.

Deny permits that threaten panthers, including wetlands destruction and oil drilling permits in the Big Cypress National Preserve near Everglades National Park, one of the last wild places panthers call home. A recent move by a southwest Florida rancher to have federal authorities remove a young panther from the wild is just one more example of how the species is not being properly protected.

Stop the extremely questionable arrangement where landowners in panther territory have been paying staff costs for public employees at the very U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service office charged with reviewing their development plans. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Inspector Generals investigation should thoroughly examine this arrangement to ensure that it doesnt compromise panther protections.

Return federal wetlands permitting authority to the federal government rather than allow Florida to give developers a free pass to harm endangered species, including Florida panthers.

Revisit the ill-conceived decision to open the 25,560-acre Florida Panther National Wildlife Refuge to more people and activities without providing proper resources for monitoring and enforcement.

Our state animal has never been in greater danger, and the constant toll of panther deaths on highways is heartbreaking evidence that we are not doing enough. Its painfully clear that now is the time to double down on protections for Florida panthers and ensure these magnificent animals survive and thrive.

It was devastating last year to see the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service declare 22 birds, fish and other wildlife on the endangered species list as extinct. Isnt it our clear duty to future generations to make sure the Florida panther doesnt meet the same fate?

Bonnie Malloy, of Tallahassee, is an attorney for Earthjustice. A version of this article originally appeared in the Tampa Bay Times. It is syndicated by The Invading Sea, the opinion arm of the Florida Climate Reporting Network.
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The world is constantly trying to keep up with the latest COVID-19 variant  from Alpha to Omicron and now Omicrons cousin BA.2, we have seen how contagious and virulent these variants can be. Viruses are wily adversaries, and they mutate both to avoid detection and to defeat the bodys immune responses from vaccines and previous infections.

Even if vaccines continue to be effective at preventing severe illness and death from the COVID strains in most cases, about 30 percent percent of Americans still are not vaccinated, and breakthrough infections do still occur. Also, there are large numbers of immunosuppressed individuals, who do not respond to vaccines. While some antibody therapies have made their way to the market, most of these have already failed against Omicron. The world urgently needs a future-proofed COVID treatment, one that will continue to fight off future variants, even before we know they exist. More effective and efficient treatments will curb hospitalization rates and mortality when combined with periodic vaccine updates and a global effort at vaccinating greater numbers of people worldwide.

Monoclonal antibody therapies as a COVID solution

Existing monoclonal antibody COVID treatments, which generally have not been future-proofed, have limited effectiveness against the new variants and must be administered intravenously, hence are generally inconvenient. New treatments, anti-virals, in pill form promise some greater efficacy and ease of treatment but are not appropriate for all people due to serious interactions with other medication and hence more toxicity. Antibody therapies are an important solution to the pandemic, providing a neutralizing force that can heal as well as protect, as long as they have been designed to work against variants yet to come.

What makes future-proofed monoclonal antibody therapy possible is that these target parts of the virus spike protein which remain virtually the same even when the COVID virus mutates. The future of antibody drugs works by attaching to these epitopes. Think of them as the foundation upon which the virus is built. The foundation does not generally change over time but everything else above it will change. By targeting the foundation, we can be sure that new variants can be handled ahead of time and have therapies ready before the next variants even arrive.

Effective treatments for new COVID-19 variants will significantly lessen the impact of the disease on individuals and reduce the burden on the healthcare system. Neutralizing monoclonal antibody therapies have proven to be highly effective when applied properly with efficacy rates at 80 percent or above. These even have the potential to be used prophylactically to prevent infection among the 15 to 25 million immuno-comprised Americans.

Antibody treatments in the U.S.

Now, the Biden Administration must focus on the development of new therapeutics that are future-proofed, in addition to continuing vaccination efforts to fully control COVID-19. Massachusetts, for example, has led the way in establishing sites for COVID-positive individuals to receive currently available therapeutic treatments  it is time for more states to follow suit.

With government and industry working hand in hand, we can develop and stockpile monoclonal antibody therapeutics in anticipation of variants to come. We need to be thinking several moves ahead to keep ahead of variants so that stockpiles of therapies do not become obsolete as they have now. Our government needs to ensure the proper funding to support the development and manufacturing of such therapies, and we need to begin demanding they do so.

These are highly complex and time and resource-intensive endeavors. However, the technology exists today through modern antibody platforms to address these needs, and countless lives can be saved with such an approach. The more action we take now, the more we can be ready for future variants from threatening our nations health.

Ian Chan is a health care executive.

Image credit: Shutterstock.com
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Republican Sen. Kelli Stargel defends SB 146, a proposed abortion bill in the Florida Senate being heard by the Senate Health and Policy Committee Wednesday, Feb. 2, 2022, in Tallahassee, Fla. (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat via AP) (Alicia Devine/Tallahassee Democrat/AP)

One of the most alarming aspects of the 15-week abortion ban approved by the Florida Legislature (HB 5) is its refusal to exclude victims of rape, incest and human trafficking.

As a result, a victim, even a minor, who learns of her pregnancy or secures medical attention after 15 weeks of gestation will be forced to carry the pregnancy to term. Much like those who perpetrated crimes against them, this ban deprives rape, incest, and human trafficking victims of their right to choose what to do with their bodies. It also jeopardizes their physical and psychological recovery from abuse.

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This ban also fails to consider the fate and overall well-being of the fetus it proposes to protect. Children conceived through rape or incest may be blighted by the circumstances into which they are born. While some individuals might regard efforts to defend and preserve unborn life commendable, others might consider them contestable. However, such efforts should never be at the expense of abused and unwillingly impregnated women, including minors.

Therefore, if a 15-week ban on abortion becomes law, it should be amended to exclude rape, incest, and human trafficking victims, out of consideration for their welfare and the lives they may carry through no choice of their own. Efforts to preserve unborn lives should be balanced by the health and safety of such lives and of the girls and women who bear them.

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Mark Bustamante, Davie

Think independently

Re: Senate Democrats must stop rolling over for Republicans, Editorial

I would love to read a nonpartisan and intelligent editorial on this issue. You did not deliver on either account.

Why should any person, elected or not, be assumed incapable of independent thought and be required to vote with their party or face your ire? That stupidity needs to stop. Its not right to think every far-left writer is a hack, and elected officials shouldnt be demonized for voting their own mind.

John Benckenstein, Coral Springs

Bullying the people

Kudos to Dr. Howard Olarsch for spelling out in no uncertain terms exactly where we are today.

Using Florida as an example of how the political and societal infrastructure of our country is disintegrating is sad, but accurate. Ron DeSantis, our disciple of the owner of Mar-a-Lago, is showing just how far hell go in his authoritarian quest to control and bully the people.

An Ivy League education does not a mensch make. DeSantis pictures everywhere are reminiscent of the same bombastic posture of the former president, delivering the same message to his base.

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Shaming, bullying and banning books are now acceptable. Demeaning women with barbaric abortion restrictions is acceptable. A governor swaggering to a podium to give a speech can publicly demean kids for wearing masks. In his mind he can do no wrong. Sound familiar?

We now witness patriotism in Ukraine similar to that of our country during World War II. Where has it all gone? The brave Ukrainians fight for their very souls and Americans, who are used to living free, are busy destroying those same freedoms.

Vivian Woda, Delray Beach

Toughness needed

A man whos brash, bold, and threatening rules the world. Everyone is scared to make Putin mad. He continues his destructive attack on Ukraine. Whether youre a Democrat or Republican, or whatever you call yourself, think of how important for world peace it is to have a strong president, not a weakling. Think about this in 2024. The world depends on us to have a leader whos tough as nails.

Harold Brown, Delray Beach

Wannabe dictators

Putin, Trump and DeSantis all seem to use the same playbook. Hey, citizens, dont believe what you see. Its fake news. Believe only what I tell you. Do as you please, as long as I think its okay. Want to protest? You may be arrested, depending upon what youre protesting.

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Dictators and dictator wannabes, and an awful lot of similarities.

James Dunne, Coconut Creek
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MBABANE  Swaziland Liberation Movement (SWALIMO) President Mduduzi Gawuzela Simelane seems to have rubbed other political entities the wrong way with his statement on Sibaya dialogue.

Speaking to over 5 000 viewers in his Family Meeting programme, Simelane made a call to all SWALIMO members and those from other parties not to boycott but attend Sibaya in numbers to display their dissatisfaction in a picket outside Ludzidzini Royal Residence. I am calling for a situation where buses will carry people from all the SWALIMO wards in the country to Ludzidzini Royal Residence. When we get there, we will stage a defiance picket with the whole world watching. We want widows to wear their black gowns and young women to wear pants so that the world can see what we mean when we say Sibaya does not allow certain groups of people to enter, he said.

The Family Meeting programme was aired in the Swaziland Democratic News Facebook page on Thursday evening. Simelanes stance appeared contrary to a stand taken by the Multistakeholders Forum (MSF), a civic group where his political movement, SWALIMO, has been an active participant. The Political Parties Assembly (PPA) and the MSF signed a document in Boksburg in December last year which affirmed that they were not going to participate in the dialogue. The document was allegedly edited by SWALIMO Secretary General Dr. Siphetfo Dlamini, who attended the meeting as an official representative of the movement.

Clarify

Ngwane National Liberation Congress (NNLC) President Sibongile Mazibuko, on Friday went on her Facebook account and stated to clarify that her organisation was opposed to the idea of hosting a defiance picket at Ludzidzini Royal Residence on the day of Sibaya National Dialogue. Hi maSwati, I have been struggling to resist responding to the Hon MP Gawuzelas presentation which mentioned myself as well as the organisation that I lead, Ngwane National Liberation Congress (NNLC), after receiving so many calls for clarity on the presentation of the family meeting. For the benefit of those who continue to call me and ask about this issue my response is as follows; on December 5, 2021, at Boksburg Johannesburg, South Africa we agreed and made terms of reference and a declaration in which some of the talks about item number eight was that Sibaya was not a neutral venue for dialogue and a venue shall be agreed upon by both parties to the negotiations table, reads a verbatim quote from her post.

Mazibuko stated that the reason she was not willing to respond to Gawuzela was that any form of argument between the two was not going to add any value to the struggle. She said her political party was not willing to be swayed from its focus of fighting for the freedom of emaSwati. It should be noted that the Boksburg Declaration document was inclusive of MSF and PPA members. SWALIMO was part of it and we appreciate the role played by SWALIMO SG Dr. Sphetfo Dlamini, who edited the document which I signed on behalf of political parties and comrade Thulani signed on behalf of MSF.

Engagement

This was handed over to President Ramaphosa and SADC TROIKA secretariat. My take is that the issue should come to the MSF/PPA forum for further engagement on a menu of options that should be done if the King calls for Sibaya soonest, said Mazibuko. She further reiterated that the idea of flooding Sibaya was an original idea of veteran political activist Mphandlana Shongwe, during an MSF meeting where he was supported by SWALIMO Deputy Secretary General (DSG) Gift Dlamini. She said the MSF had scheduled a meeting where the issue was going to be deliberated further.

Justifying his latest stance, SWALIMO President Gawuzela said the MSF was given over two months to decide on the idea of attending Sibaya in numbers and they could not come up with an answer. He said it was unfortunate that Mazibuko was the one making such claims, yet he personally spoke to her about the matter before going on air to make the announcement that people should attend Sibaya. He stated that in his discussion with Mazibuko before the broadcast, they agreed that he was entitled to his own opinion and that none of them sold their souls when joining the MSF.

Simelane spared no word as he added that the matter was included in the MSF agenda for two meetings, but could not be concluded because two parties were opposed to it. It would be unfortunate for Make Sibongile to say what she said because she got a call from me personally, before I went public on the issue and she agreed that we did not sell our souls to the MSF when we joined, therefore I was entitled to my own political idea. The MSF was given two months to decide on the matter, it only appeared in the agenda of two meetings and even then it was not concluded because two parties were opposed to the idea. We had done our ground work and lobbied for support in the other organisations including Make Sibongile and NNLC and they refused together with PUDEMO. SWADEPA agreed on the lobby but changed in the meeting and that is fine, but all the other parties were with us. The reason the matter was not concluded is still not clear, he said.

Masses

Simelane added that the reason he called for the masses to attend Sibaya was to show the international world that the people wanted to deliver a petition directly to the King. The MSF held a press conference where they reiterated their stand on the issue of Sibaya after Simelane had made the statement. MSF Chairman Thulani Maseko said they believe SADC should be the ones leading the dialogue preparations. Just as the members have articulated, we believe that there should be a process that would lead to a national dialogue which would be led by SADC. We have written to President Ramaphosa and the chairman of SADC and requested that they should not allow the dialogue to happen under the traditional structures, he said

Making the first call for people to attend Sibaya was the Peoples United Democratic Movement (PUDEMO) senior member Mphandlana Shongwe, who said the pro-democracy movement should stop boycotting Sibaya but attend in numbers to present their grievances and picket.

Shongwe said if the pro-democracy movement were to join with the citizen and attend Sibaya in numbers, it would prove to the international community that by capacity, Sibaya would not hold the nation and therefore would not make a compelling decision on behalf of the majority. He made an example of the number of protestors that attended the petition delivery at the United States of America Embassy last year and said Sibaya would not be able to hold such numbers. He said the number of people attending Sibaya should be bigger than any other year to prove that emaSwati were ready to make their own decision. The last Sibaya was held in July last year where the King appointed Prime Minister Cleopas Dlamini.


ESG trend and Capital Markets Act revision accelerate female board membership



By Anna J. Park



Korea's financial groups have been designating female independent directors as board members prior to shareholder meetings slated for the end of this month. This trend of recommending female outside directors for the board has not been limited to local financial groups. In fact, similar developments have also been taking place at major conglomerates.



Prompting the changes is Korea's revised Capital Markets Act, which will take effect from August of this year prohibiting listed companies with over two trillion won ($1.6 billion) in total capital from having all of its board members composed of men. Since the Capital Markets Act was revised in early 2020, many corporations have appointed female outside directors in order to prepare for the new requirement for listed companies. Companies that have yet to meet this legal requirement are also in their final stages of appointing female independent directors to their boards.



In addition to the Capital Markets Act revision, the increasingly important ESG management principles are being counted as one of the key reasons behind the appointment of female board members. The gender composition of board members is considered to be a key factor in the category of corporate governance.



Annual shareholders' meetings are where corporate board member appointments are confirmed and local financial groups that do not yet have female outside directors on their boards are aiming to appoint them by the end of this month.





As of the end of last year, Woori Financial was the only group among the top five major financial groups in the country  Shinhan, KB, Hana, Woori and NH  that did not have any female independent directors on its board. The four others already had female outside directors on their boards as of the end of last year.



In a move to make its board more diverse in terms of gender, Woori Financial recommended attorney Song Soo-young, a law firm partner with expertise in ESG advisory and the Capital Markets Act, as an outside director on its board earlier this month. Thus, Woori will at least have one female outside director by the end of this month after its next shareholders' meeting.



As Shinhan Financial Group has also recommended one more female independent director, Kim Jo-seol, an economics professor at the Osaka University of Commerce, the group will be strengthening its gender diversity by the end of this month, with two women among its outside board directors.



In line with the trend of the five major financial groups to make their boards more diverse in terms of gender, BNK Financial Group, DGB Financial Group and JB Financial Group, which have so far lacked any female outside directors as of the end of last year, are planning to appoint female outside board members at their shareholders' meetings later this month.



First off, BNK Financial has recommended Kim Soo-hee, a 38-year-old attorney with banking industry expertise. She also served as a board member for BNK Capital, as well as Busan Bank, in 2020 and 2021.



DGB Financial Group is planning to appoint Kim Hyo-shin, a professor at Kyungpook National University's College of Law, as an outside director on its board. As a business law expert, she will be the only woman among the group's six outside directors.



JB Financial is set to appoint Lee Seung-yeop, a veteran accountant with 30 years of experience, as an outside director later this month. She used to serve as a senior executive director at EY Korea, and is now working at Woori Accounting.



Female board membership in Korea lags far behind



Korea International Finance Institute CEO Kim Sang-kyung, who also leads the Korea Network for Women in Finance as its chairperson, said she welcomes the latest trend in the composition of major financial groups' boards. Nevertheless, she stressed that additional, more fundamental changes are required to improve the gender diversity of boards in Korea.



"According to an MSCI report about women on boards published in 2020, the percent of female directors as members of the board stood at only 4.9 percent, which is even less than half of Japan's 10.7 percent and China's 13 percent," Kim said during a phone interview with The Korea Times.



"Even without comparing Korea's figure to those of developed countries like France, the percentage of which is 43 percent, the U.S.' 28 percent, the U.K.'s 34 percent and Germany's 25 percent, the situation in Korea lags far behind those of neighboring countries in Northeast Asia," she explained, stressing the need to increase the gender diversity of board members.



She also pointed out that female outside board members of Korean companies are mostly professors from academia, followed by experts from the legal profession. These backgrounds differ considerably from the preferences of global asset managers like BlackRock, which place more importance on appointing board members with strong industry experience or expertise.



"Thus, it would be more desirable to see more female outside board members with actual industry experience being appointed," she said, adding that another major problem is that there are hardly any female executive directors on the boards of local financial companies.



"As executive directors of the board tend to enjoy a more powerful presence in actual company business than outside directors, I hope to see more female leaders in the industry climb up to such C-level [executive] positions," Kim said.



Currently, about 50 percent of the entry-level staff of financial companies are women  a huge change from decades ago when the female presence was much rarer. Kim said that they have now been working as mid-level managers, and they need to keep moving up to higher positions in their companies in order for local financial companies' corporate structures to be fundamentally balanced in the end. Kim also emphasized the need for the female workforce to be evenly distributed in all divisions and areas of the financial companies, in order to see more C-level female leaders later across them.


By Kim Won-soo





The Russian invasion of Ukraine is an outright affront to the international norm of non-aggression. It is wreaking humanitarian havoc on a scale never seen in Europe since the end of World War II. Its impact on the global economy is devastating as Russia and Ukraine are major players in global fuel and food supply chains. Following the invasion, oil prices are spiking and food supplies to those in need in the developing world are at risk.



There is no doubt that the longer the invasion lasts, the more serious the humanitarian and other socio-economic consequences will be. South Koreans are watching the volatile situation in Ukraine with a great deal of concern mostly for economic and humanitarian reasons.



South Korean media has primarily highlighted those aspects of the invasion while largely disregarding the strategic side. This approach, however, is mistaken because the greatest impact will likely be felt on the strategic side. Here are three strategic considerations that require South Korea's attention.



Firstly, the invasion reflects the strategic tectonic shifts occurring along the fault lines between the United States and its allies on the one hand and China, Russia and their allies on the other. The fault lines are now drawn in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus, the Middle East, the South/East China Seas and the Korean Peninsula. This phenomenon is akin to the ideological confrontation of the Cold War era.



While many in the West believe the rise of China is to blame, the bigger culprit would be the restructuring of U.S. overseas commitments. The U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan is a prime example. Those with an irredentist agenda on the fault lines may be tempted to change the status quo forcefully by exploiting the perceived power vacuum left by the retreating United States. This is why South Korea  a country surrounded by powerful neighbors embroiled in intense territorial disputes  must pay close attention to the developments in Ukraine.



Secondly, the Russian invasion raises the specter of a nuclear war, which has long been considered a taboo given how destructive nuclear weapons are. The invasion represents the first ever attempt by a nuclear power to alter the status quo by force, making threats of nuclear retaliation against any intervening power.



Russia is using the nuclear threat to deter any country from providing Ukraine with conventional military support. Without the protection of extended nuclear deterrence by a formal ally, Ukraine has fallen prey to brazen nuclear blackmail. South Korea, as a nuclear umbrella state, must learn the lesson and redouble its efforts to uphold the credibility of allied nuclear protection.



Last but not least, the invasion is the first serious stress test for the Biden administration's pivot to Asia. Before and after the invasion, Washington was quick to reassure the partners in Asia of its security commitments. It reaffirmed that the United States remained willing and ready to handle a two-front contingency.



But when it comes to demonstrating how robust one's commitment really is, actions speak louder than words. Extra effort is needed to prevent miscalculation and explore the space for diplomacy to narrow down the scope for misunderstanding. Unless Washington shows its resolve through action, those on the other side may miscalculate and embark on a risky venture.



These strategic undercurrents will continue to play out, but there are uncertainties as well. First of all, it is uncertain how the situation will evolve on the ground in Ukraine, although it is unlikely that President Putin will change course anytime soon. Therefore, it depends in large part on how determined the Ukrainian people are in opposing one of the top military powers of the world. It will also depend on how much the world can chip in diplomatically to help mediate the way-out. The type and extent of support provided by the U.S. and Europe will be crucial.



Regardless, one thing is clear. The developments in Ukraine will be closely watched by the major powers on both sides as well as the players along the fault lines. As one of the fault line states, South Korea cannot afford to remain an idle bystander to the Ukraine crisis. Korea should be clear in its solidarity with the Ukrainian people who are showing incredible courage to put up a seemingly unwinnable fight against a Goliath.



Korea needs to be steadfast in its opposition to aggression and condemn these crimes against humanity under any circumstances. Korea must be clear-minded in its analysis of the various factors influencing military decisions on the ground and how they affect the broader strategic considerations mentioned above.



Korea must be vigilant in its preparation for what its neighbors might be emboldened to do in case they learned the wrong lesson from the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Korea must also step up its diplomatic efforts to expand the common ground between major powers to reduce misunderstanding.



In the Northeast Asia region, there are high stakes for Korea in helping the U.S. and China manage their growing competition responsibly and in a peaceful manner. It is imperative that the South Korean President-elect make it a priority to review Korea's policy in light of these urgent and serious strategic implications from Ukraine upon taking office.



The need for cool-headed analysis is all the greater as polarized domestic politics has long muddled public discourse on what constitutes Korea's core national interests. South Korea must do everything it can to make sure it does not become another Ukraine. It requires our unity.





Kim Won-soo (wsk4321@gmail.com) is the former under secretary-general of the United Nations and high representative for disarmament. He is now the chair of the international advisory board of the Taejae Academy (Future Consensus Institute) and the chair professor of Kyung Hee University.


North Korea should not resume ICBM, nuclear tests



North Korea will face further isolation and deeper economic woes if it resumes the launch of its intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) or nuclear tests. No one knows this better than its leader Kim Jong-un. However, the Kim regime is reportedly seeking to revoke a self-imposed moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests.



Concerns are growing that the North might conduct an ICBM launch for the first time since 2017. If such concerns turn into reality, the North will lift its moratorium after adopting it in 2018 amid a detente with South Korea and the United States.



Both Seoul and Washington concluded last week that the North used a new ICBM system in its two missile tests, conducted Feb. 27 and March 5. They suggested that Pyongyang may soon follow through on its threats to resume ICBM launches or nuclear weapons tests. The two allies dismissed the North's claim that the recent tests were for "reconnaissance satellite" development.



The new system could be the Hwasong-17, which was unveiled at a military parade in Pyongyang in October 2020. It appears to be the North's longest-range ICBM carried on a transporter vehicle with 11 axles. Some experts cautiously predicted that the North may test-fire such an ICBM to mark the 110th anniversary of the birth of founding leader and Kim's grandfather Kim Il-sung on April 15.



The North should realize that ICBM launches and nuclear tests violate U.N. Security Council resolutions. Furthermore, such military provocations defy international efforts to ensure peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and Northeast Asia. They are also in violation of inter-Korean agreements reached during the three summits held between President Moon Jae-in and Kim in 2018 and 2019.



There are also some indications that the North is restarting its nuclear activities and ICBM development. The South Korean military said it has detected the North's activity to restore parts of tunnels at its Punggyeri nuclear test site that were destroyed in May 2018. Kim Jong-un called for the modernization and expansion of the Sohae Satellite Launching Ground on the west coast during his visit there last week. All of these developments demonstrate that the North is seeking to test-fire ICBMs under the guise of a satellite launch. In January, he hinted at scrapping the moratorium on nuclear and ICBM tests.



The North cannot avoid more international sanctions. On Friday, the U.S. imposed new North Korea-related sanctions on five Russian entities, including two Russians, for aiding Pyongyang's ballistic missile programs. South Korea and other countries should abide by the sanctions to put more pressure on the North to stop its provocations.



We urge the North not to cross the "red line." The more it tries to develop ICBMs and nuclear weapons, the deeper it plunges into international isolation and economic woes. The North is apparently trying to escalate tensions on the peninsula amid the presidential transition period after Yoon Suk-yeol of the conservative opposition People Power Party (PPP) won the March 9 presidential election. But the North has nothing to gain from its provocation. It should return to dialogue to solve its nuclear issue through diplomacy and peaceful means.


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MBABANE  The delay in appointments to fill vacant positions in Senate has resulted in government unintentionally making savings of about E1.4 million.

There are now four vacancies in Senate, with the latest created by last months death of Senator Peter Ndumiso Bhembe, the late ex-Minister of Natural Resources and Energy. Basically, the vacancies were created by the death of three senators and the transfer of Prime Minister (PM) Cleopas Sipho Dlamini to the House of Assembly. Dlamini left his seat in Senate in July 2021 after he had been appointed as prime minister by His Majesty King Mswati III. In order to comply with the Constitution of the Kingdom of Swaziland (Eswatini), the prime minister has to be a member of the House of Assembly.

He succeeded the late former PM, Ambrose Mandvulo Dlamini, who died on December 13, 2020. Since July, the seat occupied by the current premier has been vacant. Therefore, government realised savings of about E329 000 as there was no one occupying the seat left vacant by the prime minister. The amount of E329 000 is derived from the basic salary of E47 000 for a senator or member of the House multiplied by seven months. The seat has been vacant for seven months.

About 17 months ago, Chief Nzameya Nhlabatsi passed away, and he is yet to be replaced. Precisely, the chief of Ka-Nzameya died in August 2020. If a candidate was appointed immediately after his death, government would have parted with E799 000 in salaries. A senator or member of the Houses basic salary is around E47 000 per month. Its been one year since Jimmy Hlophe died. The House of Assembly had elected him to replace Mike Temple who died in June 2019. The delay by the House of Assembly in filling the empty position has resulted in savings of up to E611 000. In total, the amount of E 1 457 000, which could have been used to pay salaries for three lawmakers, have not been spent. Last months death of Bhembe added the number of empty positions to four in the Upper Chamber. It must be said that the House of Assembly is expected to elect a candidate to fill the vacant seat created by the death of Hlophe.

It is, however, the prerogative of His Majesty the King to appoint candidates to fill the other three vacancies. According to Section 94 (1) of the Constitution, the Senate shall consist of not more than 31 members who are elected or appointed. It is stated that 10 senators, at least half of whom shall be female, shall be elected by the members of the House in such manner as may be prescribed by or under any law at their first meeting so as to represent a cross-section of the Eswatini society. The supreme law provides that 20 senators, at least eight of whom shall be female, shall be appointed by the King acting in his discretion after consultation with such bodies as His Majesty may deem appropriate. It is stated in the Constitution that the senators appointed in terms of subsection (3) shall be persons who, in the opinion of the King 

(a) are able by reason of their special knowledge or practical experience to represent economic, social, cultural/traditional or marginalised interests not already adequately represented in Parliament; or

(b) are by reason of their particular merit, able to contribute substantially to the good government and progressive development of Eswatini.

On the other hand, Section 98 provides that the seat of a senator or of a member of the House shall become vacant where  Parliament is dissolved;

The holder of that seat resigns in writing addressed to the Clerk to Parliament;

The holder is absent from 20 sittings of the chamber during any meeting of that chamber without the permission in writing of the presiding officer and is unable to offer a reasonable explanation to the Parliamentary Committee on Privileges;

Circumstances arise that would cause the holder to be disqualified or ineligible for election or appointment;

The holder is expelled by a resolution of at least two-thirds of all members of a chamber for contempt of Parliament;

The holder becomes a member of the other chamber of Parliament;

The holder becomes a party to any government contract contrary to section 97.

Constitutionally, in this case, government contract means any contract with the government for or on any account of the public service the consideration for which exceeds E5 000 or such other amount as Parliament may prescribe or which forms part of a larger transaction or series of transactions in respect of which the amount or value or the aggregate amount or value of the transaction exceeds the E5 000. However, the seat cannot be declared vacant if the senator or member of the House has made the required disclosure of the nature of the contract, his interest in the contract and interest of the firm or company in the contract.

Clerk to Parliament Benedict Xaba confirmed that there were four vacancies in Senate. He chose not to discuss any further detail except to say that Senate was able to form a quorum despite the fact that its membership was less four members. Members of traditional structures said it was difficult to indicate when the King would appoint the three senators or rather two because Bhembe died a couple of weeks ago. You cannot read the mind of the King to understand when he would actually appoint the three senators. Its very difficult for us to then know when he would replace the senators who passed away or fill the vacancy created by Cleopass transfer to the House of Assembly, one of the members of the traditional structures said. He did not want his name to be revealed as matters touching on royal appointments are the prerogative of the King, and are treated as sensitive and confidential.

Speaker Petros Mavimbela said he was in a meeting when this report was compiled yesterday. This newspaper wanted to find out from him if his office had facilitated the election of the candidate to replace Senator Jimmy Hlophe.
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BTS delivered a splendid stage at the "PERMISSION TO DANCE ON STAGE - SEOUL" concert held at Jamsil Main Stadium in Songpa-gu, Seoul on March 10.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: BTS Jungkook Almost Suffers Mishap During 'Permission to Dance' Concert - Here's What Happened
BTS brings the heat at the Olympic Stadium for the second day of their "Permission to Dance On Stage" concert in Seoul, leaving thousands of ARMYs in an excited mood.

Check out some of the memorable moments that happened at the concert!

#PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL_Day2: BTS Adds New Songs to Set List

On March 12 at 6pm KST, BTS held the second night of their highly-anticipated "Permission to Dance On Stage" concert at the Olympic Stadium in Seoul, South Korea. Due to COVID-19 protocols in the country, the concert was only able to welcome 15,000 fans who have been waiting to see BTS through its doors.

Prior to the start of the concert, BTS held a soundcheck where they performed some of their songs, such as "Dope," "Telepathy," and "Boy With Luv" for the lucky fans who snagged soundcheck tickets.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT: #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL: BTS Finally Reunites With K-ARMYs Through First Korean Concert in Over 2 Years

At the concert proper, RM, Jin, Suga, J-Hope, Jimin, V, and Jungkook performed numerous of their hit songs from their entire discography, even songs which they rarely perform live!

For the Day 2 concert, BTS performed their past releases "ON," "Fire," "Dope," "Blood Sweat & Tears," "Outro: Wings," "So What," "Black Swan," and even added new songs to their set list such as "Epilogue: Young Forever," "Anpanman," and "GO GO." They also performed their latest tracks "Butter" and "Permission to Dance."

#PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL_Day2: BTS Performs in the Rain, Suga Slips

While the concert started out with nice and clear weather, in the middle of the concert, the rain decided to grace the fun event. Due to the Olympic Stadium's being open and having no roof, the seven BTS members got drenched in rain.

witnessing how the rain couldnt stop bts and armys to have fun together is such a heart touching moment, i know it already it but i will really be in this bangtan sonyeondan forever, i am glad to meet them in this life #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL_day2

pic.twitter.com/VJ2lOJQGNe  claire (@blusherkth) March 12, 2022

Despite that, this turned out to be a glorious moment for the members, who look as every bit as ethereal as they perform on stage. In addition, both BTS and ARMY looked like they had immense fun in the rain!

Unfortunately, due to the rain, member Suga had a fall on stage while performing "Telepathy," with the rapper just laughing it off with Jin and J-Hope as they move around the stadium.

min yoongi slipped too bcs of the rain! oh no! our poor suga #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL_Day2pic.twitter.com/17ixm128MX  Brey ||   (@btstaendard) March 12, 2022

Later on, Suga showed his reddened elbow, but assured his fellow members and fans that he was alright with a smile!

#PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL_Day2: BTS Causes Chaos Throughout Concert

Of course, what's a BTS concert without some chaos? Throughout the concert, BTS made sure to have fun and let their crazy personalities seep through!

Such as Jungkook constantly slapping Suga with his towel (and the other members) while performing, and the members joining in on the fun.

pls the way jungkook just starting hitting yoongi with his towel at the end  #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL_Day2

pic.twitter.com/g20HJbpZGv   (@kkyuslvr) March 12, 2022

Or the time when the members almost broke the stage while jumping around at the same time in one place.

Did you know? V did his famous "Tata Mic" face again!

Noo he did it again, Kim Taehyung did his Tata mic face again I am definitely sure he know we are weak for this Tata mic face #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL #PTD_ON_STAGE_SEOUL_day2 #bts @BTS_twt pic.twitter.com/dFjTxAwG35  Taechwita (@tjrwls_1230) March 12, 2022

RM also did ARMYs a favor by doing something everyone wants to do - squish Jimin's mochi cheeks!

Needless to say, both BTS and ARMY had fun seeing each other at the concert after so long thanks to the numerous memorable moments that happened!

Were you able to watch Day 2 of BTS' "Permission to Dance On Stage" in Seoul?

For more K-Pop news and updates, always keep your tabs open here on KpopStarz.

KpopStarz owns this article.

Written by Robyn Joan
NEW YORK, NY - MAY 31: (L-R) Directors Brent Renaud and Craig Renaud attend The 74th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street on May 31, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images for Peabody Awards)
(The Center Square)  As Illinois police departments lobby city councils on the importance of cameras to combat crime, some are raising concerns about the right to privacy.

The American Civil Liberties Unions has released a report on Flock Safety, a company that sells license plate reading camera systems to taxing bodies. The ACLU report looks at how the technology is building a form of mass surveillance never seen before in American life.

Flock systems have been installed in 1,400 cities across the country and photograph more than a billion vehicles every month. Its ambition is to expand to every single city in America.

We are concerned about all of this massive influx of technology over the last year or so and the question of what really happens to it and ultimately utilized, said Ed Yohnka, director of communications and public policy with ACLU of Illinois.

Champaign and Peoria are using the technology.

In Springfield, taxpayers are paying $415,000 for 83 cameras to be installed in certain areas of the city.

Bloomington city leaders this month voted to install the license plate cameras despite opposition from the Central Illinois chapter of the ACLU.

Yohnka said company officials are using fear as a way to sell their products.

The marketers of these systems are telling local leaders that they can adopt these systems in order to fight a recent spike in gun violence, Yohnka said. Theres actually no evidence that it works that way or that it will help in terms of that.

The report notes if Flock cameras become as widespread and densely placed as the company hopes, law enforcement will gain the ability to know the detailed movements of virtually any vehicle for as far in the past as the data is held.

The risk of abuse by government is all too real," the reports says. "Unfortunately, this country has a long tradition, extending up to the present, of law enforcement targeting people not because theyre suspected of criminal activity but because of their political or religious beliefs or race. There are also many documented instances of individual officers abusing police databases."

In some communities, there is an agreement that images captured by the cameras remain in the system for 30 days before automatically being deleted by the company.

The systems arent just being implemented by police agencies across the state. Flock Safety sales representative Dan Murdoch told leaders in Springfield in December that more than half their business is with the private sector like big-box retailers, homeowners' associations and other places.

Rivers Casinos just put in a dozen of these cameras, Murdoch said. Des Plaines has access to those for free.

Murdoch said the systems are also integrated with FBI, Illinois State Police, stolen vehicle databases, Amber or Silver alert lists and other systems.

Yohnka said it is important that there are a set of rules put in place before a city decides to install the cameras.

What is really required here is that communities and local law enforcement put in place very strict privacy policies in advance before ever adopting these kinds of systems, Yohnka said.
MBABANE  There is a lot of financial activity in the account of the Ministry of Enterprise and Employment  a portfolio that does not exist after being abolished.

An audit by the Office of the Auditor General, Timothy Matsebula, discovered that this is not the only abolished ministry or department that continues to be allocated money by government and also receive payments from other related bodies. There are two others; the Income Tax Department and the Department of Customs and Excise. According to Matsebula, unauthorised and unappropriated budgets amounting to E53 296 219.40 were allocated to these three for the financial year ended March 31, 2021. A huge chunk of this figure  E32 million to be exact  went to the Department of Customs and Excise, which, together with the Income Tax Department, were abolished to give way to the creation of the Eswatini Revenue Service (formerly Swaziland Revenue Authority).

From the E53 million, an amount of E5 289 996 was released for purposes of CTA Vehicle Charges (usually for fuel) and personnel costs (usually staff salaries). The AG found that an amount of E20 797.20 was actually spent on the CTA Vehicle Charges. Noteworthy is that the Ministry of Enterprise and Employment, whose assignments and responsibilities were taken over by the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Trade, as well as the two departments were also found by the AG to have been irregularly allocated a budget amounting to E57.9 million in the previous financial year ended March 31, 2020.

Irregularly allocated

For the year ended March 31, 2021, the Ministry of Enterprise and Employment was irregularly allocated an amount of E46 104. The same abolished Head (enterprise and employment) had been allocated E57 959.00 of which E4 829.00 was released in the previous fiscal year. Ideally, discontinued Heads should not be allocated any budget, and the Ministry of Finance is not expected to allocate a budget for discontinued ministries, departments and agencies, as it is the responsibility of controlling officers (Principal Secretaries) to submit draft estimates for planned activities of government, for the ensuing year, Matsebula said in his report that has been tabled in Parliament. The contents of the report are yet to come under the scrutiny of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), which summons all officials who have to account for monies spent by the different ministries and departments.

The AG said he was concerned that budget allocations to abolished budget votes may result in the incurring of unlawful and fruitless expenditure. Further, other more deserving budget lines may be unnecessarily deprived of funding thereby negatively impacting service delivery and the budgeting process, Matsebula said. He said he drew attention to the controlling officers that through their accounting personnel, they should closely monitor budget appropriations in order to avoid allocations to abolished Heads and further engage the Ministry of Finance to rectify such anomalies. In his response, the controlling officer stated that budget allocations are a responsibility of the Ministry of Finance.

Deactivate

He further emphasised that the budget allocation was never released and that it was an error from the Ministry of Finance, they have since written a memorandum to the Ministry of Finance requesting them to deactivate the Head, the AG said. He said he noted the response of the controlling officer, but still maintained that the ministry bears the responsibility for engaging the Ministry of Finance on such irregularities in order to ensure that they did not recur. With regard to the E32 million that was allocated to the Customs and Excise Department, the AG observed that the unauthorised budget allocation was for CTA Vehicle Charges and personnel costs. There were also unauthorised and unappropriated Budget Allocation on CTA Vehicle Charges amounting to E40 596.50 and on Personnel Costs amounting to E32 003 039.30. They were incurred under the abolished Customs and Excise Department, in the financial year ended March 31, 2021, said the AG.

Matsebula said he cautioned the controlling officer to closely monitor the budget to avoid allocations to the abolished Heads and engage the related ministries to rectify the recurring anomaly and establish internal controls to curb the allocation of budgets to the abolished ministry and departments. The controlling officer stated that the ministry was closely monitoring the anomaly and engaging the relevant stakeholders. The controlling officers response was noted, but the matter is still not resolved, hence it remains reportable, he said. Pertaining to the abolished Department of Income Tax, the AG found that it was allocated an amount of E21.2 million, of which E5 306 598 was released and an actual expenditure amounting to E20 797.20 on CTA Vehicle Charges was incurred.

Unauthorised budget

Further, I reported that there was an unauthorised budget allocation on Personnel Costs amounting to E21159 993.90, where the budget released amounting to E5 289 996 was also charged under the abolished Income Tax Department, Matsebula said. The AG said he also noted that the abolished departments had assets and liabilities balances not cleared and/or reconciled to nil balances in the year of closure. Both Income Tax Department and Customs and Excise Department had assets balances amounting to E4 603.76 and liabilities balances amounting to E2 603 506.24 as at March 31, 2021, he said. He expressed concern that the financial position of the Consolidated Statement of Assets and Liabilities may be distorted and funds could remain unaccounted for and unremitted to the Eswatini Revenue Service.

Matsebula said he advised the controlling officer to reconcile the suspense accounts and requested that supporting documentation for the assets and liabilities should be provided to the AGs office. The controlling officer stated that as a Ministry they will request the assistance from the Treasury Department on the matter, since that department has their own accounting functions away from the ministry. I noted the response, but the matter has not been resolved, hence it remains reportable, he said. The AG cited financial and accounting instructions to highlight the seriousness of what was happening. One of these was Financial and Accounting Instruction number 0101, to stress that was essential that expenditure estimates should be as accurate and realistic as possible and should cover all foreseeable expenditure.

He said this instruction further provides guidance that submission of requests for expenditure estimates to the Ministry of Finance is the responsibility of the controlling officer.

However, I am not aware whether the budget for the discontinued operations was part of the controlling officers submission to the Ministry of Finance, he said. supporting documents

Also, he said according to the Financial Management and Accounting Procedures Manual (1993) Section 11 (1.4), applications for the creation of new Below-the-Line Account items must be submitted to the accountant general together with any supporting documents on the background and need for new account. I requested the controlling officer to provide the instrument establishing this Special Fund Account, the purpose Programme/Project, Cashbook, Financial Records and supporting documents, and bank statements. At the time of writing this report, this information had not been provided, Matsebula said.

Under the abolished Ministry of Enterprise and Employment, the AG also found that there were unremitted deductions of the National Provident Fund amounting to E11 953.43, and taxes amounting to E51 216, which were not remitted to Eswatini Revenue Service, as at March 31, 2021. He said uncleared balances may lead to the reporting of distorted financial information. Furthermore, he said, none or late remittance of such deductions may result in negative consequences to both the employee and government. The AG said he advised the controlling officer to ensure that Provident Fund, Pensions Fund and Tax deductions were promptly remitted to their respective authorities. In his response, the controlling officer stated that under normal circumstances, it is expected that when the accountant general generates cheques to Eswatini National Provident Fund there will be a zero balance on the account and, hence his ministry had written to the accountant general requesting advice on the matter.

He further stated that his Ministry had remitted the outstanding taxes of Board members to Eswatini Revenue Service on batch 68 and 69 of the current month, he said.

However, according to the AG, the controlling officer did not provide evidence to support the remittance of taxes as per his response. Moreover, at the time of compiling this report, there were no adjustments in the government accounting system, added the AG.
UNION GROVE  Several years ago, while at the Milwaukee VA facility, Josh Christensen was in an art room when he met a 19-year-old fellow Army veteran in a post-traumatic stress disorder program.

The 19-year-old was the only one in his squad who survived combat; everyone else had been killed. He wouldnt say a word, but was known to flip over tables and kick walls.

He had the dead stare, Christensen said.

Christensen watched the man work on a ceramic piece, and when he was finished, he finally spoke by asking Christensen: What do you think?

I said thats beautiful,  said Christensen, a Union Grove resident who served in the Army from 1986 to 1993. It made me realize art therapy is so instrumental in helping veterans with severe PTSD.

A large part of veterans residential treatment at the VA is art therapy. After theyre out of the program, they dont have an easy, obvious path to get back into art, Christensen said.

This incident was part of his inspiration to form By Veterans For Veterans, a spot to create art, eat, watch a movie, buy clothing and shoes, toys and antique gifts or simply relax.

Christensen co-owns the limited liability corporation with his business partner and fellow Union Grove resident, Christine Luxem. The two plan to add a 501(3) nonprofit aspect to the venture.

Some veterans come in and theyre bored, or just want to hang out, Luxem said.

By Veterans For Veterans is located at 1011 Main St., Union Grove and is open from Monday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Great for everybody

By Veterans For Veterans opened in 2020 in Luxems garage. It slowly moved to her basement, then moved adjacent to the current location. The current location then opened at the beginning of this year.

Christensen said hed consider the LLC to be in phase 4 of conception.

Its been fun and weve come a long way, Christensen said. Weve been wearing all the hats.

So far, the friends said they have received a lot of great support from the community.

People young and old from Union Grove and Burlington are donating time and money to help them set up. Veterans have helped set up the woodworking shop, move equipment or create pottery to sell, which pays it forward, Christensen said. Theyre additionally receiving help from Burlington High School students.

Veterans are coming in from as far as Racine to use the space.

The organization is initiating support groups this month, including Alcoholics Anonymous, Narcotics Anonymous, Military Moms, Military Spouses and Patriot Talk. The first AA meeting was Monday.

We want veterans to come out of their shell. Some of them have substance abuse or are isolated. They use drugs or are complacent, Christensen said. Once they learn about art therapy, they enjoy it.

Art classes and activities include pottery, drawing, woodworking and watercolor painting. Theyre open to veterans and non-veterans; theyre free for veterans, and non-veterans are encouraged to make a donation. They make a great family art opportunity, Christensen said.

Arts great for everybody, he said.

By Veterans For Veterans is stocked with prepackaged snacks, but Luxem makes one hot meal per day. The LLC has additionally held holiday dinners for veterans, including at Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I feed all the guys, Luxem said.

Starting the venture

Luxem, 49, has worked in day care and foster care almost her whole life. She knew she wanted to eventually start a nonprofit; when she found out Christensen owned a kiln and 50 molds, they came up with the idea to create a space for veterans who had nowhere to go after they exited the VA residential treatment program.

Luxems grandfather served in World War II, the Korean War and Vietnam War. She never met him, but still owns his dog tags in remembrance.

He gave everything to let us be free, Luxem said. I have mad respect for people who are selfless and put their life on the line to protect us.

Christensen, 57, said he and Luxem wanted to do something for veterans because of how important they are to the country.

9/11 was pretty bad. That was right in our own backyard. You never thought youd see that in the U.S., Christensen said.

Future goals

Luxem and Christensen have operated at a loss since opening; they said any proceeds will be going to veterans causes, Shriners Hospitals for Children or St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital.

They are setting up a 100-year-old barn to become a furniture storage area for their Help-A-Vet program. The program will help furnish homeless veterans new homes while helping them transition to a better place, Luxem said.

While still working out transportation details, Luxem and Christensen hope to add field trip opportunities. They want to bring veterans from the Milwaukee or Whitewater VA facilities to Union Grove to spend time there.

The partners also hope, within two to three years, to have an e-commerce website for tiles, mugs and vases with branded military images licensed by all five branches. They hope to manufacture and distribute the products.

Luxem said longer-term goals include potentially setting up outreach centers in each state.

Itll be interesting to see how this goes, Christensen said.

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Bahrain has made considerable progress on a project to enhance the capacity of the key Al Fateh Highway by 61% at a cost of BD40.5 million ($107.49 million), including the design and site supervision contracts.

The Al Fateh Highway Upgrade Project will increase the highway's capacity from 87,000 vehicles per day to 140,000 vehicles per day once it is completed, said Works, Municipal Affairs and Urban Planning Minister Essam bin Abdullah Khalaf at a press conference. He later presented the first virtual 3D rendition of the project.

Present were Undersecretary for Works Affairs Ahmed Abdel Aziz Al-Khayyat, Capital Municipality Council Chairman Saleh Tarada, Operations and Traffic Control Department Director Colonel Adel Al-Dosari and a number of officials, said a Bahrain News Agency report.

The ministry has completed the construction of all the piles and piers of the U-turn flyover, and that the process of constructing the flyover is proceeding according to the programme, officials said. The flyover is scheduled for opening to traffic in the last quarter of this year.

The construction of piles for the left-turn flyover for traffic heading towards Prince Saud Al Faisal Highway has begun, in conjunction with the required traffic diversions to provide work space. This part of the project will open for traffic in first quarter of 2023. Additionally, secant piling works are in progress in preparation for the underpass excavation and structural works.

Bahrain is working in accordance to Vision 2030 to design, implement and manage the roads network to provide safe, smooth, and effective traffic movement for all road users, supported an infrastructure that incorporates latest standards and guidelines, said the minister.

He said that many ground services that impeded the main works of expanding and upgrading Al Fateh highway, have been diverted, in addition to the construction of the main sewage water line extending from Juffair to Al Ghuraifah which has been recently completed.

The ministry has been working since April 2021 on the main works of the project which is expected to be completed in 2024.

Al Fateh Highway Upgrade Project starts from the entrance to the Exhibitions Avenue in the north to Mina Salman interchange in the south. It includes the development of Shaikh Daij junction, Al-Fateh Center junction, and Dulab junction, with the aim of providing seamless traffic in both directions.

The main works of the project include the expansion and upgrade of Al Fateh Highway to four lanes in each direction over more than 3 km, and the construction of an underpass with three lanes in both directions with a length of 595 m at Gulf Hotel Junction for traffic between north and south, in addition to signal-controlled junction at ground level.

The project also includes the construction of a one-way left-turn flyover with two lanes for people coming from Manama from the north on Al Fateh Highway towards Prince Saud Al Faisal Avenue. The junction of Al Fateh Highway with Shaikh Daij Avenue will be removed to provide free traffic movement on ground level.

The project also includes the construction of a U-turn flyover with two lanes near the entrance to Al Fateh Corniche for northbound traffic to turn towards the south.

Al Fateh Highway is considered as the main artery carrying traffic for East Manama, and it is an integral part of the ring road in the capital, Manama, which, upon completion, aims to provide free flow traffic around the capital.

The main works of the project have been awarded to a joint venture between Nass Contracting Company (Bahrain) and Huta Hegerfeld Saudi Ltd (Saudi Arabia) by the Tender Board with a contract sum of BD29,662,315, financed by Saudi Fund for Development (SFD).

The three-year infrastructure project which was given the go-ahead in April 2021 is under the supervision of Parsons Engineering Consultancy.
Jaipur, March 13: The Indian voter has always been capable of throwing up surprises and the BJP will also get to know about it one day, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said on Sunday. His remarks came in the backdrop of the party's debacle and drubbing in the just-concluded assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, and Manipur.

The Congress could have done much better in Uttarakhand, and in Goa, "we had very good chances of being the single largest party", Tharoor said at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF). "But mind you in both the states the number of voters are relatively small, and that perhaps contributed," the MP from Thiruvananthapuram said. CWC Meet: Ashok Gehlot Backs Rahul Gandhi for Congress President.

In the politically crucial Uttar Pradesh, despite a high-pitched campaign led by Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the party could manage to win only two of the 403 assembly seats with the vote share plummeting to a meagre 2.33 per cent and most of its candidates losing security deposits.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra did remarkable and energetic campaigning for the party, and "from my point of view, I don't think that the Congress per se can be faulted because on the grounds of one person's campaigning", Tharoor said.

"I think the issues are rather larger for the party as well as for party viability in some states where our presence has been systematically going down," he said.

On Priyanka Gandhi's campaigning, the MP said, "You would have seen her everywhere, including getting arrested a couple of times by the Uttar Pradesh Police. You have seen her very much on the spot and running through the state." The 66-year-old leader also expressed surprise over political analysts describing the results as a "foregone conclusion", saying very few predicted BJP's victory until the exit polls came out. Assembly Elections 2022 Results: The Fall And Fall of Congress, India's Grand Old Party.

"If it was a foregone conclusion, all the pundits should have been saying that for the last five-six weeks of election campaign. Very few, if any did, it was only when the exit polls were coming out that the tale turned and people said BJP is going to win. "Until then there was no question in my mind that most of people were expecting a very, very close fight, and some were saying anecdotally that Samajwadi Party was ahead," Tharoor said.

The Indian voter has the capacity to surprise and one day, they will also surprise the BJP. "But right now they have given the BJP what it wanted," he said. The JLF's 15th edition started here on Thursday and is being held in a hybrid format for the first time since its inception in 2006. It was held virtually from March 5 to 9 because of Covid.

Turkish bestselling novelist Elif Shafak, American writer and 2002 Pulitzer Prize for fiction finalist Jonathan Franzen, South African novelist and 2021 Booker winner Damon Galgut, Australian author and 2003 Booker winner DBC Pierre, English actor-writer Rupert Everett, and eminent Jamaican poet Kei Miller are among the 250 authors participating in the JLF this year.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mumbai, Mar 13 (PTI) Police on Sunday tightened security outside the residence of senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis in south Mumbai and the BKC cyber police station ahead of the recording of his statement in a case of alleged illegal tapping of phones, an official said.

Also Read | Supreme Court Directs CBI to Pursue Case for Custody of Boy From His Alleged Paedophile Egyptian Father Who Flouted Court Order and Fled Egypt.

The Mumbai cyber police had issued a notice to former Maharashtra chief minister Fadnavis, asking him to appear before them on Sunday in connection with the case.

Also Read | Russia Threatens To Destroy Convoys Carrying Foreign Weapons For Ukraine, Says Report.

Fadnavis, however, on Saturday said a senior police officer called to inform him that police will visit his residence to take the required information and there was no need for him to visit the police station.

Since a police team will go to the BJP leader's residence in Malabar Hill area, party supporters may assemble there and outside the BKC cyber police station, hence additional police personnel, including women, were deployed at both the places, the official said.

Phones of political leaders, including state Congress chief Nana Patole, minister Bachchu Kadu, former MLA Ashish Deshmukh, former MP Sanjay Kakade and others were tapped illegally by IPS officer Rashmi Shukla, when she was the state intelligence chief, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil had alleged last month.

"In the notice issued to Fadnavis, police have said that questionnaires were earlier sent to him in sealed envelopes in connection with the case, but he did not respond to them. Besides, notices were also issued to him twice to seek his reply, but he had again failed to reply," the police official said.

In addition to this, three letters were sent to Fadnavis, reminding him to appear before the police. However, he had failed to give any reply, he said.

A case was registered under the Official Secrets Act at the BKC cyber police station here last year against unidentified persons for allegedly illegally tapping phones and leaking confidential documents. The complaint was lodged by the State Intelligence Department (SID).

However, before the FIR was registered, the then Maharashtra Chief Secretary Sitaram Kunte had alleged in his inquiry report that IPS officer Rashmi Shukla had leaked the confidential report.

Shukla is accused of tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials illegally when she was chief of the SID. She found herself at the centre of controversy after Fadnavis cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department.

The letter also had details of intercepted phone calls, leading to an uproar with leaders of the Shiv Sena-led ruling coalition alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permission.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Amritsar (Punjab) [India], March 13 (ANI): Preparations for the visit of Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party convenor Arvind Kejriwal at Jallianwala Bagh in Amritsar are in full swing on Sunday.

"People around here are very happy from the election result and are excited to meet the new Chief Minister," said Manish Gupta, Tourist.

Also Read | Aligarh: Shree Varshney College Refuses Entry to Muslim Girls With Hijab.

Another tourist praised the beautification and cleanliness of the area.

"The place is so clean and is looking so good. This place has an important history attached to it and I am happy visiting here," said Sujata Gupta.

Also Read | India Witnesses Steady Decline in COVID-19 Cases, Reports 3,116 New Infections in Past 24 Hours.

Another tourist Ghanshyam Goyal who looked excited and expecting to meet the two AAP leaders.

"Delhi CM and Punjab CM are visiting here, I am excited to meet them," he said.

The Punjab Chief Ministerial face of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said that the party supremo Arvind Kejriwal is visiting Amritsar today to take part in a roadshow to express gratitude to the people for giving the popular mandate with two-third majority in the state in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Speaking to the reporters before leaving for Amritsar, Mann said, "We will take the blessings of Guru Sahib to fulfil the promises we made to the people of Punjab. Our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is coming to Amritsar (for roadshow) today to thank the people."

The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], March 13 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Spokesperson NV Subhash on Saturday condemned the statement by Telangana IT Minister and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) leader KT Rama Rao (KTR) on the issue of power and water supply to the cantonment.

Subhash said, "It is a really shocking comment from Telangana municipal minister KTR who is well educated. He doesn't even have respect for our Indian army. This really shows the Telangana government's stand on how they treat our Army."

Also Read | Spanish Female Complains to Police Commissioner via Email Against Arrested Kochi Tattooist.

He added, "Today they are threatening our military authorities with statements to disconnect electricity and water supply. Are they trying to remove the military base from Hyderabad? What are they trying to say?"

Subhash also alleged, "If anyone doesn't listen to the TRS government, they start threatening them, which will not work all the time and very soon the public will teach them a lesson."

Also Read | Punjab CM-Designate Bhagwant Mann Directs DGP to Probe Killing of Cows in Hoshiarpur.

BJP spokesperson said that threatening the military authorities is unacceptable and we condemn it. "TRS government should be ashamed of the way they show their respect towards our military authorities," he added.

If there is an issue they should speak with each other and get a solution in a gentle way, said the BJP Spokesperson.

He added, "If these people come back to power in the state, it will be very dangerous for everyone as they threaten the government authorities."

Telangana IT Minister KT Rama Rao in a statement allegedly said that they will cut the power and water supply of the military cantonment as it is not fair of them to close the roads whenever they want and do whatever they want. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi, March 13: Ahead of the government formation after the poll verdict, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will visit the national capital today to hold consultations with the top leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The Chief Minister is likely to discuss the dates for the swearing-in ceremony of the new government in the state along with the new Cabinet with the top brass of the BJP.

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Yogi will leave for the Hindon airport from Lucknow at 8 am, from where he will travel to Delhi by road.

He will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the BJP chief JP Nadda, Home Minister Amit Shah and the party's national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh during his visit to the national capital.

Also Read | Punjab CM-Designate Bhagwant Mann Directs DGP to Probe Killing of Cows in Hoshiarpur.

The BJP won the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections with a clear majority for the second consecutive term.

Following the massive victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Adityanath on Friday held a meeting with his ministerial colleagues at the party office in Lucknow. Adityanath, a monk-turned-politician, won his first-ever Assembly election by a margin of 1,03,390 from Gorakhpur Urban constituency, defeating the Samajwadi Party candidate Subhawati Upendra Dutt Shukla, who secured 62,109 votes in the recently-concluded UP Assembly elections.

Adityanath will be the first Chief Minister in the last 37 years to return to power after completing a full term in the state.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Dhar (Madhya Pradesh) [India], March 13 (ANI): A woman was allegedly raped in a bus in Madhya Pradesh's Dhar district. Dhar police have arrested two people on Saturday in connection with the case while the third accused is absconding.

"We have arrested two persons in a case of gang rape. Yesterday a woman has complained of rape. Police registered a case of gang rape against three persons. Search is on to find the other accused", said Aditya Pratap Singh, Dhar SP.

Also Read | Spanish Female Complains to Police Commissioner via Email Against Arrested Kochi Tattooist.

According to the Manawar police station, on Friday the bus in which the woman was travelling was going from Kukshi to Manavar and she was supposed to get down in Longsari. The driver, conductor and cleaner did not drop her in Longsari. Then other people raised questions and they said that they will drop her in Gandhwani. When the bus was empty, the conductor stopped the bus and raped the woman at a secluded place between Gulati Road and Balipur Road. Then the driver and the cleaner also tried to rape her.

When the girl started shouting, it caught the attention of the passers-by. When the local people went to her, the woman told them about the whole incident. People caught the driver, but the cleaner and the conductor fled.

Also Read | Punjab CM-Designate Bhagwant Mann Directs DGP to Probe Killing of Cows in Hoshiarpur.

The Manawar police station also registered a case of gang rape against the rapist conductor and the cleaner and driver who cooperated.

The Manawar police station registered a case under sections of gang rape. "The absconding will be arrested soon. Police registered a case under sections 376,376 D,376(2)K of IPC and other sections", added Aditya Pratap Singh. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
New Delhi [India], March 13 (ANI): After the BJP's landslide victory in the Uttar Pradesh elections, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday to discuss the state government formation, sources said.

"Today Yogi Adityanath met ji. Congratulating him on the historic victory in the Uttar Pradesh elections. In the last 5 years, he has worked tirelessly to fulfill the aspirations of the people. I am confident that in the years to come, he will take the state to greater heights of development," PM Modi tweeted.

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Adityanath's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi lasted for around two hours. He also met BJP president Jagat Prakash Nadda and Vice President Venkaiah Naidu with party secretary (organisation) BL Santosh.

The BJP won 255 seats in the 403-member Uttar Pradesh Assembly to storm back to power in the state.

Also Read | Congress Working Committee Calls Poll Debacle Cause of Serious Concern, Reaffirms Faith in Sonia Gandhis Leadership.

Before the formation of the Uttar Pradesh government, these meetings in Delhi are crucial. After meeting Nadda, Adityanath also met Union Home Minister Amit Shah and discussed in detail the new government. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Beijing [China], March 13 (ANI): Amid persisting Ukraine crisis, some countries have called on China to play a leadership role to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

Amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine, China has found itself in a precarious position with its leaders attempting to maintain the growing ties with Moscow, while minimising any further fallout in the relationship with the Western countries.

Also Read | Chinas Daily COVID-19 Cases Hit Two-Year High; Reports Nearly 2,000 New Infections, Says National Health Commission.

The EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell suggested that China is more suitable than other powers to play such a role. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba has urged China to use its influence to stop Russia's advances.

Moreover, China itself offered to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

Also Read | Russia Threatens To Destroy Convoys Carrying Foreign Weapons For Ukraine, Says Report.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told senior European officials last month that China "firmly advocates respecting and safeguarding the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries which equally applies to Ukraine".

At the same time, Wang tempered his remarks, saying that, given five consecutive rounds of NATO's eastward expansion, "Russia's legitimate security demands should be taken seriously and properly addressed," France 24 reported.

"Beijing has been balancing its stance, but never losing sight of its own interests and principles in the process," said Zsuzsa Anna Ferenczy, a postdoctoral fellow and EU-China expert.

Some analysts say that Russia's invasion of Ukraine may give China an opportunity to increase its influence Indo Pacific and the Middle East. However, Beijing is likely to be prudent with any economic overtures.

According to a senior Chinese scholar, Russia's 'special military operation' against Ukraine has caused great controversy in China, with its supporters and opponents being divided into two implacably opposing sides.

Hu Wei, who is the vice-chairman of the Public Policy Research Center of the Counselor's Office of the State Council, said China cannot be tied to Putin and needs to be cut off as soon as possible.

"In the sense that an escalation of conflict between Russia and the West helps divert U.S. attention from China, China should rejoice with and even support Putin, but only if Russia does not fall," he argues.

Being in the same boat with Putin will impact China should he lose power, he added. According to Hu Wei, China should avoid playing both sides in the same boat, give up being neutral, and choose the mainstream position in the world. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Antalya [Turkey], March 13 (ANI): The acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban regime, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on Saturday stressed that a foreign version of government must not be imposed on Afghanistan, said a media report.

During the 'Antalya Diplomacy Forum' in Turkey, the Taliban minister said that Afghans are capable of forming their own government and efforts are underway to make the Kabul administration more inclusive, Tolo News reported.

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"Foreign versions (of the government) and foreign ideology must not be imposed on Afghans. The former version of the (government) was tried but it did not succeed," the media quoted Muttaqi as saying.

A weak Afghan government would not benefit anyone, he said, adding that the efforts to undermine the current government must stop.

Also Read | Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Open for Talks with Vladimir Putin in Israel.

Stressing that the Taliban has been working to prevent economic collapse in Afghanistan, he said that the current government has made progress in several areas, the media outlet reported.

Muttaqi further added that the Islamic Emirate has met all conditions for international recognition.

Meanwhile, Fatima Gailani, former head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, said that the lack of recognition of the Afghan government is not something that is punishing just the Taliban's government but the whole of Afghanistan, according to the Afghan news agency.

Speaking at the conference, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov said that the situation in Afghanistan has a direct impact on the region and thus they want stability and security in Afghanistan.

Notably, the Taliban established an interim government headed by Mohammad Hassan Akhund in early September, but this government has not been internationally recognized. However, some organizations and countries expressed readiness to continue providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. (ANI)

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Etisalat Misr has selected Ericsson to upgrade and modernize its Business Support Systems (BSS) in Egypt to support data and Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) traffic growth, 5G readiness and Internet of Things (IoT).



The agreement will equip Etisalat Misr with a range of upgraded capabilities across all its business operations in the customer, product, and service management domains and for customers, enterprises, partners, network technologies and events. Ericsson BSS will enable Etisalat Misr to further spur innovation and enhance customer satisfaction with more flexibility.



The agreement will also secure capacity expansion for Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) using Ericsson Cloud VoLTE technology which will enable a superior customer experience for several millions of users.



The partnership will benefit Etisalat Misr with a low-risk and effective route to address business opportunities in both traditional telecom services, digital services, cloud transformation and IoT. Becoming an integral part of a great customer experience and enabling emerging digital ecosystems, Ericsson BSS products and partner ecosystem are backed by analytics-driven, real-time service and experience control.



Hazem Metwally, Chief Executive Officer at Etisalat Misr said: It is a pleasure to have Ericsson as our partner that understands our vision and ambitions to evolve and transform our business. Enhancing our business operations in Egypt is essential to improving customers services and satisfaction. We are looking forward to the outcomes of this partnership that will be brought, especially with evolving our BSS, Digital transformation, latest network technology readiness, Fintech and IoT."



The myriad of features offered by the transformation will align Etisalat Misrs digital transformation program with Egypt Vision, thereby increasing consumer and business opportunities through 4G currently and 5G in the future.



Ekow Nelson, Vice President at Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said: The acceleration of Digitalization everywhere in the world is transforming lives and opening doors to a whole host of opportunities. Todays partnership with Etisalat Misr underscores our joint role in this transformation. The BSS transformation agreement is testament to the common vision we share with Etisalat Misr and we are excited to work jointly towards its realization.  TradeArabia News Service
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 13 (ANI): Amid the looming threat of no-confidence resolution moved against him, Prime Minister Imran Khan has called the senior leadership of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to his residence on Sunday, local media reported.

In the meeting, Imran Khan, along with notable federal ministers, will chalk out a strategy to thwart the no-trust moved against him by the Opposition, Samaa TV reported.

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Notably, the premier is also expected to meet Chaudhry Pervaiz Ilahi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), one of the government's allies, today.

Ahead of the vote on the no-confidence motion, Imran Khan has not only issued warnings of dire consequences against the Opposition leaders once the motion fails but has also warned the dissident PTI members that legal action would be taken against those who betrayed the party.

Also Read | Russia Threatens To Destroy Convoys Carrying Foreign Weapons For Ukraine, Says Report.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties, which have been indulging in negotiation with PTI allies, have predicted that the ruling coalition will collapse within days, the Dawn newspaper reported.

However, the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Tehran [Iran], March 13 (ANI/Xinhua): Iran's nuclear chief said on Saturday that no political impacts can divert Iran's relationship with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) governed by the framework of the IAEA's rules and regulations, semi-official Tasnim news agency reported.

"We move forward in line with the IAEA's regulations and our professional relationship with it," Mohammad Eslami, head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), told reporters.

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The recent visit by IAEA Director General Rafael Grossi to Tehran was part of mutual interactions between Iran and the UN nuclear watchdog, Eslami said.

Grossi visited the Iranian capital in early March, during which Iran and the IAEA agreed on a roadmap to resolve Iran's nuclear safeguards issues by June, according to a joint statement by Grossi and Eslami after their meeting. (ANI/Xinhua)

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Washington [US], March 13 (ANI): US Vice President Kamala Harris highlighted the unity between the US and its NATO and European allies and warned that Russia's military operations in Ukraine pose a threat to all democracies.

"Russia's invasion threatens not just Ukraine's democracy; it threatens democracy and security across Europe," CNN reported quoting Harris who was speaking at the Democratic National Committee's winter meeting on Saturday in Washington.

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Speaking about her recent trip to Poland and Romania, Harris said that she emphasized that the "greatest strength" of the alliance is its unity.

"The United States stands firmly with the Ukrainian people in defense of the NATO alliance," Harris said further.

Also Read | Japanese Schools Ban Ponytail Hairstyle for Female Students Citing They 'Sexually Arouse' Men.

On March 10, US Vice President announced nearly USD 53 million in new humanitarian assistance to support civilians affected in Ukraine.

"During her trip to Warsaw, Poland, today, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris announced nearly USD 53 million in new humanitarian assistance from the United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), to support innocent civilians affected by Russia's unjustified invasion of Ukraine," the White House said in a statement.

According to the statement, this additional assistance includes support to the UN World Food Program (WFP) to provide lifesaving emergency food assistance to meet immediate needs of hundreds of thousands affected by the invasion, including people who are displaced from their homes and who are crossing the border out of Ukraine.

In addition, it will support WFP's logistics operations to move assistance into Ukraine, including to people in Kyiv. (ANI)

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New York [US], March 13 (ANI/Xinhua): The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) announced Saturday that 10,200 children were killed or injured since the conflict escalated in Yemen nearly seven years ago.

"The actual number is likely much higher," UNICEF Representative to Yemen Philippe Duamelle said in a statement.

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"Following the intensification of the conflict in 2021, violence has continued to escalate this year and as always children are the first and most to suffer," Duamelle said.Just over the first two months of this year, 47 children were reportedly killed or maimed in several locations across Yemen, he added.

The statement noted that "violence, misery and grief have been commonplace in Yemen with severe consequences on millions of children and families. It is high time that a sustainable political solution is reached for people and their children to finally live in the peace they so well deserve."

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Yemen has been mired in a civil war since the Houthi militia overran much of the country militarily and seized all northern provinces, including the capital Sanaa, in 2014. (ANI/Xinhua)

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Canberra [Australia], March 13 (ANI): A Pakistani student, working as a part-time ride-share driver in the Australian city of Melbourne was stabbed multiple times by two unknown male passengers in the early hours of Saturday.

The student has been identified by Pakistan's Consulate General in Melbourne as Hassan Ahmad.

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Police believe that the passengers stole his Mazda 3 car before abandoning it shortly up the road following the alleged attack. The pair remains on the run, The Age, a local newspaper reported.

The driver, a student from Pakistan, managed to go into a service station on Johnston Street, in Melbourne's inner north, and call emergency services at about 3:40 am, the report further said.

Also Read | Russia Threatens To Destroy Convoys Carrying Foreign Weapons For Ukraine, Says Report.

The student was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries. Following treatment, his situation has now been described as stable according to the Consulate General of Pakistan.

"We are following up the unfortunate incident involving stabbing of a Pakistani national, Mr Hassan Ahmad. Our Consul visited Royal Melbourne Hospital today where Mr Hassan is admitted. Doctors have described his condition as stable," said Consulate General of Pakistan, Melbourne in a tweet.

"The Consulate General will remain in touch with Mr Hassan, his friends and family and provide every possible assistance," the Consulate General added.

Hate crimes against people from South Asia, particularly students has been witnessed in the past in Australia.

In 2009-10, a series of racially motivated attacks on Indian students in Melbourne had forced the Australian government to apologise, reported The Conversation, an Australian news portal, adding that those of Indian heritage living in Australia reported experiencing high levels of "subtle racism" in their everyday lives. (ANI)

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Kabul [Afghanistan], March 13 (ANI): Calling for women's access to education and work, several members of the Movement of Change for Afghanistan Party (MoCAP) held a protest in Kabul city, reported local media.

The gathering, held to celebrate the international week dedicated to women, witnessed participants taking to the streets, urging the Taliban to establish a commission for addressing the challenges faced by the women in the country, Tolo News reported.

Also Read | Russia Threatens To Destroy Convoys Carrying Foreign Weapons For Ukraine, Says Report.

"We call on the Islamic Emirate to support us and let us go to work," the media outlet quoted Zarifa Yaqobi, a member of the MoCAP, as saying.

"The Afghan women are restricted today. Without permission of the Islamic Emirate, the Afghan women are not allowed to go to universities and work," said Sara Karimi, another member of MoCAP.

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The demonstrators also issued a resolution expressing their concerns regarding arbitrary detentions by the Taliban, according to the Afghan news agency.

Notably, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in August last year has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions.

Expressing concern over the situation of Afghan women, many humanitarian and women's rights watchdogs observed that the women in Afghanistan have been facing challenges since the fall of the former government, Tolo News reported. (ANI)

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Lisbon, Mar 13 (AP) Portuguese police have said that a rabbi in the city of Porto has been detained amid reports of an investigation into the granting of Portuguese nationality to Russian magnate Roman Abramovich.

Portugal's criminal police office confirmed the arrest of Rabbi Daniel Litvak on Saturday to The Associated Press after it was originally reported by Publico newspaper. Police did not specify the day of the arrest, which local media say occurred on Thursday.

Also Read | Russia Threatens To Destroy Convoys Carrying Foreign Weapons For Ukraine, Says Report.

Abramovich gained Portuguese citizenship in 2021 thanks to a law that offered to naturalize the descendants of Sephardic Jews who were forced to leave the Iberian peninsula centuries before.

Portuguese media reports that Litvak is being investigated on charges of corruption for allegedly providing illicit paperwork for some applicants seeking to take advantage of the citizenship opportunity.

Also Read | Iraq: Missiles Target US Consulate in Northern City of Irbil, No Casualties Reported.

Porto's Jewish Community did not immediately respond to an email by The AP requesting comment on the arrest.

Like other oligarchs with close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Abramovich is being targeted by sanctions for Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Abramovich, 55, was on Saturday disqualified as owner of Premier League club Chelsea, the current European champion.

Abramovich has been without a British visa since 2018. Since then, he gained citizenship both in Portugal and Israel. (AP)

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Limassol (Cyprus), Mar 13 (AP) Dozens of Russian nationals joined Ukrainians in the coastal resort town of Limassol, home to a sizeable Russian expatriate community, to protest the war in Ukraine.

About 50 Russians converged on Limassol's promenade prior to joining with other protesters Sunday to chant slogans including Stop the war, stop Putin and Russia without Putin."

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They waved blue and white flags that they said were the Russian national flag without the red stripe that represented blood and violence.

Protester Evgeniya Shlikava, who has been living and working in Cyprus for five years, told The Associated Press that despite Russian propaganda, Ukraine didn't deserve this action from our government and that protesters are demanding an immediate end to the war that we don't support.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: US Journalist Killed in Ukraines City of Irpin.

I do believe that the person who did the most to make Russia weak and not united is Putin himself, said Shlikava, who faulted the Russian president and his supporters for bringing the world's wrath on Russia that is proud of its humanistic values and culture.

But now Russia is the aggressor for the whole world, and we protest it, Shlikava said. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Mariupol (Ukraine), Mar 13 (AP) Russian forces pounded the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, shelling its downtown as residents hid in an iconic mosque and elsewhere to avoid the explosions. Fighting also raged in the outskirts of the capital, Kyiv, as Russia kept up its bombardment of other cities throughout the country.

Mariupol has endured some of Ukraine's worst punishment since Russia invaded. Unceasing barrages have thwarted repeated attempts to bring food, water and medicine into the city of 430,000 and to evacuate its trapped civilians. More than 1,500 people have died in Mariupol during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves.

Also Read | Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Open for Talks with Vladimir Putin in Israel.

Talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire again failed Saturday, and while the US announced plans to provide another USD200 million to Ukraine for weapons, a senior Russian diplomat warned that Moscow could attack foreign shipments of military equipment.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of employing a new stage of terror with the alleged detention of a mayor from a city west of Mariupol.

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Russian soldiers on Saturday pillaged a humanitarian convoy that was trying to reach Mariupol and blocked another, a Ukrainian official said. Ukraine's military said Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening their siege of the strategic port.

They are bombing it (Mariupol) 24 hours a day, launching missiles. It is hatred. They kill children, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said during a video address.

An Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday.

In Irpin, a suburb about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of central Kyiv, bodies lay out in the open Saturday on streets and in a park.

Zelenskyy encouraged his people to keep up their resistance.

We do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be, he said. Later Saturday, Zelenskyy reported that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the Russian invasion began.

Zelenskyy again deplored NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defence assets, though he didn't elaborate.

NATO has said that imposing a no-fly zone could lead to a wider war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president also accused Russia of detaining the mayor of Melitopol, a city 192 km west of Mariupol. The Ukrainian leader called on Russian forces to heed calls from demonstrators in the occupied city for the mayor's release.

In multiple areas around Kyiv, artillery barrages sent residents scurrying for shelter as air raid sirens wailed. Britain's Defence Ministry said Russian forces that had been massed north of the capital had edged to within 25 kilometers of the city centre and spread out, likely to support an attempted encirclement.

A convoy of hundreds of people fleeing Peremoha, about 20 kilometers northeast of Kyiv, were forced to turn back under shelling by Russian forces that killed seven people, including a child, Ukraine's defense ministry said Saturday.

Moscow has said it would establish humanitarian corridors out of conflict zones, but Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of disrupting those paths and firing on civilians.

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said just nine of 14 agreed-upon corridors were open on Saturday, and that about 13,000 people had used them to evacuate around the country.

Ukraine's military and volunteer forces have been preparing for an all-out assault on the capital. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said Thursday that about 2 million people, half the metropolitan area's inhabitants, had left and that every street, every house  is being fortified.

Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russia would need to carpet-bomb Kyiv and kill its residents to take the city.

They will come here only if they kill us all, he said. If that is their goal, let them come.

French and German leaders spoke Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a failed attempt to reach a cease-fire. According to the Kremlin, Putin laid out terms for ending the war.

For ending hostilities, Moscow has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and adopt a neutral status; acknowledge the Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014; recognise the independence of separatist regions in the country's east; and agree to demilitarise.

Zelenskyy told Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett on Saturday that he would be open to meeting Putin in Jerusalem to discuss an end to the war, but that there would first have to be a cease-fire. Bennett recently met in Moscow with Putin, who has ignored previous offers of talks from Zelenskyy.

In Mariupol, the Ukrainian government said Saturday that the Sultan Suleiman Mosque was hit, but an unverified Instagram post by a man claiming to be the mosque association's president said the building was spared when a bomb fell about 750 yards away.

Russian forces have hit at least two dozen hospitals and medical facilities, according to the World Health Organization.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians, including at least 79 Ukrainian children, its government says. At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations refugee agency. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Navya, a leader in the field of autonomous mobility systems, has signed a deal to support the implementation of autonomous vehicles in Saudi Arabia.

Navya signed the agreement with the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia at the French Ministry of Transport in Paris.

The projects relate to the deployment of self-driving electric and shared shuttles for the transportation of people, together with the deployment of electric tow tractors for the transportation of goods at airports and industrial sites.

Under the patronage of Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, French Minister of Transport, Engineer Saleh bin Nasser Al-Jasser, Saudi Minister of Transport and Logistic Services, and Sophie Desormiere, CEO of Navya, met in Paris for the official signing of the agreement.

The agreement aims to implement pilot projects, validate use-cases, define regulation, and build up local competencies in order to prepare and speed up the large-scale deployment of fleets of level 4 autonomous vehicles over the whole of the Arabian Peninsula.

It will support Saudi Arabia, which is already a smart cities pioneer, to become one of the first markets in the world to deploy large shuttle fleets on its territory.

The carbon-free, shared fleets will play an essential role in the building of cities of the future, providing clean air and a better quality of life, in accordance with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's "Vision 2030".

Navya's share of the autonomous mobility market for people already stands at 75% in the GCC countries, including 6 shuttles in operation in Saudi Arabia. This strongly contributes to the companys global leadership position with 200 shuttles sold across the world.

The final agreement, together with the support provided by Saudi Arabia, will enable Navya to take its research and development to a higher level with the development of new first and last mile use cases in town centers, smart cities, airports, theme parks and industrial sites.

Djebbari stated: Navya is a pioneer in autonomous electrical road shuttles, bringing sustainable and high quality services to people and communities all over the world. Autonomous mobility is beginning to scale and will be a game changer in public transportation, with more services, comfort and safety for smart cities and less dense areas. I am particularly enthusiastic about the reinforced collaboration between Navya and the Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services of Saudi Arabia, and look forward to seeing the concrete projects that will result from this agreement.

Dr Mansour Alturki, Deputy Minister of Planning & Information, commented: Signing the MoU represents another testimony to the depth of the Saudi-French collaboration in the Transport and logistics sector. The Ministry of Transport and Logistic Services has a commitment to enable the adoption of new mobility and technologies across all modes, as part the Sector National Strategy to be a futuristic sector and a model of seamless mobility. Such a collaboration with Navya, will allow for leading companies to support Saudi in ensuring the right and timely regulatory frame works are in place to allow for wide-scale adoption in the future and early piloting of autonomous and connected transportation across the kingdom. Which will be essential to drive investments in the Saudi Transport and Logistics sector in new technologies, and improve the quality of the mobility in Saudi cities.

Desormiere said: "We look forward to the start of a fruitful collaboration with Saudi Arabia to speed up the deployment of new fleets for people and goods and to contribute to the building of an autonomous and shared future. Ecological and connected transportation will not only advance mobility, but also benefit the whole community. The agreement will bring us closer to achieving our vision of the mobility of the future on a large scale."-- TradeArabia News Service
New York [US], March 13 (ANI): Two people were stabbed inside the New York City's Museum of Modern art on Saturday, American broadcaster CNN reported citing police officials.

While speaking at a news conference, John Miller, Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism, said that two employees were stabbed in the back, the collar bone and in the back of the neck and were rushed to Bellevue Hospital within minutes of the attack. They received immediate medical attention and are expected to survive.

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"At approximately 4:15 this afternoon, an individual entered the museum, attempted to gain entrance presenting his membership card and was denied entrance because his membership had expired. His membership had expired as a result of two incidents involving disorderly conduct here at the museum on two separate dates in recent days," Miller was quoted as saying by CNN.

Miller further revealed that after being denied from entering the museum, the suspect became angry and then jumped over the reception desk and attacked two museum employees, stabbing them multiple times.

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"The individual involved in this incident is known to us and we are endeavouring to locate this person right now," according to CNN citing Miller.

The city's mayor, Eric Adams was briefed about the incident and he applauded the efforts of the police. Taking to Twitter, he said, "I've been briefed on the incident at the @MuseumModernArt. We can report that the two victims are being taken care of at Bellevue Hospital and are expected to survive their injuries. We're grateful for the quick work of our first responders."

"Please continue to avoid the area while police continue their investigation and if you have any information, please contact the NYPD immediately. Public safety is our top priority. Today's incident is a reminder that this work affects every community," Adam tweeted. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kyiv [Ukraine], March 13 (ANI): Ukraine armed forces said that two Russian helicopters were shot down in Kherson Oblast, according to a local media outlet.

The Kyiv Independent reported that one of the pilots reportedly survived and will be taken to the hospital.

Also Read | Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Open for Talks with Vladimir Putin in Israel.

Earlier Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said that Russians are trying to organize a sham separatist "referendum" in Kherson, mimicking what they did in eastern Ukraine and Crimea in 2014.

"Following 2014 playbook, Russians now desperately try to organize a sham 'referendum' for a fake 'people's republic' in Kherson. Given zero popular support, it will be fully staged. Severe sanctions against Russia must follow if they proceed. Kherson is and will always be Ukraine," Kuleba tweeted.

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On Sunday, Ukraine said that the Russian fired at the convoy that was evacuating women and children in the Kyiv region, killing seven people including one child.

"Russians shot at a column of women and children in Kyiv region, who were trying to evacuate along a previously agreed "green" corridor. The result of this brutal act - seven dead. One of them is a child," the Ukrainian Defence Ministry said in a tweet.

The Kyiv Independent reported that the attack took place on March 11 as a column of women and children were leaving the village Paremoha in Kyiv Oblast, using the approved corridor.

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of targeting a humanitarian corridor.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President's aide Mykhailo Podolyak said that the negotiations with the Russian delegation are underway in the continuous video format.Among the top priorities of the talks is expanding and setting up a humanitarian corridor, especially for the city of Mariupol, according to the state-run media.

However, the delegations met in person three times, with no conclusive results. The last meeting on the Russia Ukraine war took place on March 7. (ANI)

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Lviv, Mar 13 (AP) A US journalist being treated at a hospital in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv says that he and a US colleague were shot after they were stopped at a checkpoint just after a bridge in Irpin, a town near Kyiv.

Juan Arredondo told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli in an interview from the hospital before being taken for surgery that the colleague who was with him was hit in the neck and remained on the ground earlier on Sunday.

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Camilli told The Associated Press that she was at the hospital when Arredondo arrived and that Arredondo had himself had been wounded, hit in the lower back when stopped at a Russian checkpoint.

Arredondo told Camilli he didn't have further information on the fellow U.S. journalist, whom he identified as Brent Renaud, a friend. He told Camilli they were filming refugees fleeing the area when they were shot at while in a car approaching a checkpoint. The driver turned around but the firing at them continued, Arredondo added.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: US Journalist Killed in Ukraines City of Irpin.

A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car, and that one journalist died. Arredondo said that an ambulance brought him to the hospital and that Renaud was left behind. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
London [UK], March 13 (ANI): In its latest intelligence assessment, the UK Defense Ministry on Sunday that Russian troops are attempting to "envelop" Ukrainian forces in the east of the country and "circumvent" the city of Mykolaiv.

"Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south," the UK Defense Ministry tweeted. "Russia is paying a high price for each advance as the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to offer staunch resistance across the country."

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: Nearly 400,000 Ukrainians Entered Romania Since Military Operation Began, Says Border Police.

Earlier today, explosions were heard in Ukraine's western city of Lviv. The blast occurred near the northwestern city of Lviv, according to the press office of the Lviv regional government.

Ukraine's Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov condemned Russia's airstrike on the International Peacekeeping and Security Center (IPSC). He termed this as a "terrorist attack" on peace and security.

Also Read | Chinas Daily COVID-19 Cases Hit Two-Year High; Reports Nearly 2,000 New Infections, Says National Health Commission.

"This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border," Reznikov tweeted Sunday, adding that "action must be taken to stop this." (ANI)

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Lviv, Mar 13 (AP) Kyiv Region police says a US video journalist has died and another journalist was injured when they were attacked by Russian forces in Ukraine.

The police force said Sunday on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on the car of Brent Renaud and another journalist in Irpin near the capital. It said the injured journalist was being taken to a hospital in Kyiv.

Also Read | Indian Missile Malfunction: Could Have Responded to India After Its Missile Landed in Pakistan, But Observed Restraint, Says PM Imran Khan.

A New York Times spokesperson said Renaud, 50, was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years. It said he was not working for the publication at the time of his death.

The police force said: Of course, the profession of journalism carries risks. Nonetheless, U.S. citizen Brent Renaud paid with his life trying to highlight the deceit, cruelty and ruthlessness of the aggressor.

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: US Journalist Killed in Ukraines City of Irpin.

Asked about the reports, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News that the U.S. government would be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and would then execute appropriate consequences.

This is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians, where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship, and they have targeted journalists, Sullivan said. (AP)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kabul [Afghanistan], March 13 (ANI): Afghanistan's Central Bank, Da Afghanistan Bank, has announced that humanitarian aid worth 32 million US dollars has arrived in Kabul, according to local media.

According to Pajhwok Afghan News, the Central Bank gave information about the 18th package of humanitarian assistance in a Tweet.

Also Read | Ukraine Crisis: Volodymyr Zelenskyy Open for Talks with Vladimir Putin in Israel.

"Following the series of humanitarian aid, another $32 million cash of humanitarian aid has arrived in Afghanistan today," the Central Bank said on Saturday.

Last month, United Nations said that more than 24 million people in Afghanistan require lifesaving assistance, which is a staggering 30 per cent increase since 2021.

Also Read | Japanese Schools Ban Ponytail Hairstyle for Female Students Citing They 'Sexually Arouse' Men.

Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric had informed that a group of eight senior emergency experts from UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations called for life-saving humanitarian action in Afghanistan.

"The emergency experts said they witnessed an enormity of human suffering in Afghanistan, but that they also saw humanitarian organizations able to scale up operations despite massive operational constraints, including the ongoing banking and liquidity crisis," he said. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Russian invasion of Ukraine: Zelenskyy speaks with Polish counterpart, Bulgarian PM over situation in his country (File Image)

Kyiv [Ukraine], March 13 (ANI): Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday (Local Time) held talks with the Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov where he discussed the current situation in Ukraine calling Russia an "aggressor" committing crimes against the country.

Taking to Twitter, Zelesnkyy wrote, "Held talks with President @AndrzejDuda and Prime Minister @KirilPetkov. Informed on the course of Ukraine's defence, the crimes of the Russian aggressor. We appreciate the assistance provided and the support of for Ukraine's integration."

Also Read | Ukraine Crisis: UK to Provide 350 Pounds to Families Welcoming Ukrainian Refugees into Homes.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in 'defending themselves.'

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. The West, however, denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)

Also Read | Russia-Ukraine War: 35 Killed After Russian Airstrike Hits Base in Western Ukraine Near Poland Border.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Kyiv [Ukraine], March 13 (ANI): As Russian troops continue to slowly move closer to Kyiv, while cities in the southern and western parts of the country sustain ongoing attacks as well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday met the wounded military personnel in a hospital.

"The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited the wounded defenders of Ukraine in the hospital," the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense wrote in a tweet. Moreover, Russian forces strike at a school in Mykolaiv Oblast on Sunday.

Also Read | COVID-19 Outbreak in China: Chinese High-Tech Shenzhen on Brink of Biggest Coronavirus Crisis Since Wuhan as Cases Triple.

Lifesavers are countering the fire and rescuing people who appeared to be under the debris of concrete due to the shelling, said Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaliy Kim. According to the Ukrainian media outlet, no casualties have been reported yet.

Furthermore, as per the Mariupol city council, the death toll of civilians rose to 2,187. Russia bombed Mariupol, a besieged city in Donetsk Oblast, 22 times in the last 24 hours, according to the city council.

Also Read | US NSA Jake Sullivan to Meet Chinese Officials in Rome to Discuss Impact of Russia-Ukraine War on Global Security.

About 400,000 residents are stuck in the city, as Russia continues to block evacuation, reported The Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian Foreign minister urged foreign nationals to not join hands with Russian invasion forces.

"Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. I warn foreign nationals who might be agitated to join Russian invasion forces: don't. We have already launched cases in international courts. Even if you survive, you will be a war criminal. Not worth money or anything else," he tweeted.

Ukraine on February 24, which it claimed was a response to calls from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk for protection against attacks by Ukrainian troops.The Russian Defense Ministry continues to maintain that the "special operation" is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. However, the West has refuted these claims and has imposed sanctions on Russia.A number of countries including the US, Canada, and Australia have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Russia, prompting many international businesses to leave the Russian market. (ANI)

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Bhopal, March 13: In a joint operation by the Madhya Pradesh police and the central agencies, six suspected terrorists have been arrested from Bhopal on Sunday. As per the information, the operation was carried out maintaining a complete secrecy and the suspects are being interrogated at an undisclosed location.

The operation was carried out by Madhya Pradesh's Anti-Terrorists Squad (ATS) and with the assistance of a team of intelligence unit of the Centre. Based on the inputs, the police rounded up inter-state hard core jihadist module from different locations in Bhopal. Those arrested are outsiders aged 25-30 years and are highly radicalised, sources in the state police said. Army Personnel Nabbed by Bihar ATS for Leaking Secret Information to Pakistani Handler.

They have been arrested from a building located near Fatima Mosque in Bhopal. Sources said the operation was conducted early on Sunday. Apart from Bhopal, a search operation was also conducted in Karond area, located in the outer circle of Bhopal.

During the search operation, police have recovered several incriminating materials, laptops and explosives from their possession. "Investigators have seized jihadi literature and provocative materials from them," a source told IANS. Mobile phones and laptops were also confiscated from their possession. "They are being interrogated by senior officials at an undisclosed location," sources said. Uttar Pradesh: NIA Arrests Recruiter Tauheed Ahmad of Operatives in Conspiracy To Carry Out IED Blast.

It has been informed that the arrested persons are pro-Taliban and had dangerous plans, said a senior police official requesting not to be named. Further investigation was underway.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 13, 2022 07:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).
Iraqi security forces say at least six missiles have been fired toward the US consulate in the Iraq's northern city of Irbil, with several missiles hitting the building.
Bahrain will continue to manage air traffic in the airspace over international waters in the Arabian Gulf, extending from the borders of the UAE flight information region (FIR) to the borders of Kuwait FIR in line with the decision of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a senior government official said.



Bahrain's Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed welcomed the decision which follows the outcomes of the ICAO Council's 225th Session, reported Bahrain News Agency (BNA).



All member states of the Council commended the longstanding air navigation services provided by the Kingdom of Bahrain. The Kingdom has successfully managed the ICAO mandate since 1959, providing safe and efficient air traffic control services that have garnered the approval of ICAO and the airlines that use the airspaces.



In line with international laws which grant countries the right to exclusive sovereignty over airspace above its territories, the establishment of the Doha FIR was approved to include the airspace over the land and water of the State of Qatar.



The Council stressed the continued importance of conducting the necessary technical studies to ensure the safety and efficiency of air traffic operations, in addition to regional compatibility, following any changes to air navigation plans.



Kamal bin Ahmed Mohammed noted that the Kingdom of Bahrain affirms its commitment to cooperating with ICAO and all its member states, as well as the Kingdoms commitment to providing air navigation services of the highest quality and efficiency.






Boris Johnson has told the Taoiseach that significant changes are still needed with the controversial Northern Ireland Protocol  after the Taoiseach said there is an increasing view that it is working.

The UK Prime Minister met Taoiseach Micheal Martin in London where the pair discussed Ukraine and the protocol before watching Ireland beat England in the Six Nations at Twickenham.

Johnson told Micheal Martin that he hopes the same spirit of co-operation the UK and EU have shared during the Ukraine crisis can be applied to Brexit discussions.

A Downing Street spokesperson said: The Prime Minister reiterated the need to make significant changes to the Northern Ireland Protocol in order to protect peace and stability in Northern Ireland and safeguard the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement in all its dimensions.

He said that while greater ambition and flexibility was needed from the EU in the negotiations, it was his hope that the same spirit of co-operation that had characterised the UK/EU relationship in respect of Ukraine could also be applied to resolving the issues with the protocol.

The protocol has created new economic barriers on trade between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK.

Agreed by the UK and EU to ensure no hardening of the Irish land border post-Brexit, it has instead moved regulatory and customs checks to the Irish Sea, with Northern Ireland remaining in the EU single market for goods.

The region also applies the EU customs code at its ports.

Unionists and loyalists claim the arrangements have undermined the sovereignty of the UK and have demanded the UK triggers the protocols Article 16 mechanism to suspend its trading provisions.

Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) leader Sir Jeffrey Donaldson said on Friday he will not go back into the Stormont Executive until the matter of the protocol is dealt with.

Earlier on Saturday, the Taoiseach said everyone he has met in Northern Ireland wants continued access to the EU single market.

He was asked what the Irish governments communication channels were like with the DUP and how likely it is that the issue of the Northern Ireland Protocol will be resolved by the time of upcoming elections.

Speaking to reporters at the Embassy of Ireland in London, The Fianna Fail leader said the Irish government has good channels of communication with all parties in Northern Ireland.

He said: Whats very interesting from our perspective though is that whats increasing and growing is a view within Northern Ireland, particularly in Northern Ireland business and industry, that the protocol is working in terms of inward investment into Northern Ireland, and in terms of access to the EU single market.

So anybody Ive met in Northern Ireland all want to continue access to the EU single market. Its a good basic principle to start off on. And my view, given the improved relationship between the UK and the EU as a result of the partnership on Ukraine, I would like to think that in the fullness of time we will be able to resolve this issue.

But well take it step by step. And theres a channel there between the European Union and the United Kingdom thats ongoing and were going to take this step by step.

Sir Jeffrey was applauded at Crossgar Orange Hall on Friday night as he said his party would not re-enter the Stormont Executive until the Government acts to protect Northern Ireland within the United Kingdom.

Paul Givan resigned as first minister earlier this year as part of the DUPs action against the protocol in a move which also removed deputy first minister Michelle ONeill from the joint office.
Taoiseach Micheal Martin has said commodity prices are going through the roof as he warned people to expect an economic impact from Russias war in Ukraine.

HE said the conflict will affect how much products cost and said a possible shortage of grain will have very serious repercussions.

Ireland is heavily reliant on imported grain, with around 60% of the 5.5 million tonnes used in the country every year sourced from overseas.

It is used both in products for human consumption and for animal feed.

Ukraine and Russia are both key international exporters of grain.

Russia also supplies more than 20% of fertiliser used in Ireland.

Micheal Martin, who was speaking to reporters during a visit to London, said the precise impact of the war is yet to be determined.

Asked how concerned he is about the shortage of certain products, he said: I think Europe is capable of feeding itself.

I think there will be a very significant issue around grain, and it looks very likely Ukraine will not be planting this season.

That has very serious repercussions across the continent, which will impact on Ireland, and thats why theres been discussions with Irish farming organisations.

We have to be honest with people too, the war will have an impact.

The precise nature of that impact is yet to be determined, but commodity prices are going through the roof basically.

He said this will feed into the economy, with the three main areas being fuel prices, food and general commodities.

The Taoiseach said there will be an impact on food but said he was not clear yet about any specific issues around shortages.

Pressed on potential shortages of particular products and lack of choice, he said: I dont want to scaremonger at this stage.

Im just not in a position to predict this. But I want to say to people though, the war will impact on us, particularly in terms of prices of many products, and thats probably the earliest manifestation of the war through food and everything else, he said.

Asked if the country is in a war economy, he replied: Not quite yet but were heading into that direction.
UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Taoiseach Micheal Martin have discussed their deep concern about the intensification of hostilities near the Ukrainian capital Kyiv in a bilateral meeting in London.

The Prime Minister said this was a critical moment for Ukraine, as well as for wider European and international security, when he joined the Taoiseach for talks on Saturday afternoon.

Earlier in the day, the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said fighting to the north-west of Kyiv continued, with the bulk of Russian ground forces about 25 kilometres from its centre.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian government said a mosque in the city of Mariupol had been shelled by the Russian military.

The mosque was said to be sheltering more than 80 people. There were no immediate reports of casualties.

Mr Johnson and Micheal Martin spoke about the crisis in Ukraine and the Northern Ireland Protocol before watching Ireland beat England in the Six Nations at Twickenham.

A Downing Street spokesperson said both leaders discussed their deep concern around the intensification of hostilities near Kyiv and condemned the attacks by Russian forces on civilians.

The Prime Minister said this was a critical moment for Ukraine and for wider European and international security, the spokesperson added.

They agreed on the vital importance of continued unity in the face of Russian aggression, including through humanitarian relief, defensive military support to the Ukrainian government and further sanctions to target the Putin regime.

Pleased to meet Prime Minister @BorisJohnson before the Ireland v England game. We discussed brutal invasion of #Ukraine by Russia and the unfolding humanitarian crisis. Welcomed the close collaboration between the EU, U.K. and our partners to hold Russia to account. pic.twitter.com/hDmzTfeIkL  Micheal Martin (@MichealMartinTD) March 12, 2022

Mr Johnson was said to have told the Taoiseach he hoped the same spirit of co-operation the UK and EU had shared during the Ukraine crisis could be applied to protocol discussions.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseachs office said the pair discussed the brutal Russian invasion of Ukraine and the profound global security, economic and humanitarian consequences.

They welcomed the close collaboration between the EU, UK and other partners to hold Russia to account and to address the humanitarian needs of the Ukrainian people, the spokesperson said.

The crisis in Ukraine and the protocol were expected to feature high on the agenda as the leaders met this weekend.

The Taoiseach is visiting the UK as part of a programme of events to mark St Patricks Day.

Prior to the bilateral meeting on Saturday, Micheal Martin said he was not there to tell the Prime Minister what to do with regard to refugees.

Asked if he would encourage Mr Johnson and the British Government to take in more people fleeing the war in Ukraine, he told reporters at the Embassy of Ireland: Well to be fair Im not here to tell Boris Johnson what to do.

I have to acknowledge the leadership of the UK Government in terms of the sanctions it has imposed on Russia.

And also the support it has given to Ukraine and indeed to many of the eastern European countries of the European Union who value the support that theyve received from the United Kingdom and who have said this.

On Sunday, the Taoiseach will attend Londons St Patricks Day festival and parade, which this year will celebrate community and key workers during the Covid-19 pandemic.
A stretch of a busy national road in Laois is an eyesore with giant potholes could be in line for a big overhaul if the national roads agency gives the cash to County Hall to proceed.

Cllr Padraig Fleming, Fianna Fail, raised the problems with the Athy to Kilkenny N78 road at a recent meeting with Laois County Council.

Most of the road which links to the M9 motorway, runs through Laois. Cllr Fleming tabled a motion calling for the resurfacing of The N78 from Killyganard Cross, Ballylinan to the Kildare boundary as this section of road has required significant repair and pot hole repair every year for the last couple of years.

The road is an eyesore with all the roads and patchesThere are a lot of complaints as there are long potholes that could be up to 8ft long and two wide, he said.

Mr. Farhan Nasiem, A/SEE Road Design, replied in writing at the Graiguecullen Portarlington Municipal District meeting.

The Council has submitted a funding application for this section of Road to be rersurfaced. If funding is approved by Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) this section of road will be resurfaced in the 2022 financial year, he said.

Cllr Fleming welcomed the reply and hoped the roads agency would give the money needed.

It would make the road a lot safer than it has been for many years, he said.

Cllr Aisling Moran, Fine Gael, backed the motion. She also asked if street lights would be installed outside houses at Killyganard. She said she had expected that the lights were already in place.
Volunteers are needed in Portlaoise to help collect vital funds for cancer care on Daffodil Day which is being backed this year by Laois native Claire Byrne.

Cathy Fennelly is one of the organisers of the Portlaoise collection for the Irish Cancer Society which takes place on Friday, March 25.

"We need volunteers to collect at various locations in Portlaoise. Please contact Cathy (086)879-7907 or message the Facebook Page Portlaoise Daffodil Day. Give your name, mobile number and time available," she said.

Claire Byrne spoke at the launch of this year's event: I am proud to support Daffodil Day 2022. Cancer affects every family in Ireland in some way, and we know that this year alone, almost 45,000 people will hear the words you have cancer.

Daffodil Day has such an important place in the calendar each year and Im delighted that it will be back on our streets on March 25th.

I look forward to once again seeing communities come together united with a single purpose, to raise funds and take back from cancer, she said.

Ways to support Daffodil Day

 Donate at www.Cancer.ie/Donate or over the phone on 0818 10 20 30

 Sell Daffodil pins in your local community

 Donate through Facebook, Instagram or JustGiving

 Register for our steps challenge at www.cancer.ie/ways-to-help/ fundraise/daffodil-day/get- involved-this-daffodil-day/ take-part-in-our-steps- challenge-this-march

 Purchase Daffodil Day items on our online shop

 Purchase a Daffodil pin and donate at Centra stores nationwide

 Revolut users can donate to the Irish Cancer Society through the Donations Tab on the Revolut app

 By texting DAF, DAFF or DAFFODIL (4) to 50300

 By getting your primary school, secondary school or company involved: www.Cancer.ie/GetInvolved

For further information about the Irish Cancer Societys Daffodil Day campaign, visit www.cancer.ie/daffodilday

Averil Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, said, We are so excited to be able to get out on the streets again to see the amazing support the people of Ireland show to anyone affected by cancer. Daffodil Day is such a special and hopeful day for our entire community. Throughout the pandemic weve been so lucky that people have found innovative ways to support us but we are looking forward to seeing Ireland turn yellow once again on March 25th.

The pandemic showed us how we can achieve incredible things when we come together with a purpose. Now we must focus this effort on making sure we dont go backwards on the progress made in saving lives from cancer.

Daffodil Day is our most important fundraising event of the year and the money raised goes directly to funding crucial supports including our Support Line, free counselling, our Night Nurses to provide end of life care, and financial support for families of children affected by cancer. Along with these services, the money raised on Daffodil Day allows us to support life-changing cancer research.

People are being asked to take part and take back from cancer in any way they can this Daffodil Day. As well as donating at Cancer.ie and volunteering to help fundraise, they can purchase items from the Daffodil Day online shop and take part in a steps challenge.

Anyone with concerns or questions about cancer can contact the Irish Cancer Society Support Line on Freephone 1800 200 700 and SupportLine@IrishCancer.ie
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A CLARE TD is calling for the establishment of a reception centre for refugees at Shannon Airport.

A similar centre has already been set up at Dublin Airport for refugees coming to Ireland to escape the crisis in Ukraine.

Independent Clare TD Michael McNamara has urged Minister for Justice Helen McEntee to consider the establishment of a centre at Shannon Airport.

More than 2,500 refugees have arrived in Ireland in the last number of weeks after Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Deputy McNamara says Ukrainian refugees arriving in Shannon on flights originating from Poland are having to wait many hours for transportation, including by taxi minibus, to take them to the reception centre at Dublin Airport.

Deputy McNamara said: "It is entirely unreasonable people must wait for transportation to come from Dublin rather than locally where there is plenty of transport options to provide the service. Furthermore, it is not clear to me why a reception centre cannot be established in Shannon.

"I want to commend the management and staff of Shannon Airport as well as An Garda Siochana for their efforts to meet the shortfall in the meantime.

"They are welcoming refugees off flights without having any prior knowledge of how many refugees may be on board before ensuring their needs are met during their wait to be transported to Dublin.

"I have written to Minister McEntee asking that her department rectify this situation as it is causing additional distress for people who have already suffered unimaginable turmoil." concluded Deputy McNamara.
A LIMERICK company is donating its technology and language services to help people impacted by the current crisis in Ukraine.

Translit, a language service provider based at Upper Mallow Street in Limerick city, is planning to help refugees arriving on these shores having fled Ukraine due to the Russian invasion.

The firm  founded by Alex Chernenko, himself a Ukrainian national  is donating its interpreting technology which will be used to aid refugees.

Alex was born in the Ukrainian port city of Odessa which has come under heavy fire from Russian forces in the past week, and as a result is determined to help out.

I have friends and family in Ukraine who are directly affected by this and I am hearing their awful stories every day, Mr Chernenko said, A woman who works with me, she has bombs exploding next to her and seven times a day she leaves her work desk and goes down to the bunker.

Its not just what I am reading in the news, I am talking to someone and I can hear sirens in the background before they hang up. They come back two hours later after spending the time in the bunker. Ukraine is my home country and now I see cities there being destroyed, people who have lived there are having to flee and leave their homes because they dont feel safe. I cant understand it but my team and I will do whatever we can to help, he added.

Already, more than two million refugees have fled Ukraine to neighbouring Poland, Romania and Moldova in the first fortnight since Vladimir Putin-led forces invaded.

Mr Chernenko arrived in Ireland from Ukraine in 2003 and he knows how important it is to access language services, with Translit also offering not-for-profit document translation among other services.

We are extending our help to the refugees who cannot access the language services they need, and we will make our remote interpreting technology available to various government bodies and organisations, the businessman added.

A few years after I came to Ireland we saw an influx of immigrants when the EU expanded, that showed that there was a huge lack of resources - Ireland was not ready. This will likely cause another disruption to the services, and after working on the front line as an interpreter last time, I know what ways we can help to ease the refugees into their time here in Ireland.

He acknowledged refugees arriving on these shores are stressed and frustrated, and urged government, and non-governmental organisations to ensure they are a reliable partner to the company.

It works both ways, Mr Chernenko said.
A PUBLIC consultation process is underway as Limerick City and County Council seeks to secure authorisation to retain nearly 400 community CCTV cameras across the city and county.

The local authority was fined 110,000 by the Data Protection Commissioner last December over its illegal use of CCTV cameras.

In addition, the DPC directed that the cameras must by switched off by April 12 if a legal basis for their use is not identified.

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.

The application relates to 288 cameras in the city and its environs along with 88 in a number of towns and villages (Abbeyfeale, Adare, Askeaton, Caherconlish, Croom, Foynes, Kilmallock, Murroe, Newcastle West, Pallasgreen, Patrickswell and Rathkeale).

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 the cameras will have to be switched off.

He said significant work has been carried out since the Data Protection Commission published its findings and 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.

Have your say as part of the Public Consultation on

Community CCTV Cameras in Public Areas https://t.co/u9IsGhN1bs  Limerick Council - Comhairle Luimnigh (@LimerickCouncil) March 11, 2022

In addition to the public consultation process, a data protection assessment will be carried out in relation to each individual camera.

The ANPR (automatic number plate technology) function will not be used on any of the cameras and there will be no routine monitoring of live feeds.

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 which has seen 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.

It will come before the full council before being submitted to the Garda Commissioner for his consideration.

The public consultation process, which started on Thursday, will run until March 27.
COUNCILLORS in West Limerick are eager for works associated with the Greenway to be completed by the start of the summer season.

Three queries were sent by local representatives at a recent sitting of the Newcastle West Municipal District, which would see adjacent infrastructure to the 40km countryside amenity improved.

The first, submitted by Cllr Liam Galvin, asked the council to repair the floor of the bridge crossing the Greenway at Bill Kellys next to Devon Station Road, in Templeglentan West.

The Fine Gael representative said: The stone inside the bridge is like something you have never seen before, it is absolutely wonderful.

He stressed that due to flooding, the cobblestone floor carries and that erosion is now taking place beneath the limestone flooring.

There is a danger that if it continues in the fashion that it is, we are in danger of losing a wonderful piece of architecture, the Cathaoirleach expressed.

Limerick City and County Council said that they will examine the location outlined when the water levels in the watercourse drop.

The second query, submitted by Cllr Jerome Scanlan, questioned the progress of the provision of a footpath extension from Upper Churchtown towards the Greenway at Daar Bridge.

The council responded to the request by stating that this footpath will be considered for works in 2022 subject to funding and to the landowners agreement

Cllr Galvin also appealed to the council to submit an application to extend a footpath at Daltons Cross out to Abbeyfeale, an area which he described as neglected and a very important part of the infrastructure of the Greenway.

It does need a footpath out there. There are people staying in guest houses by the Greenway there that are being given flashlights to find their way at night, he concluded.
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On top of being Netflixs second most watched movie (according to Netflix) and racking up four Oscar nominations, Adam McKays star-studded political satire Dont Look Up also inspired tens of thousands to march against climate change in France on Saturday.

More than 80,000 people protested peacefully in multiple cities in France on Saturday, including 32,000 people in Paris. Many of whom were holding Look Up signs, according to France 24 news website, which attributed the participation figures to organizers.

The annual protest for the climate was indeed named the Look Up Day by the non-profit org Alternatiba in reference to Adam McKays allegorical movie which stars two earnest astronomers (Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence) on a mission to warn a narcissistic U.S. president (Meryl Streep) and her son (Jonah Hill), as well as a pair of jaded news anchors (Cate Blanchett and Tyler Perry) that the Earth is about to get shattered by a comet.

McKay took to social media to share his excitement after seeing pictures of the demonstrations, saying reports are 80 thousand marched in Paris alone. How do you say holy shit! in French?

Reports are 80 thousand marched in Paris alone. How do you say holy shit! in French?#LookUp https://t.co/0CT7JDWz3M  Adam McKay (@GhostPanther) March 13, 2022

Alternatiba stated on its website that the success of the film Dont Look Up, which draws an obvious parallel with the climate crisis, has allowed for crucial issues to make their way into the public debate.

Alternatiba added that with two months to go before the presidential election, the need for urgent action for the climate and social justice has been ignored by candidates and the medias () But we can act Lets open our eyes and get down on the streets all across France on March 12.

McKay found out his movie was going to be the motto of this years march last month and wrote on twitter that he was hoping it gets peacefully loud as hell.

There is a Just Look Up Day in major cities across France on March 12 to call for climate action and social Justice. Hoping it gets peacefully loud as hell. #DontLookUphttps://t.co/V4ilgeGiEK  Adam McKay (@GhostPanther) February 9, 2022

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Director Jane Campion didnt hold back Saturday night at the DGA Awards when asked for her response to caustic and homophobic comments that veteran actor Sam Elliott made recently about Campions Oscar contender The Power of the Dog.

Im sorry, he was being a little bit of a B-I-T-C-H. Hes not a cowboy; hes an actor, Campion told Variety before the ceremony. The West is a mythic space and theres a lot of room on the range. I think its a little bit sexist.

Elliott, who is known for his work in Westerns, criticized aspects of Campions take on a Western thriller during his recent guest appearance on Marc Marons WTF podcast. Elliott flatly called the Netflix drama a piece of shit and questioned wheres the Western in this Western? Elliott asked. He took aim at star Benedict Cumberbatch as well.

I mean, Cumberbatch never got out of his fucking chaps. He had two pairs of chaps  a woolly pair and a leather pair. And every fucking time he would walk in from somewhere  he never was on a horse, maybe once  hed walk into the fucking house, storm up the fucking stairs, go lay in his bed in his chaps and play his banjo, Elliott said. Its like, what the fuck?

Campion told Variety that she takes a more expansive view of the Western genre, and that she flatly views Elliotts crude criticism as a slight against her as a female artist.

When you think about the number of amazing Westerns made in Spain by (director) Sergio Leone, she said. I consider myself a creator. I think he thinks of me as a woman or something lesser first, and I dont appreciate that.

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You know studio movies are in a rut when, amid endless Spider-Bat sequels, you find yourself longing for the likes of such escapist 1980s offerings as Romancing the Stone and King Solomons Mines. I cant be the only one whos been craving a good old-fashioned treasure hunt, where the leads throw sparks and the ladies makeup never smudges, no matter how close to the volcano they get. After a long stretch without such a big-screen Hollywood adventure movie (at least, not one without ties to a video game or theme park ride), The Lost City makes for welcome counter-programming.

The story was producer Seth Gordons idea, but credit siblings Adam and Aaron Nee (who tested the waters with their Mark Twain-inspired Band of Robbers) for sprucing up the formula, while Sandra Bullock and Channing Tatum supply the chemistry. Bullock plays brainy romance novelist Loretta Sage, whos lost her inspiration since the death of her husband, an archaeologist who might have been onto something. Her once-scorching potboilers barely simmer these days, and shes seriously thinking of killing off Dash, the long-haired, Fabio-looking Lothario who graces the covers of all her books.

She can barely stand Alan (Tatum), the dum-dum male model who embodies Dash, dismissing him as a mouth-breathing body wash commercial. But Alans a hit with the ladies at book-signing events, and lucky for her, he sorta-kinda likes Loretta  enough to go traipsing halfway across the Atlantic after shes kidnapped by a wealthy weirdo named Abigail Fairfax (Daniel Radcliffe). A billionaire with an insecurity complex, Fairfax is convinced that Loretta knows the location of the Crown of Fire, a long-lost diamond headdress described in her latest book, and he flies her to a remote tropical island to help him find it. Maybe then Daddy will love him.

Alan, who isnt the brightest, has the wisdom to enlist an old acquaintance, lethal ex-Navy SEAL Jack Trainer (Brad Pitt), who typically works solo. But Alan insists on tagging along, and together these two dreamy dudes follow the signal from Lorettas watch to the middle of the Atlantic, where Abigail has located the Lost City of D. To Alans chagrin, Loretta seems a lot more interested in Jack once shes rescued, although the adventures only just begun. (Pitt, who provides the kind of scene-stealing cameo Tatum did in last summers Free Guy, doesnt stick around for long.)

Free from captivity but still stuck on the island, Loretta realizes that maybe she could figure out where the Crown of Fire is hidden. Pursued by Abigails henchmen, she and Alan make their way through the jungle, navigating nearly all the usual pitfalls of the genre  minus bone-in-the-nose natives. The Lost City evokes movies that can seem outrageously insensitive when revisited today, while avoiding the most wince-inducing cliches. One reason Ive been craving a fresh Romancing the Stone-like movie is that I happened to revisit the original during the early days of COVID and winced at the overtly racist stereotypes (not to mention the unconvincing Mexico-as-South-America locations).

The Lost City was shot in the Dominican Republic, and though theres a whole lot of CG involved, its still great to see movie stars running around real jungles, especially after being cooped up indoors for two years. Even at the movies masks-on SXSW Film Festival premiere, The Lost City was a breath of fresh air: the kind of breezy two-hour getaway that doesnt take itself too seriously, delivering screwball banter between Bullock and Tatum  a guilty-pleasure treasure hunt that pretends to be more progressive than it really is by alternating between whos saving whom.

Loretta Sage is no feminist icon  she runs around the island in high heels and a glittering fuchsia jumpsuit  but at least the movie lets her keep her clothes on, whereas Alans constantly losing his. Ditching the usual bimbo-in-peril routine of movies like Six Days, Seven Nights, the movie focuses more on Dashs cleavage than it does hers, and theres even a gratuitous leech-removal scene that reveals more of the actor than Magic Mike did. Tatum knows what his fans want, and so does Bullock, leaning into the kind of physical comedy thats been her forte since Miss Congeniality. A bit in which shes wheelbarrowed through the jungle while strapped to a chair, as pyrotechnics go off around her, revives the goofiness factor thats been missing from CG-dominated action movies.

The Lost City wont be nominated for any Oscars, but it repeats what Spielberg and Lucas did for Raiders of the Lost Ark, mining a century-old genre for inspiration and polishing those tropes for a new generation. A subplot involving Lorettas publisher Beth (DaVine Joy Randolph) makes room for a few people of color (including Oscar Nunez as an offbeat accomplice), and its a nice surprise to see Radcliffe playing against type, even if the movie doesnt quite know how to wrap up the supporting characters stories. (A bonus scene tucked into the end credits essentially invalidates one of the movies best gags.) The result can feel a little rickety in places, but the Nee brothers  who share screenplay credit with Oren Uziel and Dana Fox  have punched it up with off-color jokes, looped over moments when the characters mouths are off-camera. In this and myriad other ways, The Lost City proves they do in fact make em like they used to.

Reviewed at SXSW Film Festival (Headliners), March 12, 2022. MPAA Rating: PG-13. Running time: 112 MIN.

Running Time: Running time: 112 MIN.

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Production

A Paramount Pictures release and presentation of a Fortis Films, 3dot Prods., Exhibit A production. Producers: Liza Chasin, Sandra Bullock, Seth Gordon. Executive producers: JJ Hook, Dana Fox, Julia Gunn, Margaret Chernin.

Crew

Directors: Adam Nee, Aaron Nee. Screenplay: Oren Uziel, Dana Fox, Adam Nee & Aaron Nee; story: Seth Gordon. Camera: Jonathan Sela. Editor: Craig Alpert. Music: Pinar Toprak.

With

Sandra Bullock, Channing Tatum, Daniel Radcliffe, DaVine Joy Randolph, Oscar Nunez, Patti Harrison, Bowen Yang.

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In The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage, a conceit we get used to in a matter of seconds, even as it turns into a gift that keeps on giving. Theres a reason we get used to it so quickly: Movies with a meta dimension have been with us for years  movies like The Player, where Robert Altman cast a galaxy of Hollywood stars as their real-life selves, or Being John Malkovich, where John Malkovich played John Malkovich, or Adaptation, where Cage played Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriter of the film we happened to be watching. Unlike those movies, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent isnt a floridly ambitious pretzel-logic art film. , which turns out to be both a cheesy thing and a special thing.

Tom Gormican, the director and co-writer of Unbearable Weight, knows all too well that when it comes to Nicolas Cage, you cant separate the specialness from the cheese. Thats the source of Cages inside-out cool: that youre laughing at him the very moment he leaves all subtlety and good taste behind, and he does it with so much shameless commitment and purple passion that our giggles fuse with something like awe.

Actors have onscreen lives and offscreen lives, and in most cases thats all there is to it. But Nicolas Cage, in addition to having both those things, has a third life  as a meme, an unintentional tongue-in-cheek identity that has emerged from the mountains of outrageously over-the-top acting hes done. Of all the actors of the last three or four decades whove been willing to squander their talent on what we call paycheck movies, Cage is the unabashed king (though Bruce Willis, in recent years, has given him a run for his easy money). And that says something about who he is. Each time Cage makes one of those films, like Ghost Rider or Bangkok Dangerous or Mandy, what you see on some level is a projection of his desperation  the fact that hes a dude who needs the money this badly, or has simply fallen out of respectability and will take whatever role comes his way.

But you also see that Cage is addicted, on some squalid but weirdly innocent level of acting-as-exhibitionism, to doing movies that allow him to completely cut loose. Even when the film hes starring in is trash, his need to act  his need to be Nicolas Cage  has given him a kind of kitsch purity.

In his way, Cage has become an ironic legend: the superhero of slumming. And the unique thing about him is that you can no longer separate the grade-Z Nicolas Cage movies from the grade-A Nicolas Cage movies. Thats because they share the DNA of his compulsion to express who he is by leaving all restraint behind. He first started doing that back in the 80s, in prestige Hollywood films like Peggy Sue Got Married and Moonstruck. By the time he made Wild at Heart, in 1990, playing a kind of postmodern bad-boy Elvis, he seemed to be directing every line toward the peanut gallery, or maybe to the legend in his own mind. A Nic Cage Moment will be all about his eruption  that instant when he slides from normal acting into operatic overacting, as if the devil made him do it. What Cages fans know is that theres a metaphysic to being Nicolas Cage, and it is this: Any actor who needs to act this much can only be satisfied when hes actingTHIS MUCH.

The Unbearable Weightiness of Massive Talent opens with a canny portrait of Cage, wearing a beard that seems to signify bourbon-sozzled middle-aged depression, as a fallen Hollywood player who is no longer in line for the good roles. The portrait is fiction, of course, but its rooted in our highly detailed media perception of Cage. So it seems real. This Nic is a divorced dad whos got a crummy relationship with his teenage daughter, Addy (Lily Sheen), because all he ever thinks about is his acting career. After a meeting with a prestige director at the Chateau Marmont, his hunger to land the role hes up for is so intense that he offers to read for the part  and does, complete with bad Boston accent  right there in the parking driveway. At a therapy session with Addy, the two discuss how he made her watch The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari with him because its one of his favorite movies, never suspecting that his 21st-century daughter might not be so interested in a 100-year-old silent film with expressionist madman sets.

A fading star whos a ruthless narcissist sounds like a cliche. But in Cages case the joke is that its the very fuel of his persona  his need to go over-the-top, because its all a way of seizing the attention he thinks he deserves. In the movie, Cage has conversations with himself in the form of a cooler, younger alter ego  a de-aged Nicolas Cage, in a swath of honey-blond hair and a shiny leather jacket, who tries to coax him into being the Cage he should be. The real Nic is riddled with self-doubt; the imaginary Nic is all teeth-flashing bravado. But, of course, thats exactly who Cage has been in movies like Con Air and Face/Off and Wild at Heart and National Treasure  an actor who represses all doubt, and therefore seems heroic and ridiculous at the same moment.

After a spa meeting with his agent (Neil Patrick Harris), it becomes clear that the only thing Cage is being offered isnt a movie. Its a $1 million gig to travel to the Spanish coast of Mallorca and hang out with Javi Gutierrez (Pedro Pascal), a wealthy arms dealer, on his birthday. Since Cage owes 600 grand to the Sunset Tower Hotel, the West Hollywood spot where hes been living for a year, he flies out to take the gig. Javi is a genial, flaked-out fan who has written his own script for Nic; he may also be a ruthless criminal. But either way, Javi believes in Nicolas Cage  in the myth of his flamboyant hyperbolic acting as a kind of mad-dog perfection. And so, of course, does Cage. Theyre perfectly matched.

The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent is at once a gently preposterous buddy movie; a poker-faced crime thriller in which Nic is coerced, by a couple of CIA agents (Tiffany Haddish and Ike Barinholtz), into spying on Javi, who they allege has kidnapped the daughter of the president of Catalonia; and a hall-of-mirrors romp in which the life of Nicolas Cage turns into a movie and then back again. Gormican stages it all with a witty instinct for how suspense can acquire comedy without losing its tension, but mostly he attunes every moment to Cages hangdog anxiety, and to the drama-queen dimension that allows him to oscillate between the real Nic Cage and the Cage of his dreams. As Nic and Javi become friends, the two drop acid (in a sequence of hilariously precise paranoia) and they goad each other into taking each moment and kicking it up into their very own movie. As Cages ex-wife (Sharon Horgan), along with Addy, shows up to save him, and the real criminals come to the fore, the entire situation begins to coax Nicolas Cage into becomingNicolas Cage. Its his destiny.

The film is speckled with clips from Nicolas Cage movies, quotes and gestures form Nicolas Cage movies, and a visit to Javis museum of Nicolas Cage memorabilia. Yet what makes The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent a joke thriller with an exuberant resonance is that its true subject is the magic of movies. Its about how an actor like Cage can mean so much to us because, in the very extremity of his flamboyance, hes acting out something that means so much to him. Hes not suffering for his art, but hes doing what may be the next best thing: showing off for it.

Reviewed at Paramount Theatre (SXSW Celebrity Films), March 12, 2022. Running time: 105 MIN.

Production

A Lionsgate release of a Saturn Films production. Producers: Nicolas Cage, Mike Nilon, Kristin Burr, Kevin Turen. Executive producer: Samson Mucke.

Crew

Director: Tom Gormican. Screenplay: Tom Gormican, Kevin Turen. Camera: Nigel Bluck. Editor: Melissa Bretherton. Music: Mark Isham.

With

Nicolas Cage, Pedro Pascal, Sharon Horgan, Lily Sheen, Tiffany Haddish, Ike Barinholtz, Alessandra Mastronardi, Jacob Scipio, Neil Patrick Harris, .

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Hong Kong: Help for those home quarantined set

(To watch the full press conference with sign language interpretation, click here.)

With an estimated 300,000 people currently undergoing home quarantine or home isolation, the Government is striving to do its best to give them the support they need, including providing them with anti-epidemic supplies.

Chief Executive Carrie Lam made the announcement and took time to explain the figures of people under home quarantine or home isolation at a press conference this morning.

About the number of people under home quarantine or home isolation, the figure of 300,000 or over 300,000 was derived from a combination of two figures.

One is, of course, those who have been issued home quarantine orders. I think the figure is about 150,000, but as I explained, this figure is likely to be an exaggerated figure because it was calculated on the basis of a 14-day quarantine period. But actually from late February, the Centre for Health Protection had already adjusted its discharge policy.

Then, the other half will be those infected cases under home isolation.

She also noted that while it is difficult for the Government to take care of every person who is undergoing home quarantine or home isolation, it has recently managed to increase its distribution of anti-epidemic supplies to them.

Because of the large numbers of people who are in that situation, we might not be able to reach out to everyone. This is just because of a limitation in the capacity. Although we have been trying very, very hard to make sure that we could provide some services.

For example, in the service under the Secretary for Innovation & Technology - which is the first point of contact - once the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer gets the list of names of infected persons, they will arrange logistics companies to send this anti-epidemic bag with all those things provided within it to each and every infected person and their household members.

At the beginning, it would be very difficult to catch up, but I think a few days ago, they managed to catch up by distributing 60,000 bags in a day.

But of course if todays volume, again, is a very big volume, then I cannot guarantee that we will be able to do it within the 24 hours that we want to do it in. But we will certainly try very hard, through all the things that you have heard this morning about more designated clinics, more volunteers and more hotlines, in order to serve this population of people who need to stay at home.

Mrs Lam appealed to citizens to continue to support the Government and comply with various anti-epidemic measures with the hope of getting out from under the fifth wave of the COVID-19 epidemic as soon as possible.

This story has been published on: 2022-03-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Brian Cox doesnt fear cancel culture and is happy to say what he thinks.

The 75-year-old actor used to "censor" himself but now he's older, he's more forthright in his opinions and doesn't mind if he has to "realign" people who misunderstand him.

He explained: When I was younger I would censor myself a lot. Like oh you cant do that, you cant do that, you cant say that. But when youre 75, you know, I dont give a f***. Ill say what I feel, Ill say what I think.

And its not always what people think I think. They think I think one thing and I just have to realign them and say no, youve got that wrong, actually its this. Thats the great thing about language and intention. People dont always get it.

The Succession star added that he loves acting and loves to talk about his work as often as he can because he feels it gave him a sense of purpose in life.

Appearing on NPRs Bullseye podcast, he revealed: I had some kind of sense of purpose, and that was the lucky thing that really kept me going, even before all the tragedy in my life, was this sense of purpose.

" And I got that from really knowing that I was going to be an actor, and knowing that thats what I wanted to do.

Brian values acting and considers it a fine profession because there is so much more to it than simply pretending to be someone else, despite the criticism actors often receive.

Brian said: Im so grateful that I was given that experience. Thats why I value my profession. I think my profession is a very fine profession. A lot of people kind of laugh at actors, and say actors are spoiled, and of course theres elements of that, but they have a kind of quality of  theyre like seekers.  Theyre trying to find out: What does it mean? Whats it all about? Why are we here? What are we doing?' "
New mayor installed in Russia-controlled Melitopol after the Ukrainian city's elected mayor was detained
This week, we sadly record the unexpected death of Joe Kelly of Derrylough, Kenagh, who passed away peacefully in Mullingar Hospital on Saturday, February 26 after a brief illness.

Joe, who was in his seventy sixth year, had been out and about since Christmas going about his daily chores.

Joe was one of a larger family who grew up in Curracreehan and attended the old Clonfide school.

His father Larry was the local postman for many years up to his retirement.

Joe was a very gentle, easy going type of person with a smile and a hello for everyone he met about his locality.

He joined the army in his early years and served in the peace keeping force in Cyprus. After his term in the army he worked for Gem Construction and later with Bord na Mona until his retirement some ten years past.

After he married Nuala he settled down in Derrylough where he lived as a devoted husband and father to his young family.

Joe was a good neighbour, very obliging, easy going and well spoken. He was laid to rest in Kilcommock cemetery after his funeral mass in Saint Dominic's Church Kenagh on Thursday, March 3. His funeral was the largest to take place in Kenagh since before lockdown.

We offer our sincere sympathy to his wife Nuala, his son Aidan, daughters Yvonne and Emer, grandchildren Chloe, Kalum, Cara and Sophia, son-in-law Denis, Aidans partner Shania, brothers Laurence, Edmund and Dessie, sisters Peggy, Kaye and Marie, sisters in law, brothers in law, extended family, close friends and neighbours from Derrylough and Curracreehan.

He was predeceased by predeceased by his infant son Niall, mother Eileen, father Laurence, son-in-law David, sister Eileen and by his niece Patricia.
Aerial photo taken on March 12, 2022 shows the newly-built community isolation facility located in Fanling, south China's Hong Kong. The fourth community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with the support from the China mainland has been put into operation after it was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government. The newly-built CIF provides over 350 rooms with more than 1,000 beds for emergency isolation. (Xinhua)

HONG KONG, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The fourth community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with the support from the China mainland has been put into operation after it was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government.

John Lee, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, visited on Sunday the newly-built CIF located in Fanling, Hong Kong, which provides over 350 rooms with more than 1,000 beds for emergency isolation.

The facility, which covers an area of about 20,000 square meters, is composed of modular cubicles, with each room equipped with basic furniture and bedding, air conditioner and smoke sensor, among others.

Designed and built by the China State Construction International Holdings Ltd., the construction of the facility was completed in less than 20 days.

To speed up the moving-in process, the Security Bureau of the HKSAR government introduced an electronic self-registration form, which allows occupants to scan a QR code and fill out a simple form with information such as meal requirements and contact numbers after they are assigned a room.

During his visit, Lee expressed his gratitude to the central government's aid towards the construction of CIFs in Hong Kong.

Lee said that under the staunch support of the central government, as well as the effective coordination of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR and the efforts of the construction personnel from the China State Construction International Holdings Ltd., four CIFs providing a total of 8,900 beds for emergency isolation were handed over to the HKSAR government in less than two weeks' time.

"This assists Hong Kong in achieving the anti-epidemic strategy of 'early identification, early isolation and early treatment'," said Lee.

On Sunday, Hong Kong registered 13,335 new COVID-19 cases by nucleic acid tests, and 19,095 additional positive cases through self-reported rapid antigen tests, official data showed. 

Photo taken on March 11, 2022 shows the newly-built community isolation facility located in Fanling, south China's Hong Kong. The fourth community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with the support from the China mainland has been put into operation after it was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government. The newly-built CIF provides over 350 rooms with more than 1,000 beds for emergency isolation. (Xinhua)
There was a great welcome back for all the participants, groups and the local community, from Rath Mhuire & Dolmen Community Resource Services, with the hosting of their Healthy Ageing & Wellbeing Day in Rath Mhuire Community Resource Centre on Tuesday, February 22.

One of the main aims of the Rath Mhuire & Dolmen Centre is supporting the independence, confidence and dignity of older people, and this wonderful event, which over 100 people attended, was very much in keeping with those aims.

Speakers on the day included, Superintendent Seamus Boyle, Nina & Kelly Public Health Nurse Service , Padraig McNamara Granard Postmaster, Breda Dunne Longford Alzheimers Branch, Con Halton Longford Rural Social Scheme and Emer Donohoe HSE Occupational Therapist.

Pamela Martin, Community Development Officer with Rath Mhuire & Dolmen Services said, All of these services and areas have a particular relevance for older people and each and every speaker gave an excellent informative talk, which was of great benefit to those attending.

Very special guest speaker on the day was Fr Vincent Sherlock, whose inspirational and reflective stories and thoughts, certainly benefited the wellbeing of all attending.

The excellent Dial a Chef, provided a wonderful meal on the day, which was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. The event was funded by Healthy Ireland, and Rath Mhuire would particularly like to extend their thanks to Karena Connolly the Healthy Ireland Coordinator with Longford County Council for her support in bringing the day to fruition.

Jacqueline Kennedy, Manager, Rath Mhuire & Dolmen Community Resource Services said, This unique day brought together some of the important factors that contribute to healthy ageing and wellbeing, namely, access to relevant information, socialising with peers and friends, as well as the sharing of good food and conversation.

Jacqueline added, The day had an added importance as people had missed out on so much due to the pandemic and getting together again meant so much.

Rath Mhuire and Dolmen Community Services will be reconvening all their groups and activities in the coming weeks and all are welcome to join them.
Ukraine was at the forefront of St Patricks Day festivities in London, as the Taoiseach expressed solidarity with the countrys people who he said are victims of a barbaric and immoral war.

The tricolour was joined by the flag of Ukraine, carried by London-based Ukrainian Natalia Lesyuk, at the head of the parade on Sunday led by Micheal Martin.

Hundreds of people applauded and cheered in Trafalgar Square as Mr Martin told Ms Lesyuk that it was an honour to have her at the event.

Speaking on stage, the Taoiseach, who was wearing both a blue and yellow scarf and a green scarf, said: Part of our St Patricks Day programme also of course, given the terrible dark cloud that hangs over the world and Europe in particular, in the form of what has been a barbaric and immoral war on the people of Ukraine, its important that as we come together during the St Patricks Day festival that we highlight and illustrate and show our solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

And were pleased that joining us today as a grand marshal has been Natalia Lesyuk, part of the Ukrainian community here in London, who is with us today and we are with you Natalia and your family back home in Ukraine, in solidarity, and we want to say we will do everything we can to support you and your people and its an honour to have you with us this afternoon at the parade.

Ms Lesyuk, 57, who is from western Ukraine and has been living in London for almost 30 years, said she was very grateful to be a grand marshal in the parade.

She said: Im very grateful that I was invited and to feel Irish community support and solidarity, I think its everything, it means a lot to my people.

Ms Lesyuk said it means a lot for every single Ukrainian who lives around the world in every single country, and she said that for the people back home the carrying of the flag in the parade will show them that theyre not forgotten and they will never be forgotten and they will be supported everywhere.

She said she has been protesting daily to show support for people in Ukraine.

Just to let them know, be brave. They are brave, she said, adding: I cannot comprehend how brave they are, all of them. Fearless. And I know that they will stand there until the last bullet.

Ms Lesyuk said Irelands acceptance of refugees from Ukraine has been incredible, adding that people in Ireland have opened their hearts to Ukrainians.

On Sunday, the Taoiseach said the state has so far accepted 5,500 people fleeing the Russian invasion.

Ms Lesyuk said she had goosebumps thinking about the Irish response, adding: I have no words.

She said her life has completely changed since the war broke out.

At the beginning I was afraid to fall asleep. I was afraid to wake up. All my family lives there, she said.

Her loved ones in Ukraine include her 80-year-old mother and her two brothers and their families.

Its heartbreaking, she said, adding that she cannot get her head around what is happening.

Its not even a war. Its a brutal, criminal invasion. When someone is killing children, mothers, elderly, Im a mother, Im a sister, Im a daughter. I think its unbelievable, she said.

The theme of this years St Patricks Day festival was the idea of bringing the community back together, with tributes paid to the Irish Londoners who supported the city throughout the pandemic.

Nathan Cahill, 31, from Tuam, County Galway, was one of the key workers walking in the parade as a grand marshal.

Mr Cahill, a paramedic, told the PA news agency: Ive been a paramedic for five years in the London Ambulance Service and the last two years have been something like none of us had ever seen before.

Mr Cahill said it was very, very stressful but that with the support of colleagues, managers and the service overall they were able to pull through.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced on Sunday that the government will introduce tax cuts for sectors of the economy affected by war in Ukraine.

Speaking at the conference of regional presidents in La Palma, Sanchez said that there will be a conference involving regional finance ministers and the government's ministers for economic affairs and ecological transition, Nadia Calvino and Teresa Ribera, at which regional proposals will be discussed. These proposals, the prime minister explained, will be for a national plan to respond to the crisis caused by the war that will be presented to Congress.

Sanchez didn't specify these tax cuts, but on energy he suggested that gas connections from Spain could be a key element in reducing European dependence on Russia. He was referring to gas supplies from Algeria to Spain, also noting that connections should allow green hydrogen.

The prime minister argued that the war and the pandemic should make the EU review its fiscal rules in order to adapt these to a new economic reality. In addition, he called on the regional governments to speed up the use of funds (e.g. EU Next Generation funds) for renewable energy, energy efficiency and housing renovation in order to increase energy autonomy. The government, he added, will be streamlining procedures for undertaking energy efficiency projects and for the development of renewable energy.
Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has asked regional governments to identify Russian oligarch assets, e.g. homes and yachts.

Following Sunday's meeting of regional presidents, Francina Armengol said that the Balearic government will exchange information with the Spanish government about assets in the Balearics that belong to Russians who support the Putin regime and possible "irregularities" with regard to these assets.

For now, Spain is not taking measures against assets owned by Russian oligarchs who support Putin, but other governments, such as the United States, have asked that action be taken against them.

Superyachts belonging to Russians are common at marinas in Mallorca and the Balearics, such as the Lady Anastasia in Port Adriano, which was partially sunk by Ukrainian mechanic Taras Ostapchuk.
Mankato, MN (56001)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 62F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

Mainly cloudy. Low near 45F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph.
Reports are still unclear to who is behind this but the United States' Consulate in Erbil, Kurdistan, Iraq has been hit with missiles. There is footage all over the internet that captures the moment the consulate was bombed. Not long after that, there were reports of United States Air Force planes already in the sky waiting commands from President Joe Biden. Allegedly, it is believed that Iran is behind this attack and the U.S. is ready to strike back with full force. However, none of this information has been confirmed yet as the incident is very recent.

Iraq Prime Minister confirmed the attack.

Iraq Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi confirmed the attack on Erbil but he still didn't reveal who it's from. He confirmed that the country's security forces are scrambling to investigate who the culprit of this attack was. In his statement, he did not confirm that the explosions were in the United States' Consulate but there's evidence this was the case. Videos of Kurdish Media Kurdistan 24's building damaged by the explosions have also been reported and this is right next to the United States Consulate in Erbil. Meaning that explosions are definitely confirmed in that specific place. There are also videos of alleged ballistic misssiles leaving Iran in the sky that possibly confirm that's exactly where they came from.

In other reports from the event, there is confirmation that various planes from the United States Air Force are currently above the Iran sky. Also, a massive American C-17 Globemaster Medical Evacuation airplane seems to be heading towards Erbil from Germany. There is an AP report of no casualties at the place of the bombing but we are going to keep you posted on anything that happens. If any of these reports are true, this is a direct attack from Iran tothe United States. It appears that the Iranian government is piggy backing on the situation between Russia and Ukraine and they might be looking to start an even bigger conflict.
by Liu Si and Su Liang

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) "has transformed Pakistan's economic landscape," Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Haque spoke highly of the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship BRI project, saying it is "transformational" for his entire country.

Besides the Gwadar Port, which he said has become the crown jewel of the CPEC, Haque also lauded the eco-friendly Orange Line metro train in Lahore, the first of its kind in Pakistan, which officially opened for traffic in October 2020.

"You see the metro-train, it is a world-class, high-quality public transport system. In Lahore, the second-largest city in Pakistan, people have this very efficient, very modern and affordable transport system," he said.

According to Haque, BRI projects have benefited the Pakistani people through job creation, improving livelihoods, eradicating poverty and upgrading remote areas.

Infrastructure development and energy upgrades have "helped change the economic, social and industrial landscape of Pakistan," said Haque.

So far, more than 70,000 jobs have been created thanks to BRI cooperation, stressed Haque, adding that according to his government's forecast, another half a million direct and indirect jobs will be created in the next five to seven years.

He further elaborated that "all these philosophies and dimensions of BRI directly contribute to the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)."

The 17 SDGs were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which include no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, and others.

Being a witness of the signing of a series of BRI cooperation agreements between Pakistan and China, the ambassador also shared with Xinhua his personal experiences.

He recalled the difficult nights when the temperature was as high as 40 degrees celsius, the light went out and the fan stopped working due to power shortage, and one could not sleep.

Thanks to BRI projects, frequent power outages in peak season are now a thing of the past, he said.

The ambassador told Xinhua that his country is seeking more cooperation with China on industry modernization and information technology (IT) since Pakistan began working on its special technology zones.

In September last year, Pakistan and China established a joint working group on information technology at the 10th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting of the CPEC.

Since assuming ambassadorship in Beijing in 2020, Haque has visited Z-park on several occasions, also known as China's Silicon Valley, to see how Pakistan can learn from the Chinese side in IT technology, artificial intelligence, 5G, robotics and cloud computing.

In February, Pakistan's Special Technology Zones Authority and China's Zhongguancun "Belt and Road" Industrial Promotion Association signed a letter of intent to promote high-quality science and technological exchanges between the two countries.

"It's just a beginning," Haque said, expecting closer cooperation among research institutions and universities. "We want to see more cooperation in this area."

Noting the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global economic impact, the diplomat called for collective effort, international solidarity and cooperation to address which he said is the biggest challenge faced by humanity in a long time.

"The BRI has played, is playing and is going to play a very important role for stabilizing the economies of the world and bringing countries together for tackling challenges like COVID-19," said Haque. 
KHARTOUM, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations mission in Sudan on Saturday called on the Sudanese authorities to work to stop violence in all parts of the country and restore stability in Sudan's Darfur region.

The UN Integrated Transitional Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) expressed in a statement concern over recent violent incidents in Darfur that left dozens of civilians dead, besides the death of two protesters in the capital of Khartoum.

"Over the past week, the UN has received reports of violent incidents in and around Jebel Moon in West Darfur. This has included the burning of villages and the unfortunate death of tens of Sudanese, representing another alarming sign of the increasing instability in Sudan," the statement said.

The statement stressed that "violence must stop all over Sudan, and those responsible must be held accountable."

Earlier, local media said tribal fighting took place on Thursday at the Jebel Moon area in Sudan's West Darfur State, which resulted in the killing of 17 people.

Two protesters were killed during demonstrations in Khartoum on Thursday, according to non-governmental organizations.

Sudan has been suffering a political crisis after the general commander of the Sudanese Armed Forces Abdel Fattah Al-Burhan declared a state of emergency on Oct. 25, 2021 and dissolved the Sovereign Council and the government.

Since then, Khartoum and other cities have been witnessing continued protests demanding a return to civilian rule. 
An Orange Line metro train pulls into the terminal station in Lahore, Pakistan, Dec. 29, 2021. (Photo by Jamil Ahmed/Xinhua)

- "You see the metro-train, it is a world-class, high-quality public transport system. In Lahore, the second-largest city in Pakistan, people have this very efficient, very modern and affordable transport system," said Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque.

- According to Haque, BRI projects have benefited the Pakistani people through job creation, improving livelihoods, eradicating poverty and upgrading remote areas.

by Liu Si and Su Liang

BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation with China under the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) "has transformed Pakistan's economic landscape," Pakistani Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque said.

In a recent interview with Xinhua, Haque spoke highly of the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a flagship BRI project, saying it is "transformational" for his entire country.

Besides the Gwadar Port, which he said has become the crown jewel of the CPEC, Haque also lauded the eco-friendly Orange Line metro train in Lahore, the first of its kind in Pakistan, which officially opened for traffic in October 2020.

"You see the metro-train, it is a world-class, high-quality public transport system. In Lahore, the second-largest city in Pakistan, people have this very efficient, very modern and affordable transport system," he said.

According to Haque, BRI projects have benefited the Pakistani people through job creation, improving livelihoods, eradicating poverty and upgrading remote areas.

Infrastructure development and energy upgrades have "helped change the economic, social and industrial landscape of Pakistan," said Haque.

A train for the Orange Line arrives at a subway station in Lahore, Pakistan, Oct. 26, 2020. (Xinhua/Liu Tian)

So far, more than 70,000 jobs have been created thanks to BRI cooperation, stressed Haque, adding that according to his government's forecast, another half a million direct and indirect jobs will be created in the next five to seven years.

He further elaborated that "all these philosophies and dimensions of BRI directly contribute to the 17 SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)."

The 17 SDGs were adopted by all United Nations member states in 2015, as part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which include no poverty, zero hunger, good health and well-being, and others.

Being a witness of the signing of a series of BRI cooperation agreements between Pakistan and China, the ambassador also shared with Xinhua his personal experiences.

He recalled the difficult nights when the temperature was as high as 40 degrees celsius, the light went out and the fan stopped working due to power shortage, and one could not sleep.

Thanks to BRI projects, frequent power outages in peak season are now a thing of the past, he said.

The ambassador told Xinhua that his country is seeking more cooperation with China on industry modernization and information technology (IT) since Pakistan began working on its special technology zones.

A ceremony is held to mark the second-stage river closure of Suki Kinari (SK) Hydropower Project in Mansehra district, Pakistan, April 30, 2021. (Xinhua/Deng Kaiyin)

In September last year, Pakistan and China established a joint working group on information technology at the 10th Joint Cooperation Committee meeting of the CPEC.

Since assuming ambassadorship in Beijing in 2020, Haque has visited Z-park on several occasions, also known as China's Silicon Valley, to see how Pakistan can learn from the Chinese side in IT technology, artificial intelligence, 5G, robotics and cloud computing.

In February, Pakistan's Special Technology Zones Authority and China's Zhongguancun "Belt and Road" Industrial Promotion Association signed a letter of intent to promote high-quality science and technological exchanges between the two countries.

"It's just a beginning," Haque said, expecting closer cooperation among research institutions and universities. "We want to see more cooperation in this area."

Noting the COVID-19 pandemic has caused an unprecedented global economic impact, the diplomat called for collective effort, international solidarity and cooperation to address which he said is the biggest challenge faced by humanity in a long time.

"The BRI has played, is playing and is going to play a very important role for stabilizing the economies of the world and bringing countries together for tackling challenges like COVID-19," said Haque. 
Junior Achievement of West Kentucky serves about 20,000 students each year, with more than 500 volunteer mentors reaching students through 1,000 classrooms, teaching them work readiness skills and how to make smart economic choices.

Programs are geared toward students in kindergarten through 12th grade, with age-specific topics that pertain to life- and work-readiness, and preparing for life after high school.

For example, All About Cars teaches high school students about the ins and outs of purchasing a vehicle and how to be a smart consumer. Economics for Success teaches foundational finance skills, like budgeting and investing wisely, to middle school students.

For younger grades, there are playful lessons, like JA More Than Money, which is an age-appropriate way of introducing entrepreneurship and financial literacy by going through the steps of starting a business and managing money. Kindergarten students are able to learn about the economy through JA Ourselves, which uses storybook characters to discuss finance topics.

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), job openings have reached an all-time high in the country, with nearly 11 million reported. JA sent out a survey to high school teens, which indicated that about 68% of them planned to obtain jobs throughout the summer, which was a trend echoed in BLS stats. The number of 16-to-19-year-olds entering jobs is the highest since 2008, with 256,000 gaining employment last spring alone.

Dan Douglas, JA of West Kentucky president, said other JA surveys have shown a need for the programs.

Ninety% of students were looking for extra support this year, he said, and 39% of teens we surveyed felt they were educationally behind because of COVID.

That is why its important now more than ever to equip students with as much leverage as possible as they graduate and prepare for their next steps in life. Its also never too early to teach financial literacy and economic tools to help students better themselves, Douglas said.

While JA has been going strong for several years in the region, Douglas said the organization, which has a long history in the region, was not untouched by the pandemic. Like almost all groups and organizations, JA had to rethink how it could serve students under a virtual platform, which is what much of the world has been experiencing to some degree over the last two years.

Throughout the summer of 2020, the organization re-imagined its delivery systems for lessons on financial literacy, entrepreneurial skills and work readiness. Programs needed to be presented in a way that kids and teachers could access virtually, so volunteers created videos to accompany their lessons and provided take-home worksheets and curriculum.

Because many college and career readiness fairs were not taking place, JA also created a virtual convention hall students could access.

We created a video game-like world and experience called JA Inspire Virtual, where students could walk into this virtual convention center and go into the auditorium and participate in a variety of webinars, Douglas said.

Topics varied, but were geared toward eighth- through 12th-grade students who may be planning for their future after high school, he said.

Throughout the state of Kentucky, we recruited exhibitors to go into the virtual exhibit hall to learn more about careers and colleges, he said. It is very similar to what they would experience at school, but just through the virtual world.

Through that new platform, JA of West Kentucky was able to serve about 8,000 students.

It also created a program for fifth- and sixth-graders called JA Biztown, in which students can play specific roles of individuals in business. Students have to make decisions in real time, and the program gives them feedback on their decisions.

Both programs also were created with curriculum that educators could teach alongside them, Douglas said.

There are lessons that go along with them, and then students get the fun part of a first-hand and hands-on virtual experience, he said.

Bobbie Hayse, bhayse@messenger-inquirer.com, 270-691-7315
State Chief Justice John Minton said he is hopeful a bill that would create a second Family Court judgeship for Daviess County will be heard in the Senate in the near future.

If the bill doesnt pass, some other arrangement will have to be made to manage Daviess Family Courts caseload going forward, Minton said last week.

House Bill 214 is sponsored by Rep. DJ Johnson, an Owensboro Republican. The bill affects more than just Daviess County. It would create nine new judgeships statewide, while eliminating nine District Court judge positions.

Of the nine new judgeships, all but two of them are Family Court judges, Minton said.

The bill has passed the House and has been assigned to the Senate judiciary committee for a hearing.

We are hopeful it will be called for a hearing in judiciary, Minton said. I have met with DJ Johnson and Sen. (Matt) Castlen. Sen. Castlen is shepherding the bill through the Senate.

The delegation from Daviess County is really working hard toward passage of this bill.

The need for a second Family Court judge hasnt changed. A judicial workload study found Daviess Family Court judge, Julie Hawes Gordon, was doing the work of 1.65 judges. Minton said AOC officials believe the maximum load any one judge should carry is the work of 1.4 judges.

Beyond 1.4, it becomes problematic, he said.

Some judges across the state have heavier caseloads. For example, judges in the 27th Judicial Circuit, which includes Knox and Laurel counties, are doing the work of 2.24 judges, Minton said.

Judges carrying too heavy caseloads is a hardship on the people who have cases waiting to be adjudicated.

The fact is, people are having to wait for justice, and we are trying to address an inequity, Minton said.

A similar Johnson bill passed the House last year, but passed the Senate with changes the House did not agree with, and the bill died for lack of consensus. Minton said the problem will only get worse if the bill doesnt pass this year.

They will only make the access to justice worse for people in the affected courts, Minton said. If this fails, there will have to be some accommodation to handle the case load in Family Court.

James Mayse, 270-691-7303, jmayse@messenger-inquirer.com, Twitter: @JamesMayse
SUVA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Tonga's Prime Minister Siaosi Sovaleni has been in home isolation after testing positive for COVID-19 on Saturday.

Sovaleni, with mild symptoms, will be isolated at home for a period in line with the COVID-19 health protocols in the Pacific island country, Tonga's news website Matangi Tonga Online reported on Sunday, citing a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

The prime minister will continue working during the isolation period of 13 days as required by Tonga's health authorities for the COVID-19 infected people with symptoms, according to the report.

Sovaleni, who has received his booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, has urged the public to get vaccinated and receive the booster shot while remaining vigilant against the pandemic and observing the COVID-19 health protocols, according to the report.

Tonga has a population of more than 100,000. Currently, about 89 percent of Tonga's target population have received their second dose, 97 percent have received their first dose, and 41 percent have received their booster shot.

Currently, there are more than 900 active cases recorded in Tonga. The country now has two COVID-19 hotspots, which are Sia'atoutai and the Hu'atolitoli Prison, both located in Tonga's main island of Tongatapu.

In Tongatapu and Vava'u, an island group consisting of one large island, 'Utu Vava'u and 40 smaller ones, the current curfew remains from 8:00 p.m. to 5:00 a.m. local time. 
An audit of the Michigan Bureau of Elections released today by the Michigan Office of the Auditor General confirmed the effectiveness of the post-election audits carried out after the 2020 presidential election.



"By confirming the effectiveness of the most comprehensive post-election audit in state history, the Auditor General affirmed what has been demonstrated time and time again - Michigan's 2020 election was secure and the outcome accurately reflects the will of the voters," said Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson. "The auditors recognized the tremendous work the Michigan Bureau of Elections and local election officials did to carry out more than 250 successful post-election audits by rating the bureau's performance perhaps better than ever."



The audit reviewed Bureau of Elections activities from May 1, 2019, to May 31, 2021, an exceptionally challenging time for all Michigan election officials, as they successfully implemented the new voting rights adopted by voters in 2018, and executed and quickly and accurately tabulated the highest turnout election in state history and in the midst of a pandemic. Additionally, when the current state audit was conducted, countless election officials in Michigan were enduring baseless attacks on their integrity, if not outright threats to their safety.



"The performance of Michigan's clerks in the 2020 election and the months that followed was outstanding, especially when we take into consideration the national, coordinated and shameful effort to overturn the legitimate outcome of the election and undermine the clerks themselves," said Benson. "The reality is that Michigan's county, city and township clerks successfully shouldered significant responsibilities, endured unprecedented scrutiny and ensured the security and professional execution of the 2020 election and post-election audits."



The Auditor General's report also made some recommendations for process improvement, many of which have already been implemented by the Bureau of Elections. For example, the bureau has now created a post-election audit training certification program and certified the county election official in 82 of 83 counties. The bureau has also implemented a new program to periodically reconcile driver and voter lists to ensure data quality, supplementing the daily matching that already occurs.



The audit also included recommendations for legislative action, many of which have been advocated for by Secretary Benson and election clerks for some time. Such recommendations include providing time to pre-process absentee ballots prior to Election Day and extending the post-election canvassing period. Secretary Benson included both provisions in her February 2021 legislative agenda and called on the state Legislature then to take action to support clerks and strengthen Michigan's election system.



Overall, the Auditor General found the bureau's performance was effective, sufficient, or sufficient with exceptions in all areas that were reviewed. This marks an improvement over the bureau's previous audit, which reviewed its operations starting in 2016 and found one area to be only moderately effective.

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The Saginaw Bay Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area is looking to expand its presence in Huron County as it informs about the dangers of invasive species.

The Saginaw Bay CISMAs coverage area includes Arenac, Bay, Saginaw, Huron, Tuscola, and Sanilac counties. It was founded in 2017 under the Michigan Invasive Species Grant program as part of a 16-county CISMA based around the Saginaw Bay Watershed, which split into three separate CISMAs.

Gedaliah Krasner, a program coordinator who spoke about what the group does during this weeks Huron County Board of Commissioners meeting, said that CISMA relied heavily on active partners to help identify problem areas and inform the public on these issues. Most of the organizations activities have taken place in Arenac, Bay, and Saginaw counties and it wants to get more involved in the Thumb.

Invasive species dont respect boundaries, they are widespread throughout the state, Krasner said. Due to a lack of reporting, partnership, or general collaboration not present, we have not been able to provide services to the Thumb.

An invasive species is defined by the federal government as a non-native organism whose introduction is likely to cause economic or environmental harm or harm the health of humans, plants, and animals.

Such invasive species that threaten the region include spotted lanternflies that can feed on over 70 crops, aquatic weeds that can impede boat traffic and threaten fish stocks, common reeds, or phragmites, that can drain natural wetlands, increase risk of wildfire damage, and block waterfront access, swallow-wort vines that can poison livestock, and Asian carp that can overtake habitats in the Great Lakes.

The Saginaw Bay is lined with Japanese knotweed that prevents other plants from getting sunlight and its roots are strong enough to grow through concrete. It is also experiencing defoliation from spongy moths, whose caterpillars can consume up to one meter of leaves a day.

That doesnt seem like a lot, but you can get 100,000 caterpillars from a single egg mass, Krasner said.

Past efforts from this CISMA have focused on buckthorn and garlic mustard plants, but its current priorities are on spongy moths, Japanese knotweed, phragmites, swallow-wort, and frogbits.

Saginaw Bay CISMA has provided information to Huron County boaters and anglers, done sprayings for private landowners, and worked with wildlife services in Caseville and Sebewaing

According to Krasner, invasive species can cause $120 billion in environmental damage and related losses nationwide each year. Crop loss from invasive species costs farmers $40 billion per year nationwide. Cleaning up the Great Lakes region for aquatic invasive species costs $5.6 billion.

He also stated that 42% of threatened or endangered species are at risk because of invasive species, which are the second-leading cause of extinctions and loss of biodiversity. The number of invasive species is also expected to increase by 36% by 2050.

The CISMA offers training for landowners to control invasive species and best management practices, grant writing, and connections to partner organizations at the local, state, and federal levels.

The organization is also rolling out grant opportunities for dealing with invasive plants. $60,000 will be available, with the past minimum grant amounts of $2,500 and maximum of $40,000 may change.

Krasner encourages residents to use services like the Midwest Invasive Species Network and EDDMapS to track any invasive species in the area and to direct any concerns people have to Saginaw Bay CISMA.

The organization can be reached by email at sbcisma@gmail.com or by phone at 989-846-4565.
MECOSTA COUNTY  Deputies with the Mecosta County Sheriffs Office responded to the following calls from Monday, March 7, through Thursday, March 10. All calls may not be reported.

 Deputies responded to three vehicle crashes involving a deer and three vehicle crashes without injuries.

 Deputies assisted EMS with a suicidal subject in the 18000 block of Klay Drive. Subject stated he was not suicidal and was arguing with his wife because he was leaving her. Both had been smoking crack.

 A report of harassment was made in the 14000 block of 21 Mile Road. A female reported harassing communication from another female.

 Deputies arrested a male in Morton Township for for possession of crystal meth and a domestic warrant. He was walking on Hayes/60th.

 Deputies responded to a mental/medical situation in the 14000 block of New Millpond Road in Big Rapids Township. Female was high and had a medical reaction to the drugs she was on. She was transported by EMS.

 A traffic stop near Pierce and 155th for speed resulted in the driver being cited for driving while license suspended and speed. Vehicle was turned over to his friend.

 Two large tool boxes were found in the roadway on Northland Drive at 8 Mile Road.

 Deputies transported a female from Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital to Pine Rest without incident.

 Deputies transported a male to Midland from Spectrum Health Big Rapids Hospital.

 A domestic situation was reported in the 11000 block of 19 Mile Road. Caller was assaulted by her boyfriend. Report was sent to prosecutor's office for review.

 Deputies responded to a call in the 100 block of South Scott Street in Aetna Township. A female called to report she thought someone was knocking at her door. Found that she was seeing things/people that were not there.

 Deputies arrested male for operating while intoxicate, third violation, of restricted license after male crashed into a creek near Northland and Stanwood Drive. BR Tow impounded car.

 Deputies executed a warrant arrest in the 8000 block of 35th Avenue. A male was arrested for assault.

 Deputies transported a female from the hospital to Forest View.

 Deputies executed a warrant arrest on a female in the 14000 block of Bulldog Lane in Big Rapids Township. She was lodged at the Mecosta County Jail for probation violation.

 Deputies assisted Michigan State Police in locating suspect and suspects vehicle involved in a felonious assault with a firearm on May 5, 2022, in Newaygo County. Contact was made with the suspect, and he was arrested by MSP.

 A blue Ford Explorer was caught on camera driving through a yard in the 2000 block of Haddix Boulevard in Barryton. Contact was made with the offender who stated it was accidental and would pay for the damage.

 A traffic stop near Northland and 18 Mile Road in Big Rapids Township led to the driver being issued appearance tickets for no insurance and driving while license suspended. The vehicle driven away by a valid driver.

 A report of threats and trespassing was made in the 7000 block of Bello Vista Drive. Male reported that he was confronted by his neighbor in his driveway. He wanted his neighbor trespassed.

 A report of harassment was made in the 300 Block of East Main in Morton Township. Female advised that her daughter is being harassed by another juvenile female who now goes to school in Mt. Pleasant. Advised to contact both schools and advise of the bullying.

 A domestic situation was reported in the 13000 block of 150th Avenue. Male was arrested for probation violation as he blew a .249% blood alcohol content level. Warrant requests were submitted on both males for the domestic assault.

 Deputies executed a warrant pickup at Fates Grocery Store in Isabella County. It was requested to pick up a female on an assault warrant. She was handed over and lodged for the outstanding warrant

 Deputies executed a warrant near Northland Drive and 5 Mile Road in Aetna Township. A call came in for two people arguing in the road on foot. A female and a male were located and they advised nothing physical, both intoxicated, Male had an outstanding Friend of the Court warrant and was lodged.
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW BRITAIN  A suspect was in custody after a church and a synagogue were damaged by fire in separate arson-caused fires on Friday night, officials said Saturday morning.

Kimorah Parker, 30, was charged with third-degree arson and third-degree burglary.
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PORTLAND  Connecticut Lions leaders traveled to Kentucky recently with a truck full of supplies to help the victims of Decembers devastating tornadoes.

Theresa Schlosser, director of the Portland Lions Club, said in a press release that Connecticut Lion leaders gathered their 5,000 plus members in all six counties, within weeks, to fill two truckloads of needed items and drive to Kentucky to deliver them.

The Lions, whose motto is We Serve, greeted them with open arms, happy to see Connecticut volunteers were there to help hundreds of families whose homes were destroyed and are still not on their feet, months after the tornadoes hit, Schlosser said in the news release.

We Serve is the Lions motto, she said.

When the Connecticut Lions found out that the Kentucky Lions needed help in providing their displaced families with basic household needs, after five tornadoes covered a 200-mile swath through Western Kentucky in December, they immediately went into action, Schlosser said.

Two trucks departed Feb. 14.

The states three district governors, Lori-Ann Beninson, Ed Fenton and Michele Wyatt, worked together to arrange the collection of donations, goods and transportation to Kentucky.

Governor Ed Fenton lauded his Lions in District 23 B: In less than three weeks Connecticut Lions were able to fully pack two 26-foot box trucks of needed items, he said, according to the statement. What our Lions accomplished in a short time shows you can never underestimate the power of the pride.

They organized their nearly 200 clubs with more than 5,500 Lions and Leos in three districts located in all six Connecticut counties.

Hearing of the plight of these families and the effort to help them, Lions throughout the state were inspired to engage their own communities through social media, press and radio to donate funds and enough goods to fill two large trucks for delivery to the towns of Paducah, Mayfield and Dawson Springs, the statement said.

FEMA and the state of Kentucky are providing temporary housing through trailers, mobile and modular homes. However, they are without the basics needed to set up these homes, the Lions said.

Lions are no strangers to providing service both locally and globally, the club said. For the last century, they have aided many communities directly using both their labor and grants for towns such as Sandy Hook, and Shoreline towns after Hurricane Sandy. They also received grants to provide necessary gear for first responders throughout the state dealing with COVID-19.
SHELTON  A city couple, owners of a local business, are now owners of six acres of land on the city-owned Mas property.

The Board of Aldermen, at its meeting Thursday, approved the sale of the land to William and Nicole Charney, owners of Shelton-based Advanced Home Audio, which is presently located on Long Hill Cross Road.

The couple agreed to pay the city $85,000 per acre, which comes out to $510,000. The aldermens approval states the total acreage and payment amount will be determined after the final subdivision of the nearly 70-acre parcel near Constitution Boulevard.

Mayor Mark Lauretti said, from his understanding, the company would be consolidating its operations on the purchased land.

Many Connecticut companies are doing that right now, Lauretti said about the desire to consolidate operations at one centralized location. Shelton is working to keep Connecticut companies in Connecticut, to allow them to expand and grow right here.

Lauretti said he remains in negotiations with three other large manufacturers considering purchasing land on the Mas property. He expects another announcement in the next couple of weeks.

William Charney was unavailable for comment.

The companys website states that Advanced Home Audio staff designs, engineers, programs, installs, and maintains smart home technology control systems.

We provide simple control of integrated technology and automation comprised of audio, video, lighting, shading, climate control, energy and power management, networking, phone, and security components, the website states. Our extensive experience, customer focused approach, and high quality of service make it easy for you to experience all the benefits of customized technology solutions for your home or business.

This latest sale comes weeks after Lauretti announced that Bigelow Tea was purchasing 25 acres of the property for an estimated $2.1 million for its future expansion.

A major portion of the development is extending Constitution Blvd. West, with bids coming in between $4.5 million and nearly $10 million, Lauretti said in December.

Shelton state Reps. Jason Perillo and Ben McGorty and state Sen. Kevin Kelly worked alongside Lauretti to help secure $5 million in funding for the road extension in the states 2021 bond package. The funding will be available once approved by the state Bond Commission, according to Perillo.

Extending the roadway and use of the Mas property has been on the table for years, but Lauretti began the most recent push in April when he presented preliminary plans for creating the road leading into the city-owned land, which would be developed into a manufacturing corporate park.

Plans for accessing the 70-acre property include extending Constitution Boulevard to reach Route 108. Lauretti said a zone change would be needed, requiring plans to go before P&Z at some point.

The Mas property is now vacant. It is mostly wooded with considerable stone ledges and several ponds, including one that is about 600 feet long and 250 to 300 feet wide, and lies between Bridgeport Ave., Cots Street, Tisi Drive, Sunwood Condos on Nells Rock Road, Regent Drive, Walnut Avenue, and Kings Highway. Part of the land abuts the back of the Perry Hill School property.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
MILFORD  The Black Business Alliance (BBA) will be joining the Milford Regional Chamber of Commerce and retain an affiliate seat on the Chambers board of directors.

Chamber President Michael Moses said this collaborative partnership will help create access to opportunities, business networks and capital for minority owned businesses across Milford and surrounding communities.

"Having a seat at the table is important," says Anne-Marie Knight, Executive Director of the Black Business Alliance. This partnership moves the needle and will swing the door open wide to opportunities; allowing black businesses to eat from the table.

I am excited to see that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are a top priority for the MRCC, and look forward to launching some new initiatives and creating lasting positive change for the businesses we serve, she added. BBA is excited to work alongside the MRCC team.

Christine Gonillo, Chair of the MRCC Board of Directors, said the BBA is a welcome addition to the chamber membership.

"We enthusiastically welcome the BBA as an affiliate and look forward to working together for the greater good of our community, she said. Through the sharing of ideas and resources new opportunities are born, grow and ultimately yield productive and positive results for all.

Moses said this partnership will be further enhanced by the chambers new status as neighbors within the CT Post Mall.

Strengthening our local business community through the combined expertise of our organizations will advance minority businesses impact and competitiveness across our local and regional markets, Moses said. We are extremely grateful to welcome the BBA as a partner, and we look forward to helping them level the playing field and advance the regions collective economic footprint.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
MILFORD  Jodie Sargent first visited Rwanda more than a decade ago, and she immediately fell in love with the countrys people.

Sargent, a Milford resident, has volunteered with different organizations in Rwanda to help in community development. Over the past 16 years, she has split her time with the Anglican Church and an organization called African Evangelistic Enterprise.

I fell in love with the country, said Sargent, who first entered the African nation in 2006. I was invited by Alexis Billanda Bagabo, who was the bishop at the time of the Anglican diocese closest to Tanzania called Gahini dioceses.

Every year, Sargent went back to work with African Enterprise and its community development program.

It was the resilience and the grace of the Rwandan people that brought me back year after year, she said. Regardless of what people had gone through in 1994, they are some of the most amazing people Ive met.

The Rwandan genocide occurred in 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Hutu ethnic group murdered as many as 800,000 people, mostly minority Tutsi. An estimated 2 million more people became refugees.

Sargent said she works primarily with street children, street families, and young sex workers through the community development program.

When Im there, I live in a very poor community where people have nothing.

Throughout her 16 years of helping in Rwanda, Sargent has met many people and has heard their stories, but one of the most impressive stories involves a young man named Amani.

He was the first street child I worked with, she said. In 2008, the government asked AEE to take in street children and have a center for street children. He was the first street kid we had, and he had a very strong survival instinct, as all street kids do. Throughout the years, that young man has graduated from college and is now on his way to the United States to begin his masters degree.

Another organization Sargent has come in contact with and has worked with is Talking Through Arts, which works with disabled women.

The disabled have a very difficult life. They teach them how to make some of the most beautiful baskets in the country, she said. Its not a charity project because they are earning their way. They get paid when they sell their baskets, allowing them to pay for their insurance, help their children go to school, able to repair homes, they are no longer begging and no longer being exploited sexually.

One of her favorite nonprofits is Love With Actions.

They are able to get children to go to school, raise money to pay for childrens surgery, and they partner with hospitals across the country, said Sargent. Its one of those projects that is transforming the community.

Sargent is heading back to Rwanda on April 6, but before she goes, she hopes to take back six pairs of Nike running shoes to help a group of young runners.

The sneaker project was started by a (man named) Jessie in Rwanda, she said. Hes part of the LGBTQ community in Rwanda, and if you know anything about Africa, you know that the LGBTQ community is not treated well. Jessie started this running club but is also a dog trainer, so he is working with young people of his community, teaching them how to take care of dogs and animals better.

The sneaker project consists of six young adults who Jessie is working with, and together they mentor and encourage younger people in their community.

Good running shoes for most people are a luxury item, and most sneakers people get are used sneakers that have been sent from here, said Sargent. Rwanda is known as the land of 1,000 hills. Many roads are not paved, they are rocky and dirty with many potholes, and sneakers dont last very long. So one of the things Jessie wanted to do was be able to help people who are part of that running club have a new pair of good running shoes.

Sargent said she talked to the group leaders and started working on what she could do

The 16 years of volunteering for organizations in Rwanda have been life-changing for Sargent and have brought a different perspective on issues she faces in her hometown.

Some of the issues I face here are not as big of a deal, she said. Its easy to be overwhelmed if your personal issues in your life, but then I look at young people I know who saw their parents being killed at a very young age. People who as a result of the genocide might have only one arm, to see how the people in Rwanda, even the very poor, would do anything to help the next very poor person.

When Sargent is in Rwanda, she sees the sense of community and how Americans can learn from those in Rwanda.

While America is a wonderful country, I think Americans attitude towards the homeless can get better, said Sargent. We say things like we are not going to help them because they are going to use the money on drugs or other things.

My experiences in Rwanda have encouraged me to not just look at the surface, but to acknowledge that my judgment could be wrong and that I should see what I can find out about the person and their situation before I write them off, she added.

While in Rwanda, Sargent witnessed how people would serve those they did not like, which was another life-changing event.

Rwanda has a long way to go in terms of reconciliation, but there are pockets of people who have forgiven each other, she said. Ive got some friends whose family was wiped out, and the person who killed their family lives next door to them, and they have generally forgiven them. I think that is something that is stunning and to be able to see that in person, cant help but have that be life changing.

Sargent has gotten some responses to her sneaker project from local community members and received help from her friends.

My friend put me in touch with a couple of people who are donating shoes, she said. Im having breakfast with a woman on Saturday who is going to Rwanda in the summer, and shes going to bring a pair of sneakers as well.

Beyond the six Nike size 12 running shoes for the running group leaders, they are looking for new running shoes in a variety of sizes and any equipment related to running.

Im asking for it not to be used because they can get used stuff there, said Sargent. And Im hoping that if people do this, they might want to learn more about Rwanda and maybe would like to sponsor a child or be connected to another project.

For more information, email askingforwonder@outlook.com or call 203-343-2080.
The Cardinals have announced that theyve signed right-handed pitcher Nick Wittgren to a one-year contract. Wittgren will make $1.2MM, per Robert Murray of FanSided.

A veteran of six seasons, Wittgren will turn 31 in May. He spent his first three seasons in Miami before being traded to Cleveland, where he spent the past three years. In his career, hes played in 258 games and thrown 271 1/3 innings with an ERA of 3.75. His 23.5% strikeout rate is right around average, though his walk rate of 6.7% is quite good.

Last year was a bit of a setback for the righty, as his ERA jumped up to 5.05, a career high. His strikeout rate also fell to 23.6% after being at 26% in 2019 and 28.6% in 2020. The walk rate was still good, coming in at 6.6%. He was set to go through arbitration for a final time this winter, projected by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz for a salary of $2.8MM. However, the club decided to put him on waivers at the end of the year, effectively non-tendering him. Wittgren cleared and elected free agency.

For the Cardinals, this is their second bullpen upgrade since the lockout ended, as they also added Drew VerHagen recently. Both Wittgren and VerHagen are righties and will likely join Giovanny Gallegos, Alex Reyes, Ryan Helsley and Jordan Hicks as right-handed options in the Cardinals bullpen to start the year.
The Mets announced Monday evening that theyre signed right-handed reliever Adam Ottavino. Its reportedly a a one-year contract worth $4MM, plus $1MM of performance bonuses for the 36-year-old. Ottavino is represented by WME Sports.

Ottavino broke into the big leagues as a Cardinal but was claimed on waivers by the Rockies and ended up staying for seven seasons from 2012 to 2018. In that time, the righty got into 361 games, throwing 390 2/3 innings with an ERA of 3.41, strikeout rate of 27.6% and walk rate of 10.1%. His last season with the Rockies was especially noteworthy, as he had the best year of his career at the age of 32. In that campaign, he threw 77 2/3 innings with a 2.43 ERA. His 11.7% walk rate was a few ticks above league average, but he offset that with an incredible 36.2% strikeout rate.

Based on that tremendous late-career breakout, the Yankees signed Ottavino to a three-year, $27MM contract. In 2019, Ottavino largely made good on the faith the Yankees showed in him. In 66 1/3 innings, he lowered his ERA to 1.90, despite his strikeout rate falling to 31.1% and his walk rate jumping to 14.1%. In the shortened 2020 season, however, things took an ugly turn, as he put up an ERA of 5.89 over 18 1/3 innings, with his strikeout rate falling to 29.4%.

Prior to the 2021 campaign, the Yankees sent Ottavino to the Red Sox, mostly because they were nearing the luxury tax and wanted his salary off the books. In 62 innings for Boston last year, his ERA was 4.21, not as bad as the small sample from 2020, but definitely a notch below his 2018-19 stretch. His strikeout rate also dipped for a third straight season, coming in at 25.7%.

For the Mets, this is yet another move in what has been an extremely busy offseason for them. They upgraded their lineup by signing Starling Marte, Mark Canha and Eduardo Escobar. They also improved their rotation by signing Max Scherzer before the lockout and trading for Chris Bassitt yesterday. Now theyve added Ottavino to a bullpen that already features Edwin Diaz, Trevor May, Miguel Castro and Seth Lugo. Those are all right-handed options, meaning that the club could look to supplement that group with a lefty, if their wild roster revamp isnt yet complete.

To create space on the 40-man roster, New York outrighted right-hander Antonio Santos, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The Mets had claimed the 25-year-old off waivers from the Rockies in November, but he didnt stick on the New York 40-man all winter. He doesnt have the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment, so hell remain in the organization as non-roster depth.

Joel Sherman of the New York Post first reported the agreement and its terms.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.
The bullpen, a fifth starter, bench help, and backup catching were cited by Reds GM Nick Krall as possible target areas, Krall told The Cincinnati Enquirers Bobby Nightengale and other reporters, and the Reds could turn to either Major League or minor league free agents to address any of those needs. In regards to one particular prominent free agent, Krall seemed to close the door on the chances of Nick Castellanos returning to Cincinnati, saying we have not been engaged with his representatives.

It doesnt count as any big surprise that Castellanos will be moving on, since he was looking for a hefty new contract pre-lockout, and the Reds offseason moves have thus far been geared towards cutting and managing payroll (while still making some effort to contend for a playoff spot). Since Castellanos rejected the Reds qualifying offer and because Cincinnati is a revenue-sharing recipient, the team stands to receive an extra pick after the first round of the 2022 draft should Castellanos sign elsewhere for more than $50MM.

More from around the NL Central
March 15: Diekmans deal with the Sox is a two-year, $8MM arrangement, according to Cotillo (Twitter thread). Hell earn $3.5MM in both 2022 and 2023. The Sox hold a $4MM club option for the 2024 season, which comes with a $1MM buyout.

March 13: For the second time today, the Red Sox are adding a lefty to the bullpen. Boston and Jake Diekman are close to agreeing to terms, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (via Twitter). The deal is believed to be a multi-year deal though the exact terms are not yet clear.

Diekman is one of the top bullpen arms available on the market. The now-35-year-old was lights out for the As during the pandemic-shortened 2020. He appeared in 21 games, posting a microscopic 0.42 ERA/2.72 FIP spanning 21 1/3 innings, numbers-driven at least in part by an uncharacteristically high 61.6 percent groundball rate. For comparison, he posted a 34.8 percent groundball rate last year and owns a 47.9 percent rate in that department for his career.

The 10-year veteran initially came to Oakland mid-season in 2019 in a deal with the Royals that netted KC a pair of minor leaguers. He continued to be effective for the As last season, though not quite at the surreal level of 2020. He tossed 60 2/3 innings over 67 outings with a 3.86 ERA/4.46 FIP while notching seven saves and 14 holds. He also blew seven saves.

With a 31.7 percent strikeout rate, he differentiates himself from the other lefties in Bostons pen with his ability to miss bats. In so doing, Diekman becomes the top southpaw in a Boston pen that added Matt Strahm earlier today.

Beyond their new pair, the BoSox can call on Josh Taylor, Darwinzon Hernandez, and Austin Davis as potential southpaws out of the bullpen. Diekman is by far the most established of the bunch, however. Hes sure to team with Garrett Whitlock in the late game mix for manager Alex Cora.
In his quest to ensure that firefighters at the Manso Nkwanta branch of the Ghana National Fire Service work to satisfaction and curb the persistent fire outbreaks within the District, the Assemblyman for the Manso Moseaso Electoral Area in the Ashanti Region, Mr Daniel Kweku Mensah (aka DKM) has donated a motorbike to the Service.

Making the presentation on Thursday February 24, 2022, Mr Mensah said his gesture follows the several appeals the District Fire Service made to the public to help it render quality services in times of disasters.

DKM who is also vying for the post of constituency organizer on the ticket of the New Patriotic Party urges the GNFS to take good care of the motorbike to enhance their operations.

Receiving the offer, the Deputy Fire Officer of the station, Mr Alorye applauded him for the kind gesture.

Mr Alorye appealed to philanthropists, churches and well-meaning Ghanaians in the District to emulate the shining example of Mr Mensah by way of supporting his outfit to enable them render uninterrupted service to the people.
12.03.2022 LISTEN

It is heartening to note that Africa has strong guardians, faithful to principles, values, and peoples aspirations. The strong opposition within the African Union of many member states, led by Algeria and South Africa, to granting the apartheid regime of Israel observer status in the bloc has raised widespread concerns about adherence to the values and principles enshrined in the AU Constitutive Act. This recalls Morocco's accession to the African Union four years ago, considering its occupation of parts of the territory of the SADR a flagrant violation of the Constitutive Act.

Our Founding Fathers left it clear that as long as Pan-Africanism organization born out of the suffering of its people, it must serve their struggle against colonialism, oppression and apartheid. In his iconic speech at the 1963 founding meeting of the Pan-African, the ambitious Ghanaian President Kwame Nkrumah warned that The unity of our continent, no less than our separate independence, will be delayed, if indeed we do not lose it, by hobnobbing with colonialism Is it not unity alone that can weld us into an effective force, capable of creating our own progress and making our valuable contribution to world peace?

The Kingdom of Morocco invaded the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) on the eve of the latters independence from Spain in 1976, in flagrant violation of international law, especially since this move came a few days after the International Court of Justice issued its advisory opinion rejecting the allegations of the occupier in Western Sahara. This occupation also contradicts the Kingdoms request to include Western Sahara in the United Nations list of Non-Self-Governing Territories in 1963, pending decolonization through the exercise of the inalienable right of the people of the Territory to self-determination and independence.

Since then, the people of SADR have lived divided, with part under occupation who are subjected to worst types of oppression and genocide, whereas the other part strike harsh conditions in exile. In addition, the occupying state of Morocco has spared no effort to plunder as much of the territory's natural resources as possible over forty-five years. Some of the looting proceeds serve the policies of the occupation, such as bribery to gain international support.

The SADR's struggle for liberation has been met with broad and far-reaching solidarity within Africa from the outset, with the continental organization serving as a springboard to gain maximum momentum. African solidarity had an international impact, as the recognition of the Republic exceeded eighty countries around the world, in addition to the advanced political positions at the level of governments, parties or civil society. The then Organization of African Unity (OAU) could turn the table on the occupying state of Morocco by charting a course for a just and lasting solution.

The key turning point in this path was the OAU's recognition of SADR's sovereignty and embracing its struggle, followed by its admission into the organization in 1982. The heads of state and government went further, to wisely lay the foundations for an agreed settlement between the occupying state of Morocco and the SADR based on respect for the right of the people of Western Sahara to self-determination and independence. The SADRs continental prestige was reinforced by being a founding member of the AU in 2002.

It is worth recognizing the courageous positions and the great concessions made by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic in the interests of the unity and supreme interests of Africa, and in fulfilling its commitments within the African Union. The SADR could, under difficult circumstances, make advanced strides in institutional building and the upgrading of society's policies. Its experience has also proven to be a major stabilizing factor in the region.

Resolution 104 of the 19th OAU Summit in 1983 provided a framework for the joint UN-OAU efforts that led to the Settlement Plan Agreement for holding a referendum in which the people of Western Sahara could choose between independence or integration with Morocco. The UN Security Council approved the said settlement plan in 1990, after which a ceasefire was established in 1991, followed by the deployment of UN and OAU peacekeeping forces.

However, once the Security Council took over, all that momentum faded because of double standards that have guided the UN's addressing of the question of Western Sahara since the territory being listed as a non-self-governing territory. The occupying state of Morocco took advantage of the UN' indifference to resolving the issue to renege on its commitments to the settlement plan and end it up with the collapse of the 1991 ceasefire last November and outbreak of a new war between the two member countries.

It was expected that the AU would play a more active role in the question, in view of the inability of the UN, but things turned upside down in the African Union, where the occupying state of Morocco was admitted in 2017, in full infringement of the principles of the Constitutive Act, stipulated in articles 3 & 4, which are territorial integrity, respect of borders, and non-interference in the internal affairs of a member state. There is no doubt about the huge bribes offered by the occupying state of Morocco to secure a vote. Although the bottom line remains bargaining over values and principles, so that justice and progress are not achieved.

The 1991 ceasefire, which is an integral part of the UN-OAU Settlement Plan for a referendum on self-determination, was totally torpedoed by the occupying state of Morocco through its act of aggression on the liberated territories of the SADR on 13 November 2020. Thus, the aggressive act Morocco has undermined the whole peace process in Western Sahara and plunged again the region into a spiral of tension and instability. In this regard, the SADR, as a member of the African Union, has full right to demand for the application of articles 3 and 4 of the Constitutive Act.

The decision of the 14th Extraordinary Summit on "Silencing the Guns" December 2020 heralded a breakthrough in the AU position regarding Moroccos occupation of the territory of the SADR. It called on the relevant organs such as Troika Mechanism and the PSC at heads of state level to act to contain escalation in the region. Thus, the Councils 984th meeting of March 2021, chaired by the Kenyan president, Uhuru Kenyatta, marked an important shift forward by calling on the Kingdom of Morocco and the SADR to engage in dialogue, create a conducive environment for direct and candid talks, with no preconditions and in line with Article 4 of the AU Constitutive Act and the relevant Provisions of the PSC Protocol. Unfortunately, the occupying state of Morocco still turns its back on this call; even the executive bodies, such as the Troika and the Chairperson of the Commission, have not yet moved a finger.

Once the ceasefire was breached, the occupying state of Morocco launched a massive crackdown on Sahrawi activists who demanded an end to its occupation of their homeland. Also, the occupying state of Morocco has deliberately targeted the liberated territories of the SADR, using UAVs to kill civilians and destroy their properties. They targeted even the commercial traffic of neighboring countries while in transit through the liberated territories of the SADR, leaving casualties.

Morocco's accession to the African Union before fulfilling its obligations under the Constitutive Act was a huge mistake that the organization is now paying a heavy price for. Despite the optimism that accompanied the move, considering it an opportunity for reconciliation between the two member states, it became clear after four years that the opponents of this accession had their fears correct. The occupying state of Morocco still insists on its occupation of the territory of the SADR and seeks to limit the relevant African Union organs' involvement in the matter, in particular the PSC. The Kingdom of Morocco will remain a source of real threat to the stability and security of North Africa unless it abandons its expansionist and provocative policies towards its neighbors.

The UN's lack of will in implementing international legality in Western Sahara has doomed its mandate to failure, which has led to a new escalation of tensions in the region. Faced with this situation, the African Union, as the main stakeholder, must assume its full responsibility in restoring maximum momentum to end the prolonged occupation of the territory of the SADR by the Kingdom of Morocco.

The big challenge for the AU now is fending off the occupying state of Morocco's attempts aiming to overturn the Constitutive Act and resolutions with impunity. Will African stand up for principles?

By Deich Mohamed Saleh*

*He served as Director of the President's office and Ambassador to Zimbabwe
Sierra Leone journalist Alusine Antha was recently beaten while covering a meeting over a land dispute. Photo: Alusine Antha

12.03.2022 LISTEN

Abuja, March 11, 2022  Sierra Leone authorities should swiftly identify and hold to account those responsible for the recent attack on journalist Alusine Antha, the Committee to Protect Journalist said Friday.

On February 17, in the western city of Waterloo, a group of about 30 people attacked Antha while he covered a meeting over a land dispute, according to the journalist, who spoke to CPJ in a phone interview, and a statement by the Media Reform Coordinating Group, a local press association.

Antha, a presenter and producer with the privately owned broadcaster Eagle Africa FM, planned to cover a meeting over a dispute between members of the local Matale community and former Assistant Inspector-General of Police Christopher John, he said. However, when he arrived, he found a large number of young people insulting police officers at the scene and, when officers asked them to step back, those demonstrators threw stones at the officers and destroyed Johns car, Antha said.

The police officers and John fled the area, and when Antha attempted to leave on his motorcycle, a group of people accused him of being part of Johns team, threw stones at him, hit him with sticks, and stole his motorbike, two phones, and a recorder, the journalist said. He told CPJ he was attacked for about 30 minutes in total.

Authorities in Sierra Leone must ensure a swift and thorough investigation into the attack on journalist Alusine Antha and hold those responsible to account, said Angela Quintal, CPJs Africa program coordinator, in New York. Journalists should feel safe to cover the news, and ensuring justice for attacks against the press is important for preventing their repetition.

Antha has covered that land dispute on his weekly radio show since last year, he told CPJ.

He said he sustained swelling on his head and scratches on various parts of his body, and was treated for injuries to his hand and back. Antha said that Matale community members returned his motorbike eight days after the attack, but still had not returned his phones or recorder.

Police filed assault charges against seven people for attacking Antha, the journalist told CPJ. He said none of the suspects attended a court hearing on February 21, and another had been scheduled for March 14.

CPJs calls and text messages to Sierra Leone police spokesperson Brima Kamara went unanswered.
The numbers of people fleeing Ukraine are current at nearly 2.6 million, according to the United Nations on Saturday.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said that as of Saturday afternoon, here were 2,597,543 refugees who had fled Ukraine so far, the largest exodus since World War II.

UNHCR estimates that four million could flee, but added that this figure could be revised upwards in a country of 37 million in the regions that the government controls, not including Crimea and separatist regions in the east. Numbers overall have slightly dipped from Friday.

Before the conflict, Ukraine had a population of some 37 million in the regions under its control, excluding Russia-annexed Crimea and the pro-Russian separatist regions in the east.

More than half of those crossing the border have come into Poland.

A large number are going back into Ukraine, either to fight, to bring their families out, or to take care of elderly relatives.

Some 1.5 million Ukrainians lived and worked in Poland before the crisis.

Hungary and Slovakia are taking in 235,500 and 186,600, respectively, while the majority of those who entered Romania are only using it as a transit zone. It is the same for Moldova, one of the poorest countries in Europe, as people are entering the country and then going on to Romania or Hungary.

And as of Thursday, 106,000 people from Ukraine had sought shelter in Russia.

Overall, UNHCR says about 304,000 people have travelled on to other European countries, including France and Germany.

Mosque bombing hits Turkish civilians

A mosque hosting 86 civilians, many whom are reportedly Turkish, was bombed in Mariupol, Ukraine on Saturday, according to the country's foreign ministry.

It was the designated safe place that the Turkish consulate in Odesa, southern Ukraine, told its nationals on Twitter to shelter in before an evacuation from the country.

The Ukrainian embassy in Ankara also confirmed to French newswire AFP on Saturday that it had alerted the Turkish Foreign Ministry but would not give further details.

On Friday, Petro Andryushchenko, the deputy mayor of Mariupol, had posted in English and Ukrainian that the area around the mosque was being bombed.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan must know that [] 86 Turkish citizens are currently hiding in the mosque, including 34 children. At the moment, the Russian army is bombarding the area including the mosque, he posted.

Will the leader of the (Turkish) nation calmly observe the inhuman annihilation of Turkish citizens, limiting himself to guaranteeing senseless negotiations between the Russian Federation and Ukraine?, he added.

Turkey is a close ally of Ukraine, but has refused to take sides, and has not cut ties to Moscow.

Ankara had tried to mediate between the two countries, and their work resulted in foreign ministers from both sides meeting in Antalya in the south on Thursday.

Relatives in Turkey are worried about their family members who they believe went to the mosque.

My brother, Sahin Beytemur, has been living in Mariupol for eight years [] We haven't heard from him since last Saturday. He told us that they would go to the mosque if the situation got worse, the sister of Beytemur told AFP.
The Deputy Minister of Lands and Natural Resources in charge of Mining Benito Owusu Bio has announced government's readiness and commitment to rebuilding the Appiatse community in 12 months.

Speaking on behalf of President Nana Akufo-Addo at the final mass burial and funeral service for seven victims of the Appiatse disaster victims at the Appiatse park on Friday March 11, 2022, Hon Benito who is also the Chairman of the Appiatse reconstruction team mentioned that he had come with Engineers from the Ministry of Roads and Highways to do the necessary prospecting.

He noted that within a period of 12 months the new Appiatse community will be constructed into an ultra-modern green, model and a befitting community as promised by government.

This is very sorrowful moment and it is our utmost hope and prayer that such an unfortunate incident doesnt reoccur but as we cry and mourn the dead, we also have to keep in mind that there are living ones to be catered for in the area of shelter and other social amenities and government is highly committed to this core mandate within the stipulated period", he said.

The Deputy Minister on behalf of the Ministry and it agencies donated an amount of GH30,000 in support of the families in respect of burial and funeral arrangements.

It was a sorrowful atmosphere as hundreds wailed and filed past the mortal remains of the remaining 7 victims at the final mass burial and funeral service.

Well-wishers, government officials were heavily represented at the mass burial including 15-month-old Ella Baidoo who received a special wreath laying from the Member of Parliament for Prestea-Huni Valley, Hon Robert Wisdom Coffie.

The other six include Ekua Nyame, 80, Justice Kwesi Takwa, 21, Emmanuel Quainoo, 29, Isaac Benyin, 45, and Michael Afriyie, 19.

Rev Father Edward Cudjoe who performed the burial service urged the inhabitants of Appiatse to be strong and steadfast in the lord.

He further challenged the gathering to be extra vigilant and readily prepared always for they could be called by their maker unannounced.

Fiaseman Rural Bank, Environmental Protection Agency, Church of Pentecost (Bogoso Area), Sankofa Gold mines made cash donations in support of the funeral.

In attendance were Municipal Chief Executives of Amenfi West Hon Lord Nana Tandoh, Ahanta West and Effia, representatives from Environmental Protection Agency, Minerals Commission and National Disaster Management Organisation, NADMO.
Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Minister of Food and Agriculture (MoFA), says the Government will destroy and not pay compensation to poultry farmers whose farms are affected by future viral attack if they fail to obtain certificate from the Ministry.

Also, farmers who import or move day-old chicks to any part of the country without certification, would have their products destroyed by the Ministry without any compensation.

He said: Farms that do not receive certification will not be compensated by Government during future outbreaks.

He said this during a media engagement in Accra on Wednesday on the release of compensation to about 203 affected farms made up of 167 affected farms from July to December 31, 2021 and 36 others from 2015 to 2018.

The Minister noted that it was important for the farmers, who were mainly operating what he called backyard poultry farms to be properly captured in the database being built by the Ministry.

This was to enhance data accuracy for planning and targeting for the necessary support and payment of compensations when needed.

He said: In times of disease outbreaks such as the current HPAI (Bird flu), these small scale farmers become vulnerable and, therefore, agents for the spread for the disease.

He, therefore, urged poultry farmers across the country to ensure they were captured in the ongoing biometric registration and certification exercise.

Dr Akoto said: I urge all farmers to lend themselves to the biometric processes so they can be captured in the comprehensive database of poultry farmers in the country.

He added that: This is all part of modernising poultry farming in the country and enhancing the accuracy of data for planning, targeting for support and payment of compensations when the need arises in the future.

Mr Patrick Abakeh, the Director of Veterinary Services at MoFA, noted that the ban on the movement of poultry and poultry products into affected areas was still in force, and cautioned farmers against sending day-old chicks particularly to areas affected by the disease.

He said: If you send birds there, restock without our knowledge and we get outbreak we'll come and destroy the birds and there won't be any compensation."

He emphasised that: Any farmer who brings in day-old chicks to any part of this country without certification from MoFA, for that matter the Veterinary Services Directorate and Animal Production Directorate, we're going to destroy the birds without any compensation.

Mr Abakeh added that: in the future we'll close those farms with a legislation coming to enforce that.

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency, the Executive Secretary of the Association, Mr Lawrence Amartey Tetteh, lauded the Minister for the biometric registration, indicating that they had long been waiting for it.

He, however, called on the Government to introduce a policy that would effectively regulate the poultry industry beyond what the Association was currently doing to ensure strict adherence to standards in their operations.

As of December 31, 2021, the total number of birds affected by the bird flu was 554,638, with 1,701.5 bags of feed and 2,548 crates of egg, destroyed.

The Government has released GH17 million as compensation to the affected farmers.

Government was also working on stamping out/decontamination/disposal materials, and a rolling-out of a communication plan to curb the disease.

GNA
13.03.2022 LISTEN

The driver of an headmaster in one of the Senior High Schools in Cape Coast in the Central Region is currently in hot waters as social media users are calling on the Police to arrest him.

His crime is that he is said to have assaulted a woman alleged to be a commercial sex worker after patronizing her services.

The young man identified as Yaw was driving a government vehicle with registration number GV-127-16 when he reportedly gave punches on the sex worker.

In a video trending on social media, the lady who was seen on Cape Coast street narrated that the man after engaging in her service failed to pay the appropriate amount of money.

The sex worker thus refused to drop off from the mans vehicle.

This infuriated the man, who angrily assaulted the lady publicly until another gentleman appeared on the scene and recorded the incident which has since gone viral on social media.

Meanwhile, some Ghanaians on social media have been expressing their views on the matter; calling on the Police to arrest the man after violently assaulting the woman who is reported to have sustained some bruises on her body.

DGN online
Prof. John Egbeazien Oshodi

13.03.2022 LISTEN

Nigerians, for a very long time, saw a new approach among lawmakers on questionable acts from the president and the judiciary around the recently signed Electoral Act 2022.

The Nigerian Constitution, whether one views it as weak or vulnerable, does not answer every question, but it remains clear on separation of powers.

No court or judge in Nigeria has the power to stop legislators from doing their legislative duties, revisiting, or amending legislation.

In a ruling delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo, the court restrained the legislature from deleting or taking any further steps on the new law, but the role of the court is to interpret the law, not make laws.

Although President Muhammadu Buhari is allowed to ask the legislature questions, such as the request to remove the section of the electoral act that requires government appointees and political office holders to resign in order to run for election in the party primary, he pushed too hard this time.

Despite the request of the President, the Senate, especially known for frequently succumbing to the wishes of the President, in a unique way, hit back at the president and took a swipe at the judge for overstepping.

The Nigerian people praised the National Assembly, especially the Senate under the unique and bold leader, Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, not because the senate won or the president and the court lost, but because democracy triumphed in a rare manner.

Therapeutically, what occurred here is that the senate stopped the presidency and the judiciary at all costs to progressively prepare for Nigerias steady democratic growth.

This occurrence by the senate is educating the presidency and the judiciary to start having regard for our laws, our system of justice, or our young democracy itself.

By way of what I call legislative therapy, the senate allowed democracy to stand in opposition to self-interest on the part of future presidential and gubernatorial aspirants currently active in government.

In a democracy, the people through the legislature are sovereignthey are the highest form of political authority, and power streams from the people to those in power, and that is what the senate demonstrated through its lessons on therapeutic or corrective democracy for the presidency and the judiciary. Lets hope that the legislature, especially the senate, will stop being wishy-washy on important democratic and national matters and, in a healthy manner, pushback on overreaching presidents and overactive judges. On a sympathetic note, the senate under lawan, should know that many advanced democracies actually feel sorry for Nigeria because it is dealing with so many problems at the same time, from upheaval to abduction, to a worsening security situation, and it does not have a large-scale police force for a country of this size, so let state police become a reality in your time.

John Egbeazien Oshodi, who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult/child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional, and Career Development. He is a former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African Settings In 2011, he introduced State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and Nasarawa State University, where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. Currently, a Virtual Behavioral Leadership Professor at ISCOM University, Republic of Benin. Founder of the proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien Open University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, and Openness. Over forty academic publications and creations, at least 200 public opinion pieces on African issues, and various books have been written by him. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues.

Prof. Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]
In Nigeria, Sharia, or Islamic law, has long been instituted as part of the 1999 Nigerian constitution, allowing twelve out of thirty-six states to have Islam as the dominant religion and Sharia courts as well as customary courts.

One of the twelve states is Yobe, the home of Usman Alkali-Baba, the Inspector General of Police (IGP). Baba's current implementation of the Islamic dress code for female police officers in the country follows logically from the observance of the dress code as required by Islam.

Some months ago, Hajia Hajara Usman Baba, the wife of the Inspector-General of Police, Baba, announced the need to ban the sale of beer parlours in police barracks, which is akin to the Hisbah religious police in Northern Nigeria that prohibits the sale and consumption of alcohol in a predominantly Muslim region.

While Nigeria appears to be a secular nation with a constitution that is mixed with European, American, and Arabic like elements, for Baba, it is a breach of Islam's strict dress code if policewomen of Islamic faith do not wear earrings, hijab, or head scarves under their berets. He is actually correct by global standards.

Baba, inadvertently or unintentionally, has regionalized the police, at least symbolically, a blessing in disguise for the likes of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, who has restated over and over the need for state police in the country. Babas moves point to the scientific fact that a police system that reflects the regional and cultural characteristics of the wider society could better match the needs of the people in the region in terms of managing law and order and influencing law enforcement.

The Nigeria Police Force, which was fully initiated in 1930 by the British colonial masters to quote Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, laid faulty foundations, including our public institutions, as it did not fully take into consideration the marked difference in culture, land tenure systems, local government administration, education, and justice systems. Thanking Baba is the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), which has been demanding the use of hijab in the security and uniformed agencies for years.

As long as these major cultural differences exist, marked by regionalism, acts like that of Baba, will be seen as prejudicial. That is why a southern Christian former Deputy Inspector General of Police, Parry Osayande, has faulted Baba's approval of hijab for female police officers. Along the same line of concern is Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, who sees Baba as using his office to allegedly enforce his religion under any guise. Adegboruwa states that Babas actions run contrary to the 1999 constitution that purports to be neutral in religious matters. Not true.

Nigerians, in general, are in denial about their country's divisions, challenges, and troubled history. The truth be told, Nigeria functions under a sort of muddled constitution. As such, I suggest that regional and state policing take full force in the future.

That will allow the Muslim mode of dressing for the Northern Police, while in the non-northern states, which are mostly secular and Christian-oriented, the police will dress in their own distinctive colours, which are historically marked with European-American styles.

If anyone asks Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and President Muhammadu Buhari if the current Nigerian government believes that the constitution allows Muslim women to wear hijab in line with the teachings of their faith, the answer will likely be yes.

Baba has some months to leave office and he may be incorrect to explicitly introduce an Islamic type of dress without the blessing of any legislative laws or police supervising authorities, especially when Nigeria is still not a fully Islamic country. Inadvertently, he has set the stage for the incoming presidency and governors to institute a state police system as it is critical to the immediate needs of different localities of the country.

John Egbeazien Oshodi, who was born in Uromi, Edo State in Nigeria, is an American based Police/Prison Scientist and Forensic/Clinical/Legal Psychologist. A government consultant on matters of forensic-clinical adult/child psychological services in the USA; Chief Educator and Clinician at the Transatlantic Enrichment and Refresher Institute, an Online Lifelong Center for Personal, Professional, and Career Development. He is a former Interim Associate Dean/Assistant Professor at Broward College, Florida. The Founder of the Dr. John Egbeazien Oshodi Foundation, Center for Psychological Health and Behavioral Change in African Settings In 2011, he introduced State-of-the-Art Forensic Psychology into Nigeria through N.U.C and Nasarawa State University, where he served in the Department of Psychology as an Associate Professor. Currently, a Virtual Behavioral Leadership Professor at ISCOM University, Republic of Benin. Founder of the proposed Transatlantic Egbeazien Open University (TEU) of Values and Ethics, a digital project of Truth, Ethics, and Openness. Over forty academic publications and creations, at least 200 public opinion pieces on African issues, and various books have been written by him. He specializes in psycho-prescriptive writings regarding African institutional and governance issues.

Prof. Oshodi wrote in via [email protected]
It was Alexander Hamilton who observed in the Federalist papers number 78, that the Judiciary is by far the weakest of the three arms of government. This is because it has neither the "Sword" of the executive, which is commander in chief of the nation's armed forces, nor the "Purse" of the legislature that approves all the tax and spending measures of the country. In short, Hamilton concluded that the Judiciary has "neither FORCE nor WILL but merely judgment."

Apparently, the judiciary is often exploited by the Executive arm of government. Perhaps, this administrative raid and rape of the Judiciary by the Executive organ of government has been due to the formers desperation in search of the "Purse".

Little did the Judiciary know the nation's "wallet" literally belongs to the branch of government it's attacking with its mere judgements": the Legislature.

Indeed, when money speaks, humanity (truth, justice, morals) stays aside. And the Executive really has the power to influence the mere judgements of the Judiciary.

Is it not interesting that of all seven justices of the Supreme court, nobody had a different opinion? Whats the essence of their different composition then?

It is not a surprise.

With five million bribe scandal hanging around the neck of the Boss of the highest court of the land, the Chief Justice, one should Ghanaians have expected from the apex court of the land? The general body language of the Supreme court under President Akufo Addo has not been impressive. And it is tempting to advocate the consignment of the entire judicial system into the dumpster of animus furandi.

It is said, anonymously, that when a public official is caught of corruption in China, he's hanged; in Japan, he's killed, in the West, he's imprisoned; but in Africa (Ghana), he stands for next election.

Who knows, maybe the Chief Justice is prepared to throw his hat into the ring for the 2024 presidential election with five million dollars corruption scandal. The current circumstances of financial malfeasances, sleazes, bribery and corruption that have hit the land's highest court should have been enough for Ghanaians to boycott whatever judgement they might have ruled on.

But the Judiciary still has the effrontery to go beyond what is even expected into the bizarre and absurdity of poking its corrupt nose in the affairs of lawmakers.

The highest court did not only just get it wrong in disregarding the rot levelled against it to spotlighting itself in a dicey situation like this, it violated the timeless political doctrines and principles of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances, which advocate the keeping out of one branch of government's "mouth" from the internal affairs of the other, and to moderately ensure no branch becomes abusive of their powers, respectively.

In his Federalist Papers Number 51, as one of the founding fathers of the USA, James Madison observes that "if angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls on government would be necessary."

He lamented however that, "in framing a government which is to be administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in first of all enabling the government to control the governed; and then the government's control of itself."

This was how the principles of Checks and Balances as well as the political doctrine of Separation of Powers came about which were mainly midwifed by the emergence of the American Constitution. Up until today, various democracies have adopted those principles in their governance processes.

The second aspect of James Madison's principle (Checks and Balances) in respect to government having to control itself has been the greatest challenge in running any country since the time of James Madison in 1788.

In our local street parlance we say one should not bite the finger that feeds them. And so long as the duties and roles of the three arms of government are intertwined in some way, which allows other organs to be more influential than their peers, there will always be problems.

The principle of Checks and Balances states that powers of all the three arms of government (the executive, the legislature, and the judiciary) should be checked by one another so as to avoid abuse of powers by any of them. The target of this principle is often the executive arm which normally becomes more powerful than the other two arms. It is due to this administrative wisdom why the Chief Justice is appointed by the President and the former is allowed to swear in the president. In this vein, the legislature enacts the laws, the judiciary interprets the laws and the executive implements them; Members of parliament approving the budget of the executive and the executive assents the enactments of the legislature into laws.

This administrative relationship and arrangement governed by the principle of Checks and Balances is to ensure all arms of government, presumed to be equal in powers, operate within parameters in respect of the powers allocated to each of them in the carrying out of the governmental affairs of the state by the constitution.

However, when one branch of government plays smart over the other, and usually it's the executive arm that outsmarts the rest, especially the judiciary, this noble principle of government assumes a dimension detrimental to effective governance. Just as it is happening in our country between the legislature on one hand against the Judiciary plus the executive branches on the other.

Obviously, with "tight parliament" where there's no majority or minority between government and opposition, the former now turns to the Judiciary to abuse its powers.

It is in this same line of argument the principle of separation of powers was coined to ensure that what is happening currently doesn't occur in administering the state: interference by other organs of government.

As a result, in an apparent contrast to the principle of Checks and Balances, the doctrine of Separation of Powers (SoP) was propounded as a political dogma to curb incessant interference by each of the branches of government. SoP states that all the three arms of government shall have their political roles and activities kept distinct and separated subject to the delineation by the constitution.

It is why Parliament has its Standing Orders to go by its affairs in the Chamber; the executive with its "executive orders" and the judiciary's judicial conduct or ethics. All this rules are subject to the approval of the supreme law of the land.

The 1992 Constitution of Ghana has authorized the House of Parliament to enact their own rules for their operation in Article 110. Whether some of these rules may be consistent or otherwise with the main constitution that might deserve interpretation by the Judiciary without amounting to violation of principle of Separation of Powers is another matter. And in any case, does the judiciary allow to poke its interpretational nose into what is legitimate for parliament granted it by the Constitution if parliament is supposed to be autonomous?

It is true that deputy Speakers vote according to the constitution but the constitution does not specify whether when they are deputizing the Speaker while in the seat of the Speaker or while in their respective seats as Members of Parliament.

To deputize the Speaker here means the person assumes the role of the Speaker. And the main role of the Speaker in the House is to preside over the affairs of the House impartially. So once you agree to assist the Speaker, you must prepare to assume his role including neutrality while in his seat. Hence, its a slap on the face of the constitution to step in the shoes of the Speaker without neutrality.

I do not blame the justices who ruled out this jungle justice in their rather interpretational storm. With the president as their greatest beneficiaries who has appointed virtually all current Supreme court judges that overhauled our justice system, Ghanaians could not have expected anything more than this "yes sir" ruling from an already corrupt bench!

Thus, the Judiciary is hiding behind the principle of Checks and Balances to rather pursue "Cheque and Balance us" from the executive arm of government.

The judgement was jaundiced by stomach interpretation.

But you see, a "banana republic" by extension is not only when laws of the land are suspended due to military intervention in governance processes or the advent of dictatorial tendency, a state equally can be rendered a "banana republic" and even becomes a "plantain republic", if there's a constant circumvention of the law by its interpreters. Overthrowing of the constitution does not only limited to the barrel of a gun, miscarriage of justice and misapplication of the law like this could resort to what some observers call judicial coup d'etat of parliament, and perhaps the state at large.

It is therefore hypocritical on the part of the president to hate military intervention in the country but at the same time he himself is suggesting that the Judiciary can "overthrow" the House of Parliament by trying to interpret their standing orders the Constitution grants them the liberty to operate with.

Yes, no law shall be above the constitution. But the constitution greenlights parliament to enact rules of procedure in the Chamber. And do not contradict Articles 96, 102, 104, that grants MPs the right to vote. To every law there's an exception. Yes, the constitution grants members of parliament the right to vote in representing their people but once you accept to steer the affairs of the House as the Speaker, you must know what to tell your constituents if you didn't get to participate in voting as the "Referee" of the day.

Moreover, it is worthy of note that accepting to assist with the Speakership is additional duty to the House, the constituents and the state at large. Anybody occupying that seat must operate according to its principle of neutrality.

The descriptions of both the former President John Dramani Mahama and the Speaker, Rt. Hon. Alban Bagbin of the comments made by the President on the matter as absurd and myopic and unfortunate, respectively, were the least they could say.

I am particularly happy that many Ghanaians are thinking now. And there has been NPP apostasy by members in the Ashanti Region currently. People are abandoning the party.

Ghana shall never be anybodys personal fiefdom no matter the number of Supreme court judges you appoint as president.
Kikikikikiki, filla no get legs ibi okro mouth dey carry am. I have already told you that anytime I start my write-up with "kikikikikiki" it means matter dey; hmmm, filla dey paa. Before I tell you what the filla is, permit me to tell you one of my favourite stories. I have used it over and over, but I still think it's relevant to this story.

Somewhere in the 70's, there was a popular highlife tune by AB Crentsil called "Atia". I must say "Atia" is indisputably an all-time hit. The lyrics of the song made fun of our brothers and sisters from the north. AB Crentsil in the song, narrated the story of a young man by name Atia who travelled from Bolga to Kumasi to seek greener pastures, but instead of him sticking to dog meat and pito which are favourites of our friends from the north, drank apketeshie to death.

The people of the north were irked by AB's song and decided to teach him some lessons. AB was on a nation-wide musical tour, and the people of Bolga waited patiently till it got to their turn; and the organisers had a windfall - the Catering Rest House where the event took place was fully packed. Uncle AB played songs upon songs without playing "Atia" because an informant had hinted him that the people had planned to beat him up if he played that tune.

The show was coming to an end and still "Atia" had not been played. AB handed his microphone over to one of his boys to continue with the show while he took a rest backstage. An angry youth approached him and whispered to him in imperfect twi, "AB, whether you play Atia or not, ye be fii wo."

Not too long ago, at Fomena in the Ashanti Region, angry NPP supporters painted their party office with NDC colours and decorated it with posters of former President John Mahama, the 2020 flag-bearer of the NDC .

Around the same time, Hon. Atta Akyea's constituents chase him out of town over failed promises.

At Ejisu, supporters of the NPP were up in arms against their MP, Hon. John Kumah

Hon. Gifty Ohene-Konadu the Member of Parliament for Asante-Akim South constituency of the Ashanti Region had her fair share. She was hooted at.

Within the same week, Subin NPP office was locked up by irates members of the party. They cited unfairness in polling station elections.

It is also alleged by some aggrieved members of the NPP that polling station elections in some constituencies secretly took place as early as 4 a.m.

What makes it very serious is that the fire is burning from the bottom (grassroots) not the top(Kwame Pianims, Nyaho Tamakloes, Afokos, Crabbes) etc.

It will be interesting to note that most of these problems are emanating from the Ashanti Region which is NPP's stronghold. As I was wondering how this inferno at the grassroots could be extinguished, one of the aggrieved party activists whispered to me that it is the turn of Allan to lead their party, and anything short of that will escalate the fire. I said, chai, ayeka!

I spoke to some NPP members from the North and the Zongos and they told me that, no Bawu, no vote in 2024. I said, Aba Kade!

As it stands now, I see the NPP in a similar quagmire as AB Crentsil, whether Allan or Bawu is presented as the flag-bearer for the 2024 presidential election, yebe fii NPP.

Anthony Obeng Afrane
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- China's express and delivery sector is expected to see faster consolidation via mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in the next few years, according to a report from Fitch Ratings.

Since 2021, the country has seen a string of M&A deals including JD Logistics, Inc. and S.F. Holding Co., Ltd. that have reportedly completed acquisitions, respectively, the report said.

"Competition will likely continue to be intense in the medium term," the report said, noting that the major operators expand capacity aggressively to achieve economies of scale and higher market shares.

Fitch expects consolidation to continue in the next few years, with major operators acquiring smaller peers or even peers of similar size, especially targets with similar business models or where acquisition will yield synergies.

According to the State Post Bureau, total revenue of the express and delivery sector will grow by 11 percent year on year to reach 1.4 trillion yuan (about 219.6 billion U.S. dollars) this year. 
The Danquah Institute has urged Ghanaians to desist from scandalizing the Judiciary over the Supreme Court ruling on the Deputy Speakers Right to vote.

A seven-member panel of the Supreme Court on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, unanimously held that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution, a Deputy Speaker who happens to be a Member of Parliament does not lose his right to take part in decision making in Parliament when sitting in for the Speaker of the House.

Since the ruling, the Supreme Court has come under criticisms with several members of the National Democratic Congress including former President John Dramani Mahama describing the apex Court ruling as an absurdity.

In a statement, the Danquah Institute is urging critics to avoid scandalizing the sanctity of the Judiciary.

The Danquah Institute has noted with great concern the disturbing comments made by a section of Ghanaians following the supreme courts ruling on the constitutionality of voting rights for deputy speakers of parliament whilst presiding.

The Institute wishes to state that in as much as we recognize the right of individuals to constructive criticisms and intellectual debates, it is our respected view that all of such should be made with decorum and respect and devoid of scandalizing the sanctity of the very arm of Government (Judiciary) that serves as the resort for people seeking justice, parts of the Danquah Institute statement reads.

The Institute added that although Parliament has been empowered to regulate its own affairs, is not sovereign and must in the performance of its functions and exercise of its powers, conform to the dictates of the 1992 Constitution.

The Danquah Institute respectfully urges all Politicians regardless of their personal interest to uphold Ghanas Constitution, its institutions and the Rule of Law at all times, the statement concludes.

Read the full statement from the Danquah Institute below:

Danquah Institute on Voting Rights for Deputy Speakers and condemnation of statements made by some persons on the ruling of the Supreme Court

The Danquah Institute has noted with great concern the disturbing comments made by a section of Ghanaians following the supreme courts ruling on the constitutionality of voting rights for deputy speakers of parliament whilst presiding. The Institute wishes to state that in as much as we recognize the right of individuals to constructive criticisms and intellectual debates, it is our respected view that all of such should be made with decorum and respect and devoid of scandalizing the sanctity of the very arm of Government (Judiciary) that serves as the resort for people seeking justice.

It will interest all to note that Ghana is a country of laws, and the supreme law of Ghana is the 1992 Constitution which ushered in our current Fourth Republic. Article 1(2) of the Constitution therefore provides that This Constitution shall be the supreme law of Ghana and any other law found to be inconsistent with any provision of this Constitution shall, to the extent of the inconsistency, be void. A cursory reading of Article 11 of the Constitution indicates that the laws of Ghana comprise the Constitution, enactments made by or under the authority of Parliament, Orders, Rules and Regulations, the existing law and the common law. The Constitution is therefore at the summit of the laws of Ghana, and there can be no dispute about this.

Our Constitution also clearly establishes three branches of government and provides them with specific powers and functions. Thus, executive authority is vested in the President under Article 58(1); legislative authority is vested in the Legislature under Article 93(2); and judicial power is vested in the Judiciary under Article 125(3).

In particular respect to the functioning of the Legislature/Parliament, Article 110 of the Constitution (captioned Standing Orders of Parliament) clearly stipulates in 110(1) that Subject to the provisions of this Constitution, Parliament may, by standing orders, regulate its own procedure.

We must also note that, just as the Constitution grants legislative power to Parliament under

Article 93(2) and further empowers Parliament to regulate its own procedure under Article 110(1), the Constitution also subjects Parliaments general legislative power and the power to regulate its own procedures to the Constitution. What this means is that, Ghanas Parliament is not sovereign and must thus in the performance of its functions and exercise of its powers, conform to the dictates of the 1992 Constitution.

It is not for nothing that the framers of our Constitution thought it wise to include Article 2 which deals with the enforcement of the Constitution. For the avoidance of doubt, Article 2(1) provides that: A person who alleges that  (a) an enactment or anything contained in or done, under the authority of that or any other enactment; or (b) any act or omission of any person; is inconsistent with, or is in contravention of a provision of this Constitution, may bring an action in the Supreme Court for a declaration to that effect. The Supreme Court is thus empowered to make orders and give such directions as it may consider appropriate for giving effect, or enabling effect to be given to any declaration they make.

This is the reason why all laws subsidiary to the Constitution can be challenged for unconstitutionality, and even acts or omissions of any person, including the President, Vice President, Speaker of Parliament and even the Chief Justice can also be challenged for unconstitutionality.

What dangerous precedent of judicial interference in Parliamentary procedure for the future is His Excellency John Mahama therefore referencing? What travesty of parliamentary justice is Honourable Haruna Iddrisu also referencing? Are they suggesting that Parliaments prerogative to regulate its own procedure under Article 110(1) of the Constitution has no limits? Does Article 110(1) not expressly state that Parliaments power to regulate its own procedure is subject to the provisions of this Constitution? Is Article 2(1) of the Constitution which makes it possible to challenge enactments of Parliament etc., not a provision of the Constitution?

The Supreme Court of Ghana has ruled that Standing Order 109(3) of the Standing Orders of Parliament, which was made pursuant to Article 110(1) of the 1992 Constitution, and which provides that a Deputy Speaker or any other person presiding shall not retain his original vote while presiding, is unconstitutional. The full judgment has been made available and we call on all to peruse the judgment to appreciate the rationale for the decision to declare Standing Order 109(3) of the Standing Orders of Parliament unconstitutional. We sincerely believe that Ghanaians must be made to understand that no one branch of government under our Constitution (including Parliament) is a law unto its own self. Rather, all are subject to the provisions of the Constitution as has been outlined above.

The Danquah Institute respectfully urges all Politicians regardless of their personal interest to uphold Ghanas Constitution, its institutions and the Rule of Law at all times.
Chad's military government and dozens of opposition groups started peace talks on Sunday in Qatar as a first step towards ending a rebellion and holding elections.

But after opening speeches, in which the country's prime minister and the head of the African Union Commission called for concessions, the talks were suspended for 48 hours because of a dispute over the format, opposition groups said.

The landlocked African nation was thrown into turmoil by the killing of longtime leader Idriss Deby Itno in a battle with rebels last April.

His son, Mahamat Idriss Deby Itno, seized control at the head of a military council but has promised free elections this year.

The process risks being protracted and complicated.

Some 44 armed rebel and opposition groups were invited to the Doha meeting. Some were missing at the opening, which had already been delayed from February 27.

The difficulties were highlighted when the leading opposition Front for Change and Concord in Chad (FACT) and several of its allies refused to start official talks after the opening speeches.

FACT spokesperson Issa Ahmat told AFP the opposition did not want direct contact with government representatives and was demanding Qatar act as a mediator.

Talks or 'suicide'

Other opposition officials said Qatar had proposed setting up a committee for the talks, with each side nominating 10 representatives.

The talks were suspended to see if the committee could be formed, they said.

Diplomats said the Doha talks could take weeks and that a planned "national dialogue" due to start on May 10 may have to be delayed.

Under the plan of Deby, a 38-year-old army general, the dialogue would be a prelude to agreeing a new constitution and then holding elections.

Chad, with its constellation of ethnic groups and armed outfits, has had a long history of volatility since gaining independence from France in 1960. Tens of thousands have died in various conflicts.

The elder Deby came to power at the head of a rebel force in 1990. Twice, he needed French military support to head off rebellions against his rule.

"The situation in Chad is very serious, we have to deliver this," the African Union's Moussa Faki said in his address to the government and armed groups.

Prime Minister Albert Pahimi Padacke said Chad had to get away from its violent history and "go forward and not head back in a suicidal walk on our wounds.

"Reconciliation and a spirit of tolerance must win over revenge and anger."

He also said success in the talks would help stabilise the whole Sahel region, where radical Islamist groups have staged regular attacks.

Libya's Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush said the peace process would be crucial to improving stability and helping "fight terrorism" in the Sahel.

But the opposition groups said the government had to show more signs that it was sincere about holding elections. As a condition for the Doha talks, the rebels called for a general amnesty and the release of "prisoners of war".

The military government says it has released hundreds of prisoners and amnestied several prominent leaders.

However, it has so far excluded FACT -- the Libya-based group that launched the offensive in which Idriss Deby Itno was killed.
Executive Director of the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, Prof. H. Kwasi Prempeh, has said Deputy Speakers of Parliament, who are themselves Members of Parliament, cannot be denied their right to vote even as if they preside over the business of the house.

In a unanimous decision on Wednesday, 9 March 2022, the apex court of seven Justices presided over by Jones Dotse held that upon a true and proper interpretation of Article 103 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution, a Deputy Speaker, who is a Member of Parliament, does not lose his right to take part in decision-making in parliament.

The decision comes after a lawyer, who is also a law lecturer, Justice Abdulai, petitioned the court to declare as unconstitutional, First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusus action of counting himself as one of the MPs on the floor even while presiding over the proceedings of the house in relation to the formation of a quorum for the passage of the 2022 budget which had earlier been rejected and thrown out by the minority side.

Justice Abdulai was of the view that once a deputy speaker, who is an MP presides in the stead of the Speaker, he loses his right to vote.

The Supreme Courts ruling effectively means either of the two deputy Speakers can vote while presiding over the house.

In an article on Facebook about the ruling of the Supreme Court, Prof Prempeh argued: Presiding does not, in and of itself, present much of a conflict of interest to cause a Deputy Speaker to forfeit their vote, especially if he or she were to be required by House rules to vote last or cast a vote only when there's a tie.

Read Prof H Kwasi Prempehs full article below:

I am a huge advocate of a strong Parliament as a counterweight to our imperial Executive. That is why I find practices like Government appointing MPs to boards of state enterprises and regulatory bodies repugnant. This case involving the voting rights of a presiding Deputy Speaker is, however, not about Executive-Parliament relations. It is about how the business of the House must be conducted, having regard to the Constitution. In that regard, it is also implicitly about the appropriate balance of power between the Court (as ultimate arbiter of constitutionality) and Parliament (as master of its own rules).

I have read the published judgement of the Supreme Court in Abdulai v Attorney-General. As the matter involved or implicated directly certain rules of the House and ruling of the Speaker, I was expecting to see more than just a private plaintiff and the Attorney-General as the parties represented in this case. Specifically, I had expected to see separate representation of the Speaker in this case. Anyway, we shall save that discussion for another day.

Having read the Court's judgement, it is, in my "not-so-humble opinion", to borrow the words of my good pal Amos, a simple, straightforward, clear, and correct decision as a matter of constitutional interpretation and analysis. The Court's judgement is faithful to the text and structure of the Constitution, as it is to the discernible intent behind the relevant provisions, as well as in harmony with sound reason and comparative practice in parliamentary democracies.

Moreover, it is devoid of any trace of judicial activism and avoids needless detour into a brand of "purposive interpretation" that is unwarranted. This is not a case of judges displacing what the constitution says and substituting that with their own preferences; it is a case of the court sticking to the text and meaning of the constitution and giving due primacy to the fundamental principle of equal representation (voting rights) in a democratic legislature.

And no, the Court's judgment or interpretive approach, in this case, cannot be called literal. The Court's interpretation is appropriately textual; it is not literal. Textualism is not the same as literalism. Textual interpretation includes, where the text doesn't resolve the matter plainly or literally, employing legitimate tools and canons of interpretation to tease out the purposes and meaning behind the text. That's what the Court did in this case. And that is all it needed to do to resolve the matter. In short, this is a constitutionally correct decision, no matter what one might feel about the outcome politically.

First, it is important to state that, the longevity of a practice does not cloak that practice with constitutionality. No matter how longstanding a practice, its constitutionality cannot be established or presumed until and unless it is challenged in an appropriate constitutional case. Thus, the fact that this is how Parliament has done its business all this while is not a good enough argument, constitutionally speaking. Constitutions are not self-reinforcing. Until the Court's jurisdiction to interpret, apply and enforce specific provisions of the constitution has been properly invoked in a particular dispute, the constitution will continue to lie dormant in the face of an unconstitutional act or practice.

Second, I think that in this particular case, we exaggerate the powers of a presiding Deputy Speaker when it comes to voting in Parliament. Like the Speaker, a presiding Deputy Speaker cannot disenfranchise any MP. If you believe, for example, that a presiding Deputy Speaker has not called a voice vote correctly, you can call for a proper count. Presiding does not, in and of itself, present much of a conflict of interest to cause a Deputy Speaker to forfeit their vote, especially if he or she were to be required by House rules to vote last or cast a vote only when there's a tie.

Third, if we do not want presiding Deputy Speakers to vote, the solution is simple: Don't let them be MPs. Make them like the Speaker; not an MP and, therefore, not entitled to vote. The Speaker does not vote, not because he presides over proceedings of the House; he does not vote because he is not a Member of Parliament. So long as presiding Deputy Speakers are, first and foremost, MPs elected to represent communities of voters in Parliament, Parliament cannot reasonably deprive them (and, for that matter, their constituents) of their right to vote merely by virtue of the fact of presiding over a sitting of Parliament.

Indeed, the inherent right of an MP to vote is too deeply fundamental that to cause any MP, including a presiding member, to forfeit it would require an express constitutional provision of the kind found in article 104(5). An MP's fundamental right to vote, which is the very essence of representation in a democratic legislative assembly, cannot be defeated or overridden by mere implication or argumentation.

In any case, there's nothing really wrong with both Deputy Speakers being MPs and retaining their vote when they preside. This is why we must take the Constitution seriously when it says that the 1st and 2nd Deputy Speakers must come from different parties. That way, the rival parties in Parliament will each have one Deputy Speaker and both of them get to vote when one presides.

Regrettably, this sensible "bipartisan" arrangement has not been followed in good faith in the 8th Parliament. We currently have two Deputy Speakers, both of whom are, de facto, from the same side of the partisan divide in Parliament. That is part of the politics surrounding this case. Na who cause am?

Just because the candidate of the Minority prevailed over the candidate of Government in the contest for Speaker of this 8th Parliament did not require the Minority to cede the 2nd Deputy Speakership to an MP who was going to caucus with the Majority. If Majority and Minority had one Deputy Speaker each, as the Constitution, properly read, contemplates in a two-party Parliament, we might be spared some of the heat in this debate.

Lastly, what is also fuelling the disputation over this case is the fact that the Speaker and the 1st Deputy Speaker had different interpretations or positions on the quorum and voting rules, and now the Court has weighed in on the side of the 1st Deputy Speaker. Surely not an outcome that makes for good rapport between Speaker and 1st Deputy. With that in mind, I would have given Parliament, and for that matter the Speaker, the opportunity to apply the House's own internal procedures (Standing Orders) to cause the Speaker to reconsider and correct its earlier ruling or position on this question in accordance with the Court's decision on the merits. Seems trivial or just a matter of form and appearance over substance, yes, but in these matters, form and appearances matter. The authority and dignity of the Speaker's office in the conduct of the business of the House is worth preserving.

All in all, a correct constitutional decision, albeit politically messy and unpleasant within the context of the circumstances of the 8th Parliament. Still, not such a big deal. Let's move on.

Source: Classfmonline.com
Togbe Afede XIV, Agbogbomefia of Asogli State, has called on feuding factions within the Ho Zongo community to adhere to the judgment of the National Chief Imam.

The community has been thrown into a leadership crisis, resulting in the lockdown of the Ho Central Mosque by the Municipal Security Council.

Togbe Afede, at a meeting with the two factions seeking political and spiritual leadership positions of the Zongo Community, said the decision of the chief Imam, which settled on one Alhaji Muniru as Regional Imam with Alhaji Alpha Anas, the acting Imam, as his deputy, should be upheld in the interest of peace.

He also called on them to maintain allegiance to the traditional leader known by the people and that the authority of the Chief Imam should be accorded the needed recognition.

The National Chief Imam's decision should be accepted by all. So I will plead with you, that you have one Sariki Zongo and one Regional Imam. Help them to deliver their duties and lets develop Ho and let us all be happy.

Who can arbitrate this matter aside the Chief Imam? Let us live in peace. All these disagreements don't secure development. A good leader seeks community development, the welfare of his people, and peace, the Agbogbomefia stated.

Present at the meeting were various traditional leaders of the Zongo community, opinion and youth leaders, as well as executives and some members of the Islamic Council.

The Agbogbomefia was in the company of some chiefs of the Asogli State and Mr Divine Bosson, Ho Municipal Chief Executive.

Togbe Afede asked the factions to consider the leadership position beyond the title and focus on the concerns of the people.

This is no time for war. What we should war must be against poverty and disease, he said and called on youth of the Zongo Community to support leaders who seek truth and development.

Togbe Afede also condemned the controversy surrounding the Ho Central Mosque, which remained closed for the past one year and was the site of near bloody clashes.

The Agbogbomefia charged both sides to consider the toll on the religions culture of the entire community, saying the Asogli State would be forced to intervene if the agitations did not abate.

Meanwhile, the faction faithful to Alhaji Alpha Anas held a press conference moments after the meeting with the Agbogbomefia and alleged that the Asogli State had influenced the decision of the Chief Imam through their emissaries.

GNA
A Ghanaian soldier who fought in the World War II, Ex-Lance Corporal Wisdom Edmund Kudowor, has observed that the current Ghana Army lacks discipline.

According to him, this is the only thing that is missing in the modern-day Ghana army as compared to his days during the British colonial rule.

Sharing his life experience on Accra-based Asaase Radio on Sunday March 13, he said, while doing the comparison, that I must say there is no difference except that what we did was done during the war time.

That was war time soldiering, the current one is peace time soldiering. It is more of developing rather than fighting as a soldier on a battle field.

This time, we are being controlled by Ghanaians, the army is being controlled by Ghanaian Army officers. But our time, we were under the British, we were being controlled by a military officer from Britain and so, we had to go strictly according to the rules of Britain and that brought about the difference. This time, we have to obey our own people, the other time we were obeying the British.

Asked whether he thinks the discipline in the army during his days is the same presently, Ex-Lance Corporal Kudowor said The only thing about the present day army is that something is missing and that is discipline.

Sometimes, you find them very well dressed and disciplined on parade, yes, but discipline outside parade, I am afraid it is missing.

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March 13, 2022 Ukraine Open Thread 2022-26 Only news & views related to the Ukraine conflict ... Posted by b on March 13, 2022 at 15:24 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
TEHRAN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran has "temporarily" suspended normalization talks with Saudi Arabia, Iran's Press TV reported on Sunday.

The Iranian side has "unilaterally and temporarily" suspended the talks which was slated to be held in Iraq next week, according to the report.

The report did not specify the reason for the pause or a date for resuming the negotiations.

Following several rounds of talks brokered by Iraq, Iran sent three diplomats to Saudi Arabia in January as a delegation to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to resume their activities in Jeddah after a six-year hiatus.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in protest against the attacks on Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran after the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric. 
As calls mount for U.S. operators to step in and increase oil and natural gas production to lower prices and replace the production coming out of Russia, some analysts point out that may be easier said than done.

Were seeing a lot of growth in U.S. demand compared to prior cycles, Rob Clarke, vice president, upstream research at Wood Mackenzie told the Reporter-Telegram in a telephone interview. Were not seeing the same supply response. Its not growing fast enough to keep pace with demand.

Pablo Prudencio, senior research analyst, U.S. Lower 48 Supply, with Wood Mackenzie, said the research firm has looked at future production trends for the Permian Basin and has broken operators down into three groups. In the last year, he said, those three groups have started to behave differently.

The majors, like Chevron and ExxonMobil, have announced plans to ramp up activity levels in the Permian Basin and are planning for significant growth.

The public independents, he said, have released their capital spending plans for the year and, overall, intend to continue their focus on capital discipline. They havent offered guidance toward very high levels of growth, he said.

The private companies have grown rapidly the last few years, Prudencio said, but only control a small slice of the pie.

Alongside these varying growth plans, he said there are other reasons domestic output cant grow significantly this year. One reason is that the recent excess inventory of DUCs  Drilled Uncompleted Wells  has been either exhausted or is back to normal levels.

Secondly, the service sector is seeing major constraints with a tight labor market, trucking issues and supply chain issues. That, Prudencio said, will make it difficult for service companies to step up their activity levels beyond a gradual increase.

And third, he said, is the capital discipline from public independents.

They see their new style of operating model is working, he said. Its bringing back investors, theyre paying down debt, theyre paying out dividends. Those changes need to stick and there needs to be an element of duration.

Operators are also constrained in the number of drilling rigs they could add, said Clarke, saying those operators running around 15 rigs or more could only add one or two additional rigs. Another concern, he said, is putting back to work older rigs that had been idled, that have more emissions than newer rigs. Emissions are now part of the calculus.

Clarke, who recently moderated a panel discussion on energy issues on behalf of Texas Christian University, said it was interesting to hear that the speakers, representing both small and large companies, discussed having similar challenges.

The Permian is growing and will continue to grow, Clarke said. It is growing at a rate the market has asked it to grow.
Permian Basin oil and gas operators have teamed up with the Railroad Commission in crafting a plan to address the growing rate and intensity of seismicity in the region.

The first of its kind operator-led response plan is being implemented by the commission in its Northern Culberson-Reeves Seismic Response Area.

PBPA members have been hard at work for many months, along with the Railroad Commission, to develop the Northern Culberson Reeves SRA response plan, Ben Shepperd, president of the Permian Basin Petroleum Association, told the Reporter-Telegram by email. This program has broad industry support and was developed with the best scientific and engineering minds in the industry as well as the commission. The goal is to drastically reduce seismic activity in the area, and we believe this effort will be successful.

The plan has a goal of reducing the intensity and frequency of earthquakes, including eliminating 3.5-magnitude or greater earthquakes by the end of 2023.

Jason Jennaro, chief executive officer of Breakwater Energy Partners, noted to the Reporter-Telegram by email that the Northern Culberson-Reeves SRA rivals California in seismic activity and is far and away the most active area in Texas.

The Railroad Commission has led by taking collaborative, data-driven action to appreciably reduce water injection in this sensitive area, Jennaro wrote. Its never been more important for Texas to harvest its vast oil and gas resources. But its also vital that we do so sustainably with a comprehensive understanding of our impact on the people that live in the Permian Basin.

The response plan will affect 57 shallow saltwater disposal wells above the top of the Wolfcamp Shale and 31 deep disposal wells below the bottom of the Wolfcamp.

Under the plan, all shallow disposal wells within 4.5 kilometers of any 3.5-magnitude or greater earthquake in the SRA will reduce injection volumes to 10,000 barrels per day or less by Sept. 1. Those volumes could be 15,000 barrels a day if the operator adds a seismic monitoring station strategically placed on the property for use by the TexNet Seismic Monitoring Program. Those wells between 4.5 and 9.08 kilometers of such an earthquake will be allowed 20,000 barrels per day, 30,000 barrels a day with a seismic monitoring station. Any undrilled or uncompleted shallow disposal well within 9.08 kilometers of any 3.5 magnitude or greater earthquake in the SRA must give the commission a 30-day notice before drilling or completion operations can begin.

In deep disposal wells, all deep disposal wells in the SRA will reduce injection volume by 50 percent by June 30, 2023. Operators with multiple wells will be allowed to spread their reduction among all of their wells. Those with only one well will be allowed a maximum of 15,000 barrels per day before June 30, 2023. By June of this year, any inactive deep disposal well will either have its permit cancelled or the operator will apply for an amended permit for shallow disposal.

Operators will report daily injection data at the end of each month, which will be monitored by Railroad Commission staff, commission spokesman Andrew Keese told the Reporter-Telegram by email. If a disposal well exceeds voluntary limits, the commission may take additional measures, which can include action to suspend, modify or terminate permits, as needed, to address seismic activity.

In announcing the plan, Sean Avitt, manager of the commissions injection-storage permits unit, commented, Industry asked RRC to allow them to come up with a plan to address the issue. We provided extensive feedback to ensure the plan met our goals. Industry was able to produce a plan leveraging what they know about the area and their injection operations there. However, we made it clear if circumstances change, the commission may have to take further actions to reduce seismicity.

Keese said operators and the commission are in the process of developing a similar operator-led response plan to address seismicity issues in the Stanton SRA.
Muskogee, OK (74401)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 67F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected.
Komeito party leader Natsuo Yamaguchi attends a debate session with other leaders of Japan's main political parties, ahead of the Oct. 31, 2021 lower house election, at the Japan National Press Club in Tokyo, Japan on Oct. 18, 2021.
Two students look to become indigenous stewards of Micronesian history
Bob Chapek, the chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, speaks during the 10th anniversary ceremony of Hong Kong Disneyland in Hong Kong, Sept. 11, 2015.
Concerned Yigo, Guam resident Jeff Carandang, along with others in the community, are growing tired of the accumulation of dumped vehicles and trash in their neighborhood.
Woburn, MA (01801)

Today

Showers this morning becoming a steady light rain during the afternoon hours. High 54F. Winds light and variable. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 48F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
SANAA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Fighter jets of the Saudi-led coalition forces repelled on Sunday advances by the Houthi militia on two fronts in Yemen's oil-rich province of Marib, a Yemeni government military source told Xinhua.

The airstrikes targeted the Houthi combatants in the western district of Sirwah and southern district of Al-Jubah, just a few miles away from the government-controlled central city of Marib and adjacent Safer oil fields, according to the source.

"The strikes killed dozens and destroying several of their vehicles, forcing them (Houthis) to retreat," the source at the frontline said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the coalition said it launched 12 airstrikes on the Houthi militia in Marib in the past 24 hours, destroying eight vehicles and inflicting heavy casualties on the militants, the Saudi-owned Al-Arabiya TV reported.

Houthi media also reported the coalition airstrikes against Houthi fighters in Marib but did not provide details.

The Houthi rebels have recently lost several strategic districts in the oil-rich central-south province of Shabwa and the central province of Marib.

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 government army of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi out of the capital Sanaa. 
A home in a Carolina Forest neighborhood was heavily damaged after a fire broke out as police were responding to a barricaded wanted person.

The Horry County Police Department said the fire broke out at around 11:30 p.m. Saturday in the area of Redleaf Rose Drive in the Clear Pond neighborhood. Two other structures were damaged.

It happened nearly 12 hours after police were first called to the area earlier in the afternoon. Police also clarified on social media that the situation does not involve hostages.

The South Carolina Law Enforcement Division is now investigating the incident.

Read the full story from our news partner WMBF.
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Russia is caught up in a horrific war.

Russias military isnt nearly as tough as previously thought.

Russia suffers a major blow to its international prestige.

Ripped from todays headlines? Actually, they have nothing to do with Russias current invasion of Ukraine.

They were headlines all right  in 1905.

More than a century ago, Russias leaders made another big blunder. It cost tens of thousands of lives, altered the world power structure, and set in motion powerful forces still felt today.

This was what happened the last time Russia made a major military miscalculation:

As the 20th century dawned, generations of wars and incursions had made Imperial Russia a global colossus. Czar Nicholas II sat in his capital in St. Petersburg as absolute ruler of a country stretching from Eastern Europe across Asia to the Pacific Ocean. It was also a powerhouse on the world stage, with an army big enough to make sober nations think twice about facing it in battle.

But 1900s arrival coincided with one of those major shifts that happen every generation or so. Imperial Japan was starting to flex its newly acquired muscle just then. Long considered a backwater because of its self-imposed isolationism, Japan arrived late to the Industrial Revolution party and made up for lost time with a vengeance.

Japan set off down the long road toward becoming the undisputed Big Dog in Asia. At the same time, Russia also had expansionist aims there. And the two interests collided head-on at the Korean peninsula and in nearby Manchuria.

Theres a long backstory, but it essentially boiled down to this: Russias Pacific fleet was based at Vladivostok, which froze during winter. So, Russia leaned hard on Imperial China and forced it to lease the warm-water Port Arthur for its warships. Problem solved, right?

Not so fast. Japan had its own military plans in the region, and they didnt include the czars battleships prowling around. So Japan tried to cut a deal: It would be the dominant force in Korea, and Russia could do likewise in Manchuria.

But the czars diplomats said, No dice, believing they had the upper hand and didnt need to negotiate anything. Japan responded by launching a surprise attack (sound familiar?) on Port Arthur on Feb. 9, 1904. With that, the Russo-Japanese War was on.

To many observers, the conflict had a certain David versus Goliath quality. How could a small country like Japan expect to take on a superpower like Russia? There was also an undercurrent of racism at play; how could the physically smaller Japanese hope to defeat the hulking Slavs?

They did. Russia suffered a string of embarrassing military defeats. Japan pushed for an armistice early on but was rebuffed. Nicholas II was a proud man and did not want to lose standing in the eyes of his European rivals. At his insistence, the war dragged on. And on. The casualties kept mounting.

The climax came in 1905 when the Russian and Japanese navies faced off in the Battle of Tsushima. It was the first decisive sea battle fought by modern steel battleship fleets. It was the first in which radio played a major part. And when it was over, Russias fleet no longer existed. The Japanese had thoroughly destroyed it.

Nicholas then had no option left but to sue for peace.

President Theodore Roosevelt pounced at the opportunity and hosted negotiators from both sides in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, where they hammered out a treaty ending the bloodshed (and making Teddy the first U.S. president to win the Nobel Peace Prize).

The result: The balance of power had shifted. Japan emerged as a major player. Russia was exposed as a decaying relic from a dying era. Its military was still powerful, but not nearly as formidable as previously believed. The defeat also unleashed social forces inside Russia that sparked the Revolution of 1905, a forerunner of 1917s Russian Revolution and the eventual creation of the Soviet Union.

Fast-forward to 2022. History, they say, doesnt repeat itself; but it rhymes. It is becoming increasingly apparent Russian President Vladimir Putin made a host of equally serious miscalculations when he decided to send his army into neighboring Ukraine without cause or provocation.

Nicholas II had ample chances to stop the Russo-Japanese War before it turned into an utter debacle. For his military, for his nation, and ultimately for himself personally.

Let us hope Putin picks up a Russian history book before its too late.

For everyone.
As the pandemic wore on, Kayode Martin felt stuck.

Hed 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 need  housing help, groceries  and 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.

Weve 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 youre going through that for the first time  I dont 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 everywhere  schools, child care, travel, family reunions  COVID-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 housing  tangible needs  but 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 arent 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 youre 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 theyll be reaching out to.

When you meet someone whos more like you, and theyve walked this road of recovery, it also communicates hope, Liautaud said. Its personification of hope that this persons done it. This persons 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 youre in chaos or crisis, you dont 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 dont have trust, you dont have anything, Moore said. I said, OK yes, Im 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 shes 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 youre looking for work, while youre 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 citys 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 peoples ability to pay.

Employees know to look for signs of mental distress.

Someone might start talking to a case manager and say, Im really stressed about my relationship, or, I have trouble sleeping, Hull said. Or they may even come out and say, I need a therapist. Im depressed. 

Illinois faces crisis in shortage of behavioral health workers

But even if people want to help, they cant 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 theres nobody working there, its 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.

Its kind of like all the issues we saw before, but on steroids, Hull said. If you had anxiety before, your anxietys worse. If you had depression before, your depressions worse. Relationship issues, youre 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 dont 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 services  including psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers and professional counselors  in 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 youre having housing insecurity, Im pretty sure theres other things you need assistance with, Rehman said. You can imagine an individual whos 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. Its 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, its 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 theyve had trouble sleeping, that theyve 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 dont want to put a Band-Aid by saying, Heres 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.

Its a blessing, it really is, he said. A lot of people dont 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.

Theyre 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. Its 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 dont like the person? What if they cant 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 werent 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 dont need it that bad, we need to leave it for the other people who need it more than we do. 

She tells people its self care, its 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 whatevers 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 Im evolving now, he said.
BAGHDAD, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The Iraqi Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday summoned the Iranian ambassador to Iraq to protest against Iran's ballistic missile attack on Iraq's semi-autonomous Kurdish region's capital Erbil.

The attack has "caused damage to civilian facilities and homes of citizens, in addition to spreading fear among the residents of those areas," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry reiterated its "condemnation of the flagrant violation" of the sovereignty and territory of Iraq, stressing that such attacks will cast a shadow over the regional situation and make it more complicated.

The Kurdistan Regional Government has said 12 long-range ballistic missiles were fired at 1 a.m. local time on Sunday (2200 GMT Saturday) from the east outside Iraqi borders toward a new building of the U.S. consulate in Erbil and the surrounding residential areas, leaving one civilian injured.

The attack prompted the Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security to issue a statement demanding "frank and clear explanations" from the Iranian side.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) claimed earlier in the day a missile attack on an Israeli base in Erbil, saying the move came in response to an Israeli airstrike on Syria's capital Damascus on March 7, in which two IRGC officers were killed.

U.S. forces stationed at Erbil's international airport complex have come under rockets and booby-trapped drone attacks by unknown militias in the past. 
Yi-Chin Lee/Staff photographer

Friday night was a momentous occasion for Houston hip hop. For the first time, the rappers who made their name in this city were celebrated in front of a huge crowd at the city's biggest annual party - the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo. Houston showed up for the historic night, too, packing 73,257 people into NRG Stadium, making it the largest crowd of the rodeo so far this year.

It was a celebration for Bun B - who served not so much as a star of the show, but more of the master of ceremonies, thrilling the crowd with his music and the sounds of UGK, but also bringing out all of Houston's rap royalty - Slim Thug, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Lil Flip, Lil Keke, Z-Ro, ESG, Big Pokey, Devin the Dude, Willie D and Tobe Nwigwe - so they each could get their own shine. However, it also meant remembering those who didn't make it to see history, namely Pimp C, the other half of UGK.
Bandera might not seem like a destination town. About 25 miles west of Boerne, the city's population is less than 1,000, but people still flock to this authentic western town. The history is rich and most days you can see horses ride through the streets.

Known as the "Cowboy Capital of the World," Bandera's a town where residents tie up their mules as they pick up their lunches. Yet every night there is music playing somewhere.

"It is truly an amazing little community because you don't know what to expect," said Patricia Moore, Bandera County Convention and Visitors Bureau Executive Director.

Bandera got the name "Cowboy Capital of the World" when they became a staging area for western cattle trails in the late 1800s, where cattle droves made the journey from Bandera to Ogallala, Nebraska. It's a town that has drawn families back for as many as four generations, Moore said. The visitors bureau sends out a schedule of events that look like a month of activities, but they're only for one week.

In February, Bandera welcomed over 15,000 visitors for the first party of the year, Cowboy Mardi Gras.

Gabriel Romero

"You're guaranteed to meet a character and see something that makes you say, 'I don't believe what I just saw,'" Moore said. "For anyone visiting the town, go get lost and have fun doing it."

I stepped into the Spirt of Texas store, where they had samples of alcohol visitors could try. As I looked around for any cool "I love Bandera" magnets, a worker, came up to me and asked me where I was from. I told him California and he looked at me with a straight and said, "Oh, you mean West Texas? Everyone is family here."

The name, Bandera, comes from Bandera Pass, the site of a battle between Apache and Comanche American Indians and Spanish Conquistadors 15 miles north of the present day city. A flag (bandera) was flown to set the boundary between the two combatants.

Gabriel Romero

Bandera was named one of "The Best Small Towns in Texas" by Travel + Leisure in 2021.

Bandera County Commissioner Jack Moseley has lived in the town his entire life. He fondly remembered seeing half his high school class ride horses to school for Western Day.

"That's what you did, you rode your horse to school," Moseley said. "You'd tie it up to the back of someone's pickup truck, grab your saddle and head to school."

Gabriel Romero

Moseley said visitors and residents want to keep Bandera from changing. He added, if people really want to have a great experience head to Bandera on the weekend.

Shady Llama: Taking in the views at Wimberley's Shady Llama

Gabriel Romero

The town has at least 13 restaurants that aren't chain-food spots. The O.S.T. (Old Spanish Trail) celebrated its 100-year anniversary last year. The O.S.T. menu has a mix of Tex-Mex items, along with some southern comfort food like fried chicken and pork chops-- all meals, I'd expect a cowboy to eat. I ordered the Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwich, which had two pieces of fried chicken, thick bacon, fresh lettuce, tomato and topped off with Swiss cheese and ranch dressing.

Horns Down: Texas State upsets No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns in Austin

There are a few museums for guests to explore. The Bandera Natural History Museum features animal scenes on display and outdoor dinosaur displays. I'm definitely making another trip just so my son can see these prehistoric creatures, he is in the dinosaur phase and I never grew out of that phase

"Nothing makes sense in Bandera," Moore said.

Moseley added that up until a few years ago there were more beer joints than churches. At the 11th Street Bar, people can bring their own steak to cook on the grills provided by the bar every Wednesday night. The Bandera General Store has old wooden floors that creak when stepped on. They sell gently used boots, novelty items and they are also an ice cream parlor.

Gabriel Romero

Right next to the entrance of the general store is a red door that says, "Silver Dollar." Going inside leads guests downstairs to a bar with a stage for music and wood shavings on the floor. Arkey Blues Silver Dollar Saloon is almost hidden if you didn't pay attention. You can hear the foot steps from the general store above, play the pinball machines or just sip on a Lone Star. I can only imagine what it's like on a weekend.

Highway Construction: TxDOT breaks ground on $36.5M project along I-35

The next event happening is the Bandera Ham Rodeo on March 19, where visitors are sure to stop the "Cowboy Capital of the World." For a full schedule of events visit Bandera County convention and visitors bureau's website.
Dear patient readers,

Lambert and I, and many readers, agree that Ukraine has prompted the worst informational environment ever. We hope readers will collaborate in mitigating the fog of war  both real fog and stage fog  in comments. None of us need more cheerleading and link-free repetition of memes; there are platforms for that. Low-value, link-free pom pom-wavers will be summarily whacked.

And for those who are new here, this is not a mere polite request. We have written site Policies and those who comment have accepted those terms. To prevent having to resort to the nuclear option of shutting comments down entirely until more sanity prevails, as we did during the 2015 Greek bailout negotiations and shortly after the 2020 election, we are going to be ruthless about moderating and blacklisting offenders.

Yves

P.S. Also, before further stressing our already stressed moderators, read our site policies:

Please do not write us to ask why a comment has not appeared. We do not have the bandwidth to investigate and reply. Using the comments section to complain about moderation decisions/tripwires earns that commenter troll points. Please dont do it. Those comments will also be removed if we encounter them.

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Road to table: Wyomings got a new app for claiming roadkill ABC

Cryptocurrencies: The Power of Memes Research Affiliates

Tax the land Vox. On a land tax, see e..g. Michael Hudson at NC here.

Climate

#COVID19

So, your ability to concentrate is shot? Welcome to the club Brisbane Times

China?

Beijing weighs nickel rescue deal for billionaire owner of Tsingshan FT

The Koreas

Incels Vote Too The American Conservative

Philippines Willing to Open Bases to US if Ukraine Conflict Spreads Benar News

Syraqistan

Mysterious Drone Crash Leaves Croatia Baffled Balkan Insight. What with India launching  accidentally, it seems  a rocket that hit Pakistan the other day, there seems to be a lot of random hardware up in the sky.

UK/EU

The Caribbean

Lula Gains Access To US/Lava Jato Partnership Info Brasilwire

New Not-So-Cold War

Supply Chain

Democrats en Deshabille

Police State Watch

Law enforcement for profit: Want to get mad on a Friday night? Join me for a quick tour of how CA cops are exploiting the most vulnerable people, stealing people's cars, and helping tow yards make insane profits. Receipts below. Let's dive in. 1/13  Emily Galvin-Almanza (@GalvinAlmanza) March 12, 2022 The whole thread is worth reading; plenty of people saying this has happened to them.

Health Care

Our Famously Free Press

Imperial Collapse Watch

Is The West Laissez-Faire About Economic Warfare? War on the Rocks. Western states that painstakingly rebuilt a liberal economic order after World War II are increasingly dependent on an economic weapon that fundamentally undermines that order. As it turns out, the PMCs Vewy First War has turned Apple Pay, social media, and the [genuflects] almighty dollar into mere power projection; like NGOs or aircraft carriers, but intimate and ubiquitous. And hard power, not soft. Well and good, but it seems reasonable to me that some people, and some nations, would want to get out from under this. The casualties of empire. Patrick Lawrence, The Scrum

In Search of Troy Smithsonian

Class Warfare

Were having way better sex than our kids! The seventysomethings hitting their kinky, blissed-out peak Guardian

A Poem (and a Painting) About the Suffering That Hides in Plain Sight NYT. Audens Musee des Beaux Arts. I thought this would get sloppy, but its a fine close reading. Sadly, one of those swipe-friendly articles meant to be read on a tablet or phone but worth the effort on a laptop.

Wynton at Harvard, Chapter 12: How the Rhythm Section Swings Harvard University. From 2011, still germane:

Antidote du Jour (via):

See yesterdays Links and Antidote du Jour here
(Natural News) All governments are based on the strongest gang principle. Think about it. In order to exercise power, a government must be stronger than any who would oppose it. If it is not, it is open to revolution. A second point is that governments are, at best, symbiotic, and at worst, parasitic on a population.

(Article by David Robb republished from AllNewsPipeline.com)

Some governments are relatively benign and exercise only modest power. These governments provoke little opposition as people under them usually have better and more productive things to do with their time. Matt Ridley points out that innovation flourishes under freedom  a sure indication that people have more fun things to do than to fight against oppression.

Tyrannical governments usually engender powerful opposition The tighter they try to clamp down, the more restrictive they become, the more appealing, and even necessary they make resistance. We have seen that worldwide today in response to the lockdown and other restrictions imposed by formerly free and democratic governments.

How governments start

We dont really know how the first governments started or why, although we can make some educated guesses. Picture primitive tribes operating in the same territory. Sooner or later they would come into conflict over hunting or foraging activities. One group might learn that organizing under a single leader would make them more effective in attacking and chasing off other groups.

Another tribe might select some of their members to be on guard to respond to attacks. The defenders could be given food and other items to compensate them for the time they lost from hunting and gathering. Some of the defenders might learn that they could apply the same skills they developed defending the tribe in demanding things from their fellow tribesmen.

In either case, before too long, you have a division developing where there is one group that not only has the power to defend the tribe, but also has the power to demand what they want from other tribe members. Since they are the strongest gang within the society, no one can oppose them effectively.

Some gangs would learn to limit their demands as too much control becomes counterproductive. Others learned the advantages of division of labor and the benefits of repressing uncooperative elements.

All the colors of power

As time went on, the tribes became larger and larger. People began to sort out what worked and what didnt when it came to use of power in a society. As societies became more complex, there was greater division of labor and specialization. A growing need for coordination of activities was present in addition to the original need for defense. There also grew a need for a consistent set of rules for people to follow, as well as a system to adjudicate disputes.

Along the way, people started to realize a few points about government and what distinguished good ones from bad. The good ones tended to be effective at certain basic tasks such as defense, while placing minimal demands on the behavior of citizens. Others severely constrained their populace and hemmed them about with arbitrary rules. Some provided honest and fair laws and systems of justice, while others were arbitrary, whimsical, and inconsistent.

In the course of history, many different systems of government have been tried. Some have even tried to do away with government entirely, relying on cooperation between members. These latter ones rely heavily on trust which limits them in size and generally they have failed quickly.

Alexander of Macedon assembled a large and powerful gang, and proceeded to conquer most of the known world at the time. Since his government was based solely on raw exercise of power, it fell apart as soon as his death was known. Another ancient of about the same period, Plato, took an opposite tack and proposed a system of government he thought ideal and left it to others to implement.

The ancient city of Athens was an early experiment in democracy, where power was allotted to those chosen by vote of citizens. Its history has informed ideas of good governance for thousands of years. A contemporary city and rival to Athens was Sparta.

Sparta was organized as a militaristic society  essentially organized along the strongest gang principle. Although Sparta defeated Athens in the Peloponnesian War, it had little influence on Western theories of good governance. Sparta was ultimately defeated by Rome, which was, at the time, the strongest gang in the region. The history of Rome is fascinating in itself as its various forms of government changed when different groups (gangs) acquired or lost power. One of Romes most significant contributions to the theory of governance was the delegation of power to provincial governors. In other words, a local gang could call on the power of a bigger gang if the locals got too uppity.

Having, by now, offended a great number of historians, I will proceed to look at what all these systems of governance had in common  a common element that led to the failure of each and every one of them.

A worm in every apple

The one factor that all these governments had in common, and which is common in modern governments as well is the desire for ever increasing power. No matter how much power a government might have, it will never be satisfied and will always seek more.

Let me repeat  a government, unless it is curbed in some way, will always seek to increase its power.

The two most popular ways to curb the increase of power is through rebellion from within, or by conquest from without. I doubt there is any example of a government that relinquished any of its power voluntarily. In large part, this is due to something I might call Newtons law of political action, where for every amount of political force a government might exert, an equal and opposite resistance will arise to oppose it.

When a government relinquishes power, the opposing force has an opportunity to take over, resulting in a rebellion. Indeed, government giving up some of its power may be due to a strong resistance just short of revolution.

The growth and decline of the British Empire illustrate this process. Starting in the late 16th century with early trading and colonies, more power, especially in the form of naval power, was needed to protect trade from pirates (local gangs) and other depredations. The increases in power led to the acquisition of more territories, which led in turn to the need for increased power, until the entire edifice spanned the globe. At the height of its power, it was said that the sun never set on the British Empire. When asked why that was so, one wag responded: Because God wouldnt trust it in the dark.

Reflection on this history led John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton, first Baron Acton (18341902) to offer his famous quote: Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men.

It was from this Empire that the United States rebelled. There were several factors at work that made our rebellion different from most other revolutions in history. Unlike previous rebellions that simply sought freedom from the rule of an oppressive government, the American Revolution not only sought freedom but also had a philosophical underpinning that sought to create a new system of governance where the people would form their own government. They would create their own strongest gang and create systems that would provide automatic curbs on the growth of power.

An exceptional America

For well over a hundred years, there had been an extensive discussion throughout the Western world about the nature, purpose, and philosophy of government. It was recognized that governments served certain important, and even essential functions. Defense was paramount. Providing a system of laws and a system to administrate the laws was also essential. It was further recognized that it was the duty of a government to protect and maximize the rights and freedoms of its citizens.

As part of the discussions on government, there was an extended discussion on the concept of rights. The idea of a right was distinguished from that of a permission. A right was recognized as something inherent in the simple existence of a citizen and was something that a government was obligated to recognize and respect. By contrast, a permission was something granted by an authority, such as a government, and could be revoked at will. In other words, a right did not require permission to exercise, while permissions were subject to authority sponsorship.

One of the innovations of the Founders was to recognize that our most basic rights were inherent in our human existence. This recognition grew out of the Christian heritage of the Founders, and was explicitly stated in the Declaration of Independence as  that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Recognizing that rights were from God removed them from the province of human origin and control.

Our Founders were well educated in the Classical histories of Greece and Rome, of the Renaissance and the Reformation. They were keen followers of the debates on government, and even participated in those debates. They lived in the full flower of the Age of Enlightenment. Many of them were avid readers of Locke, Hume, Voltaire, Rousseau, Adam Smith, and many other authors of the Enlightenment. Thomas Jefferson and James Madison were deeply influenced by these Enlightenment ideas and incorporated many of them in our own Constitution. A simple review of the catalog of the contents of Thomas Jeffersons library is enlightening, but he was far from alone in his studies.

As a group, our Founding Fathers were unique in world history for the depth of their knowledge regarding the history and philosophy of government. It is doubtful that any similar group with such knowledge could be assembled today. From that knowledge and understanding our Founders realized two things: a certain amount of government was necessary to perform basic essential functions, and that measures were necessary to keep that government from growing out of control. Thus they had to confront the paradox of creating a government that was strong enough to overcome any normal resistance while being sufficiently weak that it could be overcome should it overstep its bounds.

On the horns of a dilemma

Thinking of government, for a moment, in biological terms, one can consider the case of two organisms having mutual dependence. In symbiosis, neither organism can live alone. Both require something from the other in order to survive. Examples of symbiosis abound, ranging from the simple case of lichens to higher organisms like cows that depend on gut bacteria to digest the grass they eat while the bacteria depend on the cow to harvest the grass. A good government exists in symbiotic relationship with its citizens, both providing benefit to the other without harmful side effects.

In some cases, though, a parasitic relationship develops where one organism lives and grows at the expense of another. A tapeworm is a classic example, where the worm grows in the gut, intercepts food the organism consumes and grows to the point where the host suffers. The relationship may have started in some benign form, but has progressed to the point where only one organism benefits from the relationship.

Governments can exist in parasitic relationship to their populace. We call these governments tyrannies, dictatorships, autocracies, Socialism, and other names, but all share the common feature that the government has grown so powerful that it operates at the expense of its people. As with biological parasites, a parasitic government may begin as a benign entity, but through unchecked acquisition of power grows to oppressive size.

The solution to the paradox that our Founders implemented was in the checks and balances set forth in our Constitution, and especially in the first two of our Bill of Rights.

Read more at: AllNewsPipeline.com
MOSCOW/KIEV, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Russian and Ukrainian delegations will resume talks on Monday via video link, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

"Negotiations go non-stop in the format of video conferences. Working groups are constantly functioning. A large number of issues require constant attention. On Monday, March 14, a negotiating session will be held to sum up the preliminary results," Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, tweeted on Sunday night.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in-person in Belarus since Feb. 28, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough. 
(Natural News) After DuckDuckGo announced that it would be abandoning its years-long commitment to unbiased search results by down-ranking Russian disinformation, two alternative search engines, Brave Search and Presearch, have committed to not censoring their search results.

(Article by Tom Parker republished from ReclaimTheNet.org)

Brendan Eich, the CEO of Brave Software (the company behind the privacy-focused Brave browser, Brave Search, and other products), told journalist and producer Naomi Brockwell that Brave Search doesnt censor its results and detailed how Brave Search is expanding its own search index.

Currently, over 90% of Brave Searchs queries are provided by its independent search index which was built from scratch. Eich noted that Brave Search currently relies on Bing for the less than 10% of queries where it doesnt have good results and acknowledged that this fallback could be censored.

Well get to full independence, Eich added. Fallback necessary rn, but fades.

Eich continued by noting that Brave Search has an Info link above each search results page (which shows whether all the search results on the page came from the Brave Search index) and a Search results independence percentage in Brave Searchs settings (which shows the percentage of all Brave Search results that currently come from its independent index).

Presearch, a private, decentralized, blockchain-powered search engine, also tweeted that it doesnt censor.

Presearch added: Thats the power of decentralized, unbiased search. The need for decentralized, unbiased search will only grow from here.

As Presearch notes in its tweets, its search indexes are built and hosted by a decentralized network of node operators. Its also open-source which means users can contribute code thats shown its search results pages.

In addition to the commitment to not censoring their results, both search engines have several unique aspects and features that enhance your search experience.

Brave Search has search shortcuts (which let you quickly jump to search results on a specific site), visual autosuggest, search filters (that let you filter by format, date, country, and more), featured snippets, and shelves that highlight recent news and videos.

Presearch has an integrated PRE cryptocurrency thats used to reward node operators and users and can be staked by advertisers who want to display ads against specific keywords. It also has knowledge panels, a news shelf, a video shelf, quick links to related articles and related searches, search filters (that let you filter by image, video, or news), and quick links for conducting your searches via other sites.

Read more at: ReclaimTheNet.org
(Natural News) During the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) scandal, its obvious the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) derived many of their policies of subjugation and segregation on pharmaceutical propaganda and CNN reports.

CDC director Rochelle Walensky admitted this in a recent lecture at Washington University in Saint Louis. The lecture was titled Lessons from the Pandemic for the future of Public Health. Walensky recalled getting the news from CNN that the vaccine was 95 percent effective. The CDC used this FAKE NEWS PROPAGANDA to create policies of coercion and subjugation, advertising to the public that the vaccine was the only way out of lockdown and isolation.

Walensky admits she learned about COVID vaccine through CNN propaganda

At the lecture, Dr. Walensky was asked how the CDC could have improved over the past two years. Umwell, you know I thinkI can tell you where I was when the CNN feed came that it was 95 percent effectiveum the vaccine. So many of us wanted to be hopeful. So many of us wanted to say, Okay, this is our ticket out, right, now were done,' Walensky jabbered.

Um, so I think we have perhaps too little caution and too much optimism, um, for some good things that came our way I really do, Walensky continued. I think all of us wanted this to be done. Nobody said waning when when you know this vaccines gonna work, oh well, maybe itll work, itll wear off. Nobody said, Well what if the next variant doesnt, it doesnt, its not as potent against the next variant.'

Under Walensky, the CDC derived its science from CNN, using the left-wing propaganda firm as the basis for lockdowns, vaccine and mask mandates, among a long list of harmful and unlawful edicts. Walensky not only relied on CNN reports to steer public health policies, but she also met with Democrat media consultant, Mandy Grunwald, to improve her messaging.

The CDC has proven itself as just another arm of the Democrat Party, oppressing people and finding the best way to appear virtuous while doing so. Most Americans are fully aware that CNN is an enemy of the people, as only 17 percent of people find the outlet to be a credible source of news.

Walensky and the CDC destroyed countless lives by blindly pushing harmful vaccines

With evidence of vaccine failure piling up, Walensky and other lockdown-loving public health leaders are in psychological exile  trying to find the best way to smooth things over with the public to escape accountability. Over the past two years, the CDC steered public health policy hysterically and violated medical ethics.

This led to historic medical malpractice, pharmaceutical racketeering and widespread use of coercion and deprivation of rights throughout society. All these human rights violations were committed in the name of public safety.

During her first year as CDC director, Walensky would go on to support vaccine passports and enact vaccine mandates that either segregated innocent people from the public or caused them to be discriminated in the workplace and fired from their job.

Walenskys complete and utter disregard for natural immunity and early treatment ultimately caused pain and suffering, threatening the livelihoods of countless Americans while leading hundreds of thousands of people to take vaccines that ultimately ruined their life.

Big Tech promoted the CDCs propaganda religiously, creating an echo chamber of CNN fear porn and pharmaceutical fraud. All the censorship and abuse caused hundreds of thousands of vaccine-injured people to feel betrayed and lied to.

The CDC continues to foster an unethical culture of division, discrimination, segregation and medical rape. Throughout the first phase of the Great Reset, the totalitarian and politically-motivated CDC recommended nothing scientific and suppressed real science on natural immunity and efficacious treatments for infectious disease.

Sources include:

HeadlineUSA.com

Twitter.com

NaturalNews.com 1

NaturalNews.com 2
(Natural News) The best way to heal the body and stay healthy is to stop eating and drinking junk science food stuff like you get from McDonalds, Starbucks and Coca Cola. Cut out that high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), canola oil, GMO sugar and glyphosate, and the body can start healing right away.

Well, American corporations may be evil, but theyre also quite dumb. In an effort to spread propaganda for the USA to hate everything Russian, some of the biggest consumer giants have halted all sales in Russia, closing hundreds of stores and losing up to 10 percent of their global revenue, all while shooting themselves in the foot.

Democrats in DC want to punish Russians by denying them the worse junk food on the planet that causes cancer, heart disease, diabetes and dementia

Lets punish the Russians by denying them processed food and sugar-loaded beverages that cause cancer, diabetes, massive weight gain, memory loss, organ failure and dementia. Not exactly a bright idea, is it? McDonalds is shutting down 850 junk food outlets in Russia to try to punish those pesky Russians they claim helped Donald Trump win in 2016, and are now defending themselves against the Nazi-run NATO alliance. McDonalds wants to inflict pain and suffering on those darned Russians by preventing them from chomping down on hormone-laden meat and oil-soaked fries, and even denying them their super-sized diabetes-enhancing soda.

Starbucks is shuttering 100 of its liquid sugar outlets in their effort to say no to Russian aggression. Too bad Starbucks wasnt around during the Vietnam War, maybe they could have prevented the whole thing by denying North Vietnam their junk coffee.

Coca Cola wants to put pressure on the Russians, by keeping their leaders and troops from sucking back on flora-destroying phosphoric acid and obesity-driving HFCS fluids. Our hearts are with the people who are enduring unconscionable effects from these tragic events in Ukraine, Coca Cola said in a statement. Oh really, then how about banning your own drinks in America and saving millions of Americans from cancer, obesity and diabetes?

Restricting canola oil, high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), GMO sugar, and glyphosate for Russians guarantees them stronger military forces to defeat America

Yes, McDonalds uses genetically modified canola oil for nearly all of their cooked menu items, also mixed with some GMO corn and soybean oil, and the end result is a deadly concoction of pesticides that rot your gut and blood-clogging oil that causes obesity and dementia. No more for those pesky Russians. Take that!

The central ingredient in Coca Cola is none other than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS), accounting for the majority of the calorie load. HFCS absorbs into the body much faster than regular sugar, leading to insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity. To punish the Russians, Coca Cola has stopped selling their toxic, sugar-laden soft drinks to them. Great plan.

Starbucks sugar is actually GMO beet sugar that also happens to contain glyphosate made by Bayer/Monsanto. Eating this regularly leads to auto-immune diseases, irritable bowels, brain fog and weight gain, not to mention kidney problems. To punish those evil Russians for invading Bidens den of fraud (Ukraine), Starbucks plans to stop all business in Russia, including putting a halt on all product shipments.

How else will the Democrats punish the Russians (by making them healthier)? Stay tuned to find out. Tune your internet dial to Ingredients.news for updates on the prices of junk-science food stuff skyrocketing, which shouldnt matter because you shouldnt be consuming any of it anyway.

Sources include:

NewsPunch.com

NaturalNews.com

JanesHealthyKitchen.com
(Natural News) Imagine if, in early 2020, the Australian people had been told that a new disease, COVID-19, would cause just over 200 deaths in Australia over the next two years. To respond it would be necessary to lock people in their homes, force them to wear masks, coerce them into getting an untested and dangerous inoculation to keep their jobs, create medical apartheid, lock the unvaccinated out of society, undermine the separation of powers by letting the Executive create rules instead of the Legislature, and suspend the laws of the land with state of emergency provisions.

(Article by Monica Smit republished from LifeSiteNews.com)

I am sure no Australians would have thought this to be either a proportionate or sensible response. Yet recent data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has revealed that it is exactly what has happened. As Nutritional and Environmental Medicine specialist Professor Robyn Cosford explains, the latest COVID death statistics show that the hysterical claims that there was a deadly pandemic in Australia were completely wrong.

Cosford had to resign her job in order to speak out because of the relentless attacks being mounted by medical authorities on any practitioners who dare to think for themselves. When, as is finally happening, the truth eventually emerges about the perils of the vaccines and the extreme over-reaction to the COVID threat, it is hard to see how Australias health system, including the doctors, will ever regain public trust.

The ABS data record that 2,639 deaths were people who died with or from COVID-19 by January 31, 2022. That equates with less than 0.9 percent of total mortality in Australia. Of that 0.9 percent, only 8.6 per cent died from the virus: that is, had COVID listed as the only thing on their death certificates. The remaining 91.4 percent had other conditions, usually pre-existing. It leaves a figure of 226 people who died from COVID alone, which is 0.07 percent of the population, or seven in 10,000 people. It was never a pandemic. That is perhaps why the ABC, the national broadcaster, is lying about the death toll, yet more misreporting.

The ABSs data on the age of people dying with or from COVID is also revealing. As Cosford explains, the median mortality age in Australia is 83.7 years: 81 for men and 86 for women. According to an ABS report, the median age for those who died from COVID-19 was 83.7 years (81.2 years for males, 86.0 years for females). Almost exactly the same, in other words.

Australian politicians have boasted for two years that they were following the science and listening to the best experts. They did nothing of the sort. Most of these so-called experts have been computer modellers using epidemiological projections based on assumptions that turned out to be almost entirely wrong. A dart board would have been better.

These modellers, ridiculously trying to correlate infection rates and population movements, predicted that locking people in homes, making them wear masks, closing the international borders, shutting down retail stores and hospitality venues, imposing curfews, and constraining peoples movements would somehow contain the virus. It was all nonsense.

Then governments brutally mandated potentially dangerous vaccines (which do not even meet the Therapeutic Goods Administrations own definition of what a vaccine is) claiming that this would stop the spread of the virus. That claim was false, too. The Australian authorities are now forced to admit that the jabs do not stop infection or transmission, and do not give any extra protection against COVID. Indeed, the fact that state governments are pushing boosters is an implicit admission that they only work for a short period. So when the governments insisted that they knew the inoculations were safe and effective they were lying. They could not possibly know that in such a short period of time. It is now clear that the jabs are neither.

A clue into how such a debacle occurred has been provided by the South Australian Senator Alex Antic. He asked the South Australian state government, using a Freedom of Information request, for the medical advice that the state government kept citing as its reasons for locking down the state. Antic was given almost no information, mainly because there was almost none.

Here is what probably happened within government circles. There was never any genuine medical advice, despite all the claims from politicians that they were following the science. That is why they never made any effort to share it with the public.

A massive public campaign was mounted to get people to use unreliable tests  now acknowledged to be so by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration  to create hysteria about the number of cases. The authorities neglected to mention that 99 percent of those cases were people who either had no, or only mild, symptoms. Then they got the epidemiological modellers to feed all this nonsense into their computers and came up with a series of absurd, evil policies that have deeply harmed Australias democratic fabric.

The truth is now out. But dont expect Australian politicians to finally start following the science. They never have.

Read more at: LifeSiteNews.com
(Natural News) The Iatros Clinic in Munich is now refusing to treat Russians and Belarusians amid a NATO-led crusade of hatred and xenophobia against all things Russian.

A statement from the German hospital explains that from now on and until further notice, we will not treat Russia and Belarusian citizens.

The German media outlet RTL, one of the nations largest, reported that the Bavarian private clinic is receiving a hell-storm of complaints against its racism-fueled policy change.

We strongly condemn the invasion of the Russian army with the help of the Belarusian government, the announcement from Iatros explains about the reasoning for the change.

In other words, because the owners of the Iatros Clinic watched the news and saw Russian man bad, they decided to punish everyone of Russian and Belarusian descent who lives in Germany by depriving them of access to medical care.

Seems reasonable, right? Maybe to corporate media consumers.

In response to a backlash of criticism, the Iatros Clinic issued a follow-up statement claiming that its only intention was to show sympathy for the Ukrainian people.

At that point in time, this thought had not been thought through to the end, it further stated. We fully accept this criticism.

In other words, the knee-jerk propaganda campaign launched by the media immediately following Russias invasion of Ukraine caused panic and hysteria among people who believed it, causing them to feel hatred towards Russians and Belarusians.

We are far from discriminating against or excluding patients because of their origin, Iatros now claims. We apologize for giving this impression.

Meanwhile, Iatros has donated 10,000 euros to Doctors Without Borders to help support its operations in Ukraine, whatever those might be.

Same people who decried anti-Asian hate are now openly hating people of Russian and Belarusian descent

Anti-Russian racism appears to be spreading throughout the NATO world as angry corporate news consumers pour out their Russian vodka, block Russian people on social media, and even fire Russian people from their jobs.

The very same people who screamed and wailed when the Wuhan coronavirus (Covid-19) was linked to China, calling that revelation anti-Asian hate, are now on a hate spree themselves against all things Russian because of what they saw on television or from the White House.

The hypocrisy is simply stunning, and something we have come to expect from the types of people who digest and believe everything they are told, even when none of it makes any sense.

These folks fully bought in to the narrative that wearing a paper and plastic face mask would magically protect them from a plandemic virus. They also believed that taking a vaccine produced at warp speed for a few sniffles was the best thing they could do for their health.

Now, these people are outraged and plastering their social media accounts with Ukrainian flags because the same sources that lied to them before are lying to them once again  and stupidly, these people are believing the lies a second time.

The current conditions resemble Germany 1933, wrote someone in response to the Iatros Clinic memo. The evil elite have designated our scapegoats, and now we blithely go about doing their bidding.

Its funny how the only people were actively allowed, and encouraged, to hate are white, wrote another. No more brother wars.

If any come in for treatment, they should just euthanize them, said someone else. They should have worn a mask and gotten the vaccine. Wait, sorry, I am mixing up my hate narratives.

More of the latest news about the Ukraine conflict can be found at Chaos.news.

Sources for this article include:

CitizenFreePress.com

rtl.de

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Social media giant Facebook has been running a campaign in collusion with institutions promoting the Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccines that have already injured or killed millions.

An article named the platform founded by Mark Zuckerberg as part of the Alliance for Advancing Health Online (AAHO). Branded as a multi-year initiative, AAHO seeks to advance public understanding of how social media and behavioral sciences can be leveraged to improve the health of communities around the world.

Several entities are also part of AAHO, including the World Bank, the World Health Organization, pharmaceutical company Merck and the CDC Foundation  the latter being independent from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A June 2021 press release about the alliance said Facebook and Merck have committed $20 million each to AAHO, which is initially set to address vaccine hesitancy and vaccine equity among underserved communities. (Related: Facebook relies on Gates-funded W.H.O. to define vaccine misinformation.)

Several White House staffers received an email in June 2021 about AAHOs formation. These include senior COVID-19 response adviser Becca Siegel and Department of Health and Human Services Director of Digital Engagement Tericka Lambert. White House Presidential Innovation Fellow Georgeta Dragoiu, who is connected with the White Houses COVID-19 Vaccine Public Education Strategy and Media Campaign, also received the email.

It is unclear how the White House responded to the email about AAHO. The Epoch Times sent inquiries to the entities involved, such as Facebooks parent company Meta, the White House press office and the individual recipients. However, it did not receive responses as of writing.

CDC Foundation Communications Director Amy Tolchinsky, meanwhile, released a written statement about its involvement in AAHO. While we are not involved in its operations, received any funding for our involvement or provided any funding, our association with AAHO  which was publicly announced in June of 2021  is a way to educate the public about the safety and efficacy of vaccines to a broader audience, her statement said.

AAHO denounced as government-sponsored propaganda

Several experts, who were censored by Facebook for refusing to adhere to the medical establishments narrative, spoke out against the AAHO, telling the Epoch Times that it is a front for suppressing what authorities consider as misinformation regarding vaccines. Lockdown critic Dr. Jay Bhattacharya said: [Its] difficult for me to understand this as anything other than a government propaganda campaign.

Front Line COVID-19 Critical Care Alliance President Dr. Pierre Kory said there is no scientifically-supported public health objective for getting people vaccinated. According to the doctor, who promotes the use of ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment, he believes Facebook has potentially placed itself in the legal role of state actor. Kory added that by promoting vaccines and censoring reports of serious reactions, the social media platform could be held liable for vaccine-related injuries.

Meanwhile, mRNA vaccine technology inventor Dr. Robert Malone said: If Facebook wants to play doctor, then it has to fulfill the professional and ethical obligations of the profession. This includes disclosing the potential risks of the COVID-19 vaccines.

He added that AAHO poses a direct violation of ethical responsibilities in medicine  which includes disclosing the dangers of any recommended treatments and any alternative treatment options. A victim of Big Tech censorship himself, Malone was banned from Twitter after raising safety concerns about the shots.

Aaron Siri, lawyer for the Informed Consent Action Network, said a tripartite alliance between Big Government, Big Tech and Big Pharma is by the very least, [a] mammoth campaign to suppress free speech rights guaranteed by the First Amendment. He told the Epoch Times: It creates a dangerous precedent when social media outlets are carrying the governments message while suppressing messaging thats contrary to what the government is trying to promote.

Watch the Health Ranger Mike Adams discussing how Facebook promote lies and censors the truth about vaccines.

This video is from the Health Ranger Report channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Facebook bans all content on vaccine awareness, including facts about vaccine ingredients, vaccine injury and vaccine industry collusion.

Facebook announces medical FASCISM rule: All content that contradicts the corrupt vaccine industry will be BANNED.

Australian health authority wants to refer fake vaccine theories on Facebook to law enforcement.

Federal govt telling Facebook to silence those with vaccine safety concerns, says lawsuit.

Whistleblowers expose Facebooks plans to censor vaccine hesitancy posts.

Find out more stories like this on FacebookCollapse.com.

Sources include:

WND.com

About.FB.com

TheEpochTimes.com

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) An investment firm founded by Hunter Biden was discovered to have provided funding to U.S. biological weapons laboratories in Ukraine. The revelation came amid U.S. officials initially denying and eventually admitting the presence of such facilities in the besieged country.

According to the Gateway Pundit, investment company Rosemont Seneca Technology Partners (RSTP) funded San Francisco-based Metabiota as early as 2014. RSTPs website also showed Metabiota as one of the companies it has invested in. Metabiota then partnered with Black & Veatch (B&V), a company with ties to the Department of Defense, to set up the labs in Ukraine.

Specializing in detecting, tracking and analyzing potential disease outbreaks, Metabiota became a subcontractor for B&V in 2014. The San Francisco firms contract with B&V worth $18.4 million involved running facilities in both Ukraine and Georgia. Both companies even shared an office in the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, according to a job posting.

Representatives of Metabiota and B&V later met with their counterparts from U.S., Poland and Ukraine. The 2016 meeting held at the Ukrainian city of Lviv discussed biological security, safety and surveillance.

During a March 7 press conference, Russia alleged that the U.S. operated facilities in Ukraine for creating bioweapons against the Russian population. Maj. Gen. Igor Kirillov, chief of the Russian Armed Forces radiation, chemical and biological defense division, named Black & Veatch as the firm involved in the implementation of the projects. (Related: Russia says Ukraine is littered with U.S.-financed bioweapons labs.)

The American and Ukrainian governments both dismissed Kirillovs claim as a conspiracy theory, with Washington insisting that it does not fund biolabs in the eastern European country.

However, Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland later acknowledged the existence of the Ukrainian biolabs. She said that the U.S. is working alongside Kyiv to ensure the facilities do not fall into the hands of Russian forces. Many took Nulands comments as a confirmation that the U.S. did operate bioweapons laboratories, despite prior claims of conspiracy theories.

Biden, Rosemont links to corruption go deeper

RSTP and Bidens links to purported corruption are not just limited to the biological weapons facilities funded by the investment firm. A September 2020 report by Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA) and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) elaborated on this matter.

According to the report, RSTP received $3.5 million from Russian businesswoman Elena Baturina. She wired the amount to an RSTP bank account back in February 2014 as part of a consultancy agreement. Baturina, the wife of former Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov until his death, was accused of profiting from city contracts awarded by her husband during his tenure. Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev fired Luzhkov in 2010 over these allegations.

Aside from this $3.5 million payment, Baturina sent 11 other wires amounting to $391,968 to a bank account belonging to technology company BAK USA between May and December 2015. Nine of the 11 wires, amounting to $241,797, were initially sent to an RSTP account before being transferred to the Buffalo, New York-based technology firm.

The report added that Biden co-founded RSTP with his associate Devon Archer and Christopher Heinz  the stepson of Special Presidential Envoy for Climate John Kerry  in 2009.

Outside of RSTP, Biden was also linked to Ukrainian oligarch Mykola Zlochevsky during his tenure as a board member of the gas company Burisma. The presidential son formed significant and consistent financial relationships with the former Ukrainian minister of ecology and natural resources. Zlochevsky, the founder of Burisma, used his ministerial position to favor the younger Bidens firm in awarding government contracts.

This relationship later paid off as Bidens father, President Joe Biden, threatened to withhold a loan to Ukraine unless the top prosecutor investigating Burisma was terminated. The elder Biden issued the threat during his tenure as vice president in the Obama administration.

Watch Martin Brodel discussing Hunter Bidens links to Ukrainian biolabs below.

This video is from the Martin Brodel channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

US confirms existence of bioweapons labs in Ukraine, says Russian attack may target them.

Hunter Bidens firm received $3.5 million from one of Russias most powerful oligarchs.

US violated UN treaties on biological weapons by funding bioweapons labs in Ukraine.

Hunter Biden had links with questionable personalities during his fathers tenure.

Visit BioTerrorism.news for more stories about the Ukraine biolabs.

Sources include:

100PercentFedUp.com

TheGatewayPundit.com

InfoWars.com

HSGAC.Senate.gov [PDF]

Brighteon.com
(Natural News) Adm. Charles Richard, the current head of the U.S. Strategic Command, says that the United States is ready to take on a potential nuclear conflict with Russia and China.

In a statement before the House Armed Services Committee, Richard told a scary story about how Russia and China could strike at any moment, which is why the military-industrial complex needs to keep its defenses as beefed up as possible.

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 said.

Last year, Richard went on to claim, the worry was only that these two countries might launch a nuclear attack at some point in the future. Now, he says, that has become a reality with the ongoing Russia-Ukraine situation.

That need is now an imperative, Richard declared before the committee members.

U.S. military-industrial complex banging war drums even louder than before

Last April, Richard appeared before lawmakers at another congressional hearing, saying that for the first time in history, the United States is on a trajectory to face two nuclear-capable, strategic peer adversaries at the same time.

Reading from almost the exact same script, Richard attempted to scare Congress into giving in to his demands by warning about a strategic breakout by China that involves explosive growth and modernization of its nuclear and conventional forces.

Richard said at the time that the situation was breathtaking and that America must respond to all that expansion and modernization by doing the very same thing.

On February 4 of this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met to establish a no-limits partnership, according to a publicly released statement.

Last summer, China also reportedly tested nuclear-capable hypersonic missiles, which prompted Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley to declare that the situation was very close to a Sputnik moment.

China is said to also be building hundreds of new nuclear silos. Back in November, the Pentagon claimed that China could have as many as 1,000 deliverable nuclear missiles ready to go by 2030.

Gen. Glen VanHerck, the current head of the U.S. Northern Command, further claims that China has never slowed down its pursuit of hypersonic weapons.

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 capability, VanHerck said at a recent hearing.

Richards perspective is that U.S. defense forces are strong, and he feels confident that the situation would go down as he wants it to in the event of a nuclear strike.

I am satisfied with the posture of my forces, he said. I have made no recommendations to make any changes.

The nations nuclear command and control is in its most defended, most resilient lineup that its ever been in its history.

Still, Richard wants Congress to keep a close eye on Chinas nuclear development activities.

We dont know the endpoint of where China is going in terms of the capabilities its developing and the capacities that its developing, he claims.

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.

More related news can be found at WWIII.news.

Sources for this article include:

TheEpochTimes.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Do Covid Precautions Work? asks New York Times reporter David Leonhardt. Yes, he concludes, but they havent made a big difference.

(Article republished from Eugyppius.com)

Its amazing to see a journalist finally confronting all of the data weve discussed for over a year now.

Did Omicron spread less in the parts of the U.S. where social distancing and masking were more common? The answer is surprisingly unclear.

It is honestly hard to write this without overmuch laughter.

Nationwide, the number of official Covid cases has recently been somewhat higher in heavily Democratic areas than Republican areas, according to The Timess data.  No single statistic offers a definitive answer. When I look at all the evidence, I emerge thinking that liberal areas probably had slightly lower Omicron infection rates than conservative areas. But it is difficult to be sure 

Leonhardt then commits a journalism. Rather than compare disease statistics across regions with different containment policies, he takes Trump vote share as a proxy for who is being more cautious. To the surprise of nobody outside the New York Times, he finds that greater Trump vote share does not correlate with higher positive test rates.

The lack of a clear pattern is itself striking. Remember, not only have Democratic voters been avoiding restaurants and wearing masks; they are also much more likely to be vaccinated and boosted (and vaccines substantially reduce the chances of infection). Combined, these factors seem as if they should have caused large differences in case rates.

Womp womp. The last two years have been nothing but the triumph of theory over evidence. I can no longer count, all the Twitter exchanges Ive had, with people who are sure that lockdowns must work because reasons, and who cant see that theyre nevertheless plainly not working.

The first lesson is that Covid vaccines are remarkably effective at preventing severe illness.  The second lesson is that interventions other than vaccination  like masking and distancing  are less powerful than we might wish. How could this be, given that scientific evidence suggests that mask wearing and social distancing can reduce the spread of a virus?

This can be, because the scientific evidence is of low quality, politically motivated and obviously wrong. Leonhardt, though, is struggling with a very bad case of cognitive dissonance, and he prefers to think it is all down to Omicron being so infectious:

Ive come to think of the point this way: Imagine that you carry around a six-sided die that determines whether you contract Covid, and you must roll it every time you enter an indoor space with other people. Without a mask, you will get Covid if you roll a one or a two. With a mask, you will get Covid only if you roll a one. You can probably see the problem: Either way, youll almost certainly get Covid.

This is a bad analogy. Its more like this: You need to inhale 5000 virus particles to have a good chance at infection. An infected cough releases 1 million virus particles. An effective and tightly fitted mask may stop enough droplets to keep all but 100k of those particles out of the air. Those numbers are hypothetical but you get the idea. This is why masks dont work.

[T]here is a strong argument for continuing to remove other restrictions, and returning to normal life  If those restrictions were costless, then their small benefits might still be worth it. But of course they do have costs.

After two years of social, cultural and economic destruction, we are finally allowed to admit that non-pharmaceutical interventions have downsides.

Masks hamper peoples ability to communicate, verbally and otherwise. Social distancing leads to the isolation and disruption that have fed so many problems over the past two years  mental health troubles, elevated blood pressure, drug overdoses, violent crime, vehicle crashes and more. If a new variant emerges, and hospitals are again at risk of being overwhelmed, then reinstating Covid restrictions may make sense again, despite their modest effects. But thats not where the country is today.

Why would Leonhardt ever hope for a return to masks, now that hes admitted they have no purpose?

It seemed impossible even three months ago, but its true: Corona is ending. Its not over with everywhere, but it will be soon, its just a matter of time.

UPDATE: Various commenters report that Leonhardt has been on the containment fence for a while. Michael DAmbrosios hilarious analysis:

For the full effect, you have to follow him regurgitate this story on a monthly basis the last year, each iteration, inching slowly to the obviousness of it all. [1] I feel bad for the guy, because the final piece of the puzzle is right in front of him if only he should for a moment re-run his Trump counties have slightly higher mortality than Biden counties for, say, 2019 or 2009 and discover the same pattern was there all along. He is SO CLOSE. Or maybe he can just google why do people die at slightly higher rates in rural areas compared to urban areas and maybe he will find the answer all along, right from his favorite institution: https://www.cdc.gov/media/releases/2017/p0112-rural-death-risk.html Unbelievable. [1] (one such iteration of his journalism https://www.nytimes.com/2021/11/08/briefing/covid-death-toll-red-america.html

Read more at: Eugyppius.com
(Natural News) Either the journalists at taxpayer-subsidized Public Broadcasting System are complete idiots or they are anti-American to the core and dont care who knows it.

Those are the only two possibilities after PBS broadcast an interview over the weekend with a Ukrainian mayor who has ties to neo-Nazis.

PBS published and promoted an interview with a renowned Neo-Nazi Ukrainian mayor, without disclosing the politicians allegiances to World War II German leader Adolf Hitler and Ukraines own Nazi sympathizer Stepan Bandera, The National Pulse reported.

The interview comes just days after PBS published an article downplaying the links between Neo-Nazi politicians and Ukraines current political situation, the outlet continued.

PBS hosted Mayor Artem Semenikhin of Konotop, which is situated in Ukraines northeast, an interview in which he described the Russian military as cockroaches before then thanking the U.S. for supplying weapons to him and his people.

My weapon is American, and I feel like our occupiers will be pleased that we are killing them with American weapons, he said.

That said, Semenikhin is not the America-like freedom fighter he was portrayed as being. According to a 2015 report by the Jerusalem Post:

Two months after local elections were held across Ukraine, residents of the small northern city of Konotop are expressing shock and dismay over the behavior of newly chosen Mayor Artem Semenikhin of the neo-Nazi Svoboda party.

According to reports, Semenikhin drives around in a car bearing the number 14/88, a numerological reference to the phrases we must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children and Heil Hitler; replaced the picture of President Petro Poroshenko in his office with a portrait of Ukrainian national leader and Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera; and refused to fly the citys official flag at the opening meeting of the city council because he objected to the star of David emblazoned on it. The flag also features a Muslim crescent and a cross.

The National Pulse went on to report that during the interview with PBS, Semenikhin had a Bandera portrait behind him but it was blurred intentionally by the network in what appeared to be a purposeful attempt to hide their work and association with Ukrainian neo-Nazis.

The broadcast also came as media throughout the West work overtime to try and discredit Russian President Vladimir Putins claims that neo-Nazis have a significant role in the political makeup of Ukraine as a whole.

It also comes as big tech behemoth Facebook decided to reverse its ban on neo-Nazi support in order to allow users to post supportive comments about a unit in the Ukrainian national guard that is heavily pro-Nazi.

As reported separately by The National Pulse, the platform is reversing a ban on users praising Ukraines Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, previously included in the platforms Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy, amidst Russias invasion of Ukraine.

According to internal memos from the platform, which regularly censors mainstream conservative content, Facebook will allow praise of the Azov Battalion when explicitly and exclusively praising their role in defending Ukraine OR their role as part of the Ukraines National Guard.

Examples of speech that Facebook now accepts include Azov movement volunteers are real heroes, they are a much needed support to our national guard; We are under attack. Azov has been courageously defending our town for the last 6 hours; and I think Azov is playing a patriotic role during this crisis, noted The Intercept, which was the outlet that obtained the company memos.

For the time being, we are making a narrow exception for praise of the Azov Regiment strictly in the context of defending Ukraine, or in their role as part of the Ukraine National Guard, a spokesperson from Facebooks parent company Meta explained.

But we are continuing to ban all hate speech, hate symbolism, praise of violence, generic praise, support, or representation of the Azov Regiment, and any other content that violates our community standards, the spokesperson added.

The entire conflict in Ukraine is not about what most Americans think it is.

Sources include:

TheNationalPulse.com

NaturalNews.com
BAGHDAD, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Iraq on Sunday demanded a "frank and clear explanation" from Iran about the ballistic missile attack on its semi-autonomous Kurdish region's capital Erbil.

The Iraqi Ministerial Council for National Security, headed by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi, held an emergency meeting to discuss the Iranian missile attack, which came against "the principle of good neighborliness between Iraq and Iran, as well as a violation of international laws and norms," according to a statement by the ministerial council.

"Iraq has requested, through diplomatic channels, frank and clear explanations from the Iranian side, and is awaiting a position from the Iranian political leadership in rejecting the aggression," said the statement.

The council stressed Iraq's constant rejection of settling scores between countries and entities by violating Iraq's sovereignty, noting its lands cannot be used to attack neighboring countries.

Earlier in the day, the Kurdish regional Interior Ministry said in a statement that 12 long-range ballistic missiles were fired at 1 a.m. local time (2200 GMT Saturday) from the east outside Iraqi borders toward the new building of the U.S. consulate in Erbil and the surrounding residential areas.

The attack resulted in injury of a civilian and damage to several buildings, according to a statement.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has claimed a missile attack on an Israeli intelligence base in Erbil.

U.S. forces stationed at Erbil's international airport complex have come under rockets and booby-trapped drones attack by unknown militias in the past. 
(Natural News) Rich Americans support the military gearing up for war if the Ukraine-Russia conflict extends to Europe. However, those below the poverty line oppose direct involvement by the United States.

These are the startling findings of a recent poll conducted by Rasmussen Reports, a public opinion polling firm, regarding the ongoing Russian onslaught of its bordering nation.

Owen Shroyer tackled the poll results, which also showed nearly half (49 percent) of the respondents wont mind the U.S. military taking side if Russia steps out of bounds, in a recent episode of War Room.

The poll question was: If a wider war breaks out in Europe, should the U.S. military be involved?

A big 66 percent of those earning over $200,000 annually approved the idea of sending military troops while only 37 percent of those making under $30,000 agreed with active involvement.

Among those making $30,000 to $50,000 a year, 48 percent are receptive to military participation. It climbed to 51 percent for those in the $50,000-$100,000 range and 52 percent in the $100,000-$200,000 bracket.

An earlier poll revealed that 80 percent of American voters think the Russian intrusion into Ukraine could lead to a wider European war. Furthermore, 34 percent believe the war is very likely to spread and just 13 percent see the confrontation would be confined to Ukraine.

The poor will bear brunt of impact in bigger war

These new findings corroborated the results of earlier research that showed 74 percent of American adults feel the Russia-Ukraine conflict will affect the U.S. economy with the poor bearing the brunt of the impact. (Related: Dollar collapse could be the most significant result of the Russia-Ukraine war as gold rises, analysis warns.)

According to Shroyer, this has always been the case in wars, the rich being the least affected because theyll just run to their armored house; theyll just run to their bunkers; theyll let the world blow up; and theyll just figure it out.

The rich can afford the higher costs of goods and services to be triggered by the spike in crude oil prices owing to the reduced global supply. The poor, on the other hand, will be sent to battle, risk their lives on the front lines, especially if the war escalates. If the North Atlantic Treaty Organization or the European Union gets involved, the U.S. will be compelled to join the fight.

Thats the commitment President Joe Biden reaffirmed in his State of the Union address on March 1. And if that happens, theres no telling where the war could lead to.

However, Shroyer contended that even if World War III breaks out it wont really matter to the globalists, because eugenics and population control is their number one agenda anyway.

But is President Vladimir Putin of Russia really the instigator in such a scenario.

Shroyer said when he reviewed Putins past speeches he found this: Russia has tried to come to the table with NATO. Russia has tried to come to the table with the UN [United Nations], but was largely ignored. He also noted the claims of Russia that the Pentagon has funded biological labs near the Ukraine border, which was denied by the U.S. government only for their existence to be verified later.

The mainstream media, which Shroyer labeled as the Western media, continued to ignore its significance.

Shroyer recalled that it was mainstream news when Israel was making bio-specific weapons in the 1990s. Just like last year, when China was accused of making such weapons.

But when it was Putins turn to complain, members of the media dont give a darn.

Watch the full episode of War Room below.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russia-Ukraine war will further worsen global food shortage as poor nations face starvation, unrest

US crude oil surges to 13-year high of $130 a barrel as Russia-Ukraine war escalates.

Head of U.S. Strategic Command issues dire warning about nuclear war with Russia, China.

Russia says Ukraine is littered with U.S.-financed bioweapons labs.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

RasmussenReports.com
(Natural News) The war in Ukraine and the extreme sanctions placed upon Russia are worsening fertilizer supply issues, potentially triggering a global famine that could lead to the deaths of millions of people.

Russia and Belarus are the second- and third-largest producers of potash in the world. In 2019, Russia was the top exporter of nitrogen fertilizer and the third-largest exporter of phosphate. Russia so dominates the fertilizer market that it has a 17 percent global market share for nitrogen alone.

The Health Ranger Mike Adams told Alex Jones during a recent episode of The Alex Jones Show on Info Wars how disastrous it is for the world to be cut off from Russian and Belarusian fertilizer exports.

About four billion people are only alive today because of hydrocarbon-based fertilizers, said Adams. Russia produces a massive amount of fertilizer for the world, and Belarus also produces a tremendous amount of potash. If you cut off the thing that feeds four billion people, what happens to them? (Related: The STARVATION MATRIX decoded: Russia, fertilizer, hydrocarbons, CO2, the Haber equation and crop yields explained.)

Countries already struggling with limited fertilizer imports

Russia provides about 22 percent of fertilizer imported by Brazil, the worlds largest importer of fertilizer. Brazil first got concerned about its fertilizer supply in late 2021, when Russia restricted its exports due to fears of a shortage.

Right before Russia invaded Ukraine, Brazilian authorities were in Russia trying to negotiate a deal for more fertilizer imports. But when the war broke out, the West demanded that Brazil and other countries comply with its sanctions against Russia. Countries like Brazil that rely on Russian fertilizer are now desperately trying to look elsewhere to shore up their supplies in time for the planting season.

Between the Ukraine-Russia conflict and Belarus sanctions, a lot of fertilizer supply is at risk, but its obviously a very dynamic situation, said a spokesman for Florida fertilizer maker Mosaic Co.

Even if the war ends and the sanctions are immediately lifted, geopolitical analyst and author Peter Zeihan said during an interview with Fox Business that it might not be enough to fix the fertilizer shortage.

All three source materials that go into fertilizer  phosphate, nitrogen, potash  are subject to abject shortage, said Zeihan. And even if the war were to stop tomorrow, its already too late. Its too late for the planting season in the Northern Hemisphere this year.

Zeihan believes the crisis will soon hit other large food exporters in South America, Africa, the Middle East and South Asia. He believes it will hit them the hardest as they will likely see significantly lower yields than what is necessary to support the global population.

This will inevitably lead to food prices surging due to limited supply, and what little food can be sold will be insufficient  for hundreds of millions of people, said Zeihan.

The last time a similar crisis hit the world was in 2008, when the surge in oil and natural gas prices led to an increase in fertilizer prices. This, in turn, pushed 150 million people into chronic malnutrition.

Watch this episode of The Alex Jones Show as Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, talks about the fertilizer shortages and the looming global famine.

This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

Russia, which produces two-thirds of the worlds ammonium nitrate (fertilizer), will not be exporting it at least for another month.

Farmers around the globe now feeling the pinch of higher fertilizer prices and more.

Farmers are reducing how much food they produce due to surging fertilizer prices.

Fertilizer plants are shutting down, leaving global food supply on the brink of collapse.

Global food production teeters on the brink due to widespread fertilizer shortages.

Learn more about how the fertilizer shortages will lead to the collapse of global food systems by reading the latest articles at FoodCollapse.com.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

WSJ.com

QZ.com

FoxBusiness.com
(Natural News) The news coming out of Ukraine regarding Russias invasion has often been sketchy and even unreliable, which is nothing new given Western medias penchant for literally politicizing everything, including war.

The American media is no different, of course, and in fact, one could argue that most left-wing U.S. outlets are literally nothing more than propaganda sources for whatever interests the current Democrat-controlled regime embraces.

So it should come as no surprise that the regime media immediately downplayed initial reports that the United States, during the latter years of the George W. Bush administration and with bipartisan assistance from the late Sen. Richard Lugar (R-Ind.) and then-Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.), built a biolab in Ukraine designed to handle dangerous substances.

Earlier this week, a spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, claimed that Moscow has uncovered evidence of a U.S.-backed bioweapons program in Ukraine that includes the development of plague and anthrax, The Western Journal reported.

Recently found documents show that components of biological weapons were made in Ukraines laboratories, with funding from [the U.S. Department of Defense], in direct proximity to Russia, a tweet from the U.K.s Russian Embassy noted further.

MFA spox #Zakharova: Recently found documents show that components of biological weapons were made in #Ukraines laboratories, with funding from #US @DeptofDefense, in direct proximity to #Russia. pic.twitter.com/JeLrWDqduA  Russian Embassy, UK (@RussianEmbassy) March 9, 2022

Naturally, U.S. and Ukrainian officials quickly and vehemently denied the Russia allegations; after all, weve been conditioned to automatically distrust everything any Russian leader says.

A spokesperson for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, Ukraine strictly denies any such allegation, while a Pentagon spokesperson added: This absurd Russian misinformation is patently false.

Got it? The masters of misinformation  the U.S. deep state  when exposed, calls everything everyone else says misinformation because thats the modus operandi.

But whos correct?

With that, China comes to mind, as The Western Journal points out, noting that China just so happens to be the location of the lab that received funding from the U.S. in the years leading up to the pandemic and just so happened to be researching weaponized coronaviruses at the time the pandemic started.

Chinas Ministry of Foreign Affairs followed up Russias claims by calling on the U.S. to account for all of its bioweapons research facilities globally.

Russia has found during its military operations that the U.S. uses these facilities to conduct military plans, spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday, according to Real Clear Politics.

The U.S. has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone. It should give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification, the ministry then tweeted.

The US has 336 labs in 30 countries under its control, including 26 in Ukraine alone. It should give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification. pic.twitter.com/vEiytBRKuo  Spokesperson?????? (@MFA_China) March 8, 2022

Now, can China be believed? After all, the Chinese Communist government has lied throughout the COVID-19 pandemic about where the virus actually came from  its Level 4 lab in Wuhan  and how it escaped. Beijing also covered up how soon the virus began to spread and allowed it to essentially escape to the worldjust as then-President Donald Trumps government was winning its trade war.

As it turns out, in this case, probably.

Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland testified this week during a Senate hearing that the government is actively working to protect Ukrainian research labs from the Russians, Real Clear Politics reported.

Nuland, an Obama regime alum who has been accused of fomenting a coup in Ukraine in 2014 and helping a neo-Nazi-loving regime take power, was asked directly by Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.): Does Ukraine have chemical or biological weapons?

Her answer was telling.

Ukraine has biological research facilities which, in fact, were now quite concerned Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of, so we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach, Nuland responded.

Rubio then did something typical of our Beltway/Deep State first, always representatives: He redirected Nuland so she could implicate Russia if anything happened to the labs.

Im sure youre aware that the Russian propaganda groups are already putting out there all kinds of information about how they have uncovered a plot by the Ukrainians to release biological weapons in the country, and with NATOs coordination, Rubio noted before asking: If there is a biological or chemical weapon incident or attack inside of Ukraine, is there any doubt in your mind that 100 percent it would be the Russians that would be behind it?

There is no doubt in my mind, senator, Nuland stated. It is classic Russian technique to blame on the other guy what they are planning to do themselves.

Glenn Greenwald, one of the few real investigative journalists today, caught that exchange and pointed it out.

Ukraine has biological research facilities, says Undersecretary of State Victoria Nuland, when asked by Sen Rubio if Ukraine has biological or chemical weapons, and says shes worried Russia may get them. But she says shes 100% sure if theres a biological attack, its Russia. pic.twitter.com/uo3dHDMfAS  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 8, 2022

Really good cleanup by Rubio: interrupting Nulands bizarre confession, which he did not expect, and immediately directing her to say that if theres a biological attack, it must be Russia. Why is she so concerned Russia would seize such a benign biological research facility?  Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) March 8, 2022

Is Russia and/or China lying? You be the judge.

Sources include:

WesternJournal.com

NewsTarget.com
(Natural News) Along with just about every other commodity on the planet, the world is about to suffer a massive cooking oil shortage as well, thanks to whats happening in Indonesia, the planets largest exporter of cooking oils.

In a sign of rising protectionism in an age of perpetual supply chain crisis thanks to the dimwitted decision by global elitists to shut down entire countries for months over a virus with a 99 percent survival rate, Indonesia has announced it will curb exports of the commodity amid a widening domestic shortage that has led to panic buying and hoarding in households, according to Bloomberg.

Per Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi, the new export curbs took effect earlier this week in an order to palm oil exporters to boost domestic shipments from 20 percent to 30 percent as a means of ensuring Indonesian consumers have enough affordable cooking oil.

The decision also comes amid a dwindling supply of cooking oil and related goods, which, of course, has triggered record-high prices.

Togar Sitanggang, vice chairman of the Indonesian Palm Oil Association (Gapki), noted in a pre-recorded speech at a conference that Indonesians are engaging in panic buying as the shortage began to emerge, which in turn has only worsened the shortage because households are purchasing way more than they need.

As palm and soybean oil reached record high prices on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange this week, palm oil for delivery from Malaysia in May skyrocketed 10 percent to $1,687 per ton, which set a new record high for the contract and was the most active contract with the biggest daily gain since 2001.

All those who were short in the market have had their hearts pulled out, Dorab Mistry, a veteran trader and director at Godrej International Ltd., said. This is a knee-jerk reaction. I dont think these prices are sustainable.

Zero Hedge adds:

Russias invasion of Ukraine has thrown global food supply chains into disarray. Governments worldwide are beginning to take proactive measures that are considered protectionist to safeguard domestic food supplies.

On edible oils, Ukraine and Russia export about 80% of sunflower oil and a quarter of the worlds wheat  as weve noted, shipments from the region have been halted or limited due to conflict or sanctions. Compound snarled supply chains and food shortages from the COVID era with the latest disruption, and it appears record-high food prices will be sticking around.

In addition to Indonesia, other countries including Hungary, Argentina, Turkey and Moldova are practicing some form of food protectionism, putting the entire planet on a collision course of massively higher prices and shortages at a level that will trigger a lot of social unrest in those emerging market economies.

Russia, too, will be banning some commodities exports, no doubt as a means of ensuring citizens will have enough to eat following Vladimir Putins invasion of his neighbor.

In a decree issued Tuesday night, March 8, Putin gave the Russian cabinet two days to come up with a list of countries that will be subject to the ban. The announcement came just hours after fake president Joe Biden of the United States announced a ban on imports of Russian oil, Natural News reported.

Russia is the third-largest oil producer in the world and the biggest exporter of natural gas, reported the Wall Street Journal. The exports fuel Russias economy and the West was believed to be too dependent on them to quit easily. The invasion of Ukraine changed that dynamic.

It has also changed the food and fertilizer production dynamic as well  again, on top of an already-strained global supply chain.

The war in Ukraine coming so soon after most nations literally shut down following the spread of the China virus is going to lead to an entirely different power structure once all the dust settles, with a U.S.-led West versus a China-Russia-led East.

Sources include:

ZeroHedge.com

NaturalNews.com
(Natural News) Government officials, elected or otherwise, are good at telling lies. And when theyre caught lying, they will just tell more lies until they become the truth.

After repeatedly denying the presence of biological laboratories in Ukraine, the United States government has finally admitted that such facilities exist. The Russians earlier alleged to have uncovered a plot by Kyiv to unleash biological or chemical weapons as a pretext for blaming Russia and drawing further support for Ukraines efforts to resist a military incursion.

Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Victoria Nuland testified before the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Tuesday, March 8, that Ukraine has biological research facilities, which, in fact, we are quite concerned that Russian troops, Russian forces may be seeking to gain control of.

So we are working with the Ukrainians on how they can prevent any of those research materials from falling into the hands of Russian forces should they approach, she told lawmakers.

However, the new narrative only emboldened Russia to double down on its claims. Russias Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova on Wednesday, March 9, demanded transparency from Washington about any potential involvement in producing deadly viruses. (Related: Melissa Red Pill: Ukraine is hub for criminal operations of the New World Order  Brighteon.TV.)

Its called diagnostic and biodefense laboratories now

Now, its time to change the narrative  or lie some more. Its getting too predictable, really.

A spokesperson for the Department of State told Newsweek that Under Secretary Nuland was referring to Ukrainian diagnostic and biodefense laboratories during her testimony, which are not biological weapons facilities.

How convenient. They should have just called it a biology class lab.

This is exactly why more and more people are watching independent video podcasters, such as myself. You dont have a clue who I am, but you trust me more than the mainstream media who have lied to you every single day of your life, an anonymous podcaster said.

During his hour-long podcast, he played a clip in which Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian adhered to reports that the U.S. has 26 biological laboratories in Ukraine and 336 overall in 30 countries under its control all over the world. (Related: Pentagon ran bioweapons labs in 25 countries, including Ukraine yet no global outcry against the USA for funding covid gain-of-function crimes against humanity.)

In these facilities a large quantity of dangerous viruses is stored. Russia has found during its military operations that the U.S. uses these facilities to conduct military plans, Zhao said, adding that the U.S. should give a full account of its biological military activities at home and abroad and subject itself to multilateral verification.

But the State Department spokesperson was adamant that the Russians are the bad guys in this situation.

These institutions counter biological threats throughout the country. Throughout this crisis, Russia has baselessly alleged it is under threat  including from Ukraine and from NATO [North Atlantic Treaty Organization], and has alleged Ukraine plans to use chemical and biological weapons, the spokesperson said.

As weve said all along, Russia is continuing to invent false pretexts to justify their horrific actions in Ukraine. Neither the United States nor NATO has any desire or intention for conflict with Russia.

The spokesperson also noted that Ukraine is in compliance with the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC), while the same cannot be said for Russia, which has an active biological weapons program and is in violation of the BWC.

Bunch of malarkey

The White House also weighed in on the matter Wednesday as Press Secretary Jen Psaki addressed the claims directly in a series of tweets.

We took note of Russias false claims about alleged U.S. biological weapons labs and chemical weapons development in Ukraine. Weve also seen Chinese officials echo these conspiracy theories, Psaki wrote.

This is preposterous. Its the kind of disinformation operation weve seen repeatedly from the Russians over the years in Ukraine and in other countries, which have been debunked, and an example of the types of false pretexts we have been warning the Russians would invent.

She continued: This is all an obvious ploy by Russia to try to justify its further premeditated, unprovoked and unjustified attack on Ukraine. Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them. Its a clear pattern.

During a press briefing Wednesday, Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby joined the fray and called the claims classic Russian propaganda and in the words of my Irish Catholic grandfather, a bunch of malarkey.

Kirby seems to forget rather quickly that theyre denying the existence of those laboratories in Ukraine until just a few days ago. Their past denials certainly qualify as a bunch of malarkey now.

Watch this video to know more about the bioweapons labs in Ukraine and a whole lot of local and international issues.

This video is from the Palbulletin channel on Brighteon.com.

More related stories:

US bioweapons labs CONFIRMED as deep state sets stage for biowar false flag event to be blamed on Russia.

Dr. Lee Merritt: Putin a great magician, Russia-Ukraine conflict is DNA war against humanity  Brighteon.TV.

Why did the US embassy official website just REMOVE all evidence of Ukrainian bioweapons labs?

FACT CHECK: The Ukrainian bioweapons labs are REAL.

Follow WWIII.news for more news related to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Sources include:

Brighteon.com

Express.co.uk

Newsweek.com
Obstructive sleep apnea is a common but serious problem that causes individuals to stop breathing while sleeping.

It can put you at risk for serious health problems like heart disease, stroke, and type 2 diabetes. According to new studies, it may also cause you to age faster.

However, experts at the University Of Missouri School Of Medicine have shown that untreated OSA accelerates the biological aging process and that adequate therapy can delay or even reverse the tendency.

Sleep apnea and aging

The Harvard Medical School study examined patients with sleep apnea to see if they could identify accelerated aging in their cells, as per LowT Center.

The DNA in their cells was discovered to be "older" than their chronological age, according to the researchers.

The study discovered that for every extra point on the apnea-hypopnea index (a point system over how many times you stop breathing or breathe shallowly at night), there were around 215 days of quicker aging in the people's cells.

Furthermore, further sleep disturbances in OSA patients were associated with 321 extra days of accelerated aging.

A blood test that examines DNA and utilizes an algorithm to calculate a person's biological age is used in age acceleration testing.

The occurrence of a person's biological age exceeding their chronological age is known as "epigenetic age acceleration," and it has been related to increased mortality and chronic illnesses.

According to Rene Cortese, PhD, assistant professor in the Departments of Child Health and Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Women's Health, age acceleration is not specific to OSA and can be induced by a range of environmental variables, such as smoking, poor food, or pollution, according to ScienceDaily.

People experiencing epigenetic age acceleration are not rare in Western society, but the experts wanted to investigate how OSA impacts systemic age acceleration in comparison to individuals who do not have this disease.

Cortese's team compared 16 adult nonsmokers with OSA to eight control patients without the disorder over a one-year period to examine the influence of OSA on epigenetic age acceleration.

Following a baseline blood test, the OSA group got one year of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy before being tested again.

According to the findings, OSA-induced sleep interruptions and decreased oxygen levels during sleep encouraged quicker biological age acceleration when compared to the control group, according to Cortese.

However, OSA patients who used CPAP demonstrated a slowdown of epigenetic age, but the control group's age acceleration trends remained the same.

Their findings imply that when effective OSA therapy is applied, biological age acceleration is at least partially reversible.

Also Read: CPAP Improves Sleep and Looks in People with Sleep Apnea

What happens to your body when you have sleep apnea?

Sleep apnea may raise your risk of oxidative stress by causing you to receive insufficient oxygen.

Oxidative stress occurs when your body has more free radicals than antioxidants.

Another typical concern for patients with OSA is sleep fragmentation. Sleep fragmentation occurs when you experience many brief pauses in your sleep.

This might make it difficult to enter the deep periods of sleep, during which your body heals and your cardiovascular system rests.

Furthermore, OSA may raise your chances of developing chronic inflammation throughout your body.

Low blood oxygen levels and an overworked cardiovascular system as a result of a lack of sleep might induce inflammation in your body.

Chronic inflammation is a frequent aging symptom. Inflammation can also harm good cells and raise your chance of developing diseases, such as heart disease and some forms of cancer.

Related article: Treating Sleep Apnea can Reverse Brain Damage
The partially petrified bones of a large ancient crocodilian that may have been ritually decapitated provide insight into how present crocodilian species may have developed.

The new species, discovered in southern China, is believed to have been 6 meters long and the top predator in its ecosystem.

Only a few hundred years ago, human migration into southern China and consequent hunting may have driven it to extinction.

The finding might influence our understanding of ancient Chinese civilization.

According to ScienceDaily, the residents of the Han River delta in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong had a crocodilian issue in the ninth century, under China's Tang dynasty or, depending on your point of view, the local crocodilians had a human problem.

According to legend, Han Yu, a government official and poet, attempted to warn the crocodilians and even offered a pig and a goat to persuade them to leave the region.

Unfortunately, the crocodilians, being unable to identify these threats, persisted and, according to fresh evidence, met their end.

Twelve centuries later, Professor Minoru Yoneda of the University of Tokyo, research fellow Masaya Iijima of Nagoya University Museum, and Professor Jun Liu of the Hefei University of Technology in China found themselves examining two partly petrified, or subfossil, individuals from a new species.

The creatures were most likely slain in the 14th and 10th centuries B.C., thus they were not the victims of Han Yu, but their presence is linked to his narrative, so the researchers named this new species Hanyusuchus sinensis after him.

The authors linked the fatal wounds to weaponry from the time period in question.

As per Dailymail, Given that the two specimens we have were murdered by humans, the species is no longer alive, and due to the historical evidence of systematic crocodilian mass executions in the region, the conclusion must be that humans are to blame for the extinction of Hanyusuchus sinensis said, Professor Yoneda.

Crocodilians are apex predators that play an important role in the preservation of freshwater habitats. This ancient crocodilian fight serves as a cautionary tale for humanity today.

Also Read: Northern Territory's Crocodile Population Suddenly Increases After Pushed to the Verge of Extinction

The bones are really from Hanyusuchus sinensis?

Hanyusuchus sinensis is a kind of gharial, but what makes it interesting is that it shares several essential skull traits with the other crocodilians.

This is crucial because it might put an end to a decades-long argument about how, when, and how crocodilians developed into the three groups that still walk the Earth today.

Any species deemed a "missing link" is always noteworthy, but Hanyusuchus sinensis is remarkable for other reasons as well, most notably that it appears to have been pushed to extinction by humans.

Both subfossil gharial fossils revealed substantial evidence of severe assaults, including beheading.

The authors linked the fatal wounds to weaponry from the time period in question.

These bones, discovered in various parts of China, were considered to belong to the Chinese alligator (Alligator sinensis), which was exclusively present in the lower Yangtze River area in east-central China.

This might be proof of cultural impact from south to north China, but the current finding may call this into question.

According to Yoneda, he is not alone in believing that the Chinese gharial, Hanyusuchus sinensis, may have left some effects on ancient Chinese civilization.

This magnificent reptile may have impacted certain Chinese characters and possibly beliefs about dragons. It was the sole reptile that preyed on humans in ancient China.

Related article: Nile Crocodile Named 'Bin Laden' Terrorizes Village, Eating 80 Locals
An air conditioner may refresh the environment in your house, but it is most likely deteriorating the Earth's atmosphere in the process.

Today's air conditioning, like other cooling technologies such as freezers and heat pumps, frequently relies on chemicals known as HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons), which are extremely potent greenhouse gases.

HFCs have been employed to replace ozone-depleting compounds, and their emissions have skyrocketed during the last two decades.

HFC consumption affects future emissions

HFCs may be substituted by a variety of gases with considerably lower climatic impact per kilogram, such as ammonia, CO2, and hydrocarbons like propane, as per ScienceDaily.

Indeed, international law already requires the phase-out of HFCs.

These compounds were added to the Montreal Protocol, a treaty initially designed to limit ozone-depleting pollutants, in 2016.

The protocol's 2016 Kigali Amendment mandates HFC cutbacks for four sets of nations through 2047, with consumption falling by 80% to 85% compared to their respective baselines.

The issue is that HFC emissions lag behind usage by years. They can leak out of cooling devices during manufacturing, usage, and disposal.

Using the IIASA Greenhouse Gas and Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies (GAINS) model, the new study takes this lag into account and investigates how different HFC consumption scenarios impact future emissions.

According to the analysis, if HFC emissions were uncontrolled from 2019 to 2050, they would have totaled more than 92 billion tons CO2 equivalent.

The amount should be around 32 billion tons if the Kigali Amendment is followed.

That is, however, much more than the approximately 16 billion tons in SSP1.

The most successful alternative entails all countries not only reaching 95% by 2050, but also making significant reduction much sooner.

This results in cumulative emissions of fewer than 24 billion tons CO2 equivalent by 2050, bringing us significantly closer to the 1.5C climatic scenario.

Even better, an early move would provide an opportunity to replace inefficient cooling equipment with more efficient gear.

This may save up to 20% of predicted future global power use, double the climate benefits of the HFC phase-out, while also reducing air pollution, improving energy availability, and lowering consumer energy expenditures.

Also Read: Earth's Ozone is in Good Shape, Scientists Say

What is the Montreal Protocol?

In order to safeguard the climate and the ozone layer, more than 170 nations agreed to alter the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer during the 28th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer in Kigali/Rwanda in October 2016, according to UNIDO.

The Kigali Amendment seeks to reduce the production and use of hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs).

HFCs are now employed as replacements for hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) and chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) due to their minimal influence on ozone depletion.

However, they are potent greenhouse gases.

The Kigali Amendment will make the Montreal Protocol an even more potent tool in the fight against global warming.

Related article: How Saving the Ozone Layer in 1987 Slowed Global Warming
A recently discovered, oldest existing - close family member of octopuses and vampire squids; by the experts from Yale and the American Museum of Natural History, was dubbed after the 46th President of the United States as an honor to its government.

To catch prey, Syllipsimopodi bideni possessed ten appendages, flippers, plus rows of suckers.

New Specie of the Extinct Vampire Squid With 10 Arms

The said creature existed 328 million years ago and is a unique strain of vampyropod, a kind of wide range of aquatic creature that indicates the current octopuses and vampire squid, according to SciTechDaily news update.

The specie was given the name following President Joseph R. Biden to commemorate the newly elected president, who has now been sworn into office at the period the research project was filed for release, and to highlight his devotion to academia. However, the presidential appellation is only one aspect of the animal's importance.

According to National Science Institute postdoctoral associate at Yale's College of Earth and Geosciences as well as the American Natural history Museum, Christopher Whalen, who is also the primary researcher of a investigation describing the breakthrough published in the journal Nature Communications remarked that the results of the investigation indicate that the very first vampyropods, or certainly to some degree, brings to mind live squids.

Furthermore, Syllipsimopodi bideni therefore calls into question the prevailing reasons for vampyropod genesis as well as proposes a novel paradigm for the development of internally-shelled cephalopods.

Whalen along with co-author Neil Landman of the American Museum of Natural History confirmed the proof of identity from a workpiece unearthed in central Montana and now housed in the Royal Ontario Museum 's holdings.

Syllipsimopodi bideni adds roughly 82 million years to the evolutionary history of vampyropods. This is the sole vampyropod documented to possess ten functioning appendages.

Octopods, on the other hand, have eight limbs, whereas contemporary vampire squids feature eight forearms plus two filaments. Area of present squids as well as cuttlefish also have ten limbs. Primitive vampyropods, including such Syllipsimopodi bideni, also had a gladius which is a flatter, translucent material vestige of an interior carapace.

In an interview where Whalen explained that presently, primarily squids along their relative's family and subgroups, as well as vampire squid, have such a gladius. It has been decreased to a fin reinforcement or stylets, which seem to be tiny, rigid, bar-shaped formations by octopods.

Syllipsimopodi bideni, according to Whalen, has a torpedo-shaped carapace. Its fins were large enough to serve as stabilizers and aid in swimming. Every combination of its appendages was significantly prolonged than the remaining four sets, akin to contemporary squids' two extended tendrils.

Syllipsimopodi bideni, the experts hypothesize, utilized its larger appendages to acquire small animals - maybe tiny, spherical invertebrates - and its narrower limbs to imprison and control victims.

Also read: Celebrating Yellowstone's 150th Birthday: Take a Look at the History of this Iconic National Park

Extinct Vampire Squid Named After President Biden as Honor

Whalen explained that the scientists nicknamed the creature following Biden since the paper was authorized shortly following the president's inaugural ceremony and on the 6th of the month of January insurgency at the Capital building.

The primary author of the study has said to decide to honor the situation in a somewhat more constructive and forward-looking perspective.

"I was pleased by President Biden's promises to combat problem of global warming, as well as his overall sense that policymakers could perhaps pay any attention to climate researchers," Whalen said.

Related article: Crustacean-inspired Robot Used to Aid Underwater Exploration and Monitoring




Researchers have identified a previously unknown species of giant tortoise on an island in the Galapagos after DNA testing. Tortoises residing on San Cristobal today are genetically distinct from tortoises gathered from a cave in the island's mountains in 1906, according to researchers.

How the New Giant Tortoise Species was Discovered

There are about 8,000 tortoises on the island now that were previously assumed to belong to a distinct lineage because 20th-century explorers never reached the island's lowlands in the northeast, according to Phys.org.

San Cristobal Island's giant tortoise species, Chelonoidis chathamensis, now matches a different species genetically, according to information released by the Ministry of Environment on Thursday.

According to a newsletter from the Galapagos Conservancy, a species of Chelonoidiscus chathamensis is almost certainly extinct and that the island of Galapagos had once been home to two distinct species of tortoise, one that lived high up and another that lived down low.

The Galapagos Islands, located in the Pacific roughly 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, are a protected wildlife region and home to a wide variety of rare plant and animal species. British geologist and naturalist Charles Darwin made the archipelago renowned with his findings on evolution there.

Also Read: Supposedly Extinct Galapagos Giant Tortoise Species Confirmed to Have Resurfaced in the Island

Should the Tortoises Inhabiting San Cristobal be Named?

According to the Galapagos National Park, the islands once had 15 different species of giant tortoise. Three of those species have since gone extinct.

The species Chelonoidis phantastica was thought to be extinct until a specimen of it was discovered on Fernandina Island in 2019, as per The Straits Times.

Researchers from Newcastle University in Britain, Yale in the United States, the American NGO Galapagos Conservancy, and other institutions conducted the study, which was published in the journal Heredity.

San Cristobal's tortoises, which are 557 kilometers long, may be given a new name as scientists continue to extract DNA from their bones and shells.

Efforts to Conserve Giant Tortoises

The Galapagos National Park (GNP) and Charles Darwin Foundation (CDF) were established to protect both the islands and the creatures that call them home. Efforts to conserve giant tortoises have resulted in steady or expanding turtle populations in the present day.

In spite of this, the Galapagos giant tortoises are resourceful and have largely been able to adapt to their habitat over the course of history.

Currently, the greatest threat to tortoise populations is human activities, or anthropogenic. In response to humans, tortoise populations have plummeted since the arrival of buccaneers and whalers, who utilized the Islands as a base.

Since humans need to create conservation plans for the giant tortoise, researchers need to know as much as possible about their lives. Movebank and the Galapagos Tortoise Movement Ecology Project are two examples of this type of strategy.

Related Article: Illegal Wildlife Trade: 15 Giant Tortoises Found Brutally Murdered in Galapagos Islands

For more news, updates about giant tortoises and similar topics don't forget to follow Nature World News!
Photo taken on March 13, 2022 shows a scene of the derailment of a freight train in the district of Lubudi of Lualaba province, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. At least 75 people were killed late Thursday following the freight train derailed in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local authorities said Sunday. (Str/Xinhua)

KINSHASA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- At least 75 people were killed and 125 others injured late Thursday following a freight train derailed in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local authorities said Sunday.

The derailment of the 15-wagon train took place late Thursday in the district of Lubudi of DRC's southeastern Lualaba province, Fabien Mutomb, director general of the National Railway Company of Congo (SNCC) said Sunday.

According to the Congolese Ministry of Communication and Media, the train lost control before several wagons ended up in a ravine due to a locomotive traction failure, without providing further details.

Train accidents are often reported in this part of the country due to the poor conditions of locomotives and dilapidated rails. 

Photo taken on March 13, 2022 shows a scene of the derailment of a freight train in the district of Lubudi of Lualaba province, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. At least 75 people were killed late Thursday following the freight train derailed in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local authorities said Sunday. (Str/Xinhua)

Photo taken on March 13, 2022 shows a scene of the derailment of a freight train in the district of Lubudi of Lualaba province, southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. At least 75 people were killed late Thursday following the freight train derailed in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), local authorities said Sunday. (Str/Xinhua)
Authorities claimed Tuesday that a guy who tried to slither past US border guards in California had 52 lizards and snakes hidden in his trousers.

When the guy arrived at the San Ysidro border crossing with Mexico on Feb. 25, he was driving a vehicle and was pulled aside for extra examination, according to U.S. Customs and Border Protection made the announcement in a statement.

The suspect was arrested for wildlife smuggling

According to WECT News, agents discovered 52 live reptiles wrapped up in little pouches "hidden in the man's jacket, pants pockets, and crotch area," according to the statement.

There were nine snakes and 43 horned lizards confiscated. According to officials, several of the species are deemed endangered.

The suspect, a 30-year-old American citizen, was apprehended on charges of unlawful wildlife smuggling. As per BBC.

According to CBP authorities, some of the animals are vulnerable and have been isolated from other animals in "a secure and safe facility."

According to Sidney Aki, CBP director of field operations in San Diego, California, smugglers will use any means imaginable to get their merchandise, or in this case, live reptiles, across the border.

On this occasion, the smuggler sought to deceive CBP agents in order to transport these animals into the US without regard for the animals' health and safety.

Read more: Miniature Chameleon, Believed to be World's Smallest Reptile, Discovered in Madagascar

What is wildlife trafficking?

The unlawful trading, smuggle, poaching, abduction, or collection of endangered species, protected wildlife, including animals or plants subject to harvest quotas and governed by licenses, derivatives, or products thereof, is referred to as wildlife trafficking.

However, there is no globally acknowledged meaning of the phrase, and many countries and organizations use alternative language. As per the UN Office on Drugs and Crime.

This may begin with illegal exploitation of natural resources, such as elephant poaching, destruction of a rare orchid, uncontrolled logging of forests, or unlicensed netting of sturgeons, according to the ICCWC.

It also covers the concealing and laundering of financial gains derived from these crimes.

According to WCS wildtrade, some of these crimes will occur primarily in the country of origin, while others will occur in both the country of origin and the country of destination, where live wildlife or flora specimens, or their parts and derivatives, are eventually consumed.

A strong and rapidly expanding demand for a variety of products around the world is at the heart of illegal wildlife trafficking: bushmeat; additives for traditional Chinese medicine; exotic pets; jewelry, trinkets, and pieces of equipment such as chess sets; furs for uses ranging from coats to traditional costumes; and trophies.

The Convention on International Trading in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), which now has 170 member nations, governs wildlife trade.

Illegal wildlife trade, on the other hand, is a widespread and important conservation issue that has a detrimental impact on the viability of many wildlife populations and is one of the biggest dangers to vertebrate species' existence.

Wildlife trafficking laws and regulations differ from nation to country. Violations of environmental, forest, wildlife, fishery, endangered species, or protected areas legislation may result in administrative, civil, or criminal consequences, depending on the jurisdiction.

Related article: Mother Of All Lizards: World's Oldest Reptile Fossil Dates Back 240 Million Years
A wolverine was seen on camera by a tourist this week in Yellowstone National Area, an astounding performance given that a study survey done in the park from 2006 to 2009 only documented seven of them.

On March 5, park visitor Carl Kemp was on a tour of the world's first national park when he noticed a wolverine in the middle of the road.

Kemp and his daughter Maya watched as the fluffy animal rushed back and forth in the snow.

Rarest animal found in Yellowstone

On Saturday, a father and daughter visiting Yellowstone National Park for the very first time had an extremely uncommon meeting with a wolverine, which their guide characterized as a once-in-a-lifetime event, according to a report in For The Win.

The 9-year-old daughter couldn't stop exclaiming, every 15 minutes or so, 'Wow, we saw a wolverine today!' throughout the duration of the tour.

'Yellowstone Insight owner MacNeil Lyons recalled. She told me it was the most incredible day of her life.

Lyons did not provide the location of the sighting but did say it happened at 11:38 a.m.

When he came around a corner, the wolverine was spotted in the incoming lane as a "low-to-the-ground, black animal loping away from us."

The last time a reported wolverine sighting in Yellowstone National Park made headlines was maybe in January 2021.

Last month, park scientists were ecstatic to discover that one of Yellowstone's most endangered species had activated a remote trail camera outside the Mammoth Hot Springs region.

It was the first time a wolverine was recorded on video by a trail camera within the park.

Read more: Wolverine Removed from Threatened Species List

What is a wolverine?

Wolverines, although not being related to wolves, have a love-hate relationship with them. Wolverines will sometimes consume wolf carcasses, according to Rebecca Watters, executive director of The Wolverine Foundation, as per CNN.

Wolves, on the other hand, will not hesitate to kill the animals if they come into direct combat with them, she noted.

According to Watters, wolverines weigh between 15 and 40 pounds (6.8 and 18.1 kilograms) and live in the Rockies, Alaska, the Mongolian highlands, and sections of Russia and Canada.

Gulo gulo, which means "glutton glutton," is the scientific name for the species and good cause. Wolverines gorge themselves when food is available and store corpses in deep burrows to devour later, according to her.

Wolverines are not just uncommon in Yellowstone. According to Watters, the secretive creatures have a limited population all over the planet, which is due in part to their territorial nature.

She noted that an adult male may have a territory of up to 500 square miles (1,295 square kilometers), but an adult female may have a territory of 300 square miles (777 square kilometers), which doesn't leave many areas for many wolverines.

Furthermore, females begin giving birth at the age of three, producing roughly two kits every other year, according to Watters. Wolverines live to a maximum of 15 years old, and around half of their kits die before reaching adulthood, contributing to their limited population, she added.

Related article: Fed to Scrap Plans to Make Wolverine Protected
A dromedary camel assaulted and killed two men outside Memphis in Tennessee after escaping from a petting zoo on Thursday, March 10.

The camel also attacked a sheriff's vehicle, resulting in a standoff between the dromedary camel and the police.

The camel was later taken down by law enforcement.

Loose Dromedary Camel

On Thursday, local authorities responded to a call about people being attacked by a loose male dromedary camel from the Shirley Farms in Obion County, Tennessee.

The arrival of law enforcement found two unconscious victims laying on the ground at the farm, as per Live Science.

Deputies of the Obion County Sheriff's Office, along with members of the Lake County Sheriff's Office, Ridgely Police Department, Lake County Rescue Squad, and Tennessee Highway Patrol, arrived at the scene to assist the public and transfer them to a safe place.

The arrival of law enforcement ensued in a standoff between the police and the camel, which also attacked a sheriff's vehicle.

The camel also assaulted some deputies who were assisting in the evacuation and emergency service at Shirley Farms.

The law enforcement had no choice but to kill the aggressive camel.

The two men, who were unconscious, were pronounced dead at the scene.

It is not clear how the camel killed the victims. However, male camels are known for being aggressive with other male camels and human males during its mating season.

Also Read: Camels Disqualified From Animal Beauty Pageant in Saudi For Using Botox

Safety Issues

A petting zoo also called a petting farm or an animal farm is somehow similar to a standard zoo. The difference is that it contains a mixture of domesticated animals and wild animals, wherein this case the dromedary camel escaped from the petting zoo Shirley Farms.

Based on a previous inspection report in July 2019 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Shirley farms had no concrete barrier to protect a petting zoo visitor from caged animals during the time of the inspection.

Furthermore, the US agency also reportedly stated the said animal farm had insufficient drinking water for the dromedary camels, as well as zebras. This is due to the inaccessible water troughs or source of potable drinking water.

Dromedary Camel

Dromedary camels (Camelus dromedarius), also known as Arabian camels, are known for their single hump that contains large amounts of stored fat.

This can be transformed into the water as a source of energy for navigating across the desert for a prolonged period of time, as per the National Geographic.

Unlike dromedary camels, other camel species have two humps on their back. These humps serve as large storage for water supply.

Dromedary camels are abundant in the Middle East, which consists of some of the vastest deserts in the world that can reach extremely hot temperatures.

Dromedaries and other camels can traverse these seemingly endless desert landscapes.

According to the National Geographic, the Arabian camels were first domesticated approximately 3,500 years and were used as pack animals that were also able to carry heavy objects.

Related Article: Camel Burps and Poop Create Less Methane than Cows' or Sheep'
Tuberculosis (TB) strains linked with marine mammals were found in the ancient DNA of humans living far from coastal Peru during the pre-colonial period in South America, according to a new study.

The new discovery highlights the complex transmission of TB between animals and humans in Peru.

From Marine Mammals to Humans

The most evident and common tuberculosis symptoms are coughing with blood or mucus for several weeks. Some TB symptoms also include chest pain and pain associated with breathing.

These symptoms can range from moderate to severe and can lead to death if left untreated.

Scientists have been reportedly divided on the origin of ancient tuberculosis genomes but a new study finally answers the origin of TB's animal to human transmission in Peru.

The disease can be transmitted through air, yet it was unprecedented that was a product of indirect transmission from marine mammals to humans.

In a new study published in the journal Nature Communications on Monday, March 7, researchers proved that the spread of TB from seals and sea lions to humans was a case of complex indirect animal to human transmission during pre-colonial South America.

The new study highlights those ancient marine mammals did not directly transmit TB to humans.

It is rather tuberculosis had to travel far distances from Peru's coastal waters to the mainland in South America during the pre-colonial period.

Also Read: Researchers 'Barcode' Tuberculosis

Zoonotic Tuberculosis

This rationale was confirmed by researchers from the new study when they found TB variants from the ancient DNA of people living far from the coastal areas of Peru.

In fact, the research team showed that inland inhabitants of Peru at that time had no direct contact with marine mammals.

The new study had its roots from the discovery back in 2014 when scientists found that the origin of tuberculosis in Peru came from marine mammals.

Since the recent study has shown the absence of contact between the two species, it opened the grounds that other living organisms carried out the transmission.

The integration of these two studies shows that zoonotic tuberculosis in pre-colonial Peru involved a series of natural events, which allowed the TB pathogen M. pinnipedii to jump indirectly from the marine mammals to humans via unknown animals or other living species.

TB Vaccine

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) vaccine does not always guarantee that people will be protected from acquiring the TB disease.

Despite the widespread production of the BCG vaccine, it is mostly given to children and infants in countries where TB is common.

Despite the production and usage of the BCG vaccine worldwide, a lot of people still die from tuberculosis disease each year and across the world.

Deaths are most common for unvaccinated individuals and for people who failed to seek medical checkups of their existing or worsening TB symptoms.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) TB is the second cause of death worldwide after COVID-19 among infectious pathogens.

Additionally, TB is the 13th leading cause of death on the planet.

The WHO reported that the disease had killed a total of 1.5 million people worldwide in 2020.

Related Article: Badgers Can Carry Tuberculosis Across Great Distances, Study Finds
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TOKYO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday urged ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lawmakers to unite as one to win the upcoming House of Councilors election and ensure a stable coalition government.

Kishida, president of the LDP, made the remarks at a party convention, emphasizing the importance of its coalition with its smaller partner Komeito.

He dismissed an emerging view that the relationship between the LDP and Komeito has become awkward over cooperation in the election, which will possibly be held in July.

"Is there any other option than LDP-Komeito that can be entrusted with governing the country when we face history-making challenges? I don't think so," Kishida said at the convention.

"At times, upper house elections have triggered a big political change. Let us unite as one and secure a victory," said Kishida, who was elected LDP president last September.

The House of Councilors election this summer is a key test for Kishida as head of the LDP and also as prime minister, who will be judged by voters on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy.

"The stage is set for cooperation in the House of Councilors election. We will look at the situation in each constituency and seek substantive cooperation that will produce results," said Natsuo Yamaguchi, chief of Komeito. 
John Frayne hosts Classics of the Phonograph on Saturdays at WILL-FM and, in retirement, teaches at the UI. He can be reached at frayne@illinois.edu.
One of Editor & Publishers 10 That Do It Right 2021
Don Follis counsels pastors and consults with a wide array of churches. He blogs at donfollis.com, where you can subscribe to his posts. He can be reached at donscolumn@gmail.com.
COLOMBO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The fuel crisis, caused by the shortage of foreign exchange, has severely impacted the Sri Lankan society, worsening the country's economic woes.

The recent increase in crude oil prices in the world market has made many wonder whether fuel shortages would be a part of daily life. Sri Lankan Minister of Energy Gamini Lokuge on Sunday told journalists that at least seven months will be needed to end the current fuel and gas queues in the country.

Long queues of vehicles lining up outside gas stations is a common sight around the country. While Sri Lanka has managed to procure adequate supplies of petrol, used by most private motor cars, the country still suffers from diesel shortages.

Diesel is used by buses, trains, power plants and many industries, and due to the shortages in diesel many industries are operating at a suboptimal level.

In the first week of March, between 80 percent to 90 percent of private buses were not operating due to inadequate diesel.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has a number of diesel-run power plants that the country depends on to provide an uninterrupted supply of power during the dry season, between January and May.

The Ceylon Electricity Board has been forced to shut down 350 megawatts of diesel power plants from late February due to lack of fuel supply, which has brought about frequent power cuts in the past few weeks.

Sri Lankan medical unions had been urging the government to exempt hospitals from the island-wide power cuts.

The fuel shortages have also affected the country's agriculture with farmers unable to operate machinery or transport their produce to the market.

Data shows that, from 2010 to 2020, Sri Lanka's average import expenditure on fuel was 3.725 billion U.S. dollars per year.

By the beginning of December 2021, Sri Lanka's forex reserves were sufficient for just a month of imports and the Ministry of Finance, faced with a severe dollar shortage, was not willing to release significant amounts of foreign exchange to purchase fuel. 
Longview, TX (75601)

Today

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Aled Edwards is of two minds about medicine's response to COVID-19.

On one hand, he notes, we had life-saving vaccines and therapies less than a year after the discovery of SARS-CoV-2. On the other, more than six million, and possibly as many as 18 million people have died, and global access to advances that can prevent and treat severe disease remains highly inequitable.

Edwards is a Temerty Health Nexus Chair in Innovation & Technology and professor of molecular genetics and medical biophysics in the Temerty Faculty of Medicine at the University of Toronto. He is also founder and CEO of the Structural Genomics Consortium, a public-private partnership dedicated to the discovery and sharing of new medicines.

Edwards published a review paper with colleagues today in the journal Science about COVID-19 vaccines and therapies, and he recently spoke with writer Jim Oldfield, about how society could better prepare for future pandemics.

You write that a foundation of basic and applied research, years in the making, enabled effective medicines for COVID-19. Can you explain that?

Some folks are concerned about the novelty of the vaccines, but they were not invented from thin air. Already in 2019, thanks to decades of research on vaccine technology and coronaviruses, mRNA and adenoviral vaccines showed strong promise in models of other deadly coronaviruses. The main question was whether these technologies would work in people in the real world. And no one could know. Indeed, in early 2020, the WHO said if vaccines were 50 per cent effective in people, we should be doing high-fives; nobody imagined efficacy like 90 per cent. To give you sense of how it might have gone, we've been trying to make vaccines for HIV and hepatitis C since the 1990s and have been spectacularly unsuccessful. So, the Covid vaccines have been a great-news story, although of course we clearly need broader-spectrum vaccines that work against SARS-CoV-2 variants, and also against the next virus that might jump from animals to humans.

You also write that in addition to scientific innovation, we need better vaccination implementation.

Yes, we need to increase capacity to produce billions of doses for global demand, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. There are certainly technical challenges, but we should be able to overcome them either by reducing the quantity of active components in vaccines, by limiting the number of doses needed for immunity, or by using vaccine adjuvants or other methods. But the greater challenge is in the social and political realms; it's critical that we provide more equitable access to vaccines globally. We saw both in Canada and in other rich countries a very selfish, me-first approach to vaccine distribution. We should have had a discussion as Canadians and decided what fraction of the vaccines we purchased should stay in Canada or be given away to the less fortunate. We did not. Now we are left trying to convince Canadians to help others only because it's in our best interests, and not because it's the right thing to do. That argument really disappoints me.

How can we shift our approach in Canada?

We need a cultural change in how we view access to new medicines. Are they commercial assets that we leave to the private sector to develop and tacitly endorse the fact that this means they will be priced at levels unaffordable by most? Or is access to new medicines a right to which all should have fair access? Affluent countries like Canada lean more toward the asset view, because our economic systems are entangled in the development of medicines, and of course because we are rich. But if you're from a developing country, you lean toward them being a right. It's a hard question obviously, and you can't ignore that distribution may be better done by the private sector, and that money is a motivator. But I think we, particularly at public universities, should do our best to create a system in which access to medicines is the guiding principle. Indeed, greater equity is the driving principle behind open science, and it's what we've been trying to do at the SGC for two decades, first with drugs for neglected diseases and more recently with antivirals. And I'm convinced if given a choice, it's what many people at the university would want.

You also say that addressing misinformation is crucial for pandemic planning.

Well, social media has spread mis- and disinformation far and wide, and that has spurred vaccine hesitancy and undermined public health interventions. I've seen it in friends and family. Ironically, older generations have been less influenced by misinformation. I think it's because many of them remember polio and measles, for example. They've seen the power of vaccines with their own eyes and have no hesitation to get vaxxed. Look at Mitch McConnell -; he had polio, and that fear will always be with him -; he's pro-vaccine. But many young people have never seen these diseases and it's harder for some to imagine their danger. Early education programs on the science and history of vaccines would be a great start on this problem. And universities should take the lead on that. U of T in particular can play a role here -; we've published more COVID-19 papers than any other Canadian university, and over 15 per cent of them are in the social sciences and humanities. Misinformation is not a science problem per se, and it won't be solved by nerds like me in labs.

Antiviral therapies have emerged as a potent way to halt COVID-19 progression. What did we do right with those?

Both antiviral drugs and antibody drugs have been effective. When the pandemic hit, we saw huge efforts to repurpose drugs approved for other diseases that might work for COVID-19. Most repurposing efforts to identify antivirals failed, but those that succeeded started from drugs that act on other RNA viruses -; it is a good strategy to 'to fish where there are fish,' as we put it. So we must start casting our lines in this pool to finds drug starting points for the other 15 viruses of pandemic potential -; and we should start now, while we have time. Our goal should be to identify oral, broad-spectrum antiviral pills likely to protect against these emerging pathogens. The science is there, it's whether there is a will. Fortunately, the Americans are beginning to invest heavily in the prospective development of new antivirals. Canada has not yet decided what it will do.

As for antibody drugs, like the one discovered by the Canadian company AbCellera and developed by Eli Lilly, they offered one of the first treatments for COVID-19, in part due to their safety profile: it took just five months for the first monoclonal antibody to enter trials. There are more than 100 similar treatments in development. This approach shows a lot of promise, but cost and logistics are significant barriers -; currently they are too expensive for all but rich countries. Canada should think carefully about investing only in these products because currently this is an investment in medicines that will be available only to rich people. I do not think this is a good message to the world. We absolutely must develop a strategy that prioritizes fast, fair and global access.

Indeed, as a university and as a country, we're at a key point. It's like the Robert Frost poem, 'The Road Not Taken.' Are we going to take the easy road, stay the course and contribute to the development of medicines that will likely never be available to all? Or take the hard road and do something different here at U of T -; to prioritize the public good first and develop medicines with a priority on access? Taking the rough road flies against the current policy thinking of how drug discovery is 'supposed' to work, but there is a precedent for that at the University of Toronto, all the way back to insulin and diphtheria vaccines, where university scientists pushed for access over profit. Medicines for the public good is part of our past, and it could also be our future, if we're willing to risk walk-the-talk.
In a paper published today in Sciences Advances, researchers in the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of California, Irvine revealed new details about a key enzyme that makes DNA sequencing possible. The finding is a leap forward into the era of personalized medicine when doctors will be able to design treatments based on the genomes of individual patients.

Enzymes make life possible by catalyzing chemical transformations that otherwise would just take too long for an organism. One of the transformations we're really interested in is essential for all life on the planet  it's the process by which DNA is copied and repaired." Greg Weiss, UCI professor of chemistry and co-corresponding author of the new study

The molecule the UCI-led team studied is an enzyme called Taq, a name derived from the microorganism it was first discovered in, Thermos aquaticus. The molecule the UCI-led team studied is an enzyme called Taq, a name derived from the microorganism it was first discovered in, Thermos aquaticus. Taq replicates DNA. Polymerase chain reaction, the technique with thousands of uses from forensics to PCR tests to detect COVID-19, takes advantage of Taq.

The UCI-led team found that Taq, as it helps make new copies of DNA, behaves completely unlike what scientists previously thought. Instead of behaving like a well-oiled, efficient machine continuously churning out DNA copies, the enzyme, Weiss explained, acts like an indiscriminate shopper who cruises the aisles of a store, throwing everything they see into the shopping cart.

"Instead of carefully selecting each piece to add to the DNA chain, the enzyme grabs dozens of misfits for each piece added successfully," said Weiss. "Like a shopper checking items off a shopping list, the enzyme tests each part against the DNA sequence it's trying to replicate."

It's well-known that Taq rejects any wrong items that land into its proverbial shopping cart  that rejection is the key, after all, to successfully duplicating a DNA sequence. What's surprising in the new work is just how frequently Taq rejects correct bases. "It's the equivalent of a shopper grabbing half a dozen identical cans of tomatoes, putting them in the cart, and testing all of them when only one can is needed."

The take-home message: Taq is much, much less efficient at doing its job than it could be.

The find is a leap toward revolutionizing medical care, explained Philip Collins, a professor in the UCI Department of Physics & Astronomy who's a co-corresponding author of the new research. That's because if scientists understand how Taq functions, then they can better understand just how accurate a person's sequenced genome truly is.

"Every single person has a slightly different genome," said Collins, "with different mutations in different places. Some of those are responsible for diseases, and others are responsible for absolutely nothing. To really get at whether these differences are important or healthcare  for properly prescribing medicines  you need to know the differences accurately."

"Scientists don't know how these enzymes achieve their accuracy," said Collins, whose lab created the nano-scale devices for studying Taq's behavior. "How do you guarantee to a patient that you've accurately sequenced their DNA when it's different from the accepted human genome? Does the patient really have a rare mutation," asks Collins, "or did the enzyme simply make a mistake?"

"This work could be used to develop improved versions of Taq that waste less time while making copies of DNA," Weiss said.

The impacts of the work don't stop at medicine; every scientific field that relies on accurate DNA sequencing stands to benefit from a better understanding of how Taq works. In interpreting evolutionary histories using ancient DNA, for example, scientists rely on assumptions about how DNA changes over time, and those assumptions rely on accurate genetic sequencing.

"We've entered the century of genomic data," said Collins. "At the beginning of the century we unraveled the human genome for the very first time, and we're starting to understand organisms and species and human history with this newfound information from genomics, but that genomic information is only useful if it's accurate."

Co-authors on this study include Mackenzie Turvey, Ph.D., a former UCI graduate student in physics & astronomy, and Kristin Gabriel, Ph.D., a former UCI graduate student in molecular biology & biochemistry. This research was funded by the National Human Genome Research Institute of the NIH.
K&B Liberty farms in Corydon produces multiple varieties of organic tomatoes along with kale, broccoli, eggplant and other produce.
(Newser)  "Fraud is the new dope." So says Armando Aguilar of the Miami Police, per a recent report by Thomas Brewster for Forbes about links between Miami street gangs and Russian cybercriminals. Gangs have always seen identity theft as a low-risk funding source. Crips from the East Coast to the West Coast were arrested for identity-related fraud in 2008, the Los Angeles Times reported at the time, and in 2016, reported the Wall Street Journal eight years later. In those days, they engaged in relatively low-tech methods like passing fake checks or capturing PINs with false ATM keypads. The internet has evolved since then, and so has cybercrime. Russian criminal networks now dominate the landscape, and they have millions and billions of data points to sell. As Brewster writes, "It's possible to draw a line from Russian cybercrime to US street gang killings and fraud."

Brewster points to cases in which members of various violent Miami gangs were arrested with social security numbers, account numbers, and login credentials. One gang member had an iCloud file labeled "Im rich b----" with over 7,600 pages of personal data. Evidence suggests they use small-scale fraud as a side-hustle to buy guns and finance other criminal activities. Thus, the line between Russia and gang violence. The arrangement is certainly a boon to Russian hackers. One of the largest enterprises, Blackpass, possesses billions of data points, which it sells for between $1 and $5 apiece. Brewster finds the legal system lacks the will to prosecute all the cases, despite mounds of evidence, complete with social media posts in which gangs brag about their exploits: "Current and former police officers say theres often not much of an appetite to jail gangsters for fraud, largely because single frauds arent big enough, even if the overall cost is significant." If its under $100,000, its not worth the trouble, claimed one official. (Read the full piece.)
(Newser)  This exoneration story does not include a tearful family reunion outside the courthouse. Reynaldo Munoz already served 30 years for a murder he did not commit and had been out on parole since 2016, living with his high school sweetheart and family in Florida, per USA Today. But his story is noteworthy: His conviction was vacated in late February, and his case marks the 3,000th entry on the National Registry of Exonerations, which has catalogued exonerations in jurisdictions across the US dating back to 1989. His is one of dozens of exonerations to come out of Cook County, home of the Chicago Police Department, in 2022 thus far.

The registry provides the details of Munoz's case: He was arrested at 16 in connection with a Chicago shooting that left a 21-year-old dead. Munoz said Chicago police detective Reynaldo Guevara questioned him about that and other murder, hit his face when he denied knowing about them, and then took him to a rival gang's territory. He says Guevara removed him from the car and allowed gang members to beat him. Per the registry, "Years later, Guevara would be exposed as a detective who routinely physically abused suspects and witnesses alike." USA Today reports evidenceabout the gun and a witness who said "Shorty" did the crimewas suppressed at trial. As for the 3,000th-milestone, registry co-founder Samuel Gross notes the number "could easily be twice as many." (Read more exoneration stories.)
(Newser)  The Biden administration committed Saturday to shipping another $200 million in weapons and equipment to Ukraine. Just before the announcement, Russia warned that it would consider any weapons on their way to Ukraine to be "legitimate targets" for attack, the New York Times reports. Javelin antitank missiles and Stinger antiaircraft missiles will be included in the shipment, lifting the total for US weapons sent to Ukraine over the past year to $1.2 billion. Other developments included:

The attack on cites: The southern city of Mariupol is being bombed "24 hours a day," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, per the AP. Ukrainian officials said Russian soldiers kidnapped the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fyodorov, on Friday evening. Despite the fact that Russian soldiers were there, hundreds went into the streets Saturday to demand his release, shouting, "Return the mayor!" until the troops shut the protest down. Zelensky said the kidnapping demonstrates how false the Russian propaganda is; the mayor is an ethnic Russian who might have been expected to cooperate. "For years they have been lying to themselves that people in Ukraine were supposedly waiting for Russia to come," Zelensky said. "They did not find collaborators who would hand over the city and the power to the invaders."

The southern city of Mariupol is being bombed "24 hours a day," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, per the AP. Ukrainian officials said Russian soldiers kidnapped the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fyodorov, on Friday evening. Despite the fact that Russian soldiers were there, hundreds went into the streets Saturday to demand his release, shouting, "Return the mayor!" until the troops shut the protest down. Zelensky said the kidnapping demonstrates how false the Russian propaganda is; the mayor is an ethnic Russian who might have been expected to cooperate. "For years they have been lying to themselves that people in Ukraine were supposedly waiting for Russia to come," Zelensky said. "They did not find collaborators who would hand over the city and the power to the invaders." The battle for Kyiv : The capital likewise was being pounded, and UK intelligence showed most of Russian forces are about 15 miles from Kyiv's center, per CNN. Street-by-street fighting was reported in the suburb of Irpin.

: The capital likewise was being pounded, and UK intelligence showed most of Russian forces are about 15 miles from Kyiv's center, per CNN. Street-by-street fighting was reported in the suburb of Irpin. An attack on civilians : Ukraine reported that Russian troops opened fire on a group of women and children trying to flee a village in the Kyiv region. Seven people, including a child, were killed.

: Ukraine reported that Russian troops opened fire on a group of women and children trying to flee a village in the Kyiv region. Seven people, including a child, were killed. Death toll : Zelensky said that Russian forces have killed about 1,300 Ukrainian troops since the invasion began, per the Washington Post. More than 500 Russian troops surrendered Friday, he said.

: Zelensky said that Russian forces have killed about 1,300 Ukrainian troops since the invasion began, per the Washington Post. More than 500 Russian troops surrendered Friday, he said. Putin call: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and French President Emmanuel Macron spent nearly 90 minutes on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin trying to arrange a cease-fire. Zelensky said he'd meet with Putin in Jerusalem to negotiate, provided a cease-fire was in effect. Macron described the conversation with Putin, who repeated his terms, as "difficult."

(Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
BEIJING, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The Russia-Ukraine conflict continues on Sunday as relevant parties are working to broker a peaceful solution. Following are the latest developments of the situation:

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, and urged them to influence the Kiev authorities to stop "criminal acts" of Ukrainian "nationalist battalions," according to the Kremlin.

Macron and Scholz urged an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, the German government said in a statement, noting the 75-minute talk as part of the ongoing international efforts to end the conflict.

The three leaders agreed to continue contacts on Ukrainian issues, the Kremlin said.

Meanwhile, Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday morning, and learned about Zelensky's assessment of the current situation. The two agreed to keep in touch, according to the German statement.

- - - -

Zelensky said at a media briefing on Saturday that "around 1,300" Ukrainian troops had been killed since the conflict started.

It was the first time Kiev had given such a toll since the beginning of the conflict.

- - - -

Russia will publish individual sanctions against the West in the near future, Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Saturday.

"The lists are ready," Ryabkov said on Russian broadcaster Channel One, adding that the sanctions will be made public soon.

According to Ryabkov, Moscow sees no indication that the United States was ready to continue dialogue on Ukraine.

The diplomat also warned Washington against transferring weapons to Ukraine, adding that these weapons will become legitimate targets for the Russian forces. 
(Newser)  Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas says he's concerned that efforts to politicize the court or add additional justices may erode the institution's credibility, per the AP. Speaking Friday in Utah at an event hosted by former Republican Sen. Orrin Hatchs foundation, Thomas said he worries about the long-term repercussions of trends such as cancel culture and a lack of civil debate. You can cavalierly talk about packing or stacking the court," said Thomas, now the court's most senior member. "You can cavalierly talk about doing this or doing that. At some point the institution is going to be compromised, he told an audience of about 500 people at an upscale hotel in Salt Lake City.

By doing this, you continue to chip away at the respect of the institutions that the next generation is going to need if theyre going to have civil society, Thomas said. The court has leaned increasingly conservative since three justices nominated by former President Trump joined its ranks. Progressives have in turn called to expand the number of justices on the court, including during the 2020 presidential primary. Democrats in Congress introduced a bill last year to add four justices to the bench, and President Biden has convened a commission to study expanding the court.

Im afraid, particularly in this world of cancel culture attack, I dont know where youre going to learn to engage as we did when I grew up, said Thomas. If you dont learn at that level in high school, in grammar school, in your neighborhood, or in civic organizations, then how do you have it when youre making decisions in government, in the legislature, or in the courts? Thomas also accused the media of cultivating inaccurate impressions about public figuresincluding himself, his wife, and late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia. Wife Ginni Thomas has faced scrutiny for her involvement in groups that file briefs about cases in front of the court, as well as for using her Facebook page to amplify partisan attacks.

(Read more Clarence Thomas stories.)
(Newser)  Update: The suspect wanted in the stabbing of two Museum of Modern Art employees over the weekend in New York City has been arrested, reports the New York Times. Gary Cabana, 60, was taken into custody at a Greyhound station in Philadelphia, per Steve Keeley of Fox29. The two stabbing victims, both in their 20s, suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The NYPD released these images of the assailant after the attack. Our original story from Sunday follows:

A scary moment unfolded Saturday in New York City at the Museum of Modern Art. Police say a 60-year-old man angry that his membership had been revoked stabbed two employees, reports NBC New York. Neither victima man and a woman, both 24suffered life-threatening injuries, though both were stabbed multiple times in the back and neck areas, per the New York Times. In fact, the woman joked, "I'm going to get hazard pay," as she was being taken to an ambulance on a stretcher, notes the New York Post.

The NYPD says the assailant entered the museum to attend a film, only to be informed that his membership was no longer valid. It was not renewed "as a result of two incidents involving disorderly conduct here at the museum on two separate dates in recent days, says a police official. MoMA had sent out a letter to the man on Friday, but it wasn't clear whether he was aware of it. Police say he jumped over the reception desk and stabbed the two employees before fleeing the museum, which was evacuated. The suspect, a white man identified as Gary Cabana, remains at large. MoMA later tweeted that it would be closed on Sunday. (Read more MoMA stories.)
(Newser)  Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraines western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people, per the AP. The strike near Lviv followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia's grinding invasion. The attack "brought the war perilously closer to NATOs doorstep," per the New York Times. More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling training facility that is less than 15 miles from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraines western Lviv region. Poland is a key location for routing Western military aid to Ukraine.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lviv had largely been spared the scale of destruction unfolding further east and become a destination for residents escaping bombarded cities and for many of the nearly 2.6 million refugees who have fled the country. The training center in Yavoriv appears to be the most westward target struck so far in the 18-day invasion. The facility, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other NATO countries.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the missiles fired Sunday were shot down because the air defense system worked. The ones that got through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said. Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, 155 miles from Ukraines border with Slovakia and Hungary, an attack the citys mayor said was intended to sow panic and fear. Fighting also raged in multiple areas of the country overnight. Ukrainian authorities said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and refugees were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

(Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Update: The Ukrainian mayor of Melitopol has been freed from Russian forces in a "special operation," according to officials. Ivan Fedorov was spotted with a bag over his head in the company of heavily armed Russian soldiers in the city on March 11, per ABC News. "The Russian military abducted him  trying to persuade him to collaborate. But our man withstood. He did not give up. Just as we all endure," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Wednesday. A video shows him speaking by phone with Fedorov, who promises to be ready for orders after a short recovery. Officials reported the abduction of a third mayor, Oleksandr Yakovlyev of Skadovsk, on Wednesday, per Fox News, though he's reportedly been released. Our original story from Sunday follows:

Russian forces have kidnapped a second mayor, Ukraine said Sunday. The nation's foreign minister tweeted that Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of the southern city of Dniprorudne, had been taken by Russian troops. The mayor of Melitopol was kidnapped earlier. "Today, Russian war criminals abducted another democratically elected Ukrainian mayor," Dmytro Kuleba posted, the BBC reports. "Getting zero local support, invaders turn to terror." A British lawmaker said Russia has launched a "campaign of civilian abductions" to pressure politicians to support its invasion, per the Washington Post.

The person Russia declared the new mayor of Melitopol delivered a warning to residents in her first public appearance, telling them not to take "extremist actions." Galina Danilchenko said she plans to restore "basic mechanisms under the new reality." By contrast, the elected mayor, Ivan Fedorov, said last week, "We are not cooperating with the Russians in any way," per the BBC. President Volodymyr Zelensky demanded that Fedorov be freed, and asked Israel, Germany, and France to exert pressure on Russia. On Saturday night, Zelensky praised Ukrainians who were not cooperating with the Russians in the Kherson region. Those who do, he said in an apparent reference to Danilchenko, will face consequences. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Iran has claimed responsibility for a missile barrage that struck early Sunday near a sprawling US consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard. No injuries were reported in the attack, which marked a significant escalation between the US and Iran, per the AP. Hostility between the longtime foes has often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both countries. The State Department called the attacks "outrageous."

A US official said there was no damage at any US government facility and no indication the target was the consulate building, which is new and currently unoccupied. The Washington Post reports the missiles landed "several kilometers" from the US complex. Iran's quasi-official Fars news agency said the nation's Revolutionary Guard Corps launched powerful missiles in retaliation for recent crimes of the fake Zionist regime." The attack came several days after Iran said it would retaliate for an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria, that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard.

The Kurdistan Regional Council of Ministers said in a statement that Irbil "was subjected to a cowardly attack under the pretext of striking an Israeli base near the US consulate in Irbil, but the target site was a civilian site, and this justification is aimed at concealing the motives of this heinous crime." The missile barrage coincided with regional tensions. Negotiations in Vienna over Tehrans tattered nuclear deal hit a pause over Russian demands about sanctions targeting Moscow for its war on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Iran suspended its secret Baghdad-brokered talks aimed at defusing tensions with Saudi Arabia, after Saudi Arabia carried out its largest known mass execution in its modern history, with over three dozens Shiites killed.

(Read more Iran stories.)
(Newser)  In early 2020, US drones killed a top Iranian general. More than two years later, a man looking for love in a hotel room near Vegas paid for it. In a bizarre criminal report, police in Henderson, Nevada, say a woman stabbed her date in retaliation for the killing of Maj. Gen. Qasem Soleimani, reports KLAS. Nika Nikoubin, 21, faces charges including attempted murder and battery with a deadly weapon. According to the police report, Nikoubin met up with a man she met on the Plenty of Fish dating site. He may have wanted companionship, but police say Nokoubin confessed that she wanted "revenge" for Soleimani's death, per the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

It's not clear why she chose her unidentified victim. Whatever the reason, the two got a local hotel room and started doing what strangers who rent a hotel room tend to do. In this case, it involved a blindfold. After Nikoubin placed it on her would-be suitor, he felt a pain on the side of his neck," per the police report. He then pushed her off, ran out of the room, and summoned help. Upon her arrest, Nikoubin "advised that there are injustices, in particular the killing of Qasem Soleimani in Iran, detectives wrote. Nikoubin stated she wanted revenge. The man's condition was not available, while Nikoubin is being held on $60,000 bail. For the record, she told detectives she only wanted to hurt the man. (Read more strange stuff stories.)
(Newser)  An American journalist has been killed while reporting from a suburb of the Ukraine capital of Kyiv, reports CBS News. Ukrainian authorities blame Russian troops for the death of 50-year-old videographer Brent Renaud in Irpin, though the circumstances of his death have not been confirmed. He was reportedly in a car when killed, per the AP. Renaud had worked for several American outlets, including the New York Times, HBO, Vice, and NBC, though it was not immediately clear whether he was affiliated with a particular outlet when killed. A spokesperson for the Times called Renaud a "talented filmmaker," adding that he was not currently on assignment with the newspaper.

"This is obviously shocking and horrifying, and I've just learned about it as I came onto air here, so I will be consulting with my colleagues, we'll be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Face the Nation Sunday. Ukrainian authorities said another US journalist was injured, but that person was not identified. Renaud often worked with his brother, Craigsee this Pulitzer Center video. The pair won a Peabody Award for a project on a Chicago school. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday in cities across Europe to protest Russia's war in Ukraine, with small vigils taking place in Russia as well despite a crackdown by authorities against such demonstrations. German trade unions called a protest in Berlin, the AP reports. The march led from the city's Alexanderplatza large square named after Russian Czar Alexander Ito a site near the Brandenburg Gate. Many participants carried flags in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine, while others bore banners reading "Stop the War" and "Peace and Solidarity for the people in Ukraine."

Norbert Herring, whose sign read "What are you doing to your neighbor?" said outside the Russian Embassy that the images from Ukraine remind him of the bombing of cities during World War II. Several protesters in Berlin said they were Russians ashamed about what their country was doing. "We're against this war so we wanted to show our solidarity," said Aleksandra Belozerova, a Russian studying in Germany. Her friend, Aliia Biktagirova, held a sign with letters for the Russian phrase for "No War" represented as asterisks to reflect the censorship she said is taking place in Russia concerning the conflict. Protests were also staged in Warsaw, London, and the German cities of Frankfurt, Hamburg, and Stuttgart, as well as in Cyprus and Taiwan.

In Rome, Pope Francis decried the "barbarianism" of the killing of children and other defenseless civilians in Ukraine. He told a crowd estimated by the Vatican at 25,000 people in St. Peter's Square for his customary Sunday noon appearance that the attacks must stop "before cities are reduced to cemeteries." In Russia, rights group OVD-Info said more than 668 people had been detained at protests in 36 cities as of late afternoon Moscow time. There was a heavy police presence at central locations including Manezh Square near the Kremlin, with officers carrying demonstrators to police vans in footage posted by Russian media. The number of protesters nationwide appeared to be far fewer than at the last major protests a week ago. (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Russia's missile attack on a base less than 15 miles from Poland could signal a change in strategy, US and Ukrainian officials said Sunday. Until now, Russia mostly has fired on targets in the east and south of Ukraine, Politico reports. The attack Sunday was the third against a military target or airfield in western Ukraine, Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on ABC's This Week. "At least from an air strike perspective," he said, "they're broadening their target sets." Speaking on CBS's Face the Nation, the deputy mayor of Lviv said the strikes were "like a new edge in this war."

Until Sunday, people in western Ukraine had felt they were living in relative safety, NPR reports. Republican Sen. Rob Portman, who's in Poland, a NATO member, said the attack just across the border could be heard there. "People are just distraught," he told CNN. Jake Sullivan, President Biden's national security adviser, said the attack reflects Russian President Vladimir Putin's frustration at his stalling attacks on cities. So "hes lashing out, and hes trying to cause damage in every part of the country," Sullivan said on CNN's State of the Union.

US officials have warned that Russia may be planning to use chemical weapons against Ukraine, and Sullivan repeated Biden's warning that Russia would "pay a severe price" for that. Ukraine's foreign minister said Sunday that his country is not counting on NATO to help in the event of a chemical weapons attack. "We say arm Ukraine and we will do the rest," Dmytro Kuleba said on CBS. "Give us all the weapons necessary, and we will fight for our own land and for our people." (Read more Russia-Ukraine conflict stories.)
(Newser)  Former President Barack Obama announced Sunday that he tested positive for COVID-19 but so far has just one symptom. "I've had a scratchy throat for a couple days," he tweeted, "but am feeling fine otherwise." The former president said he and his wife, Michelle, are fully vaccinated and boosted, CBS News reports. Michelle Obama has tested negative, he said. The couple recently returned from a stay in Hawaii and are now in Washington, DC, which is where Obama took the test, per CNN. Hospitalization rates for the disease are on the decline, per ABC. "It's a good reminder that, even as cases go down, you should get vaccinated and boosted if you haven't already to help prevent more serious symptoms and giving COVID to others," Obama posted on Facebook. (Read more Barack Obama stories.)
TIRANA, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama announced on Saturday a set of measures to cope with the rising prices due to the global energy crisis and the conflict in Ukraine.

Via a video communication on the social media Facebook Rama introduced a social aid package of seven measures aimed to support pensioners and vulnerable groups, private and public sector employees and farmers.

The first measure, which is related to pensions, includes the allocation of 3.6 billion Albanian lek (around 32 million U.S. dollars) to index the upcoming pensions.

The government will compensate 3,000 Albanian lek monthly for all retirees, vulnerable groups and those who benefit from the economic scheme that receive less than the minimum wage

The government will also provide subsidies for Albanian farmers, which will reach 1.4 billion Albanian lek.

To support public transportation in the country, the government will allocate 500 million Albanian lek to pay for the differences in ticket prices, so that the ticket prices for the citizens do not change.

Starting from April, Albania will implement the law which stipulates the zero tax for salaries up to 40,000 Albanian lek, halving the tax for salaries up to 50,000 Albanian lek, and reducing the tax for salaries from 150,000 to 200,000 Albanian lek.

"This law was previously planned to enter into force in June and 360,000 employees across the country will benefit from it," Rama said.

In addition, starting from April, the minimum wage in the country will increase to 32,000 Albanian lek from the current minimum wage of 30,000 Albanian lek.

The government, according to Rama, will add 20 billion Albanian lek to the financing which goes to the payment of electricity bills for households and small businesses.

The recent increase in the prices of fuel and basket of everyday products has caused nationwide protests for the fourth consecutive day.

On Saturday, thousands of citizens gathered in the capital city Tirana in front of the Prime Minister's Office to protest against what they called "an unbearable increase in prices." (1 U.S. dollar = 112.3 Albanian lek) 
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

Foreign Minister Dr Abdullatif bin Rashid Al-Zayani yesterday stressed the need to combat terrorism in all its forms and called for concerted international efforts to face all threats.

The minister said this during a meeting with global leaders and politicians at the Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

The event from March 11 to 13 in Antalya, Turkey, was under the patronage of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The dialogue session was entitled Diplomacy and Combating Terrorism.

The minister condemned the terrorist Houthi militias attacks on civil facilities and infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

He noted that Iran and its proxies in the region continue to spread insecurity, division and violence throughout the Middle East by providing terrorist organizations with weapons, ammunition, detonators and explosives, some of which were seized in Bahrain.

He also added that the danger and threat of ISIS have not receded despite its loss of territories. Dr Al-Zayani affirmed that Bahrain, per the vision of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, pursues a foreign political approach based on consolidating peace, human rights and sustainable development.

The Kingdom, he said, seeks to address regional challenges through understanding, communication and constructive dialogue.

He added that Bahrains signing of the historic Abraham Accords with the United Arab Emirates and the State of Israel in 2020 represents an effective step that will help address the root causes of the Palestinian cause.

He also underlined the need to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through direct negotiations between the two sides, following the two-state solution.

He pointed out Bahrain will remain keen to work in all these areas in cooperation with international partners.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (R) meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 13, 2022. Erdogan and Mitsotakis pledged on Sunday to boost mutual cooperation "despite their disagreements." (Xinhua)

ISTANBUL, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis pledged on Sunday to boost mutual cooperation "despite their disagreements."

Erdogan and Mitsotakis met over lunch in Istanbul behind closed doors, Turkey's presidential office said in a statement, adding the main agenda of the two leaders was bilateral and international relations, including the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Erdogan and Mitsotakis agreed to keep communication channels open and improve bilateral relations despite some disagreements between the two countries, said the statement.

The Turkish leader told the Greek prime minister that he maintains his belief in taking relations to a high level and making progress in issues that strained their relations.

The relations between the two NATO allies have long been at odds over a series of issues, including maritime and energy issues in the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Meanwhile, addressing the Greek community at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Istanbul earlier in the day, Mitsotakis called for an immediate ceasefire on all fronts in Ukraine so that new opportunities for dialogue, reconciliation, and peace might be present. 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (L) meets with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Istanbul, Turkey, on March 13, 2022. Erdogan and Mitsotakis pledged on Sunday to boost mutual cooperation "despite their disagreements." (Xinhua)
TDT | Manama

The Daily Tribune  www.newsofbahrain.com

The United Nations yesterday hailed the humanitarian efforts undertaken by Bahrain to support people affected by wars and natural disasters around the world.

The appreciation comes as Bahrain, under the directives of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, assigned the Royal Humanitarian Foundation to provide relief aid of one million dollars to people fleeing Ukraine in response to an urgent UN appeal. The move also made Bahrain the first country in the Gulf to help Ukrainian refugees.

Adviser to the High Commissioner, UNHCR representative to the Gulf states, Khalid Khalifa, said, We are proud of our partnership with the Foundation and grateful for its pioneering role as the first supporter of the emergency response in Ukraine from the Gulf region. He also praised the generous directives of HM the King to respond to the call of the UN.
Despite Shell exiting a landmark LNG plant that has served as a symbol of cooperation between Tokyo and Moscow, Japanese trading houses Mitsui & Co. and Mitsubishi Corp. are sticking with the Sakhalin-2 project, the source of nearly 10% of Japan's liquefied natural gas imports.

The situation underscores a dilemma Japan and its companies will increasingly find themselves as the U.S. and Europe pile on more sanctions against Russia.

"Japan's position on its interests in Sakhalin is greatly different than that of Europe and the U.S.," an energy executive at one of the trading houses told senior officials at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. A document that was presented included such statements such as: "A hasty withdrawal is dangerous," and "a withdrawal will benefit Russia and China."

Ministry officials responded by saying "the interests are very important."

Sakhalin-2 is Russia's first LNG project. Russia's state-owned Gazprom has a stake of about 50%, Shell about 27.5%, Mitsui 12.5%, and Mitsubishi 10%. Beginning shipments in 2009, of the 10 million tons produced annually, about 60% goes to Japan, accounting for almost all its LNG imports from Russia.

LNG from Sakhalin-2 is supplied to Japanese electricity and gas companies. The long-term contracts stabilize volume and costs while shipments take about three days, shorter than the two-week span from the Middle East. Japanese companies have integrated the gas into their supply networks, making it vastly more important for them than for Shell, which is selling the bulk of its interests in Asia. ...continue reading
The Japanese government will urge Russia to exercise restraint as Moscow steps up measures over four Russian-held islands claimed by Japan.

Moscow's moves come as Japan imposes sanctions on the country for its invasion of Ukraine.

The sanctions include freezing assets of Russian President Vladimir Putin, government officials and financial institutions.

On Thursday, the Russian defense ministry announced that it had conducted a drill on the islands with a surface-to-air missile system.

Moscow also decided on Wednesday to exempt companies certified by the Russian government from corporate and other key taxes when doing business on what it calls the Kuril Islands, which include the four islands.

Japan calls the four islands the Northern Territories. The Japanese government maintains they are an inherent part of Japan's territory. It says the islands were illegally occupied after World War Two.

Last Monday, Russia included Japan in its list of countries and regions that have taken "unfriendly" action against Moscow.

Japanese Prime Minister Kishida Fumio indicated on Saturday that Japan will consider concrete steps for additional sanctions in coordination with other Group of Seven nations.

The Japanese government plans to call for Russia's restraint through diplomatic channels.
For years, Kosta Diamantis, the former director of Connecticuts school grants program, advocated for a policy that would allow certain construction companies to claim more of the profits from school building projects  while potentially sidestepping the states normal bidding process.

Diamantis used his influence to advance contracts and, ultimately, legislation that would enable construction management firms to self-perform some of the work on schools using their own building crews, according to documents obtained by the Connecticut Mirror.

Those construction management firms traditionally dont get paid to excavate the sites, pour the foundations, erect the walls, wire the buildings or install the plumbing for school projects in Connecticut. Instead, they are hired to review the designs, create the construction schedules and generally oversee the project for municipalities and the state.

The physical construction work for schools has historically been put out to bid so that other subcontractors can compete for those jobs and the millions of dollars that come with them.

But Diamantis wanted that arrangement to change, and to accomplish that goal he convinced lawmakers to alter state law so that school projects could utilize a so-called hybrid construction model. And while implementation of that law has been delayed repeatedly, it is set to go into effect in July.

Diamantis, who previously served as a state Democratic lawmaker for 14 years, said he asked the legislature to add language to an emergency funding bill in 2019 so that construction management firms could use their own employees to build portions of the state-financed schools.

That law enabled state officials and the local school building committees to award portions of a construction project to a construction management firm if they decided it was more cost-effective than a subcontractor.

In an interview this week, Diamantis said allowing pieces of the school projects to be built by construction management firms would save the state and municipalities money and would help to prevent change orders, which can drive up the overall price of construction.

There is a value to that, both to the community taxpayer and the state taxpayer who is investing in these projects, he said.

The hybrid setup, Diamantis said, would allow contractors such as O&G Industries and DAmato Construction to serve as managers on the projects while also using their experienced construction teams to build portions of the new schools.

Diamantis stepped down from his position overseeing the school construction program on Oct. 28, 2021, after being placed on paid administrative leave.

Around the same time, the state received a federal grand jury subpoena for records related to the states school grants program.

Diamantis and several of the largest construction management companies in the state are named in those subpoenas, but its unclear if Diamantis push for the new legislation is of interest to federal investigators.

Construction companies pushed back immediately

The bill Diamantis persuaded lawmakers to pass, however, has ignited numerous complaints from officials within Connecticuts construction industry.

Several industry groups have argued for more than three years that the law would allow construction management firms to bypass the normal bidding procedures for state building projects.

The legislation, Diamantis said, was never meant to subvert the public bidding process on school construction projects.

Absolutely not, he said. That was never the intent of the language.

But thats not how the new leadership at the state Department of Administrative Services and the Office of School Construction Grants & Review explained the situation this week.

Michelle Gilman, the new DAS commissioner, asked lawmakers during a legislative hearing on March 7 to pass a new bill this session that would ban the hybrid construction model that Diamantis repeatedly advocated for.

Noel Petra, who took over the school grant program last year, explained that the language Diamantis helped to introduce in 2019 could allow a construction manager to perform work on a project without ever asking for bids from other companies.

They actually wouldnt be required to bid it, Petra told lawmakers.

Petras statements to lawmakers, Diamantis said, were misleading and meant to create a false narrative about him and the school grant program that he ran for more than six years.

Noel Petra doesnt understand the school construction program, and he certainly doesnt understand how it operates, Diamantis said. The school construction program is an outstanding program, and it shouldnt be used as a tool to throw dirt.

Lora Rae Anderson, a spokeswoman for DAS, said no construction company, to the agencys knowledge, was ever given permission to manage a new school and build part of the same project.

But that wasnt for a lack of trying.

Taking over

Even before the legislation passed in 2019, Diamantis was pitching his new construction model to municipalities.

In early 2018, he sent an email to officials in Bristol informing them that he had a new construction plan, which he claimed would drastically limit price changes and delays on the citys new Memorial Boulevard Arts Magnet School.

I believe this is going to take over  and reduce costs and time, Diamantis wrote. We think, as a team here, you should use it given the nature of the work involved.

The city and the state would benefit, Diamantis argued, if Bristol let the construction manager self-perform a significant portion of the work on the more than $60 million school renovation project.

Emails, letters and meeting minutes obtained by CT Mirror show Bristols school building committee went along with that plan for months, as the citys staff worked to adopt the specific contract language that Diamantis wanted.

But those plans came to an abrupt halt in the fall of 2018, just as Bristol was preparing to choose a construction manager for the project.

Roger Rousseau, Bristols purchasing agent, informed Diamantis that the city received a variety of questions from contractors about the new requirement that 20 percent of the project be built by the construction manager.

The city is requiring the (construction manager) to self-perform with its own employees, one of the contractors wrote. Is there a state or other requirement requiring the city to do this?

In an attempt to answer those questions, Rousseau asked Diamantis to provide some examples where other towns or cities allowed a construction management firm to build part of a school.

The city also requested legal opinions from Diamantis to confirm that the new hybrid model would comply with the states bidding laws.

Those emails went unanswered, according to city officials.

Instead, Bristol hired Donald Doeg, an attorney specializing in construction law, to provide the city with his legal opinion on the matter.

Doeg, who is well known in the states construction industry, pointed out that state law required all of the physical construction work on school projects to be awarded to the lowest qualified bidder.

And he warned that automatically awarding 20 percent of that work to the citys chosen construction manager would open the city up to legal challenges.

Bristol eventually hired DAmato Construction and Downes Construction to manage that school project as part of a joint venture. But the school building committee stripped out the requirement that the companies build 20 percent of the project with their own construction workers.

Diamantis said he disagreed with the legal advice that Bristol received, and the next year he took his proposals to the Connecticut legislature.

Beyond unorthodox

The language that Diamantis helped to tuck into the legislation in 2019 didnt draw much attention when it passed.

It was little more than a footnote on an annual appropriations bill that also approved more than $160 million in state funding for eight different school construction projects.

With several school projects on the line, the bill sailed through the House and Senate in less than a day and was signed by the governor shortly after.

But in the years that followed, those legal changes prompted several groups to issue warnings to state lawmakers and Gov. Ned Lamonts administration.

Talking points that were drafted in preparation for a meeting with Lamont in July 2020 show leaders within the state building trades were deeply concerned with the law and the influence that Diamantis asserted on school projects.

We have emails between the (Office of School Construction Grants & Review) and municipal officials stating that they are creating this hybrid method, they wrote. This is beyond unorthodox.

Lamont, in the wake of the federal investigation into the school grant program, said that he was never presented with those talking points and that the perceived problems with Diamantis never came up at that meeting.

But the opposition to the 2019 law wasnt isolated to a single meeting with the governor.

Similar complaints continued to be shared with Diamantis and other state officials into the summer of 2021, not long before Diamantis left his position at the Office of School Construction Grants & Review.

Groups like the Associated General Contractors of Connecticut warned state officials and the legislature that allowing construction management firms to use their own crews to build parts of the projects could be problematic.

That was especially true, they argued, if there werent more adequate protections put in place to ensure every company had an equal chance at performing work on the school projects.

John Butts, the executive director of the Associated General Contractors, drafted numerous letters and legislative testimony, protesting the ill-conceived legislation that Diamantis championed.

The law, Butts argued, needed to be repealed or significantly reformed in order to protect the sanctity of the public bidding system and the interests of the state.

The general contractors association and other groups successfully lobbied lawmakers in 2020 and 2021 to prevent any municipalities from utilizing the hybrid model until the law could be reformed. It is set to go into effect in July.

And they provided legal recommendations to lawmakers that would ensure every aspect of a school project was put out to bid and that the construction managers wouldnt have an advantage over subcontractors in that bidding process.

Those recommendations were introduced in a bill last year, but the legislation stalled during the session.

Diamantis said he had no objections to the protections those groups wanted to add.

But he said it would be a mistake to prohibit construction management firms from building any part of the schools in the future. Doing so would only cost taxpayers more money, he argued.

The new leaders at DAS dont see it that way.

The policies Diamantis enacted need to be repealed, the agency said, in order to level the playing field and ensure every contract for school construction projects is competitively bid.
Dr. Jaime Imitola said he believes COVID is fueled by people who live at the edges of poverty.

Imitola, a neuroscientist, neurologist and immunologist, is director of the Division of Multiple Sclerosis and Translational Neuroimmunology at the University of Connecticut. People who live in poverty are at greater risk for the comorbidities that continue to make COVID deadly, even as disease rates decrease statewide, he said.

Poverty is indicated with a higher risk for obesity, hypertension and for autoimmune diseases like asthma, he said. Those who are poor are less likely to have access to high-quality medical care or good health insurance, he pointed out.

This is a historical thing, Imitola said. Every single pandemic, always, is permeated by poverty.

Imitola believes that poorer communities, with less access to health care and higher rates of comorbidities will continue to see higher rates of death and hospitalizations.

Researchers and public health experts began commenting on the inequitable outcomes in both poorer communities and among racial and ethnic minorities at the start of the pandemic.

Now two years after COVID first appeared in Connecticut, what has been done to address those health disparities?

The answer is complicated, and Tiffany Donelson, president and CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation, said its first important to understand the difference between equality and equity.

Equality is treating everyone the same; equity is meeting the differing needs people have, she said.

Donelson said the difference between the two was exposed throughout the pandemic.

An equality approach would be to open online slots for vaccine clinic appointments to everyone at the same time, she said. An equity approach would be to offer vaccines at locations you know people can access whether they have a car or not, that dont require booking online, that are designed to address the barriers people face.

The pandemic really illustrated why an approach centered on equity, not just equality, is so important, she said.

Social determinants

Mark Masselli, president and CEO of Community Health Center Inc., said access to health care and health insurance are downstream effects of larger issues, which he referred to as social determinants of health.

Food insecurity, housing insecurity, education and transportation, for example, are all important factors in a patients health care profile.

I don't know if there's a plan for that. But I think more people understand this, Masselli said. The current health system is set up to address all the problems that we created by not addressing determinants. The question is can we, in fact, pivot from where we are, take what we've learned, and move forward?

The pandemic has put a brighter spotlight on the issues that have led to health inequities, which have long been ignored, according to Sara LeMaster, manager of government relations and public policy for the Community Health Center Association.

In Connecticut, at least, there has been a more intense focus on addressing the social determinants of health and health inequities, she said. I think that one of the struggles for us has been that health centers have been doing that work for a long time.

Ken Lalime, CEO of Community Health Center Association, called it an awakening.

All of a sudden, there's a bit of an awakening that the underlying issues of the Black and brown communities not getting access to the same level of service that others get is something that continuously needs to be worked on, he said.

The future

The key, Lalime said, is making better use of technology, to provide a greater level of access to health care, but also to track the social determinants of health patient by patient, community by community.

Health care is 20 percent of health, he said. The bigger piece of health is behavioral, it's social. It's where you live, where you breathe.

Dealing with those large and long-standing issues starts with technology, Lalime said.

It starts, actually, with defining what social determinants of health we're talking about, what issues are we talking about, finding a way to identify those issues, he said. Then, its possible to find a way to get, from a technology point of view, those issues into an electronic health record, so that you can start looking at codifying those patients.

Then advocates can ask: What types of services do we need to provide to certain groups of patients that are in need, that can change their pattern of health the most, Lalime said.

Public Act 21-35, signed into law last year, began that process, Donelson said. She said it contains a number of provisions focused on advancing equity, including the creation of a commission on racism and public health.

Public Act 21-35 requires health care providers to collect race, ethnicity, and language preference data from patients  having them self-report it (or opt out), rather than guessing or not collecting it, she said. This data allowed state leaders to see who was getting COVID and who was  and wasnt  getting vaccinated, and to better focus on reaching those who were being left behind.

Removing barriers

Adjusting for age, Black and Hispanic patients were far likelier to have caught COVID in June 2020, when the pandemic was new, with case rates three times higher than among white residents.

Though case rates have since leveled out somewhat, Black and Hispanic people in Connecticut are still far more likely to have contracted COVID than their white neighbors.

That disparity is even more stark when looking at COVID death rates. Data from the state Department of Health suggests that Black people are twice as likely to die from COVID than white Connecticut residents.

Adjusting for age, the COVID death rate in Connecticut is 180 for every 100,000 white residents, compared with 313 for every 100,000 Hispanic residents and 359 for every 100,000 Black residents in Connecticut.

Vaccination rates have also lagged among communities of color in the state.

Only 57.77 percent of Connecticut residents who identify as Black are fully vaccinated, according to data maintained by the state. In comparison, 66.31 percent of the states Hispanic residents and 73.04 percent of residents who identify as white are fully vaccinated.

There have been some concrete steps taken to improve outcomes for at-risk communities like Public Act 21-35, according to Donelson.

Its also important, Donelson said, to meet people where they live and work, whether that means providing testing and vaccine clinics in communities where people live or going door-to-door to offer appointments to vaccine clinics and information about COVID.

We learned to approach access with an equity lens, she said. Health systems and other providers can learn from this going forward.

Masselli said disparities in vaccination and COVID testing between ethnic groups in Connecticut demonstrated that we did not have a public health structure in place.

We realized, and still we fell short, that if you remove the economic and structural barriers to care, then you can focus on the work of where people live, work, play and pray, he said.

That has meant both physical shifts  a movement from mass vaccination sites to smaller, community-centered approaches  and digital efforts.

At the beginning of the pandemic, all health center patients had to see a provider in person, LeMaster said. Through telehealth, we've been able to reach a lot more patients, but there are still technology issues and access issues that exist.

It's not the perfect thing, she said. But I think that it has helped a lot more people continue to access care when they couldn't before.
Photo taken on Sept. 30, 2020 shows the street view of the Lujiazui area of Pudong, east China's Shanghai. (Xinhua/Wang Xiang)

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Assets under the management of public offering funds in China topped 25.87 trillion yuan (about 4.1 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of January, data from the Asset Management Association of China shows.

This marks an increase of 310 billion yuan compared to the end of 2021.

Of the total, the volume of money market funds and bond funds posted growth, while the volume of equity funds dropped 6.8 percent from the end of last year.

At the end of January, a total of 9,428 public offering funds were operated by 151 fund management entities in the country, according to the association. 
The Congress Working Committee is slated to meet this evening to discuss the humiliating defeat the party faced in recently concluded assembly elections in five states.

Congress Working Committee is set to meet on Sunday evening to discuss the humiliating defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections. Sources cited by ANI said that G23, a group of dissident senior leaders, had suggested Mukul Wasnik for the post of president of the party but the suggestion was rejected by the party.

Sources said, G23, which consists of Anand Sharma, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Kapil Sibal, had suggested Mukul Wasniks name for the post of president of the party. But it was not accepted. The source, who is a part of G23, also said that the new party president should lead the party in the manner as was done by Sonia Gandhi in early 2000.

The source added, Though Sonia Gandhi is the (interim) president, it is virtually (being) run by KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala. There is no accountability fixed on them. The source also said, Rahul Gandhi is not the president. But he operates from behind the scene and takes decisions. He does not communicate openly. We are partys well-wishers and not enemies.
The duo also visited Amritsar's Golden Temple earlier in the day to seek blessings. Mann had said before the visit, "We will take the blessings of Guru Sahib to fulfill the promises we made to the people of Punjab."

Punjab CM-designate Bhagwant Mann and Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal visited Jallianwala Bagh on Sunday and paid floral tribute at the memorial ahead of a roadshow in Amritsar. The duo also visited Amritsars Golden Temple earlier in the day to seek blessings. Mann had said before the visit, We will take the blessings of Guru Sahib to fulfill the promises we made to the people of Punjab.

The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

Mann has said that the swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats in the state. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

Former CMs Charanjit Singh Channi and Captain Amarinder Singh lost elections from their respective seats. Congress leader Navjot Singh Sidhu also lost the election from Amritsar East.
The death penalty was handed down to Saudi nationals and foreigners, mostly Yemenis, who have been convicted of crimes such as targeting places of worship and governmental institutions, murder of security officers, planting mines, abduction, torture, rape and armed robberies.

The interior ministry of Saudi Arabia executed 81 persons, including those who were found guilty of working with terror groups like ISIS and al-Qaeda in a single day, reported Al Arabiya citing the Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The list of those who received capital punishment also included persons convicted under murder and rape charges.

The death penalty was handed down to Saudi nationals and foreigners, mostly Yemenis, who have been convicted of crimes such as targeting places of worship and governmental institutions, murder of security officers, planting mines, abduction, torture, rape and armed robberies. The crimes also include smuggling weapons into the Kingdom for the purpose of destabilizing the country and inciting strife and chaos as well as implementing the schemes of the terrorist ISIS, al-Qaeda and the Iran-backed Houthi groups and other terrorist organizations that are hostile to the Kingdom.

As reported by Al Arabiya, the interior ministry has said that the 81 persons were convicted after trials at the relevant court. It also stated that the death sentence verdicts have received approvals from the Appeal Court and the Supreme Court. The ministry added that a royal order was issued to carry out the executions in accordance with the court verdicts.

A Yemeni man who was alleged of working with ISIS and killing a security officer was one of those executed. Two Saudi men were also found guilty of having connections with ISIS, of killing two security officers, and of planning to carry out attacks on Saudis and foreigners in the kingdom.

Three Yemenis were convicted of murdering two security officers, forming a terrorist group affiliated with the Houthis, planting landmines and smuggling weapons. A Saudi man was convicted of several crimes which include kidnapping, torturing and killing a security officer and forming terrorist cells that receive orders from terror groups outside the Kingdom.

Two Saudi men were found guilty of murdering their mother and of the attempted murder of their father and brother.

Several other Saudi men and a Syrian man were convicted of various crimes such as forming terrorist cells, having ties to ISIS and other terrorist groups and shooting at security officers and police stations.

Three Yemeni men and a Saudi man were found guilty of communicating with a foreign party thats hostile to the Kingdom for the purpose of supplying it with coordinates of governmental buildings in order to target them and of smuggling weapons and hand grenades.

Saudi Arabia is known as the birthplace of Wahabism which is an extremist school of thought in Sunni Islam. However, in recent times, the kingdom authorities and its leadership are known for heavy crackdowns on terror groups and extremist elements.
Earlier, Zelenskyy also spoke with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French president Emmanuel Macron for their help in the release of Melitopol mayor, Ivan Fedorov.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the war situation in Ukraine with Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and sought his help for the release of the Melitopol mayor. Taking to Twitter, Zelenskyy wrote, Continued dialogue with Israel PM @naftalibennett. We talked about Russian aggression and the prospects for peace talks. We must stop repressions against civilians: asked to assist in the release of the captive mayor of Melitopol and local public figures.

Earlier, Zelenskyy also spoke with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French president Emmanuel Macron for their help in the release of Melitopol mayor, Ivan Fedorov. I spoke with @OlafScholz, @EmmanuelMacron. We discussed countering the aggressor, RF crimes against civilians. I ask my partners to help in releasing the captive mayor of Melitopol. Prospects for peace talks were also discussed. We must stop the aggressor together, Zelenskyy tweeted.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy said that a total of 1,300 soldiers were killed by Russia. This is the first time the President mentioned Ukraines estimated military casualties, The Kyiv Independent reported. Notably, Ukraines armed forces estimate Russian casualties to be over 12,000. Meanwhile, western countries have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk peoples republic requested help in defending themselves. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russias operation in Ukraine.
Ben Lambert / Hearst Connecticut Media

NEW HAVEN  Police are investigating after a person with a gunshot wound was dropped off at Yale New Haven Hospital Saturday.

Police said they received a call around 2:30 p.m. that a person was shot and dropped off at the hospital by an unknown car. Officers were able to find the victim, a 42-year-old New Haven man, who was being treated for non-life-threatening injuries.
BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The 15th round China-India Corps Commander Level Meeting was held at Moldo-Chushul border meeting point on the Indian side on Friday, said China's Ministry of National Defense.

The two sides carried forward their discussions from the previous round held in January for the resolution of the relevant issues along the Line of Actual Control (LAC) in the Western Sector of China-India border areas, said the ministry in a statement.

They had a detailed exchange of views in this regard, in keeping with the guidance provided by the leaders of the two countries to work for the resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest possible date, it added.

They reaffirmed that such a resolution would help restore peace and tranquility along the LAC in the Western Sector and facilitate progress in bilateral relations.

The two sides agreed to maintain the security and stability on the ground in the Western Sector in the interim, said the statement.

They also agreed to maintain dialogue via military and diplomatic channels to reach a mutually acceptable resolution of the remaining issues at the earliest. 
RIDGEFIELD  The Democratic Town Committee has unanimously elected a former school board member as its chair.

Carina Borgia-Drake was picked as the Democrats new leader at their meeting on Thursday. She served on the school board from 2017 to 2020 and was noted for her passionate advocacy for parents, teachers, and children as well as her ability to work with all members of the Board of Education, regardless of party, the Democrats said.

She and her husband have lived in Ridgefield for 10 years and their two children attend the public schools. She is active in literacy legislation and disability advocacy, supporting The Cornelia De Lange Foundation, The Dyslexia Society of Connecticut, Ridgefield PTA (as special education representative), and the Womens March.

I am honored to be elected as the new Chair of Ridgefields Democratic Town Committee, Borgia-Drake said in a statement. I look forward to working with our First Selectman Rudy Marconi on important initiatives to benefit our wonderful town and to leveraging the support of all voters as we continue to move Ridgefield forward. I am passionate about building dialogue with residents and elected officials of all parties. Importantly, I see the 2022 election cycle to be vital to our community, Connecticut, and our country.
WEST HAVEN  Linda Perrone has gotten used to taking it slow  she doesnt want to blow out a tire.

Perrone, who frequently travels on 2nd Avenue in West Haven, said potholes in the area have gotten worse in recent weeks.

If you come around that corner hard, youre going to do something to your tire. Its getting worse every day, she said. Theyre putting Band-Aids on it, theyre not really paving it. Its just going to break down again.

This January, resident John Crouch did blow a tire after encountering a pothole on Blohm Street. He said he paid $400 out of pocket for a new tire and to have his cars alignment fixed. On Thursday, he said he was going to City Hall to inquire about the city reimbursing him.

Its their fault. That hole was there a long time, he said. Even a temporary patch wouldnt be like hitting a crater. I think its their neglect.

Tom McCarthy, the citys commissioner of Public Works, said the city does not have a project list for fixing potholes.

When they pop up, we try to knock them down, he said.

McCarthy said all street paving projects for the current fiscal year have been completed.

I have money tucked away for emergencies. I have exhausted our year-over-year paving schedule money, but I have plenty of money for emergencies, he said.

Because West Haven is a coastal city in the northeast, McCarthy said maintaining the roads is a challenge.

Sometimes well see a pothole Tuesday that wasnt there Monday, he said.

Money is a big challenge. Rising costs have led to oil and asphalt becoming more cost-prohibitive; McCarthy said material costs have risen about 25 percent.

If Im anticipating $1 million for paving, it really doesnt go very far, he said.

However, federal money intended to address pandemic recovery and infrastructure may play a crucial role in repairing city streets. In Mayor Nancy Rossis plan for the American Rescue Plan Act, released Wednesday, she proposes $2 million of the citys federal allocation of $29 million be spent on infrastructure paving.

We try to do the roads in the most need, but the prices have gone sky-high with gas prices and oil prices, so were not going to get as much bang for our buck as we usually do, Rossi said.

Officials believe that doing projects now may not save the city money if the work can be undone by cold weather in the coming weeks.

We might still have freezing temperatures, so (McCarthys) not doing paving now, Rossi said.

The city is also expecting money from the federal infrastructure bill, but has not yet received its share of funding or directions on how the money can be expended.

Once we have some guidance in print, we can move forward, Rossi said.

When streets do get repaved, residents said they notice.

If you go up W. Main Street, they just paved that and it looks nice, Perrone said.

McCarthy said his plan for the next fiscal year would be to put attention onto commercial roads.

Typically administrations dont pave those because there arent homeowners on them, but I acknowledge theyre as important as anything else, he said.

brian.zahn@hearstmediact.com
Niagara Falls, NY (14301)

Today

Cloudy with occasional rain...mainly in the morning. High 58F. Winds N at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%..

Tonight

Generally clear skies. Low 39F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has attributed the challenges of nation building in Nigeria to the faulty foundation laid by the ...





Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Ganduje, has attributed the challenges of nation building in Nigeria to the faulty foundation laid by the colonial masters.

The governor made the assertions at the launching of the N250 million Dr Abdullahi Ganduje Lecture Theatre on Saturday at the University of Ibadan.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that Ganduje, who was the Guest Speaker, bagged the Most Distinguished Alumni Award.

The governor said that the faulty foundation laid by the colonial masters was purely done to actualise their interests and not for any genuine development of the country.

He said, The challenges of nation building in Nigeria are attributable to the very faulty foundation laid by the European colonial masters.

These were purely done to actualise their interests and not for any genuine development of the country.

Ganduje said that the colonial rule divided Nigeria into North and South without much concern for the peculiarities of the two regions.

He said that the division was without concern for the difference in land tenure systems, local government administration, education and judicial systems.

Ganduje said the challenges of nation building should be a matter of concern to all, adding that there was need to reflect on the journey so far to build and leave a better legacy for the future.

From this historical legacy, therefore, regionalism has been a major challenge to nation-building in Nigeria. Under these conditions, it was easy for prejudice and fear to thrive.

Nation-building is about building a common sense of purpose, sense of shared destiny and collective imagination of belonging.

Nation-building is about building the tangible and intangible threads that hold a political entity together and gives it a sense of purpose, he said.
The Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has said he would not renege on his promise of making payment of full salaries and pension to wor...





The Osun State Governor, Gboyega Oyetola, has said he would not renege on his promise of making payment of full salaries and pension to workers and retirees if reelected.

Oyetola said this during an engagement programme with members of The Triangular Group of Pensioners on Sunday in Osogbo.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Civic Engagement, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, the governor said those who were spreading false information that he would stop payment of full salaries and pension are enemies of progress, whose minds are not always with positive development.

The governor, who said his priority is to always see the states workforce happy and productive, maintained that the era of half salaries is gone in the state.

Oyetola also assured the pensioners in the state that nothing would stop the payment of their monthly pension, adding that their positive contributions to the development of the state would never be forgotten.

The governor, who noted that his administration had not failed in the payment of the monthly stipends to the senior citizen since inception, said he will not stop putting smiles on their faces through prompt payment of their pension.

Oyetola also urged the state workers to continue to support his administration and shun those who always want to turn the labour force against government.

The governor, who noted that payment of salaries is one of the core responsibilities of any reasonable government, said he would continue to prioritise the welfare of the workers and the citizenry as a whole.

And with Gods help, that will continue for as long as I remain the governor.

I want to allay your fears over the insinuation that I will not continue with the regular payment of salaries and pensions if reelected.

Payments of workers has been a covenant I made with God and nothing will stop me from fulfilling the promises.

Oyetola urged government workers in the state to ignore the falsehood being spread around by those he described as political jobbers, adding that he will never disappoint them.

The governor, who commended the workers for supporting his administration, urged them to show more of such support during the July 16 governorship election in the state.

He said their votes for him will ensure continued and more delivery of good governance.

In his remarks, Mr Rotimi Adelugba, the Chairman of the group, commended the governor for his usual prompt payment of pension and gratuity to retirees in the state.

Adelugba said since the inception of Oyetolas administration, pensioners in the state had been collecting full payment of their stipends as and when due.

We need to commend the governor for this gesture. As the workers were being paid at the end of the month, pensioners are also receiving theirs immediately, he said.

The governor must be commended because on a monthly basis he approves N508 million for the payment of pension and N200 million for the payment of gratuity.

Out of the N200 million for the payment of the gratuity, N150 million goes for the pensioners under the contributory pension scheme, while N50 million is for pensioners under the old system, he said.

NAN
The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it arrested Ugochukwu Ekwem, general overseer of Christ Living Hope Church, and seiz...

The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) says it arrested Ugochukwu Ekwem, general overseer of Christ Living Hope Church, and seized 54 sticks of drugs wrapped around his body.

In a statement issued on Sunday, Femi Babafemi, NDLEA spokesperson, said Ekwem was apprehended at Murtala Muhammed International Airport, Lagos, on March 7, while on his way to Kenya for a three-week crusade.

According to Babafemi, a laboratory test revealed that the sticks tested positive for cannabis.

The youthful and popular preacher who has his church headquarters in Isuaniocha, Mgbakwu road, Awka, Awka North LGA, Anambra state and two other branches in Lagos and Abuja, was arrested on Monday 7th March, during the outward clearance of passengers on Ethiopian Airlines flight to Nairobi via Addis Ababa, the statement reads.

When tested, the 54 sticks proved positive for cannabis. The clergyman confessed during the preliminary interview that he packed that quantity of illicit substance on his body to use during his three weeks crusade in Kenya.

On the same day, another passenger, Nnakeanyi Chukwuka King who arrived at the airport on an Ethiopian Airlines flight from Sao Paulo, Brazil via Addis Ababa was intercepted during the inward clearance of passengers at the E-Arrival Hall of the MMIA. During a search of his luggage, forty (40) parcels of Cocaine concealed inside bottles of body cream with a gross weight of 9.70kg were recovered from the suspect.

Three days later, Wednesday 9th March, another passenger on an Ethiopian Airlines flight to Italy, Mr. Edo Blessing was intercepted at the Departure Hall of the airport with 2,090 tablets of Tramadol 225mg and Flunitrazepam. The suspect who hails from Edo state but lives in Italy claimed ownership of the recovered psychotropic substances.

Also on the same day, operatives arrested a freight agent, Rafiu Abbas at the NAHCO Export Shed of the airport when he presented a cargo containing 19.15kg cannabis going to London. The illicit substance was concealed inside plastic containers labelled as African Dishes and packed in a bag.

In a related development, a 63-year-old Vincent Obimma was on Friday 11th March arrested with 350grams of cocaine and 150grams of heroin by NDLEA operatives at a park in the Apapa seaport corridor in Lagos. The drugs were hidden in industrial torch packets heading to Kano, Kano state.

Meanwhile, a drug dealer in Kaduna state, James Okenwa has been arrested in a follow-up operation at Central Market, Kaduna. He admitted the ownership of 1,807 bottles of cough syrup with codeine that were earlier recovered from two suspects at tollgate. At the point of his arrest, another 152 bottles of the drug were recovered from his vehicle. He has accepted ownership of all the 1,959 bottles of codeine syrup.

In Yobe state, two fake security agents: Akalonu Justin and Azimbi Festus who were coming from Onitsha and heading to Maiduguri, Borno state have been arrested with 25 blocks of Cannabis Sativa weighing 12 .5kg and 1, 598 bottles of Codeine Syrup weighing 159.8 Liters, while 85kg of cannabis was also recovered from the warehouse of a notorious drug dealer in Pawari area of Damaturu, the state capital on Thursday 10th March.

In Anambra state, a total of 38,605 tablets of assorted opioids were recovered from a 29-year-old drug dealer, Awoke Friday at Nkwelle junction, Onitsha on Friday 11th March with the support of men of the Nigeria Police.
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Saturday, said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is ready to reclaim its mandate from Governor D...

Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, on Saturday, said the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is ready to reclaim its mandate from Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State.

Wike said the PDP was ready to approach the Supreme Court to reclaim its mandate from Umahi.

He spoke during the inauguration of the Eastern Bypass Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

According to Wike, If our party has done this earlier when people were leaving in the National Assembly, we wont have had the problem we are having today.

That is one of the problems of party leadership. People cannot come out and take the bull by the horns. So, Governor Umahi, be rest assured that PDP will continue this matter down to Supreme Court. We will continue with the matter.

You carry the votes of another party and join another party. Can you transfer votes? You work hard for somebody to win the election and tomorrow, the person says I have defected.

If you have defected, leave the seat if you know its easy. And this will checkmate most of these political harlots who will never sit one place.

An Abuja Federal High Court had sacked Umahi and his Deputy, Kelechi Igwe.

Justice Inyang Ekwo ruled that Umahi can not transfer the votes that got him into power under the PDP into the All Progressives Congress, APC.

The judge had ordered INEC to stop recognizing Umahi and his Deputy and asked the PDP to send names to the electoral umpire for their replacement.

The court said Umahi had forfeited his governorship when he defected from the PDP to join the ruling APC last year.

But, an Ebonyi State High Court, sitting in Abakaliki, on Thursday, ordered Umahi to remain in office.
The federal government, on Friday, raided the offices of illegal digital loan companies operating in Ikeja, Lagos over alleged consumer ...

The federal government, on Friday, raided the offices of illegal digital loan companies operating in Ikeja, Lagos over alleged consumer rights abuse.

The operation was led by the Federal Competition Consumer Protection Commission (FCCPC) in conjunction with the

Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), the National Information Technology Development Agency(NITDA) and the Nigeria Police Force (NPF).

The affected companies are GoCash, OKash, EasyCredit, Kashkash, Speedy Choice, Easy Moni, and Sokoloan.

Speaking with journalists, Babatunde Irukera, FCCPC executive vice chairman, said the raid was in response to customers complaints of malpractices by the financial institutions.

He said customers had accused the financial institutions of violating their privacy in their debt recovery drive.

He said the agency had begun investigations into the allegations since 2020.

This information started quite a while ago. Some time ago, when the country was on lockdown in 2020 due to the pandemic, we started seeing the rise in money lenders, Irukera said.

Because there was lockdown due to the pandemic, people needed small easy loan which is understandable. But over a period of time, people started complaining about the malpractices of the lenders, so we started tracking it.

Towards the end of last year, we gathered quite a lot of information. We started working with some other key agencies and the FCCPC led the meeting where we all agreed there would be a joint effort to look into these businesses.

Irukera said the cause of concern was the naming and shaming of borrowers and violation of their privacy with respect to how the loans are recovered.

Secondly the interest factor seems to be a violation of the ethics on how lending is done. So those were the two things that we set out to look for, he said.

Irukera said the agency has been monitoring the activities of the firms for several months, adding that it was difficult to identify their operational base.

He said investigations revealed that the loan firms were neither Nigerian companies nor registered in the country.

We found out that most of these companies operate from the same place. We also found out that many of them are actually operated by the same person, the FCCPC boss said.

They are not Nigerian companies, they dont have an address in Nigeria and they are not registered in Nigeria with the Corporate Affairs Commission and they do not have any licence to do their business.

Highlighting steps taken by the commission, Irukare said the FCCPC obtained a court warrant to proceed with a search and seizure.

He said the commission had written to global app companies, asking them to shut down the loan companies apps.

In addition to what you are seeing here today, the FCCPC has also issued multiple orders today, he explained.

Two of them are going to vendors: Apple and Google stores where some of these apps are available. We have asked them to shut these companies apps down so that people will not be victimised anymore.

Secondly, some of them (the orders) have gone to the banks, asking them to freeze the accounts used by these people.

I must add though that not all money lenders are operating illegally and that is why it has been taking time for us to track these people.

It doesnt mean that the people we are proceeding against today are the only ones, but these are where we have information now and we want to start with them.

The FCCPC chief said the commission would restrain the business of those that are found wanting and freeze their accounts.

He advised the public not to do any business with them.
The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Sunday, urged Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court to acquit and discharge its lea...

The Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Sunday, urged Justice Binta Nyako of an Abuja Federal High Court to acquit and discharge its leader, Nnamdi Kanu during the next adjourned date.

IPOB said acquitting Kanu would prove that the judge has not been compromised, and blinded by bias.

Kanus trial before Justice Nyako would resume on April 8, 2022.

The IPOB leader is facing a 15-count charge bordering on terrorism before Justice Nyako.

However, IPOBs spokesman, Emma Powerful, described the 15-count charge against Kanu as empty with no substance.

In a statement he signed, Powerful noted that the charges against Kanu cant stand due to his rendition from Kenya which violates international laws.

According to Powerful: The global movement and family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) ably led by our great leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU wish to raise concern over the continuous detention of our great leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU in the Nigeria DSS custody.

Only a judge that is manifestly compromised and biased will even contemplate not acquitting our leader Mazi Nnamdi KANU come 8th day of April 2022. Justice Binta Nyako must be firm in upholding justice without fear and favour otherwise she will ridicule herself amongst judicial colleagues both internally and within the International community.

This position is based on the fact that the 15 counts amended charges upon which his case is predicated are empty and has no iota of substance whatsoever. The emptiness of these laughable charges has been well marshalled out/comprehensively discussed in the 46-page objection filed by Mazi Nnamdi Kanus erudite legal team.

Most importantly is the fact that you cannot build something on nothing and expect it to stand. No trial can be entertained in any court in Nigeria in so far as the abduction of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu in KENYA and his extraordinary rendition to Nigeria is still a grave violation of international law, which crime Nigeria Government is still guilty of.

Powerful maintained that the IPOB leader never committed any crime, stressing that the charges are frivolous.

He added: Mazi Nnamdi KANU has never committed any crime and this position is very obvious going by the frivolous 15 count amended Charges which has nothing attached to it as evidence.

The Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami completely agreed with the foregoing position in which his erudite and compelling Article was published in our penultimate press statement. You cant turn the law upside down and as such, no court in Nigeria has the jurisdictional competency to try Mazi Nnamdi KANU.

What is expected to happen on 8th Day of April 2022, is total acquittal and discharge of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, and nothing more.
BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The Red Cross Society of China on Saturday announced that it has sent a second batch of emergency humanitarian aid supplies to the Ukrainian Red Cross Society.

The new supplies, including food, sleeping bags and moisture-proof pads, left Beijing on Saturday and are expected to arrive in Budapest at 8 p.m. Beijing time. They will then be transported to Ukraine.

The first batch of such supplies was shipped from Beijing on Wednesday. 
Watertown, NY (13601)

Today

Rain early...then remaining cloudy with showers in the afternoon. High 56F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Some clouds this evening will give way to mainly clear skies overnight. Low 39F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph.
After a three-year pandemic hiatus, the luck of the Irish seemed to be everywhere in New Orleans Irish Channel on Saturday - much to the delight of the Burke brothers.

Men in kilts, green vests and tailed tuxedos walked the streets swigging beer and handing out flowers in exchange for kisses. Parade spectators in green wigs and T-shirts stuffed their bags with cabbages, one of the parades traditional throws.

Inside the landmark St. Mary Assumption Church, one of three Roman Catholic priests wearing green vestments gave thanks for the opportunity to preside over the annual noon Mass in advance of St. Patricks Day. Weve gone a couple of years without it, and we have missed it, he said.

Others in the church recalled the shock they felt in 2020 when Mayor LaToya Cantrell canceled the parade with only four days notice, as the coronavirus first descended on New Orleans.

Disappointment was the operative word for us, said Dickie Burke, 73, president of the Irish Channel St. Patricks Day Club, which gathers each year at St. Marys for Mass before heading out on the parade route. We came to church and left.

In that year, some revelers sporting green showed up in large numbers anyway, even lifting their kilts in the air as they danced by the Half Moon bar, in defiance of the mayors orders to limit group gatherings. There was a certain spirit of rebellion, said Burkes younger brother, Ronnie Burke, 68, the clubs vice-president.

At first, everyone just though the city was trying to stop us from marching, he said. But now we know COVID is real. And so we know the mayor made the right decision.

The Irish Channel club has lost 21 members since then, a fair number of them to COVID-19, Ronnie Burke said. So we march in celebration this year, but also in memory of those who died.

Saturday also marked an important anniversary. Seventy-five years ago, in 1947, the Burke brothers grandfather, Richard W. Burke, began the club, which now has about 1,100 members. Three of the brothers nephews - Brad, Sean and Kelly Burke - served as grand marshals Saturday, as did the four Burke brothers - Dickie, Ronnie, Gary and Timmy - for the clubs 50th. For the 75th anniversary, the streets of the Irish Channel would be packed again with old friends and family, said Dickie Burke, as he stood in the churchs side aisle to greet those who passed, including Ronnies grandchildren, who came in from out-of-state and his older sister, Richard Mary, a nun with Sisters of Mercy.

As a child, Dickie Burke was an altar boy here while living in the family house at Washington Avenue and Chippewa Street and attending St. Alphonsus Elementary school and Redemptorist High schools, both across the street.

We knew everybody who lived in every house, he said, recalling how neighbors would stop regularly to ask their father, the assessor, to connect them with help if their son was in jail or their water bill was overdue. Thats what you did for your community then, he said.

He looked forward to seeing many of those neighbors again lining the parade route and calling out to club members as they passed. We will walk through the streets carrying a sense of sorrow for those we lost, along with a feeling of joy to be back on the streets, seeing everyone we know, he Burke said.

The parade carried other pre-pandemic reminders. As Jacob Brasher and his pals passed with the green-vested Irish Channel Corner Club, they handed out their fabric flowers along with brass doubloons - imprinted with the year 2020. A few months ago, as the virus omicron variant hit New Orleans, there was too much uncertainty about this years parade to order 2022 doubloons. So club members went into the stash of unused doubloons from two years ago.

Candice Mahoney threw on a green wig and showed up at Traceys Original Irish Channel Bar, one of the traditional epicenters of the St. Patricks celebration, where police broke up a large gathering two years ago. Inside, signs proclaimed that all of Traceys bartenders were fully vaccinated and boosted.

Bartender Joe Masia said staffers were ready to get back to celebrating the holiday in a way that they havent been able to since 2019. Its the same vibe as Mardi Gras, Mahoney said. People are just happy to be back.

Some revelers even celebrated with a little more oomph than usual. Outside Parasols bar, another neighborhood nexus, Daniel LeBlanc wore a full green shamrock suit with a matching hat and four-leaf clover sunglasses. Two years ago, he had thrown on a simple green T-shirt to drink with some of the rebels.

But this year, he said, I went all out.
Hey Blake,

Whats the history of Handelmans? The sign is still there on Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard, but I know the business is long gone. What can you tell us about it?

Dear reader,

In 1923, Handelmans opened at 1824 Dryades St. (it was renamed Oretha Castle Haley Boulevard in 1989). Store owner Charles Handelman was a Russian Jewish immigrant who had opened his first New Orleans store a decade earlier.

The building was designed by Weiss and Dreyfous, the same architectural firm behind Charity Hospital and the State Capitol.

Handelmans sold clothing, shoes, household items and even groceries. It was one of the most successful of a number of Dryades Street stores owned by immigrant merchants from Eastern Europe and Russia. Within 15 years, Handelmans became a regional chain with 42 stores.

Dryades became known as a little Canal Street, popular with Jewish and Black shoppers who were at that time not allowed to shop on the citys main shopping thoroughfare. Handelmans closed in 1970, when its business dropped following desegregation. The entire chain closed the following year.

The Dryades Street building, with its three-story-tall sign, joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. It sat blighted for years but was redeveloped in 2006 as Handelman Lofts and Millennium Square, a mix of residential and retail property.
Ag producers have until Tuesday to enroll in USDA commodity safety net programs

Agricultural producers who have not yet enrolled in the Agriculture Risk Coverage or Price Loss Coverage programs for the 2022 crop year have until Tuesday to sign a contract.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture offers these two safety net programs to provide vital income support to farmers experiencing substantial declines in crop prices or revenues.

Producers can elect coverage and enroll in ARC-County or PLC, which are both crop-by-crop, or ARC-Individual, which is for the entire farm. Although election changes for 2022 are optional, producers must enroll through a signed contract each year. Also, if a producer has a multiyear contract on the farm and makes an election change for 2022, it will be necessary to sign a new contract.

If an election is not submitted by Tuesday, the election remains the same as the 2021 election for crops on the farm. Farm owners cannot enroll in either program unless they have a share interest in the crop.

Producers who do not complete enrollment by the deadline will not be enrolled in ARC or PLC for the 2022 crop year and will not receive a payment if triggered.

Producers are eligible to enroll farms with base acres for the following commodities: barley, canola, large and small chickpeas, corn, crambe, flaxseed, grain sorghum, lentils, mustard seed, oats, peanuts, dry peas, rapeseed, long grain rice, medium and short grain rice, safflower seed, seed cotton, sesame, soybeans, sunflower seed and wheat.

For information on ARC and PLC, producers can visit the ARC and PLC webpage or contact their local USDA Service Center.

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Wealthview Capital opens New Orleans office

Wealthview Capital has opened an office in New Orleans, in One Canal Place.

The firm was founded in Jackson, Mississippi, in 2009 by Sam Taylor.

Having a physical presence in Louisiana has long been a goal and will help us better serve our Louisiana and Gulf Coast area clients, said Taylor, the firms CEO. "We are thrilled to have a second location to continue the firm's mission of making a profound impact in the lives of our clients through the prudent planning, management and utilization of their financial resources for the needs of today and the future."

Ochsner gets top Blue Cross and Blue Shield ranking

Ochsner Health Network has achieved Tier 5 status in Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisianas Quality Blue program for fall 2021.

Ochsner achieved the top-tier ranking based on its performance relative to chronic disease care goals. It earned high scores across categories, including hypertension, optimal diabetes care, optimal vascular care and optimal chronic kidney disease care.

Louisiana is one of the least healthy states, especially when it comes to chronic diseases. Through Quality Blue and OHNs model of coordinated care, we are improving outcomes and reducing the likelihood of strokes, heart attacks, and other major life-threatening events, said Dr. Beau Raymond, Ochsner medical director.
A tract of riverfront property that was earmarked for a $50 million condominium project on the west bank will be sold next month after a bankruptcy court judge ordered it to be auctioned off to settle debts.

The three undeveloped plots covering about 3.3 acres were owned by River Street Ventures LLC, which declared bankruptcy in June after a Miami-based developer's plans to build hundreds of condominiums and retail outlets on the site were blocked by City Hall.

The developer, Philip Spiegelman, had fought a long-running battle for the project, which is located at 1321 Brooklyn Ave. in Algiers Point, before his main financial backer, Lion Financial, foreclosed on the property and forced it to seek Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last summer.

Now, he is looking to reacquire the site and will be a "stalking horse" bidder at the auction in April through a company called RSV Delaware, which will seek to set the first bid somewhere above the required minimum bid of $4,436,000.

A (shrinking) riverfront development

The original vision proposed more than four years ago was to build four eight-story buildings with three large retail spaces on the ground floors. There were to be more than 350 residential units on the upper floors, with about 10% of them set aside for people of lower-than-average incomes.

The project, which is bounded by Brooklyn Avenue and Socrates and De Armas streets, and the Mississippi River Trail on the riverside, also would have seen part of Lamarque Street, which terminates in the middle of the property, converted into a pedestrian walkway.

After facing opposition from several neighborhood interests, including the Algiers Riverview Association and the Algiers Point Association, a scaled-back version of the development eventually won City Council approval in spring 2018. That version proposed 187 residential units and 15,000 square feet of retail space, with 19 of the units earmarked for people with below-average incomes.

After a new City Council took office in 2018, with Kristin Gisleson Palmer replacing Nadine Ramsey as member for District C, which incorporates Algiers Point, the council rescinded its approval for the project.

Spiegelman sued and won an initial decision in the New Orleans District Court, arguing that the city had overstepped its authority when it reversed its earlier approval. However, that lower court decision was reversed by the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals in late 2019. Spiegelman's attempt to have the case heard by the Louisiana Supreme Court was unsuccessful.

He subsequently filed for approval for an even smaller version of the project, before the firm went into bankruptcy.

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"After I won in my civil suit and had it reversed on appeal, I submitted an 'of right' plan for 167 units," Spiegelman said. "That was before Councilwoman Palmer moved to further reduce zoning," he said without offering more detail. "That is all I am willing to say at this time while matters are pending."

King over the district

This year, Freddie King III replaced Palmer as City Council member for District C. King ran on the slogan "For too long politics has gotten in the way of progress," while also advocating for more affordable housing. He and his staff didn't immediately respond to requests for comment about a potential project at the River Street site.

Some of River Street Ventures' unsecured creditors objected to the terms of the auction. Several members of the Goitia family from Argentina who provided about $400,000 in unsecured loans for the project objected to the terms under which Spiegelman is trying to buy back the property.

In a court filing in February, the Goitia family's local attorney, Rudy Cerone, lodged several objections to way the bidding was being handled, saying it was unfairly tilted in favor of Spiegelman's stalking horse bid.

The court has now ordered that all bidders, including Spiegelman, must put up a $100,000 deposit and submit their bids by April 12, with the auction taking place on April 19. The McEnery Company is the broker.

"Our role in this is clear: Our job is to market the hell out of this property," said Parke McEnery, who rejected claims by the Goitia family that the commission structure favored Spiegelman's stalking horse bid.

"If any buyer is willing to pay in excess of what the stalking horse bidder is willing to pay, fantastic," he said, noting that the commission is a percentage of the final offer and incentivizes finding the highest bid from whatever source.

The "deal room" at McEnery is open to any local or national bidder who wants to peruse details of the real estate that is for sale, as well as any of the architectural, engineering and other work that was done for Spiegelman's proposals, McEnery said.

The broker's offering document says the "highest and best use" of the property is to construct three, four-story buildings that would contain about 167 residential units. It also makes clear that despite any previous approvals, any successful bidder would have to navigate the approvals process of the City of New Orleans.
New Orleans

Dave Haight has joined Globalstar as vice president of internet of things.

Haight has extensive experience driving network connectivity growth and developing impactful strategies to build partner channels and strategic relationships in IoT.

Haight served as vice president of business development for AT&T's Mobility Emerging Devices Organization, where he initiated and grew the organization into AT&T's current IoT business.

Baton Rouge

Dr. Emmaleigh "Brooke" Bock, a St. Francisville pediatrician, has joined Our Lady of the Lake Childrens Health.

In addition to general pediatrics, Bock specializes in allergies, asthma, growth and development, ADD/ADHD, and preventative care. She is accepting new patients. Same-day appointments and online scheduling are available. Call (833) 225-4325 or visit ololchildrens.org to schedule an appointment.

She earned her medical degree from Saint Georges University School of Medicine in Grenada, West Indies, before completing a pediatric residency program at LSU Childrens Hospital in New Orleans. She then went on to practice general pediatrics with West Feliciana Parish Hospital Physicians Clinic.

--

Luke St. John McKnight was recently named community impact manager for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge.

McKnight co-founded the local planning bureau Saint John & Co.; provided creative development and program management services for The Walls Project; and served as an innovative and partnerships catalyst with MetroMorphosis.

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He is a graduate of Southern University.

--

Bryant Bremer has joined Kean Miller as a partner in the firms downtown Baton Rouge office.

Bremer practices in the areas of environmental regulation, compliance, incident and emergency response, and occupational exposure litigation. He has more than 20 years experience, most recently serving as in-house counsel to ExxonMobils Baton Rouge refining and chemical operations. He also worked in private practice with law firms in Dallas and Baton Rouge.

He earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Kansas and his law degree from Southern Methodist University's Dedman School of Law.

--

Pamela Judson has joined Investar Bank as a treasury management officer, vice president.

Judson has 34 years of experience in the banking industry, with most of those years in treasury management. Most recently, she was a treasury management specialist with JD Bank.

Judson is serving as the treasurer of the VFW Auxiliary Post 9210.
Did you hear the one about the Democratic president whos about to spirit the only governor of his party in the South off to Washington, leaving the office in the hands of a Republican?

The logical answer to that question would be no, because the underlying premise makes no sense.

Why wouldnt President Joe Biden want Gov. John Bel Edwards exactly where he is, as an emissary of sorts to a region where powerful Democrats are few and far between? Why would Biden willingly hand the job over to Republican Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser nearly two years before Edwards second term ends?

The more likely answer, though  at least for those who follow the in and outs of Louisiana politics  is yes. There have been persistent rumors that Edwards, reelected in 2019 to a term that expires in January 2024, is a short-timer in Baton Rouge. So much so that Edwards is continually asked about it  in his telling, occasionally while being chased by TV cameras.

Im amazed, he recently told members of Ellevate, a bipartisan womans policy group. I mean there cannot be a credible source that gave rise to all of that because it just didnt happen. I mean theres never been a single conversation, no hints, no anything.

Thats one of the most definitive denials youre ever going to hear. Whether its definitive enough to stop the speculation is another matter.

Nor is it entirely obvious where the rumors originate, although theres surely an element of wishful thinking in the Nungesser camp. The lieutenant governor is expected to be a candidate for governor next year; hes got a good relationship with Edwards despite their party differences, and could position himself to appeal to some of the same supporters.

Whether Edwards departure would fulfill the wishes of other Republicans eyeing the job is a more complex question. A unified GOP government would allow the likes of Attorney General Jeff Landry or Treasurer John Schroder to pursue their favored policies without much opposition, but it would also rob them of a reliable center-left foil. Also, as much as Nungesser would love to run as an incumbent, other Republicans would prefer not to face the difficulties of unseating a sitting governor of their own party.

As for Biden, his calculation would be complicated as well.

The upside is obvious: Edwards is that rare Democrat who knows how to win in a culturally conservative state, and national Democrats sure would like someone to show them how its done.

The downside, though, is significant.

Not only would an appointment lead to Bidens party forfeiting a key governorship, but Edwards politics, while in line with the moderate wing of the national party on many fronts, are way out of the Democratic mainstream on the key issue of abortion.

Edwards has signed legislation that would ban most abortions after about six weeks, with no rape or incest exceptions, should the courts eventually allow it. That alone makes him radioactive to a key Democratic constituency, and politically ineligible for any position even remotely connected to womens health. Theres a reason, beyond Edwards actual qualifications, that the federal posts most frequently mentioned for him are secretary of the Army or ambassador to the Vatican.

Theres also the fact that an open secret of Edwards success in Louisiana is his ability to distance himself from the larger party. That cant be what Democrats in Washington care to hear.

But what, in all this, does Edwards want? The answer to that is probably the clearest signal yet that this the whole idea is a nonstarter.

The governor took office during the toughest of times, facing a $2 billion budget shortfall, and he spent his first years fighting ad nauseum with Republican legislators over what fraction of a penny of sales tax to impose, and for how long.

Times have changed. Edwards enters the looming legislative session with an enviable surplus, from federal money and also from strong economic performance locally. After all those years of trying to minimize cuts, the state is now positioned to spend on everything from teacher pay to early childhood education to roads and bridges and outdated water systems.

I raised and spent $40 million to get reelected. We finally have the money to invest in education and transportation. Do you think Im going to leave? he asked the crowd at the Ellevate meeting.

I don't. Not for one minute.
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.
Williamsport, Pa.  Pennsylvania College of Technology has received a $250,000 sum to expand scholarships and provide equipment for the school's heavy equipment program.

The funds, from Allan Myers, the Mid-Atlantics largest heavy civil contractor and Penn College Corporate Tomorrow Maker, will be used for branding at the colleges heavy equipment operations site in Brady Township.

The money will also help support equipment needs and to expand the companys scholarship through the Allan Myers Corporate Scholar Program at Penn College.

This support from Allan Myers will significantly impact not only the experience and instruction for the heavy equipment operations program, but will also help Allan Myers Corporate Scholars with much-needed financial support, said Elizabeth A. Biddle, director of corporate relations. We sincerely thank Allan Myers for its longtime partnership and the generous support it provides to our programs and students. We look forward to seeing more great things happen.

Allan Myers has hired many Penn College students and alumni, said Bob Herbein, executive vice president, corporate services. We are excited to enhance our partnership with Penn College by showcasing careers available for heavy equipment operations graduates and seeing students lives transformed as Allan Myers Corporate Scholars. As a Corporate Tomorrow Maker, this relationship with Penn College has proven to be a benefit for the company, the college and so many students.

A portion of the Allan Myers gift will recognize the first of seven available sites as the Allan Myers Training Site for heavy equipment operations. These sites will feature a construction-like sign with the Allan Myers logo at the entry.

The gift for this branding will help support the acquisition of much-needed equipment to update and expand the fleet used for instructional purposes for heavy equipment operations students.

Additional funds will further support the expansion of the Allan Myers Scholarship at Penn College by increasing the endowment and providing an additional annual scholarship for the Allan Myers Corporate Scholar program.

Scholars will be selected based in part on the current Allan Myers Scholarship criteria  an employee or a family member of an employee of Allan Myers enrolled full time in one of the following associate degree programs: heavy construction equipment technology: operator emphasis, heavy construction equipment technology: technician emphasis, surveying technology, civil engineering technology, or automotive restoration technology.

Alternatively, the applicant may be enrolled in the construction management or civil engineering baccalaureate programs.

The annual award typically will be split between fall and spring semesters and will be available as early as a students first semester. Preference will be given to continuing students in subsequent years.

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Willow Grove, Chester County -- State leaders went on a food tour this past week, including a stop at one mushroom facility that contributes to the $746 million mushroom industry in Pennsylvania.

Pennsylvania's Agriculture Secretary Russell Redding and Department of Community and Economic Development Acting Deputy Secretary Mandy Book visited To-Jo Mushrooms, Inc. as part of their Food Fuels Pennsylvania tour.

Pennsylvania is the national leader in the mushroom industry, with nearly 60 percent of all mushroom production occurring in Southeast Pennsylvania; nearly two-thirds of all mushrooms harvested in the United States come from Chester County, according to a Department of Agriculture release. The industry supports more than 9,300 jobs and contributes 1.2 billion to the economy.

Agriculture continues to be an essential part of industry in Pennsylvania with food manufacturers like To-Jo Mushrooms helping to fuel our economy and create jobs, said Mandy Book, DCED Acting Deputy Secretary.

According to the release, Pennsylvania agriculture is a $132.5 billion industry that supports nearly 53,000 farms and more than 593,000 jobs each year. Food manufacturing is one of the largest sectors of the Commonwealths agriculture industry, supporting 140,000 jobs and contributing $22.4 billion to the states economy annually.

Despite the size of the industry, Pennsylvania has faced an agricultural workforce shortage as older farmers retire and new positions become available.

The mushroom industrys economic ecosystem is like its growing ecosystemcomplex, interwoven, and highly sophisticated, said Rachel Roberts, president of the American Mushroom Institute. Compost is formulated specifically for mushrooms to grow in. Harvesters train for months to identify and select mushrooms from the growing beds to match the buyers specs."

AgConnect Pa. is partnering with the American Mushroom Institute and the Department of Labor and Industry to provide workforce training for hundreds of employees in Berks and Chester County. The organization trains personnel in various safety protocols including CPR.

To-Jo is a PA-Preferred member and a fourth generation family owned and operated grower/shipper of fresh and prepared mushrooms for both food service and retail sale. PA Preferred is the state's promotional program which works to market locally produced items and helps customers find goods that were produced nearby. Since 2019, over $7 million has been invested in the program through the Pennsylvania Farm Bill.

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GARY  A pair of bald eagles that settled along the Little Calumet River in Gary's Black Oak neighborhood is again nesting after tragically losing a nest and egg that was blown out of the tree two years ago.

The majestic birds, the national emblem of the United States, mourned their loss for weeks. They have since built a new nest at a stretch of the shallow meandering river where they have lived for more than a decade now.

The bald eagles hatched a record three eaglets last year and are now again nesting, taking turns manning a nest with one or more eggs.

"You're in awe seeing them fly right by you, overhead or when they swing to the back of the nest," said Timothy Ferguson, the owner and instructor at Wildlife Educational Exhibit of Northwest Indiana. "There's a beauty and gracefulness when they fly. No words can really describe it."

Bald eagles, a bird of prey with an impressive wingspan averaging as much as 7 feet and 7 inches, have been rebounding in Indiana since being reintroduced to the Hoosier State in 1985. The number of bald eagle nests spotted in Indiana has skyrocketed from two in 1989 to about 350 in 2020, according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources.

They've been making a comeback in Northwest Indiana, where bald eagle nests have been reported in Schererville, Cedar Lake, East Chicago and the Highland Heron Rookery along the Little Cal. The couple in Black Oak, described by a local photographer as "Region Rat eagles," have been there since 2011.

Returning wildlife

Bald eagles returned to the Little Calumet River after a long absence once pollution was cleaned up.

"It's just a cool story that eagles are nesting on the Little Calumet River. When I was growing up people had to travel a distance to see them. Now they're almost a common sight," Little Calumet River Basin Executive Dan Repay said.

When he was younger, people had to travel to the northern reaches of Wisconsin or Minnesota if they wanted to spot bald eagles.

"The animals are smart," Repay said. "They won't go somewhere if it isn't healthy for them to survive. But we've been cleaning up the river and it's more friendly for the environment. There's all sorts of animals that come through the habitat. It's been pretty successful. Folks out there canoeing or biking tell me what animals they see all the time."

But many remain unaware that bald eagle populations are rebounding in the Region.

"Some are still in shock that bald eagles are around," Repay said. "This couple lost their nest when the tree fell. But they're back. They're resilient. And they're happy. Their family keeps on growing."

Ferguson and his business partner Paul Zarowny with the Wildlife Educational Exhibit of Northwest Indiana, a nonprofit conservation organization that makes presentations at local schools and parks, have been monitoring the Little Calumet River eagles for the last six years. They're often in the area because they were hired by the Little Calumet River Basin Commission to trap beavers who have created dams as big as 60 feet, which can potentially cause flooding that damages property and destroys wildlife habitats.

They have caught 300 beavers, including one that weighed nearly 70 pounds.

"The water won't flow," Ferguson said. "Last year, it was 4 feet higher on one side. It can cause flooding upriver and in tributaries that drives out other wildlife and flows close to people's homes."

Wildlife is abundant in the area. Ferguson leads educational tours there, such as to see the migratory pelicans who stop by near the end of March.

"It's a great area for wildlife," he said. "We've spotted trumpeter swans, sandhill cranes resting in the water, ospreys, wood ducks, mallards, great blue herons, gorgeous egrets, all kinds of birds. There's muskrats, minks, raccoons, possums and deer galore. Nobody really goes out there except for dumping, so it's totally awesome with wildlife.

"It's gotten a whole lot better over the last 20 years. You never saw wild turkeys before. All of the pollution controls have made the environment healthier and the water healthier, which means more food for the animals. I'm so happy to see trumpeter swans and pelicans the last several years, even if that's for a very short time."

A home on the river

The eagles who nest in Black Oak typically raise an eaglet or two every year before their offspring flies off to establish nests of their own along the Kankakee or Iroquois Rivers. They've been recovering since tragedy struck in the spring of 2020.

"The tree blew down and the egg in it got demolished, sadly," Ferguson said. "But last year they had three babies, which is excellent. Normally they have one or two. When they have two, normally one eaglet will want more food than the other and try to push the weaker one out, so it's pretty cool that three were able to co-exist."

They took the loss of the offspring hard, Ferguson said.

"They pair for life," he said. "Once they lost the baby, they went through a grieving period. It was a couple of weeks before they started bringing in materials to build a new nest."

They moved the location further east in the marsh after being spooked by "idiots stomping around," Ferguson said.

"We found blow darts in the eagle nest," he said. "That's a big federal offense, harassing a nest. We reported that to the DNR law division. They're not just a national symbol. They're a protected bird. You can't possess an eggshell, a talon or a single feather. Harassing an eagle is a major offense."

After successfully raising three eaglets last year, they are again taking turns sitting on the nest at all times, indicating they laid one or more eggs, Ferguson said. They incubate the egg for 28 days, with one always keeping it warm and protecting it while the other goes out to hunt for a few hours at a time, usually scooping fish out of the river.

"Once we saw them bring up a small groundhog," he said. "If we catch some fish in our traps, we leave it out for them. The next day it will be gone. It's either the eagles or the coyotes."

Once they're hatched, the fuzzy little fledglings are raised for a few months until they're big enough to fend for themselves and go search for a mate. They typically migrate to rivers down south so they don't infringe on their parents' established territory along the Little Cal.

"They're little puffballs," Ferguson said. "They're typically there until late summer or early fall. They'll feed them until they learn to fly and can go out hunting on their own."

The eagles feed on carp, bass and the occasional salmon in the river, which is only knee-deep along that stretch when the water level is low.

"They're making a comeback," he said. "Bald eagles hadn't been here in nearly 100 years. Wild turkeys hadn't been here in 50, 60 years. I grew up in south Hammond and never saw a wild turkey coming up. Bobcats haven't been around in decades and now they're in Dyer, Griffith, Schererville, Hobart, Hebron, basically everything. I've heard of sightings of golden eagles near the Ohio state line, which is exciting."

Ferguson has approached Purdue University Northwest, Indiana University Northwest and local governments about potentially establishing an eagle cam so people can watch the bald eagles in Black Oak. They do draw many visitors, including birders and wildlife photographers.

He urges people not to disturb the birds by maintaining a proper distance.

"You need to be respectful if you want to observe the birds in their natural habitat," he said. "They're more afraid of you than you are of them. Wild animals won't attack you unless they're sick or cornered. Just keep your distance with binoculars or a camera."

The eagles are a sight to behold.

"It's fantastic to see them fly or carry prey up to the nest," he said. "After their nest was taken down and demolished, it's just great to see them back, healthy and active with a new nest."

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If youre looking for high quality of life, low cost of living, a pro-business climate ranked number one in the Midwest, and an outdoor environment sporting Great Lakes beauty, Northwest Indiana belongs at the top of your list. The explosion of opportunity couldnt be more apparent on this side of the Hoosier border, where the Regions magnetic appeal for people to visit, buy or build a home, and locate or grow a business is resulting in real population growth.

In fact, despite a global pandemic, the Regions resilience has created such optimism it has propelled our state to an enviable position of strength. County unemployment rates in the Region stand at all-time lows, and Indianas unemployment rate is lower than every state we touch, lower than the national average, and the lowest in 46 years.

Our states top-ranked business and regulatory environment combined with Northwest Indianas ideal location and quality of life are now attracting businesses to make the move and invest in Region communities like never before. Over the last few years, Ive been excited to join local officials and business leaders from companies  including Dominos, Alliance Steel and Midwest Truck, to name a few  as they moved to Northwest Indiana and committed to creating hundreds of quality careers, further driving up growth and opportunity in the years ahead.

Its just a fact. Businesses dont have to look far to discover Region grass is truly greener.

Want the proof? Indiana continues to make history and break our all-time investment and career commitment records, including last year. In 2021, the Indiana Economic Development Corporation assisted 56 new business startups in Northwest Indiana, and 287 companies committed to moving to or growing in our state. These commitments will bring 31,710 Hoosier careers to Indiana, with an average wage over $28 an hour over the upcoming years.

We welcome them all and look forward to our win-win partnership.

After all, our states strong revenue gives us the opportunity to further invest directly in our people and communities. While neighboring Illinois, Ohio and Michigan lost residents, Indianas population continued to grow. With a hot housing market, abundant amenities and career opportunities here on Hoosier soil, people and businesses from other states are fleeing, and flocking to Indiana and specifically the Region. Purposeful state and local investments, like in modern infrastructure projects and quality of place, will further propel the Region to even greater heights.

And its becoming easier to travel to and from Northwest Indiana communities, just as its already become more attractive to stay.

Thats why were continuing to invest in the overall infrastructure platform that connects us to each other and a world of opportunities by building out our top-ranked infrastructure and implementing a fully-paid-for 20-year roads and bridges program.

Since 2017, INDOT has invested more than $395 million in highway projects and $283 million in local infrastructure projects in Northwest Indiana alone. Travel lanes have been added on I-65 between Merrillville and Lowell and a new interchange constructed at U.S. 20 and State Road 2 in LaPorte County.

And while all roads are increasingly leading to Indiana, the way the Region is leveraging its lakeshore location couldnt be more relevant to its growing appeal. Visiting Indiana Dunes, its easy to see why this picturesque park  rightfully our states first national park  is making waves, attracting well over 2 million visitors a year to enjoy more than 15,000 acres of Hoosier beaches, trails, forests and wildlife habitats along the blue water and scenic sands of the Lake Michigan shore.

Speaking of getting outdoors, the Region is blazing new trails with the support of Indianas Next Level Trails program, the largest infusion of state trail funding in Hoosier history.

Crown Point and Schererville put a $2.9 million state grant to work on the Pennsy Greenway Northwest Trail, with the goal of connecting Crown Point, Schererville and Munster with Lansing, Illinois. Hebron received more than $300,000 to add nearly a mile to the Veterans Memorial Parkway Trail system between Hebron and Crown Point. In Burns Harbor, $1.7 million was awarded to extend the Marquette Greenway between Hebron and Portage as part of a future multi-state trail along the Regions Lake Michigan shore, linking with Chicago and Michigan.

Whether youre walking, hiking, or biking, Northwest Indiana communities have never been more connected to each other, but were full steam ahead to build even stronger connections.

The essential infrastructure that connects our lives, livelihoods and leisure is increasingly the kind that enables downloads on our digital devices. Thats why weve made the largest broadband investment in our states history to provide everyone, everywhere in Indiana, with access to affordable, quality broadband  and the endless opportunities it affords  regardless of where you live, work, play, study or stay.

And lets not forget, construction is underway on two of the nations most transformational commuter rail projects: double tracking the South Shore Line to better connect Michigan City, Gary and Chicago  and linking the West Lake Corridor from Hammond to Dyer. Beyond the reduced travel and wait times theyll deliver, these monumental projects are on track to drive the Region forward by attracting $2.3 billion in private investment to Northwest Indiana, with 6,000 new jobs and $3 billion in economic impact projected to follow over the next several decades.

With so much opportunity in the pipeline, theres never been a better time to double down and invest directly in our vibrant, affordable communities and the enhanced quality of place that will propel Northwest Indianas growth in years ahead.

Thats why, last year, with legislative support, Indiana launched our $500 million Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative (READI) program, the largest investment in Hoosier history aimed at helping communities throughout our state collaborate and drive their economic growth to the next level. Northwest Indiana received full funding, $50 million, leveraging up to an additional $672 million in local and private dollars to push and power the projects forward that will enhance quality of life, attract talent and further unleash the entrepreneurial spirit that created the Region in the first place.

By investing in Northwest Indianas natural advantages, connecting our communities to the world and unlocking the unlimited opportunities available, the Region will continue to be the very definition of a compelling destination in the decades to come.

Looking out on the Hoosier horizon, it couldnt be more crystal clear: the sun is rising on a renaissance of Region relevance to our state and nation.

Eric J. Holcomb is governor of the state of Indiana.

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WESTVILLE  There was no shortage of opportunity for job seekers when close to 30 manufacturers from Northwest Indiana gathered Thursday to try and fill job openings.

Co-workers Alaiyah Langston, 22, and Tammy White, 51, both of Michigan City, said they were encouraged to discover the companies they approached pay more than what theyre currently earning for similar assembly line work.

The cost of living is going up and our pay where we are now is not, Langston said.

White said a $4 an hour or more wage increase would be worth taking a job at another company, with two mouths to feed and a mortgage to pay on a home she recently purchased.

Thats a huge difference, she said.

The job fair, sponsored by the Center of Workforce Innovations in Valparaiso, was held Thursday afternoon at the Purdue Northwest campus near Westville.

Barb Grimsgard, director of communications for CWI, said manufacturers were mostly looking to fill entry level positions, but some companies have more openings for mid-level jobs.

In many cases, she said the need for qualified and reliable workers remains high, but finding them has become more challenging.

Grimsgard said some people who didnt work during the pandemic are interested in earning a paycheck again, but not with their former employer or occupation. Priorities have changed for some of those workers, and the current job market provides them with more choices, she said.

They had time to assess what they really want to do. They assessed whats important to them. They realized 'I havent been working but we managed.' It really is a job seeker's market right now, she said.

Grimsgard said more people in the workforce are also looking at not just higher pay but a sense of being valued in choosing where they want to work.

Mariano Oliveri of Michigan City said a stable, fun and enjoyable workplace ranks first on his job hunting list.

Oliveri, experienced in the hospitality industry and marketing, said hes using his time between jobs to find a career more suitable to his bachelors degree in business and skills at dealing with people.

Right now, Oliveri said getting his foot in the door is more important than money.

The only thing I want from my next employer is to recognize my efforts and, if I do a good job, reward my effort, he said.

Another challenge for manufacturers needing labor is overcoming the negative image of their workplaces as dirty, heavy industrial-type environments.

Grimsgard said the opposite is actually true nowadays, due to advancements in technology.

Its not your dad or grandfathers plant like it used to be, she said.

Among the employers at the job fair was MSI Express, which has plants in Hammond and Portage.

The firm, with about 1,500 employees at more than a dozen locations nationwide, packages and ships mostly food products, including cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix and baked goods, for name brand companies.

Human Resources Manager Ricardo Senteno said his company has a lot of openings, ranging from the production floor to office management.

Senteno said commitment and desire to move up the ladder with the company are among the things sought in job applicants.

Someone looking to grow, work as a team and be dedicated. Thats probably one of the things were most looking for  dedication, he said.

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Old National Bank plans to invest $8.3 billion in minority and low-income communities after acquiring First Midwest Bank in a deal that will bring it into the Northwest Indiana market.

The Evansville-based bank, the largest bank headquartered in Indiana, reached the Community Benefits Agreement with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition that will support small businesses and people in underserved and economically disadvantaged communities.

At Old National and First Midwest, engaging with, supporting and strengthening our communities is not only a strategic priority, its woven into the fabric of our cultural DNA, said Old National Chairman and CEO Jim Ryan. We recognize the important role that our banks play in helping to shape a better financial future, and we are proud to partner with NCRC to build on our strong legacy of service and make a lasting impact on the hundreds of communities we serve today, as well as in the future.

The bank plans to invest $5 billion in community lending and affordable housing in low-to-moderate income neighborhoods. It also will pledge another $3.3 billion in philanthropic and community development initiatives in majority-minority neighborhoods over the next five years.

It plans to invest $2 billion in home loans for purchases and improvement projects in low-to-moderate income communities, particularly with Black and Hispanic homebuyers.

In 2020, Old National originated $576 million in Community Reinvestment Act-eligible loans to small businesses and farms while First Midwest originated $627 million of such loans.

First Midwest and Old National have strong and demonstrated track records of supporting low and moderate-income borrowers and those in low-and moderate-income areas," First Midwest Chairmand and CEO Mike Scudder said. "The scale and growth of our combined organization will enable us to become an even stronger community partner, and we look forward to doing even more to help meet the evolving needs of the vibrant and diverse communities and businesses within our footprint.

Old National closed on the deal and is in the process of rebranding First Midwest branches. It will have $45 billion in assets and $34 billion in assets under management, making it one of the largest banks based in the Midwest.

The bank is pledging $3 billion in loans to small businesses with revenues of $1 million or less in low-to-moderate income areas.

We appreciate the leadership and commitment of Old Nationaland that of Jim Ryan in particularto collaborate with us and our members to create this impactful community agreement, said Jesse Van Tol, President and CEO of NCRC. With this agreement, Old National makes significant commitments to increase investments in homeownership. small businesses and community development projects like affordable housing and alternative energy in low- and moderate-income communities and neighborhoods of color where these banks operate.

Old National also aspires to help communities of color and the financially disadvantaged through supplier diversity and apprenticeship programs, as well as through hiring.

We have a longstanding belief that we are only as strong as the communities we serve," Ryan said.

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As construction the Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District's West Lake Corridor and Double Track projects gets fully underway this spring, officials continue to work on plans for the transit-oriented development, or TOD, that is hoped will bring a significant part of the investment and population the rail projects are expected to generate.

The TOD will be focused in transit development districts, or TDDs, that will cover one-half square mile around the stations, with boundaries taking in sites seen as most likely to bring new development.

In many TDDs, that will focus on housing, a topic of a recent forum hosted by One Region and the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, and the businesses that new, denser housing can bring.

"It's the housing for our commuters," RDA President and CEO Sherri Ziller said at the Destination 2024 event. "It's the retail space for businesses that cater to commuters and for those living in the housing. It could also be professional office spaces."

"It's coming at a rapid pace; it's coming because of the train projects," Ziller said.

Even as those plans are being developed this year, agreements are being made to start the TOD process, particularly in Hammond and Michigan City, each with a sense of urgency about downtown revitalization. All development will be guided by municipalities, through their zoning and land-use regulation and official planning bodies.

Activity underway now at some current and future station areas, summarized at quarterly meetings of a TDD advisory committee, includes:

Munster/Dyer Main Street

Consultants working for the RDA eye mixed-use  housing and business  development around the station area, and greater walkability in the neighborhoods and commercial corridor adjacent to it. The project includes a westward extension of Main Street through the station area. Commercial and office development nearby are seen as opporunities to enhance the area as an employment hub.

Munster Ridge Road

Similar development is envisioned for the Ridge Road station, though the railroad's intersection with Ridge is expected to bring "higher levels of activity" associated with the station. The town of Munster is also planning to improve the Ridge Road and nearby Calumet Avenue streetscapes to make them more inviting and safer for foot and bicycle traffic.

The Ridge Road station area is immediately adjacent to significantly sized single-family neighborhoods, suggesting residential development that "steps down in scale to blend in with the neighborhood fabric."

Hammond Gateway/Downtown

Hammond's Gateway Station will be a locus of activity for train riders in its position as a station for both the South Shore Line and West Lake Corridor. Mixed-use development is envisioned for the area, particularly for the Gostlin, Chicago and Hohman corridors.

Among the most significant activity already taking place is in downtown Hammond, where no station currently exists, and which was not included in NICTD's West Lake plan. But the city, as part of its downtown revitalization effort, intends to put a station near Hohman Avenue, and several projects are in the works that fully fit the TOD objective.

The Madison Lofts apartments at Hohman and Sibley, a $15 million project, will include 54 market-rate units with modern amenities.

"It will begin what we hope will be the housing renaissance for downtown Hammond," city Chief of Staff Phil Taillon said at the Feb. 28 housing forum.

The old Bank Calumet building at 5231 Hohman will become home to 100 residential units and 7,000 square feet of retail space. Taillon said urban planner Jeff Speck, who worked with the city on the new downtown plan, called it "the best building you have in downtown Hammond."

And across the street, a new Rimbach Plaza will, according to plans, include a 208-unit apartment building and a public plaza. That, and the Bank Calumet project, are expected to be $24 million investments.

East Chicago

East Chicago is currently the South Shore's busiest station in terms of ridership, with its relatively large parking lot and long platform. The TDD process has identified the Roxana neighborhood and Indianapolis Boulevard corridor, stretching up to 151st Street, as focuses of attention, and as far north as the Chicago Avenue corridor.

The boulevard corridor presents infill opportunities for commercial and residential development; the Roxana neighborhood already offers a stable, walkable population center with opportunities for strengthening.

Gary Miller

The area around the Miller area has seen significant property acquisition and demolition, and realignment of U.S. 12 and 20 and renewed, more welcoming and walkable streetscapes are expected to enhance the neighborhood's attractiveness to developers.

Gary has also recently updated its land use and zoning to support TOD.

Portage and Ogden Dunes

The development of the TDD for this station has included recognition of "tremendous opportunity" presented by city ownership of large properties. The city is currently planning development at Burns Parkway and Ind. 249. A Burns Parkway extension would "create opportunities for a new gateway into the community anchored by high-quality development  corridor planning in process."

TOD directly around the station area would focus on enhanced walkability for mixed-use, suburban neighborhood and employment center uses.

Michigan City 11th Street

Michigan City has several projects in the pipeline as it experiences directly the opening phase of Double Track construction.

"We have four projects in various stages of approval," Planning Director Skyler York told the recent housing forum. "These four projects represent approximately 500 units in our downtown, within that TDD boundary."

A developer plans to invest $35 million in a multi-use project that includes 200 apartments in downtown Michigan City.

TRG Community Development, a division of The Richman Group of Companies, intends to build one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments at the corner of Eighth Street and Michigan Boulevard in a $35 million, 200-unit project.

And Flaherty & Collins Properties, in partnership with NICTD as well as the city, recently won the city's support for an $80 million mixed-use development to fill the city block that includes the South Shore's 11th Street station.

The plan, with the placeholder name 11th Street Central, includes a new train station, 208 luxury residential apartment homes in a 12-story high rise, over 10,000 square feet of commercial space and a 558-space parking garage.

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Northwest Indiana is at the forefront of a catalytic opportunity to solve global challenges and advance a Greater South Shore digital corridor that could revolutionize its economy. Timely investments in Northwest Indiana blended with trends in technology are elevating the relevance of this Region.

There are numerous global factors impacting our nation and these impacts are accelerating. According to NEXT Studios, an Indiana-based startup studio, the world recently entered a fourth industrial revolution (4IR). The first was centered on agriculture, the second was the emergence of manufacturing, the third was a technological industrial revolution based on automation, and today, we are in the fourth: the digital industrial revolution.

Technology is evolving exponentially  far faster than previous phases  and utilizes virtual reality and artificial intelligence (AI) to produce technological breakthroughs in areas such as robotics, autonomous vehicles, the Internet of Things (IoT) and quantum computing. Additionally, it is changing industries like manufacturing, health care and logistics, all of which are important to Northwest Indiana.

This Region has a significant opportunity to capitalize on this 4IR by leveraging investments and expanding an innovation ecosystem to support startup companies and job creation. Embracing this fortuitous moment is a must.

The infrastructure investments in Northwest Indiana create a unique opportunity landscape with regards to innovation and creating and attracting a relevant workforce, says John McDonald, managing entrepreneur with NEXT Studios. Over 80% of new jobs in Indiana come from companies who are less than five years old, which means that startup companies are the job creators of our future, which is now.

These innovators already exist in Northwest Indiana. People can live next to an innovation ecosystem and not even know it, states McDonald. "It's time to invest in emerging technologies."

The transformational results of innovation can be seen throughout the nation and this opportunity is on Northwest Indianas doorstep. Leveraging regional strengths and investments will not only thrust this Region into the 4IR, it will become a leader at the forefront.

Unique strengths

Northwest Indiana touts a rich quality of life with abundant resources like beautiful towns, water, trails, parks and some amazing supply chain infrastructure. This Region is fortunate to be part of an enterprising state whose strong budget allows for reinvestment into its future. It also has a seasonal climate with moderate extremes and biodiverse beauty in urban, rural and suburban settings.

This Region has multiple lakes in addition to Lake Michigan; hidden gems for vibrant sunsets and active lifestyles in a serene setting. Excellent, affordable schools span multiple municipalities and residents are proud to have at least 10 high-quality high schools ranked in the top 30 public and private school lists for Indiana.

Add to this, the expanded South Shore rail line will connect people more than ever before beginning in 2024. This faster rail line will not only link Northwest Indiana to the Prudential building in about 30 minutes, but it will also attract more commuters to live and work in the Region. The transit-oriented development around the stations will attract new residents who yearn for walkable communities and vibrancy.

Significant opportunities

Additional notable investments are preparing Northwest Indiana for the 4IR while strengthening its relevance.

New fiber with quantum research capabilities is being ignited throughout the Region under multiple highways, connected by data centers. This multi-investment will attract corporations to house their servers in the Region while connecting quantum researchers to protect our country with the most secure network in the nation.

This will also be a catalyst for emerging technologies to benefit each of us in unique ways. For example, autonomous vehicles will give the elderly and persons with disabilities independence. AI can improve farmlands and agriculture to alleviate food deserts and IoT will make health care more affordable and equitable.

Combined, this fiber and rail will connect Chicago, Northwest Indiana, and South Bend to create the Greater South Shore, a hyper-connected, 90-mile advanced technology and research corridor to become a top North American destination for business, industry and educational advancement. Similar to the alignment between Silicon Valley and the Research Triangle, the Greater South Shore will become known as a Digital Hub to support emerging industry clusters to complement the expertise of the current regional workforce.

This concept of the Greater South Shore, led by Neighborhood Capital Institute, was launched at the 2021 One Region Luncheon where leaders gathered with U.S. Sen. Todd Young, architect Gordon Gill, Cordell Carter from the Aspen Institute, and Congressman Frank Mrvan. The conversations revolved around the support for this connected corridor and willingness to actively engage in the project.

Leveraging opportunities

Northwest Indiana will propel into the 4IR when data and rail investments are fully leveraged to produce a complementary workforce, innovation ecosystem and elevated quality of life.

Municipal leaders and zoning officials can take advantage of the rail expansion by planning for and approving quality transit-oriented development to provide modern, walkable housing options for a future workforce. Many communities have already moved ahead with this housing and showcased their projects at the recent Destination 2024 housing summit hosted by One Region and the Regional Development Authority.

Business leaders can foster an innovation ecosystem by joining One Region as we facilitate connections among innovators, mentors and investors to determine pathways for igniting innovation into the fabric of Northwest Indiana. It will bolster the regional economy while producing emerging technologies.

Finally, communities, schools, industries and universities along the Greater South Shore can align around innovation to comprehensively leverage our Regions strengths and investments.

Our future

This is the new, emerging Northwest Indiana  the connector of the Greater South Shore and full of vibrant, ambitious people connected by qubits, a National Park and rail. By leveraging valuable resources and investment, this Region will experience growth through the innovative approach of creating an attractive technology hub in the quantum corridor. It is our destiny to be a leader for the Midwest and beyond.

Marie Foster-Bruns is president and CEO of One Region.

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Lake County has a secret, and Karen Lauerman is doing her best to make sure everybody knows what it is.

"With a focus on economic development opportunities, proximity to Chicago, access to supply chain/consumer markets, Indianas pro-business climate plus an attractive, affordable, quality lifestyle, Lake County is Chicagolands best kept secret," Lauerman, president and CEO of the Lake County Economic Alliance, said.

Apparently Lauerman and the LCEA are doing a good job of being bad at keeping a secret.

"During a time of tremendous uncertainty, Lake County continues to secure positive economic momentum as businesses across the U.S. and around the world leverage Indianas pro-growth attitude and proximity to major markets to fuel success," she said.

Letting developers in on the Region's little secret is a full-time job for the LCEA, which represents all communities in the county in addition to the county commissioners. It participated in a regional application that brought $50 million in state funding for projects with a regional impact.

The LCEA also hosted international site selectors all over the county and held about 30 trade shows, conferences and other promotional efforts.

"It's not just about land and buildings, companies and consultants," Lauerman said. "It's about relationships, trust and furthering a collaborative countywide effort. Community borders are not important to Lake County economic development any more. It's about communities together as one county positioned for prosperity, and that is truly a measure of progress and our collective success."

A big part of the LCEA success is having buildings ready for companies looking for just the right location to move into. Lauerman said Lake County had two speculative buildings  built with no specific tenant in mind  begin construction in recent months that were just waiting for the right customer to come along.

The first was a venture by the Des Plaines, Illinois-based The Missner Group, which Lauerman said "believes the time is right for repurposing former industrial sites in Lake Countys north sector." The company broke ground in October on a 14.4-acre site for a 249,600-square-foot spec building at 4400 Homerlee in East Chicago. The site is less than a mile from Interstate 90, close to the Interstate 80/94 expressway and adjacent to the Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad/CSX lines. Nearing exterior completion, the building is the first new concrete panel tilt up building in East Chicago for the modern era, she said.

The second project is a 261,638-square-foot spec building by Crow Holdings Industrial, which recently broke ground in Merrillville at 9602 Georgia St. in the AmeriPlex at the Crossroads Business Park in Lake Countys central sector. Expected to be ready this spring, it follows the success of Crow's first building, which was fully leased in June 2021 with Midwest Truck and Auto, Quality Pasta and Turbonetics.

"The big brand names of Amazon and Dominos landed at the class A-AmeriPlex at the Crossroads business park in Merrillville," Lauerman said. "Amazon opened in the summer of 2021 after investing $30 million for its roughly 300-plus employees and building a delivery station operation to occupy approximately 190,000 square feet of space.

"In September, Dominos broke ground on a 112,000-square-foot dough production and distribution hub, investing approximately $50.3 million to serve the Midwest operators."

Investment by foreign companies showed a significant increase in 2021, Lauerman said, with two international companies locating in Hobart.

"The United Kingdom-based cosmetics manufacturer Orean Personal Care is relocating and expanding its U.S. footprint from Illinois to Northwind Crossings at I-65 and 61st Avenue at the former Americall location. Orean is investing $4 Million to accommodate higher customer demand and strategic growth."

"The second is Allmyfy, the Italian organic cosmetics company, which is launching its first operation in the US," Lauerman said. "Allmyfy is renovating a former retail/marine shop and is set to hire 50-70 as they process, package and distribute private and influence brands."

Other developments offering proof the secret is out include:

the launch of Point 65 in Crown Point

the build-to-suit development at the former Ultra grocery store in Highland

the proposal to convert the former Illiana Raceway in Schererville into a business park

the continued remediation and development of the former 284-acre DuPont/Chemours site, now known as the East Chicago Logistics Center

a new office building already under construction at Oxbow Landing in Hammond.

Lauerman said these projects are "proof developers understand Lake County is a desireable, cost-effective location" and she added that "development is key to attracting companies not just from across the border but around the globe."

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When she was nine, Shea Collins managed to outwit and escape a child predator, hiding as he searched for her before moving on to his next victim. Still traumatized two decades later, Shea keeps to herself, working as a medical receptionist during the day and at night holing up in her apartment, heating up single serve frozen lasagna in her microwave while researching unsolved true crimes for her blog, "The Book of Cold Cases."

This self-imposed isolation is about to change when Shea recognizes Beth Greer in the doctors office one day. Decades ago, the beautiful, beguiling and rich Greer went to trial, accused of killing two men. She was found innocent, but like Shea, she has locked herself away from the world, albeit in a mansion in the wealthiest section of Lake Clare where she lived with her parents before their deaths.

Surprisingly, Greer agrees to let Shea interview her and invites her to the house. Located on a cliff overlooking the water, it should be a pleasant place, but instead, almost from the beginning, Shea can feel the odd vibes and happenings that are part of the homes atmosphere. Looking out the window, she catches a glimpse of a young girl staring at the house. Who is she? And what about Greer? Is she a murderer? Or is she a woman somehow trapped in a supernatural nightmare?

Author Simone St. James went from scheduling and spreadsheets  mostly for live sports, making sure that camera crews showed up on time and that everyone got paid  to writing supernatural thrillers, including her latest, The Book of Cold Cases.

I loved what I was doing, but as time went on I loved writing even more, said St. James, who has written five novels, including bestseller The Sun Down Motel.

St. James says the cases in her book are entirely imaginary.

But the germ of the idea came from the Zodiac case, in which a man killed random people in the San Francisco area in the late 60s and early 70s, said St. James, noting that Stephen King was the first writer to influence her and that she read and re-read her copy of "Firestarter" so much that it fell apart.

The killer in the Zodiac case was never caught, St. James said. And I wondered, what if you had a Zodiac-type case, but the suspect was a woman? It changes everything about the story  who the suspect is, why they do what they do, how its investigated, how its written about in the media. Literally everything about it is different. So I made up a fictional case and went down that rabbit hole because I thought it was interesting.

Though her books have an eerie ambiance, St. James said shes never encountered the supernatural herself.

But I believe its possible. I think most things are possible, she said. In my books Im more interested in the human side of the supernatural, if that makes sense. Why one person would refuse to leave, and how the remaining people react. Haunting stories are all about grief and fear and trauma and letting go or refusing to. Those themes are fascinating to me and I always go back to them.

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Ariana DeBose has been cleaning up with critics groups and also won at the SAGs for "West Side Story." Considering the SAG track record for predicting about 75 percent of the eventual acting Oscar winners, we can count on three of this year's four winners carrying over. I don't expect DeBose to be the one who doesn't win here, statistically speaking. The spoiler is Kirsten Dunst for "The Power of the Dog." But ask my favorite performance of the five this year, and you'll hear me pushing for Aunjanue Ellis in "King Richard."
Steve Lopez, a social studies teacher at Munster High School, said students have been asking questions about what is happening in Ukraine recently.

Ever since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, lives have been transformed globally. Several people in the Region have even been impacted, such as a woman from Crown Point with family in the country. Region churches and schools have also been showing their support.

Lopez, who teaches United States history and AP U.S. History, said students are asking why Russia would choose to invade Ukraine. He said it has been helpful to explaining Western tensions with Russia since even before the Cold War.

He said every class is discussing the subject, with students asking how much worse it could get and about the possibility of a draft.

Lopez said students are asking why this is happening and what Russian President Vladimir Putins ambitions are. He said it is best to connect it back to history. However, Lopez said, some students are struggling because the media is presenting the conflict in different ways.

Lopez said that while the war is obviously dangerous, current events like this make students understand how history impacts the modern day.

Bob Deruntz, a teacher at Chesterton High School in U.S. and world history, said it has made his lessons more meaningful.

My students were understandably unsettled and upset by images of Russian attacks against the Ukrainian people. But with little knowledge of Cold War history, they didn't have any context from which to understand the events unfolding before them. So we discussed the end of WWII, our ideological struggle with communism and the emergence of our Cold War, Deruntz said.

He said that students were incredibly engaged and that it made history feel more real for them.

Deruntz also said students have the world at their fingertips and have a lot of access to what is happening in Ukraine, such as potentially traumatic images of bombing or deaths. He said he has learned how resilient children are these days.

Joseph Synakiewicz, a teacher at Hanover Central Middle School who teaches American studies, said he has his students engage with current events by watching a short news video every week.

Lately, students have been asking about the possibility of World War III or nuclear warfare, with some students being genuinely concerned. Synakiewicz said he has placated some worries by explaining what it would take to get to that level and letting students know that Ukraine is not a NATO country.

Synakiewicz said a lot of students do not understand sanctions, and he has to explain the complexities of them and the goals to influence Russia. He also said sanctions could possibly impact Russian citizens more.

His curriculum does not go to the Cold War, only making it from early colonial times to reconstruction, but students are still very curious about what happened leading up to Russias invasion. He said he is studying the Cold War so he can be more educated on the subject.

Synakiewicz said a unique challenge is that children do not have any recollection of the Soviet Unions collapse and the end of the Cold War in the 1990s. He said for some of them, it can be harder to grasp.

However, Synakiewicz has tried to explain the situations leading up to this point, and many of the students are more open to historical events, as they have lived through several other major impactful events, such as the ongoing polarization in the United States and COVID-19. He said it is important to keep talking about these subjects so that students have a worldly view.

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CROWN POINT  A rapist sentenced to more than a century of imprisonment was captured Saturday as a result of combined efforts from Region and federal law enforcement agents, officials said.

Montrelle D. Dubose, 52, who was previously convicted and sentenced in his absence to 120 1/2 years in prison, was arrested at 3:45 p.m. Saturday, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

The U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force located Dubose as he was exiting a fashion superstore at 7540 S. Stony Island in Chicago. Dubose was arrested without incident, officials said.

During a pat-down search, Dubose was found to be carrying drug paraphernalia and stolen merchandise. The merchandise was returned to the business, according to the Marshals Service.

Dubose was described by the Lake County Sheriff's Department as an "extremely dangerous" man.

Extensive investigations revealed Dubose was staying with a longtime female associate in Chicago, allowing agents to pinpoint his whereabouts, officials said.

The U.S. Marshals Great Lakes Fugitive Task Force, Homeland Security Investigations Unit, Gary Police Department and the Lake County Sheriffs Department worked together to capture the wanted man.

Dubose was convicted in April 2021 of kidnapping a woman from the Gary Metro Center in 2019, repeatedly raping her and forcing her to drive around naked during a five-hour ordeal.

Dubose posted a $10,000 cash bond July 14, 2020, and was released from the Lake County Jail to await trial.

He attended the first two days of his trial in April but failed to show up starting the third day. The jury convicted Dubose of 13 criminal counts.

When Lake Criminal Court Judge Samuel Cappas sentenced Dubose in absentia in May, the judge said Dubose was "the worst of the worst."

"Frankly, Mr. Dubose is the epitome of the definition of a sexual predator," Cappas said.

After his arrest Saturday, Dubose was taken to the Chicago Police Department's 5th District to be processed, authorities said.

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CEDAR LAKE  Cedar Lake residents recently noticed a large fish kill in the wake of thawing water.

"There have been several calls regarding dead fish along the lake lately," the Cedar Lake Police Department said.

Members of the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and Indiana Department of Natural Resources investigated and found that natural causes were the outcome.

Indiana DNR reported there had been a natural fish kill in Cedar Lake, which happens due to lack of oxygen during the winter months. Then as the ice melts off, the fish wash up to the shore.

White crappies, carp and bluegills were among the fish seen washed up near the shores.

However, the expanse of fish remains were to the delight of the annual near-spring frenzy of seagulls that congregate on the lake.

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MERRILLVILLE  A driver who died after a single-car crash early Saturday has been identified as an Iowa man, according to the Lake County coroner's office.

Fredrick Cardine, 39, of Coralville, Iowa, died at Franciscan Health hospital in Crown Point after the crash about 3:15 a.m. in the 5500 block of Georgia Street, according to a coroner's release and police.

Merrillville police were dispatched to the crash and found a vehicle had run off the road and hit numerous bushes and trees, Assistant Chief Kosta Nuses said.

The driver was taken by ambulance to the hospital with severe injuries, he said.

Anyone with video footage or information about the crash is asked to contact Detective Matt Vasel at mvasel@merrillville.in.gov or 219-769-3531, ext. 363.

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VALPARAISO  On Feb. 17, rain paired with snow melt caused Beauty Creek to go over and around the earthen wall keeping it out of an area that is currently under construction as part of the Vale Park Road extension. The fast moving water caused erosion along Beauty Creek's banks and sediment rushed into the water, leaving it a muddy brown.

A foundation had been laid in the creek in preparation for installation of an 80- to 100-foot box culvert that would allow extension of Vale Park Road from Keystone Commons to the Beauty Creek subdivision at Windsor Park. Workers were waiting to receive the box culvert, which would create a tunnel allowing the stream to flow beneath the road.

The Vale Park Road extension is part of the 153-acre Brooks at Vale Park subdivision project. Located where East Vale Park Road meets Vale Park West Pathway, the subdivision will have 248 single-family units.

During a Feb. 28 Valparaiso City Council meeting, three residents spoke about the issue, all asking the city why more preventative measures were not in place.

"That land never should have been developed in the way that it was," Walt Breitinger said. "That land should not have been stripped of all its vegetation. ... The destruction of the wetlands nearby, the disturbance of the highly erodible soils should not have occurred."

Representatives of the Brooks development came before the Board of Public Works and Safety on Friday to give an update on Beauty Creek. Todd Leeth, the attorney representing the developers, said crews "have been on top of this since the date of the event."

"We have soil erosion measures that are on the plans. Those soil erosion measures are in place, they are working," Leeth said. "They are not perfect. Soil erosion measures, silt fencing, once installed is trampled down, it is removed by utility companies, contractors. It needs to be maintained, we are doing that. There are times where it's not 100% perfect, but we are being responsive every time there's an issue."

Adam McAlpine, an engineer working on the project, said he conducts weekly sediment and erosion control inspections at the site. However, during the winter "when the precipitation is snow," he pauses the inspections.

"I have since resumed it because we are kind of back and forth," McAlpine said. "But generally speaking, when a construction site is dormant, you don't need to go out and waste your time looking at silt fences in the middle of the winter."

Materials are being delivered to the site next week, and McAlpine said within the next two months that section of Vale Park Road will start to come together.

City Engineer Mike Jabo said a rock check dam has been put in to control and filter the sediment, as were siltworms, a snake-like erosion control device. The city is also working with the Indiana Department of Environmental Management to monitor the situation.

Both Vale Park Road and the Brooks at Vale Park subdivision are being developed as part of a public-private partnership the city entered into to address ongoing flooding concerns in the area. Part of the partnership includes creating two detention ponds that will collect stormwater.

Leeth said that once the project is complete, many of the flooding concerns raised by residents will be addressed.

"We're going to put Beauty Creek back. I mean you can't look at any construction site in the middle of a construction project and expect it to look like a finished product," McAlpine said. "We're doing everything to accomplish the project responsibly. Stay tuned. The bridge is coming soon, and it will be a great benefit to the city."

Resident Gary Brown spoke at the board meeting, saying the city and developers should have been prepared for the influx of water caused by snow melt "that happens in northern Porter County every year." Brown said he visited Beauty Creek a few days ago to asses the damage.

"It sure doesn't look like the verdant green grass under the towering trees that it was before this all happened," Brown said. "It has only been changed because of the need for development of more homes. You're trying to change mother nature, and man, mother nature finds a way."

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INDIANAPOLIS  About every 80 years since the American Revolution began in 1776, there have been decisive pivot points or cataclysms in history. It was followed by the Civil War eight decades later.

There were a cluster of pivot points in the first half of the 20th Century, including the Great Depression (1929), President Franklin Roosevelts New Deal (1933), the commencement of World War II (1939), culminating with the arrival of the nuclear age in 1945 that established two Cold War super powers.

Are we about to enter the fourth cataclysm of the American experience eight decades after World War II?

Over the past five years, Americans have witnessed the greatest upset in American presidential politics with Donald Trumps defeat of Hillary Clinton, a pandemic that killed 1 million Americans and 22,000 Hoosiers after causing a series of societal lockdowns, the Jan. 6, 2021 U.S. Capitol insurrection that occurred with the collapse of the Trump presidency, and now despot Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. That has the potential to spark the first nuclear war of the 21st Century, or, perhaps, the collapse of the Putin dictatorship.

Two quotes seem appropriate. American Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers said, Every revolution seems impossible at the beginning, and after it happens, it was inevitable. And Soviet Union founder Vladimir Ilyich Lenin observed, There are decades when nothing happens; and there are weeks when decades happen.

Lenins observation had an echo of truth these past two weeks with Vladimir Putins disastrous invasion of Ukraine, and the corresponding coalescing of the Western/NATO alliance into the most severe sanctions ever wrought on one pariah state.

But for 2022 to join the annals of historical pivot points, it will have to go beyond Ukraine President Zelenskys Churchillian empowerment of his people through oratory (and social media), President Bidens revival of what had been a moribund NATO, and the heroic defense of their homeland by millions of patriotic and free Ukrainians. For this year to join 1776, 1865 and 1945, it will likely take millions of Russian people to rise up and force Putin from power.

What are the chances that dramatic event will occur? Andrew Nagorski, a 1980s-era Newsweek correspondent based in Moscow, writes for the Daily Beast: If history is any indication, Putin already has one foot in his political grave. His war on Ukraine is the beginning of the end for him, no matter how long that beginning takes.

Prof. Olga Chyzh, who teaches political science at the University of Toronto, said in a Twitter thread this week that Western sanctions will likely not be enough to force Russian military leaders to remove Putin. Oligarchs have even more to lose if Putin is no longer there to protect them. Chyzh said that the other power zone is Russian strongmen, who, view the looming Russias isolation and the forced return of the oligarchs to Russia as a benefit.

There are two other key power points that could bring regime change, the military and the masses.

Soviet revolutionary Leon Trotsky wrote in History of the Russian Revolution published in 1930, There is no doubt that the fate of every revolution at a certain point is decided by a break in the disposition of the army.

Nazi Germanys Adolph Hitler, his Italian ally Benito Mussolini, Cubas Fulgencio Batista, Idi Amin of Uganda, Muammar Gaddafi of Libya, Cambodias Pol Pot, and Iraqs Saddam Hussein were overthrown by domestic or foreign militaries or by rebel forces.

But the masses have risen up to force tyrants from power, via debilitating demonstrations that sway the military, or populist outbursts that have turned elections or forced rulers into exile.

The people of Romania rose up just weeks after the Berlin Wall fell in 1989 to lethally terminate the 24-year rule of despot Nicolae Ceausescu, as did the Serbian people who routed Slobodan Milosevic in 2000. Haitis Jean-Claude Duvalier and Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines were both ousted by the masses in 1986. Egypts Hosni Mubarak was forced from office during the Arab Spring in 2011. The Shah of Iran was exiled by millions of secular and religious demonstrators who took to the streets in 1979.

Leon Aron, director of Russian Studies at the American Enterprise Institute, writes of his native Moscow in the Washington Post, The Russian national tradition is unforgiving of military setbacks. Virtually every major defeat has resulted in radical change.

The danger for the human race is that unlike other Russian leaders, Putin has dismantled whatever checks and balances had existed. During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962 and the Yom Kippur War in 1973, Soviet leaders Nikita Khrushchev and Leonid Brehznev had Politburos and werent losing wars of epic miscalculation.

U.S. intel chiefs are concerned. We assess Putin feels aggrieved, Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines told Congress on Tuesday. CIA Director William Burns expects Putin to double down in Ukraine, targeting civilians.

Writing in Foreign Affairs, analysts Emma Ashford and Joshua Shifrinson see the West and Russia may now be entering into the terminal stages of an insecurity spiral that could go nuclear. One might hope policymakers find off-ramps at that stage, but there are no guarantees, adding spirals are defined by their tragic nature.

U.S. Sen. Angus King said on Tuesday, Putin may be the most dangerous man in history.

The human race has entered an unprecedented and harrowing sequence.

Brian Howey is publisher of Howey Politics Indiana. Follow him on Twitter @hwypol. The opinions are the writer's.

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Well, I was sitting at my computer thinking about a column topic when one fell into my lap.

Literally minutes ago from my typing of this line, President Biden announced that the US will stop allowing imports of Russian oil (energy).

Though the US imports less than 10% of our oil from the Russians, this is a major move in many ways.

Firstly, it has bipartisan support in Congress. Hopefully, the struggle of the Ukrainian people can help get our partisan politics a bit more aligned for a common cause.

The Russian economy is anchored heavily in energy sales. Its fair to say that without income from energy production, Russia is close to a third world country. Even with oil, Russia is nowhere near the economic power that it is as a military power.

And at this writing, the vaunted military power of Russia has been brought to question by the valiant undermanned and under-armed Ukrainian military and civilian defense forces. They have thoroughly thwarted the swift takeover of their government and their country by the invaders.

Will the removal of Russian oil from the US market put more pressure on already spiraling gas prices here? Undoubtedly.

Many on the right like to lay blame on Joe Biden for the gas price situation, but energy prices like those of other commodities are a function of supply and demand.

Increase our supply  put the Keystone pipeline back online? Lease more federal lands for oil exploration (theres a ban right now)?

I imagine that would increase supply  eventually. But the dirty Canadian tar sands oil will still be produced, just not piped across our territory, with the accompanying risk that that would entail. Much of that oil would end up being shipped elsewhere anyway.

And allowing more federal land to be open to drilling might work to increase supply, but there are existing leases of federal land to oil companies that havent yet been developed for oil production. I dont think we can just go all drill crazy.

And then theres that nasty reality involving the fate of the earth if we continue to pour carbon dioxide into our atmosphere. Thinking of the seven souls in Iowa who lost their lives in the hellish tornado, one of the ever-increasing violent weather situations brought on by our ever-warming planet.

The US ban of Russian oil imports is the first time weve acted against Russia not in lockstep with our NATO and other allies in imposing sanctions. But the European countries count much more heavily on Russian energy than we do. And it gets cold in much of Europe.

There are prices we will pay to combat the ugly aggression of Putin toward the Ukraine.

Personally, I have BP stock inherited from my father who worked at Standard Oil, then Amoco, then BP. BP stock dropped noticeably when BP decided it would divest itself in its 20% stake in the Russian state-controlled oil producer Rosneft. But I give credit to the company for taking a principled stand though their financial repercussions.

I feel genuinely sympathetic with folks struggling to make it with the added burden of much higher fuel and heating costs. People need to drive to work, and many use their vehicles for work. And all of us like to stay warm inside our homes.

On the other hand, the largest gas guzzling vehicles are trucks and SUVs. How much do we want these as opposed to how much we need these?

The Edwards automotive publication says that just 15% of full-size pickup trucks are used for business.

Nothing against people getting what they want. But theres increasingly a price to pay, both to our pocketbooks and to our planet. The sky-high price for fuel will no doubt have some folks rethinking their next vehicle purchase.

And there are alternatives. Alternatives that might and should be considered. My two hybrids average a tick under 52 MPG. And Im starting to see more electric vehicles and maybe more importantly, more charging stations.

For sure there is a price to be paid for the ruthless aggression of Russia. But as we rail against higher and higher gas prices, lets remember that the bad guy is not Joe Biden. Like him or not, he has done a fine job of rallying the forces of our allies to present a united front against the real bad guy of this sad state of affairs  Vladimir Putin.

Thanks for reading.

George Grenchik, a Whiting native, taught junior high for 41 years and is an active longtime resident of Calumet City. He can be reached at gjgrenchik@aol.com. The opinions are the writer's.

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The post-World War economy after 1945 was one of general prosperity in the United States.

Housing and industry experienced boom times, one not seen in the Region since the Great Depression. Soldiers came home with tons of money to spend, and the war-weary men gave the American dream a boost of epic proportions.

It seemed everybody was hiring, especially the construction industry. It stood ready to meet the rising demand for laborers transitioning from soldiers to blue-collar workers.

Economic-minded entrepreneurs revved up the paper industry in a postwar, peacetime job market for a bright future. Next, America needed to redistribute its resources, a process that required paper, roofing, furniture, food distribution, etc.

New paper mills were built all over the nation. But, it was in 1947 when a Gary pioneer decided to get into the business. His name was J. Ralph Snyder.

J. Ralph Snyder, known as J.R., moved to Lake County from Ohio in 1910.

The entire Snyder family was involved with publishing. The patriarch, H.R. Snyder Sr., was a well-known Ohio newspaper editor. Henry Burgess Snyder, J.R.'s brother, was a co-editor for the Gary Post-Tribune. In addition, J.R.'s wife, Mary Rennels, reviewed Cleveland and New York books. Jack Snyder, J.R.'s son, also worked at the Gary Tribune.

J.R. brought his skills to Gary in February of 1910, stepping off a trolley car at 11th & Broadway to take in his first glimpse of the windy, brash, sandy, pioneer-like town. He and his brother immediately took charge of Gary's struggling newspaper, created by Thomas Knotts  The Gary Evening Post.

According to the Gary Post-Tribune, the Region's first publication was the Calumet Advance, created by Louis A. Bryan (a Gary pioneer who deserves a write-up in his own right) in 1896.

Gary's first "official" publication was the Northern Indianian, 1906, a sensationalist paper established by Chicago's Tom Costello. Secondly, The Gary Times spun off of Hammond's Lake County Times. Additionally, The Gary Weekly Tribune, father of The Gary Post-Tribune, managed by Homer Carr of the Chicago Tribune. Next, the Gary Daily Tribune followed the Gary Evening News and, finally, The Gary Evening Post.

J.R. saved the paper from faltering, and by the 1920s, the Gary Tribune was a prospering publication. Establishing the Gary Printing and Publishing Company, the Snyders built a media empire centered in Gary and enjoyed all of the prestige that came with it.

By the end of World War II, J.R. Snyder was positioned to capitalize on the coming economic boom. In 1945 he and a group of Gary community figureheads established the Gary Industrial Foundation, a non-profit associated with the Gary Chamber of Commerce tasked with finding new industries to develop within the city.

Gary was unwelcoming to newer large businesses. The Foundation was out to change that perception. Their efforts were successful, bringing in Vulcan Detinning Company, E.J. Lavino and Company, Taylor Forge Pipe Works, Budd Company, and the Gary Paper Mill (better known as Georgia-Pacific). With other smaller businesses, Snyder brought over 3,500 new jobs to Gary between 1945 and 1959.

The Foundation established a 250-acre industrial park east of Virginia Street and north of 15th Avenue, Cal-Industrial Center. Numerous smaller oil and chemical industries found themselves at Cal-Industrial, but the plot never realized the heights it planned to reach.

Cal-Industrial was an important center of industrial logistics, with a large railyard to be served by Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad, Pennsylvania Railroad, and New York Central Railroad. The trucking industry would also be involved, with the site being close to the newly built interchange between the I-90 toll road and I-65.

While trucking dominates the area now, the railyard never materialized, diminishing the impact of Cal-Industrial's influence on Gary's economy. Instead, the Great Lakes Industrial Center, which opened in 1987, took the place of Cal-Industrial with combined trucking and rail service.

In addition, Great Lakes was once the location of the Gary Armor Works, a female-dominated World War II-era weapons manufacturer, and the Gate City Steel Company.

Combined truck and rail would again cause politicians in Gary to salivate with the prospect of a combined road/rail facility with air cargo service at Gary/Chicago Airport. Numerous proposals and studies got drafted, but besides relocating, rail did not get involved when the airport extended its runway in the mid-2010s.

The Freeman-Wilson administration played with the prospect of another industrial complex centered at 700 E. Chase St., the former location of the Budd plant. Known as the Chase Street Industrial Center, the city proposed tax breaks to lure a Chicago manufacturer. But, again, rail and trucking were to be a massive part of the plan.

Yet, Gary's recent administrative leaders do not possess what Gary had in the late 40s and early 50s: white pioneer advocates with long-established names, businesses, wealth, and vested interest in the cities and towns they reside.

This difference seems to be one of the main drivers of economic activity in cities and towns south of the city. Arguably, they have all of the big, well-known names. They have all of the powerhouse real-estate entities.

No known millionaires live full-time in Gary or have any hundred-million-dollar investments touted in the press, as with other areas.

The South Shore's Double Track project promises to bring economic rejuvenation to the Miller area. Political and real estate minds recently held a summit in Valparaiso to discuss this very idea.

However, these are not J. Ralph Snyder's times. Gary has to fight for every new nail and screw alone. At least thinking history-wise, this could be for the best.

Korry Shepard is an amateur Gary historian and runs the Gary Historical Collective group on Facebook. The opinions are the writer's.

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Mississippi trucker Ameal Woods focused on business when he visited Texas in 2019. He did not block an international bridge, blare his horn at night, or defy evacuation orders like the Freedom Convoy participants in Canada, who spent most of February protesting COVID-19 mandates.

Woods did nothing to challenge police authority. Yet he lost his life savings anyway during a traffic stop near Houston  without ever being arrested, charged, or cited.

His ordeal provides a timely reminder for U.S. property owners following the brief declaration of emergency powers north of the border. U.S. agencies do not need an emergency to seize and permanently keep assets. They do it routinely with a tool called civil forfeiture.

The process allows the government to take cash, cars, and other valuables without a criminal conviction. Law enforcement agencies do not even need to file charges, identify a suspect or develop a theory about a specific crime. To seize property, police need only have probable cause to believe it is connected to criminal activity. Most forfeiture cases end there and never go to court. For the few that do, all the government must do is link property to wrongdoing using civil standards of proof that fall far below reasonable doubt.

Once law enforcement agencies win their cases, lawmakers in many jurisdictions allow them to keep up to 100% of the proceeds for themselves  creating a financial conflict of interest. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called the Emergencies Act a measure of last resort to end blockades. But civil forfeiture is a measure of first resort for many U.S. agencies, including the Harris County Sheriffs Office in Texas.

Woods learned the hard way. He traveled in a rental car with cash to shop for a tractor unit and trailer for his business, and he complied when a Harris County deputy pulled him over and asked him to get out of his vehicle. Following a search, the officer seized $42,300, which the government is now seeking to keep through civil forfeiture.

Rather than accept the violation of his rights, Woods fought back with a class-action lawsuit. The Institute for Justice, a public interest law firm that opposes civil forfeiture, represents him.

Sadly, the case is not an isolated incident in the United States. Canadian officials have proposed selling the vehicles seized in Ottawa and using the proceeds to help recoup enforcement costs. But the auction revenue would not come close to matching the scale of U.S. forfeiture. Policing for Profit, a 2020 report from the Institute for Justice, finds the process produced at least $68.8 billion for U.S. agencies from 2000 to 2019.

Thats more than $9.4 million per day, every day, for 20 years.

The moneymaking scheme typically starts with traffic enforcement. Agencies also target travelers at airports, train stations, bus terminals, and border checkpoints. But other types of seizures occur. Federal officers took $29,500 directly from the bank account of Maryland dairy farmer Randy Sowers. Officers also combed through the bank account of David and Larry Vocatura, co-owners of a family bakery in Connecticut, and helped themselves to $68,000.

More recently, FBI agents raided U.S. Private Vaults in Beverly Hills, California, and broke open hundreds of private security boxes. Los Angeles residents Paul and Jennifer Snitko lost many prized possessions.

None of these people were ever arrested or charged with wrongdoing, and all eventually recovered their assets. But not until after they filed lawsuits and wasted countless hours fighting the government.

Many targets of civil forfeiture do not even try. Single mother Stephanie Wilson simply abandoned her car when the Detroit Police Department took it in 2019. She had done nothing wrong, but the cost of defending herself outweighed the value of her vehicle. So walking away made financial sense.

Police and prosecutors rely on upside-down economics. The median cash forfeiture is just $1,276 across 21 states with available data. But hiring an attorney to fight forfeiture costs at least $3,000. And because proceedings are civil rather than criminal, property owners must pay for their own defense. Predictably, more than three-quarters of all forfeiture cases go uncontested.

Political opponents have taken sides in Canada about the Freedom Convoy, but ending civil forfeiture in the United States should be a nonpartisan issue. Governments may have good reasons to confiscate property, but not without due process. Honk if you agree.

Daryl James is a writer at the Institute for Justice in Arlington, Va. He wrote this for InsideSources.com. The opinions are the writer's.

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Much like the rest of the United States, New York City has struggled to convince some groups of residents to get a booster shot of the coronavirus vaccine. But new data released by the city on Wednesday shows wide disparities among who in the city is getting a third dose.

Though millions of Americans flocked to get fully vaccinated, the number of people getting a booster shot has come up short. New York City now has the data to exemplify this: While 77 percent of all city residents have received either the single-dose Johnson & Johnson shot or two doses of the mRNA vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, only about 36 percent had received a booster shot as of Friday.

When looking at adults 18 and older, just 43 percent had gotten a booster. The rate was even lower for eligible children, ages 13 to 17: 21 percent.

The numbers also highlighted further inequalities by neighborhood and race. Almost half of Manhattan had been boosted, compared with just over a quarter of the Bronx.
In most cases, you can apply for a residential construction loan, which is a short-term loan  usually 12 to 28 months  that provides the funds needed to buy land, obtain building permits, and build a home. Once your house is built, you either convert the construction loan to a conventional mortgage or take out a separate mortgage to pay off the construction loan, said Guy Cecala, the executive chair of Inside Mortgage Finance, a newsletter that covers the mortgage industry. Some lenders offer a construction-to-permanent-loan that converts to a fixed-rate long-term mortgage once a house is built.

Some lenders will give construction loans to professional builders but not to individuals, Mr. Cecala said, so you will have to do your homework.

Also, the construction loan approval process can be challenging. Usually, you have to provide a lender with an appraisal of the land to show that youre not overpaying for it, a construction timeline, and a detailed budget for the house you plan to build, Mr. Cecala said. Basically, your lender is going to be looking over your shoulder the whole way.

Construction loans often have tougher underwriting standards since they pose greater risk for lenders, who dont have a home that they can seize as collateral if you fall behind on your loan payments.

Generally, construction loans have a minimum 20 percent down payment requirement, and some lenders require down payments of 25 to 30 percent. Construction loans also typically have variable mortgage rates that are at least about 1 percent higher than mortgage rates for conventional loans. (The average rate on a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage was 3.92 percent in mid-February, according to Freddie Mac.) Because rates and terms can vary from lender to lender, Mr. Cecala said, its worth shopping around.

Zoning Laws, Regulations and Liens

It may sound obvious, but before you buy a vacant lot, confirm that its zoned for residential housing. Some land is only zoned for industrial, commercial or agricultural use, said Michael Leigeber, the founder and chief executive of LandSearch, a website that lists vacant land, buildable lots and rural properties.

Dont make any assumptions, said Mario Greco, a real estate broker at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago and the founder of MG Group, which specializes in land acquisition and new construction development. Just because youre looking at a plot of land that has a house next to it doesnt necessarily mean you can build a house on that vacant lot, he said.
Buckingham Palace said on Friday that Queen Elizabeth II, who recently recovered from Covid-19, will not attend a Commonwealth Day service at Westminster Abbey next week  in what would have been her first major public engagement in weeks.

The queen, who returned to work on March 1, met Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada this week in her first in-person official meeting after her positive test result. The palace posted a photograph to Twitter on Monday of the queen, who is also queen of Canada, receiving Mr. Trudeau at Windsor Castle for a one-on-one meeting.

The decision to skip the Commonwealth Day service was related to discussions about the queens comfort in traveling to and from the event, according to reporting from Reuters. Queen Elizabeth, 95, was hospitalized last October for undisclosed ailments and was advised by her medical team to rest for at least two weeks.

The service, which will be held on Monday, celebrates the Commonwealth of Nations, mainly former territories of the British Empire. The palace said in a statement that Queen Elizabeth asked Prince Charles to represent her.
The World Health Organization, often criticized for being too slow to declare in 2020 that a pandemic was underway, now says  two years to the day after making that declaration  that many countries are being too quick to declare it over and let down their guard.

By the time Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the agencys director general, officially declared the spread of the coronavirus to be a pandemic in the early evening of March 11, 2020, the virus was already known to have infected more than 120,000 people in 114 countries, killing about 4,300.

Then as now, the agency, an arm of the United Nations, tended to move cautiously and methodically. It was only after weeks of near-daily media briefings, in which he called on the organizations nearly 200 member countries to contain the virus through testing, contact tracing and isolation of those who might be infected, that Dr. Tedros made the change to calling the crisis a pandemic. He did it, he said then, to attract attention, because many countries were not taking seriously the groups earlier declaration of a public health emergency.

It worked.

My first comment that day was, it was about time, Dr. Georges Benjamin, the executive director of the American Public Health Association, recalled in an interview this week. We had been in a pandemic for a while, and not necessarily behaving that way. We needed that message to jump-start it, from a global perspective.
BEIJING  Two mayors have been dismissed in northeastern China, and Shanghai has closed its school system and shifted to online instruction, as a coronavirus outbreak in mainland China gathers speed.

Chinas National Health Commission announced on Saturday that another 1,524 locally transmitted coronavirus cases had been detected in provinces across mainland China. That was up from 1,100 cases reported a day earlier, and a couple hundred cases per day a week ago.

Though China suffered heavy loss of life when Covid-19 first emerged in the city of Wuhan more than two years ago, it has had much more success than any other large country in controlling the virus since then. The surge in cases in the past few days, fueled by the Omicron variant, still leaves China far below the daily case count of about 35,000 in the United States, which has less than a quarter of Chinas population.

The current increase in cases poses a significant challenge for China. After adopting a zero-tolerance strategy toward the virus for most of the past two years, China has shifted in recent months to a dynamic zero strategy. Under the new strategy, national leaders have tolerated the occasional emergence of a handful of cases in a city, provided that city leaders then quickly stamp out all further cases.
CAIRO  Saudi Arabia said on Saturday that it had put 81 people to death in what was the kingdoms largest mass execution in years, despite recent promises to curb its use of the death penalty.

In a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency, the Saudi Ministry of Interior said the people had been executed for multiple heinous crimes that left a large number of civilians and law enforcement officers dead. It did not say how they had been executed.

Those put to death included seven Yemenis and one Syrian, it said. The rest were Saudi.

Rights groups condemned the executions, saying they flew in the face of claims by Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Saudi Arabias de facto ruler, that the country was overhauling its justice system and limiting its use of the death penalty.

These executions are the opposite of justice, said Ali Adubusi, the director of the European Saudi Organization for Human Rights, a watchdog group. He said that in many of the cases, the charges against the accused involved not a drop of blood.
I like challenges, she said in a telephone interview from her home in Mexico City. One of the dream commissions for any architect is to design an institution with the importance and relevance of the Met.

While Escobedo said it was too soon to discuss her design ideas for the new wing, she did say it was important for it to connect to the rest of the museum, to connect with the park, to connect with the city and also to represent the cultural diversity of New York.

The new wing has been closely watched by the art world, given that the Met has lagged behind in this subject area and its current space for Modern and contemporary art has long been considered problematic. The museum was also forced to delay the project, having announced it before raising sufficient funds.

Last fall, the project finally received the lead gift it had been craving when a longtime trustee, Oscar L. Tang, and his wife, Agnes Hsu-Tang, an archaeologist and art historian, gave $125 million toward the wing, the largest capital gift in the museums history. The wing will be named after the Tangs for a minimum of 50 years.

The museum considered four other architecture firms: Ensamble Studio, Lacaton & Vassal, SO  IL and David Chipperfield Architects, whose earlier design had ballooned in price to as much as $800 million. In a tweet that was subsequently taken down, Chipperfield posted that he was sad to finish our 7 year relationship with the Met and congratulated Escobedo, wishing her the best for the project.
Mr. Wachner, through an attorney, denied the accusations.

We respect Trinitys decision to conduct a thorough investigation, said the attorney, Andrew T. Miltenberg. Ms. Pooles outrageous allegations are categorically false and my client looks forward to the matter being resolved. Due to the ongoing nature of the investigation we cannot comment further at this time.

Ms. Poole helped organize a 2014 Juilliard festival in Aiken, S.C., that featured Mr. Wachner and the acclaimed Trinity choir. In the interview, Ms. Poole said that one evening, at a house where Juilliard staff members were staying, Mr. Wachner asked her to get him a drink. While she was preparing the drink in the kitchen, she said, he began to grope and kiss her for almost two minutes, even as she told him repeatedly to stop.

Two people interviewed by The Times  a friend of Ms. Pooles and a former colleague  recalled hearing Ms. Poole describe the details of the encounter with Mr. Wachner at the time. Ms. Poole said she did not report the incident to the police, since she was in another state and pressed for time in the middle of a tour.

In the interview, Ms. Poole, who was 24 at the time, said that she felt powerless in dealing with Mr. Wachner, an influential figure in the classical music industry. I felt like I could not defend myself, she said, adding that at the time she worried she might suffer professional consequences if she spoke up. She said that she still has panic attacks that she attributes to the encounter.

Ms. Poole reported the incident to Juilliard, which vowed not to hire Mr. Wachner again.

In a statement on Saturday, Juilliard said it was aware of unacceptable conduct by Wachner in 2014.
There were some dramas in Charles and Catherine Dickenss domestic life that year. Eighteen fifty-one saw the death of Dickenss father, an event that raised ambivalent emotions in the son; he had remained loyal and supportive of the old man despite having brutally caricatured him as Mr. Micawber in David Copperfield. A baby daughter, Dora, also died. Most large families at that time lost one or two children, but this was still a trauma for both parents. And in 1851 the family moved into a large house in Bloomsbury  a move, and an extensive renovation, whose minutest detail Charles oversaw with obsessive attention.

In the life of the British nation, 1851 was most notable for the Great Exhibition of the Works of Industry of All Nations, held in the enormous Crystal Palace that Paxton had erected in Hyde Park for the purpose. Prince Albert, the organizer of the exhibition, idealized this display of scientific and technological achievement as a step toward the inevitable realization of the unity of mankind, but not everyone saw it this way; William Morris, appalled by what he interpreted as the crass materialism of the spectacle, vomited into the bushes. In the New Years edition of Household Words Dickens asked whether the nation should not instead be uniting for another sort of exhibition  a great display of Englands sins and negligences, to be, by a steady contemplation of all eyes, and steady union of all hearts and hands, set right!

Once the exhibition had opened, Douglas-Fairhurst admits, Dickens made only scanty references to it in letters, expressing a vague disapprobation: I have always had an instinctive feeling against the exhibition, of a faint, inexplicable sort. Yet Douglas-Fairhurst focuses The Turning Point insistently on the exhibition and its meaning to Dickens, building a connection between the exhibition and the novel he would begin serializing in March of the following year, Bleak House, that can only be called tenuous. What a novel like Bleak House could do was to transform this confusion of the exhibition into something more coherent. Simultaneous events could be turned into sequences; the babble of a crowd could be concentrated into conversations between identifiable individuals; the seemingly random events of life could be rearranged into a plot. And in doing this Dickens would not only alter the direction of his own career as a novelist, he would change the future of the novel.

This really makes no sense, and neither does Douglas-Fairhursts other major claim, that with Bleak House Dickens introduced a new theme  also, somehow, influenced by the exhibition  that everyone and everything is connected together in a vast network. This is true of Bleak House, but it is also true of other novels. Douglas-Fairhurst follows the critic Lionel Stevensons judgment that Dickenss dark novels began with Bleak House, but surely that is a question of degree rather than quality; David Copperfield, completed in 1850, had been pretty dark, as had Dombey and Son (1846-48). Even way back in 1837 Oliver Twist, Dickenss second novel, had been dark, with only a few characters (and of those not the most memorable) achieving happy endings.

Douglas-Fairhurst writes elegantly if diffusely, and has clearly spent many hours trawling among the ephemera of the period. Most of this has turned up only unnecessary details, although there are a few gold nuggets  the scrapbook kept during the amateur theatricals by the Duke of Devonshire, for example. The problem is that Douglas-Fairhursts contention that 1851 was a special turning point in Dickenss life is in no way persuasive. And his book tells us very little we dont already know about Dickens from previous biographies.
Europes assertive response to Russias invasion of Ukraine has presented a possibility that was hard to imagine a month ago: the European Union as a superpower that can alter the global order, promoting liberal democratic values worldwide.

Before the war, the E.U. focused largely on economic growth. It resisted calls, particularly from the U.S., to increase its military spending and become more self-sufficient at defending Europe.

Vladimir Putins invasion drove European countries to be more aggressive. They imposed tough sanctions, helping to cripple Russias economy, and are working to cut off trade from Russia. They have sent weapons and other aid to Ukraine. Several moved to increase military spending, and E.U. leaders met in France over the past few days to coordinate their efforts. The leaders of France and Germany pressed Putin yesterday in a phone call to agree to a cease-fire.

Europes new commitments could help counter the global democratic backslide of the past 15 or so years. Democracies failure to stand up for themselves partly enabled that shift. But a tougher Europe, as well as other countries fierce response to Russias invasion, shows that democracies are still willing to wield power to counter autocratic governments.
The appeal of off-grid homes has grown in part because utilities have become less reliable. As natural disasters linked to climate change have increased, there have been more extended blackouts in California, Texas, Louisiana and other states.

Californians are also upset that electricity rates keep rising and state policymakers have proposed reducing incentives for installing solar panels on homes connected to the grid. Installing off-grid solar and battery systems is expensive, but once the systems are up and running, they typically require modest maintenance and homeowners no longer have an electric bill.

RMI, a research organization formerly known as the Rocky Mountain Institute, has projected that by 2031 most California homeowners will save money by going off the grid as solar and battery costs fall and utility rates increase. That phenomenon will increasingly play out in less sunny regions like the Northeast over the following decades, the group forecasts.

David Hochschild, chairman of the California Energy Commission, a regulatory agency, said the states residents tend to be early adopters, noting that even a former governor, Jerry Brown, lives in an off-grid home. But Mr. Hochschild added that he was not convinced that such an approach made sense for most people. We build 100,000 new homes a year in California, and I would guess 99.99 percent of them are connected to the grid, he said.

Some energy experts worry that people who are going off the grid could unwittingly hurt efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. That is because the excess electricity that rooftop solar panels produce will no longer reach the grid, where it can replace power from coal or natural gas plants. We dont need everybody to cut the cord and go it alone, said Mark Dyson, senior principal with the carbon-free electricity unit of RMI.

Solar Panels and a View

Pepe Cancino moved from Santa Monica to Nevada County in 2020 after he and his wife, Diane, lost their jobs during the pandemic. They bought five acres with spectacular views of snow-capped mountains. Mr. Cancino, 42, a former home health care worker, picked up a chain saw and an ax and began learning how to build a house and generate his own power.

When they finish their two-bedroom, two-and-a-half-bathroom home this fall, the family, including their 15-year-old daughter, will generate electricity and use a well for water.
When Covid struck, Ms. Prunty and 30 fellow volunteers, many in their 50s with full-time jobs, organized soup deliveries and drive-by birthday parties. The goal was to assuage what she sensed was an epidemic of isolation and pride among locals in her fathers generation, in their 70s and 80s. No one wanted to ask for help, she said.

Now she is envisioning her own future, and the future of Generation X, in villages.

Were going to inherit this movement, she said. With My Glacier Village now at 86 members, they might expand the movement, too. Ms. Prunty suspects that the pandemic accelerated her age groups investment.

My generation is one that had gotten used to going to work and going out for coffee and lunches, she said. The lack of interaction brought on by Covid was, for some, a foreshadowing of what isolation could feel like in retirement, less than a dozen years down the road for many Gen Xers. I think were going, This movement has to work. Were going to need it.

Ms. OKane, 55, of Lancaster Township, Pa., has been spreading the word about the Village Movement to peers since she started volunteering with Lancaster Downtowners in 2018. Now, she is vice president of the 204-member village; she and her husband pay annual dues ($175 for singles, $318 for households) and hope to reap the benefits down the road.

When I first heard about it, I thought, awesome. Why doesnt everybody know about this? she said. Her background as a registered nurse added appeal. Too many times as a nurse, I would discharge a patient in their 70s to an empty home, and they would end up back in the hospital a week later, she recalled. I thought, maybe if they had an ounce of help at home, theyd have a better quality of life. The village, she found, was doing just that: letting older people remain home with lives they recognized  and peace of mind.

A late February hot dog roast at a park was typical of Downtowners social gatherings. And a health buddies program Ms. OKane started recently, in which volunteers accompany members to doctors appointments, provides members with informal advocates who can help ask questions and make sure members are clear on doctors instructions. The idea came from her nursing career: You dont hear everything when you go to the doctor, she said. You could leave not understanding what your medications are.
As Fox News mounts its defense in the Dominion case and in a lawsuit by another voting systems company, Smartmatic, the networks lawyers have argued that core to the First Amendment is the ability to report on all newsworthy statements  even false ones  without having to assume responsibility for them.

The public had a right to know, and Fox had a right to cover, its lawyers wrote. As for inviting guests who made fallacious claims and spun wild stories, the network  quoting the Sullivan decision  argued that giving them a forum to make even groundless claims is part and parcel of the uninhibited, robust and wide-open debate on matters of public concern.

Last week, a New York State judge ruled that the Smartmatic case against Fox could go forward, writing that at this point, plaintiffs have pleaded facts sufficient to allow a jury to infer that Fox News acted with actual malice.

The broadness of the First Amendment has produced strange bedfellows in free speech cases. Typically, across the political spectrum there is a recognition that the cost of allowing unrestrained discourse in a free society includes getting things wrong sometimes. When a public interest group in Washington State sued Fox in 2020, alleging it willfully and maliciously engaged in a campaign of deception and omission about the coronavirus, many First Amendment scholars were critical on the grounds that being irresponsible is not the same as acting with actual malice. That lawsuit was dismissed.

But many arent on Foxs side this time. If the network prevails, some said, the argument that the actual malice standard is too onerous and needs to be reconsidered could be bolstered.

If Fox wins on these grounds, then really they will have moved the needle too far, said George Freeman, executive director of the Media Law Resource Center and a former lawyer for The New York Times. News organizations, he added, have a responsibility when they publish something that they suspect could be false to do so neutrally and not appear to be endorsing it.

Fox is arguing that its anchors did query and rebut the most outrageous allegations.

Paul Clement, a lawyer defending Fox in the Smartmatic case, said one of the issues was whether requiring news outlets to treat their subjects in a skeptical way, even if their journalists doubt that someone is being truthful, was consistent with the First Amendment.
Sometimes youve got to just turn off the news, he said in a telephone conversation. Dont pay any attention to it.

Professor Thaler, who was an author of the book Nudge and appeared as himself in the movie The Big Short, is one of the worlds great authorities on how humans behave when they make financial decisions. I got to know him well in the dozen years when he wrote Economic View columns for The New York Times, and on Wednesday night I called him.

I wanted to help the readers Ive perplexed, and asked what advice he would give.

A story about market timing

You can tell the following story, Professor Thaler said. I was interviewed by one of the financial news networks on one of their morning shows, and they asked me, What should people do the next time the markets are getting very volatile? I said my advice would be to turn off this channel and switch to ESPN.

Thats not a great thing to say to financial journalists, I said.

Right, he said. They switched immediately to a commercial.

But while he was kidding, he added, he was also serious.

Follow the news, of course, and let your emotions flow. But dont let them affect your investment decisions, he said. For that, be calm and stick to a plan. If you dont have a good plan, then build one dispassionately.

My thing is, that we know that any sudden moves by individual investors are certainly no more likely to be right than wrong, Professor Thaler said. If anything, theyre more likely to be wrong than right because our instinct is to sell when markets go down and to buy when they go up  and buying high and selling low is just not a good strategy.

The news right now is worrisome. But is it a good time to sell  or to go against the tide and search for bargains? Its hard to tell, and while there are a lot of opinions out there, no one really knows.
It seemed a facetious question, one intended to provoke the star witness: Do you think you are good at lying?

But it is the crucial issue at the center of what is likely to be the only trial on U.S. soil in one of the largest international kleptocracy cases in history, the looting of billions of dollars from the people of Malaysia.

A former banker at Goldman Sachs, Roger Ng, is accused of taking part in a bribery and kickback scheme that enabled the fraud, which plundered more than $4 billion from a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund and bought a kings ransom of jewelry, art and real estate from Manhattan to London to Beverly Hills.

Mr. Ngs former boss at Goldman, Tim Leissner, was for years one of Goldmans most powerful deal makers in Asia. Now, hes the governments key witness  and an admittedly prolific fabricator. On the stand in a Brooklyn federal courtroom, he acknowledged misleading co-workers, investigators and all three of his wives. But when Mr. Ngs lawyer prodded him with the question about whether hes a good liar, Mr. Leissner coolly replied, I dont think so.
LONDON  The Power of the Dog, Jane Campions tense Western about two clashing brothers on a Montana ranch, starring Benedict Cumberbatch and Jesse Plemons, was the big winner at the EE British Academy Film Awards in London on Sunday night.

It was named best picture at the awards, commonly known as the BAFTAs, beating the likes of Denis Villeneuves sci-fi epic Dune, Kenneth Branaghs Belfast, the black-and-white movie based on his childhood in Northern Ireland, and Adam McKays Dont Look Up, the divisive climate change satire starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence and Meryl Streep.

Campion also won best director  the third woman to take the prize in the awards history  increasing her momentum ahead of this years Academy Awards.

She was not present to pick up her award in London. On Saturday she had been in Los Angeles at the Directors Guild of America Awards, where she also won the highest prize. At that award ceremony, Campion garnered attention when asked by Variety about disparaging comments that the actor Sam Elliott made about her movie, including questioning the allusions to homosexuality in the film.
Last week, more than a dozen religious and political leaders sat on the dais of the Ukrainian Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Volodymyr on the Upper West Side, listening to solemn prayers and fiery speeches denouncing Russia and extolling Ukrainian resistance to the invasion that began two weeks earlier.

They gave speeches, one by one: the leaders of the Ukrainian, Greek and American Orthodox churches; a prominent rabbi; the leader of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of New York; even Gov. Kathy Hochul of New York.

But one group was missing from this interfaith tableau: the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia, is an ally of President Vladimir V. Putin. Organizers said Russian Orthodox leaders in New York had been invited but did not reply.

Here in America theyre not taking a position against the Moscow Patriarchate or against the political leadership of Russian Federation, Archbishop Daniel, a leader of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A., said of Russian religious leaders in New York. Theyre trying to dance a political dance.
Heres what its like to walk through Washington Square Park in Manhattan in the wake of legalization.

March 13, 2022

Wanting to invest in himself and be free of bosses, Terrence Gorham started selling customized T-shirts, hoodies and backpacks from a folding table in Washington Square Park a year ago. Like any good vendor, he noticed late last year when other tables started featuring something new: weed. Soon, he was offering pre-rolled joints and eighth-of-an-ounce pouches alongside his Think Rich clothing line.

Were chameleons, said Mr. Gorham, 34, who once worked as a custodian. We have to adapt to any environment. Weeds legal here, so I thought why not.
What emerged was an entire branch of liberalism  and a whole universe of activist organizations and even laws  dedicated to criticizing and then suing and restraining government. Sabin writes:

Litigation by leading public interest environmental law firms in the early 1970s almost exclusively targeted the government for legal action. The Sierra Club Legal Defense Fund boasted of 77 legal accomplishments between 1971 and 1973. Approximately 70 sought to block government actions or to intervene in public proceedings to influence government regulatory and permitting practices. The Environmental Defense Fund similarly began its 1972 case summary with a list of acronyms for the 10 federal agencies named in its legal interventions. In more than 60 of its 65 listed legal actions, the Environmental Defense Fund either intervened in public proceedings, such as government permitting processes for private projects, or directly assailed a government-led initiative. Fewer than five of E.D.F.s legal actions directly targeted companies or private parties. Similarly, only three out of 29 of N.R.D.C.s legal action initiatives from its first seven months directly named a corporate defendant.

I want to say this as clearly as I can: Carson and Nader and those who followed them were, in important respects, right. The bills they helped pass  from the Clean Air Act to the National Environmental Policy Act  were passed for good reason and have succeeded brilliantly in many of their goals. That its easy to breathe the air in Los Angeles today is their legacy, and they should be honored for it.

But as so often happens, one generations solutions have become the next generations problems. Processes meant to promote citizen involvement have themselves been captured by corporate interests and rich NIMBYs. Laws meant to ensure that government considers the consequences of its actions have made it too difficult for government to act consequentially. It was as if liberals took a bicycle apart to fix it but never quite figured out how to get it running properly again, Sabin writes.

These bills were built for an era when the issue was that the government was building too much, with too little environmental analysis. The core problem of this era is that the government is building too little, in defiance of all serious environmental analysis. This is the maddening inversion climate change imposes upon us: To conserve anything close to the climate weve had, we need to build as weve never built before, electrifying everything and constructing the green energy infrastructure to generate that electricity cleanly. As the climate writer Julian Brave NoiseCat once put it to me, If you want to stand athwart the history of emissions and yell stop, you need to do really transformational things.

Thats where the environmental victories of yesteryear have become the obstacles of this year. Too many of the tactics and strategies and statutes are designed to stop transformational or even incremental projects from happening. Modest expansions to affordable housing or bus service are forced to answer for their environmental impact. But the status quo doesnt have to win any lawsuits or fill out any forms to persist.

The problem is a bunch of the regulatory law doesnt penalize or regulate pollution, Alex Trembath, the deputy director of the Breakthrough Institute, an environmental think tank that favors technological solutions, told me. It penalizes and regulates technology, infrastructure and growth  often quite explicitly. Thats how putatively environmental regulations are used to block laws that would lower pollution or make society more resource efficient.

Its not just the laws that act in this way. A similar logic pervades the permitting processes and political structures. Change is discouraged; stasis is encouraged. Leah Stokes, a political scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara, who studies the politics of climate change, told me a story both revealing and familiar. Im trying to electrify my home in Santa Barbara, she said. The time it takes to get permits to change my house is about a year. Im still burning gas in my house for that year. Now were going back and forth about what kind of heat pump I can use. None of the system is oriented around climate being the most important thing. If you look at how planes were built in World War II, it wasnt like this.

Ive heard anecdotes like that from a lot of people who work on climate policy. Theyre easy to write off as picayune complaints. But their smallness is the point. If its so difficult for a climate expert to electrify her own house in a jurisdiction that believes itself terrified of climate change, how hard is it going to be to decarbonize the country?
Even if China isnt joining in the sanctions, it is possible that Chinese businesses and banks will decrease involvement with Russia to avoid a backlash in other, more important markets. As Russia becomes isolated from the world economy, China will not want to shoulder Russias economic burden alone.

The prospect of a growing economic relationship between Moscow and Beijing may be threatening to the West, but from Mr. Putins perspective, it provides China with leverage over him in potential negotiations. As he and his country face increasing isolation, he cant afford to lose China, too.

There are also political reasons China wants this conflict to end in a way that is appealing to all involved. The longer the war lasts, the more it will reinvigorate the Western alliance around the idea of a values-based confrontation between East and West, bringing the United States and the European Union into even closer alignment while driving military budgets up around the globe. That is not good for China, which would prefer to maintain lucrative economic ties with the West and focus its resources on domestic development.

At a time when China faces increasing global criticism for its human rights violations, mediating an end to this conflict could help improve the countrys standing with the West. Beijing has long striven to convince political and business elites in Europe and America that the rise of China does not present a threat. Support for Russian aggression  even perceived support  threatens to undermine that assertion. By contrast, playing a constructive role in ending the war could help cast China as a strategic and not just economic partner.

Ideologically, China has common ground with both Ukraine and Russia. China deeply values the principle of state sovereignty and has long opposed outside interference in what it considers internal affairs such as Taiwan. Last month, Foreign Minister Wang Yi of China once again called for a global respect of territorial integrity, saying, Ukraine is no exception. In this way, at least, Mr. Putins invasion directly undercuts one of Chinas key values.

China  like Russia  is wary of pro-democratic Western influence globally. So far, Chinese media has avoided criticism of Russia and even adopted Moscows narrative of the war. The two countries share grievances over perceived Western hostility and hypocrisy. Framing the invasion as anti-West and anti-NATO helps justify Mr. Putins action to a domestic audience.
Press Release

March 13, 2022 De Lima slams Duterte's irresponsible statement on Russia-Ukraine war, says any talk of conflict spilling over to Asia is premature Re-electionist Senator Leila M. de Lima bewailed what she deemed as Mr. Duterte's irresponsible and premature statement on the Philippines' supposed role should the Russia-Ukraine War spill over to Asia. De Lima, a known human rights and social justice champion here and abroad, said that such matter is not being discussed by the leaders of Europe and the US as of present time because it engenders an escalation in the language of the conflict. "The Philippine government should not be issuing statements that are counter-intuitive to conflict resolution and which almost amount to sabre-rattling. The call of NATO and the US is for peace and the withdrawal of Russian forces," she said in her Dispatch from Crame No. 1233 released yesterday (March 12). "For the Philippines to be talking about its role in the event of the expansion of the conflict, while NATO is even steadfast in its own outright refusal to put NATO boots on Ukrainian soil, only reflects Duterte's "utak pulbura" world-view," she added. Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel Romualdez reportedly said Manila is ready to assist Washington should the war between Russia and Ukraine reach Asia. Romualdez said the President even offered the country's facilities for use by the country's long-time military ally. "He says if they are asking for the support of the Philippines, he was very clear that push comes to shove the Philippines would be ready to support especially if this Ukrainian crisis spills over to Asian region," Romualdez said. In an earlier statement posted on Twitter, De Lima maintained that "any talk of the Ukraine-Russia conflict spilling over to our region is premature." "In any case, regardless of the war in Ukraine, we have commitments under the PH-US MDT and VFA that we are expected to fulfill, both in peacetime and during a conflict," she said. "In an increasingly hostile geopolitical climate, alliances matter against aggressors and oppressors," she added. When Duterte said the Philippines is ready to allow its facilities to be used by the US, De Lima pointed out that he is putting the US under the spotlight if indeed the US is also projecting a worldwide conflict arising from the Ukraine war. "Of course the US is not expected to respond to Duterte's invitation, premature and irresponsible as it is in light of the critical nature of the US's relations with Russia as of present," De Lima said. The lady Senator from Bicol said it is difficult to discuss whatever the future role of the Philippines is in the event the conflict in Ukraine spills over to Asia without sounding belligerent. "Southeast Asia as of now is still very remote from the conflict, other than feeling the war's economic repercussions," she said. "To talk about Philippine involvement means that the conflict has already expanded to other parts of NATO Europe and the US, for the Philippines to be taking into consideration its defense arrangements with the US. This also means that the conflict has approached a global scale, heading towards a third world war," she added. Thousands of people are believed to have been killed or wounded and more than 2 million refugees have fled from Ukraine since Feb. 24 due to Russia invasion.
To the Editor:

Jamelle Bouie starts out by documenting the public feeling that the United States is indeed facing a second civil war. But he takes a wrong turn by suggesting that this conflict will not happen because todays conditions do not mirror those of our 19th-century version (Why We Are Not Facing the Prospect of a Second Civil War, column, Feb. 17).

However, we are in a very precarious position. Large portions of our population have adopted an antigovernment position, fueled by our former president and his minions. Racism is now out in the open, as evidenced by the rantings of anti-diversity proponents in raucous school board meetings throughout the country. The country is more armed than ever, and thousands of these citizens belong to organized militia.

We learn more details every day about how close we came last year to a coup engineered by the former president. Too many elected officials no longer display commitment to our democratic principles. The organized campaign of disinformation that is destroying our country is buttressed every day by extreme-right media outlets and commentators.

Contrary to Mr. Bouies piece, there is a serious risk that we will lose this precious experiment called American democracy. Yet there is still a modicum of hope it can be averted. But that will require that we all take responsibility by speaking up for our Republic.
We are now living through a fully fledged attack on nonwhite power in this country, as conservative white people assert their authority. Until now, the effects of this crusade were somewhat unclear. Data needed to be collected after new conservative laws and policies had gone into effect.

Well, we now have some of the first data, and it is devastating.

According to The Texas Tribune, during the primary elections in Texas this month, 18,742 mail-in ballots were rejected in 16 of the 20 counties with the most registered voters. It was there, too, that the ruinous effects of Texas new voter ID requirements were particularly obvious.

The paper pointed out that these counties rejected 6 percent to nearly 22 percent of the mail-in ballots cast in the primaries, rates that could easily set a record, since fewer than 2 percent were rejected statewide in the 2018 midterm elections.

It might be tempting to view each election outrage as discrete or to focus on the specific rather than zoom out and see the bigger picture. But when you do, you see that Republicans are following a step-by-step plan to transform elections and the electorate.
Two weeks into the war, the Russians are still menacing my birth city, Odessa, in southwestern Ukraine. It sits on high bluffs above the Black Sea, its famous steps leading from the water to a square.

I dont want to imagine soldiers chasing civilians through my city. Some part of my brain turns it into a farce, based on something I remember from my own childhood: In 1984, in a village just outside Odessa, Im a 7-year-old deaf boy running in the governments corn field. Behind me, waving his arms, runs a policeman. My grandmother, in her 60s, sprints in front of me.

We are stealing corn from the government, my grandmother and I. We get away, and we dont stop at corn. A different day, Grandmother hauls me up onto the roof of the state farm so my long arms can reach into the branches of the plum trees. Her lips say, Pick only the ripest. She makes jam. Years later, I read the Russian poet Inna Kabysh: Whoever is making a jam in Russia / knows there is no way out.

Now I spend most of every day online, in America, trying to find ways out for Ukrainian poets and translators. Many literary organizations are willing to open their doors, bring in refugees, but unlike my grandmother and me, lots of Ukrainians writers dont want to leave. They want their freedoms. They want their own languages  Ukrainian and Russian  in their own streets. I understand. My Jewish family keeps running from Odessa  and then returning.
Rozina Ali profiles Rashida Tlaib, the 45-year-old second-term congresswoman from Detroit, who has risen from adverse circumstances to play a significant role in American politics, most notably bringing greater awareness to the ongoing conflict over Palestine.

Tlaib is the only Palestinian American serving in the House of Representatives, and the first with family currently living in the West Bank, whose three million inhabitants lives are, as Ali explains, intimately shaped by American support for Israel.

The article explores the criticism leveled at Tlaib, sometimes viciously, by Republicans and pro-Israel Democrats for calling Israel an apartheid regime, and for her support of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which aims to end military occupation by exerting economic pressure on Israel. She has been called antisemitic for her criticism of Israeli policies, and has become a favored quarry of Fox News.

But, as Ali explains, Tlaibs arrival on the national stage coincided with an opening, albeit a small one, within the Democratic Party to challenge the United States Israel policy. At the same time that the left has gained a legible footing on the national stage, the Palestinian cause has become a significant part of the politics of the American left. And so Tlaib, a democratic socialist more outspoken on domestic issues than she is on the Palestinian cause, has found herself at the center of this turn.
Ms. Borgnine was a serial beauty entrepreneur who found success with an exotic skin care line that had a pedigreed back story. Worried that the dry desert air was making the Las Vegas showgirls who were her customers look older than their years, she set out to find an emollient to correct their skin. As the story goes, she pressed the actress Merle Oberon into revealing the secret to her dewy complexion, which turned out to be a mask based on an ancient Aztec formula involving cactus, made by a family in Mexico. Ms. Borgnine tracked the family down, and they agreed to sell her the formula.

But in the fall of 1976, before she had a proper company or had sorted out manufacturing and distribution, an item in a syndicated gossip column noted Mr. Borgnines own newly dewy complexion and plugged his wifes cactus face mask. Within days, as the Borgnines told it, they had received hundreds of letters clamoring for the product, and checks totaling $56,000.

It must have been a slow news day, Ms. Borgnine liked to say.

The Borgnines pitched the new business together. They called it Tova 9, a play on their last name. Mr. Borgnine called himself Guinea Pig No. 1 and often recalled his wife coaxing him to use her mask.

So she says to me, Honey, try it. I say, Grumble, grumble. But I put the stuff on, he told The Boston Globe in 1978. So help me Hannah, I like the stuff.

In an interview, Cristofer Borgnine confirmed that the tales were not apocryphal: He recalled regularly coming home and seeing his father reading the newspaper in the living room, his famous features frozen in a bright pink face mask.

Mr. Borgnine would go on to boast to reporters of his wifes products: I shave with it, shower with it, shampoo with it, clean my teeth with it and smooth my skin with it. The soap lathered well in hard water, he said, and his friend Steve McQueen once took 60 bars on location. Burt Reynolds, an avid catalog shopper, was a customer. So were Elke Sommer and Charo. (Ms. Borgnines business was always mail order only.) In the early 1980s, she added a Burt Reynolds mens line, created at his request.
FRESNO, Calif.  On an average day, 1,000 workers head to dozens of construction sites spread over 119 miles across Californias vast Central Valley.

Their task is monumental: Build the bridges and crossings designed to carry bullet trains that will form the backbone of a $105 billion, 500-mile, high-speed rail system whose scale has drawn comparisons to the construction of the interstate highway system.

Of course, 14 years after voters approved a nearly $10 billion bond to start building the rail system that would whisk riders from Los Angeles to San Francisco at speeds of more than 200 miles per hour, many California residents have long since lost track of what is being built where, and when or if it will ever be completed.

But if, as President Biden said in his State of the Union address, the nation is now entering an infrastructure decade, there is no more dramatic testing ground  or more cautionary spectacle  than Californias high-speed rail plan.
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.  Few people took the Covid-19 lockdown restrictions that swept the world in the spring of 2020 harder than the far-right extremist Adam Fox.

The burden of being unable to work out at shuttered gyms offended Mr. Fox to his core, so he took to recording Facebook videos to rant about what he viewed as Gov. Gretchen Whitmers tyrannical regime. Ms. Whitmer of Michigan, a Democrat, had mandated masks, canceled school and closed most commerce, and for militia movement members like Mr. Fox, she personified everything going so wrong in America.

He suggested a citizens arrest.

We want her flex-cuffed on a table, Mr. Fox, 38, said in a recording played in court.

Mr. Fox and three fellow militia members are now on trial at the U.S. District Court in the Western District of Michigan in connection with what prosecutors say was a conspiracy to kidnap Ms. Whitmer and blow up a bridge a few miles from her lakeside vacation cottage to delay the police response. The trial, which opened with jury selection on Tuesday and is expected to take up to six weeks, is an important and unusual domestic terrorism prosecution that will test the governments ability to root out violent right-wing extremism on American soil, particularly in the wake of the attack on the U.S. Capitol last year.
After dialing 707-873-7862, callers are presented with a series of options: Those who are feeling mad, frustrated or nervous are instructed to press 1. For words of encouragement and life advice or a pep talk from kindergartners, dial 2 or 3. Press 4 to hear kids laughing with delight, or 5 for encouragement in Spanish.

Matisse, a fifth grader who advises on the hotline that if youre feeling up high and unbalanced, think of groundhogs, said in an interview that his favorite part of the project was being there for people who were struggling.

Some people just need help, he said on Thursday. And if people are feeling sad, they can just call in and hear a funny thing.

His favorite option is hearing kids laugh. When Im feeling frustrated, it just makes me feel better to hear people laugh, he said.

The project, which also had a poster component, began when Ms. Martin asked Ms. Weiss to help her put together an art piece that could teach the students about empathy while focusing on the students resilient joy through two years of a pandemic and the numerous wildfire evacuations the region has endured.

Throughout a single day, Ms. Martin and Ms. Weiss asked each of their classes, from kindergarten to sixth grade, how they stayed positive. They then asked the students to imagine someone needing a little bit of joy: What would you say that you think would help someone else?
WASHINGTON  President Biden promised to unravel the moral and national shame of the immigration policies enacted by President Donald J. Trump. But that was hardly the position Mr. Bidens lawyers took in a federal courtroom earlier this year.

Appearing in January before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, government lawyers urged the court to let Mr. Biden enforce a restriction imposed by Mr. Trump that allowed migrants to be quickly turned away at the border.

Judge Justin R. Walker, an appointee of Mr. Trump, was confused. The same lawyers had argued weeks earlier that enforcing a different Trump-era border rule would not align with the administrations values. Now, they were essentially saying the opposite.

What are we to make of this? Judge Walker asked.

The answer is found in the collision of Mr. Bidens fervent campaign trail promises to undo Mr. Trumps harsh immigration policies and the grim reality of trying to manage a surge of migrant crossings amid criticism from Republicans that the president is weak on border security.
The Biden administration is seeking to lay out for China the consequences of its alignment with Russia and penalties it will incur if it continues or increases its support. Some U.S. officials argue it might be possible to dissuade Beijing from ramping up its assistance to Moscow. Chinese leaders may be content to offer rhetorical support for Moscow and may not want to further enmesh themselves with Mr. Putin by providing military support for the war, those U.S. officials say.

Mr. Sullivan said China was aware before the invasion took place that Vladimir Putin was planning something, but added that the Chinese might not have known the full extent of the Russian leaders plans. Its very possible that Putin lied to them, the same way he lied to Europeans and others, he said.

Mr. Xi has met with Mr. Putin 38 times as national leaders, more than with any other head of state, and the two share a drive to weaken American power.

Traditionally, China has bought military equipment from Russia rather than the other way around. Russia has increased its sales of weaponry to China in recent years. But China has advanced missile and drone capabilities that Russia could use in its Ukraine campaign.

Although Russia on Sunday launched a missile barrage on a military training ground in western Ukraine that killed at least 35 people, there has been some evidence that Russian missile supplies have been running low, according to independent analysts.

Last week, the White House criticized China for helping spread Kremlin disinformation about the United States and Ukraine. In recent days, Chinese diplomats, state media organizations and government agencies have used a range of platforms and official social media accounts to amplify a conspiracy theory that says the Pentagon has been financing biological and chemical weapons labs in Ukraine. Right-wing political figures in the United States have also promoted the theory.

On Friday, Russia called a United Nations Security Council meeting to present its claims about the labs, and the Chinese ambassador to the U.N., Zhang Jun, supported his Russian counterpart.
WASHINGTON  The United States accurately predicted the start of the war in Ukraine, sounding the alarm that an invasion was imminent despite Moscows denials and Europes skepticism. Predicting how it might end is proving far more difficult.

There are three separate back-channel efforts underway to start negotiations  by the leaders of France; Israel and Turkey; and, in a recent entree, the new chancellor of Germany. But so far, all have hit the stone wall of President Vladimir V. Putins refusal to engage in any serious negotiation. At the Pentagon, there are models of a slogging conflict that brings more needless death and destruction to a nascent European democracy, and others in which Mr. Putin settles for what some believe was his original objective: seizing a broad swath of the south and east, connecting Russia by land to Crimea, which he annexed in 2014.

And there is a more terrifying endgame, in which NATO nations get sucked more directly into the conflict, by accident or design. That possibility became more vivid on Sunday, when Russian missiles landed in Ukraines western reaches, an area unscathed until now by the 18-day-old conflict, about a dozen miles from the Polish border. Russia declared over the weekend that continued efforts to funnel weapons through that region to the Ukrainian forces would make the convoys legitimate targets, a warning that just because the weapons are being massed on NATO territory does not mean they are immune from attack.

In interviews with senior American and European officials in recent days, there is a consensus on one point: Just as the last two weeks revealed that Russias vaunted military faltered in its invasion plan, the next two or three may reveal whether Ukraine can survive as a state, and negotiate an end to the war. So far even the most basic progress, such as establishing safe humanitarian corridors, has proved elusive.
Two men were killed by a camel that had gotten loose at a farm in Tennessee on Thursday, the authorities said.

The camel charged at sheriffs deputies as they tried to help the men it had just attacked at Shirley Farms in Obion, Tenn., the Obion County Sheriffs Office said in a statement.

It was unclear what set off the camels rampage.

The men were identified as Bobby Matheny, 42, of Ridgely, Tenn., and Tommy Gunn, 67, of Obion, Tenn., the Sheriffs Office said.

As the deputies tried to move one of the men, the camel charged at them, the statement said. The animal had already attacked a Sheriffs Office vehicle.
In recent days, scientists have reported that a hybrid of the Omicron and Delta coronavirus variants has been popping up in several countries in Europe. Heres what is known so far about the hybrid, which has picked up the Frankensteinian nicknames of Deltamicron or Deltacron.

In February, Scott Nguyen, a scientist with the Washington, D.C., Public Health Laboratory, was inspecting GISAID, an international database of coronavirus genomes, when he noticed something odd.

He found samples collected in France in January that researchers had identified as a mix of Delta and Omicron variants. In rare cases, people can be infected by two coronavirus variants at once. But when Dr. Nguyen looked closely at the data, he found hints that this conclusion was wrong.

Instead, it looked to Dr. Nguyen as though each virus in the sample actually carried a combination of genes from the two variants. Scientists call such viruses recombinants. When Dr. Nguyen looked for the same pattern of mutations, he found more possible recombinants in the Netherlands and Denmark. That led me to suspect that these might be real, he said in an interview.

Dr. Nguyen shared his findings in an online forum called cov-lineages, where scientists help one another track new variants. These collaborations are essential to double-check possible new variants: A supposed Delta-Omicron recombinant found in January in Cyprus turned out to be a mirage resulting from faulty laboratory work.

Theres a lot of proof thats needed to show that it is real, Dr. Nguyen said.

It turned out that Dr. Nguyen had been right.

That day, we rushed to double-check what he suspected, Etienne Simon-Loriere, a virologist at the Institut Pasteur in Paris, said in an interview. And, yeah, we quickly confirmed that it was the case.

Since then, Dr. Simon-Loriere and his colleagues have found more samples of the recombinant virus. They eventually obtained a frozen sample from which they successfully grew new recombinants in the laboratory, which they are now studying. On March 8, the researchers posted the first genome of the recombinant on GISAID.

Where has the new hybrid been found?

In a March 10 update, an international database of viral sequences reported 33 samples of the new variant in France, eight in Denmark, one in Germany and one in the Netherlands.

As first reported by Reuters, the genetic sequencing company Helix found two cases in the United States. Dr. Nguyen said he and his colleagues were taking a fresh look at some database sequences from the United States in an effort to find more cases.

Is it dangerous?

The thought of a hybrid between Delta and Omicron might sound worrisome. But there are a number of reasons not to panic.

This is not a novel concern, Dr. Simon-Loriere said.

For one thing, the recombinant is extremely rare. Although it has existed since at least January, it has not yet shown the ability to grow exponentially.

Dr. Simon-Loriere said that the genome of the recombinant variant also suggested that it wouldnt represent a new phase of the pandemic. The gene that encodes the viruss surface protein  known as spike  comes almost entirely from Omicron. The rest of the genome is Delta.

The spike protein is the most important part of the virus when it comes to invading cells. It is also the main target of antibodies produced through infections and vaccines. So the defenses that people have acquired against Omicron  through infections, vaccines or both  should work just as well against the new recombinant.

The surface of the viruses is super-similar to Omicron, so the body will recognize it as well as it recognizes Omicron, Dr. Simon-Loriere said.

Scientists suspect that Omicrons distinctive spike is also partly responsible for its lower odds of causing severe disease. The variant uses it to successfully invade cells in the nose and the upper airway, but it doesnt do so well deep in the lungs. The new recombinant may display the same penchant.

Dr. Simon-Loriere and other researchers are conducting experiments to see how the new recombinant performs in dishes of cells. Experiments on hamsters and mice will provide more clues. But those experiments wont yield insights for several weeks.

Its so fresh that we dont have any results, Dr. Simon-Loriere said.

Where do recombinant viruses come from?

People are sometimes infected with two versions of the coronavirus at once. For example, if you go to a crowded bar where several people are infected, you might breathe in viruses from more than one of them.

Its possible for two viruses to invade the same cell at the same time. When that cell starts producing new viruses, the new genetic material may be mixed up, potentially producing a new, hybrid virus.

Its probably not uncommon for coronaviruses to recombine. But most of these genetic shuffles will be evolutionary dead ends. Viruses with mixtures of genes may not fare as well as their ancestors did.

Are we really calling it Deltacron?

For now, some scientists are referring to the new hybrid as the AY.4/BA.1 recombinant. That will probably change in the weeks to come.

A coalition of scientists has come up with a system for formally naming new lineages of coronaviruses. They give recombinant viruses a two-letter abbreviation starting with X. XA, for example, is a hybrid that arose in December 2020 from a mixture of the Alpha variant and another lineage of coronaviruses called B.1.177.

Its likely that Dr. Nguyens new recombinant will be designated XD.

But on March 8, this process became muddled when a second team of French researchers posted a study online with their own analysis of the same recombinant. Like Dr. Simon-Loriere and his colleagues, they isolated the virus. But in the title of their study, which has not been published yet in a scientific journal, they called it Deltamicron.

Dr. Nguyen criticized the team for not crediting Dr. Simon-Lorieres team for originally sharing the first recombinant virus genomes. He also criticized the scientists for unleashing lurid nicknames for the recombinant that were immediately picked up in news articles and social media posts claiming that it was a hoax or had been produced in a lab.

These unconventional names are stirring a hornets nest of conspiracy theories, Dr. Nguyen said.

It remains to be seen how well the name XD sticks.
HONG KONG  As many as 300,000 Hong Kong residents are isolating at home, the citys leader said on Sunday, as officials scrambled to build mass quarantine centers and treatment facilities to house patients with even the mildest Covid-19 symptoms.

Until recently, Hong Kong routinely sent the close contacts of confirmed Covid cases to government-run quarantine camps. But as the Delta and Omicron variants spread widely, and as hospitals strained to accommodate nearly 700,000 reported cases this year in a city of 7.4 million, the government was forced to adjust its strict policies. Over the past week, Hong Kong is averaging more than 270 deaths and 24,242 new cases per day, according to the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University.

People with close exposure to the infected are now allowed to quarantine at home, provided that they do not share kitchens or restrooms with other households. Provisionally, the government has also allowed people who have tested positive for the coronavirus to stay home as they wait to be admitted to quarantine centers or hospitals. And the quarantine period has been shortened to a week for the fully vaccinated.
At least a dozen missiles fired from Iran struck near a United States Consulate compound being built outside the city of Erbil in the Kurdish region of Iraq early Sunday, according to Iraqi and U.S. officials.

Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps said in a statement posted on Iranian state media that it had carried out the attack, and it linked the U.S. presence in Iraq with Israel, saying that it had aimed at what it called the strategic center of the Zionist conspiracies in Erbil.

The attack came four days after Iran vowed revenge against Israel for an airstrike in Syria that killed four people, including at least two members of the Revolutionary Guards.

The Revolutionary Guards Corps said in the statement that it was warning Israel once again that the repeating of its evil actions will be met with a firm and destructive response. It added, We also assure the Iranian people that the countrys security and stability is a red line for the Iranian armed force.
When Brent Renaud, an award-winning American filmmaker and journalist, was killed in Ukraine on Sunday, he was there to do what he had done throughout his career: bear witness to the worlds most dangerous stories.

At the time of his death Mr. Renaud was on assignment for Time Studios working on a project focused on the global refugee crisis, according to a statement from Time executives.

Through his extensive film catalog, Mr. Renaud highlighted the human impact of war and conflict, said Vivian Schiller, who commissioned Mr. Renauds 2004 documentary series about the Iraq war for The New York Times and Discovery Channel.

He was just a filmmaker with tremendous heart, Ms. Schiller said on Sunday. It really sort of pervaded all of his work.
Brent Renaud, an award-winning American filmmaker and journalist, was killed in Ukraine on Sunday while reporting in a suburb of the capital, Kyiv, according to Ukraines Interior Ministry.

Mr. Renaud, 50, had worked for a number of American news and media organizations in the past, including HBO, NBC and The New York Times. The Ukrainian authorities said he was killed in Irpin, a suburb that has been the site of intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days, but the details of his death were not immediately clear. Ukrainian officials said another journalist was wounded as well.

At the time of his death Mr. Renaud was on assignment for Time Studios working on a project focused on the global refugee crisis, according to a statement from Time executives.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraines interior minister, said in a statement that Mr. Renaud paid with his life for attempting to expose the insidiousness, cruelty and ruthlessness of the aggressor.
Ukraines energy minister said Sunday that power supply has been restored at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, which Russian troops have occupied since late February.

Ukrainian government officials had said Wednesday that damage by Russian forces had disconnected the plant from outside electricity, leaving the site dependent on power from diesel generators and backup supplies.

In a post on Facebook, Ukraines energy minister, Herman Galushchenko said that the plant was no longer on backup power and had resumed operating under normal conditions. He praised Ukrainian power engineers for risking their lives to avert the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe.

The International Atomic Energy Agency said last week that there was no need for immediate alarm over the condition of the decommissioned plant but that the situation around the site remained a source of grave concern. On Sunday, the I.A.E.A. said that workers were no longer doing repairs and maintenance, partly because of physical and psychological fatigue.
ISTANBUL  They lined up at A.T.M.s, desperate for cash after Visa and Mastercard suspended operations in Russia, swapping intelligence on where they could still get dollars. At Istanbul cafes, they sat quietly studying Telegram chats or Google Maps on their phones. They organized support groups to help other Russian exiles find housing.

Tens of thousands of Russians have fled to Istanbul since Russia invaded Ukraine last month, outraged about what they see as a criminal war, worried about conscription or the possibility of a closed Russian border, or concerned that their livelihoods are no longer viable back home.

And they are just the tip of the iceberg. Tens of thousands more traveled to countries like Armenia, Georgia, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan which are better known as sources of migration to Russia. At the land border with Latvia  open only to those with European visas  travelers reported waits lasting hours.

While the exodus of about 2.7 million Ukrainians from their war-torn country has focused the world on a burgeoning humanitarian crisis, the descent of Russia into new depths of authoritarianism has many Russians despairing of their future. That has created a flight  though much smaller than in Ukraine  that some are comparing to 1920, when more than 100,000 opponents of the Communist Bolsheviks during the Russian Civil War left to seek refuge in what was then Constantinople.
The base outside Lviv that was attacked by Russian forces early on Sunday was a key link between Ukraines armed forces and Western militaries before the war  and has become an important logistics hub and training center for foreign fighters since Russias invasion began.

A Ukrainian military official said that up to 1,000 foreign fighters were training at the base  the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, which is also known as the Yavoriv military complex  as part of the new International Legion that Ukraine has formed to help fight Russia.

Before the war, troops from the United States, Britain, Canada, Poland, Latvia and other Western allies trained Ukrainian forces there, starting in the 1990s. One of the buildings that was hit in the attack was in an area where American, Canadian and other foreign military instructors had stayed before the invasion, according to a broadcast journalist for the U.S. Army who covered multinational training at the base.

Dozens of soldiers from the Florida Army National Guard had been training Ukrainian troops at the base as part of a NATO mission until Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III ordered them to leave the country last month, days before the Russian invasion.
SUCEAVA, Romania  Viktor and Rachel Borovic were very grateful to be given a hot meal at a church in Suceava after they crossed from Ukraine into Romania, but they had to turn down the offer of a bed for the night. Their dog, Busia, and their cat, Coco, named after Coco Chanel, were not allowed to stay.

So the couple took the animals to a shelter that had been set up in the ballroom of the Mandachi Hotel and Spa, which was known for welcoming dogs, cats and any other beloved pets that Ukrainian refugees brought with them.

Stefan Mandachi, the owner, had already posted on his Facebook page that all pets are welcome here. Mr. Mandachi, who has eight dogs, two cats and two pigs, arranged for a veterinarian to come to the shelter at 8 p.m. on Saturday to issue the required animal passports and identity chips, which are inserted under the skin.

The Borovics were headed to Israel, where their son lives, but they did not want to leave until their pets had the necessary documents. So they stayed an extra day in Suceava to fill out the paperwork and make sure their animals had the chips.
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Kyiv Oblast is an oblast (province) in central and northern Ukraine. It surrounds, but does not include, the city of Kyiv, which is a self-governing city with special status. The administrative center of the oblast is in Kyiv city, the capital of Ukraine, despite the city not being part of the oblast. The Kyiv metropolitan area extends out from Kyiv city into parts of the oblast, which is significantly dependent on the urban economy and transportation of Kyiv.
Russia escalated its war across the country on Sunday, bombing a major military base close to the Polish border, in an attack on a facility that served as a hub for cooperation between Ukraine and NATO.
The strategic Ukrainian port city is under siege and faces daily bombardment. Russia and Ukraine are blaming each other for the dire humanitarian situation.
NATO's Jens Stoltenberg said Russia's "absurd claims" could be a pretext for chemical weapons operations. Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned against new "pseudo republics." DW has the latest.
Eight missiles reportedly struck a training center which hosted drills for both Ukrainian and NATO troops. Meanwhile, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy warned against new "pseudo republics." DW has the latest.
Daily Record 13 Mar 2022

The head of Kyiv region police said that one journalist has been killed while another has been injured in the city of Irpin close..
Russia and Ukraine have both signaled progress in cease-fire talks despite the ongoing violence. Earlier, a Ukrainian training center near the Polish border was hit by a missile strike. DW has the latest.
Missiles, bombs and artillery continued to pound Ukrainian cities, the humanitarian crisis deepened, and Russian President Vladimir Putin rejected direct appeals from French and German leaders to de-escalate attacks.
Rumble 01 Apr 2022

Israel braces for new terror wave during Muslim month of Ramadan after 11 killed in three attacks; and God is doing miracles in the..
Many Russians who can afford it have fled to nearby countries since Russia invaded Ukraine.
Loud explosions were heard in the northern Kurdish regional capital of Erbil, near the US Consulate, with no casualties.

DNA 13 Mar 2022
Newsy 25 Mar 2022

Watch VideoAbout 300 people died in a Russian airstrike last week on a theater being used as a bomb shelter in the besieged..
Tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees could come to the UK and each local council will get more than 10,000 per individual, Michael Gove told Sky News.
Newsy 13 Mar 2022

Watch VideoBrent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for..
Kyiv police say a New York Times journalist was shot dead outside the city. Meanwhile, Russian missiles reportedly struck a training center which hosted drills for both Ukrainian and NATO troops. DW has the latest.
Newsy 25 Mar 2022

Watch VideoYemen's Houthi rebels attacked an oil depot on Friday in the Saudi city of Jiddah ahead of a Formula One race in the..
Kyiv police say a US journalist was shot dead outside the city. Meanwhile, Russian missiles reportedly struck a training center which hosted drills for both Ukrainian and NATO troops. DW has the latest.
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As the war in Ukraine escalates, and Russian troops strike closer to the Polish border on Sunday, killing at least 35 people in a deadly airstrike in Yavoriv, NATO sends reinforcements to its Baltic members.
The Power Of The Dog has taken the big prizes at a BAFTAs ceremony where stars and organisers highlighted the war in Ukraine and host Rebel Wilson had a message for Vladimir Putin.
The eastern town of Zamosc has welcomed thousands of refugees but locals wonder how long they can cope.
Zoe Kravitz, star of The Batman, is only the latest actor to take on the role of the Catwoman. That reminder was her (and our) jokingly painful takeaway from a guest-strewn opening monologue on Saturday Night Live.



What started out as a normal "actor talks to live audience" monologue quickly devolved into hysterics when Kate...
Kyiv (AFP) March 12, 2022



Russian engineers have arrived to measure radiation at a Ukrainian nuclear plant, the seizure of which during Moscow's invasion of the country sparked international alarm, officials said. Russia occupied Zaporizhzhia, Europe's biggest atomic power plant, after its forces attacked it on March 4. Its reactors appeared undamaged after the assault despite a fire that broke out there after ta
TomoNews US 25 Mar 2022

HOSTOMEL, UKRAINE  In part one of this video series we looked at how  on the first day of the Russian invasion  Hostomel..
The new scheme that will allow people in the UK to host Ukrainian refugees dominates the front pages.
Under the Homes for Ukraine scheme, those fleeing war will be able to stay rent-free in the properties.
Joe Biden is under fire for not getting jets to Ukraine as Poland rejected his request, which the GOP uses to condemn him.
Multiple countries in Europe are showing an increase in infections, fueling concerns about the start of another wave of cases around the world.


Rumble 16 Apr 2022

Washington is not planning to return the assets confiscated from Russian businessmen as part of the latest sanctions imposed on..
As many as 12 missiles struck Iraq's northern city of Erbil on Sunday near the U.S. consulate, Iraqi security officials said. A U.S. defence official said missiles had been launched at the city from neighboring Iran.
In 2017, North Korea test-fired a missile system that experts said was capable of hitting the US. This new system uses larger missiles, per The AP.
A roundup of the latest news out of Ukraine, where Russian attacks struck new targets, including a military training base near the Polish border.
Russian air strikes killed 35 people at a military base outside Ukraine's western city of Lviv, local officials said Sunday, in an attack that brings the conflict dangerously close to the Polish border.
Upworthy 13 Mar 2022

Galina Danilchenko says she wants to take necessary measures to get city 'back to normal,' but residents demand release of missing..
MANISTEE COUNTY  The following includes reports made to the Manistee County Sheriffs Office from Feb. 17-22.

All calls may not be reported. This is part of a lengthy report and is compiled by assistant editor Arielle Breen.

Feb. 17

 Deputies responded to a child protective services referral at 2:55 a.m. in the county.

 Deputies responded to a child protective services referral at 12:20 p.m. in Brown Township.

 Animal neglect was reported at 10:52 a.m. in Springdale Township.

 Animal neglect was reported at 11:26 a.m. in Springdale Township.

 Trespassing was reported at 11:30 a.m. in Cleon Township.

 A property damage crash was reported at Meijer in Manistee.

 Harassment was reported at 8:01 p.m. in Norman Township.

 A domestic incident was reported at 9:02 p.m. in Brown Township.

Feb. 18

 A person was reported to have been driving without insurance at 1:24 a.m. in Kaleva.

 Deputies conducted a mental health transport at 12:01 p.m. to Munson Healthcare Manistee Hospital.

 A property damage crash was reported in Cleon Township.

 A suspicious situation was reported at 6:01 p.m. in Maple Grove Township.

Feb. 19

 Deputies assisted Michigan State Police at 7:19 a.m.

 Deputies conducted a well-being check at 11:50 a.m. in Norman Township.

 Contraband was reported to have been found at the Manistee County Jail at 5 p.m. in Manistee Township.

Feb. 20

 A domestic incident was reported in Kaleva.

 A felony warrant arrest was made in Kaleva with the Traverse Narcotics Team.

 A vehicle-deer accident was reported at 6:56 p.m. in Norman Township.

Feb. 21

 A suspicious situation was reported at 3:47 p.m. in Manistee Township.

 Deputies conducted a well-being check at 12:01 p.m. on Cleon Township.

 A suspicious situation was reported at 8:40 a.m. in the Village of Kaleva.

 A property damage crash was reported at 9:20 a.m. in the county.

 A person was reported to have been suicidal at 9:06 a.m. in Norman Township.

 Threats were reported at 8:34 a.m. in Norman Township.

 Deputies assisted another agency at 11:46 a.m. in Dickson Township.

 A suspicious situation was reported at 12:47 p.m. in Stronach Township.

 Deputies conducted a well-being check at 9:36 a.m. in Brown Township.

 A person was reported to have been driving with a suspended and revoked license at 3:39 p.m. in Bear Lake Township.

 Trespassing was reported at 4:53 p.m. in Norman Township.

 Animal control was called to Maple Grove Township for a complaint at 5:06 p.m.

 A verbal domestic incident was reported at 5:23 p.m. in the county.

 Deputies assisted Mobile Medical Response EMS at 8:16 p.m.

 A person was reported to have been driving while intoxicated, with open intoxicants and no insurance at 10:11 p.m. in Filer Township.

Feb. 22

 Deputies assisted a motorist with a vehicle that slid off the road at 12:26 p.m. in Stronach Township.

 Deputies assisted a motorist with a vehicle that slid off the road at 5:44 a.m. in Manistee Township.

 A property damage crash was reported at 9:01 a.m. in Onekama Township.

 A property damage crash was reported at 11 a.m. in the Days Inn Hotel parking lot in Filer Township.
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MANISTEE  A long-awaited street improvement project may be coming to Manistee.

According to the agenda materials for Tuesday's Manistee City Council meeting, the council could take action to approve a contract with Hallack Construction for Quincy and Cleveland Street improvements and utility upgrades.

The project consists of water main replacement, sanitary sewer replacement, storm sewer improvements and a full street reconstruction.

Two public bids were received:

 Hallack Contracting $978,410.50; and

 Davis Construction $1.104 million

According to the meeting agenda materials, the low bid exceeds the engineers estimate of $969,000, but it is still within the projects budget.

According to a memo in the meeting's agenda materials packet from Manistee Department of Public Works Director Jeff Mikula to Manistee City Manager Bill Gambill, the "best-case-scenario" timeline for the project would be to start construction midsummer and have it complete in November.

Mikula said the intent had been previously to start in early spring and finish by midsummer, but material sourcing and industry issues make that earlier goal unattainable.

Other topics on Tuesdays agenda include:

 A public hearing on the topic of a $300,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for improvements to the Veterans Memorial Park north Riverwalk area.

The purpose of this hearing is to seek community input on the grant application. The matter is also on the agenda for consideration later in the meeting.

According to a memo in the meeting's agenda materials packet from Harbormaster Jeff Mikula to Gambill, "portions of the north Riverwalk are over 50 years old and functionally obsolete."

 Council could approve a resolution to apply for a $300,000 Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund grant for improvements to the Veterans Memorial Park north Riverwalk area. This would include committing $260,000 in matching funds during the 2022-2023 fiscal year.

 Council could also approve a resolution supporting an on-premises tasting room permit request from Third Life Brewing LLC.

Provided image/Manistee City Council agenda

 Council could approve an amended and restated development and reimbursement agreement between the Manistee County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority, City of Manistee and Manistee Lakes, LLC for the Joslin Cove project next door to the SS City of Milwaukee Manistee, on Arthur Street.

At the Feb. 24 meeting, the Manistee County Brownfield Redevelopment Authority voted to approve an amended and restated development and reimbursement agreement with Manistee Lakes, LLC on the Joslin Cove development.

The city is a party to the agreement as it is receiving a $150,000 payment through the agreement with $100,000 remaining for the siting and construction of an Arthur Street pump station.

Tuesdays meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Manistee City Hall, 70 Maple Street.
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Melodies of Bach and Chopin emanated from the chapel of First Baptist Church in Midland on Saturday, as about 80 students, ranging from elementary to high school, took the Student Achievement Test for piano.

The test, provided by the Michigan Music Teachers Association, is held across the state, with local chapters, including the Mid-Michigan Music Teachers Association, working long hours to prepare and administer it.

The exam took place from 8:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, with students testing for performance, music theory, aural awareness, sight-reading and technique to receive a score out of 100 points.

The students moved between stations located around the church building. Each student is recommended for the test by their piano teacher based on their ability and is placed into one of 13 skill levels.

They can start at any age, said Mary Ann Anschutz, a Midland piano teacher and a 50-year member of the Mid-Michigan Music Teachers Association.

Anschutz explained that she bases her recommendations for students to take the test on their determination and willingness to put in the time to learn the material as well as the presence of a strong support system at home.

When I look at a lot of the test scores here, I see how well the students are prepared. Most of them seem happy or excited to be here. I enjoy seeing the students do well, Anschutz said. I like the fact that the test focuses not just on playing the piano, but understanding music.

Barbara DuRussel, of Midland, has taught piano for 58 years and had five of her students take the test on Saturday. She plans to give her students a weeks break before starting to prepare them for next years assessment.

Thats a lot of information for them. I dont want it to be overwhelming, DuRussel said. We start right away and keep going through it gradually, and they dont feel overwhelmed.

The Mid-Michigan Music Teachers Association had to adjust the format of the test due to the pandemic. The 2020 test, which was scheduled to take place just days after the COVID-related shutdowns began, was cancelled. Last years exam was held virtually, with students sending in videos of their performances. This years test was conducted in a hybrid fashion, with students taking the music theory and aural awareness portions at home or in their teachers studios and the rest of the exam in-person on Saturday.

Anschutz typically has five or six students a year take the test.

They can start at any age, she said.

Tanvi Malewar, 16, of Saginaw, studied for eight months before taking the test. The test carries a lot of weight, as colleges and universities look at the results for students who are interested in pursuing a music degree. While Malewar doesnt plan on majoring in music, she does hope to continue playing piano as a hobby; listening to music motivates her to play more piano.

Its a big honor and privilege to take the test, Malewar stated.

The students will receive the results of their tests in the next few days. Those who score high may qualify to advance to the semi-finals at Central Michigan University in April, where they will be judged solely for performance. The state finals are set to take place at Michigan State University in May.
Photo: (Photo : KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

Arizona local Michell Elizaga made the life-changing decision to become a single mother in her 40s via in vitro fertilization (IVF). She spent $5,000 of her savings to undergo the procedure after acquiring a sperm donor.

But on the 12th week of her pregnancy, Elizaga's doctor informed her of her prenatal test results, which showed she has a high chance of giving birth to a baby with Down syndrome. Elizaga revealed that she "cried a ton" after that visit to the doctor, yet she was still determined to have a baby.

Elizaga didn't get the chance to meet the man of her dreams, and since she has been single for most of her adult life, the thought of getting married started to slip away when she got closer to turning 40 years old. She was also very aware that her time was nearly up for having a healthy pregnancy the conventional way, so she turned to IVF as a last resort.

Read Also: Russian Families Clash and Block Each Other on Facebook Over Opposing Views of War in Ukraine

A Budget for One Vial

Elizaga then consulted with a fertility specialist who gave her a clearer picture of the IVF process. While he was more optimistic that she would conceive if she had multiple vials and IVF cycles, Eliza found out that her chances were at five percent as someone in her 40s. She could also afford just one vial for the sperm.

The search for the sperm donor itself was tricky because Elizaga wanted someone Filipino "to ensure my baby looked most like me," per Love That Matters. However, there were not a lot of options for her, so she chose someone whose characteristics had the most similarities to her.

After securing the vial and going through more tests, Elizaga had the insemination. She was pregnant within 24 hours of the procedure.

At ten weeks, she took another test to confirm the baby's gender and genetic conditions. The clinic didn't call her back for the results until about a week and a half later. Her heart sank when they asked her to come to the doctor's office. She feared she was going to lose the baby.

At the clinic, Elizaga learned that her baby had a 9 in 10 chance of having Down syndrome. While this sent her crying, the expectant mom never thought of abortion. She also realized that her son, whom she had chosen to name Matthew, was a fighter. Many babies with chromosomal variations don't even make it past 12 weeks of pregnancy.

By her 39th week, Elizaga was ready for a natural birth, but she had an unscheduled C-section as there were complications with her son. The doctors had to take him out as soon as possible. After the baby's birth in June 2019, Matthew stayed more than two months at the neonatal intensive care unit.

Wouldn't Change Anything

Today, Matthew is a healthy and happy baby. Elizaga said that her choice to have a baby by herself and raise a son with Down syndrome had been an empowering experience. Despite the challenges, the single mom said she would not change anything if given a chance for a do-over.

She's also grateful for being Matthew's mom, whom she described as an energetic baby. The happy mom said that her son had been the greatest gift she received in her entire life.

Related Article: Mom Who Starved Daughter with Down syndrome to Death Gets Almost 10 Years
Pauls Valley, OK (73075)

Today

Cloudy this morning. Strong thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Damaging winds, large hail and possibly a tornado with some storms. High 72F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms. A few storms may be severe. Low 62F. Winds SSE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%. Rainfall may reach one inch.
The Russian space agency Roscosmos has warned that the Western sanctions against Russia may cause the 500-tone International Space Station to 'fall' or 'land.'



Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Russian space agency Roscosmos called for the 'illegal' sanctions to be lifted while adding that the operation of Russian vessels servicing the ISS could be disrupted.



As a result, the Russian segment of the station - which helps correct its orbit - could be affected, causing the 500-tonne structure to 'fall down into the sea or onto land'.



Listing the Russian segments' utilities in Telegram posts, Rogozin said it 'provides duplication of the life support systems of the American segment', including those for obtaining oxygen, removing carbon dioxide, and removing harmful impurities from the atmosphere.



'Also, Russian means provide backup of voice and telemetry communications of the American segment of the station with ground control points,' he added.



In one of the posts Rogozin presented a map, saying it was 'created by American astronomers arguing with me' but 'just shows that Russia would least endangered by the destruction of the ISS'.



He warned other countries, 'including those led by the "dogs of war"' should 'think about the price of the sanctions they initiated against Roscosmos'.









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
Iran fired a series of missiles toward the U.S. consulate in Erbil, Iraq, on Sunday, March 13 according to U.S. officials.



The missiles, according to senior U.S. security officials, were fired towards the U.S. consulate in Erbil from Iran.



As many as 12 missiles were fired with several missiles hitting the building, Iraqi and US security officials said.



Iranian state media agency IRNA, citing local reports, claimed without evidence that secret Israeli bases were targeted in the attack.



The US state department said in a press statement that out of all the multiple missiles that were fired, none made contact with the consulate.



Officials said all U.S. personnel are accounted for and that no casualties have been reported after the airstrike near the unmanned consulate in Erbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq.



"There is no damage or casualties at any U.S. Government facility,"



"The incident is being investigated by the government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government and we refer you to them for comment. We condemn this outrageous attack and display of violence." a State Department Spokesperson told Fox News.



The last time missiles were fired from inside Iran was Jan 2020 after former U.S. president Donald Trump killed Iranian general Qassem Soleimani using a drone strike.



When Iran fired at the Al Assad Uas Air Base, multiple soldiers suffered concussions and brain problems .



The attack on Sunday comes after talks broke down between Iran, the UK, France, Russia and Germany over the Iranian nuclear deal.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

Featured Video
The apex court presided over by Justice Jones Dotse on Wednesday unanimously ruled that a Deputy Speaker in Parliament can vote and be counted during the formation of a quorum for parliamentary decision-making.



The landmark ruling was given after private legal practitioner, Justice Abdulai, filed a case against the Attorney-General to contest the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusus decision to count himself during a vote to approve the 2022 budget.



Many have argued that the standing orders of Parliament cannot supersede the 1992 Constitution of Ghana; hence the SC is right in their ruling.



The Minority and the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) on the other hand believes it's an affront on the principle of separation of powers.



Adding his voice to the debate, George Opare Addo, National Youth Organiser of the NDC, says the independence of Parliament is being compromised adding if it's not checked soon, the Judiciary can rule that Parliamentary sitting is unconstitutional



Speaking in an interview on Peace FM's The Platform programme, Pablo as he is popularly called, further described the ruling as a form of judicial interference because Parliament is a separate arm.



"The Supreme Court should have stayed away from this matter because the SC does not have the power to intervene in matters of Parliament; it's as simple as ABCD. this is an issue that concerns Parliament. If the Chief Justice issues practice orders can Parliament intervene? The Chief Justice doesn't make laws but he issues practice orders; can parliament say because he doesn't have the powers to make laws they won't allow the practice orders to work? No. The Supreme Court should've declined jurisdiction on this matter because clearly, they don't have jurisdiction to go into issues of procedures of parliament..." he averred.



"...the SC cannot intervene in the standing orders of Parliament. Parliament is the house of the people; Supreme Court is not the house of the people; for me, I think they got it wrong...issues that cover the administration of parliament, the Supreme Court cannot intervene" he insisted.



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
The Supreme Court by a unanimous decision settled this contentious issue ruling on Wednesday that a "Deputy Speaker is entitled to be counted as a member of Parliament for quorum" and can as well "vote and take part in the decision of parliament".



The landmark ruling was given after private legal practitioner, Justice Abdulai, filed a case against the Attorney-General to contest the First Deputy Speaker Joseph Osei-Owusus decision to count himself during a vote to approve the 2022 budget.



The apex court also struck down Order 109(3) of the Standing Orders of Parliament as unconstitutional.



The seven member panel that adjudicated the case comprised Justices Jones Dotse, Nene Amegatcher, Prof Ashie Kotey, Mariama Owusu, Lovelace Johnson, Clemence Honyenuga and Emmanuel Kulendi.



Presided over by Justice Jones Dotse, the court also struck down Order 109(3) of the Standing Orders of Parliament as unconstitutional.



A lawyer and law lecturer, Justice Abdullai filed a case against the Attorney General calling on the Supreme Court to interpret Articles 102 and 104 of the 1992 Constitution and declare the action of Mr Osei Owusu as unconstitutional.



He had also wanted the Supreme Court to declare the whole proceedings in Parliament on November 30, 2021, which led to the passage of the 2022 budget as unconstitutional insisting the Deputy Speaker should not have counted himself as an MP when he presided over proceedings.



However, the Attorney-General (A-G), Mr Godfred Yeboah Dame, in a defence on behalf of the state, argued that there is no express provision in the 1992 Constitution that stopped a Deputy Speaker presiding over proceedings from voting or counting himself as part of MPs present in order to form the right quorum.







Read a copy of the entire ruling below:

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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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Patrick Brown stands on stage with his wife Genevieve Gualtieri and children Theodore (right) and Savannah as he announces his candidacy for the federal Conservative Leadership at a rally in Brampton, Ont., on Sunday, March 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
Around the Bluhmin' Town: Golden ideas on how to avoid the gas crisis
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The cold and wind didn't stop the hundreds of people who participated in the 2022 CSRA Heart Walk Saturday morning at SRP Park.

Phillip Coule, Heart Walk chair and vice president and chief medical officer at Augusta University Health System, thanked everyone for coming out that morning to walk. He said the support from the participants will help save local lives.

Together we are all creating a world without heart disease and stroke, Coule said. For the past year we've had the great pleasure of working together with a great group of executives who have volunteered their time and energy and leadership to our cause. Together we are committed to the fight against heart disease and stoke.

During the event, Ansley Howze, executive director of the CSRA American Heart Association, announced the Heart Hero was Charlotte Thacker, a 4-year-old from Graniteville. When she was born, her parents noticed some issues with her color and that she was having trouble staying awake.

After further assessment, Charlotte had an interrupted aortic arch and BSP that need to repaired with a series of open-heart surgeries, Howze said. At just nine days old, Charlotte had her first open heart surgery. She had two more surgeries and is now a 4-year-old, very happy and healthy. Charlotte we are so honored to have you here with us today."

The walk attracted people from across the CSRA, all who had their own reasons for walking.

Because of all the heart patients at the hospital (and) my family has heart problems, my father, my grandmother, said Crystal Burke with Augusta University radiology on why she was walking.

Selena Mitchell with the Richmond County Sheriff's Office was walking because she's a survivor.

I had open-heart surgery after a dissected aorta in June 2018, Mitchell said. Any medical person that's listening to this knows that's a miracle. So I'm just blessed to be able to walk, so I'm walking to celebrate God blessing me with living.

For Dennis Nicholas with Savanah River Nuclear Solution, he wanted to walk to help raise awareness about heart disease.

I walk to inspire because I know a lot of people out there are unaware heart disease is the No. 1 killer in America and just want to educate people and help out and do good for the community because all the money stays within the community locally, Nicholas said.

Aiken Regional Medical Centers, one of the sponsors, had a booth set up at the event. Rhonda Platt, heart failure and heart attack coordinator at ARMC, said they've been attending the event for years.

(It's) just a way to give back to the community and support our survivors, she said.

As of 3:30 p.m. Saturday, $436,900.91 had been raised out of the $650,000 goal. The top five companies out of 72 were Savannah River Nuclear Solutions, Augusta University, Savannah River Mission Completion, Textron Specialized Vehicles and Kimberly Clark.
For the past few years, Anthony Walker has been elbows deep in sawdust, perfecting his latest consuming passion.

In his workshop outside Columbia in Blythewood, the luthier  or guitar maker  who goes by Tony, sets up all manner of tools. He sizes up frets and cuts necks from woods like maple or padauk, affixing them to a repurposed folksy cigar box (or maybe one he has made himself). He lays in gleaming, round resonator and electric pickup, wiring it for sonic glory.

Handcrafted cigar box guitars are the main attraction of Southpaw Cigarbox Guitars, Walker's business. Its name references the left hand he favors while demo-ing his one-of-a-kind string instruments.

He sets up tables at cigar box guitar festivals throughout the Southeast as well as artisan markets  including Columbia's Soda City Market and Charleston Night Market at the Historic City Market. (Hell be there on March 26). At these locations, he sells guitars hovering around the higher end of $200, as well as other handmade instruments like dulcimers.

Coming out of the pandemic, the demand for his fastidiously cut and cobbled boxes of joy is stronger than ever.

I can't build them fast enough," he said. In our mass-produced, Amazon-addled world, that's a welcome bit of news.

An instrument for everyone

At a recent holiday market at Baker & Brewer, Walker caught the eye and ear of one prospective customer, who approached his table only to be swarmed by other market goers. The man told Walker hed be back. He did return, and bought an instrument, too.

That was Danny McBride.

"The Righteous Gemstones" creator and Charleston denizen is certainly not the only big-name enthusiast of cigar box guitars.

In 2012, when Paul McCartney performed with Nirvana on Saturday Night Live, he did so on a sleekly varnished wood-and-steel number. A deft online search yields other strumming legends: Keith Richards, Bo Diddley, Jimi Hendrix.

In "It Might Get Loud," the 2008 documentary featuring guitar phenoms Jimmy Page, The Edge and Jack White, the opening scene places White outside on a country porch, where he swiftly bangs together pieces of wood, strings in a Coke bottle and plugs in the crude concoction, letting loose a ferocious, masterful howl.

"Who said you needed to buy a guitar?" he queries, dragging on a cigarette.

And while luthiers like Walker are indeed selling them by the dozens, in many ways, this everyman ethos plays out on every cigar box guitar, dollar amount notwithstanding.

Often made simply with a slim neck, a found box and an economic four strings, cigar box guitars make a resounding case for accessibility, and were historically often built for want of money or resources.

Since around the mid-1800s, when cigars were first shipped in compact numbers and prompted the manufacture of the small, hinged containers, they repurposed this ideally hole-friendly vessel. Walker said he believes such guitars first emerged from the Mississippi Delta.

During the Civil War, soldiers were known to play them around the campsite and teachers used them for instruction. They captured the greater childhood imagination, too. In the 1890 "American Boys Handy Book," Boy Scout co-founder Daniel Carter Beard included in its pages a guide to building a 5-string banjo from such a stogie holder.

For many fledgling musicians, these ad hoc instruments were an entree into playing. According to Walker, blues great Buddy Guy was among them.

"Guys like that, that have been doing this for their own their entire lives, this how how they got started with playing the blues," he said.

The road to Southpaw

True, those rudimentary sound machines may not have been the paeans to perfections that Southpaw now has on offer from his tricked-out workshop. But then again, Walker is an all-in kind of guy.

This most recent vocational choice follows a varied list that has taken the Columbia native throughout the state, and often outdoors, from the Lowcountry soil to its watery depths.

When others suggest a new pursuit, Walker finds he is often game, summing himself up as a Renaissance man.

"I can't find a reason not to do it," he said.

He briefly attended The Citadel, then switched to South Carolina State University in Orangeburg. After graduating, he started in law enforcement, working security at the Statehouse in the Gov. Dick Riley era of the 1980s, which was then a part of SLED called Capitol Complex Police.

Shifting career chords, he became a biologist at the South Carolina Coastal Council, assigned to the marshlands and highlands and along Camp Road during construction of the Mark Clark Expressway.

He also had a stint as a scientist with the federal bureau Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in the Charlotte office, departing when he felt unsafe due to the menace of his good old boy colleagues.

Segueing into the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, where he worked for 22 years, he was for a time on the Dive Team there, focusing mostly on the recovery of bodies throughout the state. The seemingly unnerving daily proposition left him unfazed, as he viewed it as essentially collecting.

Once you're dead, then you become an inanimate object, the same as a hammer, as a chair as any other inanimate object.  The spirit of soul is no longer there, he said.

It's hard to resist drawing a parallel with the vessels he now creates, which are inanimate, too, until some soul breathes life into them.

Along the way, there were plenty of interludes. He rode in the very Air Force One plane that carried President John F. Kennedys body back from Texas, then later met the South Carolina firearms dealer who had sold Lee Harvey Oswald the weapon used to assassinate him.

Once, a friend observed he had done everything but sit in the electric chair, Walker said. Actually, he has done that too, during a police academy tour of the death chamber.

If there is a through line in this career trajectory, it is problem-solving. Walker possesses an insatiable curiosity to noodle something out.

Into the cigar box

An avid woodworker, Walker had mastered making colonial period furniture, determining he would spend his retirement doing so.

But a diagnosis of Lyme Disease caused some paralysis, ruling out a career involving heavy furniture. During recovery from a related surgery, curiosity kicked in.

Then the blues intervened.

A devotee of the genre, Walker reveres musicians like Bishopville native Drink Small. Walker's grandmother, from Columbia, was a pianist who was said to sometimes play with the likes of Count Basie and Jimmie Lunceford, the saxophonist and band leader known for The Merry-Go-Round Broke Down  the song made famous by its use in the Looney Tunes cartoons.

One day while hunting for Boogie Woogie Riff by Chester-born composer Arthur Guitar Boogie" Smith (whose "Dueling Banjos was later featured in the film Deliverance"), Walker came upon footage of a musician playing a cigar box guitar.

A new puzzle begged solving.

Walker the luthier

It took Walker a couple of years to make four-string instruments that met his muster.

"The first one I made, I didn't know what I was doing and it broke apart," he said. Adjusting the bracing, he made one that was a little bit better. The fourth one was actually playable. He made his first sale in 2016 at Columbia's Big Grab and his sales took off from there.

He enlists expert musician friends to test them out, as he says his own musicianship is encumbered by large hands that get in the way of fretting and is just proficient enough to demo them.

There's math involved, too. He's gauged nut to the bridge at 25 and a half inches, with frets in specified spots for scaling. To minimize the time-intensive tool setup, he makes 16 guitars a shot.

And there's his artistry.

"I don't want them to be cookie cutter. I want them to to be uniquely different," he said. And they are. With equal parts vintage allure and precision craftsmanship, each is a burnished, customized wooden bridge to another era.

Play it forward

The perennial appeal of cigar box guitars has caused some in the music industry to disavow them as novelty items, a stance Walker soundly rejects.

Yes, they are historically accessible, but, like White underscored, that doesn't belie their power of sound. For Walker, there is another aspect, too. Their inclusive spirit also pervades the community of luthiers, who eschew any proprietorial inclinations.

"We share information with each other, we help each other," he said. "If I have something that someone else can use, I'll send it to them. They have something I can use, they send it to me. We don't compete with one another."

That communal spirit plays out in other ways, too. Once at the Charleston Night Market, a man surveyed his stock, then ponied up the cost of a guitar, instructing Walker to give one to anyone of his choosing.

Walker determined that hed give it to someone who seemed generally interested in it, and when a young man later engaged with him at his table, Walker bestowed it.

The recipients father then paid forward the cost of another, as did another person in Columbia.

As for Walker, he plans to continue making them for the long haul, setting up his table and engaging with curious passers by.

"People that bought a guitar from me  I see them a year later and they come and sit down with me and or they'll just pick up one of the ones that I have," he said. "They'll sit there and play for about 25 to 30 minutes or so while I'm talking to other customers."

It's the spirit, after all, that animates these objects, shining through his well-considered instruments to fill the air with music, transforming exacting wood to ineffable, human-made magic.

For more information, email southpawcbg@gmail.com or visit Walker's Facebook page at Southpaw Cigarbox Guitars.
GEORGETOWN  At least four restaurants have plans to open on the city's busy waterfront in the shadow of a steel mill that could close and allow for development that could bring more diners and shoppers to the historic business center.

The new restaurants along Front Street will join a boutique hotel and several businesses expected to be announced soon.

Front Street is the soul of Georgetown, said Tom Hall, whose new restaurant Between the Antlers is slated to open next month. Charleston is right there, East Bay. Thats their main street. And Highway 17 is the main street of South Carolina.

Between the Antlers plans to offer Carolina rice kitchen-inspired cuisine just yards away from the mill's outer fence.

Just around the corner at the intersection of Front and King streets, Trevor Day plans to open two restaurants  a brewery and what he calls a Lowcountry cantina.

Just steps away from Day's upcoming dining spots, another restaurant is expected at a location owned by David Kossove, who runs the Augustus & Carolina furniture store.

Kossove told the Georgetown Times that he purchased 916 Front St.  formerly the Seven Hundred Modern Grill and Bar  and 918 Front St. with the intent of renovating and leasing the space to a restaurateur. Kossove said that the property is still about six months away from being leasable.

Three blocks away, Winyah Hospitality LLC purchased the former Georgetown Times office last year with the intent of demolishing it to make room for a 56-room boutique hotel. An update on the project from developer Joe Keenan is scheduled at the Georgetown City Council meeting on March 17.

Yet looming over the restaurants, shops and bars along Front Street is the Liberty Steel mill.

The mill, once one of the city's largest employers, has struggled in recent years and reopened in January with 65 workers after closing during the COVID pandemic.

But city leaders sent a letter to mill owners saying the operations should stop. The city contends the latest idling of the mill triggered a zoning change on the 50-acre site from industrial to commercial. Liberty Steel is fighting the decision with the Georgetown Board of Zoning Appeals, which meets next on April 6.

Looking at what is happening on Front Street, John Bullard, operations and programs manager at Georgetown County Chamber of Commerce, hopes the new restaurants are indicative of more growth. The chamber is seeing more vacationers who become residents after determining that they could do their jobs remotely.

Were always wanting more things for our visitors to do see, eat and do, and Georgetown, not just the city but the county as well, has a very impressive food scene, Bullard said.

As for the mill, the chamber itself does not take political stances, Bullard said. Any stance on Liberty Steel would be up to the chambers board of directors, he said.

I will tell you that the chamber is pro-business, so whatever is right for Georgetown County and its citizens, we stand by, Bullard said.

Hall is outspoken about the main street of a port town being its anchor. The difference between Georgetown and other port towns, he said, is the mill, an industrial site next to tourist business district.

While he understands the support for the mill, Hall said Georgetown has a once-in-a-generation opportunity in its hands as tourism grows in South Carolina.

Unless it's fully operating, Day said, The mill is definitely handcuffing the potential for Georgetown.

Mayor Carol Jayroe has said that tourism-centric development on the Liberty site would have a bigger economic impact than the mill.

Hall said adding more restaurants would bring more people to Front Street and the accompanying harborwalk.

What Trevors doing is only going to make it better for other restaurants on Front Street," Hall said.

Day has been involved with restaurants for the past 15 years, working his way around the country with a company based out of Charlotte. He moved to Georgetown to help a friend with a project and immediately fell in love with the town. He is a co-owner of Buzz's Roost on Front Street.

His next venture, Marker 42 Lowcountry Cantina, is set to open in the next four to six weeks at 929 Front St., occupying the spot last held by Graham's on Front. Instead of Tex-Mex, Day said, itll serve Lowcountry-Mex.

Being a big fan of anything Mexican cuisine-wise my entire life, Day said of the reason he decided on a cantina. We wanted to do kind of a Lowcountry twist on that.

Marker 42's food, as Day described it, twists Mexican cuisine with that of South Carolina's Lowcountry. There will be tacos and quesadillas, as expected, with different types of salsa and fresh-pressed tortillas, different options from brisket and pork belly, as well as the traditional carnitas.

A prime example of the Lowcountry-Mex concept is the restaurants take on shrimp and grits: a grit cake twisted with the flavors of Mexican street corn and topped with local shrimp, mole and cotija cheese.

The cantina will feature a bar, complete with a full tequila shelf behind the bar, but Day said it won't be the main focus of the establishment.

Ive traveled enough to be fortunate enough to see different ideas in different states and countries, and Im just trying to take a little something from all of them, Day said.

But Day said he isn't done on Front Street.

Alongside Marker 42 partner Graham Plummer, owner of Graham's Landing in Murrells Inlet and the former Graham's on Front, he has plans for a brewery and restaurant across the street from Marker 42 at 932 Front St. and 120 King St., the former sites of Kudzu Mercantile and Kudzu Bakery, respectively. Opening is tentatively slated for July.

Day said the brewery, which will expand his two-barrel Winyah Bay Brewing Company operation at Buzzs Roost, is a passion project. And even though he hopes to reach beer, wine and liquor drinkers alike, he also wants to reach people just looking for a bite.

Day plans to have a consistently rotating menu with small plates  he specifically makes mention of tapas  at the 932 Front St. property, using the indoor/outdoor space as a coffee shop in the mornings. Subject to staffing, he also hopes to use the space for crepes and donuts.

By no means is it a bar, Day said. Itll have a bar in it, but the focus will be the food.
In Kharkiv, Ulyana Machnevas father and his family often seek safety in the hallways of his apartment building. The bombing in Ukraine's big northeastern city has been incessant. The power is out. Kharkiv is wrecked.

In the small western city of Vinnytsia, Max Kovalovs family scrambles into their cellar when the air-raid sirens sound. They must seek shelter several times a day. Recently, Russian troops blew up the nearby airport.

In the tiny town of Slevuta, about 350 miles west of Kyiv, Irina Pevzners 95-year-old grandmother waits to be rescued from the war. Pevzner is there to get her out. They will find a ride to Uzhhorod then walk across the border.

Back in Tblisi, Georgia, journalist Will Cathcart sees in his minds eye the corpses, some torn into pieces and strewn in the road in the southeastern city of Mariupol, a hot spot of Vladimir Putins war. Now Cathcart is wondering if Georgia, his adopted home, is next on Putins list.

War, however remote, finds a way to extend its tentacles into every corner of the globe. You might assume you are far enough away to be relatively unaffected, but note how your economy shakes, how supply chains are disrupted, how prices go up, how the geo-political landscape shifts under your feet. And somewhere nearby is a friend or neighbor desperate about the fate of loved ones abroad.

Bombing Kharkiv

Machneva is a classical guitarist and composer who teaches at the Charleston Academy of Music. She was born in Ukraine and studied at the Kharkiv Conservatory. Among her compositions is Ukrainian Fantasy, which she performed in The Post and Couriers No Intermission series in 2020. Now she is taking that piece and other music for guitar to concerts organized to raise funds for Ukraine.

Her father Constantine is stuck in Kharkiv, a large city near the Russian border that has borne the brunt of Putins assault.

I wake up and I think about him, Machneva said. Hes still in an apartment in the center of the city.

They communicate via Facebook Messenger, daily when possible. Every night there is bombing, missile attacks and artillery fire. The windows are blown out. Some buildings are no longer habitable. The power has been out.

When an apartment house is hit by a missile in the lower floors, it can set the whole structure ablaze.

On March 10, Machneva was waiting for another message from her father. Without electricity, he cant keep his phone charged.

The messages are worrisome, like this one sent a day or two earlier: They are bombing nearby. Forgive me if I dont see you anymore.

He and his family might try to escape via a humanitarian corridor, but those have been unreliable: open briefly, then shelled by the Russians. So Constantine stays put, ushering his family into the inner hallway when the bombs go off.

Kharkiv is a beautiful city, Machneva said. It has been rehabilitated in recent years and features lots of public parks and playgrounds.

Now they are full of debris and corpses.

Seeking safe shelter

Max Kovalov is a professor of international studies and director of the Global Leadership Institute at the College of Charleston. His family lives in Vinnytsia, a town about 80 miles north of the Moldova border in the western part of Ukraine.

It has not been under direct assault until around March 7 when Russian forces bombed the nearby airport in an effort to cripple the countrys infrastructure.

But the air-raid sirens are nearly constant, and every time they go off, Kovalovs family scurries to the cellar, sometimes spending hours underground. Theyre lucky, Kovalov said. Many residents dont have easy access to bomb shelters and must remain above ground, inside high-rise buildings or otherwise vulnerable to missile attacks.

Ukrainian men are forbidden from fleeing the country. Most who are capable of taking up arms, even if they have no formal military training, are expected to be ready to do so, Kovalov said.

That includes his brother and several friends. If they report to the army for duty, they might be turned away because of lack of experience, in which case they form defensive militias and provide assistance to the war effort by delivering provisions, creating physical barriers and guarding entry points.

Vinnytsia has welcomed evacuees from other parts of the country. They are called internally displaced persons or IDPs. By some counts, they outnumber refugees fleeing Ukraine  more than 2 million people so far out of a population of more than 44 million.

Now, between college obligations, Kovalov is trying to find organizations he can support that are doing work inside Ukraine. He wants his financial donations to have an immediate impact, he said. And hes staying in touch with loved ones.

I have to be supportive of my family, I have to be active and present, he said. Its easy to be overwhelmed, especially if you start reading the news, the chronology of events, its easy to get devastated. But I keep reminding myself that what my family and relatives are experiencing is nothing compared to what (others) are experiencing.

'Not only about Ukraine'

The Ukrainian-owned Euro Foods, a specialty grocery store in West Ashley, has collected supplies to ship to the warzone.

Musicians are hoping to organize benefit concerts in Columbia and Charleston.

City officials in Beaufort are raising funds for its adopted sister city Ostroh, located in the western part of Ukraine. Like Vinnytsia, its providing shelter to evacuees from Kyiv and Kharkiv, and functioning as a supply transport hub.

Cathcart, a Charleston native who once wrote for The Charleston Mercury and now contributes to The Daily Beast and other outlets, said he thinks that only the Russian people can stop the war now. They must open their eyes to the reality on the ground in Ukraine and demand an end to the conflict.

If anyone should know the lesson from World War II about one megalomaniac holding the world hostage, it should be the Russians, Cathcart said.

If Putin succeeds in conquering Ukraine, then maybe Georgia is next, or the Baltic States. This is not only about Ukraine, he said.

To understand what was happening on the ground, Cathcart and a photographer from the U.S., Robert Cooper, traveled first to Odesa, the port city on the Black Sea, then to Mariupol, arriving there on Feb. 22.

They embedded with a group of experienced Ukrainian fighters and were struck by their toughness and their kindheartedness, Cathcart said.

In the early hours of Feb. 24, the artillery fire was getting louder and louder. The war was upon Mariupol, a city situated along the northeastern coast of the Sea of Azov, not far from the Russian border.

The journalists decided to leave. We knew we had to get as far west as fast as we could, Cathcart said.

They found a driver, made their way through the Russian line, scrambled to escape small arms and artillery fire, ditched the car and sought cover in the back of an abandoned truck, then ditched the truck and bolted for the relative safety of a concrete structure.

There they remained through the cold night, receiving and sending messages, wondering how they might extract themselves from this danger.

Their opportunity came the next day, after Ukranian troops secured a nearby bridge that led to the airport. Cathcart and his small entourage returned to the car and sped off, taking notice of the body parts strewn in the roadway. One bifurcated Russian corpse was left in the middle of the bridge, perhaps as a warning to other Russian fighters.

They made it back to Odesa and soon were out of the country.

Rescuing Elena

On March 9, Pevzner began her journey from Charleston to Ukraine, taking time off from her job running the Charleston Academy of Music. Her grandmother Elena Logvinovich recently was in the U.S. and her visa is still valid. So Pevzner plans to extract her from her town, hitch a ride to the Slovakian border and walk across to the tiny village of Vysne Nemecke where friends await.

The crossing might be less strenuous there; most Ukrainian refugees are trying to get into Poland or Hungary, Pevzner said.

Im not too worried, she said. Her grandmothers town, Slevuta, is not of strategic importance. Logvinovich has taken refuge in a bomb shelter only five times so far.

That said, 10 kilometers away is a weapons station, and 20 kilometers away is nuclear power plant, Pevzner added.

Crime is on the rise in Ukraine. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy released prisoners so they might join the fight against Russia, and some bad actors are exploiting people on the run, promising transportation then stealing their property. So its important to find people you trust, Pevzner said.

She hopes she can return her grandmother to Ukraine soon. Thats where she wants to be.

Shes always hanging out with friends, singing songs, drinking vodka, going to the movies. She even attended university, because they have special program for seniors.

Logvinovich is familiar with conflict. She lived through World War II. But she was anxious about leaving at first, telling her granddaughter, Ive done this before, I have food saved up, I know how to get water, Pevzner said. Now she is reconciled.

Im glad that shes feeling prepared, Pevzner said. I dont want her to go through another war. She doesnt deserve this.

Pragmatic though she is, Pevzner also is shocked by what has transpired.

I am in disbelief, she said. These two countries have nothing to fight about. They are family.

Yet she hears from Russian friends that society there is deeply divided. Some know whats going on and object; others remain silent for fear of imprisonment; still others buy the party line about rescuing Ukraine from Nazis and radicals.

One friend said if they put a rifle in my hand and tell me to fight, I might turn it the other way, Pevzner recalled.

The kinship between the two countries runs deep. The name for Ukraine in Russian  Ukraina  means on the edge. The cultures and languages are similar. Thats why many dont mind the idea of unification, Pevzner said.

Belarus, just to the north, also is very Russian historically and culturally, she noted. The countrys name means White Russia, a reference to its many birch trees.

Ukraine has strategic and economic value to Russia, she said. Its soil is among the most fertile in the world, its replete with precious minerals, it has easy access to the Black Sea to the south, and it borders Europe.

It has only been independent for 30 years.

So the war is a big test, Pevzner said.

Will it strengthen its sense of autonomy, or will it capitulate to Putin?

POSTSCRIPT: Irina Pevzner was successful. Late Friday, she and her grandmother were safe in Slovakia.
SUMMERVILLE  A suspect in a March 11 North Main Street bank robbery was killed in a North Carolina police chase later that evening, authorities say.

Thomas Lester Ketelsen, identified by the Summerville Police Department and the Nash County Sheriffs Office, died during a police chase involving deputies from the sheriffs office. Ketelsen, 60, was from Conover, N.C.

Ketelsen was suspected of robbing South State Bank earlier that day, according to a March 12 statement from the Summerville Police Department. Ketelsen was also suspected of robbing First Citizens Bank in Camden that morning.

Police said Ketelsen fled North Main Street after robbing the bank. It is unclear the amount of money was taken, based on initial reports.

The suspect came in contact with North Carolina deputies at about 10:40 p.m. that evening at a traffic stop on the northbound side of Interstate 95, Nash County Sheriff Keith Stone said in a March 12 press conference. The area is northeast of Raleigh.

When deputies got behind Ketelsen and activated their blue light, he accelerated and drove away, Stone said. Deputies chased the suspect. They forced Ketelsen off the road and into the left shoulder of the highway in a pursuit, he said.

Ketelsen hit a tree and was partially ejected from the vehicle, Stone said. He died at the scene.

Summerville police are investigating the robbery, though investigators do not believe there are any other suspects in the case, the department said.

The N.C. Highway Patrol and the State Bureau of Investigations will investigate Ketelsens death, Stone said.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Considerable cloudiness. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High around 85F. Winds SSW at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Some clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph.
Bill 249-36, a measure that would do away with the Bureau of Budget and Management Research's allotment controls on the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs and authorize continuing appropriations for the agency, garnered support last week in addition to opposition from the Lester Carlson, the director of BBMR.

Amid talk on funding and appropriations, Guam Veterans Commission Chairman Jose San Agustin stated that the issue at stake is "actually an indicator the Guam Office of Veterans Affairs has been for many years not provided the funding of the budget that it really needs," during the bill's public hearing on March 4.

"Because of the way things are going, I will support this bill and I hope that we can continue to work between the administration and the Legislature and the Guam Veterans Commission to continue to find solutions to the issues that's been plaguing this office for the longest years," San Agustin stated.

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Fellow veterans Tim Ohno and Bill Cundiff had similar concerns about funding and supported Bill 249 as well.

Earlier this month, the bill's main sponsor, Sen. Telo Taitague, published a release stating that Guam OVA was appropriated about $581,000 in fiscal year 2021 but $150,000 was transferred to the agency that year from the Office of the Governor, "for a total budget of $731,692."

"BBMR informed senators last Friday that the Guam OVA spent $617,045.75 for fiscal year 2021 ... leaving a balance of $114,646.25 unaccounted for," the release stated.

However, BBMR interpreted the matter differently. Carlson stated that OVA Director Tim Aguon requested assistance from the governor in January or February 2021 to settle a "(U.S.) Department of Labor back wage obligation" in the amount of about $97,000.

Carlson said an employee filed a grievance and USDOL sided with the employee. On top of that, there was a finding that three employees were due comp time in lieu of overtime.

The governor transferred monies from her office to assist OVA with its obligations, including the wage matter, according to Carlson.

"There was no transfer out (of OVA) of any money," he said.

While the OVA received additional funding, this was not an appropriation to the agency, according to BBMR's fiscal note on Bill 249.

The OVA's expenses for fiscal 2021 ultimately exceeded the Legislature's appropriation that year, meaning there is no unexpended balance to appropriate this fiscal year, as Bill 249 attempts to do, according to information in the fiscal note.

"As of September 30, 2021, BBMR reported that $98,446 of Guam OVAs FY 2021 budget had been set aside as an appropriation reserve. However, BBMRs revised fiscal note on Bill 249 stated there is no unexpended balance of funds from FY 2021," Taitague's release stated.

"It appears Bill 249 triggered BBMR to quickly revisit Guam OVAs financials so the legislature would not have the opportunity to lock in unspent FY 2021 funding for Veterans," the senator stated in her release.

As for releasing the OVA from BBMR's allotment controls, Carlson stated last week the governor is also opposed to Bill 249 because she believes allotments to OVA are an executive function, falling under her office. Carlson noted other agencies outside of BBMR's allotment control are almost exclusively autonomous agencies.

BBMR has always met priorities for the OVA and other agencies in terms of funding releases, Carlson stated.

For fiscal 2022, the OVA's total appropriation was about $968,000 with a 15% reserve requirement amounting to around $145,000. But as of March, the funds held in reserve were at about $197,000. That is due to funds allocated for travel, equipment and capital outlay that were placed in reserve until they are needed. Carlson said the OVA director had just recently traveled to Washington, D.C., and BBMR released funds after receiving justification.

"This is how we reduced the deficit. It's fiscal controls that don't impair the agency's ability to do what they need to do," Carlson said, adding that they believe Bill 249 is not necessary.

OVA representatives were not present for the bill's hearing, so deliberations on Bill 249 were extended to March 15.
Press Release

March 13, 2022 De Lima grateful for overwhelming support in campaign rallies Amid her continued unjust detention, support for Re-electionist Senator Leila M. de Lima during campaign sorties remain overwhelming, her Spokesperson and one of her legal counsels, Atty. Dino de Leon, shared. In an online interview organized by Ateneo Batch 1980 during the series, "Ating Kilalanin ang mga Senatoriables," De Leon said many of our countrymen continue to vouch for De Lima's integrity and believe in her innocence amid efforts by the present administration to besmirch her reputation. "Despite the fact na ipinakulong nila si Senator Leila de Lima, sinubukan nilang patahimikin, ang reception na nakukuha namin sa ground ay napaka-positibo, at naniniwala ang mga tao na imbento ang kaso laban sa kanya," he said. "Kasi malinaw naman na inosente siya, hindi naman maglalabas ng opinion ang UN [United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention] about her case kung hindi gawa-gawa lang ang kaso laban sa kanya," he added. It may be recalled that in August 2018, the UN Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (UNWGAD) concluded in its Opinion No. 61/2018 that the detention of De Lima was arbitrary given the absence of a legal basis. Last year, nine US Senators, led by Sen. Bob Menendez, filed US Senate Resolution No. 342 condemning the detention of women rights defenders and journalists around the world, including De Lima, and calling for their immediate release. Just last month, the European Parliament issued a resolution condemning, among others, De Lima's continued unjust detention while the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Amnesty International (AI) urged candidates for this year's national elections to commit to freeing De Lima. US Senators Marco Rubio, Patrick Leahy, Ed Markey and Dick Durbin, for their part, renewed their call for the freedom of De Lima. Since De Lima cannot physically attend campaign rallies, De Leon shared that the lady Senator "had to vicariously experience the campaign through stories." "I visited her [recently], gusto niya magpakuwento sa kampanya," said De Leon, who regularly attends campaign sorties bringing De Lima's standee with him, within and outside Metro Manila. Despite the limitation in campaign resources, De Leon shared that De Lima remains very hopeful and optimistic. "Her spirit remains to be indomitable," he said. "If it were another person, if you've been incarcerated the last five years, that wouldn't be easy. Pero now, all I can say is she's very happy, very determined to continue the fight and she will fight until the end, and hopefully she wins the elections with the support of everyone," he added. De Lima, the most prominent political prisoner under the Duterte regime who remains detained over-trumped-up drug charges, marked her 5th year in unjust detention last Feb. 24. She has consistently and firmly asserted her innocence in the cases filed against her. Due to lack of evidence, she was acquitted in one of these three cases on Feb. 17, 2021.
Our friend Kevin Roche is the former general counsel of UnitedHealth and chief executive officer of its Ingenix division. He calls this his somewhat valedictory post on the epidemic. He vows that he will wind down his epic epidemic coverage at Healthy Skeptic fairly soon, barring some major return of a wave, although he will continue to track the research along with the data and write an occasional post. The public is pretty much done and so am I. Kevin writes:

This weekend two years ago I published the first ad in the Star Tribune expressing alarm at the policies adapted to fight the Covid-19 epidemic. The themes set forth in that ad have guided my education and advocacy efforts and my subsequent columns in that newspaper from the start of the epidemic. And the concerns expressed and the rationales for those concerns have been largely proven correct.

Respiratory virus transmission is impossible to stop  a lesson New Zealand, Hong Kong and China are still learning. Attempts to suppress the spread are futile. Such measures usually lead to unintended (perhaps, but certainly predictable) consequences that can be more devastating than the virus itself.

Normal life is upended, worsening health for those who are most ill, isolating the already lonely elderly, destroying educational and social development for children, leading to more drug and alcohol abuse and greater mental health issues. These harms go on for years and decades. None of this was mysterious or unknown. Any thoughtful, calm, rational response would have recognized these basic facts and issues. But instead we were served a hysterical, lemming-like overreaction which in the end did not protect most of the population from being infection or many from serious disease.

On behalf of the public, I would like an apology from those responsible for the disastrous handling of the epidemic response.

Our public health experts owe us a very, very large apology for seeming to be completely ignorant of basic tenets of respiratory virus disease and epidemiology. These experts and our political leaders were the worst of the worst during the epidemic, in large part because they planned and implemented the terror campaign.

Every message and pronouncement invoked danger and safety. We were basically encouraged never to leave our homes and never interact with friends, family, or strangers. We were led to believe that if we contracted the virus we would certainly be hospitalized, die or transmit it to some vulnerable person.

In their monomaniacal obsession with Covid-19, these public health dunces also ignored the broader health of the citizenry, to which they have done immense and lasting harm. They hid data, made up data, and ignored research, all to support their beliefs, and they were just beliefs, about how best to address the epidemic. The actions of the public health authorities we are told to rely on were disgraceful and frankly all but a few should be fired.

Our medical community should apologize for complying with orders to shut off access to care for non-CV-19 patients; for refusing to consider alternative treatments which might have helped some patients; for punishing physicians and other clinicians who dared to question the official line; and for endorsing measures, like closing schools and masking children, which were known to have harmful effects which likely outweighed any benefits, and which were not adopted in many developed countries. Many medical societies and practitioners were enthusiastically anti-scienceunwilling to even actually consider what the data and research were finding.

The media should apologize for eagerly cheerleading ignorant and dangerous government policies and for never fulfilling the fundamental role of media in a democracy - questioning the wisdom of government actions, revealing government chicanery and ensuring that the public had all the relevant information, especially that information the government worked hard to obfuscate.

Instead the media joined in the terror campaign, happy to spread fear and enjoy rising ratings and more revenue. The media ignored, or even bashed, alternative analyses or policy recommendations. It literally worked hand-in-hand with governments to promote the official message with unquestioning obeisance. It never pushed for full transparency. How different the response might have been if the media had met its obligation to be a questioning voice for the public.

The politicians who (mis)led us during the epidemic should apologize (actually some should follow the Japanese tradition and commit hari-kari) for being themselves, i.e., stupid, devious, panicky, incapable of real leadership. These politicians took upon themselves the exercise of emergency powers which undercut democracy and led to dreadful decision-making which could and would have been avoided by the use of typical policy-making processes - robust discussion, consideration of evidence and alternatives and debate over the best course of action. They willingly and enthusiastically endorsed the terror campaign.

Our own governor was a classic case: the inestimable Incompent Blowhard and Prevaricating Weasel, using a model known to be flawed to terrify Minnesotans into believing tens of thousands of them would die even if we followed his complete shutdown orders, at every briefing promoting fear, lying about the effectiveness of his suppression orders, hiding and massaging data to support those orders, even when he had evidence they made no difference, and never, ever once taking responsibility for the consequences of his actions. Unfortunately, he fit right in with most of our other governors and the federal administrations during the epidemic.

Even the public owes an apology to those who were pilloried for almost the entire epidemic for daring to suggest that Covid-19 could not be suppressed, that suppression measures would do immense damage to the wider public health, to public and personal finances, to our economy, to education, to social relations and eventually to science and medicine, and that we would and could adapt to Covid-19 and the sooner we accepted that, the better. These wiser heads were assaulted as uncaring anti-science buffoons. People who had a different risk perspective were shamed.

I personally received mail, emails, tweets, etc. accusing me of putting money over people, of killing grandma. Many people expressed the hope that I would contract and die of Covid-19. Somehow I appear to have miraculously been one of the small group of Americans who have never been infected. I think this is partly due to the evil wishes of this cohort of morons.

Now the conventional wisdom has swung, largely because the current party in power sees dismal polls and is motivated to put the epidemic behind it. We are just worn out. But a thank you to the non-professional researchers and analysts who tried to provide an alternative perspective and who served up better data and analyses would be in order.

I dont expect any of these mea culpas to occur. But if the apologies arent forthcoming, it reflects an unwillingness to acknowledge error. A failure to acknowledge error makes it unlikely that we will adjust our response to future epidemics. Some years or decades from now, when we inevitably are hit with another respiratory epidemic, more likely than not we will condemn ourselves to the same futile, stupid and costly attempts to suppress the unsuppressible.

NOTE: Kevin will speak tomorrow evening, March 14, at the Crystal VFW on Bass Lake Rd, at 6:30 p.m. He says he will be addressing (celebrating) the end of the epidemic.
The AP reports on the message from the mullahs that landed in Iraqs autonomous Kurdistan province: Iran has claimed responsibility for a missile barrage that struck early Sunday near a sprawling U.S. consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard.Irans powerful Revolutionary Guard said on its website that it launched the attack against an Israeli strategic center of conspiracy in Irbil.

MENAs Simon Rushton has more here and Israel National News adds this: A senior US official confirmed to Fox News that the missiles fired toward the US Consulate in Erbil emanated from Iran. The official said that multiple missiles were fired, but none hit the Consulate and no Americans were injured.

Seth Frantzman asks what its all about in this Jerusalem Post column. I think Michael Doran has decoded the message from the mullahs (below).

I presume that the Iranian attack on Erbil was a response to Israel killing two Iranian colonels in Damascus. The message from Tehran to the Americans is: "Rein in the Israelis, or we will escalate against you." I fear the White House will indeed blame the Israelis and not Iran.  Mike (@Doranimated) March 13, 2022
Daylight saving time is mistakenly credited to Benjamin Franklin. It may still be a good idea even if it wasnt inspired by Franklin. Nevertheless, I find the commencement of daylight saving time today annoying.

As a morning person, I am not the least bit pleased by the extension of dawn by an hour so early in the year. By the same token, do we really need to move sunset back an hour this early in March? It seemed to be coming along fine all by itself. Couldnt we wait a few weeks, until the start of daylight saving time wouldnt be so noticeable in the morning?

Congress didnt think so. In 2005 it passed a mammoth new energy bill that included the controversial monthlong extension of daylight saving time under which we are now operating. National Geographic recounts the history of daylight saving time here and here.

A deep theory of energy savings was the basis of the applicable provision of the 2005 bill. As of the effective date of the new regime in 2007, however, National Geographic was noting that the moves energy-saving potential is uncertain and is already being called into question.

Advocates such as Massachusetts Democrat Ed Markey, who co-sponsored the bill in the House of Representatives, said the plan was about more than just saving energy. Markey actually issued a press statement proclaiming: In addition to the benefits of energy saving, less crime, fewer traffic fatalities, more recreation time and increased economic activity, daylight saving just brings a smile to everybodys faces. Im not buying it.

Redistributing daylight is the kind of zero-sum game that underlies the liberals vision of the world. The hour of daylight in the evening comes at the expense of the morning. At least it is in fact only a zero-sum game.

The economy is not a zero-sum game, although liberals frequently treat it as such, as though the wealth of the rich comes at the expense of the poor. When liberals succeed in acting on or imposing their vision on us, on balance it produces effects that are detrimental or destructive.

Markeys press statement demonstrated a certain credulity that puts me in mind of the scientists of Lagado discovered by Gulliver in the course of his travels. They sought to extract sunlight from cucumbers. Markey and his colleagues would undoubtedly find their project worthy of taxpayer funding. The additional sunlight would bring so much happiness.
Former WCCO/CBS Minnesota reporter Pafoua Yang has rejoined her former WCCO/CBS Minnesota colleague Liz Collin at Alpha News, on whose board I sit. We are excited to have them both join the team under the editorship of Anthony Gockowski. Alpha News has posted the announcement here. Liz interviews Pafoua about her move in the video below. Like Liz, she has a story to tell (its touched on in the video).

The Twin Cities badly need the alternative press Alpha News aspires to provide. The dominant daily newspaper is like the NPR described by William Deresiewicz in the UnHerd column Escaping American tribalism. The Star Tribune fits right in here with Mr. Ds declaration of independence from NPR and the rest of the media herd:

My discontent had been building since the previous summer, the summer of the George Floyd protests. It was clear from the beginning that the network would be covering the movement not like journalists but advocates. A particular line was being pushed. There was an epidemic of police violence against unarmed African-Americans; black people were in danger of being murdered by the state whenever they walked down the street. The protests were peaceful, and when they werent, the violence was minor, or it was justified, or it was exclusively initiated by the cops. Although we had been told for months to stay indoors, the gatherings did not endanger public health  indeed, they promoted it. I supported the protests; I just did not appreciate the fact that I was being lied to. But it wasnt just that story. Overnight, the networks entire orientation had changed. Every segment was about race, and when it wasnt about race, it was about gender. The stories were no longer reports but morality plays, with predictable bad guys and good guys. Skepticism was banished. Divergent opinions were banished. The pronouncements of activists, the arguments of ideologically motivated academics, were accepted without question. The tone became smug, certain, self-righteous. To turn on the network was to be subjected to a program of ideological force-feeding. I was used to the idiocies of the academic Left  I had been dealing with them ever since I started graduate school  but now they were leaking out of my radio. Nor was it only NPR. One by one, the outlets that I counted on for reliable reporting and intelligent opinion  that I, in some measure, identified with  fell in line.

Alpha News will not fall in line. I thought readers might be interested in Pafouas personal story as set forth in the brief video.
My biography of M. Stanton Evans comes out in another week, and there are two upcoming events to help launch the book that readers may wish to take in. Both will be livestreamed, but also available online after.

This Tuesday afternoon (Match 15) at 2 pm eastern, Matt Continetti will host me for a book forum at AEI. Like most DC think tanks, AEI is not yet having events with live audiences, but well be set in their well-lit conference facility. You can sign up to watch here.

I dont know how many Power Line readers there may be near Troy, Alabama, but on Thursday, March 24, Ill be giving the keynote address at the annual M. Stanton Evans Symposium, which the Troy University School of Communication and Fine Arts holds every year in Stans honor (Stan taught journalism at Troy for nearly 30 years).

This event will also be livestreamed (click the link above for details), but if you want to get a book signed, youll need to come in person! The event is free and open to the public.

Ill be posting a few excerpts and lessons from Stan over the next few weeks, but for now, take in his succinct description of how the conservative movement changedand needed to changein the 1950s and 1960s:
Some years ago, a broadcaster described Lagos as the capital of street foods in the world. The comment, it will be recalled, was actually inspired by the activities of young and energic Nigerians in street food business outside Nigeria.

At the time, many of them had exported Nigerias mouth-watering foods and excellent outdoor eating experience to the streets of West and East London.

For those who still remember, the interest in those creative and hardworking Nigerians abroad in the business of feeding people across age, race and gender was fueled by impressive sales volume and a high profit margin.

However, a follow-up report and further investigative work by a journalist recently, revealed that those Nigerian food vendors have moved on to other big things but they are still keeping tabs on the business.

In Lagos where the business of eating out or meals by wheels booms, that is also the attitude to this business. So, the big food vendors hardly stay far even after starting other things.

For many of them, that is the only way they keep their eyes and ears on opportunities and the big prize connected with street foods. Those in West and East London probably learned the tricks of the trade back home from those who are still keeping the fire of street foods burning, especially in Lagos.

Therefore, for people who live and work in this interesting economic capital of Nigeria, eating out is a way of life. In fact, food is served round the clock on Lagos streets. And it has remained so for reasons of convenience, class, taste, adventure, ease and variety.

However, for others who may not know, Lagos is unique for many reasons. For instance, eating out booms mainly because this is a city that hardly sleeps. Here, everybody is on the go, all day and night essentially for one reason: survival. And to survive in Lagos means that you must pay little or no attention to home cooking, especially during the week when deadlines are met.

One of the commonest foods on display in Lagos streets is Suya, (roasted skewed meat with spices) regarded by its lovers as the most popular street food because of its great taste and availability.

There are also other foods like Ewa Agoyin (special beans meal prepared mainly by our neighbours from Togo and Republic of Benin); Bean Cakes, Roasted Plantain with fish, Plantain Chips, Ofada Rice, Jollof Rice, Small Chops, Puff Puff, Fried Rice, Boiled and Fried Yam, Potatoes and Assorted Meats are also on the street.

In addition to all these are fish and meat pepper soup, Okpa (local pudding), Boiled and Roasted Maize, Guguru and Epa (popcorn and ground nut), Pap and Beans, Agidi, Moimoi, Snail, Kilishi, Indomie Noodles and the ubiquitous wheelbarrows that now convey cooked white rice and pepper soup, served hot all through the day.

Mandu Umoh is a broadcaster and an entrepreneur. According to her, street food is one of the things that distinguishes a Lagosian and people from other parts of Nigeria. Like most Lagosians, street food is part of me; in fact, a way of life. You dont need to be told to eat street food when you are duty-bound to wake up as early as 4am to meet up with appointment on Lagos Island or other far-flung places in Lagos metropolis.

She adds that it is not usually convenient for anyone to think of entering the kitchen on a week day when he or she is already overwhelmed by the daily challenges of Lagos like traffic, surprises, the citys fast-paced life, confusion and other things that make Lagos one of the most exciting cities in the world.

In Lagos, nobody waits to cook because we are all on the go. So, for me, street food is real, correct and irresistible. People are free to have reservations but we have been eating it and we will continue to eat because many of us are game with it. This is also the reason many offices have one form of street food or the other, she says.

Similarly, Theo Ejiofor, a businessman, enriches the debate with strong and supporting personal experience both from his days as a student, and now as a worker in Lagos. Street food is more than just a matter of choice; it is a necessity. Many people who live in Lagos depend on street foods for survival. Apart from the variety street foods offer, many people compulsorily eat it to stay away from hunger while at work. I love it, and I have no problem with it. It is unique, fun and delicious.

A journalist, Tony Chukwuyem, also shares his thoughts which align to some extent with those of other interviewees. However, he chooses hygiene and comfort as his points of departure. For me, the only challenge is the environment where such meals are prepared and served. As you know, sometimes, the foods are exposed and they are sometimes not in the best of conditions. But they are tasty. They are also affordable, and that is the real deal. I also love the setting because it is a meeting point where people congregate and discuss freely irrespective of age, gender, creed or social status.

So, as things stand, to banish foods from Lagos streets may be considered cruel by lovers of this kind of outdoor treat. Many people may even consider such measure an extreme and unusual punishment especially for those who live on them. There are even those who are likely to regard such sanction as a sacrilege because that could also mean identity loss, especially for people who identify with this phenomenon that has come to stay despite its flip side.

But apart from providing employment opportunities, income, career, satisfaction and stability in the lives of many people, street foods have the potential to positively affect healthy living, integration, good neighbourliness and social order.

Therefore, a government that fully understands the changing times and the importance of nutrition plan for its citizens can actually open new frontiers by offering new opportunities to her citizens in this most unlikely area of growth.

Going forward, street foods could become better, both in cooking and packaging but in all of these, hygiene remains a major factor if Lagosians hope to keep the culture going.

Mr Asoya first published this article on his Facebook Page. We have his permission to republish here.
The sixth batch of Nigerian evacuees from Ukraine arrived Saturday evening at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.

They arrived on a plane owned by Azman Air. They were airlifted from Hungary where they had fled following the war in Ukraine.

A total of 301 Nigerians were evacuated on the flight, some of whom are students stuck in Sumy, a Ukrainian city that has suffered repeated Russian attacks.

The evacuees, according to the Nigerians in Diaspora Commission (NiDCOM), also got free SIM cards loaded with airtime to allow them to reach their family members. The SIM cards were courtesy of a partnership between NiDCOM and MTN, a network service provider.

The evacuees also received 100 dollars for transportation as did the batches that arrived before them.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how over 1,000 Nigerians earlier arrived from Ukraine in five batches. The returnees had fled Ukraine to neighbouring countries like Poland and Hungary from where they were airlifted to Nigeria.

Hundreds of people have been killed in Ukraine since Russia invaded the country about a fortnight ago while over two million people have been displaced.
When Simon Odo, a native doctor popularly known as King of Satan, passed on in December last year in Enugu State, Nigerias South-east, his story went viral on the Internet.

Mr Odo is reported to have married 59 wives and had over 300 children and grandchildren, by the time he died.

PREMIUM TIMES, in a bid to get an insight into Mr Odos religious and family life, tracked down one of his children, Chinenye Elijah Simon, who is a pastor in the Lords Chosen Church, Ogidi, Anambra State.

In this Interview with PREMIUM TIMES Chinagorom Ugwu, Mr Simon, 40, speaks on how he was initiated and groomed to succeed King of Satan, how he fought, freed himself from his fathers grip and eventually became a pastor.

PT: Have you ever followed your dad in his religious practice?

SIMON: Yes, that was in 1996 when I was 14 years old. There was a mountain my father used to go to every year, where he usually spent 40 days. During that 1996, he went to the place with all his male children. He started calling out all the children one after the other to ask them who was willing to succeed him (as a native doctor).

As they were coming out, they were saying no, no. I think I was the last person he called out. He asked me and I said yes. In their traditional way, it was me, then, not now, that the idol chose to worship him after my father. On that mountain, my father initiated me as somebody who was going to succeed him. But as time went on, that was 1998, I left the village for Lagos to serve as an apprentice.

PT: How were you able to overcome the grip of traditional faith to become a believer of Jesus Christ and then a pastor?

SIMON: In Lagos, God arrested me on December 19, 2004. So, I was in my room, the voice came like the wind that I should go to the Lords Chosen (Church)  Thats how I located the church at Ijesha, Lagos.

PT: Your fathers name is Simon Odo, but you removed Odo when you introduced yourself?

SIMON: By the grace of God, my parents named me Chinenye and the one God gave me directly is Elijah. That is the one Im bearing now. I refused to answer that Odo, because it is an idol name.

PT: At what age did you get converted to Christianity and through who?

SIMON: I was 22 years old. My former church was the Roman Catholic Church (when I was new in Lagos). While I was on my way to my house in Lagos, a pastor stopped me and started preaching to me. I pushed him away and said Get out of my sight, you are a criminal. I left him, not knowing that I would later become that very thing I pushed out.

PT: When you finally accepted and wanted to become a Christian, did your dad oppose it?

SIMON: It was a very heavy battle. He tried everything to eliminate me, but he could not. At the end he confessed to me that Im his child, that he could not do anything, that he tried everything he could, but could not do anything. And he said Go ahead and serve that your God. That your God is a true God.

PT: How did you handle your dads opposition?

SIMON: The heat was so much on me. I was going about preaching the gospel, preaching about Jesus Christ, leaving my business, I left it for my younger ones. I was seriously following the Lord. That time, wherever a crusade was held, I would go. If Watchman is holding a crusade, I would go to the crusade.

If Deeper Life is holding a crusade, I would go to the crusade. I forgot everything about business. At a time, my people started mocking me that church has taken my life. They mocked me. They called me all sorts of names. They even said I carried AIDs because then fasting was my food. If you see me, I was just like a stick, while I was fasting and praying for the deliverance of my family.

PT: Did you ever try converting your dad into Christianity?

SIMON: Yes. I did. As I gave my life to Christ, my first prayer point was that my family must know Jesus. That was my first prayer point and that my father will not die in idol worshiping. As I was into it, it was in 2011 that I became a pastor.

I preached to him and at one point, he said I should leave his house because he had nothing to do with Jesus. (And) that Jesus did not give him money. That who gave him money was Satan and its Satan he would continue following. I told him that Jesus was the owner of his life. He became angry and asked me to leave his house. He picked up a gun and used it to chase me away, though I was stubbornly standing (there). It was people around that told me to leave and I left.

PT: How did the Church accept you?

SIMON: They were fighting me. They even said the power I was using for miracles was my fathers power.

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PT: Are there any of your siblings who followed your dad in his practice?

SIMON: There are some of my siblings who were following him. But the last thing that happened was that when he was seriously sick, he was calling on me to come home, he wanted to see me. I ignored his call. My siblings called and told me that since my father asked me to come home, that I should come home to see why he was calling me. On 12 December, I went home. That Jesus he refused to accept when he was healthy, he accepted Jesus Christ at the sick point, at the zero hour. I preached to him.

He asked me to pray for him and I laid my hand on his head and prayed for him. While I was praying, he shivered. When he shivered, I got a message that the spirit in him had left him. The python spirit that was in him had left him. When I finished praying, he said he believed my prayer, and that he was well. I told him he would be okay.

I left for Anambra on December 12. Early in the morning, after my midnight prayer, he came to me. In my revelation, his spirit came to me and was telling me that the moment the spirit of God enters someone, the person will become a changed person immediately. I said yes, its true. I woke up and it was a dream.

December 14, a call came that he had gone. But before he died, he did not hand over (his idolatry practice) to any man. It was my brother that saw when he was sick that he could not do anything again that started going close to him. That one is called Ukonu. So, when he died, Ukonu said he wanted to take over, but its for a time. All those things in our family will be wiped out because my family will not remain idol worshippers. My father who worshipped the thing, has gone.

PT: What kind of person was your dad?

SIMON: Naturally, my father was a good man. He helped people, orphans. He bought and gave out cars and motorcycles. In fact, if you dont have anything, come to him, he would give it to you. He would pack food and give it to the people.

PT: Is he going to heaven or hell?

SIMON: I will stand on my revelation that before he died, around 3 a.m. or to 4 a.m., thats when his spirit came to me in the spirit and was telling me that the moment the spirit of God enters somebody, the person will automatically change. The moment the spirit of God enters someone, the person will change. I said yes, its true and I woke up and it was a dream. I will stand on that very revelation and say that my father accepted the spirit of Christ that changed his spirit before he died.

PT: Were you there at his burial?

SIMON: I was not there where they were burying him. But I was in a compound different from the one he was buried in. We have many compounds. My people were begging me to come and witness the burial but I refused.

PT: Was the burial done in line with the Christian faith?

SIMON: No, it was done in a traditional way. The one called Ukonu. They did incantations. They called a caterpillar that dug his grave because he was buried with a car. According to them, he said they should bury him in a car, not a casket.

PT: There were reports that your family members (because of their large number) are planning to form a community. If that happens, will you be involved?

SIMON: Yes, I will be involved because I told them when we were having a meeting that this family is a great family. And, even what this family could not achieve when our father was alive, we are going to achieve it and this family must be known all over the world.

PT: Was your mother the first wife?

SIMON: She was the second wife.

PT: Is she a Christian?

SIMON: She was a Christian before she married my father, but my father pushed her into the worship of marine spirit. It was in 2006 that I took my mother to Lagos where she gave her life to Jesus Christ and she asked me to go to the village and burn her shrine. I came down home in 2007 and my father was afraid that I would also burn his own. He went and reported me to our king.

PT: Did she face opposition from your dad for joining Christianity?

SIMON: A lot. My dad even summoned my mothers people that I am the one that took his wife away, that I should bring his wife back. But my mother said she was not coming to marry him again, that she has given her life to Jesus.

She died in 2014, and was buried in 2015.

PT: Do people in your church or outside your church mistreat you for being the son of a native doctor?

SIMON: They are now proud of the Christ in me, that they can have such a person from that kind of family. They are now giving glory to God.

PT: Your dad appeared to be very wealthy, to have been able to cater for his numerous children and also he was buried in a car, instead of a casket. How did he make his money?

SIMON: Yes, he was extremely rich. His source of income was the native doctors work.

PT: Will you inherit some of his wealth?

SIMON: I told my people that if my father has billions or trillions in his (bank) account, I dont care to know. If he has any property anywhere, I dont care to know because I am not interested. I dont live in my fathers compound, I rented a house outside (in my village). But I do go there for programmes, I do host programmes in my fathers compound every month to pray for my family there, for those that will agree to come.

PT: There could be suspicion that your dad may have been involved in ritual killings. Was he ever involved in ritual killings?

SIMON: He was not involved in ritual killings. People used to come to him to kill somebody for them, but he would tell them he does not kill. Sometimes, he would gather the people he was asked to kill and summon people that asked him to kill them and say, Look at the people that asked me to kill you, but I dont kill.

PT: What were the kind of religious rites or spiritual things your dad did while he was alive?

SIMON: He killed rams. He killed fowls, even cows. He used animals for sacrifices.

PT: What calibre of people patronised him?

SIMON: Politicians do come, but I wont mention their names. Also, these drug dealers from overseas come. He would make charms for peoples progress in business.

PT: Did you ever see pastors come to patronise him?

SIMON: Yes, pastors do come, mainly from Port Harcourt, Rivers State and other areas.

PT: How many children did your father have?

SIMON: To be sincere, I dont know how many we are in the family.

PT: Whats your position in the family?

SIMON: I am the third son in the family.

PT: Is it true that your dad married women who were unable to pay for his services as a native doctor?

SIMON: Like some people, they would come with one sickness or the other. And after curing them, I dont know what happened, the next thing was that my dad would go to their place and marry them. But I dont know if it was because they could not complete their payment.

PT: Can you walk past some of your siblings and not recognise them?

SIMON: Yes, I can walk past some of my siblings without recognising them. But the ones I know before I left the village, anytime I see them, I will recognise them. The ones that were born after I left the village, I dont know them except if I go home and begin to ask questions.
Two four-year-olds, Wasiu Dauda and Alimeen Ibrahim, have been abducted in the Ijesha area of Lagos.

Seun Funmilayo, a relative of one of the mothers of the victims, told PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday that the children were abducted on Friday at Akorede market at around 6:30 p.m.

Mr Funmilayo said the parents went to the Ijesha police division to report the incident on Friday but they were asked to come back on Saturday evening.

They (children) came back from school, and the information reaching me is that they saw two people dressed in native and then bought the biscuit at the Aboki shop, Mr Funmilayo said.

He said the children, whose mothers are petty traders, were then lured into a minibus.

Even the Aboki (security guard) said he saw how they were taken into the bus but he didnt know them.

He also claimed that some police officers demanded bribes to carry out investigations into the matter.

The police spokesperson in Lagos, Adekunle Ajisebutu, did not immediately respond to calls seeking comments.

The development comes hours after a dispatch rider was discovered with a baby in his courier box in the Sangotedo area of the state.

It also comes days after the murder of a 22-year-old fashion designer, Bamise Ayanwola, who went missing after boarding a BRT in the state on February 26 and was later found dead.

The incident also occurred in the same week two siblings, aged 15 and 20, were kidnapped in Ogun State, with the kidnappers demanding N15 million as ransom.
At least 103 people were killed by non-state actors in Nigeria last week (March 6-12), a PREMIUM TIMES review of media reports shows

Last weeks killings indicate a massive increase of over 900 percent when compared to the previous week when 10 persons were killed. The figure for the previous week was the lowest in 2022.

Out of the 103 people who were killed, 24 were security personnel consisting of 18 soldiers and six police officers while the remaining 79 were civilians.

Most of the killings occurred in Kebbi State, North-west Nigeria, while others were recorded in few other states.

No incident was recorded in Zamfara, Sokoto and Niger states, which are, arguably, the epicenter of banditry in the country.

PREMIUM TIMES compiled the incidents from media reports. Thus, unreported cases are not included.

Below are the recorded incidents:

Two in Kaduna

Gunmen killed two people and abducted a Catholic cleric, Joseph Akeke, at Kudendan community in Kaduna State.

The incident happened around 1 a.m. Tuesday when the gunmen invaded the community.

82 in Kebbi

At least 63 vigilantes from five communities of Kebbi State were 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 who spoke to PREMIUM TIMES from Sakaba Local Government Area of the state said the number of casualties was higher.

Two days after, the outlaws on Tuesday again killed 18 soldiers and six policemen in the entourage of the Kebbi State deputy governor, Samaila Yombe, in Kanya in Dangu Wasagu Local Government Area of the state.

The latest incident occured during a visit by the deputy governor to areas in the state affected by banditry.

About 13 soldiers and six policemen died on the spot while the remaining five soldiers died while receiving treatment in the hospital.

12 in Katsina

Seven children were reported killed in a stampede of residents fleeing from bandits in Shimfida, Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The incident occurred Thursday morning, a few hours after soldiers serving in a joint security task force were withdrawn from the community, residents told PREMIUM TIMES.

Also in Katsina, five passengers lost their lives while three others were severely wounded when bandits opened fire on a moving vehicle on the Yan Tumaki  Danmusa road Saturday morning.

Danmusa local government area is one of the most vulnerable areas in the state it terms of bandits attacks. It shares boundaries with the dreaded Rugu forest and areas like Safana, Kankara and communities from Zamfara state.

One in Ogun

Some yet to be identified assailants on Monday set ablaze the Baale of Olowe Gbagura in Abeokuta North Local Government Area of Ogun State, Akin Muheedeen.

PREMIUM TIMES gathered that the community head had just returned from observing the Islamic morning prayer when assailants set him on fire.

Put an end

While reacting to the incidents in Kebbi State, President Muhammadu Buhari in a statement by his spokesperson, Garba Shehu, condemned the killings.

He vowed to put an end to the killings by bandits in the North-west, which has fast taken over from the insurgency in the North-east.

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The brutal murder of tens of vigilante members in Kebbi State by bandits who ambushed them in the Sakaba/Wassagu Local Government Area is saddening.

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 even before they launch attacks, the president said.
Two persons have died after a one-storey building collapsed at Ogere road, Iperu, Ogun State, during an illegal reconstruction by the owners last Thursday.

Following the incident, Governor Dapo Abiodun has ordered an investigation into the cause of the collapse.

Iperu is the governors hometown.

According to a statement signed by the governors Chief Press Secretary, Kunle Somorin, on Saturday, Mr Abiodun constituted a four-man committee to look into the root cause of the incident.

Members of the committee include the State Commissioner for Physical Planning, Tunji Odunlami; the Special Adviser on Environment, Ola Oresanya; the Special Adviser, Bureau of Lands and Survey, Ololade Salami, as well as the State Commissioner of Police, Lanre Bankole.

The committee has a mandate to investigate the root cause of the collapse within a week.

Mr Abiodun condoled with the families of the victims, assuring them that anyone found culpable in the incident will face the wrath of the law.

No one who violates the building codes or regulations in the state will be allowed to go scot-free. Such person or persons will be made to face the full wrath of the law.
Residents of Vom community in Vwang District of Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau, on Saturday prevented troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) from arresting a suspected gun runner and fabricator in the community.

Ishaku Takwa, the media officer of Operation Safe Haven, disclosed this in a statement on Saturday in Jos.

Mr Takwa, a major, said that the residents who came out in their numbers to prevent the soldiers from accessing the community, threw stones and other dangerous objects at the troops.

Troops of OPSH, acting on credible intelligence, mobilised its personnel in the early hours of Saturday to effect arrest of the suspected gun-runner and fabricator in Vom Community.

Sadly, on sighting security personnel, members of the community came out en mass and barricaded the road leading to the community.

They prevented the troops from gaining access to the community to carry out their lawful duty.

All efforts to calm the crowd proved futile as they resorted to throwing stones and other dangerous objects at security personnel who kept their cool in the face of unwarranted provocation, he said.

The media officer explained that to prevent the situation from degenerating, the OPSH Commander, Ibrahim Ali, ordered the immediate withdrawal of the troops from the community.

While we condemn the action of some members of the community who obstructed our troops from performing a lawful duty, we wish to remind the people about the consequences of preventing the arrest and harbouring criminal elements in their community.

No one should be in doubt that troops would certainly effect the arrest of any person or persons suspected to be involved in any unwholesome activity considered capable of truncating the peace and security of the state and the nation at large, he said.

Mr Takwa warned residents of the state against obstructing security agencies from performing their lawful duties.

(NAN)
Ahead of general elections next year, the electorates in Nigeria have been called upon to shun corrupt leaders and avoid the errors of the past.

The Founder/Chief Executive Officer, Akin Fadeyi Foundation, Akin Fadeyi, who gave the admonition at the official media presentation of his agencys 2023 general elections sensitization project tagged: Put on Your Thinking Cap, called on citizens to secure their Permanent Voters Cards, (PVC) and turn out en masse at the polls to effect the kind of change they truly clamour for. He said his foundation has opened conversations with YIAGA AFRICA, United Action for Democracy, HEDA Resource Center and The Cable Newspapers to build a robust coalition of CSOs to work with the Nigerian citizens to use their franchise rights wisely and elect leaders that can be held accountable for good governance.

Mr Fadeyi called on citizens to vote wisely this time and shun the vices of election violence and vote-buying which he said have left them for years at the mercy of money bags with their future and that of their unborn children morbidly mortgaged by the pittance politicians often offer to secure their votes.

The former ICPC Academy Provost, Sola Akinrinade, media veteran Folu Olamiti, Dapo Rotifa and the Cable Publisher and AFF Board Chairman were among the more than 80 participants that joined in the social re-engineering conversation virtually from home and abroad with more journalists in Abuja on Thursday.

Speaking from his base in Lagos, Nigerias prolific journalist, Jamiu Mojeed, welcomed the initiative even as he said the project may have come a little too late to change the narratives in 2023.

According to Mr Mojeed, with political parties primaries around the corner and with the way the political system is currently structured, the two dominant parties (the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will continue to hold sway with their tickets firmly tucked in the hands of money bags.

He said only a constitutional amendment that makes provision for independent candidacy can possibly turn the table.

Responding, a former spokesperson to Kogi governor, Petra- Akinti Onyegbule, said the time has come for positive-minded young and vibrant citizens to populate the two major political parties and from within the fold engineer desired change.

Another speaker, Kayode Akinropo from the United Kingdom (UK) agreed in principle with Mr Mojeed. He, however, pushed the button a notch higher when he blamed it all on Nigerias faulty foundation. How did we get to this point? He asked, calling on citizens at all levels to be prepared to ask critical questions and demand accountability.

AFF Board Chairman Simon Kolawole said it was not too late to mobilize citizens to vote out corrupt politicians and herald in a credible corp of leaders. He said the Muhammadu Buhari movement through its aggressive campaign against corruption turned the table around even when some section of Nigerians probably didnt give Mr Buhari a chance.

But within one year, the anti corruption mantra in his campaign became a movement hat got him to power. He said. On money politics, Kolawole said, What is the guarantee that if the people do not collect bribes for votes, they will be rewarded with credible leaders and how do we know the people who can perform?

AFF has been mobilizing Nigerians and raising value orientation consciousness amongst citizens against corruption and other vices since 2016 when it debuted its Anti-Corruption campaign, Corruption Not In My Country. It achieved this by engaging the services of renowned Nollywood actors and actresses to deliver over 30 drama messages which streamed to millions of homes in Nigeria and across Africa on CNN with the support of the MacArthur Foundation.

AFF followed with a first of its kind innovative technological portal, FLAG IT to curb corruption and other social vices that have combined to paralyze institutions and denied citizens assess to freedom, liberty, equity and justice.

According to Mr Fadeyi, its newest initiative, Put On Your Thinking Cap, aimed at sensitizing citizens on the need to vote wisely in 2023 will be massively rolled out and taken to every nook and cranny of the country; even as he ruled out chances of the project been hijacked by politicians.

Mr Fadeyis most impactful message on the day was to Nigerian intellectuals and influencers who he said are very active on national issues on the Social Media but display apathy when it comes to voting proper. He charged them to channel the same energy to pick up their voters cards ahead of the elections and ensure to actively get the job done in their various localities. Elections are not won on social media, he said.
Florence Obi, the Vice Chancellor of the University of Calabar (UniCal), has called on women to break gender bias in their respective homes.

Mrs Obi, a professor, made the call during the grand finale of the 2022 Mothering Week held at the UniCal Chapel of Redemption, Calabar, on Sunday, with the theme: Women Arise and Take Responsibility Unto The Nations.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the activities of the mothering week began with the commemoration of the International Womens Day on March 8 with activities which included pidgin service.

Mrs Obi said most women were responsible for the bias in their homes as they built it in the children from childhood.

We create the bias from the cradle when we begin to tell our children the chores that are meant for boys and those that are for girls.

We need to begin to talk to our children about equity from home; if we do that, our children will grow up with it and affect the society positively, she said.

In her remarks, Abigail Ayi, President of the Womens Fellowship of the Chapel of Redemption, said that many cultures across the world seem to favour boys over the girls.

Mrs Ayi said it was up to the families, churches and nation to stop the bias against girls and women and give them equal opportunities to health, education and political positions among others.

She also noted that if women were to prophesy to the nations, they must eschew bitterness and malice and cultivate the habit of listening and obeying the voice of God.

On her part, the Guest Preacher, Ofonmbuk Archibong, Senior Pastor, Intercessors Bible Mission International, said womanhood was not a question of gender but a function of responsibility.

Mrs Archibong, who quoted from the Book of Jeremiah 29 Verse 11 and Matthew 28, from verses five to 10, said that women ought to, first of all, discover their purpose before they could help any other person.

Womens confusion is as a result of not discovering their purpose, you cannot love someone else without first loving yourself.

You are responsible for your own happiness, dont wait for someone else to come and make you happy because you may end up in depression, she said.

(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
The police command in Kwara has condoled with families of 13 persons burnt beyond recognition in an auto crash that happened on Saturday at Lasoju, along Ogbomoso-Ilorin Expressway in Kwara.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Ajayi Okasanmi, said this in a statement in Ilorin.

He said that the accident involved a fully-loaded commercial Hummer bus heading to Katsina in Katsina State and an articulated vehicle loaded with cement.

Mr Okasanmi said: Preliminary investigation revealed that the Hummer bus coming from Lagos was driving against traffic at the above-mentioned point, and in the process, it had a head-on collision with the oncoming truck.

He added that 13 passengers of the commercial bus were burnt beyond recognition, while six others that were seriously injured are currently receiving treatment at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital, Ilorin.

Consequent upon the condition of the dead bodies, public health officials and the families of the victims requested from the police command that the victims be released to them for mass burial, the process of which was ongoing as at the time of this press release, the spokesperson said.

He, therefore, advised road users to always obey road traffic signs and avoid overspeeding at all times.

(NAN)
Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has called on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to punish the Deputy Governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, for threatening to leave the party.

This is the same deputy governor that was kneeling down to beg for us to give them umbrella, today you have the effrontery to threaten PDP. Such a shame, Mr Wike is captured saying in a video clip posted on Facebook.

Mr Wike said the PDP was there for Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State and Mr Shaibu when both were denied the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket for the 2020 election.

We went and made sure that they won that election. Today that deputy governor would be ranting. A deputy governor would come on national television to tell PDP the alternative.

I have written to the national chairman of the party that if they dont constitute a disciplinary committee against the deputy governor, I will invoke the sanctions of the party and will make sure they must discipline that deputy governor, Mr Wike said.

A deputy governor (is) threatening the party! I have never seen a thing like this in my life. A deputy governor coming on television to tell the party if you dont do this.

Whos his father?

Deputy governor comes and threatens the whole party where we are as governors. Now that he has started the trouble, let him wait, well make sure he never has rest.

Mr Wike is one of the most influential PDP governors in Nigeria.

The PDP in Edo State has been rocked by internal power struggle since Mr Obaseki, Mr Shuaibu, and their political allies and supporters defected to the party.

Mr Obaseki won the PDP ticket in Edo and got re-elected for a second term in 2020, after his former party, APC, had refused to allow him contest the party primaries because of his political battle with Adams Oshiomhole, the then national chairman of the APC.

Those who were already in the PDP before Mr Obaseki have been accusing the governor and others of trying to have an unfair dominance in the party and the Edo government.

They said there ought to be a balance in power-sharing in the state to compensate them for giving Mr Obaseki the vehicle to contest and win the election.

The governor and his allies, on the other hand, have repeatedly said the other PDP members in the state were yet to integrate them into the party.

Weve not been accepted in PDP  Shaibu

Mr Shaibu last week hinted that he and others may leave the PDP.

Are you planning to leave the PDP? Channels Television reporter, Seun Okinbaloye, asked Mr Shaibu in an interview.

The deputy governor appeared reluctant to answer the question. He paused for a few seconds before he gave his response.

For me as Philip Shaibu, I have no plans now to leave but for Philip Shaibu and his followers and the followers of Obaseki that left APC to PDP, they all plan to leave PDP, he said.

But to where? For now, I dont know. Why because we feel not accepted in the PDP. And that is the reason why we are actually thinking that it is time to just leave.

The truth is the governor has been appealing. Some of us were not happy with the governors statement, saying he is not leaving PDP. We left APC because of the governor, not because we wanted to join PDP. Because of the oppression that the national chairman of APC meted on the governor, he added.

We are battle-tested  Obaseki

Governor Obaseki, unlike Mr Shaibu, has categorically said he is not leaving PDP.

We have said it, PDP belongs to all of us. I am not going to leave PDP for anybody. Anybody who cannot accept my leadership of PDP in Edo State will leave PDP for us. It is as simple as that, Mr Obaseki said recently at a meeting with PDP chieftains in the state, according to a Channels Television report.

We dont like to boast, we dont like to talk too much, but we know where we are coming from.

We are battle-tested, we are not battle-weary, the governor said.

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Mr Obaseki, from his remarks, gave the impression that the power struggle within the Edo PDP may have been compounded by the battle for the soul of the party at the national level, ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

He said, Whoever is backing any groups outside Edo State, I am pleading to leave Edo alone. Leave Edo alone, Edo is not like any other state.

Nobody has the monopoly to fight. To win an election, you need everybody to come together and work together.

Mr Obaseki said he would not make any commitment regarding the 2023 elections without first having an understanding with the PDP members in Edo.

I told you, I would not do anything or commit to anything without sitting down with each and every one of you, and us agreeing on what to do and where to go.

Whatever it is, let us all come as one family and sit down and lets have a conversation, and lets agree on where we want to go, he said.

Ebomhiana Musa, the spokesperson for Mr Shaibu, did not respond to calls and a text message seeking comment from him.

Another official of the Edo State Government, however, told PREMIUM TIMES, Sunday morning, that the government was preparing a response to Mr Wikes comment.
A new twist has appeared in the political drama in Kano State as top associates of former governor Rabiu Kwankwaso visited Ibrahim Shekarau in Abuja on Thursday.

Sources said the visitors are trying to persuade the bitter rival of their ally to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he left ahead of the 2019 elections following the return of Mr Kwankwaso to the party.

Mr Shekarau joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) after the PDP handed over its leadership in the state to Mr Kwankwaso, who had been a member of the party since its inception in 1998, until he defected to the newly formed APC in 2014.

Now, Mr Kwankwaso wants to defect from the PDP, this time to the little-known New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).

Mr Shekarau, himself a former governor who is now the senator for Kano Central district, is also no longer comfortable in the ruling APC. He is at loggerheads with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje over the control of the party in the state.

On Thursday, the Chief of Staff to former Governor Kwankwaso, Adamu Dangwani, alongside Danburam Nuhu, a former federal lawamaker; Yusuf Danbatta, a former commissioner; and Hadiza Adado; who are all long-time allies of Mr Kwankwaso, visited Mr Shekarau in Abuja over the changing political weather in the state.

The politicians have reportedly vowed not to follow Mr Kwankwaso to the NNPP.

PREMIUM TIMES reported how Mr Kwankwaso said he would dump the PDP this month.

Ahead of his arrival, the NNPP has dissolved its Kano state executive committee and appointed Mr Kwankwasos loyalist, Haruna Doguwa, as acting chairperson.

The spokesperson for Mr Shekarau, Sule Yau, confirmed the visit of the politicians to his principal.

He told reporters that Mr Dangwani and some members of PDP Kwankwasiyya faction led by a one time member of the House of Representatives Hon Danburan, paid a consultative visit to His Excellency Senator Ibrahim Shekarau at his residence in Abuja.

Mr Yau did not disclose the reason for the visit. However, analyst have said it was in connection with the reluctance of some members of the Kwankwaso political family not to join him again in leaving the PDP.

Sources said the PDP politicians were trying to persuade Mr Shekarau to rejoin the PDP as Mr Kwankwaso is leaving for the NNPP.

Mr Shekarau had in the build up to the 2019 election left the PDP for APC, alleging injustice to him by the national leadership of the party.

He was protesting against the PDPs decision to concede 51 per cent of members of its executives from state to ward levels to Mr Kwankwaso, who had just returned to the party from the APC.

As Mr Kwankwaso leaves for the NNPP, there are speculations in the state that Mr Shekarau may, once again, rejoin the PDP if he loses at the Supreme Court where he is challenging the control of the APC structure in the state by Mr Ganduje.

Kano is the most populous state in Northern Nigeria and is considered by the two major political parties as strategic. President Muhammadu Buhari got his highest votes, about 1.9 million, in the state in the 2015, a feat he also repeated in 2019.

With the president no longer a candidate, the two parties are expected to make a play for the rich electoral field of Kano, which Mr Kwankwaso wil also rely on for any consequential run in the 2023 presidential race.
Many residents of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nigerias capital, have continued to count their losses following the power blackouts in most parts of the Territory.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that while some parts of the Territory are supplied power for some hours, some areas have not even had it for five consecutive days.

The poor power supply or blackouts in some parts of the city have lingered for more than a month.

The Abuja Electricity Distribution Company (AEDC) had attributed the poor supply of electricity to its franchise areas to low power generation from the national grid.

Donald Etim, the AEDC chief marketing officer, had said this in a statement issued in Abuja on March 4.

The AEDC wishes to inform our customers in Kogi, Niger, Nasarawa and the FCT that the current low and unstable supply of electricity to homes and businesses is as a result of low power generated to the national grid.

In recent weeks, the level of power generated and served to the national grid for onward delivery to customers has been abysmally low, Etim said.

The development had led to load shedding in the affected areas.

Electricity consumers residing in Lugbe, Kuje, Area 10, Central Area, Kubwa told NAN in Abuja on Sunday that the poor power supply had affected their sources of income as well as their health.

Esohe Omohe, a fashion designer, said that in the last two months, power situation had worsened thereby affecting her business.

Ms Omohe said the fuel scarcity had worsened the situation as she could not get fuel to power her generator.

According to her, most fueling stations have refused to sell in jerry cans.

There is no light, no fuel, the situation is terrible and we are appealing to the Federal Government for quick intervention before people die of hunger, she said.

Uche Okoro, an ice block seller, described the light situation as bad and worrisome.

Mrs Okoro said that electricity supply was not regular as it used to be in the past, saying that power supply had been epileptic for more than a month.

According to her, the beer parlour she operates to assist her family is no longer thriving as most nights there is no light to power the freezers to cool drinks.

 I am appealing to the management of AEDC and the Federal Government to do something urgently about this so we can get some respite, she said.

In Jedo Estate on Airport Road, a welder, Innocent Okpara, said lack of stable electricity supply in the area had continued to affect his work, saying that he now depends only on generator to do his job.

He said that electricity situation in the area had worsened in the last two months and this had adversely affected his income.

As you can see, these doors and windows I am making are for my customers, if there is steady power supply, I will be able to deliver and earn some income.

Even when there is light, it hardly lasts up to two hours and we understand there is load shedding currently ongoing.

We are appealing to the AEDC to give us light at night even if it is for four hours, as we have not slept with light for more than three weeks, he said.

Joseph Okiri, a dry cleaner, said poor electricity supply had affected his business terribly.

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Mr Okiri appealed to the government and management of AEDC to urgently address electricity situation.

Jude Omokhua, a barbershop owner in Kuje, said lack of stable electricity supply had always been his major challenge.

Mr Omokhua said the most annoying thing was that there was no fuel to power his generator, adding that inspite of the situation, AEDC officials still brought electricity bills that must be settled.

Shola Balogun, a printer at UTC Shopping Mall at Area 10, said the poor power supply had crippled business activities in the area.

I do a lot of printing, but presently there is no electricity to work, no fuel to power my generator, I am appealing to government to come to our aid as we are really suffering, Balogun said.

NAN recalls that the Minister of Power, Abubakar Aliyu, had recently at a ministerial briefing said the erratic power supply being experienced nationwide was caused by low water level in the hydro power stations.

According to him, with the reduction in water levels at the hydro power stations during the dry season, there is the need for additional load to be taken up by gas plants.

The challenges in repairs currently being done on generators are responsible for the load shedding and power outages, he said.

According to him, government is doing everything to ensure optimum supply of gas to ensure quick restoration of power.

The minister, who spoke on various power initiatives by the ministry, including the Presidential Power Initiative being driven by Siemens, maintained that the issue of right of way was stalling power projects.

We are engaging with state governors through the Nigerian Governors Forum to drive a holistic solution to these lingering issues, he said.

According to Mr Aliyu, the attention the power sector is receiving under President Muhammadu Buhari administration is unprecedented.

Since the inception of the present government, it has turned its attention to our infrastructure and the attention this government is giving in my own view, is unprecedented.

The enormity of the decay in the sector is what we are battling with to ensure we overcome challenges associated with electricity delivery in the country, he said.

(NAN)
Following the controversies over the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS), the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has accused the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA) of peddling lies.

The president of ASUU, Emmanuel Osodeke, noted this in a statement released after the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Sunday.

He warned the DG, NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, to desist from making comments that could jeopardise the joint ongoing testing of UTAS between the NITDA Technical Team and the union.

The union also threatened that it would demand that the initial NITDA Technical Report on UTAS, where it scored 85 per cent in User Acceptance Test (UAT) be made public if it (NITDA) continues to insist that UTAS failed the integrity tests.

On UTAS results

Being one of the contending issues that necessitated the ongoing ASUU strike, UTAS has sparked more conflict between the union and the Nigerian government over a recent disclosure that it failed integrity tests.

The NITDA boss had said UTAS failed three integrity tests  user acceptance test, vulnerability test, and stress test, which were conducted by his agency.

He said: We did all these three tests with them and the system couldnt pass. We wrote the reports and submitted them back to the honourable minister, which he forwarded to all relevant institutions, including ASUU. As we speak now, ASUU is working, trying to fix all the issues we highlighted with the system and we will review it again. But that is just one half of the story.

But ASUU has insisted that UTAS scored both 85 and 77 per cent, which are high class grades in any known evaluation system.

Mr Osodeke, explaining further in the statement, stated that NITDA carried out the first integrity test on August 10, 2021, in NUC where relevant government agencies and all the end-users in the University system were present. He said all accepted UTAS as a suitable solution for salary payment in Nigerian universities.

However, in a curious twist of submission, the NITDA Technical Team, after conducting a comprehensive functionality test came out to say that out of 687 test cases, 529 cases were satisfactory, 156 cases queried, and 2 cases were cautioned.

Taking this report on its face value, the percentage score is 77%. The question that arises from this is, can 77% in any known fair evaluation system be categorised as failure?

Speaking further, he said that NITDA in their desperation to justify their false assertions, threw up issues such as Data centre and hosting of UTAS software which are clearly outside the rubrics of ASUUs responsibilities in the deployment of UTAS.

Backstory

ASUUs several meetings, the major outcome was at the last meeting where ASUU agreed to present the governments proposal to its members.

After several meetings, the major outcome was at the last meeting where ASUU agreed to present the governments proposal to its members.

PREMIUM TIMES learnt that the two most important demands that could end the strike were the renegotiation of the 2009 federal government-ASUU agreement on the working conditions of Nigerian academics and the deployment of UTAS to replace the Integrated Personnel Payroll Information System (IPPIS) imposed on universities by the government.

Other demands include the payment of earned academic allowances; revitalisation fund for universities; distortions in the payment of salaries; funding of state universities, and the release of white papers on the visitation panels sent to the universities.
The Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, said Sunday that he has not exonerated Abba Kyari, a suspended deputy commissioner of police, of complicity in the $1.1 million money laundering scheme spearheaded by Ramon Abbas, also known as Hushpuppi.

Mr Malami, who was responding to a Punch Newspaper report that he was plotting to save Mr Kyari, said he had only advised the police to carry out further investigation to link the senior police officer to the crime.

He called the case a work in progress.

Punch reported that Mr Malami had, weeks after asking the police to probe the proceeds of the crime received by Mr Kyari, made a U-turn in second legal advice that there was no evidence against him.

But reacting to the report, Mr Malamis spokesperson said in the statement, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, SAN has described as false the media reports that his Office had conclusively exonerated Abba Kyari.

Mr Gwandu said there appears to be misunderstanding regarding the issue, adding, It was a case of work in progress in respect of which the office of the Attorney General of the federation requested for further probe in relation to some aspects of investigation.

He added that It was clear that the conclusion on the alleged contradiction on the issue was a clear case of misconception.

The office of the Attorney -General of the Federation and Minister of Justices stance is that no conclusion has been reached in the direction of absence of evidence relating to the first report.

The issues were raised for further investigation with a view to cover the field in investigation in order to arrive at informed decision.

Background

Mr Kyari was indicted by the U.S government in July 2021 in a money laundering case involving Ramon Abass, popularly known as Huspuppi, an Instagram celebrity.

While Hushpuppi is awaiting judgement after pleading guilty to the charges in a separate case filed at the Central District Court of Central District of California, Mr Kyari, one of his alleged accomplices, is being held by the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) for various drugs trafficking offences in Abuja.

Mr Kyari and four of his colleagues are currently standing trial at a federal court in Abuja for allegedly dealing in cocaine.

New twist

Punch reported that in a fresh move to let Mr Kyari off the hook, the AGF in his second letter of legal advice informed the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, that there was no evidence linking the former Commander of the IGP Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to money laundering offences, the Punch Newspapers reported.

Mr Malami, according to the newspaper, had initially directed the police to further investigate Mr Kyari for allegedly receiving 33 sets of proceeds of crime regarding the case.

The minister was reported to have stated in the initial letter that a case of money laundering had been established against the former IRT commander.

But Punch reported that the AGF, in a new legal advice, said there was no evidence linking Mr Kyari to the alleged money laundering crime.

The newspaper quoted the letter authored on behalf of the AGF by Mohammed Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), Federal Ministry of Justice.

According to the report, the letter dated February 4, 2022, with reference number, DPPA/LA/814/21, stated that the evidence contained in the case diary was not sufficient to indicate or show that the said monies (N279mn) were laundered directly or indirectly by Kyari to disguise their origin.

I am directed to inform you that after a careful study of the said response wherein you stated that the monies have been traced to Zenith Bank account no. 2255416115 belonging to Usman Ibrahim Waziri; Guaranty Trust Bank account no. 0130665392 belonging to Adekoya Sikiru; Zenith Bank account no. 2080537566 belonging to Hussein Ala and other funds went to Sharon Festus. The monies were withdrawn and utilised by the aforementioned account holders and the lady.

It is our view that the above response has not linked the suspect, DCP Abba Kyari, to the offence of money laundering as the evidence contained in the case diary is not sufficient to indicate or show that the said monies were laundered directly or indirectly by Kyari to disguise their origin, more so that the aforementioned recipients or receivers exonerated him in their statements as having nothing to do with the monies, the new letter read.

Mr Malami urged the police authorities to explore their in-house disciplinary measures against Mr Kyari through the Police Service Commission for violating the code of conduct for law enforcement officers in terms of his relationship with Hushpuppi, among other ethical and professional breaches.

Speaking further with Punch, Mr Abubakar blamed the police for their failure in bridging gaps that were noticed in the late DIG Joseph Egbunike-led Special Investigative Panel on Mr Kyaris alleged criminal links with Hushpuppi.

We said in the absence of the evidence, further investigation is needed and they should go ahead to try him on the administrative offences they have identified. We said they (police) should establish linkages  the money trail.

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Instead of them to go and investigate further the gaps we identified, they didnt. They just wrote back to say check paragraphs so and so. We are saying no, those paragraphs did not sufficiently establish the things we say you should establish.

Back-and-forth

The back-and-forth communications between the police and AGF office fuel speculations about move to sweep the case under the carpet.

This is also especially because Mr Malami had said while appearing on Channels Television last month that there were sufficient grounds to proceed against Mr Kyari.

From the date of the letter quoted by Punch, Mr Malamis television comment on February 7 disclosing that a prima facie case had been established against Mr Kyari, came about three days after his second legal advice asked the police to carry out further investigations.

But Mr Gwandu, AGFs spokesperson, in an interview with our reporter on Sunday, insisted that Mr Malami was not covering up Mr Kyari. He said Mr Malamis call for more investigations could not have implied a cover-up.

The office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justices stance is that no conclusion has been reached in the direction of absence of evidence relating to the first report, he said.

However, spokesperson for the Nigerian police force, Olumuyiwa Adejobi, said the police were not aware of the AGFs directive on closing gaps in Mr Kyaris probe.

In a telephone interview with PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday, Mr Adejobi said he was going to make further enquiries about Mr Malamis letter and get back to this reporter.

The force spokesperson had yet to get back as of the time of filing this report.
Yesterday, at the installation of the new Olubadan of Ibadanland, I took my time to listen to his cognomen, with studied interest. I came out of the encounter first, with laughter, then shock and trepidation. His Royal Majestys praise chants describe him as omo o toro obe, toro abe; boo bun mi lobe, bun mi labe nitori abe dun jobe lo Roughly translated, this means, the child of he who begs for soup and begs for sex; he says if you dont have soup, hesitate not to give me the taste of sex because sex is sweeter than soup.

Such cognomens and songs give indications of traditional African society. They reveal, not strictly the promiscuity of pre-colonial Africa but even other sins they committed like killing one another for killing sake. Take for instance the cognomen, oriki of the Iloko lineage of Oyo Yoruba. Iloko proudly dances to chants of lines like omo abenilori fiyoku bun ni, translated to mean, one who cuts off somebodys head and then forgives the victim after the act. My friend, Lasisi Olagunju, an Iloko, proudly flaunts this.

Elders of our land, today, your traditional Africa is under serial attacks. That same traditional Africa which, in nostalgia, you label the purest of all societies, is today mocked by a generation I call the Cryptocurrency generation. As the Olubadans cognomen was being chanted, I listened to a very naughty little boy of that generation beside me say, so their generation too was that decadent; so why do they disdain ours?

Early this week, as the lifeless body of 22-year-old Oluwabamise Ayanwole, the young lady who commuted on the Lagos Bus Rapid Transit, was found, you were mocked, elders of our land. Oluwabamises remains had been dumped on Lagos Carter Bridge, with some of her body parts alleged to be missing. Whether the young hapless ladys death was as a result of a rape gone awry or ritual killing, we are yet to be fully told. However, Nigerians have recently witnessed a resurgence of killings for money rituals.

Respected British scholar, Prof John Peel, in one of his works, said his research found out that in pre-colonial Nigeria, mortuary killings were predominant in Southwest Nigeria and strangers were often killed to preserve the life of a community.

Whenever and wherever mutilated bodies of victims of ritual killings are found, your traditional Africa suffers terrible blow. As tears roll down their cheeks, children of this generation are quick to warn you, canvassers of the purity of traditional Africa, to save your crocodile tears for another day. They claim that the graveyards are filled with bones of hundreds of people your forefathers murdered for what they called the sustenance of traditional Africa; that money ritual is one of your bequeathals to their generation.

As if that was not enough, the Cryptocurrency generation calls you hypocrites. What impudence! Asked to elaborate, the vociferous ones among them said that while your forefathers, in one breath, fascinatingly rendered the ancient poetic lines of J. F. Odunjo Alawiyes poem which asked us to spare that crawling insect and not stamp our feet on it because it is also Gods creation in the chant, Yi ese re si apa kan, ma se pa kokoro ni, kokoro ti iwo ko le da, Olorun lo le dain another breath, your cultic forebears gorged out eyes, breasts, hearts and private parts of their victims. They said those body parts symbolised creationism and multiplicity. With body parts for rituals, wealth and communal wellbeing were assured.

I know you are stupefied at this generations daring guts. But listen yet again. This generation says it is amused that you are bothered at the common occurrence now of teenagers, barely off diapers, driving around shining, metallic wonders-on-wheels. Why are they aghast that we earn millions of dollars from Yahoo Yahoo scam of white men and women? they chorus.

Again, they ask you to cover your faces in shame. Rather than the villains you say they are, the Cryptocurrency generation says it is a generation of heroes and warriors. Their defense is that, this is a generation that has chosen not to stand by and lament the over-a-century slave trading and despoliation of the fecund lands of Africa. According to them, they chose instead to fight your battles, battles that you were too effeminate to fight and could not have won against your taskmasters. By defrauding offspring of your colonial taskmasters who took you into slavery centuries ago, the Cryptocurrency generation claims it is helping you repatriate the unpaid wages and sweats of your forefathers who, centuries ago, were hewers of woods and drawers of water for Europe and the Americas.

In your very eyes, those lullabies of purity of traditional Africa are exploding into smithereens, elders of our land, you who are the last surviving offspring of traditional Africa. You are at a crossroads. You are right now at that place where three footpaths meet, the very place you called the crossroads that turns the stranger into a novice, the ikorita meta ti n damu alejo.

In the name of fashion, your children are today the archetype of what you resented with the whole of your being. Your children happily flaunt sartorial madness, regalia of that same species of beings you loathsomely labeled as one whose insane dances at the Market Square are scintillating to watch but whom no one prays to have as a child; the were dun wo loja, ko se bi lomo.

This Cryptocurrency generation wears that same locked, disheveled, filthy, lengthy, bushy, dreadlocked hairs that the local madman in your area wears, the equivalent of the hairs on the head of Jesus the Christs generations Madman of Gadarene. Your abetiaja cap they mock to ridicule as Stone Age sartorial cruelty and your agbada receives their scorn as a needless parachute. In its place, they wear torn jean trousers like this same Madman of Gadarene and place their trousers below the heap of the two clefts of their bottoms  the bebere idi. But of course, they are ever quick to refer you, our elders, to the aforementioned Olubadans cognomen as a proof that the generations of yesteryears were not as innocent and pure as they have been made to believe!

Ah ah! The myth of purity is exploding in your very eyes like vapours of nothingness! Todays fashion, the fashion sense of the Cryptocurrency world that we live in, blatantly mocks all that excessive coverage of the essential body parts. Your daughters scarcely wear anything at all today. They make public spoils of their nakedness, advertising their cleavages, the bodily variant of what legendary Yoruba Kennery Music exponent, Orlando Owoh, called the sweet pineapple within which there is multiple sweetness  the ope oyinbo to fi dundun sewa.

Didnt your forefathers teach that there is wisdom in masking glory before its maturation, which you concisely couched in that pithy aphorism, bi isu eni ba ta, a fowo bo je ni? Your male children today and their new wives pose for photographs on Facebook and Instagram with protruded pregnant alaboyun tummies, more naked than the prehistoric Adam and Eve, in a wild celebration they call Baby Shower. When your forefathers sighted a naked man or woman on the street, aghast, they shouted Ikunle abiamo o!, a lamentation of the labour pain of a woman that has come to ruins. If, in lamentation of nakedness, your forefathers, when they saw a naked madman on the streets, murmured, aso o bOmoye mo, Omoye ti rinhoho woja, why do you, elders of our land, tolerate your children wearing nakedness as clothe to the marketplace and you laugh and dance with them?

The best place to begin the interrogation of what has gone wrong with us is to find out whether this generation and generations before them share a meeting of the minds on what values are. We need to dispense with this before we accuse one of cultural and value impunity and beatify the other as torchbearers of standards, values and purity. Why has the social media become the new German philosopher, Fredrich Nietzches Superman, dishing out absolute moral codes to our children and turning them to alien spectacles we can scarcely recognize? Why have we chosen to look away in odious resignation while our fruits, the leaders of our tomorrow, decimate the values that gave us our sterling identity and pride of old?

In Africa, such values as respect for elders, hard work, respect for seniority, the extended family system, valour, premium on children etc reigned. Pre-colonial Africa is often held as the Golden Years of the continent.

Let us pick the above African values one by one and see where they are in a 21st century world. Respect for elders. Celebrated columnist, Reuben Abati, faced one of the most acidic attacks ever recently when he demanded that his age be properly attributed on a television programme. Abati was facing what the late poet, Gabriel Okara, mirrored in his Piano and Drums, piano symbolising modernity and drums, traditional Africa. Unfortunately for Abati, he forgot that television and modern broadcasting are 21st century objects, with their own set codes and ethos, to which he wanted to sacrifice pre-colonial ritual objects! Greetings and respect for elders in Africa, Nigeria and among the Yoruba, like Rome, were not built in a day and did not die in one day. They die gradually. In Yorubaland, the gradual death of respect for elders began from youngsters offering what is called idobale igbingbado  the corn-planting prostration position. It then moved to the merely-bowing-of-head position and today, respect for elders is facing total annihilation. Youngsters offer handshakes as greetings to elders.

Hardwork. Today, only a tiny population of our youths believes in hard work. They want to ride Bugatti and Bentley the day they are born. Music as popular culture in pre-colonial Africa and even immediate post-colonial Africa helped to underscore the value of hard work. Musicians of that period sang that sorcery and magic cannot make one wealthy. Today, musicians sing praises of felons and exalt virtues that they say are in scamming and 419.

In the same manner, the values of the extended family system, valour, premium on children and others have become extinct. Those days, Europeans and Americans celebrated our virtue of communal living, our Ubuntu. Ubuntu is a South African social philosophy of culture which explains Africas capacity to express compassion, dignity, harmony and humanity while building and maintaining a sense of communaliity, justice and mutual caring. Ubuntu is a fellow human feeling which is diametrically opposed to the individualistic theory of society propounded by the French philosopher, Rene Descartes, expressed in the Latin word, cogito, ergo sum  I think, therefore I am. For us in Africa, our underlying social philosophy of culture was, I am because we are. Today, Africa has returned to Descartes. It is everyone for himself and God for us all.

The social media is today held as culprit of the implosion of immorality in Nigeria. I do not subscribe to this fully. I think what we have now is an explosion of reportage of evil, not explosion of the act. The truth is, there is little difference in the decadence prevalent in pre-colonial African society and now. The little difference is that, the ratio of righteous countrymen then, compared to now, has dwindled considerably. Promiscuity was like pestilence then and immorality ruled our world. Until the Nigerian law forbade it, bastard children, products of liaisons with married women, littered the space. Murder was like sport and injustice was everywhere. In the politics of the First Republic, dead bodies were brought to the front of the houses of political opponents so as to rope them into murder. What the social media can be accused of doing now is coordinating all these indecencies that seem to be latent in us  ones in Zamfara, Ebonyi, to Osun  and making them available across time and space, in a baffling spontaneity that looks like a spike.

The way to begin is for each of us to return to our homes. As the saying goes that whoever the gods want to destroy, they first make mad; the family in Africa has become a mad place. William Yeats, Irish poet, dramatist, writer and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature, writing in his poem, The Second Coming, talked about things that have gone awry, purity that has been polluted. It is same in our families today. The falcon cannot hear the falconer as things (have) fallen apart; the centre cannot hold. Right inside the family, mere anarchy is loosed upon the world. Parents gladly receive car gifts from their Yahoo Yahoo children who they know are kingpins of scamming. They are the ones who help to philosophize the fraud rot that has destroyed many victims lives forever by saying that Yahoo Yahoo is an attempt to repatriate stolen African valuables by the West. I learnt there is even an association of Yahoo Yahoo mothers.

We have to begin from our homes to teach our children the values and purity of hard work and the unenduring worth of indolence and fraud. We must begin to teach them morals by asking our children to remember the child of whom they are. Though we are in a 21st century world, J. F. Odunjos books, his poems, the stories of Tortoise and his Wife who we called Ijapa and Yannibo, stories that moulded us to responsible adulthood, are evergreen, imperishable, relevant for this age and are calling for our attention today. Each family must teach their children, from the diapers, about Odunjos classic poem, Ise logun ise (Work serves as antidote to poverty). In fact, it must be hung on the wall as we did almanac those days. That poem teaches that we should intensify efforts at work because, not only is there dignity in labour, work is the only thing that can lift one up.

If we religiously do this, we will be rescuing this generation and the ones to come from the madness of swindling, indolence and warped sense of achievement. More importantly, we will be saving our children from the hands of this fast-moving, all-that-is-wrong-is-right Cryptocurrency generation, the scions of the ZaZuZeh culture that kills the Oluwabamises of this world for rituals, believing that in their severed body parts, lie antidotes to poverty.

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Festus Adedayo is an Ibadan-based journalist.

This is the text of a paper delivered on Saturday, March 12 at the Kegites Clubs celebration of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjos 85th birthday, which held at the OOPL (Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library) in Abeokuta, Ogun State.
Since the NITDA and ASUU have made claims and counter-claims on the integrity of the payment platform, in order to preserve the sanity of the Nigerian populace in the ensuing imbroglio, both parties should have the courage to appear on a public debate to trash out contentious issues in public glare. This is a challenge whose gauntlet must be picked up by the truth bearers.

Nigerians were alarmed by the latest report that a payment platform created by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) has failed three integrity tests.

The ASUUs preferred payment option known as the University Transparency and Accountability Solution (UTAS) was created as an alternative to the Integrated Payroll and Personnel Information System (IPPIS) that the Federal government uses to pay its workers in various sectors of the economy.

In fact, about 711 ministries, departments and agencies of government in Nigeria are on the IPPIS platform, but ASUU insists on being the only standing out. The Federal Governments effort to accommodate ASUUs resistance has been taken for a peppersoup ride by the academic union.

The intergrity test verdict was announced by the National Information Technology Development Agency (NITDA), the organ with the statutory mandate to superintend over technologies and digital advancements in the country.

The Director General of NITDA, Kashifu Inuwa, during a briefing with journalists after presenting the agencys findings at a Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting took time to explain vital points relating to the UTAS that should get concerned citizens thinking hard about possible way(s) of quickly resolving the tangible concerns involved, in order to get university teachers back to the classrooms.

One, the NITDA boss explained that users acceptance test is key to the functionality of the UTAS, and that this is a test which the touted platform failed, after people in the Bursary and Finance Departments tried it out.

Firstly, because when youre building (a) system, its not just about the technology, you need to consider the people that will use this system and the process.

If you dont align people, process and technology, you will never get result(s). No matter how good the technology is, if the people dont understand how to use it, they wont use it. And if the process is different from the way the people work, also, they wont use it, Kashifu explained.

Frankly speaking, this point is elementary knowledge for basic communication students, as propounded by the diffusion of innovation theory.

Secondly, he explained that the UTAS failed to meet requirement standards in testing for vulnerability. The nations chief technology officer went as far as projecting the danger that ASUUs initiative portends, considering that it is a financial system. The fact that the UTAS is vulnerable means that it is an open window for looters and certified kleptocrats to latch on to and swindle Nigeria.

Furthermore, Mr Kashifu explained that a technology like that needs to be durable in order not to collapse as a result of overload, and due to stress. In that regards too, the UTAS failed the test.

You can build a system on your laptop or on a small computer, use it but when you put so many data it will crash, we need to do the stress test to make sure that system can do, the NITDA boss explained.

To compound the problem, ASUU is yet to reveal the data centre where it wants its system installed.

Before releasing its finding, NITDA had submitted its report to the Minister of Communication and Digital Economy who in turn forwarded this to relevant institutions, including ASUU itself.

Expectedly as the news trickled in, eyebrows raised and the daggers were drawn along the line of sentiments and myopic deductions  especially by those who only read headlines without the contents in the body.

Sadly, even ASUU itself condescended to this unfortunate level of bickering when its president, Professor Emmanuel Osodeke, at a sunrise daily programme on Channels Television wholesomely faulted all the statements of the Director General of NITDA.

Professor Osodeke did not only stop there, he went on to spew derogatory remarks against the minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Mallam Ali Ibrahim Pantami.

He also accused NITDA of giving misleading reports to Federal Executive Council on the UTAS platform, as they were never present at any of the agreed meetings.

If you subject this to a test today, we will have 99 per cent, but they went ahead to tell the country a lie and this is why they are creating problems in this country, the ASUU president claimed.

He further claimed that the UTAS has passed through an integrity test and passed 77 per cent and also passed through an end-user test, scoring 88 per cent.

It is curious that ASUU did not initially raise the alarm when it received the report from the minister but is now turning around on the defensive after the integrity of their product has been publicly questioned.

Since the NITDA and ASUU have made claims and counter-claims on the integrity of the payment platform, in order to preserve the sanity of the Nigerian populace in the ensuing imbroglio, both parties should have the courage to appear on a public debate to trash out contentious issues in public glare. This is a challenge whose gauntlet must be picked up by the truth bearers.

The debate will avail Nigerians the opportunity to know who is playing with their their intelligence and make better and informed judgements.

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Abbass Badmus is a member of the Network of Advocates for Digital Reporting (NADIR), Kano.
There hasnt been any dedicated programme to address the massive erosion of values apparent in our youths misdirection. Our governments at all levels are on holidays, making only lachrymose pronouncements between one horrific incident and another. For those who ended up being deleted because of the governments incapacity or neglect, the funeral train is long, and the end of one procession is the beginning of another.

Baba God will always provide data for subscription. That, I am told, is the lingo of Nigerias new swarm of criminal ritualists who have dedicated their miserable lives to using diabolical means to achieve instant wealth. The god of mammon has encamped in our land and there is no shortage of victims in this nation of 200 million hapless souls. Their Baba God is the god of lechery, cannibalism, and coprophagia. In place of water, this millennial god drinks human blood.

We used to marvel at how Yahoo-Yahoo  the internet scam which almost became Nigerias middle name, came upon us like a thief in the night. Now, the malignant boil we covered with the cloth of negligence has become full blown gangrenous ulcer, which makes us stink, literally and figuratively.

We must never allow ourselves to get used to these aberrant developments as we seem to have accepted Boko Haram and armed banditry; corruption and kleptomania; unearned wealth and ostentatious living, and many other terrors flagellating our peoples psyche. How much more can a society take before it is consigned to the garbage heap of dislocation?

There hasnt been any dedicated programme to address the massive erosion of values apparent in our youths misdirection. Our governments at all levels are on holidays, making only lachrymose pronouncements between one horrific incident and another. For those who ended up being deleted because of the governments incapacity or neglect, the funeral train is long, and the end of one procession is the beginning of another.

If the newspapers are not highlighting the latest horror stories from Yahoo-Yahoo gangs or Yahoo-Plus cultists, they are giving us blow by blow accounts of rapes, cold-blooded murders and new variants of old rites of demonism. And we shrug as if saying, Well, its one of those things

It was the heart-rending murder of 22-year-old Oluwabamise Ayanwale in Lagos that shook us out of our habitual languidness. The young fashion designer had boarded an Oshodi-bound Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) bus at Chevron Bus Stop in Ajah. In the course of the journey, she had observed that the driver was not picking up other passengers at subsequent bus stops. This made her send voice notes detailing the number of the vehicle and other observations to her friends and family members. That was the last they ever heard from her.

The police and DSS weighed in and traced the fleeing driver, Andrew Omininikoron, to his hideout. He has since been spinning one yarn after the other to rationalise how his passenger died and why he voted with his feet, instead of reporting the incident at the office, where he quietly parked his bus at the end of the day.

A mother, Mrs Eziada Chika Mbachu, was invited by her 38-year-old son for a visit. Routine? No! Her son suddenly unleashed a surprise attack on her with the intention of removing her body parts for a money-making ritual. But for the quick intervention of neighbours who had all along suspected the young man of hobnobbing with Yahoo-plus elements, he would have succeeded in mutilating his mother.

Another young, promising life was thus wasted. What rankles is not just the crime, but the cold unfeelingness that would make one human being orchestrate or witness the violent killing of another and still go home to sleep as if nothing happened. The driver, Andrew Omininikoron, will have his day in court and, hopefully, justice will be served. While waiting for that day, we owe a debt of gratitude to Oluwabamise Ayanwale for having the presence of mind to send those messages and voice notes which enabled the authorities to nab the last man known to have seen her alive. Talk about fighting from the grave!

Criminality is a global phenomenon. What is inexcusable is our refusal to confront it with the required seriousness based on scientific research, systematic programme of action, and collective resolve. We do have a National Orientation Agency but it seems the body itself could do with some re-orientation. What is happening is deserving of all the urgency we can muster because we are faced with a war against our collective tomorrows. If in doubt, take a virtual stroll on social media.

A mother, Mrs Eziada Chika Mbachu, was invited by her 38-year-old son for a visit. Routine? No! Her son suddenly unleashed a surprise attack on her with the intention of removing her body parts for a money-making ritual. But for the quick intervention of neighbours who had all along suspected the young man of hobnobbing with Yahoo-plus elements, he would have succeeded in mutilating his mother. But she has many knife lacerations to show for her ordeal.

In Okuokoko, Delta State, a food-seller named Mrs Oke Ereeganoma didnt know what lay in store for her when her boastful son invited her to visit. He had always bragged that he would soon be riding a Mercedes GLK SUV. His mother did not suspect that anything was amiss, even as her son was in an unusually exuberant mood, playing loud music and dancing. Suddenly, her son attacked her, trying to gouge out her eyes for ritual.

Yahoo-Plus is a combination of the evil and the bizarre. In some cases, young men are required to provide used womens underwear as part of the ritual ingredients. As with every other kind of madness, pant-stealing soon became an epidemic.

In Ughelli, a young man with stolen female pants and braziers was caught by local guards. On being questioned after a thorough beating, he confessed that some rich friends directed him to bring the items for rituals that would make him rich. In another incident in Umutu, two pant thieves, Emeka Nwosa and Jerry Obi, were caught with 10 female pants. What gave them away was the last operation where they forced a 15-year-old girl to take off her pants. The girl raised an alarm and the community rallied to her aid.

The ritualists also collect body fluids for ritual. Thus, items like menstrual pads or even wet sand on which a woman had just urinated, come in handy. Some of the ritualists would rather buy the items from third parties than take the trouble of scouting for them directly. In Abuja, some Babanbola scavengers who ruminate through garbage bins have been arrested by watchful security guards who noticed that they were harvesting menstrual pads and storing them in a special bag. When apprehended, they confessed that there were some big men who paid good money for the items.

We need a moral rebirth on a national scale. First, we must exorcise the society of this get-rich-quick demon which makes young people think that there is a short route to wealth other than hard work and perseverance. In an environment where theres an acute shortage of good examples, the least we can do is start from the basics.

One Rasheed Ajibade in possession of human body parts was arrested by the police in Boripe, Osun State. He said he was only a supplier to one Alfa Isiaka Akande, a ritualist/herbalist who specialised in money-making rituals. Akande confirmed that he was the end user and that he had clients on whose behalf he was procuring those things. When Akandes compound was searched, the horror chambers revealed live victims waiting to be sacrificed

The most disgusting of the new low to which our young people have sunk is eye-popping Coprophagia  eating of faeces. In videos after videos, these lost souls openly strip, defecate, scoop the poop with loaves of bread and eat their excrement to the horror of passers-by. Could there be a lower abyss than this?

We need a moral rebirth on a national scale. First, we must exorcise the society of this get-rich-quick demon which makes young people think that there is a short route to wealth other than hard work and perseverance. In an environment where theres an acute shortage of good examples, the least we can do is start from the basics.

A massive attitudinal change campaign is required, many times more elaborate than the War Against Indiscipline of the 80s. The campaign has to focus on the family; dignity of labour; the Ubuntu philosophy of our cultural roots; leadership as service; anti-corruption; calling out instances of impunity; examples of Nigerians of unassailable integrity (were not all thieves!); and the dream of where we want Nigeria to be in the next 20 years.

In the absence of any such programme, our young people are rudderless. Don Marquis words aptly describe our predicament: Ours is a world where people dont know what they want and they are willing to go through hell to get it.

No doubt, these are desperate times and many people are on short fuses. The other day, in the wake of the scandalous fuel scarcity hitting the nation, one black market fuel hawker was threatened with arrest and seizure by policemen. All his colleagues had shown the police a clean pair of heels, but this man stood still. When the police made a move to swoop on his petrol cache, the young man quickly gave the bundle of money in his pocket to a friend and ordered the friend to deliver the money to his family. Then he took a petrol bath in open glare, holding a cigarette lighter, and dared the police to come near. Everyone scampered for safety.

Can our cyber activists and citizen journalists champion the campaign for attitudinal change? Or will the government live up to its responsibility and lead the social and ethical resurgimiento?
They were contended with their 100, 200, 300 or 1000 members. Our pastors never courted corrupt politicians, nor were they associated with burying things under their church buildings. If a pastor dared to cross the boundaries of sexual decency, the consequences were severe. He would be disciplined, suspended, and made to face the full scale of restoration. And they even considered it an act of mercy and love. Our pastors modelled Christ to the minutest details.

The Church Needs to Go Back to Discipleship and Very Urgently too

I will forever be thankful to God for saving me in the early 80s, using some strange pastors to draw me to Christ. These pastors taught us about contentment, and they also modelled it. Our services were never under the pressure of first, second, third or fourth services. If anyone lacked, all lacked. Our pastors were not celebrities. When we entered the church, we settled down to be taught. We had a whole one hour of Sunday school, another hour of believers (foundational class), another extra thirty mins of question-and-answer time on the topics we just discussed at the believers class, one hour of intercession, about forty-five minutes to one hour of intense worship and praise, and another one hour of the main word session. You will leave the church fully loaded with breadth and depth. The power of God moved.

An Emphasis on Righteousness Sparks Righteousness in the Nation

The presence of God was tangible. Consequently, righteousness reigned in the nation, to a large extent. We were not perfect, but we had some degrees of the fear of God in our hearts. When we fell into sin, we would weep and cry to God for repentance. We considered being disciplined for an offence a privilege. We loved God and feared him. Our pastors never focused their ministries on money. They never competed on who or who doesnt have the largest auditorium. They never competed on who owns the largest fleet of cars or jets. It was all about heaven!

If Our Pastors Can Model Contentment, Our Nation Will Get Better for It

They were contended with their 100, 200, 300 or 1000 members. Our pastors never courted corrupt politicians, nor were they associated with burying things under their church buildings. If a pastor dared to cross the boundaries of sexual decency, the consequences were severe. He would be disciplined, suspended, and made to face the full scale of restoration. And they even considered it an act of mercy and love. Our pastors modelled Christ to the minutest details. Despite the fact that there were excesses, those excesses now pale besides the reality of todays church. Believers were respected and revered. Who would you employ to your organisation but a believer Why? They would not cheat, lie or steal. Every corrupt person avoided a believer like plague. Why? They will spoil business for you. Our marriages were not perfect, but our men and our women feared God.

Something Is Wrong With Our Present Christianity

Even when we had problems in our marriages, we bowed and submitted to the word of God when corrected. It was a golden generation of Christians who feared God. Where have things gone wrong? We are now battling with the monsters of occultism, mammon worship, watered down messages, and in many cases, total errors, failing marriages, corrupt youths, and wasteful ministers. We have now produced a generation of very weak and carnal Christians who, for the most part, are even worse than unbelievers. Divorce rates have shot up among Christians. Adultery is being drunk like water by many of our pastors, while many are going into occultism for church growth at alarming rates.

In our present perilous generation, I am extremely careful of whom I submit to as my mentor and my father. It is no longer safe to submit to just anyone, otherwise you will land yourself in big trouble. Having been a Christian for about four decades now, I have seen so much. And although, I have mentors and fathers, I carefully submit to people who are broken, humble and followers of Christ in the spirit of love.

To Know Jesus Is to Be Transformed, Not Otherwise

Our church altars are full of thousands of people rushing out to accept Jesus, who many of them will not listen to or emulate. So, we are battling with a multi-dimensional crisis. No one knows Jesus and still loves sin. In counselling sessions, you sometimes wonder what kind of Jesus some of the couples that come for counselling have accepted. Why? They are full of bitterness, unforgiveness and many terrible vices. Yet, they claim to be deacons and deaconesses in many of our churches. The gospel they claimed to have received has not transformed their hearts at all.

We Live In Perilious Times

In our present perilous generation, I am extremely careful of whom I submit to as my mentor and my father. It is no longer safe to submit to just anyone, otherwise you will land yourself in big trouble. Having been a Christian for about four decades now, I have seen so much. And although, I have mentors and fathers, I carefully submit to people who are broken, humble and followers of Christ in the spirit of love. In the days of the fiery British Preacher, Jonathan Edwards, he would stand to preach, and people would be trembling on their seats, holding tight to those seats to prevent their descent to hell as they cried to God in forgiveness for their sins.

The Truth Is that Messages Are What Shape Us As Christians!

It was in one of those sessions of Jonathans teachings that he preached the popular message, sinners in the hands of an angry God; a message widely regarded as the most popular in Christian history. Such messages cant produce greedy or covetous people who would ever dream of bringing blood money into the church as tithe and offerings.

The church of Christ is the moral compass of any nation. The key actors in every church system are the clergies  the pulpit handlers or put in a laymans language, the pastors and preachers. The quality of the teachings emanating from church pulpits determine, to a large extent, the dominant values of a nation  and in particular, the overarching values of the youths.

We can hold ten services in our churches but let these ten services produce Christ-like Christians who will not disgrace Christ at home and in their places of work. Lets bring sense back to our churches and to our ministries. Lets stop honouring false teachings and corrupt leaders. Rather, lets start praying for them to repent and come back to God.

The Church Needs to Go Back to God

We need to wake up and go back to God. If what you are seeing today is a glorious church in your eyes, then you have been deceived. We all need to repent, rise up from the ashes of corruption and our lackadaisical attitudes towards decency, honesty, integrity, love and righteousness  the critical pillars of the Christian faith. The church in Nigeria has produced many fantastic and God-fearing preachers, many of whom I have benefited from, but at the same time, the church has also gotten quantum numbers of false preachers, with large followers, whose lives and ministries have contributed immensely to the furthering of the wave of greed, covetousness, materialism, pride, arrogance and egocentrism among the youths and across the nation.

Theres An Urgent Need of the Real Gospel

It was Bruce Shelly who once said, Christianity is the only major religion to have as its central event the humiliation of its God. And that is exactly the core of the gospel, humility. The real gospel does not and should not produce proud people, neither should it produce greedy and covetous people. Why? Humility and greed are mutually exclusive entities, while greed is antithetical to the values that Christ represents. As Dr Lutzer clearly elucidates, the cross no longer humiliate us; it exalts us

When the Church Becomes Stronger in Values, The Nation Will Become Stronger in Values

We can hold ten services in our churches but let these ten services produce Christ-like Christians who will not disgrace Christ at home and in their places of work. Lets bring sense back to our churches and to our ministries. Lets stop honouring false teachings and corrupt leaders. Rather, lets start praying for them to repent and come back to God. Ultimately, when the church becomes stronger in values, the nation will become stronger in values. The buck stops at the table of the light of the world, the church of Christ.

Let the revival break out.

Ayo Akerele, a leadership and system development strategist and minister of the word, writes from Canada and can be reached through ayoakerele2012@gmail.com.

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The Federal Capital Territory Minister of State, Ramatu Aliyu, has urged contractors handling the Apo-Karshi Road to speed up work towards completion and eventual inauguration of the project.

Meeme Felicia, the Public Relations Officer, FCT Satellite Towns Development Department, in a statement on Sunday in Abuja, said Mrs Aliyu made the call during a visit to the project site.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the contract was awarded in parts to Messrs SCC Nigeria and Kakatar CE Ltd respectively.

Represented by the coordinator of the department, Obinna Ogwuegbu, the minister expressed pleasure at the rate the work was going on.

NAN reports that the coordinator was accompanied to the site by his team of engineers led by the Director, Regional Infrastructure, Amaechi Obiekwe.

The minister reminded the contractors of the huge relief the road would bring to the residents of the FCT when completed.

The minister also enjoined the Satellite Towns development department to put more effort into ensuring that all projects under its purview are expeditiously completed.

Mrs Aliyu, who congratulated the coordinator of the department on his 100 days in office, reminded him that the reward for good work is more work.

She noted that President Muhammadu Buharis administration was committed to fulfilling its campaign promises pertaining to infrastructure delivery.

Responding, Azibaola Roberts, the Managing Director of Kakatar CE Ltd., one of the companies handling the project, appreciated the ministrys adequate and timely release of funds.

Mr Roberts, who promised that the road would soon be ready for inauguration, also commended the coordinator for his commitment to the project.

(NAN)
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WARSAW, Poland, March 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- "We are here to bear witness," American Jewish Committee (AJC) CEO David Harris declared at a refugee reception center in Dorohusk, Poland, on the border with Ukraine. "We will not stand on the sidelines while this tragedy unfolds. One man, megalomaniac President Vladimir Putin, has created this human drama of biblical scale, turning the lives of millions of Ukrainians upside down. Putin is guilty of war crimes."

Harris led an AJC group to Poland on a three-day visit to demonstrate solidarity with Ukrainians who have fled their country, seeking safety in Poland and other neighboring countries. He saluted the many Polish volunteers, who have been setting up tents, providing basic sanitary and food supplies, as well as opened their homes to some refugees.

"What's amazing is how the Polish people have organized to help," said Harris at a Warsaw train station where refugees are receiving humanitarian relief and guidance for resettling. "It's inspiring. It's the true meaning of humanity."

In addition to Dorohusk, the AJC group visited border crossing reception centers at Zosin and Horodo, mostly set up and operated by Polish NGOs and volunteers, and two sites in Warsaw run by the Jewish Community of Warsaw.

The AJC group met in Warsaw with Wojciech Kolarski, State Secretary at the Office of Polish President Andrzej Duda, with Israeli Ambassador Yacov Livne, and local Jewish organizations, including the Jewish Community of Warsaw, JDC, and the Jewish Agency for Israel (Sochnut).

More than 1.5 million Ukrainians already have entered Poland by car, bus, and foot, and the numbers are expected to rise as the Russian invasion of independent, democratic Ukraine continues, prompting millions to leave. "These are largely people stunned," said Harris. "At one moment they were living in their homes in Ukraine. The next moment they are here in Poland, beginning an uncertain new life, and, in many cases, they had to leave with nothing."

Nearly all the refugees are women and children, as men ages 18-60 must remain in Ukraine to defend their country against the Russian invasion and indiscriminate shelling, bombing, and killing. "Most painful is to see the children," said Harris. An estimated one million of the total Ukrainian refugees to date are children.

"Poland has welcomed the lion share of refugees," said Sebastian Rejak, Acting Director of AJC Central Europe. Others have gone to the Czech Republic, Hungary, Moldova and Romania. "Will other European countries step up? We need the solidarity of western Europe in accepting refugees," Rejak added.

Harris, who speaks Russian, said he heard "powerful and heartbreaking" stories from the Ukrainians he encountered. "The refugees we met believe Ukraine will win this war. They are fighting not only for their homeland. They are fighting for their lives."

Joining Harris on the AJC mission were Sebastian Rejak, Acting Director of AJC Central Europe, Jillian Laskowitz, Chief of Staff to AJC CEO Harris, and Julie Lenarz, AJC Director of Social Media.

AJC's #StandWithUkraine fund has raised more than $800,000. The AJC group met with several organizations during the visit to Poland and soon will be announcing additional recipients of grants from the AJC fund. The first recipient was IsraAID, which currently is working with Ukrainian refugees in Moldova.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee
THE WOODLANDS, Texas, March 13, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Huntsman Corporation (NYSE: HUN) today announced that leading independent proxy advisory firm Glass Lewis has recommended that shareholders vote "FOR ALL" of Huntsman's director nominees on the WHITE proxy card at its 2022 Annual Meeting of Stockholders ("Annual Meeting") scheduled to be held on March 25, 2022.

With less than two weeks before the Annual Meeting, Glass Lewis concluded1: "in considering whether the Dissident's campaign represents an opportunity to further enhance the composition of the board, we would first note our belief that Starboard's four alternative nominees, as a slate, are inferior to the four directors targeted for replacement Given the implications of the two proxy-card system, as well as our determination that Starboard has not satisfied the first criterion of our framework for contested elections, we do not believe sufficient cause exists for investors to vote on the Dissident's proxy card... For shareholders who might be thinking along these lines, we would caution that voting on the Dissident's proxy card with the aim of effecting a very specific voting outcome could have unintended consequences and result in an entirely different outcome than desired. In light of these factors, we recommend shareholders vote on the Company's WHITE proxy card FOR all board nominees."

Glass Lewis also noted that successful execution of Huntsman's strategy and performance is driving the Company forward: "we believe Huntsman's recent financial and stock price performance indicate the Company is on the right track and, ultimately, we fail to see a compelling case that further changes beyond those the board has already made are either warranted at this time or likely to result in incremental improvement. Further, the Dissident's campaign appears to be backwards-looking in several respects, in our view, and we believe it lacks new ideas or a detailed plan to improve Huntsman's performance going forward... Although Starboard seeks to replace directors who it believes lack true independence or qualifications for the board, not only do we find insufficient cause to remove current directors, we also aren't convinced that Starboard's nominees have particularly relevant, timely or incremental experience to add to the board at this time."

Echoing arguments Huntsman has been making since the outset, Glass Lewis further wrote that "Starboard's campaign might have resonated better two years ago, but since the spin-off IPO and divestitures of Huntsman's commodity businesses, our analysis indicates Huntsman's stock price and financial performance have improved markedly... On the governance front, the Company has recently completed a near-complete refresh of the board, with all but one remaining legacy non-executive director transitioning off the board at this annual meeting. Starboard's added pressure may have inspired the board to follow through with the board overhaul this year, but we have a generally favorable view of the six new directors the Company has added since 2019 and we believe the current composition of the board aligns well with Huntsman's business portfolio, strategy and positive trajectory."

Commenting on the Glass Lewis recommendation, the Huntsman Board of Directors (the "Board") issued the following statement:

The recommendation from Glass Lewis to support all of Huntsman's highly qualified nominees reaffirms that our refreshed Board is best equipped to continue driving the Company's transformed product portfolio strategy, with the expertise necessary to drive enhanced value for shareholders.

As Glass Lewis recognizes, the Huntsman of today is vastly different than the Huntsman of even five years ago. The Board has taken meaningful actions to oversee the Company's 'value over volume' strategy, transform its balance sheet and enhance its governance through an extensive refreshment plan. As a result of these actions, 2021 was the best year in our history with our current portfolio and the strongest profit and margin performance we have ever achieved. Over the last five years, the Company has generated total shareholder returns of 98%, nearly 13% better than the S&P 500 during the same period.2

We believe that replacing any of the Company's director candidates with Starboard's nominees would disrupt Huntsman's value-creating strategy and risk destroying substantial and accelerating momentum. All of Huntsman's director nominees have the superior skillsets required to effectively oversee the Company's sustainable long-term growth, including necessary expertise across differentiated chemicals and industrials experience, R&D and customer-focused innovation focus, and portfolio management expertise. Each of Huntsman's directors is vastly superior to Starboard's four nominees.

We urge shareholders to protect the value of their investment and disregard Starboard's unwise and unnecessary campaign by following Glass Lewis' unqualified recommendation and voting "FOR ALL" of the Company's highly qualified directors on the WHITE proxy card today.

Huntsman reminds shareholders that every vote is important, no matter how many or few shares it represents. Shareholders are urged to discard any blue proxy materials they may have received and only vote using the WHITE proxy card.

Huntsman shareholders who need assistance in voting their shares may call toll-free Huntsman's proxy solicitor, Innisfree M&A Incorporated, at (877) 750-0926.

Additional materials regarding the Board of Directors' recommendations for the 2022 Annual Meeting can be found at voteforhuntsman.com.

Advisors:

BofA Securities and Moelis & Company LLC are serving as financial advisors to Huntsman. Kirkland & Ellis LLP is serving as legal advisor to Huntsman.

About Huntsman:

Huntsman Corporation is a publicly traded global manufacturer and marketer of differentiated and specialty chemicals with 2021 revenues of approximately $8 billion. Our chemical products number in the thousands and are sold worldwide to manufacturers serving a broad and diverse range of consumer and industrial end markets. We operate more than 70 manufacturing, R&D and operations facilities in approximately 30 countries and employ approximately 9,000 associates within our four distinct business divisions. For more information about Huntsman, please visit the company's website at www.huntsman.com.

Social Media:

Twitter: www.twitter.com/Huntsman_Corp

Facebook: www.facebook.com/huntsmancorp

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/huntsman

Forward-Looking Statements

This press 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 include statements concerning our plans, objectives, goals, financial targets, strategies, future events, future revenue or performance, capital expenditures, plans or intentions relating to acquisitions, divestitures or strategic transactions, including the review of the Textile Effects Division, business trends and any other information that is not historical information. When used in this press release, the words "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "likely," "projects," "outlook," "plans," "intends," "believes," "forecasts," "targets," or future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "could" or "may," and variations of such words or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, management's examination of historical operating trends and data, are based upon our current expectations and various assumptions and beliefs. In particular, such forward-looking statements are subject to uncertainty and changes in circumstances and involve risks and uncertainties that may affect the Company's operations, markets, products, prices and other factors as discussed in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC"). In addition, there can be no assurance that the review of the Textile Effects Division will result in one or more transactions or other strategic change or outcome. Significant risks and uncertainties may relate to, but are not limited to, ongoing impact of COVID-19 on our operations and financial results, volatile global economic conditions, cyclical and volatile product markets, disruptions in production at manufacturing facilities, timing of proposed transactions, reorganization or restructuring of the Company's operations, including any delay of, or other negative developments affecting the ability to implement cost reductions and manufacturing optimization improvements in the Company's businesses and to realize anticipated cost savings, and other financial, operational, economic, competitive, environmental, political, legal, regulatory and technological factors. Any forward-looking statement should be considered in light of the risks set forth under the caption "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2021, which may be supplemented by other risks and uncertainties disclosed in any subsequent reports filed or furnished by the Company from time to time. All forward-looking statements apply only as of the date made. Except as required by law, the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

1 Glass Lewis report, March 13, 2022. Permission to use quotes neither sought nor obtained. Emphasis added.

2 Timeframe of February 25, 2017 through February 25, 2022

SOURCE Huntsman Corporation
Sipa Resources Ltd (ASX:SRI) is ready to return to the soil at its wholly-owned Skeleton Rocks project in the West Aussie Goldfields after completing a 138-hole aircore campaign.

The polymetallic explorer used the aircore drill rig to follow up on a series of first-pass auger soil samples, testing greenstone units prospective for gold, nickel-copper and lithium mineralisation.

Now, Sipa plans to keep the drill bit spinning  a second auger program will kick off in roughly one week ahead of further drilling in April.

It wont be long before the explorer gets a closer look at whats in the ground, with priority samples now expected within weeks.

An exciting development

Speaking to the campaign at Skeleton Rocks, Sipa managing director Pip Darvall said: Our first program at Skeleton Rocks was successfully completed and the identification of quartz-sulphide veins in several holes is an exciting development.

These results increase our confidence in the project and have led us to immediately plan further auger surveys given their ability to efficiently discriminate priority target areas.

First assay results from the drilling are expected in the coming weeks and if positive will immediately result in additional follow up field programs.

Findings so far

Sipa has drilled 3,425 metres with an aircore rig to date, turning up a series of polymetallic results that warrant follow-up.

The explorer observed quartz-sulphide veins and disseminated sulphides in some holes, coincident with copper and nickel anomalism seen in pXRF analysis on auger soils samples.

Sipa says the copper anomalism is most likely due to the presence of chalcopyrite  a copper sulphide, occasionally seen in drill chips and in surface float samples nearby.

The close correlation of metal anomalism in auger soil samples to veining in a similar style to gold deposits found in the Southern Cross greenstone belt immediately to the east has led Sipa to plan additional auger programs in other prospective areas.

Any further anomalism identified in this second auger program will assist in targeting future drill programs.

Based on the positive results received to date Sipa has also scheduled additional drilling at Skeleton Rocks in April.

However, when this program goes ahead will be determined by results from the aircore assays and the upcoming auger program.

Samples from the recently completed aircore program are already at the laboratory and those from specific areas of interest, including the holes with visible sulphides, have been prioritised.

Sipa could get its hands on these results within a fortnight.
Moscow, March 13 : Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, and urged them to influence the Kiev authorities to stop "criminal acts" of Ukrainian "nationalist battalions," according to the Kremlin.

Macron and Scholz urged an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, the German government said in a statement, noting the 75-minute talk as part of the ongoing international efforts to end the conflict, Xinhua reported.

Putin gave a "detailed account of the series of talks held via videoconference by Russian and Ukrainian representatives over the past days," and the three leaders reviewed issues pertaining to the agreements being worked out concerning the implementation of the earlier Russian demands, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin informed Macron and Scholz of "the real situation on the ground" in response to the issues raised by them "regarding the humanitarian situation on the territory of the military operation to protect Donbass," the Kremlin said.

Putin cited "multiple facts of gross violations of the international humanitarian law by the Ukrainian army and police: extrajudicial killings of dissenters, hostage taking and the use of civilians as human shields, deployment of heavy weaponry in residential areas, in proximity to hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and so on," according to the Kremlin statement.

"Nationalist battalions regularly sabotage rescue operations and threaten civilians when they attempt to evacuate," the Kremlin said, adding that Putin urged Macron and Scholz to influence the Kiev authorities to stop such "criminal acts." The three leaders agreed to continue contacts on Ukrainian issues, the Kremlin said.

Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday morning, and learned about Zelensky's assessment of the current situation. The two agreed to keep in touch, according to the German statement.
New Delhi, March 13 : Earlier this week, a woman, who is fighting a legal battle seeking custody of her minor nephew from his Egyptian father, got some relief from the Supreme Court which directed the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to pursue the issuance of a red corner notice against the father, who flouted court orders and fled to Egypt. The maternal aunt has alleged that the father committed paedophilic acts with the child and absconded with him from India in February 2020, and they are untraceable so far.

A bench comprising Justices D.Y. Chandrachud, Surya Kant, and Vikram Nath said: "We direct that the CBI be impleaded as a party to these proceedings. Notice shall issue to the CBI. The CBI shall issue a Red Corner Notice to secure the presence of the first respondent, who is a foreign national." During the hearing Justice Chandrachud told the other judges on the bench that it is a very sad story.

The sister of the petitioner died on April 17, 2019, soon after the birth of the child in Pune. The petitioner moved to Egypt along with the man to care for the newborn child. In the plea, she alleged that in August 2019 he made sexual advances to her, and also to her utter shock, she found out he had paedophilic tendencies towards the four-month-old baby. The petitioner along with the child returned to Pune in September 2019. She lodged a complaint in Pune stating she was sexually harassed by the Egyptian man, and he had also sexually harassed the child and also committed paedophilic acts on him.

Later, the father filed a habeas corpus plea before the Bombay High Court alleging that the maternal aunt and grandmother had illegal custody of his child. On January 30, 2020, the high court restored the custody of the child to his father and also allowed him to take the child to his working place in Abu Dhabi, after March 27, 2020.

The woman and her mother moved the top court challenging this order and alleged that on February 16, 2020, they received an email from the man stating he had taken the child with him to Egypt. The petitioners said the man was required to bring the child to India as per the high court's direction, four times in a year, but this has been breached. Also, the petitioners could not access the child via video conferencing.

The petitioners submitted in the top court that the child's father is highly temperamental, domineering, and paedophilic and has several obsessive-compulsive disorders, and it is not safe to leave the child in his custody. The petitioners sought a direction to the CBI to bring back the child to India. In March 2021, the top court issued a bailable warrant against the Egyptian man for violating the custodial orders of his son passed by the high court. The top court also requested the Indian embassy to use its good offices to ensure that access is provided to the petitioners on a video conferencing platform to converse with the child.

Additional Solicitor General Aishwarya Bhati and advocate Aakansha Kaul, representing the Centre, informed the court that efforts were made to contact the man through the Indian Embassy at Cairo but he continues to be untraceable. Bhati contended that a red corner notice can be issued against the Egyptian national.

The counsel, representing the maternal aunt and grandmother of the child, said he had committed contempt of court by flouting the court orders.
Kiev, March 13 : Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that nearly 13,000 civilians were evacuated within a period of 24 hours via humanitarian corridors amid the ongoing war.

In a video address on Saturday night, Vereshchuk said the people were evacuated on Saturday via nine corridors, reports Ukrayinska Pravda.

She said that 8,000 people were evacuated from Sumy, while a total of 3,000 people departed from Krasnopillya, Lebedyn, Velyka Pisarivka and Konotop.

Almost 1,000 people were evacuated from Bucha, 600 from Hostomel and 1,264 from the combat zone in Nemishayevo, the Minister said.

According to Vereshchuk, evacuation from Energodar, in the Zaporizhzhya region, was not possible as Russian forces "stopped humanitarian cargo at the checkpoint in Vasylivka, despite previous agreements".

People also could not leave from Irpin, Kozarovychi, Borodyanka, and Vorzel in the Kiev region.

Also in her video address, Vereshchuk appealed to the Russian forces to release Oleksiy Ihorovych Danchenko, an employee of the State Emergency Service of Ukraine, who accompanied the evacuation buses from Hostomel, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

According to the Minister, Danchenko has been under captivity for two days.

Vereshchuk further said that Ukrainian authorities will on Sunday try to open humanitarian corridors in the Kiev and Luhansk regions, as well as evacuate people from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhya.

According to authorities, Russian forces stopped humanitarian aid moving from Zaporizhzhya to Mariupol.

Church representatives had accompanied the convoy to deter the Russian military from shooting, they said.

The authorities also claimed that Russian forces attacked a convoy of women and children who were trying to evacuate from the Kiev region's Baryshivskyy district.

Seven people were killed, including one child, in the attack.
Chennai, March 13 : Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu are in dire straits after several arrests and jail terms for crossing the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL) with the Sri Lankan Navy and police arresting them. Other than arrests and jail terms, what is more worrying for these fishermen is the confiscation of their trawlers and mechanised fishing boats costing more than Rs 40 to Rs 50 lakhs by the Sri Lankan authorities.

Recently in several leading newspapers of Sri Lanka, an advertisement had appeared for the auction of the mechanised fishing boats seized from Indian fishermen. Many fishermen's association have appealed to both the state and Central governments against this apathy towards Indian fishermen from Tamil Nadu who are trying to make a living by fishing in the deep sea.

The fishermen unknowingly cross the IMBL in Palk Bay and Katchatheevu and immediately fall into the clutches of the Sri Lankan naval authorities. Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin has in many petitions to the External affairs minister and the Prime Minister requested them to take up the matter with the Sri Lankan authorities so that the Indian fishermen get the confidence to fish in the deep sea.

In another development, fishermen from Tamil Nadu and Kerala were arrested by the Seychelles and Indonesia for drifting into their territorial waters. While negotiations and diplomatic discussions between the authorities of the two countries and the Indian side are in progress, the families back home are worried about the safety of their men.

With satellite mobile phones available in most of the deep sea mechanised boats, fishermen are able to communicate to their families about their predicament leading to intervention by the Indian authorities.

J. Jesuraj, leader of the South India fishermen association in Ramanathapuram, told IANS: "The fishermen are now venturing into the sea with dread and they don't know whether they are coming back home. Weather conditions are of course tough but the possibility of arrest by other countries is the major problem they face, especially the Sri Lankan side. In our areas of Rameswaram, Ramanathapuram and other coastal belts the fishermen and their families are in an agitated mood over the assistance given by the Government of India to the Sri Lankans and in turn the ill treatment meted out to Indian fishermen." Several fishermen have stopped going to sea after the arrests and the humiliation they faced in Sri Lankan jails and many have turned to other professions to support their family. Some fishermen were killed by the Sri Lankans. An example is the recent case of R. Rajkiran who fell into the water after being hit by a Sri Lankan trawler. He drowned with other fishermen in his boat claiming that the boat was hit by the Sri Lankan trawler. Three persons were on board in the Indian boat including Rajkiran who drowned. The other two, Suganthan and Xavier, were arrested and jailed by the Sri Lankan navy. The Sri Lankans however claim that the two Indian fishermen were rescued by them and that they had tried to save Rajkiran but failed.

The fishermen not venturing into the sea has created a major social and economic issue in the coastal belts of the state as most of them are not familiar with any other work. During their off-season, the fishermen mostly repair their nets or make minor mechanical repairs to their boats.

R. Samueldas, President, fishermen's welfare association, told IANS: "The fishermen not venturing out to sea has created a social and economic issue in the coastal belts and most of the families are on the verge of starvation. While the government BPL cards and ration supply are providing them a little solace, jobless fishermen will lead to major social issues in the near future in Tamil Nadu unless the government takes up the issue in right earnest with the Sri Lankans." On March 11, the Sri Lankan Minister for Fisheries, Douglas Devananda met the Indian fishermen association leaders from Tamil Nadu and, according to them, has assured that the matter would be taken up at the highest levels of the Sri Lankan Navy.

Stalin recently sent a delegation of state ministers to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and submitted a petition to the latter signed by thousands of fishermen families in coastal Tamil Nadu.

The Chief Minister's Office had in a communication to the media said that Jaishankar had assured them of taking up the matter with his Sri Lankan counterpart and also with the island nation's navy.

Mary Samuel, who is the wife of a fisherman arrested and jailed for crossing the IMBL, told IANS from Ramanathapuram: "My husband has just come home after languishing in a Sri Lankan prison. He is not a terrorist, not a smuggler, and not a sea pirate, yet he is arrested and jailed and our boats are seized. We have knocked on all the doors, nothing is happening. How can the government of India provide assistance to these Sri Lankans who are inhuman to our people and are indiscriminately arresting our fishermen for flimsy reasons? The Sri Lankans understand only the language of power and strong-arm tactics have to be employed by the Government of India to set things right."
Aligarh : , March 13 (IANS) A prominent college in Aligarh issued a notice 'banning' entry of students in the campus without "prescribed uniforms" and refused entry to Muslim girls who were wearing hijab.

The Shree Varshney College, on Saturday, directed students not to cover their faces while attending class. Several students returned home after they were denied entry.

The students said that the staff refused to let them in.

A student, studying in B.Sc final year, said that the college authorities had first asked her to remove the burqa which she was wearing while entering the campus and later they asked her to remove the hijab, too.

"I fail to understand why they have a problem with our hijab. I am not prepared to go anywhere without a hijab and the college is not allowing us to enter the campus anymore," she said.

Administrative officer of the college, Beena Upadhyaya, said that this notice is a 'reminder' to students that there is a "dress code" in the college and the same has to be adhered to.

When contacted, college proctor Anil Varshney said, "The dress code is clearly mentioned in the prospectus.

"We only want students to follow the rules and regulations of the college. We are following directions. The students have just been told that dress codes will be implemented with more seriousness now," he added.
The convincing second term victory of BJP in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand Assembly elections and the runaway first-time success of AAP in Punjab confirm that the astute common man of India voted in favour of a clean and effective dispensation -- this was already tested in UP, assured for the future by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttarakhand and promised by Arvind Kejriwal for Punjab on the strength of his record in Delhi.

Manipur and Goa have witnessed the rise of mainstream sentiments of India under the nationalist Modi regime.

In UP, infamous for crime and mafia, a firm grip on law and order became the hallmark of Yogi Adityanath's rule and this combined with the impact of Prime Minister Modi's thrust on development and welfare schemes benefiting the common man and his household got the people --regardless of caste affiliation -- to ensure the continuity of the present government.

The man on the street was convinced that Prime Minister Modi and Chief Minister Adityanath are leaders of personal integrity and with good intentions and the 'double engine' call therefore made good sense to him in the backdrop of what he had seen happening on the ground.

In UP, the sharp increase in the vote percentage for BJP indicates the contribution of women voters and a significant decline in the votes polled by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Congress marks the disenchantment of people with the stagnant politics of these opposition forces.

The results in Punjab have the significance of a real first-time event in Indian politics. The defeat of Parkash Singh Badal, Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, and for that matter the decisive loss in Patiala of Amarinder Singh, showed a complete discrediting of the two major political forces -- Akali Dal and Congress -- that had ruled Punjab in the past.

Their image marred by corruption and feudal conduct took a further beating in the period before the elections as they had nothing new to offer. Since BJP was not on the scene as an alternative, the AAP, which had been quite visible after the last elections and which had constantly talked of the measures that it would take to improve the state, attracted the attention of the voters, including the farmers in Punjab.

The promises of Arvind Kejriwal, the Chief Minister of Delhi next door, in respect of water and electricity, looked convincing to the people at large in a state that had no faith left in the narrow outlook of the parties they had suffered in the past.

The success of BJP in reaching within the striking distance of government formation in Manipur and Goa has a great significance of its own. The northeastern state has taken a lead in aligning with the national mainstream fostered by the BJP -- no doubt helped by its cultural ethos -- while the state of Goa hitherto caught in the mesh of disparate influences locally and from outside, is seeing the merit of becoming a part of the Indian mosaic.

These Assembly elections therefore are trend setters for the future. First, there is growing recognition of the need for India to have a strong national party at the Centre to put the country on the path of even development and to guarantee national security.

The election results reflect this concern. Indians are sensitive to any threats to national security and have in the past even pushed their personal issues of livelihood aside to respond to war emergencies -- like what happened in 1965.

The rise of Prime Minister Modi as a world leader in the context of the Ukraine-Russia military confrontation having created war clouds on Europe, would not have gone unnoticed by the informed voters.

The outcome of the Assembly polls shows a welcome trend of voters judging the parties by performance and not attaching much importance to rhetoric and political bravado. The improvement in crime control was certainly noted by the people in UP, particularly when the politician-criminal nexus was known to have played havoc in the state earlier.

The difficulties on job front and price rise were not state-specific and a demonstrative line of the Yogi government that there would be no favouritism and play of bribe in the functioning of the administration, would have made an impression.

BJP governments at the Centre and in UP showed how to take work from the bureaucracy without letting it unduly influence policy decisions. In India, this will be a major factor in deciding the advance of the BJP rule in states.

The Centre's recent experience in West Bengal and Punjab, of the politically tinted conduct of top functionaries of state administration and police in the matter of discharging their constitutional responsibilities, has learnings for the Modi government in the sphere of improving the functioning of the All-India Civil Services.

Perhaps the most important political outcome of these Assembly elections is the 'corrective' these polls would exercise for the future on the unchecked resort to 'minority politics' that had become such a glaring feature of the campaign of the opposition.

This evidently drew many voters of the majority community to the BJP in acknowledgement of the latter's nationalist credentials. The Ulema and the elite guiding the Muslim minority would do well to work for the socio-economic upliftment of the community within the secular dispensation of democratic India that was run on Constitutional mandates.

There is a prime threat to India's internal security from the hostile Sino-Pak axis, primarily because these adversaries have a certain capability of fishing in the troubled waters of our domestic polity.

Particular mention may be made of Pakistan's National Security Policy recently released by Prime Minister Imran Khan, who clearly projected India under the present leadership as an enemy and went on to frame Indo-Pak relations in Hindu-Muslim terms.

All Indians must value the 'one man one vote' principle on which Indian democracy rests and the built-in secularism that it provides for by way of equal opportunity of development and equal protection of law for all its citizens.

It is a matter of concern that there was advocacy by responsible sections of community's leadership of 'a share in the power' at the Centre for the minority. There is need for a push back from such positions of communal divide and a renewed emphasis on not injecting religion into politics and on upholding nationalism.

This will benefit all common Indians who regardless of the community have the same concerns of development and security.

(The writer is a former Director of the Intelligence Bureau. The views expressed are personal)
Mathura : , March 13 (IANS) A 63-year-old woman from Mumbai, who had come with a group of 50 devotees to offer prayers at the temples of Mathura-Vrindavan, died while awaiting 'darshan' inside the Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan.

The incident took place on Saturday and is the third such incident in the past one month.

Police said the woman was identified as Madhu Agarwal, a resident of Cuffe Parade area of South Mumbai. She is the wife of a businessman, Ram Prasad Agarwal and had come to Vrindavan four days ago.

She was staying with the group at Shree Ji Ashram Vrindavan.

One of her group members told the police that she was a diabetic patient.

The CCTV footage shows her standing in the 'VIP darshan' queue, and suddenly, she sits down as if feeling uncomfortable and then collapses.

She was immediately taken to the hospital, where she was declared dead.

Madhu's relative, Nisha Rao, who accompanied her, told reporters that they were scheduled to return to Mumbai on Saturday but she had insisted on visiting Banke Bihari temple once more.

"God wanted her to be inside the temple at her last moment," she said.

Madhu had breakfast in the morning before visiting the temple. There was not much of a crowd at the temple when she collapsed.

On Friday evening, a 65-year-old Charan Das from Punjab's Pathankot, had died of a cardiac arrest when he was going to offer prayers at Radha Rani temple after attending Lathmar Holi in Barsana.

On February 12, 65-year-old Laxman Singh, who was a diabetic and a high BP patient, died on the stairs of the gate to the Banke Bihari temple. The temple receives a huge rush of devotees on weekends.
Kolkata, March 13 : With Arvind Kejriwal's Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sweeping the Punjab election, making its presence felt in Goa and positioning itself as a formidable opposition to the BJP in national politics, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjees national ambitions seem to have hit a roadblock after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) dismal performance in the coastal state.

Mamata Banerjee does not have "national aspirations" and only wants to bring like-minded parties together to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, TMC leaders said, after the party's high-profile campaign in the Goa assembly polls failed to make any impression.

The Chief Minister said after the results that the Trinamool Congress had just entered Goa three months before and the attempt was to make the name Trinamool known to the people of the state. The party will work hard in the future as the groundwork has just begun in Goa and the name of the party is now known in every household.

Trinamool leaders said on Saturday that the party has just started its Goa venture a few months back. "We have received 24 per cent in Tripura civic body polls while in Goa it was an attempt to make our symbol known in the last three months." Trinamool Congress state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said.

However, this didn't stop Mamata from taking aim at the Congress. On Friday, she called for an opposition coalition without the Congress. "Nothing will work if we depend on the Congress. They are losing their capability. All the regional parties now have to come together and work," she said while addressing a press conference in the West Bengal Vidhan Sabha.

Speaking about the Congress, West Bengal minister and senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim told reporters on Thursday that "the Congress is a grand old party but it's failing to strike. It should merge with the TMC".

After the AAP's overwhelming victory in Punjab its convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal declared his national ambitions at a victory rally in Delhi. "Inquilab (revolution) came to Delhi first and then happened in Punjab. This revolution will spread across the country," Kejriwal said on Thursday.

The AAP's landslide victory in Punjab in its second outing in the state has given a push to the party leaders' hopes of emerging as a national alternative to the ruling BJP and replacing the Congress as the principal opposition party. The AAP leaders have said the people of Punjab have given a chance to the "Kejriwal model of governance" and that the Delhi Chief Minister "will be the principal challenger of the BJP" in the future.

The AAP swept the Punjab polls by getting a three-fourths majority in the 117-member Assembly, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. The party had finished second behind the Congress in the 2017 elections in the state.

Established in November 2012, the AAP has been seeking to expand its footprint beyond Delhi and contested polls in Goa, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh in this round of state elections. It has won two seats in Goa getting 6.77 per cent of the votes. The party has now set its sights on the Assembly polls in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh later this year.

"Mamata Banerjee single handedly defeated the BJP in the assembly polls and that created an impression that her fight against the BJP might make her the face of the opposition. With the Congress becoming more and more insignificant in national politics Mamata carried on with her ambitious national plan by launching the party in some major states like Tripura, Goa and Assam. The Trinamool Congress would have been more politically relevant if the party could have made some mark in the elections. The Trinamool Congress neither did well in Tripura nor in Goa and this has certainly created a question mark on her national leadership. It would be interesting to see how she comes out of regional attire and becomes relevant in national politics," a senior political scientist said.
Kanpur : , March 13 (IANS) A case has been registered against newly elected Samajwadi Party MLA Irfan Solanki for taking out a victory procession despite the Election Commission's ban.

The FIR has also named 500 unknown people -- his supporters -- who are now being identified from the video posted by Solanki.

Inspector Jainendra Singh Tomar told reporters that people have been asked to provide more videos to identify the others. Based on these videos, the police will take action, he said.

The MLA reached Chaman Ganj on Friday night, a residential area in the heart of Kanpur, with his convoy of over two dozen vehicles and began walking around with his supporters. As more people gathered, the police tried to convince them to leave but they refused, following which the information was sent to higher officials.

Sharing a video of the rally on social media, Irfan Solanki thanked his voters and wrote: "Once again your trust and blessings were with me".
Mathura, March 13 : The Allahabad High Court's Chief Justice Rajesh Bindal has expressed serious concern over delayed justice.

Justice Bindal, while attending a function in Mathura on Saturday, recalled an incident in which a man refused to take the compensation 25 years after the death of his son in a road accident and asked the court to keep the money.

"Judge sahib, please keep this money with yourself now. I disparately needed it to raise my grandsons and educate them after their father, my son, died, in a road accident 25 years ago. I don't need the money now because all of them are settled now," Justice Bindal recalled the man as telling the court.

Delayed relief often turns meaningless," he added.

He urged the Lok Adalats to settle maximum numbers of disputes.

Justice Bindal also advised banks and LIC to adopt a positive attitude so that maximum cases are settled.
London, March 13 : The UK government announced that it will offer 350 pounds ($456) per month to households if they host refugees fleeing from the war-torn Ukraine, a media report said on Sunday.

Under its 'Homes for Ukraine' scheme, the government called on people to "offer a spare room or an empty property to a refugee for a period of at least six months", the BBC report said.

According to Micheal Gove, the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities, the government will launch the new scheme on Monday, and "will initially enable someone - a sponsor - to nominate a named Ukrainian individual or family to stay with them in their home, or in a separate property, for six months".

Sponsors will not be required to know them in advance - they might find them, for example, through posts on social media.

Applications would be made online, with both sponsors and refugees having to go through a home office vetting procedure. The sponsor would get a "thank you" payment of 350 pounds a month.

In a later phase, organisations such as charities and churches will be able to do the same, though there is no start date for this yet, the BBC reported.

Announcing the plan on Saturday, Gove said: "The crisis in Ukraine has sent shock waves across the world as hundreds of thousands of innocent people have been forced to flee their homes, leaving everything they know and love behind.

"The UK stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour and the British public understand the need to get as many people to safety as quickly as we can." The development comes after the UK government has faced widespread criticism for its slow response to the Ukraine crisis.

So far, only 1,000 refugees have been given UK visas, the BBC said, adding that only those with family connections have been able to make an application, via the Ukraine Family Scheme.

Since Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24, over two million people have the war-torn nation.

The UN has termed it as the fastest-growing refugee crisis since the Second World War.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Imphal, March 13 : After the outcome of the Assembly elections in the BJP ruled Manipur and ahead of the crucial polls in the three northeastern states of Meghalaya, Nagaland and Tripura, political realignments in the region were imminent.

The BJP's ally in Meghalaya, the National People's Party (NPP), which has been the partner of the saffron party since 2017 in Manipur, has now announced it will function as an opposition party in the state after becoming the second largest party securing seven seats (against four seats five years ago).

Another influential political party in Manipur and Nagaland -- the Naga People's Front (NPF), which after contesting against the BJP on 10 seats secured five seats this time against four in 2017, is yet to officially announce its final stand on supporting the BJP though it has indicated it will back the saffron party in Manipur.

The BJP with two MLAs is a partner of the NPP-led Meghalaya Democratic Alliance government and with 12 MLAs is an ally of Nagaland's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) government in which the NPF with 25 MLAs is a major ally.

Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP supremo Conrad K. Sangma has already indicated that they would play the role of an opposition party in Manipur and continue to serve the people of the state with the utmost sincerity and hard work.

In the just concluded Manipur Assembly elections, the BJP, NPP and NPF had contested separately and fielded 60, 38 and 10 candidates, respectively, against each other.

With its assertion to make a "Congress Mukt (free) NE region", the BJP has been trying to consolidate its position in all the northeastern states. While the Congress, which once dominated seven of the eight northeastern states, has no MLAs in Meghalaya, Tripura and Nagaland, where the Assembly elections are due in less than a year.

Among the eight states in the northeast, the Congress with 27 MLAs is the only opposition party in the 60-member Assam Assembly.

The All India Congress Committee has recently suspended the remaining five party MLAs who earlier announced to join the BJP backed MDA government, keeping the central and state leaders in the dark.

Before the latest development, 12 Congress MLAs led by former Meghalaya Chief Minister Mukul Sangma joined the Trinamool Congress on November 24 last year reducing the party's strength to five in the 60-member Assembly.

After governing Manipur for three consecutive terms (2002-2017), the opposition Congress, which had become the single largest party in the 2017 Assembly polls by securing 28 seats, won only five seats and managed only 16.83 per cent of the votes this time against 35.5 per cent votes in the 2017 polls.

In contrast, the ruling BJP managed 32 seats and 37.83 per cent of the votes this time against 21 seats and 36.3 per cent of the votes in 2017.

Political commentators and analysts observed that though the regional parties, which are now ruling Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland and Sikkim are consolidating their positions at the cost of the Congress, the grand old party's political base is shrinking due to a weak organisational structure and a leadership crisis both in these states and at the Centre.

Journalist and writer Sekhar Datta said due to the ideology and broad platform of the Congress the party once governed the region but over the years when region-centric issues dominated politics the regional parties emerged strongly. The BJP due to its "double engine advantage" captured a part of the political space, pushing the Congress out of the main political spectrum.

"The central Congress leaders' indifferent attitude towards the northeast and visionless politics made the party a nonentity in the political platform of the region. Both the central and state Congress leaders are visible just before the elections even as hundreds of serious issues have plagued the region," Datta told IANS.

Another political observer Sushanta Talukdar told IANS: "With the strained relations between the BJP and the regional parties, there are bound to be serious electoral ramifications in the near future especially during the Assembly elections in Meghalaya and Nagaland early next year.

"The BJP wrested power in Assam (in 2016 and 2021), Manipur (in 2017 and 2022) and Tripura (in 2018) with the support of the local and regional parties. The saffron party's current relations with several allies in the northeastern states are very unpleasant." Besides the NPP, a national party, NPF, Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) led by Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio, ruling Mizo National Front in Mizoram, BJP's ally in Tripura Indigenous People's Front of Tripura and a few other regional and state parties are the constituents of the BJP-led anti-Congress alliance of regional parties -- the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), the northeast unit of the National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.

Assam Chief Minister and BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma is the convener of the NEDA.

Meanwhile, for the first time in Manipur, tribal community based politics emerged in the recent elections.

In less than two months of its birth the Kuki People's Alliance (KPA), a tribe-based political party in Manipur, has managed to make its way into the Assembly securing two seats - Saikul and Singhat in Kangpokpi and Churachandpur districts respectively.

The Kukis and the Nagas are the dominant tribal populations in 19 of the 60 constituencies in the mountainous areas of Manipur bordering Nagaland.

The victory of the KPA in the two seats it contested witnessed an ethnic division in the state for the first time.

The KPA's victory showed that if the Naga People's Front (NPF) wins in the Naga-majority constituencies, a Kuki party is successful in the Kuki-majority areas.

KPA vice president Dr Chinkholal Thangsing agreed that community-based politics have emerged in Manipur.

(Sujit Chakraborty can be contacted at sujit.c@ians.in)
Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 : After the drubbing in the five Assembly elections, protests have commenced from the Congressmen against the national leadership of the party. The ire is mostly directed against General Secretary (Organisation) K.C. Venugopal, who is from Kerala.

Flex boards came up on Sunday morning at many parts of Kozhikode in North Kerala against K.C. Venugopal making him accountable for the drubbing the party has received in the five states. The flex read, "K.C. resign from the AICC post or party leadership should kick him out".

While the ire of the local party workers has been rising after the party lost the chance to come to power in Kerala in 2021 elections. Back-to-back electoral defeats in the state and at the national level have increased the dejection among the cadres and middle-level leaders.

Adding to the ire against Venugopal is his domination in Kerala's Congress party's affairs by appointing his key man V.D. Satheeshan as the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly after removing senior leader Ramesh Chennithala from the post.

The "I" and "A" factions in the Congress party, which were dominating the state Congress, have felt the pinch after the advent of K.C. Venugopal in the echelons of Congress power centres and interference in the state party affairs.

While K.C. Venugopal does not have ground support in Kerala, his closeness to 10 Janpath and Rahul Gandhi was the one reason why senior leaders of the Congress in Kerala were not openly coming out against him.

However, with the Congress getting weakened by the day at the national level and the G23 raising the banner of revolt, the state Congress leaders are trying to play a shadow game against K.C.Venugopal by using their group cadres to raise flex boards against the national general secretary.

In Kannur and Kasargod districts of North Kerala also, posters against Venugopal have appeared near all the Congress local offices.

The powerful, "I" and "A" group leaders of the Congress party were baying for the blood of K.C.Venugopal in covert and overt manners, but didn't have had the guts to open a war against him due to his proximity to the national leaders, especially Rahul Gandhi.

With the Congress party battered and bruised in the elections, the Congress group leaders have started coming out against K.C. Venugopal.
New Delhi, March 13 : The recent pleas moved in the Delhi High Court revealed that all is not well with Indian medical students who have returned from foreign universities in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war. While they are safe at home, their future however remains uncertain.

It all started in 2020 when students of Chinese universities started returning to the country leaving their studies behind as the Covid-19 pandemic started engulfing the world. The beginning of the medical students' exodus started from this tipping point, only to get more complicated with the war.

According to petitioner Pravasi Legal Cell, they have filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) on behalf of 20,000 Ukraine-returned Indian students for allowing them to join medical colleges in the country.

Another plea, filed by a group of Indian medical students studying in China's Ningbo University, argued that the careers of about 18,000 students are at stake as they are stranded in India due to the pending restrictions imposed by the government in Beijing.

Since their return to India in early 2020, they have not been able to go back to China.

Future at stake As per the provisions of the National Medical Commission (Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate) Regulations, 2021, the entire course, training, and internship or clerkship shall be done outside India in the same foreign medical institution throughout the course of study.

The provisions also state that no part of medical training and internship shall be done in India or in any country other than the one from where the primary medical qualification is obtained.

At present, there are no norms or regulations in India to accommodate medical students, who were studying abroad and had to return to midway.

Both the groups of students who have returned from China and Ukraine have referred to a circular dated March 4, allowing payment of stipend to those who qualify for the Foreign Medical Graduate Exam in India.

However, it is not of much use to students who have been evacuated from Ukraine as many of them are in the second, third or fourth year of studies and have not completed their degrees yet. To qualify for the stipend, one has to complete the degree, appear for the exam, qualify and then get the internship.

NMC's stand The National Medical Commission (NMC) has allowed foreign medical students with incomplete internships due to the ongoing situations, including the Covid-19 pandemic and the Ukraine crisis, to apply and finish their apprenticeship requirement in India but with conditions.

However, the Commission has said that the candidates must complete their Foreign Medical Graduates Exam (FMGE) before applying for internships in India.

"It has been observed that there also some foreign medical graduates (FMG) with incomplete internship due to such compelling situations like Covid-19 and the war. Considering the agony and stress faced by these foreign medical graduates, their application to complete the remaining part of their internship in India is considered eligible," the NMC said in a notice.

"Accordingly the same may be processed by the State Medical Councils provided that the candidates have cleared FMGE before applying for the completion of their internship in India." The Commission is expected to issue the guidelines for State Medical Councils soon in this regard.

"The commission decided to issue the detailed guidelines and process which is required to be followed by State Medical Councils for grant of registration of FMGs till further instructions from the commission or implementation of NEET exam whichever occurs earlier." The Commission further directed the State Medical Councils to follow these conditions while processing for registration of FMGs.

Court interventions The division bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh on February 10 had issued notice to the Centre through the Ministries of Law and Justice, External Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, and the NMC, and posted the matter for the next hearing on March 21.

While issuing notice in the matter, the Delhi High Court asked the respondents to consider the issue sympathetically as the petitioners are just praying for the arrangement of their study.

Regarding the petition filed by Ukraine-returned students also, the court agreed to hear it on March 21.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Bengaluru, March 13 : Pseudoephedrine worth Rs 1.4 crore has been siezed and two persons arrested, the Narcotics Control Bureau stated on Sunday.

Pseudoephedrine is a controlled substance in India and it is illegally exported as it is the main ingredient used to make Methamphetamine (meth), a highly addictive stimulant drug.

Based on specific intelligence, officers of NCB, Bengaluru Zonal Unit intercepted an outbound parcel at a courier centre in Bengaluru on Friday night.

The parcel was destined for New Zealand and on thorough examination of the consignment it was found to contain 50 spools of metallic yarn. Each spool was concealed with powdery contraband of around 40 grams.

On examination, the powdery content was found to be Pseudoephedrine, a controlled substance under the NDPS Act.

In total 1.970 kg of Pseudoephedrine was seized from 50 spools.

In a swift follow up action two persons were apprehended. One was Indian and another South African national. Both have accepted their role in drug trafficking, the NCB officials said.

"By arresting the said two persons by officers of NCB, Bengaluru has effectively neutralised a drug syndicate which was operating in a unique and systematic manner," Amit Gharwate, Zonal Director, NCB said.
New Delhi, March 13 : A Maharashtra BJP MLA has moved the Supreme Court challenging the Legislative Assembly notification, which amended Rule 6 and Rule 7 of MLA rules, laying down the procedure for the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker.

The appeal has been filed by Girish Dattatraya Mahajan through advocate Abhikalp Pratap Singh. Mahajan moved the top court challenging the Bombay High Court, which through a judgment on March 9, dismissed his PIL. Mahajan's plea said: "Impugned Notification has arbitrarily and undemocratically changed the procedure of the election of the Speaker and the Deputy Speaker, the procedure is now a procedure of selection rather than election." The petitioner sought a stay on the notification issued by the Maharashtra government on December 23, 2021.

The petitioner contended that the notification gives arbitrary power to the chief minister to himself decide and recommend the date for election of the Speaker of state Assembly. However, as per the old rules the Governor fixed a date for the election of Speaker.

The plea said: "The calling of the election of the Speaker -- who is the head of the Assembly (and not the State Government/Ruling Party), is the discretion of the Governor. It is submitted that the Impugned Notification is in violation of Article 163(1) of the Constitution of India as the function under Rule 6 of the MLA Rules, i.e., to call for Election of the Speaker is a function on which he is not bound by the aid and advise of the Council of Ministers which is similar to the last part of the Article 163(1) of the Constitution." The plea said the election of the Speaker in a state Assembly directly impacts democracy and administration. It further contended that the Speaker has several powers and duty for smooth running of such Assembly, however, if the Speaker himself is elected by undemocratic means then the free and fair functioning of the state Assembly can easily be hampered by the ruling party.

The plea added that the selection of the Deputy Speaker with the method enumerated in notification would lead to favouritism and bias in the House. "The notification will allow selection of the Deputy Speaker instead of a free and fair election and the same is therefore in clear violation of the Article 178 of the Constitution of India, which states that that every Legislative Assembly of a state shall choose two members of the assembly to be respectively Speaker and Deputy Speaker thereof," added the plea.

The plea added, "The order is unconstitutional and undemocratic for adopting a different procedure for appointment of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the Assembly by changing the Rules, which was in existence from 1960 till date in the State of Maharashtra." The high court dismissed the PIL observing that the rules do not specify anywhere that the Chief Minister is unilaterally taking a decision to appoint Speaker and deputy Speaker and that he is taking decision on the date of election.
New Delhi, March 13 : India moving in a "centripetal direction", as reaffirmed by the results of the just-concluded Assembly elections, is "bad news" for China and Pakistan as any provocation now would see them "incurring heavy costs", says noted social scientist and opinion maker Sreeram Chaulia, whose new book, "Crunch Time", details the paradigm shift in the countrys national security calculus since Prime Minister Narendra Modi assumed office in 2014.

Even so, India must "prepare for a more belligerent and aggressive" China in the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, strengthen defenses all along the disputed border and in the Indo-Pacific, invest more in the defence sector and forge "stronger coalitions" with the Quad and Quad-plus countries, Chaulia, professor and dean at the Jindal School of International Affairs at the O.P. Jindal Global University, told IANS in an interview.

At the same time, Pakistan "does not pose any existential threat to India". The Modi government's attempts to keep the Line of Control (LOC) "quiet" to focus on the Line of Actual Control (LAC) with China "ironically" could "bring about a tactical thaw for India with Pakistan", even though "breaking the Sino-Pakistani strategic collusion is no easy task", Chaulia maintained.

Central governments in India, before Modi's prime ministership, "were hobbled in their approach to national security due to their internal weakness. Coalitions involving a motley group of political parties, excessive bargaining and blackmail by partners from regional parties at the state level, identity politics that divided India into a patchwork of ethnic, caste and religious groups, and national leaders lacking in political gravitas - all these features had crippled central governments badly prior to 2014".

"This translated into ineffective and cowardly responses when India's security was threatened by external adversaries. The consolidation of a strong centre under Modi has thrown out this paradigm and presented a unified face of India as a state and a nation to China and Pakistan.

"The recent Assembly election results in Uttar Pradesh and other states confirm the trend of India moving in a centripetal direction, which is bad news for China and Pakistan. Provoking Modi's India means incurring heavy costs for our two external adversaries now," Chaulia asserted.

Sub-titled "Narendra Modi's National Security Crises", the book is published by Rupa.

What are the implications for India of the Russia-Ukraine war? Noting that the war "has thrown a wrench into the strategies of all powers", Chaulia said India did not want the US and its European partners to get embroiled in a prolonged confrontation with Russia "that would distract from the clear and present dangers posed by China in Asia".

Also, the shift in thinking in Washington and Brussels that Russia is the main threat and that the "new Cold War" is between Russia and the West "is not at all beneficial to India", he said.

Moreover, the way in which Russia attacked Ukraine "will embolden China to attempt more browbeating, if not outright invasion, of Taiwan and smaller adversaries in Southeast Asia, such as the Philippines and Vietnam. So, we have to prepare for a more belligerent and aggressive China now and strengthen defenses all along our disputed borders, as well as in the maritime domain of the Indo-Pacific", Chaulia contended.

Pointing to how the Modi government pushed back at Beijing's expansionism through the doctrines of "security first" and "offensive defence", he added: "Going forward, investing more in India's defence and forging stronger coalitions with QUAD and QUAD-plus countries is the only way to face the Chinese menace," he added.

How does he see the India-Pakistan situation panning out? Contending that China has replaced Pakistan as the "principal threat" to India's rise as a leading power in the world, Chaulia said that while Pakistan "can plot terrorist attacks against India", it is "significantly weakened due to economic failure and internal fissures".

"Pakistan does not pose any existential threat to India. Pakistan's role is to act as a proxy or junior partner of China to keep India hemmed in within the subcontinent. Realising that the China-Pakistan axis could produce a 'two front war' problem, the Modi government has attempted to extend ceasefires with Pakistan and keep the Line of Control quiet so that India can divert and concentrate all its forces on the LAC," Chaulia said.

"So, ironically, the enhanced Chinese threat could bring about a tactical thaw for India with Pakistan. At least, this is the hope. But as readers will learn from my book, the mainstreaming of jihadist culture in Pakistan means that whatever effort Modi has made for peace, or at least a thaw, with Pakistan has not worked out. Breaking the Sino-Pakistani strategic collusion is no easy task," he added.

What are the implications for QUAD? In the wake of the Russia-Ukraine war, Modi has asked fellow QUAD members to remain focused on the core objective of peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific and just as India "cannot realistically handle a 'two front war' with both China and Pakistan, the US and its allies cannot simultaneously contain both Russia and China", Chaulia said.

India's role in QUAD now, he said "is to ensure it does not lose its direction and its raison d'etre. The advent of a conservative government after recent elections in South Korea and the rise of bipartisan anti-China politics in Australia will ensure that no one takes eyes off the biggest challenge to the rules-based international order - China".

"The diplomatic partnerships with QUAD and QUAD-plus are key in the emerging geopolitical scenario," Chaulia said, detailing in the book, how Modi has used military, diplomatic and economic tools to push back against China and Pakistan during four crises - the attack on the Brigade Headquarters at Uri, the Doklam standoff, the Pulwama attack on a CRPF convoy and the incursions in Ladakh - and how India's entire security establishment responded in a synchronised and coordinated manner.

Arguing that the reforms forged by Modi to India's national security apparatus have been transformative in terms of improving the country's strategic culture and overcoming the tag of a 'soft state' Chaulia charts how India finally moved in the direction of developing a strategic culture due to the Prime Minister's own commitment to improving national security, and also because Indian society has shifted in a nationalistic direction.

Significantly, one of the tasks of the over-reaching Defence Planning Committee (DPC) created by government in April 2018 and chaired by National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval with the chiefs of the armed forces, including the CDS, along with senior bureaucrats from multiple ministries, is the formulation of a National Security Strategy (NSS) that successive governments have not been able to define since Independence but is now an emerging reality.

"The National Security Strategy has not been made public, but it is very much guiding the government in its responses to China and Pakistan," Chaulia said during the interview.

"Unlike the US, where the legislature compelled the executive to publicly announce an NSS since the late 1980s, India does not yet have heavy parliamentary involvement and scrutiny of the executive branch's foreign policy and national security policy. So, the NSS is a work in progress, but not declaring it explicitly does not mean our adversaries are unaware of how Modi's India will respond if they attack us.

"Under the 'Doval doctrine' (elaborated in the book), India has formulated a matrix of how to respond proportionately whenever there is a terrorist attack from Pakistan or a territorial incursion from China," Chaulia added.

He also paid rich tributes to General Bipin Rawat, India's first Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) who died in a tragic helicopter crash on October 8, 2021, terming the creation of the post "the crown jewel in Modi's security overhaul efforts".

"General Rawat's loss is a huge one, a void that cannot be easily filled. The CDS was the architect of (the) emerging unified 'jointness' of the Indian Army, Air Force, Navy and paramilitary forces... General Rawat's sad demise means there will be delays, but the far-reaching reforms Modi has triggered will go on and make India's crisis-response mechanisms to Chinese and Pakistani attacks a lot stronger in the future," Chaulia maintained.

He said the inspiration for writing "Crunch Time" is that "there is a Bharat which precedes the modern-day conception of India and that Modi and his foreign minister, S. Jaishankar, are reviving the millennia-old Bharatiya tradition of statecraft, geopolitical manoeuvres and risk-taking to deal with external opponents".

"The more India becomes Bharat, i.e. its authentic pre-colonial self, the stronger India's national security will become. China and Pakistan's calculi in provoking India will change dramatically once they realise that Bharat is back," Chaulia concluded.

(Vishnu Makhijani can be reached at vishnu.makhijani@ians.in)

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Away from political analysts assertions of a "frozen conflict" when Russia took over Crimea in 2014, President Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine now has the global hot pot boiling.

But the hot pot, one of the most favourite culinary offerings of the Chinese, isn't really boiling in China, at least not over the Ukrainian conflict.

Lately, Russia's dearest neighbour to the south has been wallowing in impressive economic numbers announced after its vaunted 'Two Sessions'. The National People's Congress (NPC) and the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) wrapped up their annual Twin Sessions in Beijing on Friday.

After getting the strategic hawks around the world shifting in their chairs for an explanation as Beijing increased its defence budget by 7.1 per cent for 2022, Premier Li Keqiang announced economic statistics that place the world's second largest economy on a comfortable pedestal. The hike comes in the wake of threats by the US and its allies.

China has set a target of 5.5 per cent economic growth for the current year, and wants to create 11 million urban jobs every year amid other handsome economic statistics that follow a period of hobbled economic activity across the world.

The defence outlay hike for one of the strongest militaries in the world comes as all countries look at the Russian sphere of influence buffeted by war and instability. Tension between Ukraine and Russia has created more than ripples across the world.

It is more than clear that China is walking a tightrope on Ukraine. Putin was a guest at the opening of the Winter Olympics and the two countries vowed to cement relations during the visit. Deep down, China cannot deny that Russia's invasion of its Western neighbour is 'wrongdoing', a word often paraded in Chinese state media for actions by countries not considered friendly to Beijing. China and the US have been at loggerheads for years now with the world's second largest economy playing catch up with the most formidable military and economic power known to flex its geopolitical muscle in all parts of the world.

China has called for talks to resolve the conflict but refused to call Russia's bluff on the military operation. It did not even condemn Putin's misadventure which has seen Western nations go ballistic at Moscow in terms sometimes unheard of.

While body bags and bloodied Ukrainian children trigger an abhorrence of Russia, more so because there was no apparent provocation from Kiev, one has to see the escalating conflict in terms of a largely ethnic phenomenon. Though there has been opposition within Russia to what the Kremlin sees as just action, there seems to be widespread support for the move within the Russian community.

I could connect with Vladimir Zharikhin, Deputy Director, Institute of CIS countries. He has a completely different take on the issue. Zharikhin thinks the military operation by Russia in this case is not aimed at acquiring any territory of Ukraine. It is aimed at ensuring the security of the republics of Donbas in eastern Ukraine recognised by it, as well as ensuring its own security through the demilitarisation and de-Nazification of Ukraine.

Zharikhin believes the China-Taiwan conflict is a "completely different case" and that the desire of the People's Republic of China to return Taiwan to the country is supported by the recognition of Taiwan by the entire world community as part of China.

The Taiwan issue has been heating up over the years and Beijing hasn't ruled out anything to bring about the reunification of the island which it deems a breakaway province.

India's studied stance on the issue has also been under the spotlight. Zharikhin thinks India has taken a neutral position in the dispute as it is in New Delhi's long-term interests. India has been a traditional ally of Ukraine, and Moscow has been known to stand by it especially during the Cold War.

China, however, has tried to take Biden by the lapel of his coat over an issue that can be considered collateral to the Ukrainian conflict. China alleges that the US is behind laboratories intended to produce biological weapons on Ukrainian territory. With the accusation or allegation, Beijing is trying to get even with Washington over something that happened about two years ago. With Donald Trump in the hot seat, the US had accused China of being behind the origins of the novel coronavirus that purportedly originated in Wuhan.

The Global Times on March 11 published an article citing a Russian Defence Ministry report that says the US and its Nato allies have bio labs on Ukrainian soil.

China, it seems, is carefully using the conflict to get even with the US and other Western powers while maintaining a studied silence. While India's silence on the conflict may have been dictated by strategic interests that align with its long-term policy, China's decision of not rubbing the Kremlin the wrong way seems more like a step taken without giving a thought to the basic norms of civility in international politics Let us see how long can the dragon keep the fire in its mouth drawn inside.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War

Latest updates on Coronavirus (COVID-19)
Moscow, March 13 : Tech giant Google has reportedly suspended Play Store purchases and subscriptions for Android users in Russia.

In late February, Google had earlier announced that it will be cutting down on advertisements and media from the Russian Federation as a response to the country's invasion of Ukraine, reports GizmoChina.

However, this week, the company has taken further action on the ongoing situation as the company has paused the Google Play Store's billing system for Android users in Russia.

In the official statement from Google, the company stated that due to payment system disruptions, Google Play has paused its billing system for users in Russia as of March 10, 2022.

Google clarified that this means users cannot purchase apps and games, make subscription payments or conduct any in-app purchases of digital goods via the Google Play Store in Russia.

Free apps will remain available on the Play Store to download and install.

As for existing user subscriptions via the Google Play Store, Google informed that subscriptions will unfortunately not be able to be renewed and will be cancelled.

However, the existing subscription (i.e. the 1-month or 1-year subscription that the Russian Android user had purchased before this announcement) will continue until the end of the then-current billing period.

The company also clarified that it will still honour existing developer subscription billing grace periods and any free trials will continue to work until payments are attempted.

On a closing note, Google also stated that the situation is rapidly evolving and that the company encourages users to follow Google for Google's latest update on the matter if there are changes of action.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 : The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has sounded a temperature alert in Kerala forecasting an increase of 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in maximum temperature in the state.

On Saturday the maximum temperature in Kannur, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Kozhikode, and Punalur increased by 2.6 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees, 2.2 degrees, 2.1 degrees, and 2.2 degrees Celsius respectively.

The IMD has predicted an increase in temperature on Sunday for Kollam, Alappuzha, Kottayam, Thrissur, Kozhikode, and Kannur are likely to witness an increase in maximum temperature.

Experts say that the Ultraviolet (UV) index and heat index are likely to go up in the coming days and possibilities of heat-related incidents like sunburns.

The IMD also predicted that summer will peak in the state between March 20 and April 10.

It is to be noted that the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) planned to introduce devices to monitor the harmful ultraviolet rays throughout the day but even after two years of conceiving the idea, it has not been implemented. The project was to be implemented at a cost of Rs 10 lakh by March 2020.

The idea was to install a device in each district to get an UV index alert every hour during the day.

Sources in the KSDMA said that the department had ordered the devices but had to return them to the company due to technical glitches.

It may be noted that heat-related incidents are on the rise in Kerala and the state has declared heatwave as a state-specific disaster.

On Saturday, Punalar recorded the highest temperature of this season -- 38.7 degrees Celsius, followed by Thrissur at 38.4 degrees, Kannur (36.9), Kottayam (36.6), Kozhikode (35.4), and Thiruvananthapuram (35.4).
Riyadh, March 13 : Saudi Arabia's Interior Ministry announced the execution of 81 convicts on different charges, including terrorism, espionage and murder.

The convictions also include targeting government personnel and vital economic sites, the killing of law enforcement officers and maiming their bodies, and planting land mines to target police vehicles, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The individuals were trialed in Saudi courts, overseen by a total of 13 judges over three separate stages for each individual, Xinhua news agency quoted the Ministry as saying.

The accused were provided with the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process, it added.

The Ministry stressed that the kingdom would continue taking a strict and unwavering stance against terrorism and extremist ideologies that threaten the stability of the world.
Chennai, March 13 : Tamil actor Ganesh Venkatram, who is inspired by the physical fitness videos of Bollywood actor Vidyut Jammwal, has now sent out a big hug to Vidyut to express his appreciation for the star's willingness to share his knowledge and thereby impact people's lives.

In a Twitter post, Ganesh said, "Bro (referring to Vidyut Jammwal) , a big genuine heart felt hug to you...Love the way you are taking your passion and knowledge and impacting people's lives. I have been myself doing Marma after seeing your videos and expereincing self-healing.Can't imagine how many people have benefited from it bhai. More power to you." When IANS got in touch with Ganesh to know more, he said, "Vidyut has been a dear friend right from the time of my modelling days in Mumbai. He put the time available during the lockdowns to good use by making videos that were very inspiring and useful for self-healing and fitness." Ganesh, who has been a yoga practitioner for several years, says he was inspired to revive his Marma practice after watching the videos.

"Marma is a branch of yoga that deals with healing," the actor, who had a back injury, says and adds that the practise has yielded good results.

The south star feels that Vidyut has kept his videos simple and thereby enabled it to reach scores of people. "He didn't go into any theory but just showed how to do it in a practical manner. That has helped people do it themselves," Ganesh, who has a series of film projects in different stages of production, says.

On the work front, Ganesh has two films, 'Un Parvaiyil' and 'Red Sandalwood', in Tamil and two films in Telugu. This apart, he is all set to begin work on a webseries that will release on ZEE5. "The web series will be a political thriller," the actor signs off.
New Delhi, March 13 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review India's security preparedness, and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

The Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, Externalffairs Minister S. Jaishankar, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba, Foreign Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla, and Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister P.K. Mishra attended the high-level meeting.

Prime Minister Modi has chaired several high-level meetings with senior Ministers of the cabinet and officials since Russia launched a military action against Ukraine on February 24 and India began a massive evacuation mission named 'Operation Ganga' to airlift stranded Indian nationals, including students.

So far, the government has brought back over 20,000 Indians from the war-torn country, through the neighbouring countries of Ukraine.

On March 11, over 600 Indian students, stuck in northeastern city Sumy, were airlifted to New Delhi using a humanitarian corridor provided by the Ukrainian authority.

These Indian students arrived here on Friday by three flights, including one Indian Air Force's C-17 globe master under the Operation Ganga.

Sumy located in the north east part of Ukraine and close to the Russian border, came under heavy shelling and bombing by the Russian Army which began its military operation against Ukraine on February 24.

Nearly 700 Indian students were stuck there as it was impossible to get them evacuated under the heavy bombing.

The governments of Russia and Ukraine announced a ceasefire and provided a humanitarian corridor on March 8 after Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to the Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin on March 7 requesting them to provide safe passage to evacuate the remaining Indian nationals stuck in the war-torn Ukraine.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 13 : A 21-year-old man allegedly died by suicide in the national capital's northwest area, a police official said on Sunday.

According to the official, the deceased identified as Prakhar Yadav, a native of Uttar Pradesh, was a Delhi University graduate and was residing at a rented accommodation in northwest Delhi's Vijay Nagar.

"The intimation about the incident was received by a police party which was patrolling in the area at 8 p.m. on Friday after which they rushed to the spot," the police official told IANS.

When the police reached the said flat, they found Prakhar hanging from a ceiling fan. "He had used bed sheets to hang himself," the official said.

The police said that preliminary investigation has so far revealed that it is a suicide case, however, the exact cause of death can only be revealed after the post-mortem report.

Local enquiry of the friends and flatmates of the deceased was also done, who disclosed that Prakhar was under some depression from the past few days. "He was also working as an Editor at some private firm in Noida, the job which he got just a few days back," said the official.

"As of now we do not see any foul play, however, we are probing the matter from all angles," the official added.
Baghdad, March 13 : Twelve ballistic missiles on Sunday struck Erbil, capital of Iraq's Kurdish region, authorities said.

At 1 a.m., "12 long-range ballistic missiles were fired from the east outside the Iraqi borders towards the new building of the US Consulate in Erbil and surrounding residential areas, as well as near the building of Kurdistan 24 TV Channel", Xinhua news agency quoted the region's Interior Ministry as saying in a statement.

The attack resulted in the wounding of a civilian, along with damage to several buildings, the statement said, adding that the Kurdish security forces are investigating the incident, with more details to be released later.

Meanwhile, a statement by the media office of the Iraqi Joint Operations Command confirmed the attacks on Erbil, saying that "their perpetrators will receive their just punishment".

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack on the relatively peaceful Kurdistan region.

US forces stationed at Erbil's international airport complex have in the past come under fire from rockets and booby-trapped drones by unknown militias.
Lucknow, March 13 : Six law students of the Lucknow University have been issued show-cause notices for allegedly misbehaving with teachers and trying to manhandle them in the law faculty hostel.

The letter issued by the proctor's office said that the law students in the hostel, along with some outsiders, were making noise in the wee hours.

A proctor office team reached the hostel, where the students were found making a fuss and hooting on the top of their voices. A number of them were found using inappropriate language for LU teachers and even abusing them.

Additional proctor Prof Mohd Ahmad said, "Teachers living near the hostel complained about students and some outsiders playing volleyball at 1 a.m. on the hostel campus. They were shouting and yelling. After receiving the complaint, when I reached the spot and tried to tell them to stay quiet, they began abusing me and then the teachers living on the campus." He said they even tried to manhandle him. Thereafter, other teachers also reached the spot and checked hostel rooms for outsiders. However, they had fled by that time.

Thereafter, when the remaining students were asked to move inside, they climbed up the terrace and continued the same behaviour, said Prof Ahmad.

The students, meanwhile, claimed that they were celebrating the victory of the BJP in the assembly elections.

"We were just celebrating the win of BJP and have not done anything to be issued a show-cause notice," said one of the students.

Meanwhile, LU spokesperson Durgesh Srivastava said, "Three LL.M students and LL.B students each have been issued a show- cause notice. The university is probing the matter. The students will have to give a reply to the notice served within three days in writing. If they fail to do so, strict action will be taken against them."
Tirupati, March 13 : A 10-year-old boy stayed with his dead mother's body at home for four days, thinking that she was sleeping.

The boy went to school every day by properly dressing up, ate food and slept besides his mother, unaware that she died due to an accidental fall.

The shocking incident came to light in Tirupati on Saturday after the boy called his uncle to inform him about a foul smell emanating from his mother's body.

Rajyalakshmi (41), working as a teacher at a private college, was staying with her son Shyam Kishore at a rented flat in the Vidyanagar area for the last two years due to some differences with her husband. The boy, said to be mentally unstable, was a student of Class 5 at a private school.

The woman, who had recently completed her PhD from Karnataka, was scheduled to leave for March 9 to Belagavi to receive her degree. She had informed her brother Durga Prasad who lives in Chittoor district about her travel plans. She had also told him that she has been suffering from a headache for some time and planned to consult a physician after returning from Belagavi.

Rajyalakshmi is believed to have fallen down from bed on the night of March 9 and died of head injury. Her son thought she was sleeping. For three days the boy ate snacks stored at home and regularly attended school. When neighbours enquired about her mother, he told that she was resting.

On the fourth day when a foul smell started emanating, he called his uncle to inform the same. The boy told him that his mother was sleeping for four days.

Durga Prasad rushed to the house and was shocked to find his sister lying dead. Police shifted the body for autopsy. A police officer said it appeared to be a case of natural death.
New Delhi, March 13 : "When I told my family and friends that I wanted to take up acting as a profession they were like seriously? Like my family has only writers, doctors, lawyers and engineers, but they were supportive and requested me to graduate first," reveals actor Tisca Chopra.

"So, I actually filmed my first film while I was still in college. It's an interesting turn of events that I then did a movie about education "Taare Zameen Par" which then made my father realise how much value films have in helping education." Actor, author and producer Tisca Chopra who shared a platform with actress Sayani Gupta, and Airbnb Host Ranjana Patil during a panel discussion on #BreakTheBias hosted by Airbnb said, "Any talk of gender equality is useless, women are financially independent. Today it's not brute strength that is real strength in the world, real strength is financial strength and intellectual strength both of which entrepreneurs need in good measure and can create in good measure. So, I would tell women entrepreneurs to educate themselves, learn the business that they're planning to get into take advice from other people and set up their business and not be afraid of failing because then no entrepreneur would make it. People fail but it depends on how fast you get up after the failure. So, ok yeah I am going to fail that's fine but move beyond that. That's what I would say to women entrepreneurs." Tisca, believes that if you're going to be waiting for someone else to do something for you, you're going to be waiting a very long time. She started acting, directing and producing in the spirit of entrepreneurship. "You can't wait for the industry to offer you the same kind of roles as you want for yourself. So the next step is let me do this for myself, let me try and write something, so I wrote 'Chutney' in 2016, 'Chhuri' in 2017 and then in 2019 we released 'Rubaru', all three short films have done really well and now I'm on my way to directing a feature film. If you do it yourself at least you know that you tried your best and you give it your best shot. I think that's the best that anyone could hope for in this lifetime." she said.

Chopra, whose tight schedule make her travel for work non stop, also states that "Airbnb is such a wonderful, holistic and natural experience of a location, staying with people as they do in that culture. I'm not a big fan of curated hotel experiences, because I feel that they are very sanitizsd and impersonal; I think that the time has come for us to be far more personal with each other far more intimate with each other, in terms of how we eat, how we welcome one into our homes." Adding, "I want to travel solo a few times a year because I think that I need that time to be able to fill myself up with experiences, not being a mother, a daughter or anybody, but just being a human being walking this planet." (N. Lothungbeni Humtsoe can be contacted at lothungbeni.h@ians.in)
New Delhi, March 13 : The Indian Embassy in Ukraine has been temporarily shifted to Poland in the wake of the ongoing Kiev-Moscow conflict, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Sunday.

In a statement, the Ministry said: "In view of the rapidly deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, it has been decided that the Indian Embassy in Ukraine will be temporarily relocated in Poland.

"The situation will be reassessed in the light of further developments." Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a CCS meeting to review India's security preparedness, and the prevailing global scenario in the context of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine.

During the meeting, he was briefed on the latest developments in Ukraine, including the details of Operation Ganga to evacuate Indian nationals, along with some citizens of India's neighbouring countries, from the war-torn nation.

Modi has directed that all possible efforts should be made to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, who died in Kharkiv.
Los Angeles, March 13 : New Zealander filmmaker Jane Campion made history at the DGA Awards on Saturday night (U.S. Pacific Time) by becoming the second consecutive woman -- and third in the 74-year history of the awards -- to win the top honour for the best theatrical feature film.

Campion won the award for Netflix's 'The Power of the Dog', reports 'Variety', adding that the win gives Campion even more of an edge in the Oscar race as this year's film awards season heads into the homestretch.

Campion won over Kenneth Branagh for 'Belfast', Paul Thomas Anderson for 'Licorice Pizza', Steven Spielberg for 'West Side Story' and Denis Villeneuve for 'Dune'.

"I care about women having voices, and I'm so excited about the next generation of filmmakers," Campion said.

She was presented the award by ChloA Zhao, who won the category last year for 'Nomadland', which went on to pick up the Best Film, Best Director and Best Actress Oscars.

Another highlight of the much-awaited evening was Spike Lee receiving the lifetime achievement award, which he celebrated with an epic 23-minute speech about his journey to filmmaking. Also, Joseph P. Reidy received the Frank Capra Achievement Award and Gerry Hood was given the Franklin J. Schaffner Achievement Award.

The Directors Guild of America's 74th annual DGA Awards returned to an in-person event on Saturday at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, with Judd Apatow on tap as host.

The ceremony, which went virtual in 2021, and is part of a busy weekend on the kudos gauntlet that also includes the BAFTA, Annie Awards and Critics Choice events.

The night kicked off with a win in children's programming for Smriti Mundhra, an Indian American filmmaker who won for her work on the episode titled 'Shelter' in HBO Max's 'Through Our Eyes' series. This was Mundhra's first DGA Awards nod.

Maggie Gyllenhaal won the DGA Award for first-time feature (making it her first-ever DGA nod) for yet another Netflix feature, 'The Lost Daughter'.

"I really am moved, ultimately I got brave enough to say what I wanted," she said. Gyllenhaal, reports 'Variety', noted the awkward situation where she's not a member of the DGA because she has only helmed one film.

"But I want to be!" she said. Gyllenhaal added that she knows applicants need two sponsors in order to join -- one of whom, she asked, on the spot from the stage, is Steven Spielberg. The other will be her father, director Stephen Gyllenhaal, who was in attendance on Saturday.

Meanwhile, in television, it was already a foregone conclusion that black comedy drama series 'Succession' will win in the drama category -- because it was the only nominee this year.

On the comedy side, Emmy winner Lucia Aniello picked up another honour for 'Hacks', this time the DGA Award for the episode 'There Is No Line'.

Aniello and 'Hacks' beat out 'Ted Lasso', which led with three of the five DGA Awards nominations in the category, along with an episode 'The White Lotus'. This was Aniello's first DGA Awards win.

In the limited series race, Barry Jenkins continued the recent streak of wins for his Amazon Prime Video series 'The Underground Railroad].

Jenkins won opposite two episodes of 'Dopesick' and those of 'Mare of Easttown' and 'Station Eleven'. This was Jenkins' second DGA Awards win, following a feature nod for 'Moonlight' in 2016.

'Saturday Night Live' veteran Don Roy King (who retired at the end of December from the show after 16 years) continued his streak in the variety/talk/news/sports -- regularly scheduled series category, winning this year for the episode with 'How I Met Your Mother' star Keegan-Michael Key and musical guest Olivia Rodrigo.

King said he was proud of his tenure on the show, which he said "held people accountable and did some healing for the people of the country. I was so proud of that work." This was King's 16th DGA Awards nod, having previously won the award in this category for SNL episodes in 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 and 2013.

King had also won the DGA Award for variety/talk/news/sports -- specials for 'SNL 40th Anniversary Special' in 2015.

'Attica', which recounts the story of one of the biggest prison riots in U.S. history in 1971, won best documentary for helmer Stanley Nelson. This was Nelson's first DGA Awards nomination.

In reality programmes, Adam Vetri won for the 'Electric Shock' episode of Discovery's 'Getaway Driver' series. The episode was all about a real-life high-speed car chase. This was Vetri's third DGA Awards nomination and second award after 2015. Paul Dugdale won for CBS's 'Adele: One Night Only'. It was his first DGA Awards nomination in the department that clubs variety/talk/news/sports specials.
Islamabad/New Delhi, March 13 : Pakistan has inducted multi purpose J-10C fighter jets, acquired from China, into its Air Force to improve its combat capabilities.

In a formal induction ceremony on Friday held at Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Base Minhas Kamra in Attock district of Punjab to induct the jet, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said any country would have to think twice before harbouring any aggression towards Pakistan, asserting that the armed forces were well-equipped and trained to defeat any threat.

His statement is a veiled reference about India's recent procurement of Rafale fighter jets from France.

"Unfortunately, efforts are being made to create an imbalance in the region and to address this, a big addition has been made today to our defence system," Khan said addressing the ceremony.

He also stated that induction of J-10 C is a big movement for Pakistan after about 40 years when F-16 provided by the US were inducted into the PAF.

Khan thanked China for providing the aircraft in a short span of about eight months when it often takes years to acquire modern jets.

The J-10C is a 4.5-generation medium-sized fighter jet and is more powerful than the China-Pakistan jointly developed lightweight fighter jet, the JF-17, currently being used by the PAF.

Pakistan had announced the display of the new jet on March 23 at the annual Defence Day Parade. J-10C is manufactured by Chengdu Aircraft Corporation (CAC) for the Chinese Air Force.

It can carry out air-to-air combat including strike missions. Pakistan had requested to buy the fighter jets as far back as 2006. The negotiations finally led to the purchase of 25 J-10C fighters.
Bhubaneswar, March 13 : BJP national spokesperson Sambit Patra on Sunday demanded stern action against Odisha MLA Prashant Jagdev who plowed his SUV into a crowd injuring several BJP workers and cops.

Patra, who landed in Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning, visited the injured persons at AIIMS Bhubaneswar. Later, holding a press conference, Patra condemned the incident and said it has maligned the image of Odisha.

Speaking about the incident, Patra said, "As BJP was all set to win both block chairman seats under Chilika constituency, the BJD MLA was trying to take control over the democratic process of election. However he failed to do so. So, out of frustration, the legislator tried to kill around 20 BJP workers including women by ramming his vehicle into the crowd." This is a matter of concern that an elected MLA has committed such a crime, that too probably under the influence of alcohol, Patra said.

"This was nothing but attempt to murder... This was not only the attempt of murder of the BJP workers but also it was an attempt to murder the democracy," he said.

Describing the suspension of Jagdev from BJD as a drama, he said, "After suspension, he was seen attending BJD meetings and campaigning for the party." Despite knowing that Jagdev is a habitual offender and involved in several violent incidents in the past, the regional party (BJD) has not expelled him. He was even given a ticket for the second time by the party, the BJP leader said.

"We want to ask why the BJD did not expel Jagdev. We demand stern action against him," he demanded.

The BJP leader said his party has won Assembly elections in four states and it has lost in one state Punjab. However, no violence has been reported in any of these states because the BJP workers never indulge in violence.

When it comes to the case of West Bengal and Odisha, such poll-related violence is being reported. After West Bengal elections, several BJP workers have been killed and in Odisha, so many violent incidents have been reported during the entire panchayat election, he pointed out.

He alleged that the MLA has maligned the image of the peace-loving people of Odisha who are known for their simplicity, good manners, peaceful coexistence and non-violence.

On the other hand, BJD Rajya Sabha member Munna Khan said, "Never such an incident has happened in our state till yesterday. Our party and leader Naveen Patnaik never encourages any kind of violence. And such incidents should not be tolerated."
London, March 13 : Scientists at the Swansea University in Wales, the UK have launched a pioneering treatment, which uses human cells to eliminate facial scarring.

The University's 2.5m Pound study will use the cells and plant-based materials to 3D-print nose and ear cartilage, BBC reported.

If successful, it could be used in the future to treat people born without body parts or who have facial scarring because of burns, trauma or cancer.

The project will include scientific studies to determine the ideal combination of cells to grow new cartilage which will lead to human clinical trials for facial reconstruction, the report said.

According to Prof Iain Whitaker, Professor of plastic surgery at Swansea, using printers would also make operations shorter, improving the experience of patients and lowering costs.

He hoped that clinical trials could be held in Swansea in the "next two to five years".

"I'm hopeful that Wales will be amongst the first in the world for patients to benefit from this technology," Prof Whitaker was quoted as saying.

Victims of scarring say the development could be life-changing, the report said.

Six-year-old Elizabeth, who lost some of her fingers and an ear, in a fire when she was six months old, said she found the new research "exciting".

"With a lot of the work they're doing in this lab, we're hoping it will benefit children like Elizabeth so they don't have to deal with the physical and mental impact of scars," her father Liam was quoted as saying.

"The opportunity to rebuild the confidence of people who have facial and body disfigurements is immense," added Simon Weston, the lead ambassador for The Scar Free Foundation, who is partly funding the research.

Weston, a war veteran, has scars over 85-90 per cent of his body after a bomb hit the ship he was serving on during the Falkland's War.

"You can't change what happens to people but through this research and development, you can change what their future can look like," he said.
New Delhi, March 13 : Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) in a statement confirmed that it targeted the Israeli centres in Erbil with precision-guided missiles, Mehr News reported.

Referring to the targeting of the Mossad training centres in Erbil by precision-guided missiles, the IRGC General Public Relations in a statement stressed that the repetition of any evil act of the Zionists will face harsh, decisive and destructive responses.

"Following the recent crimes of the Zionist regime and the previous announcement that the crimes and evil acts of this regime will not go unanswered, last night, the strategic centre for conspiracy and evil acts of the Zionists was targeted with precision-guided missiles of the IRGC".

Iraqi media on early Sunday reported that Washington's new consulate building and two advanced training centres run by the Zionist regime's spy agency, Mossad, in Erbil have been targeted in the missile attack, Mehr News reported.

Earlier on Wednesday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) vowed to avenge the martyrdom of two of its advisors at the hands of the Israeli regime during a recent attack on the countryside of the Syrian capital of Damascus.

"Undoubtedly, the Zionist regime will pay the price of this atrocity," the IRGC's Public Relations Office said in a statement.
New Delhi, March 13 : Police in UP's Ghaziabad have registered an FIR against Hindu Yuva Vahini district President Ayush Tyagi over the latter's alleged inflammatory speech against the minority community.

A police official told IANS that a case has been registered against the accused under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race) and 505 (2) (public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code at Muradnagar police station.

The incident was reported the same day when the BJP returned to power in the Uttar Pradesh.

In a 59-second video, accessed by IANS, Tyagi, while addressing a gathering from a podium, could be heard asking people to tell 'them' to remove loudspeakers from the religious places otherwise Hindu Yuva Vahini will themselves remove it.

The police official said they themselves took cognizance of the video after it went viral on social media and other platforms. The official confirmed that so far no arrests have been made in the case. Meanwhile, a complaint was also lodged at the Shaheen Bagh police station regarding the same alleged hate speech.

Complainant Aarfa Khanam, in her complaint, said that the remarks made by Tyagi have hurt the sentiments of the minority community.

"I request the police department to take punitive action against the man who made such an inflammatory speech," she added.

A Delhi Police official said that, so far, no FIR has been registered as the alleged 'hate speech' was made in Ghaziabad.

"We are analysing the complaint and will take a decision after consulting the prosecution branch," the official said.
Chennai, March 13 : AIADMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam has thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for successfully evacuating Indians, especially students from war-hit Ukraine.

In a letter to the Prime Minister on Sunday, he noted that 'Operation Ganga' was highly successful and even students from Bangladesh and Pakistan were evacuated by Indians.

He said that the safe evacuation of students who were caught in Sumy through a humanitarian corridor with the cooperation of both Russia and Ukraine was remarkable, and said that this was due to the personal rapport that Prime Minister Narendra Modi enjoys with the foreign leaders and the Indian diplomacy working at its best.
Mumbai, March 13 : 'Cargo' filmmaker Arati Kadav who is gearing up for the remake of the film 'The Great Indian Kitchen' explains why it would be challenging to remake a Malayalam film in Hindi for a pan-Indian audience.

The original film in Malayalam was directed by Jeo Baby and featured Nimisha Sajayan and Suraj Venjaramoodu.

In conversation with IANS, Arati explains, "It is fairly an intimate film, and those emotions and moments made the film very special. It is a story of a young married woman whose life revolves around the kitchen, an age-old practice in our patriarchal society. The film also deals with other points on gender inequality. While this core story is very much relatable for anywhere in India, there are a lot of cultural nuances that are very distinct between south and north India." She went on adding, " When we talk about pan-Indian audience, every city has its own kind of signature. For instance, the people of Mumbai are so different from Delhi. Touching the chord of everyone, without tampering with the emotional intimacy of the film is very challenging and exciting at the same time." The upcoming film stars Sanya Malhotra and Harman Baweja.

Arati, who was recently announced as one of the honourees of the BAFTA Breakthrough India 2022, further added, "One of the reasons why we cast Sanya is because in the recent time, she has that pan-Indian appeal to her face and we so can she how she can bring those nuances through her performance." Sanya has a fan-following across India with films like 'Dangal', 'Photograph', 'Pataakha', 'Ludo' on one hand and she also played a Tamil Brahmin bride in the recently released 'Meenakshi Sundareshwar'.

The remake of 'The Great Indian Kitchen' will be produced by Baweja Movies.
Chennai, March 13 : Actress Aishwarya Rajesh, who has gone on to emerge as one of the top actresses of the Tamil film industry now, says she had a fangirl moment with actress Sneha with whom she worked on an ad film recently.

Taking to Instagram on Sunday to give out details, Aishwarya said, "Let me share a small memory. I was a little girl standing in one corner and watching shooting for the first time at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad.

"My mom was like, 'Enough! Come, let's go.' I was glued watching the beautiful actress Sneha." The actress said that she experienced the same awe-struck feeling that she had experienced when she was a child while acting with Sneha recently.

Grateful for the experience, Aishwarya thanked the firm for which the ad was made and its director Balasubramanian Babu Shankar.
Bhopal, March 13 : In a joint operation by the Madhya Pradesh police and the central agencies, six suspected terrorists have been arrested from Bhopal on Sunday. As per the information, the operation was carried out maintaining a complete secrecy and the suspects are being interrogated at an undisclosed location.

The operation was carried out by Madhya Pradesh's Anti-Terrorists Squad (ATS) and with the assistance of a team of intelligence unit of the Centre. Based on the inputs, the police rounded up inter-state hard core jihadist module from different locations in Bhopal. Those arrested are outsiders aged 25-30 years and are highly radicalised, sources in the state police said.

They have been arrested from a building located near Fatima Mosque in Bhopal. Sources said the operation was conducted early on Sunday. Apart from Bhopal, a search operation was also conducted in Karond area, located in the outer circle of Bhopal.

During the search operation, police have recovered several incriminating materials, laptops and explosives from their possession. "Investigators have seized jihadi literature and provocative materials from them," a source told IANS.

Mobile phones and laptops were also confiscated from their possession. "They are being interrogated by senior officials at an undisclosed location," sources said.

It has been informed that the arrested persons are pro-Taliban and had dangerous plans, said a senior police official requesting not to be named. Further investigation was underway.
Amritsar: AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab CM designate Bhagwant Mann hold a victory roadshow after winning in Punjab polls, in Amritsar on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo: Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Amritsar: AAP national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab CM designate Bhagwant Mann pay tribute at Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar on Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo: Twitter) Image Source: IANS News

Amritsar, March 13 : Just three days after AAP marked its maiden stupendous victory in Punjab, party convener Arvind Kejriwal, accompanied by Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann, on Sunday paid obeisance at the holiest Sikh and Hindu shrines in the city and later in a victory road show thanked the people for giving thumping win to the party.

Stressing that three crore Punjabis have ushered in an "inquilab" (revolution), the Delhi Chief Minister said for the first time after so many years, Punjab has got an honest Chief Minister.

"'Tusi kamaal kar dita' (you did wonders). I love you Punjab. The whole world knew that Punjabis bring revolution, but still could not believe that such an incredible 'inquilab' could sweep. All were defeated, Sukhbir ji, Parkash Singh Badal ji, Manpreet Badal got defeated, Channi defeated on both the seats, Majithia ji, Navjot Singh Sidhu ji tasted defeat," he said.

"Now all the money will be spent on Punjab and its people. We will fulfill all the guarantees and make a 'rangla' or happy Punjab," he added.

The road show passed through various areas with AAP supporters led by legislators showering flower petals on both Kejriwal and Mann, who stood atop an open vehicle.

Thousands of supporters, many of them holding the tricolour and party flags, comprising elderly and women, greeted the AAP leaders amid cheers and loud applause.

Earlier, Kejriwal and Mann paid obeisance at the Golden Temple and the Durgiana Temple and prayed for the prosperity and peace of Punjab.

They also paid a floral tribute at the Jallianwala Bagh memorial, close to the Golden Temple complex.

At least, 16 councillors of the Amritsar Municipal Corporation joined the road show amidst the presence of party leaders Manish Sisodia and Raghav Chadha and Amritsar Mayor Karamjit Singh Rintu.

The AAP wiped out the Congress and the SAD-BSP combine by defeating stalwarts like sitting and former Chief Ministers like Charanjit Singh Channi, Parkash Singh Badal, and Amarinder Singh.

Chief Minister-designate Mann will take oath alone on Wednesday, party sources said.

The oath ceremony of his cabinet, which may comprise 17 members, will be held later, a source told IANS.

AAP has won 92 seats in Punjab -- up from 20 in 2017 with its vote share rising to 42.4 per cent.

A day earlier, Mann met Governor Banwarilal Purohit at the Raj Bhawan here and staked claim to form the government.

He is set to take oath as the 17th Chief Minister of Punjab at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district, on March 16 at 12.30 p.m.

Addressing the media outside the Raj Bhavan on Saturday, Mann said: "We also informed the Governor about the place and time of the swearing-in ceremony. I have invited all the people of Punjab to come to Khatkar Kalan for this historic occasion. On March 16, not only us and our ministers, all the people of Punjab will take an oath to make Punjab prosperous again. We all together make Punjab prosperous." In his directive to newly elected party legislators, Mann asked them to spend maximum time in their constituencies, not in capital Chandigarh, and not to hanker for Cabinet berths.

"We have to work for all those places where we went to seek votes. All MLAs must work in the areas from where they have been elected, not just stay in Chandigarh," Mann was quoted as saying after he was elected the leader of the AAP Legislative Party -- a formality ahead of his swearing-in.
Hyderabad, March 13 : A man, his son, and grandson drowned in a lake in Telangana's Warangal district on Sunday.

The incident occurred in Chinna Gurijala village in Narsampet mandal of the district. The deceased were identified as Krishnamurthy (65), Nagaraju (35), and Lucky (12).

Quoting the eyewitnesses, police said Krishnamurthy was washing his feet in the lake, when he slipped and accidentally fell into the water. His grandson who was accompanying him jumped into the lake to save him. However, both started drowning.

Nagaraju, who was also present nearby, rushed to save his father and son. He jumped into the lake but downed along with them.

According to villagers, none of them knew how to swim. Police rushed to the village and with the help of locals pulled out the bodies.

The tragic incident sent shock waves into the village.
New Delhi, March 13 : The Russian Embassy in India on Sunday said that at least 1,935 tonnes of humanitarian cargo has already been delivered to Ukraine in 237 humanitarian actions including 22 actions in Kiev, Kharkov, Zaporozhye and Chernigov region, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics out of which 264 tonnes of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

The Embassy also said that 31 humanitarian actions are being held in Kiev and Chernigov regions, during which 240 tonnes of basic necessities, including food, are being transferred to the population.

Noting that the humanitarian situation in Ukraine continues to deteriorate rapidly, and in some cities it is catastrophic, they further said that the accumulation of humanitarian aid at points continues, more than 17,000 tonnes have already been accumulated.

"People are on the verge of despair, and officials of Kiev, knowing the true state of affairs on 'earth', continues cynically, through the Ukrainian media, to claim that these are the results of actions of the Russian Armed Forces, while all these outrages - mining, explosions, equipment of firing points in residential areas, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, are happening in front of witnesses who will sooner or later tell the world the whole truth about this tragedy. In this lie, the Kiev authorities force people to stay around the clock," the Embassy officials said in a statement.

The most difficult humanitarian situation has developed in Mariupol wherein hundreds of thousands of people, including foreigners, are forcibly detained by nationalists who, threatening physical violence, stop any attempts to leave the city, the officials said.

The Russian Embassy said that for purely humane purposes from 10 a.m. on Sunday, the Russian Federation has already provided humanitarian corridors for the eighth time in Kiev, Chernigov, Sumy, Kharkov and Mariupol directions, along one humanitarian corridor to the Russian Federation, and one more through the territories controlled by the Kiev authorities towards the western borders of Ukraine.

Describing that the Ukrainian officials in Kiev, as before, continues to insists that there are no civilians and foreign citizens who want to go to the territory of the Russian Federation, the Embassy officials said that the daily increase in the number of appeals received through various communication channels from citizens of Ukraine, as well as foreigners with requests for evacuation, suggests the opposite. Only over the past day, 19,963 such appeals were recorded, and there are already 2,638,989 of them with specific surnames and addresses from almost 2,000 settlements in Ukraine, they added.

Despite all odds, a total of 9,787 people, including 1,738 children, were evacuated from the dangerous zones of various regions of Ukraine, as well as the Lugansk and Donetsk people's republics, during the day without the participation of the Ukrainian side, and more than 231,000 people have been evacuated since the beginning of the special military operation, 51,996 of them children. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 24,168 vehicles, of which 915 per day, the Russian Embassy stated.

Stating that more than 6,900 citizens from 16 foreign countries, as well as the crews of more than 50 foreign vessels that are blocked in seaports due to the high mine danger created by Ukraine, in violation of international humanitarian law, in Azov and Black Seas, continue to be held hostage by Ukrainian neo-Nazis as a "human shield", the Russian embassy said in the statement.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 13 : Caretaker Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a historic victory in the state assembly elections.

Yogi Adityanth on Sunday reached the national capital to discuss formation of a new cabinet with Prime Minister Modi and the party's central leadership.

Sources said that Prime Minister Modi and Adiytanath discussed the assembly poll results and the formation of a new cabinet in Uttar Pradesh. It is learnt that a series of meetings have been scheduled to finalise the new cabinet, taking care of social and regional balance, also induction of new faces as 11 ministers have lost the polls.

Earlier Adityanath met Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu.

He also met BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh and discussed cabinet formation. Adityanath, however, termed the meeting with Santhosh a courtesy call but sources claimed that formation of new cabinet was also discussed. Union minister Sarbanand Sonowal was also present during Adityanath's meeting with Santhosh.

Adityanath is also expected to meet BJP chief J.P. Nadda and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Sources said that the key agenda in the meeting with the top BJP leadership will be the formation of a new cabinet. "Social equation will play a crucial role in the formation of the new cabinet and it will be discussed with the central leadership along with finalizing the date of swearing in," a party insider said.

It has been learnt that a tentative list of probable ministers has been finalised after discussion with central leadership.
Chennai, March 13 : MDMK leader Vaiko on Sunday called upon the removal of Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi from the post for making political comments.

In a statement on Sunday, the firebrand leader, who espouses Tamil nationalism, said that the Governor's inaugural address at the South Indian Vice-Chancellors conference, where he said that India was not a "contractual union" unlike the US but an "organic one" was highly deplorable.

Contending that the Governor had exceeded his brief, Vaiko said: "The Governor has gone beyond his powers making such statements and spoke about political views that are highly condemnable." "The Governor was putting across the political viewpoint of the RSS and Sangh Parivar and his big bosses in New Delhi." The MDMK leader said that before the advent of British, India had 565 small kingdoms which was the actual history, and added that even during the Mughal rule, Tamil Nadu was never under the rule of north Indian rulers.

He said that Governors were creating roadblocks in the functioning of elected Governments and cited the example of former Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit who is the present Governor of Punjab as well as the Governor of West Bengal, Jagdeep Dhankar who was constantly creating problems for the West Bengal Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee.

He also said that Ravi had disrespected the state Assembly by returning the Bill seeking exemption from NEET and said that there was no reason why he should continue even for one day as Governor.
New Delhi, March 13 : The Western countries are putting pressure on China to limit Russia's access to its yuan reserves, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said.

He recalled that part of Russia's gold and foreign exchange reserves is in yuan.

"We see the pressure exerted by Western countries on China in order to limit mutual trade with China. Of course, there is pressure to limit access to those reserves that we have in yuan," Siluanov said in an interview, RT reported.

The Minister added that he hopes to maintain cooperation with China through partnerships.

Siluanov said that the country does not abandon its obligations on the public debt and will pay in rubles until Western countries unfreeze their gold and foreign exchange reserves. According to him, about $300 billion of gold and foreign exchange reserves have been frozen because of the sanctions.

"This is about half of these reserves that we had. We have a total amount of reserves of about $640 billion, about $300 billion is now in a state in which we cannot use them," he said, RT reported.
New Delhi, March 13 : Russia launched a deadly missile attack Sunday at a Ukrainian military base just miles away from the Polish border, drawing the conflict much closer to NATO territory than ever before, Politico reported.

Nine were dead and another 57 were injured in the attack which was carried out in the early morning and targeted the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in northwestern Lviv, located just around 10 miles from the border with Poland, according to Ukraine's Defence Minister.

"Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping & Security near Lviv. Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified," tweeted the minister, Oleksii Reznikov. "This is new terrorist attack on peace & security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!" It remains unclear what nationalities are involved, or whether any foreigners were among the casualties. Photos from early February show US army instructors taking part in drills with at the base with Ukrainian service members, the BBC reported.

Regional Governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the facility, though some were intercepted before they hit.

UK minister Michael Gove called the attack "a significant escalation", saying: "We know that Vladimir Putin has no moral limits when it comes to the actions he's willing to take, and he's pushing the boundaries in military terms." The assault came a day after Moscow threatened to take action against Western countries' continued supply of arms to Ukraine, Politico reported.
New Delhi, March 13 : The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has called for the need to promote more work opportunities to make the nation self-reliant.

The Akhil Bharatiya Pratinidhi Sabha (ABPS) of the RSS, which ended on Sunday, passed a resolution urging all sections of the society to establish a healthy work culture based on eternal values catalysing the whole effort of promoting various types of work opportunities so that Bharat regains its rightful place on the world economic front.

The resolution emphasized that the entire society has to play a proactive role in harnessing such work opportunities to mitigate the overall employment challenge. "The ABPS is of the opinion that thrust is to be given to Bharatiya economic model that is human centric, labour intensive, eco-friendly and lays stress on decentralization and equitable distribution of benefits and augments village economy, micro scale, small scale and agro based industries," it said.

The resolution suggested that the areas like rural employability, unorganized sector employment, employment to women and their overall participation in the economy need to be boosted. "Efforts are essential to adapt new technologies and soft skills appropriate to our societal conditions," it said.

The resolution further stated that the ABPS feels that we, as a society, look for innovative ways to address the challenges of fast changing global economic and technological scenarios. Opportunities of employment and entrepreneurship with emerging digital economy and export possibilities should be keenly explored.

"We should engage ourselves in manpower training both pre and on job, research and technology innovations, motivation for startups and green technology ventures etc," it said.

The ABPS appreciates all the success stories which have been able to generate sustainable work opportunities for a large section of the society including weaker and deprived sections.

"Efforts to inculcate the spirit of 'Swadeshi and self-reliance' in the society would give the right impetus to the above initiatives," it said.

The ABPS calls upon the citizens to work on Bharat centric models of employment generation to strengthen the economy and achieve sustainable and holistic development.
Thiruvananthapuram, March 13 : Left-affiliated student organisations, the SFI and the AISF, and the Congress's KSU have come out strongly against Kerala Transport Minister Antony Raju over his remarks on student concession in buses.

The minister, while interacting with media persons on Sunday, said that a hike for bus ticket charges is imminent and that the student concession amount will also be hiked. He made a controversial statement that even the students feel embarrassed at the minimum charge of Rs 2 that they are paying for bus charges. This statement infuriated the student bodies.

The SFI, the student wing of the ruling CPI-M of which the present state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan was the state President said: "The minister should not have made such a statement. The student concession is the rights of the students and it is not a benevolence of the government." The AISF, the student wing of the CPI also came out heavily against the minister and conducted a protest march in Thiruvananthapuram against the statement of the minister.

The KSU said that the concession was the right of the students. Its state President, K.M. Abijit, told reporters here on Sunday said that the KSU will never allow the government to hike the minimum bus fare for students from Rs 2 and said that the bus concession was the right of the student community.

The ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI-M is meeting at the party state headquarters AKG Centre on Tuesday to finalise the hike in bus fares.
Amaravati, March 13 : The Jana Sena party, led by actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, is all set to reveal its political plans in Andhra Pradesh at its ninth formation day celebrations to be held here on Monday.

All arrangements have been made for the meeting at Ippatam village near Mangalagiri in Amaravati capital region.

Inviting all party workers and well-wishers of Andhra Pradesh for the meeting, Pawan Kalyan said on Sunday that it will not be like another formation day celebration but will set the direction of the future of Andhra Pradesh and state politics.

The Jana Sena leader said he would speak on the hardships faced by the people during the last two-and-a-half years and what will be the future of the state.

He said they would speak on various issues related to the state. "Many people have many doubts. They have criticised us. I will respond to all that on formation day," he said.

He said all arrangements have been made for the meeting to be held near the highway. He said for the last 10 days Jana Sena workers worked day and night to ensure proper seating arrangements. LED screens have also been installed for the audience.

Pawan Kalyan appealed to people to take all precautions and reach the venue safely. "If the government tries to create problems, tell them that attending the public meeting is our right. There is no need to be afraid of anybody," he said.

He also appealed to the police to extend full cooperation in holding the public meeting.

Meanwhile, Jana Sena political affairs committee Chairman Nadendla Manohar also urged the police not to create any problems for those coming for the meeting. He, along with Pawan Kalyan's brother and actor Naga Babu, reviewed the arrangements at the venue.
Bhopal, March 13 : After hours long operation against suspected terrorists, the Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday claimed to have arrested four Bangladeshi nationals from two different locations in Bhopal.

Police said those arrested belong to the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), the terrorist group involved in the 2018 Bodh Gaya bombing. They have been identified as Fazhar Ali alias Mehmood (32), Mohammad Aqeel alias Ahmed (24), Zahooruddin alias Ibrahim (28) and Fazhar Zainul Abdeen alias Akram Al Hasan (25), police said in an official statement on Sunday evening.

The operation was carried out jointly by Madhya Pradesh police and the central agencies in two locations in the state capital Bhopal. The operation was carried out maintaining complete secrecy and without informing the local police station. The operation was carried out around 3.30 a.m. to 4 a.m., however, the official announcement from the state police came in the evening.

They have been arrested from a building located near Fatima Mosque in Bhopal. Police said, apart from Bhopal, a search operation was also conducted in Karond area, located in the outer circle of Bhopal.

"These terrorists were living as tenant in Bhopal and they were making a team of a remote-based sleeper sell to execute their terrorist activities in the future. On the basis of inputs, a search operation was carried out and four Bangladeshi nationals have been arrested," the state police said in an official statement.

During the search operation, police have recovered several incriminating materials, laptops, provocative materials from them. Apart from these, several mobile phones and laptops were also confiscated from their possession.
New Delhi, March 13 : Vice President of India and Rajya Sabha chairman M. Venkaih Naidu on Sunday said that language of administration should be regional and education should be imparted in mother tongue.

Speaking at the ninth meeting of the Hindi Salahkar Samiti of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat, he said that now technology has advanced so much that it is possible to translate from English to any other regional languages simultaneously.

Naidu also stressed that there is no opposition to the English language but it should not be binding for anyone. "All languages are supreme; however, as Hindi is spoken by a large number of people, therefore it should be given importance. People who have received education in their mother tongue hold important positions today," he said, adding that a positive outlook should be encouraged in this regard.

Earlier, when the meeting began, the members of the Committee were apprised of the actions taken on the decisions made in the eighth meeting of the committee. The members of the committee gave their valuable suggestions to promote the use of Hindi Language in the functioning of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat. The members expressed that Hindi used in documents and in law and judiciary should be simple.

Apart from Naidu, Deputy chairman of the Rajya Sabha Harivansh, 11 members of the Rajya Sabha and two members of the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language, a representative of the Akhil Bhartiya Hindi Sanstha Sangh, the Secretary and Joint Secretary of the Department of Official Language of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Secretary General of Rajya Sabha, Additional Secretary and the Joint Secretary in-charge of the Official Language Section of the Rajya Sabha Secretariat are the members of the Hindi Salahkar Samiti.
New Delhi, March 13 : Caretaker Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath on Sunday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi after a historic victory in the state assembly elections.

Sources said that PM Modi and Adiytanath discussed the assembly poll results and the formation of a new cabinet in Uttar Pradesh.

After the meeting which lasted over an hour, the Prime Minister tweeted, "Met Yogi Adityanath ji today. I congratulated him on the historic win in the UP elections. In the last 5 years, he has worked tirelessly to fulfil the aspirations of the people. I am sure that in the years to come, he will take the state to greater heights of development." Sources said that Yogi Adityanath extended an invitation to the Prime Minister for the swearing-in ceremony of the new BJP government in Uttar Pradesh.

Sources said that Prime Minister Modi and Adiytanath discussed the assembly polls result and the formation of a new cabinet in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier Adityanath met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. He also met BJP national general secretary (organisation) B.L. Santhosh and discussed cabinet formation. Adityanath, however, termed the meeting with Santhosh a courtesy meet but sources claimed that formation of new cabinet was also discussed. Union Minister Sarbanand Sonowal was also present during Adityanath and Santhosh meeting.

Sources said that the key agenda in the meeting with the top BJP leadership is the formation of a new cabinet. "Social equation will play a crucial role in the formation of the new cabinet and it will be discussed with the central leadership along with finalizing the date of swearing in," a party insider said.

It has been learnt that a tentative list of probable ministers will be finalised after discussion with the central leadership.
Colombo, March 13 : Awaiting the discussion on fishing issue across the Palk Strait, India on Sunday initiated a humanitarian assistance programme for fishermen and their families in Sri Lanka's Northern Province.

Inaugurated by Indian High Commissioner Gopal Baglay, 1,200 families spread across Jaffna, Mullaitivu, Kilinochchi, and Mannar are to receive food materials and other essential domestic supplies as a part of the programme.

Carried out under grant assistance by India, beneficiaries in Jaffna district were handed over the materials during the inauguration and distribution of materials in other parts of the Province will be carried out in the coming days.

India's humanitarian support follows Chinese Ambassador to Sri Lanka, Qi Zhenhong's visit to North late last December and distribution of Rs. 20 million worth of dry rations and crab nets to fishermen.

In his remarks at the event, Baglay said that India was a brotherly country which cares for the people of Sri Lanka and mentioned that India will continue to extend such humanitarian assistance in the future too. He also said that both governments are working together towards addressing the issues faced by fishing communities of both countries.

He also inaugurated an artificial limb fitment camp in Jaffna held by Bhagwan Mahaveer Viklang Sahayata Samiti (BMVSS), the world's largest organisation for persons with physical disabilities in terms of fitment of artificial limbs and other related aids.

The camp, which is fully supported by the Indian government, was held in collaboration with Jaffna District Development Committee (DDC), and its Chairman and local MP Angajan Ramanathan was present on the occasion.

"The artificial limb fitment camp in Jaffna follows a similar Government of India supported BMVSS camp in Gampaha organised in partnership with Ranaviru Seva Authority. This camp which primarily catered to Sri Lanka Armed Services personnel provided various services such as the Jaipur foot to more than 500 persons with locomotor disabilities," the Indian High Commission said in a statement.

With the end of the civil war in 2009, India in 2010 and 2011 had organised a two similar camps in Vavuniya catering to more than 2,500 persons.

"Northern Province is a region of focus under Government of India's people-centric development partnership initiatives in Sri Lanka. A number of projects cutting across diverse aspects of daily human lives such as housing, education, health, livelihood development and industrial development, among others have been implemented here. Several other projects are at various stages of implementation," the statement said.
New Delhi, March 13 : Russia has opened 14 mercenary recruitment centres in Syria and is also training mercenaries from Libya.

This was reported by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

"Putin's Russia has opened 14 recruitment centres for mercenaries in Syria in the territories controlled by the regime of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus, Aleppo, Hama, Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor. After a short training, the mercenaries will be transported to Russia through the Khmeimim airbase by two Tu-134 aircraft which can carry up to 80 passengers and Tu-154 (up to 180 passengers) to the Chkalovsky airbase, Moscow region", UNIAN reported.

Intelligence notes that in recent days, Russia has already gathered thousands of Syrian mercenaries into the ranks of the occupying forces, in particular, these are members of the so-called "National Defense Militia" and units of the 5th Corps of the Syrian Armed Forces. It is assumed that the Syrians will use heavy artillery and sniper weapons against the Ukrainians.

The report says that information has been confirmed about the preparation by Russia of mercenaries from Libya to be involved in hostilities in Ukraine.

"Russia will pay foreign mercenaries a monthly salary of between $300 and $600," Ukrainian intelligence reports.

As UNIAN reported earlier, the Russian Federation overturned part of the "peacekeeping" contingent from Nagorno-Karabakh (Azerbaijan) to Ukraine.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
Tehran, March 13 : Iran has "temporarily" suspended normalization talks with Saudi Arabia, Iran's Press TV reported on Sunday.

The Iranian side has "unilaterally and temporarily" suspended the talks which was slated to be held in Iraq next week, according to the report.

The report did not specify the reason for the pause or give a date for resuming the negotiations, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Following several rounds of talks brokered by Iraq, Iran sent three diplomats to Saudi Arabia in January as a delegation to the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to resume their activities in Jeddah after a six-year hiatus.

Saudi Arabia cut diplomatic ties with Iran in early 2016 in protest against the attacks on Saudi diplomatic mission in Iran after the Saudi execution of a Shiite cleric.
New Delhi, March 13 : The United States authorities have notified Beijing of the "consequences" if the PRC tries to help Russia compensate for losses from Western sanctions, said Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser to the President of the United States.

"We are closely monitoring the extent to which China actually provides material and economic support to Russia," Sullivan was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti, RT reported.

According to him, "The US authorities informed Beijing that they would not tolerate or allow any country to try to compensate Russia for its economic losses." The adviser to the President of the United States stressed that "this will entail consequences for the PRC." Earlier, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Western countries are putting pressure on China in order to limit Russia's access to its yuan reserves.

Western sanctions on Russia will affect the recovery of the global economy and harm all parties, said Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang.

"The global economy is already under the heavy influence of the pandemic, the corresponding sanctions will hit the recovery of the global economy and will not benefit either side," Ria Novosti quoted him as saying.

Keqiang also noted that China has always adhered to an independent and peaceful foreign policy.

"China has always pursued an independent peaceful foreign policy and developed bilateral relations not directed against any third party," Keqiang concluded.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 13 : Russian special services are planning a special operation to discredit Ukrainians living in the Russian Federation.

The Centre for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine said in order to consolidate Russian society in support of the war with Ukraine, Russian special services plan to conduct an operation aimed at discrediting Ukrainians living in Russia, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

As part of the special operation they are planning to disseminate appeals to Ukrainians living in Russia to lead a protest movement to overthrow the Putin regime. Leaders of public opinion outside Russia with a supposedly pro-Ukrainian position will be involved in the proclamation of the appeals, the report said.

The plan includes giving protests related to the sharp deterioration of living conditions of Russians an ethnic "Ukrainian" colour.

It is also proposed to implement a series of provocations of a violent (terrorist) nature which will be "organized" by ethnic Ukrainians.

Intensifying propaganda to explain to the citizens of the Russian Federation the inevitability of war with Ukraine and the need to exterminate Ukrainians is also part of the said plan, Ukraine has claimed.

Latest updates on Russia-Ukraine War
New Delhi, March 13 : Mariupol City Council has reported that Russian airstrikes have killed 2,187 of its residents.

According to the City Council: "In 24 hours, there have been at least 22 bombings of the peaceful city. Altogether, nearly 100 bombs have been dropped on Mariupol... 2,187 residents of Mariupol have died to date because of the Russian attacks." The City Council said that the Russian troops are deliberately targeting residential buildings and densely populated areas, razing children's hospitals to the ground, and completely destroying the city's infrastructure, Ukrayinska Pravda reported.

They also noted that the gravest threat for the city's 400,000 blockaded residents is from the sky, and urged the skies to be closed or for them to be given air defence systems.

The City Council also stated that the situation in Mariupol remains very difficult. There is no light, water, heat in the city, almost no mobile communication, the last stocks of food and water are running out, Ukrinform reported.

The Russians reportedly caused the worst humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol. Unable to defeat the Ukrainian army, the invaders bomb unarmed people and block humanitarian aid, it said.
New Delhi, March 13 : US journalist, Brent Renaud, has been shot dead in the town of Irpin outside Kyiv, police say, BBC reported.

Kiev's police chief Andriy Nebytov said he had been targeted by Russian soldiers. Two other journalists were injured and taken to hospital.

It is the first reported death of a foreign journalist covering the war in Ukraine, BBC reported.

Photographs are circulating showing a press ID for Renaud that was issued by the New York Times.

In a statement, the newspaper said it was saddened to hear of Renaud's death but that he had not been working for the newspaper in Ukraine.

He last worked for the newspaper in 2015, the NYT said, and the press ID he was wearing in Ukraine had been issued years ago. It was not immediately clear who Renaud was working for in Ukraine.

US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan says the US will impose "appropriate consequences" on Russia. News of the death was "shocking and horrifying", he said, and US officials would be consulting with Ukrainian officials to determine "how this happened", BBC reported.

Another US journalist, Juan Arredondo, was taken to hospital after the incident. He told an Italian reporter that he was with Renaud when they came under fire.

"We were across one of the first bridges in Irpin, going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge and we crossed a checkpoint, and they start shooting at us.

"So the driver turned around, and they kept shooting; there's two of us. My friend is Brent Renaud, and he's been shot and left behind."
Bhopal, March 13 : Senior BJP leader and former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Uma Bharti, who has been demanding liquor prohibition in the state, vandalised a liquor shop in Bhopal on Sunday.

After pelting stones at the liquor store located in Barkhera Pathani area, she barged into it and began destroying the stock. She was accompanied by several men and women who hailed her actions.

After her act, Bharti said she has warned the local administration to shut the shop within a week. "Today, I have warned the administration to shut the liquor shop within a week, otherwise more action will be taken." The incident came two days after Bharti met Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan and demanded to make Madhya Pradesh a liquor free state.

Her action against liquor came on ground at the time when the state government has announced a new liquor policy, which also allows liquor sale at the Indore and Bhopal airports, while announcing a cut prices for both country-made and foreign liquors by 20 per cent.

The state government is set to implement the new excise policy, as the state cabinet approved it recently and tendering process is underway.

This incident also gave opportunity to the opposition Congress to take a dig at the ruling BJP in the state. Calling Bharti CM in waiting, a senior state Congress leader said: "It showed that how the CM in waiting (Bharti) wants to get back on the CM's chair. But, she should have pelted stone on office where excise policies are been made, instead of vandalising liquor shops." Drama over this liquor issue and new liquor schemes likely to continue in the state for the next few days. The Congress has also planed to corner the Chouhan government on the liquor issue during the ongoing Budget session of the Assembly.
New Delhi, March 13 : A 21-year-old Indian aerospace engineering student in Ukraine, reportedly fighting against the Russian troops, has expressed his desire to return home, his family said.

R. Sainikesh's family who lives in Tamil Nadu's Coimbatore, has told media that they had found he wanted to return when they talked to him.

In 2018, Sainikesh joined the National Aerospace University in Kharkiv and since then he had been there. Following the fighting, he had joined the Georgian National Legion, a paramilitary group helping Ukrainian soldiers, to fight against the Russians.

As his father Ravichandran asked what he was doing in war-torn country and why he was not coming back, Sainikesh said that he wished to be back in his country and stay with him family.

Recently, intelligence officials contacted the family of the student after which they came to know that Sainikesh was fighting against Russia.

The family hopes that their son will be brought back safely by the Indian authorities under their ongoing evacuation operation.

Sainikesh wanted to join the Indian Army but failed to qualify twice due to his height, and was sad over this. It is also said to be one of the reasons behind his joining the paramilitary unit.

In Ukraine, Sainikesh, had got a job at a video game developing firm, before the war started.
Bengaluru, March 14 : The Karnataka government has decided to provide hundred per cent tax exemption on Hindi feature film 'The Kashmir Files'. Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday took time off to watch the movie at a theatre here.

Later, taking to Twitter, the chief minister hailed the movie's director Vivek Agnihotri's efforts to bringto light the plight of Kashmiri Pandits who were subjected to genocide in the Kashmir valley in the 90s.

"Kudos to @vivekagnihotri for #TheKashmirFiles, a blood-curdling, poignant and honest narrative of the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from their home land.

"To lend our support to the movie & encourage our people to watch it, we will make the movie tax-free in Karnataka," Bommai tweeted.
Moscow/Kiev, March 14 : Russian and Ukrainian delegations will resume talks on Monday through a video link, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Sunday.

"Negotiations go non-stop in the format of video conferences. Working groups are constantly functioning. A large number of issues require constant attention. On Monday, March 14, a negotiating session will be held to sum up the preliminary results," Mykhailo Podoliak, advisor to the Head of the President's Office of Ukraine, tweeted on Sunday night, Xinhua news agency reported.

Ukrainian and Russian delegations have held three rounds of peace talks in-person in Belarus since February 28, though the negotiations ended without a significant breakthrough.
Press Release

March 13, 2022 Lacson: Vigilance, Preparedness Needed in North Korea Situation

More at: https://pinglacson.net/article/lacson-vigilance-preparedness-needed-in-north-korea-situation Aside from the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, the Philippine government will have to be "vigilant and prepared" over the situation in North Korea, Sen. Panfilo "Ping" M. Lacson said over the weekend. Lacson cited continued reports of recent aggressive behavior from North Korea, including the firing of a suspected ballistic missile days before presidential elections in South Korea. "We need to watch this carefully, this is very close to us and quite unpredictable," said Lacson, who chairs the Senate Committee on National Defense and Security. He cited reports over the past weeks where North Korea has tested missiles twice. While North Korea claimed its tests last Feb. 26 and March 4 were connected to a new reconnaissance satellite program, the United States said analysis indicates it may be testing an ICBM. A statement from the US Indo-Pacific Command said the "recent series" of ballistic missile launches by the DPRK "violate multiple UN Security Council resolutions and pose a threat to the DPRK's neighbors and the international community." In response to North Korea's activities, the US Indo-Pacific Command has increased its surveillance and reconnaissance collection in the Yellow Sea, and enhanced readiness among its ballistic missile defense forces in the region. Lacson said the Philippines thus needs "to be equally vigilant as any flashpoint involving the Republic of Korea and Japan affects thousands of FIlipinos in these two countries, aside from military responses from other quarters." "I hope that it does not come to this and that diplomacy will prevail. However, the reality is that the situation requires vigilance and preparedness on our part," he added. Last month, Lacson called for similar vigilance and preparedness on the situation in Ukraine. The economic effects of Russia's invasion of Ukraine have been felt in the Philippines. Over the weekend, Lacson also urged the government to be ready for any possible spillover of the Russia-Ukraine crisis to Asia. "Mabuti rin na naka-ready tayo kesa mabigla tayo (It is better to be prepared than be surprised)," he said in an interview on DZRH radio, referring to the situation in Ukraine.
Mary Kay Worth, a former superintendent of the Southern Cayuga Central School District, has published another book, "A Lucky Stone Day."

Worth described the book as "a real good, feel good story" in a news release.

"Stones with holes in them are marveled at and many will recognize illustrations in the book as they tease out Aurora, New York, and Long Point State Park," she said.

Worth previously released "Hey Elephant! Where Are You?" a children's book inspired by her 2014 trip to Swaziland in Africa and an encounter she had with an elephant there.

For more information, visit marykayworthofficial.com.

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Niamtougou Airport, Niamtougou, Togo [ LRL / DXNG ]

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Niamtougou Airport (LRL), Niamtougou, Togo Airport Type : Civil and Military Timezone : Africa/Lome Niamtougou Airport Timezone : GMT +00:00 hours Current time and date at Niamtougou Airport is 12:51:35 PM (GMT) on Wednesday, May 4, 2022

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Brooklyn Art Cave Art Show Flyer Thank you for this wonderful and important project, said Guy Scheiman, Im thrilled to be part of it.

Queer advocate David Russo is co-hosting a photography showcase benefit at the new Brooklyn Art Cave with Michael Dean of EquitablePR. The benefit highlights Russos non-profit, Cheeky Charity which sheds light on colorectal cancer in young people. The evening at Bushwicks Brooklyn Art Cave will highlight a smattering of curated photography featuring artists Adam Rose, Matt Monath, Andrew Carey, and Andrew Graham. The artwork will reflect the recent Cheeky Charity social media movement #MarchYourButt, where participants were asked to bare their full Georgia Peach to raise awareness of colorectal cancer.

The #MarchYourButt movement continues throughout the entire month of March as it is Colorectal Cancer Month. Anyone over the age of 18 is encouraged to participate. If youre not comfortable with your cheeks on the internet, you dont have to have your peach out to join in. #MarchYourButt and Cheeky Charity encourages anyone who doesnt want their cheeks out to use the peach-heart emoji in their photo to cover their fuzzies. Participants dont even have to have their clothes off at all; just turn around, stick it out, and cover it with a peach! All body shapes, sizes, ages, and genders are encouraged to join in on this social movement that will change, and hopefully save lives.

In addition to inspiring photography, internationally acclaimed musical artist Guy Scheiman will be spinning live throughout the evening, where his new cover, COMMANDER (by Kelly Rowland feat. David Guetta) with vocals by Inaya Day, inspired by Davids cause, will debut. Thank you for this wonderful and important project, said Guy Scheiman, Im thrilled to be part of it.

You may find tickets for this evening of buns and beats HERE! Proceeds from the event will go towards, Cheeky Charity.


Published:

28 February 2022





The Science and Engineering Faculty Celebrations took place in the Octagon on 27th January 2022 to recognise the achievements of staff across all five Schools. Professor of Mathematics, Abhishek Saha, was recognised for his contributions to research in Number Theory, for securing important funding for the School of Mathematical Sciences, and for helping to improve the grant culture within the School.

We caught up with Abhishek after the celebrations to learn more about his research and see what tips he has for staff applying for research grants.

How difficult was it to establish a new research area in the School?

So my research area is in number theory and automorphic forms. When I joined the School in 2017 along with Steve Lester, we were the only academics in the School in this area. I applied for a Leverhulme Trust Research grant in 2019, which was successful, and it allowed us to recruit a teaching replacement lecturer for a period of 12 months, a postdoc in number theory, and a PhD student in number theory. With support from the then Head of School, we advertised the replacement lecturer from the area of number theory which turned out to be an excellent move; the person we hired as teaching replacement, Shu Sasaki, was subsequently offered a permanent lectureship in number theory with a fellowship from the Principals strategic fund! In 2020, Steve and I successfully applied for an EPSRC grant, which allowed us to recruit another postdoc in number theory. Then last year, I was awarded an EPSRC small grant, which came with yet another postdoc. Unfortunately, Steve left for Kings in late 2020, but we have recently hired a young number theorist with a fantastic trajectory who is expected to join us in the autumn. So within a few years, we have established a strong centre for number theory and automorphic forms, and I am really excited about the future.

Do you have advice for staff or colleagues that may wish to do the same in the future?

My main advice would be to apply for grants! I would also advise colleagues to encourage promising, early-career mathematicians in their area to apply for Fellowships with the School.

Do you have any exciting plans for the Number Theory group?

Yes, we have some really exciting plans this May and June. Together with Steve Lester, I am organizing a visitor programme on the theme of analytic aspects of automorphic forms. In this programme, we will invite leading international experts to visit QMUL for a week at a time and each expert will give a series of 3 talks to our number theory group. It is expected that several others from other London universities who are working on analytic aspects of automorphic forms will also attend the talks. We already have confirmed visits from international researchers based around the world, including from USA, France, the Czech Republic, Denmark and Poland.

What is it about Number Theory that you love so much?

The first time I heard the term number theory was when I was a 13-year-old schoolboy. Our local newspaper carried an obituary about the Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdos and his life really fascinated me. I was curious to find out more about number theory, which the article said he worked on, so I picked up a book in my local Calcutta bookstore on elementary number theory (by Telang) and worked through it for the next two years. I was fascinated by the material which was full of beautiful proofs and it was so different from what we were learning in school.

Now modern number theory is very different from elementary number theory. But one of the things I like is how very basic questions in number theory, like resolving whether a simple equation has a solution in numbers, actually require you to use machinery from complex analysis and algebraic geometry and automorphic functions. One of the first things we learn as a child are the counting numbers, the integers  1,2,3 . but they have all sorts of fascinating structures that are hidden and in order to understand them, you need to really go deep into a lot of difficult areas of mathematics.

Your award recognised your great track record for bringing in funding. How do you learn about these opportunities?

In the School of Mathematical Sciences, we are lucky to have a great research support structure. The research manager, Elisa, is fantastic and she sends around opportunities to staff regularly. Apart from that, talking to colleagues and going through the websites of standard funders like EPSRC and the Leverhulme Trust is always useful.

What 3 pieces of advice would you give to someone applying for a grant?

Keep applying! Grants are a bit of a lottery: success rates are low, and success depends on many factors, so keep trying and with each failure, use the reviewer comments to make your next application even better. In the last 5 years, I have applied for 10 grants, only 3 of which were successful. Get three people to read your proposal - an expert in your area, someone from a different area of mathematics, and a non-mathematician. Begin your proposal with a hook, i.e., something bold and big and intriguing.

The Faculty also celebrated the work youve done to change the grant culture in the School of Mathematical Sciences. How can we build upon this to ensure we continue to move in the right direction?

First of all, maintaining the existing grant application support structure and process is important. We should try to maintain School autonomy in this sphere as this has worked well.

Secondly, I think it is important to motivate people to apply for grants. This means ensuring that grant buyouts lead to commensurate relief from teaching and administration and other schemes like the near-miss scheme can also play a role in this. This also means that we ensure that grant-holders be able to spend the research funds for the intended purpose (whether it is undertaking research-related travel, hosting visitors, or recruiting research assistants) without being hampered by excessive bureaucracy and regulations; so that they are motivated to apply for more grants.

What, according to you, is the most important value that a higher education institution should uphold?

Academic Freedom. One of my core beliefs is that academics should be free to ask any question, to doubt any assertion, to put forward controversial and unpopular opinions, without placing themselves in jeopardy of losing their jobs or facing disciplinary action.

For more info on Professor Abhishek's research and publications, please visit his staff profile page.
"Dancing with the Stars" pro Brandon Armstrong is engaged to be married.

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The 27-year-old professional dancer announced his engagement to his girlfriend, Brylee Ivers, on Tuesday.

"I made a good decision a while back to ask you on a date... made the BEST decision of my life asking you to be my wife last night! I love you forever bry!" Armstrong wrote on Instagram.

Fellow "Dancing with the Stars" pros Peta Murgatroyd and Britt Stewart were among those to congratulate Armstrong in the comments.

"this makes me very happy! Congrats babe! Can't wait to meet Bry!" Murgatroyd wrote.

"You did B!!!! I'm so happy for you and Brylee!!" Stewart said.

Armstrong and Ivers first met on Instagram and started dating in early 2021, according to People.

Armstrong proposed to Ivers with a custom movie trailer at a theater Monday in Utah.

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Armstrong said in a post on Valentine's Day in February that Ivers is "the best thing" to come out of his crazy past few years.

"Babe there isn't enough words for me to tell you how much I love you but I promise to always try and show you! Happy Valentine's Day and I cant wait for all the rest of them my love!" he wrote.

Armstrong has appeared in four seasons of "Dancing with the Stars."

He was last partnered with television personality Kenya Moore in Season 30.
This weekend's edition of Saturday Night Live opened with a sketch featuring U.S. President Jo Biden meeting with TikTok influencers to brainstorm ways to help Ukraine fight back against Russia.

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"This week, as the war in Ukraine intensified, access to Facebook and Instagram was shut off leaving only one source of information: TikTok," said an introduction to the segment.

"So on Thursday, the White House responded by holding a national security briefing with some of the nation's top TikTok creators. We take you now inside that historic meeting."

Biden (James Austin Johnson) first thanked the social media stars -- who have huge followings and make tons of money -- and White House press secretary Jen Psaki for helping out.

"I suggested it as a joke and then it actually happened," Kate McKinnon as Psaki deadpanned.

"People are saying this is the first war fought on TikTok, which is tough for me because I am the landline of presidents," Biden said.

The stars then went on to offer their ideas about how to take on Russian President Vladimir Putin, including releasing singing and dancing videos, reading poetry and playing pranks on him.

Just as it became clear the influencers weren't going to be much help, a shirtless man (Bowen Yang) with a toilet plunger stuck to his chest arrived.

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"The idea of asking TikTok stars to fight Russia might sound like a joke, but remember: they said the same thing about the radio in World War II. Never underestimate the importance of new technology and how it reaches young people in ways you can never understand," he said. "TikTok isn't some childish gimmick. It has more power and more influence than the nightly news."

"That was truly inspiring, young man," Biden told the star.

"Oh, I'm 55," Yang joked. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to move this plunger to my crotch, attach a knife at the end and try to slice an apple in half. God bless America."

Last week, Psaki and National Security Council staffers really did meet with 30 top TikTok stars via Zoom to answer questions they have about the war in Ukraine, so they could communicate effectively with their followers and help spread accurate information, according to the U.S. government.
TRAVERSE CITY  Briana Leal woke up on Dec. 3, expecting to pick up her stepfather, Rogelio, from the hospital.

Thats not what happened.

When the Leals arrived at Munson Medical Center, a nurse emerged to tell them that Rogelio died that morning, at 7:17 a.m. Rogelio, who went by Roger, had coded the night before, the nurses told Rogers brother.

The latest on COVID-19 Continuing coverage of COVID-19 and its impact. If you have a question about the novel coronavirus pandemic and haven't been able to find an a

The family waited for hours to receive an explanation from Rogers doctor. Roger was 62 and lived with diabetes. Hed checked in a month before to have a gangrenous portion of his toe removed. After three successive operations, Briana said his nurses were confused as to why he had suddenly died.

I dont know what happened, she said one of the nurses told her. We were literally doing his discharge papers.

The doctor never emerged to explain Leals death to his family. Instead, the Leals left with a death certificate stating that Roger died from gangrene, complicated by COVID-19 which, Briana said, he contracted during his month in a Munson hospital bed.

So what killed Roger Leal? The impossibility of an answer sheds light on the difficulty of classifying deaths during the pandemic. Was it COVID? Was it his mismanagement of his illness after nearly two years of avoiding hospitals? Rogers hospitalization occurred while delta variant cases were peaking in northwest Michigan. Did the strain on the hospital system affect his care?

His death is among thousands in Michigan which experts credit to the pandemic, even if they werent flagged as attributable only to COVID-19. They are deaths labeled as heart attacks, liver failures and strokes. Sometimes, they are credited as being caused by dementia or Alzheimers. Other deaths were labeled as respiratory failures.

Deaths in all those categories jumped since the pandemic began, renewing attention on what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls excess deaths. Those are deaths that, after accounting for COVID-19, remain unexplainably numerous compared to expected death rates.

For example, if a region had 181 more deaths than expected  of which 71 deaths were attributed to COVID-19  then the remaining 110 would be excess deaths. Those figures tell the story of Benzie, Mason, and Manistee counties in 2020, where 61 percent of excess deaths are unexplained by statistical models, CDC data show.

Across all 50 states, Michigan ranks sixth in excess deaths that exclude COVID-19, as of Feb. 1. The excess death toll is just more than 9,000.

Other numbers provided by the state illustrate how those deaths might have been masked as other diseases. From 2019 to 2020, Michigan had 1,500 more deaths from heart disease, 700 more deaths from strokes, 500 more deaths from diabetes and 400 more deaths from Alzheimers.

Nationwide, they are just drops in a death tally estimated at more than 200,000. And a study published Thursday in the medical journal The Lancet outlined a worldwide estimate of excess deaths that far exceeds those recorded in official COVID-19 death tracking.

Thats just a huge increase in the number of deaths overall, said Bob Anderson, chief of mortality statistics for the CDC. You have to explain those somehow, and it can only be really explained by the pandemic.

Researchers are looking into deaths that may not seem obvious at first. They include suicides, which may have been triggered by isolation, job loss and stress. They could also include deaths from months of postponed care  such as with cancer deaths that might have been prevented had hospitals not been inundated with the patients of the pandemic.

Roger Leals death could fit that bill as well, Anderson speculated.

We do know there were a lot of diabetic patients that werent getting diabetic care, Anderson said. It sounds like he got the acute care but there just may have been too much damage. They may have done everything possible, and he may have gotten very good acute care, but the problem may have been prior, that he wasnt getting adequate regular care, and the result was that the diabetes got out of control.

Munson Medical Center did not make Roger Leals doctor available for comment. The hospital also did not comment on whether COVID caseload standards affected his care.

Excess deaths spiked just as the death rate in Michigan exceeded births for the first time. The two phenomena are impossible not to link, said Jeff Duncan, MDHHS director of vital statistics.

Theres a clear association between the pandemic and life expectancy going down for the first time after years and years of going up, said Duncan.

Experts pinned urban, racially diverse areas as excess death hotspots. Northern Michigan is predominantly white, with majority rural counties stretching from Grand Rapids up through the Upper Peninsula.

These regions sparked concerns for Joshua Meyerson, health director for the Northwest Michigan Health Department.

Residents in counties like Presque Isle can be 45 minutes or more from a health care provider. Even in Mancelona Township, in Antrim County, Meyerson observed more hard-to-explain deaths than in previous years.

That access factor could be showing up in the unusual spike in deaths at home. Rural counties like Grand Traverse saw deaths at home rise by 42 percent between 2019 and 2021, according to data from the CDCs WONDER system for disseminating public health data and information. Deaths at home jumped in Antrim, Emmet and Leelanau counties, too.

We see that here when we get into some of our more rural areas. Even when you adjust for age, we have areas within our region where you see disproportionate effects from all of these factors, Meyerson said. It all builds on itself.

The result, Meyerson said, is that excess deaths in his jurisdiction have been the highest weve seen in more than a generation.

Even so, the majority are COVID-19, but just arent identified by coroners and medical examiners.

Lois Goslinoski is the medical examiner for the Benzie and Manistee health departments. She said she tests bodies of people who die of natural causes, but sometimes even positive test results dont make a COVID death.

For example, its her job to deduce whether a pulmonary embolism played a more immediate role than the disease itself. If she thinks it did, pulmonary embolism would make it onto the first line of her death certificate, with COVID-19 as a contributing factor. Those contributing factors can get lost in the CDCs reporting system, skewing mortality statistics downward.

It should be noted  for surveillance purposes, public death trackers sometimes do include those deaths. Machine-algorithms in the CDCs Mortality Statics department catch certificates where COVID played a role, then add them to the tracker, according to Anderson, the CDC statistician. Death certificates only include one leading cause, a decision which prevents death certificates from becoming a jumbled, uninterpretable mess.

Ultimately its my decision. Youve got to decide, whats making the most sense? said Goslinoski. You make that decision, How important is COVID-19 in their cause of death?

These are judgment calls  made by coroners, medical examiners and doctors who may be working in short-staffed hospitals. A result, Goslinoski said, is that they dont always identify the disease.

Some doctors dont even realize that theres this line  in very, very, very small print said Goslinoski. If somebody is having a heart attack, and theyre also COVID-positive, if I do a full autopsy, I can sometimes link that risk for that heart attack to coagulopathy, which is a part of the syndrome that goes with COVID-19.

For the Leals at least, the clarity would be welcome. On the morning Roger died, they sat and waited for an explanation that never came.

Afterward, Rogers son, Rolando, spent days on the phone in search of an explanation  the same explanation that thousands of Michigan families could well be after, and one at which their doctors, statisticians, coroners, and medical officers can only guess.

Its shitty, Briana said. Because its not their family that has to go through this.
AUBURN  Hand-written tributes to Harriet Tubman from children were peppered throughout the New York State Equal Rights Heritage Center in Auburn on Saturday as a 200th birthday celebration was held in honor of the iconic abolitionist who spent much of her adult life in the city.

The multi-colored notes, many of which included images of her and words praising her, came not only from students in Auburn and Cayuga County but from students in schools named after Tubman from all over the country, including Louisiana and Washington D.C. A handful of letters were sent from Harriet Tubman Public School in Ontario, Canada.

Courtney Kasper, the heritage center's visitor experience manager, said she believed the center had about 400 cards. She noted that Kim Szewczyk, the ranger for Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, originally had the idea to reach out to different schools named after Tubman throughout the nation.

Kasper praised the creativity of the legion of students who created the cards. She also talked about the importance of spotlighting the historical figure and her 200th birthday.

Tubman was born in March 1822 and died March 10, 1913.

"Harriet Tubman lived 54 years of her life here. Auburn was her chosen free home," Kasper said. "We really wanted to celebrate big and make sure to really help elevate her story and elevate people's understanding of how much time she actually spent here in this community. Not only, she's also buried here. So it's really just celebrating this amazing, incredible woman who poured so much into the community that she lived in and really just honoring her and carrying on that legacy."

Other Auburn festivities recognized the icon throughout the week, including the Harriet Tubman Bicentennial Memorial Service on Thursday, the 109th anniversary of her death. That service was livestreamed to an audience watching from across the county.

Over 50 people were in attendance for Saturday's event, which was also livestreamed on the heritage center's YouTube page. Visitors at the center gazed at the birthday cards and other displays and greeted one another before the celebration kicked off.

Melanie Johnson, news anchor for CNY Central in Syracuse, served as the ceremony's emcee.

"This is a dream come true," Johnson said, pointing to a large nearby image of Tubman. "Because of this woman, I'm here today." The crowd responded with applause.

"The benefit of her sacrifice, I live every single day. As the granddaughter of a sharecropper, I live their dreams every day," Johnson continued. "I'm very humbled and honored to be able to emcee such a historical event that will continue to live on for generations to come."

Rochester-based poet, teacher and motivational speaker Lisa Johnson performed a piece about Tubman at the event.

"Oh Harriet, sister Harriet. Queen, mother of resistance, mother of movement. You moved a nation from the plantation to emancipation. You crossed intersections that intersected life and death," Lisa Johnson said. "Woman warrior whose silence was never silent. Even in death, you still speak volumes."

During one point of the ceremony, Paul Delles and Erica Manners, along with Olivia Delles and Theo Delles, looked at birthday cards in a different part of the center.

Manners said she believes there is a lack of knowledge about Tubman, both in general and within Auburn.

"The point of all of this is obviously to celebrate Harriet Tubman but also to educate about Harriet Tubman, educate everybody about all that she was, all that she stands for," Manners said. "I'm an African-American woman that was born and raised in Auburn and I had no idea that Harriet was a nurse."

As Paul and Theo looked at the birthday cards, Manners said that she wishes she had known more about Tubman's life while growing up, and added that she had never been to Tubman's home in the city until recently. While she acknowledged that schools "can't teach everything," she said she still thinks it is important for people to learn about Tubman. She added that she wanted Olivia, 6, and Theo, 1, to learn more about the famous abolitionist.

Vanessa Garrison, co-founder of GirlTrek, a nonprofit public health organization for Black women and girls, also spoke at the event.

"With 1 million members, GirlTrek encourages women to use walking as a practical first step to inspire healthy living, families, and communities. As women organize walking teams, they mobilize community members to support monthly advocacy efforts and lead a civil rights-inspired health movement," the organization's website said.

A GirlTrek walk started at the heritage center earlier that day, where participants walked from there to Tubman's home and back.

During her speech at the ceremony, Garrison described getting to the center that morning for the walk and seeing the other participants.

"In this room was a room full of Harriets. A room full of Black women who had traveled from the surrounding areas, from Syracuse and Rochester and from here in Auburn. Black women who are walking for their lives right now, just like Harriet Tubman walked for her life, against every single thing that is killing Black women," Garrison said.

"We are trying to, in the footsteps for Harriet Tubman, continue to organize and continue to lead," she said.

Siblings Enrique Hernandez, 15, and Mariela Hernandez, 13, of Perform 4 Purpose, sang "Happy Birthday" to end the event.

Staff writer Kelly Rocheleau can be reached at (315) 282-2243 or kelly.rocheleau@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @KellyRocheleau.

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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 
If you work, if you wait, you will find the place where the four-leaf clovers grow.

 Ella Higginson

Here we are almost into the middle of March, and as we come to the center, we have both a premonition and a party to look forward to.

The first of course is to always beware the dreaded Ides of March. This little tagline comes to us from the ancient Romans. You know the ones. Those were the same people that thought using letters instead of numbers would be a great way to confuse just about everyone as to what year it was and also to give inspiration to future tattoo artists that would use them in their work centuries later. Seriously, does anyone in their right mind know what MMXXII even stands for? I know I don't and I just wrote it.

Shakespeare took things a step further by creating a scene in one of his plays that would associate March 15 with the death of Julius Caesar, and of course all students have had to translate his dying words of Et tu, Brute? Granted there was no "CSI Italy" back then, so who knows if any of this is factually accurate. What I do know is that if someone close to me decided to skewer me with a sword I think my initial reaction would be to scream something a bit more vulgar or at least let out an impassioned Ouch. before I started pointing fingers. Good or bad, either way the ides has since had a dark cloud lingering overhead. So, if you feel nostalgic for Caesar but don't feel like eating a salad, or lending your ears, then allow yourself to pour out a little spirit in honor of the fallen general. When you're done marking your condolences feel free to then raise your glass, because two days later it's going to be St. Patrick's Day.

Speaking for myself as an Irishman, I can say that St. Paddy's Day has always been a truly glorious time not least of which is because a Reuben just happens to be one of my favorite sandwiches ever invented. It's also one of those glorious days that is just a logistical nightmare for Sharon in H.R. because I tend to wear T-shirts with phrases written on them like Kiss me, I'm Irish which apparently is frowned upon in the office and typically ends up with me having to attend another harassment seminar. Though from past experience I can begrudgingly attest to the fact that no one has ever puckered up just because I decided to wear a green shirt.

And don't feel as though you can't participate in this holiday just because you're not of Irish descent. St. Patrick's Day is an equal opportunity celebration. Even if your last name is Santiago we can all enjoy the day and then, in unison, we can all also regret drinking excessive amounts of green beer. Which, now that I'm thinking about it, perhaps the Ides should be given a rebranding, because it's the St. Patrick's Day hangover that you really have to be weary of come March 18.

Auburn native Bradley Molloys column appears here each Sunday. He can be reached at lovonian@hotmail.com

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NEW MILFORD  Keri Wheeler fondly recalls spending time at the Smyrski Farm as a child.

I spent a good part of my childhood working at Smyrski Farm, the New Milford resident said in a prepared statement. After school, I would ask the bus driver to drop me off at the farm and I would walk home as the sun set. It was just my place.

Its why shes created a petition against a proposal to build a four bedroom home, along with an in-ground swimming pool, adjacent to the Smyrski preserve. Her online petition has garnered more than 250 signatures.

The owners of the 4-acre parcel of land have submitted an application to the New Milford Inland and Wetlands Commission, which will hold a special public hearing at 7 p.m. Thursday at Town Hall to discuss the plan.

Property owners Arthur Klebanoff and Susan Hirschhorn could not be reached for comment.

John Smyrski and his sister Sophie sold the development rights to their 205-acre farm on Merryall Road to the state, ensuring developers would never be able to build there, according to a 1988 News-Times article. John Smyrski died in 1999 and Sophie died in 2006. But before they died, they decided to take the next step to preserve their land  they gave it to the Weantinoge Heritage Land Trust, which has since become the Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, or NCLC.

Over the years the NCLC acquired additional land near the farm, bringing the preserve to 220 acres.

NCLC hopes there will be a conservation outcome in which this land is made part of Smyrski Farm, said Paul Eclonin, director of land conservation for the NCLC. We also want the public to know NCLC is not affiliated with the petition concerning the proposal before the Inland Wetlands Commission.

Wheeler said she is part of an ad hoc group of New Milford residents who are concerned about the proposed development project on Merryall Road.

The 4-acre parcel in question lies between two beautiful barns on the State Register of Historic Places, Wheeler said in her prepared statement. This mile-long stretch of Merryall Road looks much like it did 100 years ago and we wish to protect this treasured and bucolic landscape.

She said the group is concerned because the proposed development is directly adjacent to the sites wetlands.

Drainage from this site would flow directly into the Smyrski Preserve wetlands and the pristine West Branch Aspetuck River, she said.

Smyrski Farm is NCLCs premier agricultural preserve and one of seven that is leased to farmers in Litchfield County, according to the groups website. The farm property permanently protects over a mile of the West Aspetuck River, top-rated AA for water quality. The preserve also protects over a mile of road frontage on Merryall Road as it approaches the village center.

Smyrski Farm supports grass-fed cattle farming and is used by local farmers for hay and equipment storage. The preserves white barns and 1763-vintage red barn exemplify Merryalls rich farming history and are still in active use, according to NCLC.

I adored the family and absorbed every bit of knowledge I could from them, Wheeler said. The Smyrskis absolutely loved their land and I am forever grateful they had the foresight to preserve it. I would love to see just one place in this town have staying power.
Half of the respondents have experienced complete breakdowns in contact because of Chinese restrictions.

A woman in Tibetan garb looks at her cell phone while a police vehicle stands in the background in the Tibetan quarter of Chengdu in southwestern China's Sichuan province, Feb. 7, 2022.

Like most Tibetans who live in exile in neighboring India, Kelsang Gyatso had long relied on free social media chat apps to talk to his family members back home in Markham county in the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR).

But that changed last year when the Chinese government stepped up its surveillance measures and restricted online communications between Tibetans and their family members and friends abroad.

I was able to communicate with my family and relatives back in Tibet using social media chat apps, [but] the communication was completely cut off a few months back due to greater surveillance and restrictions, Gyatso told RFA.

Part of Chamdo prefecture, Markham county (in Chinese, Mangkang) is an area rich in agricultural, water and mineral resources. Residents of depend on farming and animal husbandry to make a living.

Its very worrisome not having any information on how they are doing, and Im sure its the same for them also not knowing about my well-being, said Gyatso, who in 2000 fled his impoverished hometown, located in the TARs far west and bordering Chinas Sichuan and Yunnan provinces.

Chinese authorities in the TAR and Tibetan areas of nearby Chinese provinces restrict freedoms of religion, expression, movement, and assembly, and ignore residents concerns about mining and land grabs by local officials, who routinely rely on force to subdue those who complain or protest, human rights groups say.

Authorities have intensified surveillance of Tibetans over the past decade under the leadership of Chen Quanguo, the TAR Communist Party chief from 2011-16 and the figure widely associated with setting up a system of mass internment camps for Muslim Uyghurs in Xinjiang, a restive region north of Tibet, where he led the party from 2016 until last year.

Chens system combines hyper-securitization and militarization with efforts to accelerate the political and cultural transformation of local people. Its stated aim is breaking lineage, breaking roots, breaking connections, and breaking origins of Tibetans and Uyghurs, said the International Campaign for Tibet in a December 2018 report.

Surveillance technologies that have sparked outrage internationally because of their use in Xinjiang were trialed in Tibet, the Washington-based rights group said.

Tibet, a formerly independent Himalayan country, was invaded by China in 1950 and has been governed by Chinas ruling Communist Party ever since. There are some 6.3 million Tibetans living in China and as many as 200,000 living in India, Nepal and Bhutan.

A map showing the location of Markham county in the Tibet Autonomous Region. Credit: RFA

Harassment and punishment

Human Rights Watch's latest World Report, an annual review of human rights practices and trends around the globe, noted that an announcement in November 2020 that the government was tightening controls on online communications it claimed undermined national unity was followed by an uptick in reported detentions of Tibetans in 2021 for alleged online offenses.

Tibetans who contacted people outside China were harassed and punished, regardless of the content of their communications, said the report by the New York-based rights group.

The authorities increasingly hardline policies have made it more difficult for Tibetans in exile to communicate with their families and friends back home, said Tibetan sources inside and outside the region.

RFAs Tibetan Service recently surveyed 215 Tibetans living in India about the communication flow between them and their relatives and friends inside the TAR, with half of the respondents saying that there has been a complete breakdown in contact because of stepped-up Chinese restrictions and monitoring of residents in recent years.

Forty-four of the respondents said that maintaining contact with those inside the TAR has become very challenging in the last two years.

Tibetans in India rely mostly on the Chinese instant messaging app WeChat to communicate with their family members in the TAR.

Geshe Lobsang Yeshi, Tibet coordinator at the Kirti Monastery in Dharamsala, India, home of the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, and the Tibetan government in exile, agreed.

Nowadays, its not only politically sensitive conversations but anything you discuss with Tibetans outside that is regulated, he said. For instance, there is a specific office set up in [the TARs] Ngaba region that regulates and examines the cell phones of local Tibetans.

To make matters worse, since June 2020, the Indian government has banned more than 200 Chinese apps, starting with about 59 popular applications in the first round, including WeChat, saying that they pose a threat to national security.

The move has hampered communication between some Tibetans in exile and people in the TAR. RFAs survey found that only 10 percent of respondents were affected  mostly older Tibetans or those who did not know how to use a virtual private network to skirt Chinese internet censorship and blockages.

An exile Tibetan Buddhist nun uses her mobile phone as she waits with others in a line to receive free rations distributed by a Tibetan Buddhist monk during a lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus in Dharmsala, India, April 28, 2020. Credit: Associated Press

Prohibiting money transfers

China has been tracking Tibetans in Tibet communicating with those in exile to shut down the flow of information to the outside world, according to sources inside Tibet who provide information to communities abroad.

The Chinese government also has started prohibiting the transfer of money from Tibetans in the TAR to outside recipients, they said.

RFA reported in October 2020 that a Tibetan herder, Lhamo, and her cousin, businessman Tenzin Tharpa, were detained for sending money to family members and others living in India. Lhamo died after being tortured in Chinese custody, while her cousin was still being held by police.

The survey results indicated that it is even more difficult for Tibetans in exile involved in political campaigns and protests against the Chinese government, dignitaries, and journalists to communicate with their families inside Tibet.

It is a fact that Chinese authorities specifically harass and surveil family members of Tibetans in exile who are usually actively involved in political campaigns, and journalists, said a Tibetan journalist living in India who requested anonymity for safety reasons.

My family members back home were also questioned many times in the past by the Chinese authorities who continue to do so, he added.

Three survey respondents living in Qinghai province told RFA that they had received calls from Chinese authorities urging them to move to the TAR.

Authorities told them that a new Chinese government policy would allow them to reunite with their families in the TAR and that officials would take care of processing the required documents and provide other necessities, the Tibetans in Qinghai said.

Lately, Ive been receiving calls from Chinese officials in Tibet asking me to return home, said a Tibetan who now lives in India.

The Chinese government also sent officials to his home in Tibet and interrogated his parents, taking photos and recording videos of them, said the man, who declined to give his name for safety reasons.

It worries me now, and because of the growing scrutiny, Im scared, too, he said.

Translated by Tenzin Dickyi for RFAs Tibetan Service. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Auto manufacturing companies in India will start making flex-fuel engine powered vehicles within six months, claims union minister for road transport and highway Nitin Gadkari. He also said that the government is working on a plan to shift public transportation to 100 per cent clean energy sources.

(Also Read: Union Budget 2022: Decoding tax on unblended petrol and diesel)

Gadkari said that he already had a meeting with SIAM representatives and managing directors of all major auto companies. The minister said that the auto industry representatives have promised that they will start manufacturing flex-fuel engines for vehicles that can run on more than one fuel. He also mentioned that homegrown auto manufacturers such as TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto have already started producing flex-fuel engines for their two and three-wheelers. Nitin Gadkari said that soon most vehicles in India will run on 100 per cent ethanol.

Flex-fuel or flexible fuel comes as an alternative fuel that combines both petrol and methanol or ethanol. Ethanol is made from bio-ethanol from rice, corn and sugarcane juice. Ethanol is considered a greener and cleaner fuel as compared to petrol or diesel. Ethanol blended petrol is much cleaner and emits lesser pollutants into the environment compared to pure petrol.

India aims to increase its ethanol blending target over the next few years in order to reduce vehicular emissions. Currently, Brazil and the US are two major countries where ethanol blended petrol is used massively. India could be the next big player in this segment with its ambitious strategy. The Indian government in December 2021 issued an advisory for the automakers to introduce flexible-fuel engines in vehicles.

Besides ethanol, the Indian government is also focusing on using green hydrogen and other alternative fuels. Using these would help the country to reduce its fuel import bill significantly, believes Gadkari. India currently imports 80 per cent of its fossil fuel requirement from other countries, which results in the spending of huge fossil fuel imports. India's current crude oil import bill is 8 lakh crore and it could go up to 25 lakh crore in the next five years if crude oil price in the international market surges continuously.

First Published Date:
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
Russian forces have tried to intimidate local officials working in the occupied southern Ukrainian city of Kherson and deployed officers from a notorious, now-disbanded riot police unit as part of that effort, a local administration official said.

In an interview, Serhiy Khlan, deputy chief of the Kherson regional council, also described in more detail an effort by Russian officials to organize a sham independence referendum, in a pretext for formally taking over the region or simply prying it away from central government control.

Kherson, located not far from the administrative border separating Ukraine proper from the Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea, became the first major Ukrainian city to be taken over by Russian forces on March 5.

Thousands of Kherson residents rallied in the city center on March 13, in an unusual public display of protest against Russian forces.

People marched through the streets chanting Russian soldiers are fascist occupiers! In one video posted to social media by Kherson officials, gunfire can be heard as Russian soldiers fired weapons into the air in an apparent effort to frighten marchers.

Kherson officials have reported dire conditions in the city and surrounding regions, even as residents tried to maintain some semblance of normalcy. Electricity was restored in one suburb, and repair workers were trying to patch pipelines and restore home heating gas. The city said it planned to resume classes in schools on March 14.

Speaking to Current Time on March 12, Khlan said that Russian military forces have remained on the outside of city limits, but civilian police and government officials have been sent into the city -- most likely, he said, under orders from Russias National Guard, a highly militarized civilian police force.



He also said that the police officers being deployed under Russian orders included former members of a feared Ukrainian riot police unit known as the Berkut.

The unit was notorious for violent repressions against protesters, and was blamed for most of the shooting deaths of Ukrainian civilians that occurred in February 2014, in the final days of the Maidan street protests.

The Berkut unit was disbanded by the government that took over after President Viktor Yanukovych fled Ukraine; many of its officers fled to Crimea and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Kherson is effectively under the control of the Russian National Guard. They are the so-called police. These are people from the Berkut who, after the Maidan in 2014 fled Ukraine. Now they are returning, filled with hate for Ukrainians, he said.

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.

The Russians are deploying them in occupied towns to form an administration and install their so-called Russian order., he added.

Khlan said Russian officials appeared to be searching for pro-Ukrainian activists and lawmakers, many of whom have gone into hiding.

"They are in hiding, but they are being searched for. There have been raids. [The Russians] are looking for them in Kherson and the surrounding region. Those councilors who received telephone calls refused [to collaborate]. They refused but they were threatened. They were threatened with being shot," he said.

City councilor Ilya Karamalykov echoed those sentiments, cautioning local residents trying to get around to remember that they have to pass through Russian checkpoints.

"Keep in mind that you are seen, first as an enemy, and only then as a person who goes for potatoes, he told Crimea.Realities, a regional news unit of RFE/RLs Ukrainian Service.

Plus, there is confirmed information that Russians go from house to house on some of their lists. And they are looking for some people. Today I was told that they were looking for Crimean Tatars.

Khlan also said Russian officials have indicated to him and others that they plan to organize a referendum in the Kherson region as a pretext for the region to declare independence, similar to what happened in parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

Swaths of both those regions have been controlled by Russia-backed militias for years.

"I got a call, with a...proposal to work with the new regional administration. They need it to legitimize themselves. They need to gather local councilors who would support a so-called referendum on the independence of a 'people's republic' of Kherson he said.

"As we can see, Putin can't think up anything new. He has done absolutely the same thing -- he is forcing the federalization of Ukraine by force," he added.

And the fact that they managed to occupy almost the entire Kherson region today, they use it for their propaganda purposes in order to make a fake picture that Kherson already wants independence and wants to recognize its independence as part of, probably Russia, Khlan said.

With reporting by Crimea.Realities and RFE/RL correspondent Mike Eckel in Prague.
The bodies of Russian soldiers killed in battle in Ukraine are filling up morgues in Belarus, local residents told RFE/RL.

Russian soldiers killed in battle are being brought by truck to the morgues and then sent back to Russia by train or plane, residents said.

Residents described the horror of seeing the bodies loaded on a train at Mazyr for transfer back to Russia.

The number of bodies was unbelievably large. People at the Mazyr station were simply shocked by the number of bodies being put on the train, a local resident in Mazyr told RFE/RL.

The morgues in Homel and Naroulia are also filled up, according to local residents.

Belarusian doctors have been threatened with the loss of their job if they are caught spreading information about the dead and injured Russian soldiers.

U.S. officials have estimated that several thousand Russian soldiers have been killed so far in the two-week old war.
Russian forces are threatening to shoot municipal officials in Kherson, according to a councilor from the Ukrainian city, where the Russian Army has seized control. Sergei Khlan said the Russians were searching for local activists and officials who were now in hiding. This is an excerpt from an interview with Current Time presenter Yevhenia Tahanovych on March 12.
This is not the war that Moscow was expecting.

Ukrainian forces have put up stronger resistance than many military analysts predicted prior to Russias February 24 invasion, with Russian forces facing growing losses and a series of logistical setbacks that have left it regrouping and changing tactics as its three-pronged advance across the country has slowed.

The Ukrainian Defense Ministry claims to have killed more than 12,000 Russian troops so far, but the fluid and rapidly changing nature of the conflict makes it hard to get an accurate snapshot of what is taking place on the ground and gauge what will happen next.

Some estimates from U.S. officials put the Russian casualty figure as high as 6,000, although other officials have stressed the number is difficult to assess and is likely between 2,000-4,000. Figures from Moscow, which are not seen by military experts as credible, have been issued sparingly and so far only disclosed that 498 Russian troops were killed.

But while many analysts say it is clear that Ukrainian forces have disrupted the Kremlins original war plans, Russian forces still outnumber and outgun the Ukrainian side and are continuing to push forward.

This leaves the fate of Russias military invasion and Ukraines resistance at a pivotal stage that could be decided in the coming weeks by a host of factors.

To find out more, RFE/RL spoke with Gustav Gressel, a former Austrian defense official and Russian military expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations.

RFE/RL: How should people make sense of the varying and at times conflicting casualty figures we are seeing from U.S, Ukrainian, and Russian officials? Whats the reasoning behind these diverging figures and how should we view the gaps? Also, can you explain some of the difficulties in tracking a conflict in real time like this?

Gustav Gressel: Even if you try to establish them objectively, you can't, because you don't see all the casualties from [any given] side. The Ukrainians can [have] certainty about the people they capture, they have certainty about the people they kill when they run an attack, a counteroffensive, or something where they take back terrain because they can count bodies. But, of course, Ukrainian counterattacks are [only] a small portion of this war.

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.

So even if you try to honestly assess it, it's basically impossible, and the most difficult count is obviously the man count. The armored vehicle count is easier because you see what you've done to them and also, after some time, you see that on satellite imagery when you see destroyed vehicles [lying] around. That's why Western intelligence sources have [been able to] check this and [do their own] counting as well.

The Russian figures [are] propaganda. Russia tries to hide the war and they are basically putting [out] fantasy figures.

Of course, they can't totally deny that there's some kind of conflict going on because there are people that are heavily wounded who come back [to Russia]. So they have to admit something, but they're just admitting some small numbers that are definitely below the real figures.

If the Russian [casualty] counts were true, ghosts would have had to [be] driving all the tanks. When a tank blows up in split seconds, there's no way the crew gets out and Russian tanks have a three-man crew.

So, you can roughly [guess], at least from the vehicle crews, that there are much higher casualties than [what Moscow is disclosing.]

RFE/RL: There are still huge gaps in figures that were seeing and a lot of variation. What else might explain that?

Gressel: These are guesses because nobody knows [for sure].

Every party in a war -- regardless of which war, and that includes the West and [when it] went to Afghanistan and Iraq -- overestimates the casualties inflicted on the other side. That's very easy, especially when it comes to indirect fire.

Also, because a lot of people that we think are killed in action are actually wounded and [while] they're out of combat, they're not dead. So the killed-in-action figure of any party in any war at any time [is] always too high.

As [an] estimate, you can say that roughly two-thirds of what the Ukrainians claim has been destroyed [is] what [has] really been destroyed. And I think maybe the vehicle count [from the Ukrainian side] may be more accurate than the man count because even [with] heavily damaged vehicles you [can] get some crews out alive. So [the overall casualty figure] might be a bit high, but the vehicle count is not too far off. But again, roughly two-thirds of that and youre likely not far off.

RFE/RL: Given that Russian casualties are likely much higher, are we seeing any shift in strategy now from Moscow?

Gressel: [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is trying to get more domestic support [for the war], but if the heat gets high enough [in Ukraine] he might need to use normal conscripts and normal reservists [on a larger scale] and [use] formations that would generate a lot of forces.

So I think they're playing for April 1 where you have new conscripts moving in and old conscripts demilitarizing. [The Russian military] wants, of course, to pressure a lot of these demilitarizing conscripts into signing up [again] or [signing] contracts to take part in this war.

This is why, I think, we [currently] see no peace solution or no serious negotiations on the Russian side. They are [waiting] for April 1, [when they could get] another round of force regeneration and [until] they havent [tried to use] themI don't think Russia will make any serious attempt to make peace.

RFE/RL: Whats your sober assessment of Russian military tactics used so far?

Gressel: The first blitzkrieg version of the war failed. That's fair to say. It basically collapsed within the first week of the war and now they're reorganizing.

We are at a very decisive time and our actions now will determine the course of the war in the coming weeks and whether Ukraine has a chance or not to [keep] standing.

[Russia] will try to fight this war now in [a] more traditionally Soviet [way] than the way they were thinking youd [normally] fight a fast, lightning war in the 21st century because a lot of their assumptions on that have proven wrong.

We are also [seeing] that a lot of the stuff they did in Syria on a small scale or in Donbas on a small scale, they could not replicate [for] the size of a war in Ukraine, which is substantially larger as a military operation than anything they have done before.

The problem is that switching gears is difficult because they have not brought a lot of the organizational elements that they have at home [into the military theater] in Ukraine, so they actually need to restructure and reorganize the forces very deeply, which is why I think we are seeing such a pause in combat.

The disorganization [and] the logistical problems, they go very deep [because] Russia has been mostly generating this force from [readied] professional soldier battalion tactical groups, which is a good way to [quickly] create a force and quickly deploy it, but for what low-intensity warfare proposes, [Russia] does not have the logistical stamina to fight a full-scale war and -- [other] than [its] armor and mechanized infantry -- [Moscow] doesn't have the organizational backbone [for it].

RFE/RL: Are Russian forces still capable of regrouping and maybe encircling Kyiv and achieving their main military goals, even if theyve faced major setbacks?

Gressel: If the West manages to crash the Russian economy [in a way] other than how Putin anticipated [and] if [the West] supplies Ukraine with a lot of weapons to keep the kill rate as high as it is, [then] I think Russia might start to [look] for an exit and Russian society might not support the war in the way that Putin [hopes].

Of course, [if the] sanctions regime loses its teeth and Putin sees that [the West] has reached the bottom [of its support], and he can work around what's there, and if [Ukrainian] resistance dwindles because of the expenditure of ammunition and men, then this might give Russia and the Russian war machinery and [its] propaganda the boost to really go in fully [and push for] victory.

This is hard to predict. We are at a very decisive time and our actions now will determine the course of the war in the coming weeks and whether Ukraine has a chance or not to [keep] standing.

[Russias goals] are all [still] achievable goals. [But] the price is much higher than Russia has anticipated.

On the other hand, it's still possible that the Ukrainians [can] prevent that. The battle for Kyiv is not yet decided. The other cities are holding out. A lot in warfare depends on the local morale, on the local skills, and on the local initiative of commanders.

Ukrainian officers and the organized resistance of the Ukrainian army has been professional and well-organized beyond our expectations. If this continuesthe Ukrainians still have half a chance of inflicting further damage and denying victory to the Russians. They do not, though, stand [much of a] chance of repelling Russia and pushing it beyond the borders [of Ukraine].

This is, unfortunately, beyond their capacities, but they're still in [condition] where they can deny victory to Russia.

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity.
The wholesales of the auto sector has taken a hit due to the worldwide semiconductor shortage and implementation of new regulations affecting the demand scene.

Dispatches of automobiles from factories decreased by 23 per cent across India in February. Reasons behind this decline are being stated as supply-side challenges, the ongoing semiconductor shortage and an increase in the price of vehicles due to the implementation of new regulations that impacted the demand scene, informed industry body Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM).

The wholesales of domestic passenger vehicles, two-wheelers and three-wheelers came down from 17,35,909 units in February 2021 to 13,28,027 in 2022 while the overall, passenger vehicle dispatches plummeted by 6 per cent that is to 2,62,984 units from 2,81,380 units in the same month of last year. Wholesales of passenger cars stood at 1,33,572 units last month compared to 1,55,128 units in February 2021 whereas the number of utility vehicle dispatches increased to 1,20,122 units as against 1,14,350 units in the same period of the preceding year. Sales of vans fell to 9,290 units compared to 11,902 units in February 2021.

Also read | Maruti Suzuki sells 164,056 cars in February, records highest-ever export

The total wholesale of two-wheelers dipped by 27 per cent that is to 10,37,994 units against 14,26,865 units in the same month last year. The number of scooters that were sold last month stood at 3,44,137 units last month, against 4,65,097 units in the same period in 2021. Sales of motorcycle sales also declined to 6,58,009 units last month as against 9,10,323 units in February 2021. Sales of three-wheelers too registered a decline marginally to 27,039 units last month as compared with 27,656 units in February 2021.

Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) Director-General Rajesh Menon said the semiconductor shortage and increased price of vehicles have impacted the overall health of the auto sector. The industry is monitoring the possible impact of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict, as global supply chains could come under stress, he added.

(With inputs from PTI)

First Published Date:
100 years ago

1922: Concluding an interesting talk on the Forest Service and its duties and problems at Tuesday's Rotary Club luncheon, a forest supervisor called attention to the attempt being made to prevent the sale of a large tract of timber in the Tusayan National Forest. There are 164 million feet of Arizona pine involved. It lies adjacent to the Grand Canyon National Park but is not a part of the park and in no place is nearer than 4 miles to the rim. The sale of the tract would yield at least $80,000 directly to Coconino County, plus the indirect return we will have in the logging and signing of this more than $4 million worth of lumber. The Forest Service does not propose to allow timber to be cut close to the roads leading to the park. Nor will the land be deforested. A Forest Service supervisor characterized the Coconino National Forest as a $15 million corporation in which we are all stockholders.

Fifteen head of heavy logging horses were burned to death Friday night at about 6 o'clock at a logging camp just northwest of Flagstaff. The horses belonged to a person who had been logging for the Saginaw lumber company under contract. Harnesses and hay in the barn were also burned. Two men, George McCormick and Tom Hamilton, were the two first to see the blaze. Hamilton, being closest, attempted to free the horses, but the smoke had choked them to death before he could reach them, and the flames drove him from the barn. Hamilton told McCormick there was no use attempting to save the animals. It is thought the fire originated from sparks from the logging engine that had passed that way a short time before. There was no insurance on the horses.

75 years ago

1947: Flagstaff and Coconino County officers, and Arizona highway patrolmen in this area were ready for a towel after a round with a grapefruit vendor who pursued a course about as erratic as the juice of the product he was selling Wednesday afternoon. The vendor applied for and got a peddlers license from the city in good order, but ran into difficulties with Flagstaff police and a patrolman when he set up shop along the highway and obstructed traffic. After a third warning, he was instructed to return to the City Hall get a refund on his license and leave the city. He was granted the refund, but shortly thereafter was again discovered peddling his wares. This time, when ordered to appear before a judge, instead of parking his truck at the City Hall as instructed, he stepped out of town west along Highway 66. He was later picked up and brought back to Flagstaff and fined $100 for selling merchandise within the city limits without a license.

Requiem high mass funeral services we're said this morning at 8 o'clock from the Church of Our Lady of Guadalupe for Mrs. Adelaida Rodriguez, Flagstaff's oldest resident. The deceased, age 97, died Monday morning at her home in Flagstaff. She was born on Christmas Day in 1849 in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and had been a resident of Flagstaff since 1882. Burial was in the local Catholic cemetery beside her husband, Frank Rodriguez, who preceded her in death in February of 1921.

50 years ago

1972: Total of 8,128 Flagstaff voters are eligible to go to the polls Tuesday to vote in the city's general election -- and they go with several warnings from the city clerk. The voters will select a mayor to fill the two-year term beginning April 1, and three members of the city council to fill four-year terms that also begin April 1. Incumbent Mayor Sylvan L. Harenberg is seeking his third term in office and is opposed by Councilman C. Russell Turner, whose term on the council expires April 1. In tomorrow's election, there will be four voting places, and the city clerk today cautioned voters once again that these are city-established precincts. For those who do not have rides to the polling places, members of Northern Arizona University's chapter of Sigma Chi fraternity have volunteered transportation.

Coconino county has recorded its first case of bubonic plague and Department of Public health workers are asking citizens to report observations of apparent sick wild animals by request of the county's supervisor of communicable diseases, Thomas Newell. He said today that while there is no apparent danger of an outbreak, health workers do want more information on numbers of animals possibly infected with the disease. Plague is a communicable disease carried usually by wild animals and most often by rodents, such as prairie dogs. Plague is carried by fleas harbored in these animals.

25 years ago

1997: Something has put the brakes on new construction in Flagstaff. Officials and professionals are not sure yet if it's a saturated market or a return of winter that has taken the zest out of the city's two-year construction boom. According to the city, the number of new building permits issued during the first two months of 1997 fell 61% compared with a similar in 1996. The total new construction is down 46%, from 186 residential and commercial units in 1996 to only 108 this year. The city says people are not coming into City Hall to pick up their permits because of the snow. And even though the snow has melted off the surface of the ground, underneath it is still wet, and the muddiness can mire heavy equipment and vehicles that usually cruise along construction sites.

A gold ring lost 52 years ago in a military bomber airplane crash on the San Francisco Peaks will be returned to the sister of its owner later this month. The ring belonged to Army Air Corps Lieutenant Richard Davis, a student co-pilot aborted B17 flying fortress bomber that caught fire in flight and crashed the night of Sept. 17, 1944, killing the four men onboard. The ring had been given to Davis by a high school sweetheart. The gold ring lay amidst the rubble of the crash site for 40 years until it was found by U.S. Forest Service personnel.

All events were taken from issues of the Arizona Daily Sun and its predecessors, the Coconino Weekly Sun and the Coconino Sun. Bruce Carl Ertmann assisted with compiling the events.

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Today

Rain showers early becoming a steady light rain for the afternoon. High 52F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

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Showers early, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 47F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%.
In response to a 2019 citizens petition, Flagstaff City Council discussed introducing ranked choice voting (RCV) into city elections during Tuesdays work session.

RCV is a system that allows voters to rank their candidates in elections. In the event that a voters first-choice candidate does not have enough votes to win, those votes are transferred to the second choice, and so on, until one candidate emerges with a majority of votes. The arguments for RCV include that it increases voter choice, saves money by eliminating primary elections, reduces campaigning, ensures elected officials are supported by a true majority, and can help break the stranglehold of a two-party system by giving voters the confidence to vote for third parties without the fear that their vote might be wasted.

Currently, RCV is used for state primary, congressional, and presidential elections in Alaska and Maine, as well as for local elections in over 50 U.S. cities. Last year, 23 cities in Utah alone notified the state that they would switching to RCV for their municipal elections.

Tuesdays discussion on introducing RCV in Flagstaff mostly centered on the numerous roadblocks to such a transition. The most significant of these roadblocks is the likelihood that an attempt to introduce RCV in Flagstaff would incur legal backlash from the Arizona Legislature, which does not currently support RCV.

Furthermore, in order to implement RCV, Flagstaff would have to submit charter amendments for approval by Gov. Doug Ducey. This approval process occurs on an all-or-nothing basis, so seeking approval for RCV amendments could jeopardize the citys capacity to earn approval of other necessary charter changes, explained city clerk Stacy Salzburg.

There are also major concerns that implementation of RCV in Flagstaff city elections would cause the city to lose its contract with Coconino County, which currently runs the citys elections in parallel with state and federal elections. If this contract were lost, the city would be burdened with the herculean task of running its own election. It would consequently be forced to provide the staff time and funding for all necessary election infrastructure including voting machines, ballots, translations, election staff, polling locations, voter manuals and more  a cost that would ultimately be passed on to municipal taxpayers.

Patty Hansen, Coconino County recorder, confirmed with the Arizona Daily Sun that if Flagstaff pursued RCV, she would not advise the Coconino County Board of Supervisors to renew its election contract with the city. Hansen was unsure whether the voting machines currently possessed by the county were capable of running RCV.

The likelihood that RCV would result in voter confusion and litigation from the state seems too great, Hansen said, especially in Arizonas current political climate.

I'm surprised they even want to consider something, because so many people believe the false accusations of voter fraud, Hansen said.

In her estimation, changes to the election system at this time would invite further accusations of fraud.

These roadblocks are not insurmountable, said Blake Sacha of Voter Choice Arizona during the public comment period. His organization has arrived at a different legal opinion about the likelihood of state litigation in response to RCV, Sacha said.

Nothing in Arizona election law affirmatively prohibits municipalities from conducting their elections by RCV, Sacha said. Our legal opinions support that charter cities can implement RCV without further state legislation.

Sacha also expressed that his organization had conceived of a single charter amendment that could accommodate RCV, and were confident that county voting machines were capable of conducting RCV elections even in conjunction with single-choice elections. In his opinion, there is no reason the city would have to lose its contract with the county.

In the 50-plus U.S. cities that have implemented RCV, nowhere have they had to sever this relationship with county elections departments, Sacha said.

City Manager Greg Clifton spoke to his experience as town manager in Colorado cities that implemented RCV several years ago. The situation in Colorado then was similar to the situation in Arizona now in that the state did not support RCV, Clifton explained, and without that state-level guidance, implementation was extremely difficult.

Colorado has since implemented state-level guidance for RCV. In Cliftons view, however, moving forward with RCV in Flagstaff at a time when the city does not have state-level support and could purportedly face litigation that would have far-reaching consequences for the city staff resources and tax dollars.

Council seemed supportive of RCV in theory, but deterred by the complications.

I would like to do whatever we can to make elections less partisan, Councilmember Jim McCarthy said. Im tired of people on the radical left and the radical right. I want thinking people that use common sense.

I see a ton of value in RCV, said Councilmember Adam Shimoni.

When it comes to general progress, Flagstaff has always been a leader in the state, Shimoni said.

He would like to see the city continue to put pressure on the state.

Its a healthy dynamic that could be continued through this issue, Shimoni added, saying, The state is typically forced to address things through our leadership.

Im open to continuing the discussion, Vice Mayor Becky Daggett said. But I hear a lot of significant roadblocks to doing this. I definitely wouldnt give direction tonight to move forward.

Councilmember Miranda Sweet echoed the sentiment, saying now is not the time and that RCV would be better implemented with state and county support.

Im interested in exploring this at the state level, said Councilmember Regina Salas. This encompasses election reform and should be pursued through the state Legislature.

For Salas, the risk of litigation from the state is too great, as it could negatively impact Flagstaffs state-shared revenue. The state has already demonstrated that it takes no issue with targeting Flagstaff for progressive policies, as it did when it billed the city $840,000 for implementing a minimum wage increase. I dont want to take that risk, Salas said.

I dont want to see this die tonight, said Mayor Paul Deasy, who advocated for etching away at the roadblocks and making space for RCV in continued conversation. I still support this going to a charter committee.

Deasy also gave direction to include RCV in future Arizona legislative priorities, so that Flagstaff lobbying efforts can apply pressure in the Legislature.

Sean Golightly can be reached at sgolightly@azdailysun.com

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ARCO gas is typically cheaper than gas at other gas stations. How can they offer lower prices than their competitors? Is ARCO gas bad for your car since its a lower price? Lets take a look at why ARCO gas is cheaper than other brands. Moreover, lets compare it to those brands to make sure that if you decide to go with ARCO gas, it wont do any damage to your car in the long run.

Why Is ARCO Gas Cheaper Than Others?

ARCO has a reputation for offering considerably lower prices for its fuel than other gas stations. According to ARCO, consumers can average a savings of $0.05-$0.10 per gallon in comparison with other brands of gasoline.

It seems that with ARCO, these large price savings are due to many of its business practices. First of all, ARCO has no processing fees for credit cards because they do not accept them. This offers ARCO a savings of about $0.30 per credit card transaction fee which its competitors have to pay. In other words, your gas is cheaper because you pay cash.

Moreover, ARCO charges its customers a $0.45 fee per debit card transaction. So, if you dont pay cash, then you pay more for your ARCO gas. If a customer is already paying a $0.45 debit card transaction fee, chances are the customer will in turn purchase more gas than they might if they were not paying the transaction fee. This allows ARCO to sell more gas per customer, thus granting them the ability to offer lower gas prices.

So, is ARCO gas bad? Since its the companys business practices that lower the gas cost, not the gas that they offer, theres nothing to suggest thats so.

Lower Prices Still Meet Minimum Gas Requirements

Since the inexpensive gas offered at ARCO comes at a significantly lower price, consumer often wonder whether or not its safe for their vehicles. The federal government has fairly strict guidelines on most things, and gasoline is no exception. Therefore, there are certain standards for all gasoline sold in the United States, such as octane levels, and the general characteristics that gasoline must possess. As a result, all gas sold in the United States is basically the same.

But Is There Better Gas?

Well, the basic minimum level of gas is the same across the board. However, you can pay more for premium gas. Some companies add extra detergents and additives above and beyond what the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) requires. All gas must contain a certain amount of detergent additives. Of course, those things are also EPA approved. Many companies add even more to differentiate their brand for other gasoline. So the question becomes, is the branded gas from companies like Shell, 76, Exxon and Chevron better than ARCO gas?

Why ARCO Gas Is The Same Or Better Than Competitors

While the blend of detergents and additives is different for each company, ARCO gas is on par with other top gas brands in the United States. Is ARCO gas bad? No. In fact, its quite good.

ARCO offers Top Tier gasoline. Top Tier gas is the standard which is recommended by seven of the top automakers in the world. Importantly, its of a standard even higher than what the EPA requires.

Notably, ARCO didnt always use Top Tier gas. In the past, they used a cheaper gas. People who believe that gas quality does impact how well your car runs used to say to avoid ARCO gas as a result. However, when ARCO began to offer Top Tier gas, those people changed their tune.

Its Okay to Use Cheaper Gas

To further ease customers minds, Edmunds conducted a study questioning experts in the automotive field. According to those findings, consumers put their vehicles at no greater risk by putting cheap gas into them. Most vehicle owners will not notice any difference in performance by purchasing cheap gas. However, the best advice is to look at your cars owners manual and follow the guidelines given about the best type of gasoline for your particular car. That said, the average car that you drive probably runs perfectly well on ARCO gas.

TIP: Gas Hack

Whether or not you are concerned that ARCO gas is bad compared to other gas brands, heres a gas hack that you can try to save you money at the ARCO station. In many parts of the country you can tank up at the ARCO station, and also add quality fuel injector cleaner. Adding this fuel injector cleaner as recommended should address any quality concerns, while still allowing you to buy the cheaper ARCO gas. Chevron has a pretty inexpensive fuel injector cleaner  you can get it here.

Just add the injector cleaner when you go to the gas station and you should be good to go. Of course, you do pay for the fuel injector cleaner. But youll pay less per gallon of gas than if you buy another brand of gas. Plus, youre doing something that is almost certainly likely to improve your gas quality. In contrast, choosing between one gas station brand or another doesnt necessarily improve gas quality at all.

Consumers today are always looking for a bargain. As prices on most things continue to rise, it is good to know that consumers are not putting their vehicles in jeopardy by taking advantage of savings at the gas pump. If youve wondered whether this is bad gas just because its cheaper, the answer is a resounding no.

Find Cheap Gas Prices

If you want to find the cheapest gas prices near you, then you might want to download the Gas Buddy app. You can use it to search all nearby gas station prices. Moreover, you can filter to search by just certain gas brands. So, if you know that you want to use ARCO gas, then you can easily find the ARCO station closest to you. Since ARCO is often the cheapest option that uses Top Tier gas, its a safe bet.

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Supervisors Patrice Horstman and Jeronimo Vasquez were unanimously approved as the new heads of the Coconino County Board of Supervisors.

Horstman, who supervises District 1, will serve as chair of the board, with District 2's Vasquez as vice chair.

I am grateful to serve with wonderful colleagues on the Board of Supervisors, Horstman said in a statement. We are an outcome-oriented team that is focused on the needs of our residents across all areas of Coconino County."

Horstman was first elected to the board in November 2020 and sworn in the following January. She's a longtime Flagstaff resident and a lawyer by trade. She co-founded the law firm Hufford, Horstman, Mongini, Parnell & Tucker, P.C. in 1975.

The firm focuses on Native American law, as well as education, employment, municipal, healthcare and nonprofit law. She previously served as the president of the Coconino Bar Association, as well as the Northern Arizona Women's Lawyer Association.

Horstman replaced Supervisor Matt Ryan of District 3.

"Supervisor Ryan did a great job as board chair with navigating the COVID Response and American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. His leadership has been very much appreciated and valued," Horstman said of the outgoing Ryan.

Vasquez, another newcomer to the board, was preceded by District 5 Supervisor Lena Fowler. Fowler served as vice chair since 2020 and was the first Native American woman to serve as the chair of the board.

Serving on the Board of Supervisors under the leadership of Chair Ryan and Vice Chair Fowler has truly been a success for our county, Vasquez said. I learned from both of my colleagues, and I look forward to assuming a leadership role for the board. I congratulate Chair Elect Horstman on her election and look forward to assisting her in leading the board. I also want to thank and recognize Supervisor Ryan and Supervisor Fowler for their leadership and service as chair and vice chair.

Vasquez was appointed to the District 2 position in February 2021 after former Supervisor Liz Archuleta resigned to take a job with the Biden-Harris administration. The longtime educator worked at Killip Elementary School for 14 years, taking on on special projects and before-and-after school programming.

Vasquez is a father of four and grandfather of two.

Both Vasquez and Horstman assumed their new positions at the Feb. 22 meeting.

Reporter Bree Burkitt can be reached at 928-556-2250 or bburkitt@azdailysun.com.

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Police discovered a childs body in a Merced home on Friday while searching for a missing 8-year-old Hayward girl who was last seen in December, and coroners officials are working to confirm the victims identity.

The missing girls mother has been arrested on suspicion of murder, and police have issued an arrest warrant for her boyfriend, 34-year-old Dhante Jackson, on suspicion of murder.

Eight-year-old Sophia Masons disappearance was reported by relatives to Hayward authorities on March 8. Hayward police said that Sophia may have been in the care of a parent or guardian, but officials added that other family members have not had contact with them since December. She was considered to be an at-risk missing juvenile and had been known to stay in various locations between Hayward and Southern California, Hayward police said.

Three days later  and more than 100 miles away from Hayward  detectives on Friday served a search warrant on a home located in the the 500 block of Barclay Way in Merced after Hayward police received information that Sophia was last seen at the Central Valley residence, Merced police said in a statement.

A childs body was found in the home and Merced County coroners officials were working to identify the victim, police said on Saturday.

Merced authories said a break in the case came when they met with Sophias mother, 30-year-old Samantha Johnson of Hayward, and she led police to the home where the childs body was discovered. Johnson was subsequently arrested.

Johnson was in custody at the Santa Rita Jail in Dublin at the time, having been arrested by Hayward police in connection with a child abuse incident that happened last year, police said. She is expected to be transferred soon to Merced County Jail.

Johnsons boyfriend Jackson lives at the home where the childs body was discovered and went on the run shortly after he heard that his residence was being searched as part of the investigation, Merced police said on Saturday.

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Jackson is known to frequent the Bay Area, police said.

This investigation is still ongoing and the exact circumstances surrounding this incident remain under investigation, Merced police said Saturday.

Anyone with information about this case should contact Merced police Detective John Pinnegar at 209-388-7712 or via email at pinnegarj@cityofmerced.org.

Lauren Hernandez (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hernandez@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @ByLHernandez
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Reveling in the Irish luck of a sunny day and the ebbing at last of the 2-year-old pandemic, thousands of people decked out in green shirts, leprechaun hats and shamrock glasses lined San Franciscos Market Street on Saturday to celebrate the citys annual St. Patricks Day Parade.

Saturdays parade was the first to be held since before the pandemic, in 2019. And though attendance seemed a tad down from previous years, many of those who came said they were excited finally to be able to celebrate the day after a three-year wait.

Melissa Stevens, a 42-year-old Pittsburg resident, sported a green shamrock earring in one ear and a leprechaun hat earring in another ear. She had a green feather boa wrapped around her as she waited for BART in Oakland to take her into the city.

Oh my gosh, its the first time Ive been since COVID, Stevens said, adding that she planned to meet with some of her friends  whom she hasnt seen since the regions first shelter-in-place orders two years ago.

The parade started at Second and Market streets with a procession of Irish dancers, performers from the Irish Pipers Band and other groups, and members of the United Irish Cultural Center.

Dozens of people walked the parade with Ukrainian flags and signs that read, Save Ukraine, Stop Putin and Support Ukraine, Crush Putin.

Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle

Kathy Jo Lafreniere, 48, of Martinez jumped up when she saw the Ukrainian flags and said she stood in solidarity with the country as Russia continued its attack.

Oh, absolutely, she said emphatically as she threw her hands in the air and then pointed to the sunflowers that hung from one of the floats carrying procession members.

Lafreniere said she has been attending the parade for nearly 20 years. She tied a green bandanna around her neck and wore shamrock sunglasses as she danced to a recording of the Wolfe Tones blasting out The Wearing of the Green.

As Lafreniere waved to the Ukrainian procession, she said she was most excited for the music performances.

Its been a wonderful day, she said.

Nancy Ryan, an 82-year-old Los Gatos woman, agreed. Ryan, who attended the parade with her 9-year-old grandson and 50-year-old daughter, said she had been attending the parade for nearly 45 years  and remembered being a big fan from the very first moment.

She had just moved to Saratoga from the East Coast with her Irish husband then, and their belongings were still in boxes when they decided to skip unpacking for a day and instead drive to San Francisco for the St. Patricks Day parade.

This year, Ryan said she was excited to dress up in green  hat, sunglasses and blazer  with her grandson, Declan McIlvain. Declan squatted beside her grabbing treats that parade members tossed to the crowd as they passed by.

Im already bulging with candy, he said, laughing and pointing to the pockets of his green sweatshirt.

Jana Asenbrennerova/Special to The Chronicle

Nearby, Rolando Vega, a 58-year-old San Francisco resident, stood among the throngs with a bag of balloons. Vega waited patiently for children and parents to make their requests  did they want him to make them a leprechaun? A pot of gold? That was the best-seller, he said.

Everybody wants a pot of gold, he said with a chuckle.

Members of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors also joined the procession, as well as the citys fire and police departments.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Police Chief Bill Scott walked out of the procession and handed a young girl a police badge sticker before jogging back to his spot in the parade.

Some people threw stuffed animals from a fire engine. Firefighters handed out plastic fire helmets and more stuffed animals.

Mike Sturm, his wife and two tiny daughters, ages 5 and 2, stood along the sidelines of the parade waving at the procession.

Here you go, darling, a firefighter said to Sturms youngest daughter, handing her a stuffed fluffy toy elephant. The 2-year-old squinted her eyes and grabbed onto the stuffed animal, giving it a squeeze, before handing it to her father.

Its her first St. Paddys Day parade, Sturm said.

The dad said he was excited to take his children to the parade after attending nearly every year of his own life until COVID-19 happened.

Sturm, who now lives in Pacifica, said three of his four grandparents are Irish and his grandfather sang at Irish weddings in San Francisco. Sturm often accompanied him on guitar  and now his children celebrate their Irish culture by singing along with his grandfather.

Hopefully, Ill get them to Ireland someday, he said.

Sarah Ravani (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sravani@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @SarRavani
The towering container ships and oil tankers that sail in and out of San Francisco Bay have a little-known dark side: They are a leading cause of death for whales that migrate along the coast between Mexico or Central America and Alaska.

But theres a way to reduce the number of whales that often wash up, bloated and mangled, on Bay Area beaches this time of year, experts say. A new report recommends slowing the speed of ships on a large stretch of the coast, from Pigeon Point in San Mateo County to Point Arena in Mendocino County. The idea is to give whales a chance to escape mortal injury.

A lot of the time, mariners dont know that theyve even hit a whale. Cargo ships really are like skyscrapers, said Jessica Morten, a resource protection specialist for the Greater Farallones Association, a conservation group that supports the National Marine Sanctuary of the same name. On the surface of the ocean, a blue whale, even though its enormous to us, is really not enormous.

Morten is part of a working group charged with cutting the risk of lethal ship strikes to endangered whales by 50% in the two marine sanctuaries that hug the coast. Last month, the group  composed of scientists, conservationists and representatives of the fishing and shipping industries  recommended a year-round, voluntary speed reduction within the Greater Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries, as well as the northern part of the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary.

Since 2013, there has been a voluntary vessel speed reduction to 10 knots (about 11 mph) in place for large ships in the three shipping lanes that jut out of the bay  but only from May to November, during whale migration season. Once the ships exit the lanes, they tend to speed up and fan out into whale habitat.

The ship-strike issue has gotten more attention as the number of dead whales washed up on Bay Area beaches has increased in recent years, from 11 in 2018 to 21 last year. Ship strikes are a leading cause of whale death, along with entanglement in fishing gear and malnutrition, according to the nonprofit Marine Mammal Center in Sausalito. The increase includes many gray whales, a population that isnt endangered but is experiencing what wildlife managers call an unusual mortality event, with a high number of deaths from various reasons since 2019.

Experts say the ever-growing demand for imported goods will continue to put the giant cetaceans in harms way. Ship traffic went down during the pandemic, from 3,452 ships entering the bay in 2018 to 2,893 in 2020, according to the nonprofit industry group Marine Exchange of the San Francisco Bay Region. But thats still an average of eight large ships each day. Potential collisions are especially a concern as evidence grows that some whales, especially juvenile humpbacks, are staying in the Bay Area year-round.

We have growing whale populations off of our coast, and we have increased shipping activity and commerce activity. So I think the risk is much higher (than in the past), said Kathi George, a member of the working group and director of field operations and response at the Marine Mammal Center. In partnership with the California Academy of Sciences, George and her team do necropsies  animal autopsies  on whales that wash up on shore.

In the case of a vessel strike, it is not a very pretty sight, George said. Ive seen broken bones, ribs not attached any more, vertebrae separated. Its a pretty violent thing that happens when a whale is hit by a ship.

Each year, as many as 83 endangered whales  humpback, blue and fin whales  are killed by ships on the West Coast, according to projections by the Petaluma organization Point Blue Conservation Science. But because their carcasses sink quickly, only a fraction are seen and reported, experts say. Also, dead whales often make it to shore in a severely decomposed state, making it difficult to confirm the cause of death.

From 2011 to 2021 an average of only 10 whales a year along the West Coast were officially recorded as being struck by vessels, and not all of those whales died, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The list includes gray, minke and sei whales in addition to endangered whales.

Many of those whales begin migrating this time of year, and they sometimes end up dead on local beaches. George and her colleagues have necropsy equipment packed and ready to go, like firefighters waiting at the station. Ten to 20 people are usually involved in a necropsy, more if the whale washes up on a busy beach to help keep onlookers (and curious dogs) away from the sharp tools and difficult work involved.

A team will methodically open up the whale. Theyll peel down the layers of blubber, George said. Sometimes people literally get into the whale to look at the different bones, organs, etc., to understand what happened.

Katie DInnocenzo/The Marine Mammal Center 2021

Broken bones are a major indicator of a vessel strike, but only if there are also signs of tissue damage or pooled blood inside, indicating the whale was struck before death rather than after, she said.

Though vessel strikes are only one threat to whales, the working group thinks extending the recommended vessel speed reduction zone to nearby National Marine Sanctuaries year-round will make a difference.

The current voluntary vessel speed reduction in the three shipping lanes that was instituted in 2013 probably lowered blue whale deaths within the shipping lanes by 11% to 13% and humpback whale deaths by 9% to 10% in 2016-17, according to Point Blue.

That northern lane really does spit out traffic where we dont want it to be, into a blue whale hot spot near Point Reyes, Morten said.

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Shipping companies are getting on board. As of 2020, 64% of ships complied with the voluntary speed reduction in the shipping lanes.

Weve gotten more carriers on board  greater outreach and greater education as to why this is a program to participate in, said Jacqueline Moore, vice president of the Pacific Merchant Shipping Association, an industry group that supports extending the voluntary speed reduction zone year-round to the sanctuaries.

In 2019, a similar change was made in Southern California, when the voluntary vessel speed reduction was expanded to an area from Santa Barbara County to Orange County, though only seasonally. On the East Coast, NOAA instituted mandatory vessel speed limits to protect the critically endangered right whale.

The conservation group Center for Biological Diversity has called for mandatory speed limits in shipping lanes at the Port of Los Angeles and San Francisco Bay in a petition to National Marine Fisheries Service and a lawsuit against the U.S. Coast Guard and NMFS, arguing that the number of whales killed each year exceeds what the populations can withstand and still recover.

Theres a mentality of bending over backwards to avoid these mandatory ship speeds. Its perplexing, said Brian Segee, endangered species program legal director at Center for Biological Diversity. Its a highway at sea. Just as highways on land need rules that are enforced. Its the same with the ships at sea.

The superintendent of the Cordell Bank and Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuaries will consider the working groups recommendations and probably make a decision by May, Morten said. If the changes are adopted quickly, they could still save some whales this coming migration season, supporters say.

Whales have an awful lot to tell us about the health of the ocean, George said. We need to do what we can to reduce the human impacts on the whales.

Tara Duggan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: tduggan@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @taraduggan
A stabbing incident in San Jose early Sunday left one man dead and a woman injured, according to police.

Both victims were found suffering from at least one stab wound in the 2000 block of Gold Street just after midnight, the San Jose Police Department said in a news release.

The man died at the scene, and the woman was taken to a local hospital, where she was expected to recover, officials said. The man had not been identified as of Sunday morning.

No arrests were announced, and it was unclear if the man and woman knew each other.

San Jose police Officer Christian Camarillo declined to provide further details about the incident, citing the ongoing investigation.

The fatal stabbing Sunday was the second homicide that San Jose police have investigated this year. In 2021, the Police Department investigated 31 homicides, according to the release.

Jessica Flores (she/her) is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jessica.flores@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jesssmflores
In a quiet corner of Oakland, Pat McHenry Sullivan agonizes over taking out a life insurance loan to pay off rent debt for her and her husband, who lives with dementia.

A few miles north in Berkeley, Susan Marchionna is in the reverse predicament: Shes debating selling her house of four decades after a drawn-out dispute with a tenant who she says in state filings has not paid rent since the fall.

As a renter and a landlord, McHenry Sullivan and Marchionna are on opposite ends of Californias two-year effort to prevent a pandemic eviction crisis. But both are still waiting for answers to months-old applications for $5.2 billion in statewide rent relief  two of thousands of Bay Area residents unsure where to turn as local eviction battles intensify and a March 31 deadline looms for a final layer of emergency state rental programs.

Ive been sitting here since early December with everything in limbo, said McHenry Sullivan, 79. Its heartbreaking, and its exhausting.

The tension playing out in living rooms, city halls and county eviction courts follows an unprecedented expansion of Americas housing safety net. First there were broad local, state and federal eviction bans, most of which expired in California last fall. Then came the multibillion-dollar statewide rent relief effort, designed to accept applications and shield those still waiting for approval from eviction through March 2022.

With that deadline fast approaching and politicians so far unresponsive to tenant advocates calls for another extension, renters and small landlords report widespread confusion and fear about falling through the cracks. Only a fraction of relief funds has been paid out, fueling concerns that indebted renters will be pushed out of the region or end up homeless.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

The situation is even more complicated in McHenry Sullivan and Marchionnas home county of Alameda, where stronger local eviction bans havent prevented messy eviction disputes.

Now, as landlord and tenant groups battle over the future of renter protections, both sides warn that housing could get harder to find as property owners  fed up with Californias piecemeal approach to rent relief and evictions  take rentals off the market or raise income requirements in a bid to insulate themselves from future tenant disputes.

One things increasingly clear: Even in a swath of the East Bay with some of the nations strongest protections for renters, theres no escaping the turmoil redrawing the map of where people can afford to live.

A renters exit plan

Until the fall, McHenry Sullivan thought she would be able to keep paying $1,426 a month for the Glenview two-bedroom that she and her husband, John, 82, have rented since 2006. But then the author and speakers extended unemployment benefits ended, and the pandemic didnt. Medical equipment, taxi fare to doctors appointments and the countless hours McHenry Sullivan spends caring for her husband and their home, limiting her ability to pursue outside work, all added financial pressure.

September 2021 was the last month the couple paid rent on time. To cover the rent for October, the final payment theyve made, McHenry Sullivan said she was forced to dip into a life insurance policy, leaving less money for her or her husband if widowed.

McHenry Sullivan has a masters degree and is comfortable enough with computers to have run her own business for years, but she was stymied by Oaklands rent relief website, which she said repeatedly malfunctioned when she tried to apply in the fall. She called politicians and ventured to San Francisco for help from one of the few housing clinics offering in-person assistance, then was told to apply for a state program instead. In December, after months of fruitless calls to check her application status, she was told to reapply to the city program.

Shes still waiting for answers.

Nobody ever responded, McHenry Sullivan said. Nobody.

Tenant advocates say the odyssey through Californias maze of state and local rent relief programs isnt uncommon for Bay Area renters looking for help. Cities and counties including Oakland, Marin and Sonoma opted to run their own rent relief programs instead of routing all residents to the bigger state program Housing Is Key. Several local programs have already stopped accepting new applications or run out of money, though more federal funding may become available in the coming months.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

Gauging how many renters like McHenry Sullivan have applied for relief but not heard back is hard to do, since state, county and city programs all report data separately. In Alameda County alone, there are four rent relief programs.

Statewide, the California Department of Housing and Community Development reports that more than $2.2 billion in rent relief has been paid to around 40% of the 468,314 households that have applied. But in a report last week, tenant advocates at the National Equity Atlas who did their own analysis of state data contended that only 16% of applicants have received the promised funds.

Were trying to make sure were helping more people, but the issues still stand, said Maria Miranda, whose team at Concord nonprofit Monument Impact has helped 1,400 tenants apply for rent relief since April. There are still people getting eviction notices, being retaliated against in some situations, or being harassed or intimidated.

With state lawmakers declining to further intervene on pandemic evictions, the uncertainty is pushing tenant advocates in Bay Area suburbs to lobby for permanent new renter protections. At a March 7 city meeting in Concord, a housing committee advanced an anti-harassment measure that would bolster rights for tenant unions and enact financial penalties for landlords who threaten or retaliate against tenants, or who fail to maintain homes.

Landlord groups argued that the measure is overly broad. Homeowner and District 5 City Council candidate Laura Nakamura was among those urging officials to take it very seriously that many renters who spoke in support of the measure were single mothers and others struggling to get by.

We have to ask ourselves, Nakamura said, who benefits from this ordinance, and who is burdened by it?

For now, McHenry Sullivan is thankful that her Oakland landlord has been cooperative. But she and her husband have decided that staying in the Bay Area isnt sustainable. Theyre planning a cross-country move to be with family in Shenandoah, Va.

Before they can start over, McHenry Sullivan knows she has to clear some $7,000 in rent debt amassed in the past six months.

Were going to pay it off, she said, one way or another.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Check the water shortage status of your area, plus see reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

A landlords last option

Back in the early 1980s, Marchionna was skeptical about giving up Bernal Hill to buy her first house in Berkeley with her husband and their young child. She grew to love the 1906 redwood-frame Edwardian nestled between campus and West Berkeleys commercial corridors. She gave birth to two children in second-floor bedrooms, loved and lost two husbands who died in the home, and in recent years rebuilt a career there as a part-time editor for a museum.

It was a decade ago, Marchionna said, after her children had moved out and she was looking for extra income, that she started renting out spare rooms on Airbnb. The constant churn became a pain, and she knew the housing crisis was getting worse. So four years ago, she rented the house to a long-term tenant and moved into a 280-square-foot backyard tiny home.

Things went well at first, with the $4,500-a-month rent allowing her to easily pay the mortgage after a few refinancings. But then Marchionnas job was eliminated by pandemic budget cuts, and her long-term tenant moved out in the fall.

That left a roommate who last year signed a declaration sent to Marchionna saying that he was unable to pay rent due to the pandemic, leaving her to apply for $17,500 in rent relief in January. The rent debt, plus her monthly mortgage and expenses like a $4,500 roof repair bill, have left her looking for a way out.

My kids have all moved away. I lost my job, Marchionna told The Chronicle. All I have is my house.

Yalonda M. James/The Chronicle

While Marchionna consults with real estate agents, landlord groups contend that some tenants are abusing eviction protections meant to shield vulnerable renters. National Equity Atlas estimates show that 721,000 California renters still owed some $3.3 billion in back rent as of January, but many state rent relief programs rely on renters to self-attest that it was the pandemic that prevented them from paying.

Tenant advocates call cases of alleged squatting outliers. They say that those historically at highest risk of displacement are single mothers, fixed-income seniors and Black or Latino service workers. While landlords may be forced into financial hardship to deal with legal fees, they argue that the stakes are higher for tenants who are less likely to have legal representation and may be left with nowhere to live if evicted.

To Marchionna, the result is that individual property owners like her are left to clean up messy interpersonal disputes in cities where housing shortages have been building for decades.

The city of Berkeley is trying to get individual homeowners to help solve the housing crisis, she said, then demonizing all landlords.

Real estate listing sites estimate that Marchionnas home could be worth some $1.3 million. She said agents have advised that the sale price could be significantly reduced if a tenant is still living in the home. Its a stalemate that has left her regretting ever getting into the rental business, and especially trying to be flexible with would-be tenants.

Im the kind of landlord you want to find, Marchionna said, and I never want to do it again.

Lauren Hepler is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: lauren.hepler@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @lahepler
As we near our second anniversary of life under COVID restrictions, the thoughts of the nation are largely elsewhere  on the escalating conflict in Ukraine, where up to 10,500 civilians and troops on both sides were killed in the initial two weeks of fighting, according to some estimates. And yet here in the United States, more than 15,000 deaths from COVID were reported in the first 10 days of March alone. We make this comparison not to be flip about the carnage in Ukraine  it is brutal and tragic  but rather to contextualize that a brutal and tragic war against the virus is still being waged within our borders even as we increasingly try to pretend that its not.

COVID was barely a talking point in Gov. Gavin Newsoms State of the State speech this week  even as he lifts school mask mandates. Vaccination is in many cases no longer a requirement for re-entry into society.

Similar returns to so-called normalcy across the country have been buoyed by data from abroad, where such policies have increasingly become the norm. The success of many Western European and Scandinavian countries in returning safely to pre-COVID life has been a particularly powerful driver for politically diverse calls for America to follow suit. Consider that the omicron variant is now less deadly in the United Kingdom than the flu variant in circulation there.

But it doesnt take much searching to find the gulf between the U.S. and the European countries we want to emulate extends beyond our COVID policies.

COVID continues to be uniquely deadly in this country precisely because America is not Europe.

Too many of us still refuse to take vaccines and boosters. We are unhealthful; 60% of us have a comorbidity that makes us vulnerable to COVID, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. We lack universally affordable national health care. Perhaps most importantly, American workers do not benefit from robust paid sick and family leave policies.

COVID has adapted rapidly over the past two years. America, sadly, has not.

Even Californias best-in-class sick leave policies look outright Dickensian compared with the European counterparts we want to model our public health policies after.

Full-time workers here get 80 hours of paid sick and family leave time per year  not bad  but only in companies with 26 or more workers. Part-timers, gig workers and some food service workers do not get those same generous benefits. In the UK, meanwhile, you can take up to seven sick days off at any time  no questions asked. Longer leaves of absence of up to four weeks simply require a doctors note, which is free. Swedens paid parental leave benefits, meanwhile, are so generous and comprehensive it would take an entire editorial just to explain them. The bullet point, however, is that parents, regardless of company size or job title or employment status, receive 12 paid days per year to look after their kid until the age of 12. That is in addition to sick leave pay that is similarly robust to that of the UK.

Policies like these dont just make life more pleasant for their recipients. They are the engines of a return to normalcy. European parents can send their kids off to school maskless comfortable in the knowledge that neither health care costs nor taking time off work will send them spiraling into homelessness should a serious illness occur.

In America, meanwhile, COVID punishes the poor  who have to work through sickness, putting their health at risk and spreading the virus to those similarly vulnerable, or they risk economic ruin.

Of course, it is precisely because of the failures of our social safety net here in America that perpetual lockdowns are also untenable. Parents need to work, which many cant do if their kids are home. And learning loss is tragically real when kids arent in the classroom. For more than a year, a parents movement has rightly pointed out the societal damage that comes from school closures. With schools now open, we would encourage those same parents to lobby with similar force for the kind of protections that can keep kids safe from the economic ruin COVID infections can still take on a family.

After two years of COVID lockdowns, the seductive lure of moving on with our lives is pulling us back to a place normalcy we know full well the dangers of. No, the answer is not to wear hazmat suits in perpetuity. But nor is it to role-play being Swedish and pretend all will be well.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
Regarding Environmental law in state now Swiss cheese (Front Page, March 9): The California Environmental Quality Act advances environmental justice and protects the rights of communities disproportionately impacted by pollution and poverty.

Dustin Gardiners article suggests that impacts of urban growth are not environmental impacts. But CEQA is one of the only ways for low-income communities of color to learn about, let alone engage with proposed projects. CEQA also requires projects to identify and reduce harms to communities.

Housing is key to environmental justice for communities that live with legacies of race-based discriminatory land-use decisions. However, instead of weakening CEQA through continued attempts at streamlining infill development, California must tackle the real obstacles to housing: high development costs, local zoning and other political barriers to building housing at the local level. A 2021 study by the Housing Workshop found that these issues, not CEQA, are the major barriers to housing production.

To protect Californias most vulnerable populations, we must keep CEQA strong.

Shana Lazerow, Richmond

Ill give cops my DNA

Regarding Woman in DNA scandal to sue (Front Page, March 11): I am profoundly sympathetic to rape victims, but I dont understand why that is a get-out-of-jail free card for future crimes they may commit.

While I dont like the idea of Big Brother watching everything I do, I would gladly let law enforcement have my DNA and the DNA of all Americans to catch criminals. Why is there no outcry against the government having my fingerprints? Why do regulatory agencies require fingerprints for many jobs? Obviously, we think that fingerprinting is helpful to protect us and catch criminals.

Perhaps the outcry against DNA collection versus fingerprint collection is merely an outcry against the advancements of science and technology.

Elliott Halpern, Martinez

Gender care for all

Regarding Dont put politics ahead of science (Open Forum, March 10): Gender-affirmative care seems sound on so many levels.

However, given the team of experts and coordination involved, how can overly busy low-income folks afford all of this in time or money? Do insurance companies cover such treatment?

Clearly, this treatment surpasses the do-no-harm standard, but is there talk of equity and access in enlightened states? One would hope so.

Mark Allendorf, San Mateo

Show strength to Russia

Making clear that we will never stare down Russian forces is the same thing as telling them they can have whatever they want. All they have to do is get there first (Crimea, Syria, Ukraine).

In the Cuban missile crisis, we confronted them on the seas. It worked. You dont deter a bully by announcing you will never fight, and every time you do, it makes him think you never will.

Jay Chafetz, Walnut Creek

NATO must stand down

The Los Alamos Study Group, a respected anti-nuclear-war group, has proposed a stellar solution to the Ukraine war. The group states that Russia seeks security, while the U.S. and its NATO allies have been using Ukraine to deny that security. The result is that Russian leadership regards their country to be under siege.

What Russia sees is missiles, within 10 minutes flying time to Moscow, based in former Soviet satellite countries. Russia sees these missiles as an existential danger to its very existence.

The obvious solution to stopping the Ukraine war is to respect Russias point of view and agree to the Donbas (containing ethnic Russians) being incorporated into Russia, acceptance of Crimea as part of Russia, removal of U.S. and NATO missiles, and that Ukraine will be neutral.

If the world wants peace, this is an obvious solution.
Flagstaffs Housing as Healthcare program is continuing to connect people with resources to improve their health and housing needs. The program is a partnership between North Country Healthcare (NCHC), Flagstaff Shelter Services (FSS) and other community organizations, and it works to improve both areas by working on them in a more connected way.

The program has proven to be one of the most important investments of our time and energy and resources in light of the pandemic, said Ross Altenbaugh, FSS's executive director.

The connection between housing and healthcare is in all those little things, said Bridget Wicks, a family nurse practitioner with NCHC: reduced barriers to transportation, the ability to prepare and store meals to meet specific nutritional needs, a sense of stability that can lead to improvements in a number of health-related areas.

In America, we have this traditional viewpoint that you dont deserve housing if you have a substance abuse problem or if youre unemployed because of the perception that youre not trying hard enough, she said. A lot of studies have proven that once people get housing and they have an address, theyre able to sleep well, substance abuse reduces, employment goes up, personal responsibility improves.

The program is a set of interconnected programs and services focusing on three tiers of connected needs: physical health, behavioral health and housing.

Wicks visits FSS twice a week with a mobile medical unit, for example, as making it to appointments on time can be difficult without reliable transportation. The units are a way to bring healthcare where people are living, said NCHC CEO Anne Newland.

We bring the care to them to meet them where theyre at and then that allows them to focus on themselves to get housing and get employment, Wicks said.

The program uses a national-best practice standard known as a housing first model. The idea is that the best way to deal with the issue is to get people into housing and provide the background services they need to stay housed.

Altenbaugh called the model extremely effective in getting people into shelter and keeping them there.

FSS uses the model with almost everyone coming through the shelter.

The majority are able to stay permanently housed once theyve been housed initially, and it's more cost effective than having them stay in a shelter, she said. The program was one of the Health First Foundations Community Health Grant recipients in 2021 and most of that funding went to housing, according to Altenbaugh.

Were really trying to put resources at the base level of what people need and then come in with extra resources as they need them, she said. "So it helps pay for things like first months rent and a security deposit, the case management support that they need to be able to keep that housing as well as things like transportation and connecting people to any kind of job needs they might have -- that kind of thing.

There is a plan in place to shift full responsibility for rent and utilities to clients in this program -- which Wicks said was a common misconception.

Its not that people are getting free service and that they dont pay, she said. They really do become responsible and contribute back to the community. I just think that people need to know that individuals work very, very hard to get this housing. Theyre incredibly proud of themselves, and it really is a successful journey when they do get housing.

Her involvement in this program is by far my favorite job that Ive done in healthcare, Wicks said. ...Its just so exciting when somebody gets housing. Its this celebration because of the difference it can make in their lives.

She described the mobile medical unit as like a traveling little clinic, which visits the shelter and other locations around Flagstaff. It's a sprinter van, with an exam table and a variety of other equipment -- emergency response jump kits, AEDs, wound care supplies, hygiene products, reading glasses.

The mobile unit functions as a primary care clinic, providing primary and acute care, vaccinations, testing and delivering medication. Staff can order lab work and X-rays, refer patients to specialists and transport them to certain appointments.

Behavioral health professionals, family health advocate and clinical pharmacist are also often there to help access things such as insurance and food stamps and fill prescriptions as needed.

Having health insurance opens the doors to getting all kinds of care, Newland said. You can get your prescriptions paid for, your medications. You can see a doctor, and insurance will pay for that visit."

Patients can sign up for appointments on a walk-up basis whenever the unit visits. It is all done on a sliding scale, so no one will be turned away based on their ability to pay.

We help them with harm reduction, and try to keep them motivated in their personal health and wellness. It provides a good grounding point for them that somebody is caring for them and looking out for them as individuals. Our healthcare system can be really hard for people with a lot of social determinants of health, Wicks said. Once we can bridge all of that, we can help them connect into services.

She said the goal of the mobile units is to improve community health as well as on an individual level. Visits help reduce the use of emergency rooms as primary care providers, for example. Knowing when the mobile unit is showing up makes it easier to wait.

Mobile unit staff are also involved in connecting people to housing resources.

Wicks said the main growth shes seen in the program since it started has been in its outreach -- identifying individuals who may benefit and seeking them out to let them know about it.

I tend to see people a little more frequently so that way we can have an open conversation and remind them of appointment times and that type of thing and help them stay motivated, and we give consistent messaging to try to help people, because [finding housing] can get real frustrating in Flagstaff, Wicks said.

Both Wicks and Altenbaugh said their hope for the program is that it would continue to grow and be a model for other efforts in northern Arizona.

I think it's a model for how we should be delivering healthcare to high-need populations, and people experiencing homelessness are a special population. Its how you braid together the physical health needs and the behavioral health needs and address housing all at once. Because if we just address one piece of those things, were not really supporting the client or the patient adequately, Newland said. Having those doors open between all of our organizations and working collaboratively, I feel like its just a great model for us to end homelessness in northern Arizona.

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In January, 4.3 million people quit their jobs, according to new data released by the Bureaus of Labor Statistics. The near record number is just the latest indicator that the Great Resignation is showing no signs of slowing down.

Numerous articles sympathetic to underlying work dissatisfaction abound, encouraging employers to consider higher pay and more promotions. Still other pieces address workers, giving pointers toward a stress-free resignation and offering advice on working up the courage to walk away from a toxic work environment.

If only the country described the work ethic of Black Americans with the same level of compassion.

For centuries, Black Americans have been demonized whenever unemployed, underemployed or reliant upon government assistance, no matter how egregiously unsafe or underpaid their work conditions, all due to systemic racism. Black Americans werent allowed to consider whether it made better sense to stay home and focus on their family and career transitions. And though government support has been generous for the unemployed during the pandemic, any government support received  no matter how meager  has historically brought only moral condemnation for Black citizens.

Historically, religious support undergirded the idea that Black people didnt have the moral right to refuse work or freely decide its nature. Selective readings of Biblical passages like Colossians 3:22 and Ephesians 6:5 told slaves to obey their earthly masters and were used by slave owners to justify the institution of slavery. They also were used to inform the invention of insidious stereotypes that Black people were lazy, backward, dishonest and in desperate need of guidance from white people.

Perhaps there is no better embodiment of how privileged, white Americans righteously condemned Black Americans than the trope of the welfare queen. Popularized during the 1970s and 1980s by Ronald Reagan, the term served as the justification for a political war to end the so-called reign of the promiscuous, do-nothing single Black mothers whose babies guaranteed lavish government benefits rather than gainful employment. White America thought of limiting government assistance to the voluntarily unemployed as a moral duty, to encourage work among those otherwise too ethically unmotivated to work.

This is a classic example of how racist discourse operates. Welfare was originally proudly offered nearly exclusively to white widows in the early 20th century, to enable deserving mothers without husbands to care for their children rather than work for wages. Yet, as Black and unmarried women began to claim the same benefits as white widows, welfare was suddenly attacked as an undeserved entitlement of lazy and shiftless welfare queens trying to game the system. Thus, the stage was set for more restrictive, work-based government benefits of the 1990s.

The Great Resignation has been exempted from racist invalidation, largely because those resigning are too diverse to peg the movement exclusively on lazy Black Americans. But, what would the media depiction of the Great Resignation look like if those resigning were described using the racist stereotypes that have been applied to Black Americans throughout history?

If the old racist playbook was followed, the conversation would quote 2 Thessalonians 3:10 to tell those older adults who stopped working due to personal health or risk of COVID exposure that anyone unwilling to work shall not eat because exiting the workforce while still able-bodied is unholy and undeserving of government-backed retirement benefits. The racist tropes long used to attack Black citizens would likely blame physically and mentally exhausted health care workers for being too lazy and self-indulgent. Perhaps they deserve punishment  whether physical or financial  for having so little morality and motivation that theyre abandoning their country during its greatest time of need.

Today, women leaving the workforce are praised for seeking more flexible or remote work to better care for their children and families, and at least some politicians are stressing the importance of day care and other benefits to make their lives easier. In contrast, the older welfare queen discourse would have chastised them for profiting off the backs of taxpayers and for having more children than they can afford. The voluntarily unemployed of today are uplifted for exercising the personal responsibility to work in better paid and less hazardous environments. Yet when Black women sought benefits because, for health or other reasons, finding work was impossible, they were demonized. If white women were treated similarly, we would be questioning their work ethic and denigrating them as ungrateful for their station in life.

It seems, we as a nation, have clearly identified the humanity and moral code underpinning the quest for sustainable, balanced work during the current discussions of the Great Resignation. It is the same humanity and moral code that has motivated citizens of color throughout their centuries-long crusade for employment and financial equity. But only time will tell whether the positive discourse about workers rights will continue after the pandemic ends, especially for those who have waited longest.

Dr. Carmen Black is an assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale University. Kathryn Tanner is the Marquand Professor of Systematic Theology at Yale Divinity School. Both are Public Voices Fellows of the OpEd Project.
Far-right influencers have often encouraged people to use the small privacy-focused search engine DuckDuckGo instead of Google, saying that the giant search engine censored conservative ideas.

The praise for DuckDuckGo turned to outrage this week, though, after the company said Russian disinformation would be minimized on its site.

DuckDuckGos chief executive, Gabriel Weinberg, tweeted Thursday that the search engine would rank websites associated with disinformation lower in its search results.

Like so many others I am sickened by Russias invasion of Ukraine and the gigantic humanitarian crisis it continues to create, he wrote.

DuckDuckGo has little control over its search results because they are provided by Microsofts Bing, which announced that it would follow the European Unions order to restrict access to Russian state news agencies RT and Sputnik.

But the criticism from the far right was directed at DuckDuckGo. Conservative website Breitbart said DuckDuckGo was adopting the censorship policies of Big Tech. In social media channels devoted to conspiracy theories, users vowed to switch to alternatives like Russian search engine Yandex. The hashtag #DuckDuckGone trended across the United States by Friday. And on YouTube, users criticized the company for silencing voices.

If youre using DuckDuckGo, I suggest you stop using it and switch to something else, said Tarl Warwick, a self-described libertarian YouTube user with nearly half a million followers. He added: I want tens of thousands of people to stop using it.

In a statement, Kamyl Bazbaz, vice president of communications for DuckDuckGo, said that the affected sites were engaged in active disinformation campaigns, meaning they were similar to other low-quality websites already penalized by search algorithms.

This isnt censorship; its just search rankings, he said.

The backlash underscored the difficulties some technology companies face in limiting the spread of Russian propaganda at a time when pockets of the U.S. express support for the Kremlin and believe Big Tech companies are censoring their views.

Last month, The New York Times reported that search results on DuckDuckGo and Bing surfaced more untrustworthy websites than the same searches using conspiracy theory terms entered in Google.

DuckDuckGo controls about 3% of the search engine market in the United States. The site is especially popular among privacy activists because the company doesnt track its users, unlike Google and Bing.

The company also announced this month that it would pause its relationship with Yandex, the Russian search engine, which was providing certain links for results in Russia and Turkey.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
Click here to read the full article.

William Hurt, who became a top leading man in the 1980s, winning an Oscar for 1985s Kiss of the Spider Woman and starring in The Big Chill and Body Heat, died Sunday of natural causes. He was 71. Hurts death was confirmed to Variety by his friend, Gerry Byrne.

His son Will said in a statement, It is with great sadness that the Hurt family mourns the passing of William Hurt, beloved father and Oscar winning actor, on March 13, 2022, one week before his 72nd birthday. He died peacefully, among family, of natural causes.

Hurt was nominated for four Oscars over the course of his long career, scoring two best actor nominations for Broadcast News and Children of a Lesser God and a supporting actor nod for less than 10 minutes of screen time in A History of Violence. He was one of the most heralded performers of the 1980s, becoming something of a cerebral sex symbol and a reluctant, albeit bankable, movie star. Hurt later transitioned into character roles in the 1990s and successfully alternated between big screen projects and television, scoring Emmy nominations for his work as a whistleblower in Damages and his portrayal of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson in Too Big to Fail.

More recently, Hurt became well known to a younger generation of movie lovers with his portrayal of the no-nonsense General Thaddeus Ross in 2008s The Incredible Hulk. He later reprised the role in Captain America: Civil War and Avengers: Infinity War, Avengers: Endgame and Black Widow.

Hurt was born March 20, 1950 in Washington, D.C. His mother, Claire Isabel, worked at Time Inc., and his father Alfred Hurt (19101996), was a career bureaucrat, working for the United States Agency for International Development and the State Department. His parents separated when he was 6 years old, and his mother remarried Henry Luce III, the son of Time Magazine publisher Henry Luce.

Raised in relative privilege, Hurt went on to attend Tufts University, where he studied theology, before moving to Juilliard to study acting. After appearing on stage, Hurt secured a lead role in Altered States, playing a troubled scientist in Ken Russells offbeat film, a notable entry in the body horror genre. But a year later, Hurt achieved a new level of prominence, appearing opposite Kathleen Turner in Body Heat, a steamy noir that updated the kind of treachery and double-crossing seen in the likes of The Big Sleep and Double Indemnity with a bracing sexuality. It transformed both performers, who positively ignited on screen, into major stars. Hurt followed that with another lead role in Gorky Park and was part of the ensemble of The Big Chill, a drama about a group of friends reuniting that became a touchstone for the baby boomer generation.

That was all a lead up to one of the most stunning periods of dominance ever enjoyed by a movie star. From 1986 to 1988, Hurt was nominated for three consecutive best actor Oscars, winning for his portrayal of a gay window dresser in Hector Babencos The Kiss of the Spider Woman. Roger Ebert, writing in the Chicago Sun Times, praised Hurts work, crediting him with creating a character utterly unlike anyone else he has ever played  a frankly theatrical character, exaggerated and mannered  and yet he never seems to be reaching for effects. His Oscar-nominated work in Children of a Lesser God and Broadcast News, playing a teacher at a school for the deaf and an affable, slightly dim-witted newsman, showcased his range. The commercial and critical success of those films rocketed Hurt to the A-list, but he didnt seem to relish the celebrity.

Its not right that my privacy is invaded to the extent that it is, Hurt told the New York Times during a 1989 interview. Im a very private man, and I have the right to be. I never said that because I was an actor you can have my privacy, you can steal my soul. You cant.

Perhaps it was that aversion to notoriety that led Hurt to turn some major movies over the course of his career, with the actor passing on opportunities to star in the likes of Jurassic Park and Misery. His time in the spotlight also coincided with a period of personal trouble for the actor, one in which he struggled with drugs and alcohol.

I was utterly miserable and, finally, I had been miserable enough, long enough, and I said, Im finished, I cant hack it, cant do it,' Hurt told the Washington Post in 1989, remembering the time before he went to rehab.

A relationship with Marlee Matlin, his co-star in Children of a Lesser God, was troubled. Matlin later wrote in a memoir that Hurt was emotionally and physically abusive to her. In a statement at the time, Hurt, through a spokesperson, said: My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives. Of course, I did and do apologize for any pain I caused. And I know we have both grown. I wish Marlee and her family nothing but good.

The 1990s proved to be a less fruitful time for Hurt professionally. He earned raves for his work in The Doctor as an arrogant surgeon who undergoes a change-of-heart after experiencing health struggles, but other films such as Second Chances and Until the End of the World failed to generate much attention. A rare attempt at popcorn entertainment with 1998s big-screen adaptation of Lost in Space was a modest hit, but didnt earn enough money to spawn a franchise and Hurt looked miserable throughout the movie.

He also appeared in the TV mini-series version of Dune, in Steven Spielbergs A.I. Artificial Intelligence and in M. Night Shyamalans The Village.

As the aughts dawned, Hurt, his blonde hair thinning, seemed to settle into life in supporting roles, scoring scenery stealing turns as an urbane spy in The Good Shepherd, a demanding father in Into the Wild, and, most memorably, as a sinister mob boss in A History of Violence. His role in the latter film, in which he admits to his hit man brother that when mom brought you home from the hospital, I tried to strangle you in your crib, was a master class is doing a lot with a little bit of screen time.

Hurt was married to the actress Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982 and was married to Heidi Henderson from 1989 to 1991.

Launch Gallery: William Hurt's Life and Career in Photos

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FRESNO, Calif.  On an average day, 1,000 workers head to dozens of construction sites spread over 119 miles across Californias vast Central Valley.

Their task is monumental: Build the bridges and crossings designed to carry bullet trains that will form the backbone of a $105 billion, 500-mile high-speed rail system whose scale has drawn comparisons to the construction of the interstate highway system.

Of course, 14 years after voters approved a nearly $10 billion bond to start building the rail system that would whisk riders from Los Angeles to San Francisco at speeds of more than 200 mph, many California residents have lost track of what is being built where, and when or if it will ever be completed.

But if, as President Joe Biden said in his State of the Union address, the nation is now entering an infrastructure decade, there is no more dramatic testing ground  or more cautionary spectacle  than Californias high-speed rail plan.

In 2008, when the bond measure passed, the project symbolized the states ambition to build and think big. But in the years since then, the project has become something else: an alarming vision of a nation that seems incapable of completing the transformative projects necessary to confront 21st-century challenges. The rails planned route and scope have changed as a result of ballooning costs, political squabbles and legal challenges.

We just have a fundamental problem in the United States of building large projects, said Yonah Freemark, a researcher with the Urban Institute who has been following the rail plan for more than a decade. And Californias high-speed rail is the largest of the projects.

RYAN CHRISTOPHER JONES/NYT

Never have the cases for and against the effort been so divergent.

The passage of Bidens $1 trillion infrastructure package, astronomical gas prices and Californias insistence that the state lead the nation in addressing climate change make the moment seem perfect for providing oxygen to the plan.

But an eye-popping price tag and fundamental questions about political support are creating a critical juncture for either achieving the projects full vision or leaving it in an expensive limbo.

The cost of indecision on these projects is enormous, said Eric Eidlin, a scholar with the Mineta Transportation Institute at San Jose State University who has consulted on station planning efforts for the California High-Speed Rail Authority.

Proponents say the project has always been much more than a train. If completed, they say, the system would be an economic super charger connecting two of the nations biggest population centers and a desperately needed alternative to choked freeways and jammed airports as climate change becomes an ever urgent challenge.

We are the fifth-largest economy in the world, and therefore I think we have to figure out how to do it, said Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican who as governor championed the 2008 bond measure. Failures not an option here.

RYAN YOUNG/NYT

Bent Flyvbjerg, a professor at Oxford University and the IT University of Copenhagen who has studied high-speed rail projects around the world, said that such projects nearly always cost much more and take much longer to build than initially projected.

The difference between high-speed rail projects that limp along for decades and those that start running trains isnt money, he said. Its political energy.

The money will be found if the political will is there, he said.

But political will within California has ebbed as patience among leaders has worn thin. The most significant turning point was the announcement three years ago by Gov. Gavin Newsom in his first State of the State address that California would start operating a truncated section of the route that would run from Bakersfield to Merced in the states largely rural Central Valley.

That stunned supporters and fueled critics who believed he was publicly announcing the full projects demise, although Newsom later said the change in priority wasnt meant to preclude finishing the full route.

Some state lawmakers, Republicans and Democrats alike, now say the effort has become flawed and unwieldy, perhaps beyond saving. Critics say that rail officials are seeking a blank check from state coffers and that their timeline for completion is stretching unaccountably into the future.

The project is by all objective measures in distress, said California Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Democrat. Connecting the two largest urban areas in the state is the best thing we can do from an environmental standpoint and an economic development standpoint. To link two cities in the Central Valley would doom the project.

Instead of dedicating $4.2 billion of bond money in this years budget to, as Newsom put it, finish the job in the Central Valley, Rendon said he has asked the governor to withhold funds from the project and spend more on improving existing transit systems, particularly in the Los Angeles area, which includes his district.

RYAN CHRISTOPHER JONES/NYT

What were focused on is building ridership for an eventual high-speed rail project, and the way you do that is by working on the bookends, he said.

In a recent interview, Newsom said his decision to prioritize the Central Valley segment was based on the calculation that the prospects for the full project were best if some part of it were operating.

The pivot was never to abandon the vision, he said. The long term is still there.

He added that this years budget proposal includes money to continue environmental and design work for the extensions beyond the Central Valley. But it requires federal resources  not exclusively, but primarily, he said.

A report by the California legislative analysts office notes that while the states legislature could decide to extend funding for the project  including a portion of cap-and-trade revenues through 2030  its unclear where the money will come from to build beyond the Central Valley segment.

Experts say that the fragmented nature of transportation planning in the country has made the federal government hesitant to bet big on new projects rather than on fixing existing systems. Thats layered over a national political environment in which the appearance of California boosterism can be a liability, even for Democrats like the president.

Californias high-speed rail will get some federal funding now that theres a Democratic administration in place and the infrastructure bill is done, said Jeff Davis, a senior fellow with the Eno Center for Transportation, a nonpartisan research organization. But the federal government is not in the business of creating massive infrastructure programs that disproportionately benefit one state.

Davis estimated that of a $36 billion mother lode of money in the infrastructure law for states with intercity passenger rail, more than half will go to the Northeast, leaving whats left to be divvied up among projects in other states. He said that if Californias project also competes for funding from smaller pots of money in the law, like one designated for rail safety, California could get $4 billion or $5 billion  maybe.

Still, proponents say the idea of scraping together as much as $105 billion should be stacked against the costs of expanding highways and air service an equivalent amount. The rail authority recently put that number at close to $200 billion, not including the escalating costs of dealing with climate change, like fighting wildfires.

In states such as Texas and Florida, private businesses have attempted to capitalize on the need for faster, greener rail systems in the United States.

But nothing approaches the magnitude of the California plan. Longtime supporters like former Gov. Jerry Brown describe high-speed rail as by far the best climate-friendly transportation option. They point with frustration and embarrassment to successes in countries around the globe  particularly China, which has built more than 20,000 miles of high-speed rail in about two decades.

For Brian P. Kelly, who took over as CEO of the rail authority in early 2018, the only way to get the project done is to trudge forward, whatever the political weather.

He rattled off his tasks ahead as if he were describing a day of errands: Get trains running on the 170-mile Central Valley section. (Kelly said he expects that to happen by the end of the decade.) Continue with preparations for the extensions and finish improvements on either end of the line. Then find the money to build the rest.

In the meantime, the Central Valley  the implied nowhere when critics deride the project as a train to nowhere  is changing rapidly. The regions major industries, like farming, are facing generational shifts. And families priced out of coastal cities are arriving in pursuit of relatively affordable housing, driving up costs and pushing out poorer residents as part of an increasingly familiar cycle.

The train was always going to have to pass through the Central Valley. So while some local leaders have over the years vocally opposed the project, many believe the region should grab the opportunities the train could bring.

Were teetering on the edge, said Ashley Swearengin, a former mayor of Fresno who now leads the Central Valley Community Foundation. We could get it right.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
WASHINGTON -- U.S. life expectancy fell by an unprecedented and shocking 1.8 years between 2019 and 2020, a dramatic drop that experts say can only partly be blamed on the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The drop, from a life expectancy of 78.8 years to 77 years, could also have come from existing issues with obesity, opioids and suicide, officials say. It was the largest single-year drop since 1943, according to a December report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

It is no question that  at least for the last four years, opioids, obesity, and then getting hit with COVID has really just resulted in more people dying much sooner than they should have, said Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association.

For Arizona, 2020 life expectancy numbers are not expected to be available until later this year. But life expectancy in the state had been declining for several years, falling from 79.6 years in 2014 to match the national rate of 78.8 years in 2019, the latest year for which CDC numbers are available.

But 2020 also saw a huge spike in the overall death toll in Arizona, when the number of deaths jumped 25% from 60,161 in 2019 to 75,700 deaths in 2020, according to the Arizona Department of Health Services. Deaths rose again to 80,733 in 2021. While annual deaths in Arizona have been rising since 2009, the average annual increase had always been fewer than 1,500 deaths.

Swapna Reddy, a clinical associate professor at Arizona State Universitys College of Health Solutions, called the fall in life expectancy an unprecedented and shocking  world event that is bigger than anyone anyone would have predicted.

We have not seen a dip like this since literally a world war  I think it really starts putting into perspective the effect of COVID-19 on our population, she said.

Reddy said that while much of the drop in 2020 was caused by the virus, staggering prepandemic increases in suicide, heart disease and diabetes also impacted life expectancy.

Benjamin said the country had been on a pretty good pathway toward longer lifespans as a result of changes such as a reduction in unhealthy habits like smoking. Then COVID-19 hit.

Benjamin said a drop in life expectancy of the size seen between 2019 and 2020 could take 10 years or more to recover from.

Its a big deal. And you dont get that back right away, he said. You know, you cant do a lot of magical things and all of a sudden, the next year you gain those two years back in life expectancy.

And the full extent of the pandemics effects on conditions like cancer has not been seen yet, according to Allan Williams, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. He said fewer people were able to visit a physician for regular screenings in 2020, which delayed them from receiving life-saving treatments.

If you dont get your mammogram  its not going to be an immediate death, Williams said. It just means that by the time they do find it (breast cancer)  youre at a more advanced stage, and so death is going to occur sooner.

Reddy noted this same risk of putting off preventive and curative measures, adding that fewer children received scheduled vaccines during the height of the pandemic.

Whats going to be the result of all of that, when we kind of come through the COVID fog? Reddy said. I think unfortunately, the answer is not great.

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City Planner Chad Bahr told the Horn Lake Board of Aldermen that medical marijuana growing operations like this one in Chino Valley, Arizona, give off an unpleasant odor similar to a "giant skunk" and is something they might want to consider when deciding whether to opt-in or opt-out of Mississippi's new medical marijuana law.




(Xinhua) -- Attempting to shift Washington's responsibility for instigating the Ukraine crisis, some U.S. politicians and media have recently fabricated false information about the conflict to mislead the world and blame China, once again laying bare America's nature as a notorious empire of lies.

To preserve its hegemony, the United States must invent falsehoods. These range from a pretext to invade Iraq in 2003 to misinformation, such as "the collapse of the Cuban medical system under the pandemic."

America plays the same tricks on China. To contain China, the United States has smeared the Asian country over so-called "genocide" and "forced labor" and labeled China's firm actions to defend its legitimate interests as "wolf warrior diplomacy" and "economic coercion."

Meanwhile, the United States has long employed its propaganda machine to peddle these lies. From films to media outlets, from NGOs to online spammers, different parts of the U.S. propaganda chain cooperate closely to indoctrinate people worldwide with hollow and ideology-biased slogans and fallacies.

Julian Assange understands this all too well. The founder of WikiLeaks and whistleblower could reportedly face life in prison -- even kidnapping or killing by the CIA -- for exposing U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

For some time, China has been the main target of the smear campaign waged by the empire of lies, during which the U.S. government, political groups and news media platforms spread falsehoods about China.

For example, news agencies overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media are instructed to produce fake news reports about China's Xinjiang in dozens of languages. The agency also coordinates with media networks in U.S. ally countries to disseminate such disinformation.

U.S. news media outlets themselves downplay or ignore information released by China regarding Xinjiang while providing technical assistance for anti-China forces to spread false information related to the region. Such efforts are also financially supported by the U.S. government.

Lies are lies, no matter how dressed up. The more it attempts to distort China's image, Washington's credibility is at stake. As criticism mounts over America's violations of international rules and human conscience, the country's moral bankruptcy is all the more apparent.

(Xinhua) -- Attempting to shift Washington's responsibility for instigating the Ukraine crisis, some U.S. politicians and media have recently fabricated false information about the conflict to mislead the world and blame China, once again laying bare America's nature as a notorious empire of lies.

To preserve its hegemony, the United States must invent falsehoods. These range from a pretext to invade Iraq in 2003 to misinformation, such as "the collapse of the Cuban medical system under the pandemic."

America plays the same tricks on China. To contain China, the United States has smeared the Asian country over so-called "genocide" and "forced labor" and labeled China's firm actions to defend its legitimate interests as "wolf warrior diplomacy" and "economic coercion."

Meanwhile, the United States has long employed its propaganda machine to peddle these lies. From films to media outlets, from NGOs to online spammers, different parts of the U.S. propaganda chain cooperate closely to indoctrinate people worldwide with hollow and ideology-biased slogans and fallacies.

Julian Assange understands this all too well. The founder of WikiLeaks and whistleblower could reportedly face life in prison -- even kidnapping or killing by the CIA -- for exposing U.S. war crimes in Afghanistan and Iraq and intervention in the internal affairs of other countries.

For some time, China has been the main target of the smear campaign waged by the empire of lies, during which the U.S. government, political groups and news media platforms spread falsehoods about China.

For example, news agencies overseen by the U.S. Agency for Global Media are instructed to produce fake news reports about China's Xinjiang in dozens of languages. The agency also coordinates with media networks in U.S. ally countries to disseminate such disinformation.

U.S. news media outlets themselves downplay or ignore information released by China regarding Xinjiang while providing technical assistance for anti-China forces to spread false information related to the region. Such efforts are also financially supported by the U.S. government.

Lies are lies, no matter how dressed up. The more it attempts to distort China's image, Washington's credibility is at stake. As criticism mounts over America's violations of international rules and human conscience, the country's moral bankruptcy is all the more apparent.
LVIV, Ukraine  Ivan Fyodorov, as his name suggests, is an ethnic Russian in a southern Ukrainian city where Russian is commonly spoken and where cultural and familial ties to the motherland run deep.

That would seem to make Fyodorov, the mayor of Melitopol, just the kind of person to welcome conquering Russian soldiers with open arms and flowers.

Instead, he labeled them occupiers.

On Friday evening, those Russian soldiers threw a bag over Fyodorovs head and dragged him from his government office, Ukrainian officials said. Security camera footage from Melitopols Victory Square appears to show someone being escorted out of a government building by soldiers, but The New York Times could not verify the identity of the people in the video.

The Russian news agency Tass reported Saturday that the prosecutors office in Luhansk, one of the breakaway areas recognized by Moscow, was preparing terrorism charges against Fyodorov, accusing him of raising money of the far right group Right Sector.

On Saturday, hundreds of his townspeople poured out into the streets in an expression of outrage and defiance, despite the presence of Russian troops.

Return the mayor! they shouted, witnesses said and videos showed. Free the mayor!

Nearly as soon as people gathered, the Russians moved to shut them down, briefly detaining one woman who they said had organized the demonstration, according to two witnesses and the womans Facebook account.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has similarly greeted the Russian offensive with defiance and bravado, said the kidnapping of the mayor demonstrated the falsehood propagated by the Kremlin of a Russian incursion to save the country from a cabal of neo-Nazis in the capital, Kyiv.

For years they have been lying to themselves that people in Ukraine were supposedly waiting for Russia to come, he said. They did not find collaborators who would hand over the city and the power to the invaders.

Melitopol came under fierce assault on the first day of the war, Feb. 24, and Russian soldiers entered only days later. Since then, Fyodorov had openly encouraged resistance, earning him the support of the public and the ire of the occupying army.

The mayor, 33, lanky, fit and photogenic, posted brief live broadcasts almost daily on social media to update Melitopol residents on the situation in the city  which lies just north of Crimea, the peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014. On at least one of the posts, explosions could be heard in the night behind him as he tried to reassure residents that the city was functioning as normally as possible.

On March 2, for example, noting that armed men had opened fire in the direction of some demonstrators, he warned residents away from confrontations with the Russian soldiers during protests and asked them to respect a 6 p.m. curfew. I consider it unacceptable when civilians are shot at! he wrote. Melitopol residents, in turn, are asked not to provoke and to behave peacefully on the streets. Our task is to save your life and safety.

On March 5, he announced that the city was working to restore 31 private houses destroyed by the Russian forces, and he repeatedly thanked local firms for contributing goods and services to help hundreds of displaced families.

All along, the mayor made it abundantly clear that his administration would not cooperate with the Russians, and he kept the Ukrainian flag flying high over the citys central square.

We are not cooperating with the Russians in any way, Fyodorov said in an interview with the BBC two days before he was taken by the Russian soldiers. They have not tried to help us, they cannot help us, and we do not want their help.

He told residents where to buy milk and medicine, published updated lists of what pharmacies or ATMs were operating and warned repeatedly that looters would be identified and punished. He urged them to keep paying their electricity bills, since the money went toward salaries, and as public transportation ceased operating asked residents to give free rides to medical workers.

Residents responded with an outpouring of gratitude, thanking him profusely for staying at his post even after the Russian troops controlled the city. You are the best mayor! read one enthusiastic response to his social media messages, while another wrote, You are our hope!!

Others worried about his health, given that Fyodorov appeared oblivious to the cold, standing outdoors in just a light sweater and a down vest as the winter wind howled around him.

Ivan Sergeyevich, why dont you take care of yourself? wrote one woman, using his first name and his patronymic, a polite form of address in the Russian-speaking world. Are you standing without a jacket in such cold weather? Please dress warmer!

Born in Melitopol, a city of just over 150,000 people, Fyodorov holds degrees in economics and management and worked briefly for a company doing medical imaging before entering politics. He served on the city council for five years, from 2010 to 2015, and held various posts, including deputy mayor, before being elected mayor in December 2020.

To that point, while he may have harbored exceptional talents, in the eyes of the world he was just another anonymous local official.

Then came Feb. 24 and his courageous stand against the Russian occupiers. But then he was led away in the hood and has not been seen or heard from since.

The episode is part of what Ukrainian officials say is a pattern of intimidation and repression by the Russian forces that is growing increasingly brutal. It also illustrates a problem that Russia is likely to face even if it manages to pummel cities and towns into submission: widespread hatred, simmering unrest and, possibly, revolt.

Zelenskyy sought to tap into that public rage in two videotaped speeches released Saturday.

The whole country saw that Melitopol did not surrender to the invaders, he said. Just as Kherson, Berdyansk and other cities where Russian troops managed to enter didnt  temporarily managed to enter. And this will not be changed by putting pressure on mayors or kidnapping mayors.

He added, Do you hear it, Moscow? If 2,000 people are protesting against the occupation in Melitopol, how many people in Moscow should be against the war?

Zelenskyy said he had raised the fate of the mayor in calls with the leaders of Germany and France. In the United Nations Security Council, Ukraines ambassador also asked the Russians to release him.

We expect them, the world leaders, to show how they can influence the situation, Zelenskyy said. How they can do a simple thing: free one person, a person who represents the entire Melitopol community, Ukrainians who do not give up.

Zelenskyy said what he called the kidnapping of the mayor was part of a broader shift in tactics. They have switched to a new stage of terror, when they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of the legitimate local Ukrainian authorities, he said.

A new mayor, Galina Danilchenko, a former member of the city council, was appointed by the Russians Saturday, according to statements by other regional officials on social media. Danilchenko was immediately denounced in various posts as a traitor.

In a short video carried by Ukrainian news organizations, Danilchenko said that her main task was to adapt the city to a new reality in order to as quickly as possible live in a new way. She proposed establishing a peoples committee to address critical issues for the city and the region.

Sergei Minko, who represents Melitopol in the Verkhovna Rada, the national parliament, accused the Russians of violating human rights. The war is gaining momentum, he wrote on Facebook. The occupiers are increasingly defying the norms and principles of international law, in particular humanitarian law.

He described Fyodorov as a wonderful mayor who had managed to keep city services running during the invasion.

When people waving the blue and gold of the Ukrainian flag took to the streets of Melitopol last weekend, Fyodorov encouraged the demonstration. In his most recent post on Facebook, he thanked business leaders who were helping the community in the moment of strife. Together we will overcome anything! he said.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
ODESSA, Ukraine - Local officials disappearing, public warnings that protests will be considered "extremism" and signs of Ukrainian resistance anyway: This is what life looks like inside some Ukrainian cities now under the control of Russian troops, according to new photos and videos from those areas posted to social media.

Ukrainian officials' claims that Russian forces have abducted at least two mayors to install pro-Russian replacements marks a new phase in Moscow's invasion, now in its third week.

Russia's advance through some parts of Ukraine may have stalled. But in the cities already captured, there has been popular pushback against what appear to be attempts at installing friendly lawmakers and quashing protests.

How Moscow's forces handle the Ukrainian towns and cities already under its control could provide clues to Russian President Vladimir Putin's potential endgame for this invasion and the troubles he may encounter. U.S. officials have said that it's unclear what the ultimate goal of Putin's military offensive may be. If the plan is to occupy Ukraine, then Ukrainians are showing that there will be significant resistance.

In one video posted to social media and verified by The Washington Post to be in the southern port city of Melitopol, Russian military vehicles drove through the street earlier this month blaring an announcement that demonstrations are prohibited and a curfew runs from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. People responded by booing.

In another video from Melitopol that was widely circulated Sunday, pro-Russian lawmaker Galina Danilchenko addressed citizens on local television and said that there are people in the city who are "calling on you to take part in extremist actions" and to not listen to their "provocations."

That's a line out of the Kremlin's playbook: Officials in Russia have designated opposition groups and their protests as "extremist," equating them with terrorist groups such as al-Qaeda.

Danilchenko said a "committee of the people's chosen" leaders would be making all administrative decisions in the city. In a separate video message published later Sunday, Danilchenko said that Russian state television channels would now be broadcast in Melitopol, so people could "get accurate information."

British intelligence had warned publicly before the invasion that the Kremlin was planning a similar strategy to replace Ukraine's president with pro-Moscow politicians. So far, President Volodymyr Zelensky has remained free.

Melitopol, with about 150,000 residents, was among the first cities to fall under Russian military control two weeks ago. Zelensky said Russian forces had captured the mayor of Melitopol, Ivan Fedorov, which sparked protests over the weekend. In videos verified by The Post, crowds in the city chanted, "Bring back the mayor" and "Where's our mayor?"

Videos circulated by Ukrainian officials appeared to show Fedorov being led away by Russian soldiers on Friday with what resembled a hood over his head. Zelensky called the alleged abduction "simple terrorism."

He said it was the latest in a number of actions against mayors across the country who do not cooperate with Russian forces trying to occupy their cities and towns.

Despite the Russian occupation of the city, Fedorov, who is ethnically Russian, had encouraged recent demonstrations in Melitopol against the invasion.

Russia has accused Fedorov of "terrorist activities," according to the Associated Press. The prosecutor's office of the Luhansk People's Republic, a Moscow-backed rebel region in eastern Ukraine, has claimed without presenting evidence that Fedorov was financing the nationalist militia Right Sector to "commit terrorist crimes against Donbas civilians."

Then on Sunday, Ukraine's foreign minister, Dmytro Kuleba, accused Russian forces of abducting Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne, a city of about 18,000 people in southeast Ukraine.

"Getting zero local support, invaders turn to terror. I call on all states & international organizations to stop Russian terror against Ukraine and democracy," Kuleba tweeted.

While at least two other Ukrainian officials cited Matveyev's kidnapping by Russian forces, the reports could not immediately be independently verified by The Post.

With a second mayor now apparently abducted, Olexandr Starukh, the regional governor of Zaporizhzhia, said Sunday on Facebook that "war crimes are becoming systemic." He said Matveyev "has been kidnapped." Lesia Vasylenko, a Ukrainian lawmaker, called the alleged kidnapping a "terrorist" tactic.

Zelensky said in an address Saturday that Russian forces have "switched to a new stage of terror, when they are trying to physically eliminate representatives of the legitimate local Ukrainian authorities." He called the capture of Fedorov "a crime against democracy."

The Ukrainian president said democratic countries would equate Russia's actions with those "of ISIS terrorists," and asked for "guarantees of full security to all heads of communities across the country."

Videos posted to social media Sunday and verified by The Post showed large crowds carrying blue-and-yellow Ukrainian flags in the southern port city of Kherson, which is now under Russian military control. The crowds were chanting in Ukrainian.

"Freedom to Ukraine!" the protesters said in unison.
By Bay City News

State Attorney General Rob Bonta announced a $3.25 million settlement Friday with the nation's largest operator of senior living facilities for misrepresenting quality at care centers in 10 California cities, including Santa Rosa.

The settlement resolved allegations against Tennessee-based Brookdale Senior Living, Inc., that its facilities failed to adequately notify and prepare residents for both transfers and discharges and misrepresented its quality of care to the public by reporting false information, including over-reporting the number of hours that nurses provided care to residents.

According to a news release issued Friday from Bonta's office, the false information led to higher ratings the company used to attract prospective residents and their families.

"Skilled nursing facilities should always provide their residents with the highest standard of care," Bonta said. "Instead, Brookdale put seniors and people with disabilities at risk, and misled prospective residents and their families about the quality of its California facilities."

The settlement pertains to the company's facilities, or former facilities, in Santa Rosa, Bakersfield, Camarillo, Carlsbad, Northridge, Rancho Mirage, San Diego, San Dimas, San Juan Capistrano and Yorba Linda.

As part of the settlement, Brookdale will be required to stop engaging in the illegal practices alleged in the complaint; appoint a monitor to oversee compliance at its Kern County Facility; and pay $2.4 million in civil penalties, $550,000 in costs and $400,000 to the Kern County Long Term Care Ombudsman.

Copyright  2022 Bay City News, Inc. All rights reserved. Republication, rebroadcast or redistribution without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited. Bay City News is a 24/7 news service covering the greater Bay Area.

Copyright  2022 by Bay City News, Inc. Republication, Rebroadcast or any other Reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.
John Vondra, an Edward Jones financial advisor in Billings, recently qualified for the firm's Financial Advisor Leaders Conference, which celebrates the contributions and achievements of some of the firm's most successful financial advisors. The conference will be held Sept. 29-30 in St. Louis.

During the two-day conference, attendees will hear from internal and external speakers about relevant topics, confer on timely topics and share best practices for serving clients.

Vondra's office is located at 1645 Parkhill Drive Suite 5.

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the U.S. and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Visit edwardjones.com or the recruiting website at careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.

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Few people know where Harold Brown came from, or where he ended up, but for a few days in 1978, he was all over San Francisco headlines for one of the most ill-advised and lucky escapades in the citys history. (Though the man who jumped off the Golden Gate Bridge to impress his estranged wife probably takes that prize.)

On a cold Thursday night, March 30, 1978, Brown, a 22-year-old art student from Tacoma, Washington, approached the Transamerica Pyramid lobby.

At around 10 p.m., as the security guard unlocked the door to let a late-working employee out onto Montgomery Street, Brown rushed past the guard yelling, I want to see the man at the top. I want to see God.

To achieve his lofty goal, Brown climbed a metal sculpture in the lobby, crawled through the ceiling tiles, entered a stairwell and rushed up 30 flights of stairs. Two arriving police officers took the elevator up and found Brown on the 32nd floor, where he clambered over a wire mesh fence into a ventilation shaft. Brown was singing and chanting as the police tried to talk him down. He shimmied down a pipe in the shaft to get away from them.

Security guard Michael Silveira said Brown muttered a profanity, spat at witnesses, said goodbye and let go. The police reported that he slipped. Either way, Brown fell 324 feet before his plunge was stopped by the concrete base of the shaft on the second floor.

Another guard, Marco Gomez, who was standing on a landing on the 10th floor, told reporters that Brown was screaming whoopee and sounding like he was having a real good time.

Anyone would think hed be a pancake, Silveira said. But after a couple minutes we started to hear moans.

Getty / Charles Russo

Gomez said Brown lay unconscious for about two minutes before waking and laughing, Oh God, help me. Oh God, help me.

Brown sang Camptown Races as an ambulance crew attended to him. As they took him to San Francisco General Hospital in the Mission, he reportedly sang Oh what a trip Im on.

Brown shattered both femurs, both kneecaps and a heel bone. Hospital official Tom Griffin said everyone there was in shock at Browns survival. The word I get talking to the doctors is that the guy is not very sick considering what happened to him, Griffin told reporters. He refused to answer when asked if Brown would walk again.

Another hospital worker, Linda James, told the Associated Press, Im not kidding you, it about blew my mind.

Brown underwent multiple surgeries on his legs but somehow suffered no internal injuries.

Physicists said Brown could have reached just under 100 mph during the fall, though some suggested that the air pressure in the ventilation shaft may have reduced his velocity to a survivable speed. Others put Browns miraculous survival down to him bouncing off the narrow walls on the way down, slowing his descent. His pink T-shirt and jeans were observed to have been peeled from his body during the fall.

Police told reporters the man was either psycho or high on drugs, though hospital officials declined to say if Brown was under the influence that night. An unnamed witness who saw Brown enter the pyramid told the Associated Press, The guy was flying.

The horrific fall was written up by the morning papers with some glee. The Los Angeles Times even ran a grisly photo of Brown at the base of the shaft (its not clear who took the picture). The Berkeley Gazette pointed out that the fall was 100 feet farther than jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge, a fall that had taken an estimated 600 lives at the time.

Two days later, it was reported that Brown was pleasant, alert, talking rationally and asking for water but also that he didnt want to talk about what happened.

Two months later, Brown was still in SF General but almost ready to leave, hopefully on his own two legs. Hes going to walk out of this place, Griffin told the LA Times. When the paper asked Brown for an interview he declined. Hes not interested, Griffin said. He wants money for his story.

The last mention of Brown in the papers came three months after the fall, when he eventually spoke to his hometown paper, the Tacoma News Tribune, from his San Francisco hospital room. It sure is good to hear the words Tacoma News Tribune, I really miss Tacoma, Brown said. The story revealed that Brown was a San Francisco Art Institute student who painted landscapes and girls and stuff but still did not reveal what led Brown to the pyramid that night.

The tie to the San Francisco Art Institute in part corroborates a 2003 post on a forum by a man named Chris Dichtel, who claims he saw Brown around the school feverishly playing the flute a few days before he saw him on the front page of the Chronicle.

The San Francisco Police Department chose not to press trespassing charges. Little is known what happened to Harold Brown after leaving SF General, if he walked again or if he ever met God.
Fifty years ago, Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber walked into Redwood Empire Ice Arena in Santa Rosa. It was 9 p.m. on a Friday, and their mothers wouldnt be back to pick them up for two hours. The middle school students, experiencing a little taste of freedom, must have been buzzing with excitement.

But when their parents returned at 11 p.m., the girls werent waiting as theyd promised. Panic rose in their parents throats as they searched the skating rink for Maureen and Yvonne. And when they called the police, no one yet knew that the search for a killer  now spanning five decades and counting  had just begun.

The Santa Rosa hitchhiker murders remain some of the Bay Areas most baffling unsolved crimes. At least seven women and girls were killed in the span of a few years, all dumped on the sides of roads in Sonoma County.

With the window quickly closing on any hopes of catching a still-living suspect, here is what investigators know about the hitchhiker murders that terrorized the young women of the Bay Area.

Sonoma County Sheriff's Office/Handout

Maureen Sterling and Yvonne Weber

Maureen, 12, and Yvonne, 13, were friends and students at Herbert Slater Middle School in Santa Rosa. They were last seen sometime between 9 and 11 p.m. on Feb. 4, 1972. According to Yvonnes stepfather, Santa Rosa police insisted the young pair were willing runaways. It is obvious that they werent, he told the Santa Rosa Press Democrat.

Three days after Christmas 1972, their bones were found by two teenage hikers near Franz Valley Road. No clothing was found, so it was assumed they had been nude when they were left about 66 feet from the road.

Kim Wendy Allen

Kim went missing on March 4, 1972. She was a 19-year-old art student, described by friends as a "pure spirit," "innocent" and possessing a "child-like acceptance of people." Earlier that day, shed made a trip to San Franciscos Chinatown to buy a wooden soy sauce barrel. She was carrying the barrel, which had red Chinese characters on it, when she was last seen hitchhiking near a ramp to northbound Highway 101 in San Rafael. Friends said she was a frequent hitchhiker, which was not uncommon for young women at the time.

Kims body was found the next day on Enterprise Road near Glen Ellen. She had been sexually assaulted, strangled with a cord-like material and dumped naked in the ditch. A few weeks later, between 6 a.m. and noon on March 24, the killer dropped her personal checkbook into a drive-up mailbox across from the Kentfield post office; two fingerprints on the checkbook may have been the killers, the Press Democrat reported at the time.

There was one other odd clue left behind by the murderer: Kims body had traces of a greasy residue. Investigators believed it was an oil used in a machine shop, such as one that had metal-cutting equipment.

Lori Lee Kursa

Lori, just 13, was reported missing by her mother in November 1972. Lori had a history of running away, and it was believed she initially left of her own volition to stay with friends in Santa Rosa. Her body was found on Dec. 14 in a ravine 50 feet off Calistoga Road in Santa Rosa. Due to cold weather, her body was partially frozen and it appeared she had been killed one or two weeks prior. Her cause of death was determined to be spinal cord trauma, possibly from jumping or being pushed out of a moving vehicle.

The mystery surrounding her death has always messed with my head, brother Larry Kursa told the Press Democrat in 2011. She defended me tooth and nail. I loved her. That was my big sister.

Carolyn Davis

In February 1973, 15-year-old Carolyn left for school as usual; she never arrived. Her parents found a note waiting for them at their Anderson, California, home. Dear Mom, it read. Dont worry too much about me, the only thing I'm gonna be doing is keeping myself alive. It was signed, Love, Carolyn.

Carolyn apparently lived with her grandmother in Garberville for a while before deciding to hitchhike to Modesto. Her decomposing remains were found on July 31 on Franz Valley Road, just feet from where Maureen and Yvonne were discovered the year prior. The coroner determined she died of strychnine poisoning.

Her family, who still believed Carolyn was hitchhiking around the state, submitted her dental records when they learned an unidentified teenagers body was found in Sonoma County. Investigators made the tragic match. She was so full of life, her grief-stricken mother told local newspapers.

Charles Russo/Photo illustration

Therese Walsh

Three days before Christmas 1973, Therese attempted to hitchhike from Malibu up to Garberville, where her 2-year-old child and extended family lived. Her body was found six days later by kayakers in Mark West Creek in Sonoma County. She had been sexually assaulted, hogtied with clothesline and strangled. She was discovered wedged under a log; investigators believed it was possible she had floated several miles downstream from the initial dump site, as it had rained heavily in recent days.

She is buried in Pacific Grove. Her headstone reads: "Beloved daughter and mother."

Jane Doe

The skeletal remains of a young woman were found off Calistoga Road, about 100 yards from where Lori was discovered, on July 2, 1979. Based on the condition of the remains, she was likely killed about three years prior.

She is believed to have been between 16 and 21 when she was killed, had red, auburn or brown hair, was 5-foot-3 and wore hard contact lenses. To this day, she has not been identified.

Diane Miller/Getty Images

Jeannette Kamahele

While it is not confirmed Jeannette was a victim of the same serial killer, her case has many similarities to the others. Jeannette was a 20-year-old Santa Rosa Junior College student; she was last seen trying to hitch a ride near the Cotati onramp of Highway 101 on April 25, 1972.

When the Jane Doe was discovered in 1979, it was believed to be Jeannette. Dental records were not a match, however, and Jeannettes body has never been found.

Who are the suspects?

Very few witness descriptions are available. In the kidnapping of Lori Kursa, the public was asked to look for a white man with an Afro-hair style driving a white van. A witness to Jeannette Kamaheles possible kidnapping said they saw her get into a 1950s pickup truck pulling a faded wooden camper that looked homemade. That witness believed the drive was a white male in his early 20s with Afro style hair.

Complicating matters even further is the fact police never found the murder sites. Each of the women and girls were killed somewhere else and dumped around Santa Rosa.

Retired Sonoma County sheriff's detective Butch Carlstedt told the media in 1989 he looked into over 300 suspects. A number of high-profile 1970s serial killers were probed for links to the Bay Area murders. When Ted Bundy was apprehended in 1975, detectives thought he may have killed the girls in the Bay Area; he often targeted young women with long, straight hair parted down the middle, which all of the Santa Rosa victims had. But the M.O. and Bundys locations didnt match, and he was ruled out.

Also investigated were: Joseph Naso, the Hillside stranglers Kenneth Bianchi and Angelo Buono Jr., and the Zodiac killer. No definitive links were ever made. More recently, the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office announced it was looking into Jack Alexander Bokin; Bokin was linked to a cold case murder in 1996 with new DNA technology. He died in December 2021 at the California Department of Corrections Medical Facility in Vacaville, where he was serving a life sentence for attempted murder.

All cases are still active and under investigation, Sonoma County Sheriffs Office spokesperson Sgt. Juan Valencia told SFGATE in a statement. Detectives are going over evidence to see if Bokin was involved. No additional information will be released at this time.

There are some close to the case, however, who think their man already got away with murder. In the 1980s, former county coroner Tom Siebe told the Press Democrat a middle-aged married man who died in a car accident in the mid-1970s was their prime suspect. "In investigating the death, detectives found evidence that showed the man knew about the murders, the newpaper reported. But there wasn't enough evidence to close the case." Carlstedt and Siebe both said the murders stopped after that man died.

"Sometimes I felt like I was letting the girls down, Carlstedt said in 1989. Somewhere there was a piece to this to put it together, but somehow you just can't seem to find it.

Anyone with information is asked to contact the Sonoma County Sheriffs Office at 707-565-2650. Individuals wishing to remain anonymous may submit their tip via the anonymous tip form.
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SHELTON  Some high school seniors are getting a glimpse of what might be their professional future  all thanks to an internship program that connects local students with area businesses.

The Shelton High internship program offers seniors a chance to get a hands-on view of the professional world. Over the past few years, students have shadowed professionals in the world of teaching, construction, and medical industries.

It has always been my dream to go into nursing, and this program helped me realize it was the right decision, said senior Megan Bucherati, who will be focusing on nursing at Fairfield University beginning this fall.

Bucherati is among a group of seniors in Christine McNamaras Fundamentals of Health Science course, in which students participated in rotations at St. Vincents Medical Center in the fall, and Lord Chamberlain Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in the spring.

McNamara said this program began in 2017 to afford students the opportunity to experience careers in healthcare, firsthand, outside of the classroom. About 80 students have participated in the program over the past five years.

Students take the class because they are excited to get real world experience and hands-on training, McNamara said. It gives them the opportunity to learn outside of the classroom. Some students who have taken the class decided that healthcare was not for them.

This information is invaluable before enrolling in a post-secondary program that doesnt appeal to them, McNamara added. In this case, the lessons they learned in professionalism and teamwork will benefit them no matter which career they choose to pursue.

In McNamaras class, students learn the basics required for all healthcare employees, including professionalism, medical ethics, medical terminology, measurement of vital signs, cultural awareness, infection control, and standard precautions.

Students demonstrate their learning in patient care simulations in the classroom and practice their skills in the field, when caring for patients or shadowing at various healthcare facilities. McNamaras classroom consists of six hospital beds, mannequins, vital sign monitors, bedding, wheelchairs, and other various medical equipment used to train students on proper technique for various skills.

At St. Vincents Medical Center this past fall, students were placed in the Connecticut Orthopedic Institute, Short Stay Unit, Congestive Heart Failure Clinic, and the Family Birthing Unit. Students attend placement every other day for two hours at the healthcare facility.

It was great to be able to help people, Bucherati said of her experience on-the-job this past fall. I shadowed a C-section. It was exciting.

Senior Porshae Rose, who will be attending Southern Connecticut State University next year, said she loves nursing, and she longed for hands-on training sooner rather than later.

Just doing it here (in the classroom) was not enough, Rose said. Through this program, I got to see what happens in hospitals and nursing homes. It helps so much more than when you are trying to decide what you want to do with your life. I want to be in nursing.

Alisha Araujo, also interested in a career in nursing, said she enjoyed getting to know the patients and what goes into the daily routine of taking care of people.

We got to experience so many things youd never see while in high school. It was always a different experience, Araujo said about her rotation at St. Vincents last fall.

For fellow senior Grace McPadden  already an EMT with Echo Hose Ambulance Corps  this program helped her realize nursing was not for her. Instead she plans to pursue pre-med in college.

It was amazing to get this hands-on experience, McPadden said.

McNamaras health sciences class is only part of the schools internship program, a popular choice among students until the onset of the pandemic, when most opportunities to leave campus were eliminated due to COVID restrictions.

With many of those restrictions now lifted, Shelton CTE Curriculum Leader and Perkins Grant Coordinator Pamela Garrett sees the internships filling up once again.

The internship program has gone through changes in recent years and continues to build in our post-COVID world, Garrett said. We hope to increase our partnership offerings to support more significant levels of exposure to the professional community for our students.

Many of our internship students have become full-time personnel for the organizations they interned with and are considered highly qualified desirable candidates, Garrett added.

This year, several students are in health sciences, but others are interning at Turner Construction or shadowing teachers at the high school. Garrett said she is looking for other businesses to participate in the program.

Students participating in the program must perform the duties of an intern with the organization. Students shadow and support business operations, learn on-the-job career preparedness principles and the practices of their host business.

Students can participate for a semester or an entire year and receive half-year credit (75 hours) or full-year credit (150 hours). Internships are both on and off-campus. Many of student interns work as teaching interns with district teachers on the educational career pathways, she said.

Chad McCullough, Turner Construction Business Unit Manager, said his Shelton-based firm initially connected with Shelton High through their Business Advisory Council. The goal, he said, was to help prepare students for the workplace.

As we learned more, we jumped at the opportunity to host an intern, McCullough said. Its really a win-win proposition  we get the opportunity to expose students to our business and develop a pipeline of talent and students get course credit and job training.

McCullough said Turner Construction exposes the interns to all aspects of the business, not just the construction process on job sites.

They learn about all of the important safety, accounting, estimating, design, marketing, and procurement roles in our business, he said. We are committed at Turner to building a pathway to employment for local residents, across all facets of our company - including trade work.

Our goal is to bring on at least two interns every school year  one planning to study a construction management related field in college, and one looking to pursue a career in the trades, he added. Our first intern is now working as a full-time employee while also pursuing her degree in construction management.

Past internships included Sikorsky Credit Union, which had to put the program on hold due to COVID. The summer internship programs are with Sikorsky Manufacturing and The Workplace, which are not connected with earning high school credits but are available to students.

In her class, McNamara said once students are trained in a particular skill, they can practice that skill in the field. Some skills that students perform are taking vital signs, changing beds, and assisting with feeding.

Students are also able to observe charting, wound care, and admission and discharge procedures. Some students were able to view procedures, such as endoscopies, colonoscopies, PICC line and IV insertion and removal.

Many students who graduate from the program send emails to tell me how they are doing as they pursue careers in healthcare at colleges and universities, McNamara said. Many have written to tell me how prepared they were for their post-secondary classes and clinicals after taking this class. One student was even offered an internship for the summer after graduation in the Pulmonology Department at St. Vincents Medical Center due to his initiative and professionalism.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
The Shelton Fire Department responded to the following calls this past week.

At 1:08 p.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 and the White Hills Co. No. 5 responded with an engine and a ladder truck to an odor of smoke in the building at the Birmingham Condos, 145 Canal St. There was no fire.

Tuesday, March 1

At 7:04 a.m., the Huntington Co. No. 3 responded with a rescue truck to a public service call, lock in, at the Marriott Residence Inn, 1001 Bridgeport Ave.

At 7:31 a.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 and the Pine Rock Park Co. No. 4 responded with an engine to a motor vehicle accident on Route 8 southbound near Exit 14.

Wednesday, March 2

At 9:23 a.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 and the Pine Rock Park Co. No. 4 responded with an engine to a fire alarm activated at the Curtiss Ryan Storage Facility, 335 Bridgeport Ave. There was no fire.

At 10:38 a.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 responded with a rescue truck to assist EMS at 8 Country Walk.

Thursday, March 3

At 2:22 p.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 and the Pine Rock Park Co. No. 4 responded with a unit to a fire alarm activated at the JJ Brennan Construction Co., 70 Platt Road. There was no fire.

Friday, March 4

At 9:06 a.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 responded with an engine to a Myrtle Street address for a carbon monoxide alarm sounding.

At 9:11 a.m., the Huntington Co. No. 3 and the White Hills Co. No. 5 responded with an engine and a rescue truck to Booth Hill School, 544 Booth Hill Road, for a fire alarm activation. There was no fire.

At 8:19 p.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 and the Pine Rock Park Co. No. 4 responded with an engine to a fire alarm activated at the Helen DeVaux Housing Complex, 91 Howe Ave. There was no fire. Smoke from cooking caused the alarm.

Saturday, March 5

At 12:31 p.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 responded with an engine to a Congress Avenue address for a fire that occurred in an oven. The fire was out upon arrival of fire units. The fire occurred when the oven was turned on with cardboard articles in the oven.

At 3:35 p.m., the White Hills Co. No. 5 and the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 responded with two engines and a rescue truck to a motor vehicle accident on Leavenworth Road near Indian Well Road.

At 4:43 p.m., the Pine Rock Park Co. No. 4 and the Echo Hose H& L Co. No. 1 responded with a unit to the Housatonic River to assist a boater who ran out of fuel on the river.

At 6:49 p.m., Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 and the Pine Rock Park Co. No. 4 responded with an engine to a fire alarm activated at the Helen DeVaux Housing Complex, 91 Howe Ave. There was no fire. Smoke from cooking caused the alarm.

Sunday, March 6

At 9:29 a.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 responded with a unit to assist EMS at an Elm Street address.

At 11:58 p.m., the Echo Hose H & L Co. No. 1 and the White Hills Co. No. 5 responded an engine and a ladder truck to a fire alarm activated at the Saint Josephs Parish Convent, 420 Coram Ave. There was no fire. Smoke from cooking caused the alarm.
SHELTON  Sinsabaugh Heights, an elderly housing complex in the city, will be getting a makeover.

The city recently received a $410,000 grant through the Community Development Block Grant Small Cities Program, according to Shelton Economic Development Commission President Paul Grimmer, with the funds to be used for necessary upgrades to the state subsidized rental facility.

The City of Shelton asked for the SEDCs help in preparing the grant application and we went into it thinking wed give it our best shot, said Grimmer, Shelton was one of only seven communities in the entire state that actually received a small cities grant.

Grimmer said this was the first time that he and his office applied for such a grant. He and his assistant Aleta Miner had to be certified prior to applying for the grant, since the SEDC office would be administering use of the funds.

Sinsabaugh Heights offers housing for low-income older adults ages 62 and older and adults who have disabilities.

The Shelton Housing Authority previously received Small Cities funds, which supported similar rehabilitation to the Sinsabaugh Height I complex. This grant will cover renovations and will include the removal and installation of 88 storm doors in Sinsabaugh I and II, installation of 27 self-contained PTAC (packaged terminal air conditioning) units in Sinsabaugh II, and the installation of a state-of-the-art fire alarm system in Sinsabaugh II.

The existing fire alarm assemblies are past their useful life and have presented numerous, uncorrectable, operational issues, according to a capital needs assessment done on the facility, Madelyn McGowan, executive director of the Shelton Housing Authority, said.

The proposed upgrades will be the provision of a new, fully addressable fire alarm and call-for-aid system, McGowan said, allowing for state-of-the-art public safety response in the improved health and well-being of the residents.

Further, Grimmer wrote that the present PTAC assemblies have exceeded their useful life and require exorbitant maintenance. He added that the proposed newer heating and cooling systems will provide higher efficiency and support lower utility costs for the residents.

The Small Cities Program is administered by the Connecticut Department of Housing. Eligible projects are required to be in a municipality with a population of fewer than 50,000 residents and have a focus on improving neighborhoods, eliminating blight, and attracting economic development.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
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SHELTON  Motor vehicle thefts dropped slightly in 2021, but thefts from vehicles, including parts such as catalytic converters, rose, according to statistics on the police departments website.

Overall, Shelton police filed 1091 reports in 2021, more than 200 less than the 1,313 filed in 2020. While the total number of incidents cleared by arrest also dropped  278 in 2021 compared with 262 the previous year  the overall percentage cleared rose.

Shelton continues to be recognized as one of the states safest cities, placing No. 9 overall in the latest analysis by Safewise, a home security analysis company.

Shelton remains in the top 10 for safest cities in Connecticut. We are proud of that accomplishment and the officers are doing an excellent job in crime prevention, Chief Shawn Sequeira said. In comparison to other towns and cities who face our same challenges, we are doing well.

Safewise reviewed 2021FBI crime report statistics  the most recent complete report available at the time of ranking  and population data in making its final determinations.

To view the entire analysis, visit safewise.com/blog/safest-cities-connecticut.

We continuously evaluate our departmental performance as required through accreditation and look for ways to improve, Sequeira said. We believe in basic strategic planning for policing such as visibility and omnipresence as the best practice to deter crime.

We are currently still facing the challenges of stolen motor vehicles and stolen catalytic converters, the chief added. Other than that the decrease in crime remains about the same.

Of the 148 reported incidents through the first two months of this year, statistics show 16 reports of theft from a motor vehicle, 15 simple assaults, 14 disorderly conduct incidents, 10 burglaries, nine motor vehicle thefts and six thefts from a motor vehicle.

Police Lt. Robert Kozlowsky said the crime statistics remain stable with drops in many significant categories  which he says is demonstrated in the citys annual ranking as one of the safest cities in Connecticut.

Kozlowsky said thefts from inside vehicles, vehicle parts, such as catalytic converters, and stolen vehicles  a nationwide issue, according to the lieutenant  remain a major concern.

The department stepped up patrols in those areas hardest hit, Kozlowsky said, and communicated with the public about how to best safeguard against thefts.

Kozlowsky praised the departments crime prevention program and social media presence for informing residents on tips to protect their vehicles, such as locking doors and removing valuables. The department is also participating in the Ring Neighbors app.

To better fight crime in the city, Kozlowsky said the department, which now stands at 53 officers, launched the crime prevention program and increased patrols in the downtown.

Overall, the department has done a good job of creating more of a presence in the downtown, Kozlowsky said. Our officers are out there, walking throughout the downtown, speaking with business owners, creating a feeling of security.

Despite the overall drop in crime, there were some increases, including thefts from motor vehicles  89 in 2021 versus 87 in 2020; disorderly conduct  112 in 2021, compared with 106 in 2020; aggravated assault  six in 2021 against two in 2020; credit card fraud  35 in 2021 versus 24 in 2020; identity theft  16 in 2021 compared to 10 last year; and vandalism  72 in 2021, 64 in 2020.

Police investigated one murder in 2021, as well as three reports of rape, up one from the previous year.

Robberies remained constant, with nine in 2021 and 2020. Simple assault dropped  57 in 2021, 60 in 2020  and drug crimes dipped  28 in 2021, 41 in 2020.

Drops in reports were also seen in burglaries  from 73 to 59; motor vehicle theft  74 to 64; driving under the influence  29 to 13; and shoplifting  58 to 52.

The crime statistics are available on the police departments website.

brian.gioiele@hearstmediact.com
SHELTON  Some local children turned to their creative side to let the world know why they love Plumb Memorial Library.

Maura Gualtiere, the childrens librarian, was joined by kids in unveiling a quilt Saturday that displayed why these creative young artists love Sheltons libraries. The quilt was the focus of one of the librarys Picasso Pickups  a monthly to-go art offering at the library  in October.
Montana State University Billings student Mariah Fogle was recently named a Newman Civic Fellow, joining students from 38 states, Washington, D.C., and Mexico to form the cohort. Campus Compact, a national coalition of colleges and universities working to advance the public purposes of higher education, has named 173 student civic leaders who make up the organizations 2022-2023 cohort of Newman Civic Fellows.

The Newman Civic Fellowship recognizes students who stand out for their commitment to creating positive change in communities locally and around the world. The fellowship is named for the late Frank Newman, one of Campus Compacts founders, who was a tireless advocate for civic engagement in higher education. In the spirit of Newmans leadership, fellows are nominated by Campus Compact member presidents and chancellors, who are invited to select one outstanding student from their campus each year.

Fogle is a first-generation student at City College at MSU Billings. She is a student leader actively encouraging people to expand their horizons. Fogle has pushed herself outside of her comfort zone to join the Student Activities Board and for the past year, has reconnected with her community post-pandemic by talking with others, surveying what community needs are, and being an active support presence. Mariah has been an example for other students inviting them to events to experience Billings and Montana, and to invest themselves in civic opportunities, said MSUB Chancellor Stefani Hicswa. She is also involved in TRIO Student Support Services at City College where shes gained the social and academic support to fuel herself to give back to her community."

We are proud to name such an outstanding and diverse group of students Newman Civic Fellows, said Campus Compact President Bobbie Laur. Their passion and resolve to take action on the wide range of issues challenging our neighborhoods and communities is inspiring and deeply needed. We cannot wait to engage with them through this transformative experience.

The Newman Civic Fellowship program is supported by the KPMG Foundation. Read more about each of the student leaders selected for this years cohort.

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Australian airlines efforts to reduce carbon emissions are being undermined by the countrys slow start establishing an alternative jet fuel industry, which carriers, producers and industry groups blame on government inaction.

Sustainable aviation fuel - or SAF - is the cornerstone of the world aviation industrys long-term plan to drive down its carbon footprint, which before the COVID-19 pandemic accounted for about 2 per cent of global emissions.

Qantas boss Alan Joyce is disappointed at the slow development of a sustainable aviation fuel industry in Australia. Credit:Craig Abraham

But SAF is not currently being produced in Australia at commercial scale, frustrating airlines like Qantas, whose chief executive Alan Joyce last week expressed dismay he could buy SAF at overseas airports but not at home.

Shahana McKenzie, CEO of industry group Bioenergy Australia, said the country was being left behind as the United States and Europe invested billions developing domestic SAF industries, spurred on by government incentives and mandates.
The Northern Territorys police union believes the inquest into the shooting death of Kumanjayi Walker will expose serious case mismanagement by the panicked top brass, which it accuses of charging Constable Zachary Rolfe before senior officers had even finished investigating.

Constable Rolfe, 30, was charged with murder four days after the November 9, 2019, shooting amid nationwide protests demanding justice for the Aboriginal man, who died at the Yuendumu police station about 80 minutes after he was shot inside a community home.

Zachary Rolfe (right) was acquitted of all charges related to the death of Kumanjayi Walker, whose photo is used courtesy of his family.

The constable left Darwin on Sunday afternoon after he was acquitted of all charges on Friday.

Both sides of the emblematic case are anticipating the coronial inquest to finally pick at the facts beyond the scope of the five-week Supreme Court trial.
Train users in Sydney have faced major delays on their evening commute, with some yet to arrive home after experiencing lengthy delays from cancelled trains or being stuck between stations.

Delays hit train lines across the city on Monday afternoon, including the Metro, T1 North Shore line, T2 Inner West and Leppington line, T3 Bankstown line, and T8 Airport and South line.

NSW Police closed North Sydney station for about 15 minutes after rail delays caused peak hour congestion. Credit:Tim Barlass

One commuter reported being stuck in a tunnel between Central and Town Hall in the CBD for more than an hour. Another said their usual 30-minute commute was tripled.

As train users navigated their way home, they reported being dumped at stations as trains terminated before the expected destination.

In a series of alerts, Transport for NSW said trains on some lines were running late due to recent severe weather conditions damaging equipment and an operational issue at Central.

Trains on other lines were running late due to urgent track repairs at Town Hall earlier.

Trains may start from or end at different stations or platforms and have different stops than scheduled. You may have to change trains to continue your journey, the message said.

Due to major congestion, services are being further delayed on the City Circle and Inner West area with trains travelling at a reduced speed. Gaps in service will occur.

It also advised that train services may be cancelled at short notice, and trips may take longer than usual.

Read more here
As compasses go, its not much to look at. Half the paper rose is missing, the brass brightwork is none too shiny  but the dial does still rotate.

Its when you turn it over to look at the back that things get a bit more interesting. The inscription isnt sharp, as you might expect from something of the First World War period, but it is clear enough.

WW1 British Army issue military compass planned for auction bearing the inscription Stf CAPT T E Lawrence. Credit: Louie Douvis

It reads: Stf. CAPT. TE LAWRENCE. The initials and rank may be familiar. They are the same as those of Lawrence of Arabia.

The British Army issue compass was among a large number of items listed for auction in Sydney by coin and medal experts Noble Numismatics at their auction, Important Australian, British, World, and Ancient Coins, Banknotes, and Medals, from March 29-April 1 at the NSW State Library.
The killing of Kumanjayi Walker, a 19-year-old Aboriginal man in Yuendumu, reminds us that the law does not always equal justice when it comes to Aboriginal experiences within the criminal process. In the wake of Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfes acquittal, the Walpiri people have stood strong and dignified in their calls for ceasefire, police accountability and control of their homelands.

This case begs the question: how much longer can the law justify the killing of Aboriginal people?

Zachary Rolfe (right) has been acquitted of all charges related to the death of Kumanjayi Walker, whose photo is used courtesy of his family. Credit:

Without cavilling with the not guilty verdict or the conduct of the trial, there are legitimate concerns about the training and recruitment of the Northern Territory Police Force. How is it that NT police officers are trained and drilled that an edged weapon equals a gun, as Rolfes lawyer argued, and in this instance that the three bullets Rolfe shot into Kumanjayis body were a lawful response to his threat of having a pair of medical scissors?

It wasnt just the shooting of Kumanjayi that sent shockwaves across the desert; it was also the fact he died alone in the most undignified way inside a police station while the rest of his family and community sat outside wailing and waiting for answers, wondering if he was dead or alive the same day the Walpiri buried his uncle.
Its Womens History Month! Celebrate the occasion with these powerful performances from some of TV and films finest actresses.

Angela Bassett inWhats Love Got to Do With It

To borrow lyrics from one of Tina Turners hits, Bassett (above left) is simply the best in this 1993 biopic about the rock n roller. Sure, she may lip-synch to Turners tunes instead of singing, but she still captures the icons grit.

Michelle Williams inMy Week With Marilyn

Williams evokes the star quality and the quiet fragility of Marilyn Monroe in this 2011 drama set in 1956, as she connects with a production assistant on the set of The Prince and the Showgirl.

Katharine Hepburn inOn Golden Pond

Hepburn won her record-breaking fourth and final Best Actress Oscar for playing Ethel, the aging Thayer family matriarch, who deals with a curmudgeonly husband (Henry Fonda) and an estranged daughter (Jane Fonda) in this poignant family drama from 1981. Its not a showy performance, but it is a moving one.

Jodie Foster inthe Silence of the Lambs

Talk of this 1991 thriller inevitably turns to Anthony Hopkins portrayal of psychiatrist (and cannibal) Hannibal Lecter, but Foster is a force of nature as an ambitious and steely FBI trainee who interviews the locked-up Lecter for insight into an at-large killer while trying to keep the doctor out of her head.

Donna Reed inIts a Wonderful Life

As Mary, wife of family man George Bailey (James Stewart), Reed brings heart and a lively spirit to the 1946 holiday classic. When she offers their money to help save the town bank, George loves her more than ever, and so do we.

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He said what they did was expose backstage behaviour. What politicians care about in press coverage is not the quality of the journalism, its: are they onside or not? And thats yet another reflection of this, he said. Successive inquiries into the Australian media landscape, including the 2021 Senate inquiry into media diversity, describe the Australian market as one of the most concentrated in the world, with Rupert Murdochs News Limited owning more than 60 per cent of print titles across the country. In WA the landscape is dominated by Mr Stokes Seven West Media which owns a TV network as well as the states only daily newspaper, the former News Limited product The Sunday Times as well as the Community Newspaper Group. For much of 2020 The West Australian flattered Mr McGowan and his government, even depicting him as a superhero dubbed Captain Westralia after the 2020 budget.

Dr Simons said political leaders often could not stand up to media proprietors without harming their election chances, citing former Labor Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, who is now the chief critic of the Murdoch press but has admitted to courting them in the lead up to the 2007 election. She said in states where there was higher media concentration the task was harder. Its impossible for any politician trying to get elected in a state where you have basically one media proprietor, she said. It would be a suicide mission, to put it that way, for a politician to stand up to them. Dr Simons said diversity could be supported at a government level by providing support to start up media businesses.

Advocacy groups galled at texts The heads of two advocacy groups say the text exchange not only highlighted media ownership issues but reignited their frustrations over access to decision-makers in the WA government. Anthony Collins is a campaigner with Say No to Scarborough Gas and co-authored a 2020 report analysing oil and gas donations as well as the frequency with which McGowan government ministers meet with industry bosses. He said Mr Stokes had significant gas interests through his shares in Australian Capital Equity so it was disheartening to see him so close to Mr McGowan. Several groups and organisations, who have grave concerns about the WA emissions crisis, have been trying in vain to convey the urgency of the situation to him, he said.

Ethnic Communities Council of Western Australia president Suresh Rajan said the texts were galling to read given the struggles advocacy groups such as his have in being able to argue their points to ministers. Absolutely galled when I saw that, I was just absolutely livid, he said. Australian Nurses Federation WA secretary Mark Olson said the texts confirmed what he and the rest of the state already knew. The public have this expectation that people like Kerry Stokes have priority access to the Premier, and I dont think hes the only one, I think that the mining companies would have priority access, he said.

I think anybody who the Premier deems to be important to both his political future, as well as the development of the state, would have access. Mr Olson had a tumultuous year dealing with the government that culminated in a huge rally outside the states childrens hospital last May over staff resourcing issues. Loading He said the texts confirmed how important the media was to politicians. I do feel for many less-resourced advocacy groups who dont have the numbers that we have, and maybe ... they struggle to get the minister or even the ear of anybody in parliament for that matter, he said.
Update: Since the publication of this story, the Office of Local Government has determined that Matthew Bennett did not meet the legislative definition of a property developer. The OLG has also confirmed Sarah Richards did not breach the code of conduct that applies to councillors.

The Liberal Partys candidate for the countrys most marginal electorate will be investigated over the integrity of an electoral disclosure she submitted regarding her relationship with the property sector.

Macquarie candidate and Hawkesbury councillor Sarah Richards declared to the NSW Electoral Commission last year she was not closely linked to a property developer despite her partner, Matthew Bennett, co-owning a company that spruiked an end to end role in the industry.

Hawkesbury councillor Sarah Richards and her partner, BCM Property director Matthew Bennett. Credit:Facebook

A spokesman for NSW Local Government Minister Wendy Tuckerman confirmed Cr Richards declaration in the lead-up to the December council elections would be investigated after a commitment was secured from senior bureaucrat Michael Cassel in a parliamentary hearing.
It was $500 here, $200 there, $350 there, things that in a big business like ours you might not notice until you do your accounts at the end of the month, Ms Biller said. The bank confirmed the payments had been made in Mr Mrzyks name, she said. We didnt report it at the time but in hindsight, huge mistake, because it allowed him to do it to more people. The Herald has spoken to more than a dozen people who claim to be owed money by Mr Mrzyk, including suppliers, couriers, staff, landlords and ex-friends. He was evicted from his shop the week before Valentines Day and his landlord has claimed in documents filed with the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal that Mr Mrzyk is more than $33,000 in rental arrears. (Mr Mrzyk is fighting the eviction and disputes the amount claimed.) The Mr Flamboyant premises on Knox Street, Double Bay, has been empty since February. Credit:Janie Barrett Many creditors say the size of their debt is less than the cost of chasing it, though it is more than they can afford to lose.

Courier driver Sami, who asked for his last name not to be used in case it cost him other jobs, said Mr Mrzyk owed $1000 for delivery work, an amount that included out-of-pocket costs such as tolls, fuel and parking. $1000 is a lot of money for me, he said. But if I want to follow it up, I have to spend $1000 or $1500 on a lawyer. Another courier, Frank, a disability pensioner who works four jobs to make ends meet, said he was owed $372 for working a nine-hour shift on Valentines Day. A former staff member said she was owed $630 by Mr Mrzyk. When she asked him for it, he accused her of stealing from the till. I said, But Brennon, what are you talking about, there was never any money in the till,  the staffer said. He would leave me there for the whole day and I would have to fight off suppliers and people calling for money. It was awful. Across town at the Sydney Flower Market, Mr Mrzyk is well known. Wholesaler Julio Nati said he was owed $5500 for flowers not paid for by Mr Mrzyk. He was paying and paying and paying, and then he came on Mothers Day last year and got us on one docket for about $5500, Mr Nati said.

Sal Russo, the secretary of the NSW Flower Growers Association, said Mr Mrzyk owed many growers small amounts but a few growers were owed several thousand dollars. NSW Flower Growers Association secretary Sal Russo, right, with fellow grower, Lawrence Leoncino, who claims that he is owed money by florist Brennon Mrzyk. Credit:Louise Kennerley Ninety per cent of the business of the flower market is done on trust, Mr Russo said. Its very unusual for florists, who are a very honest group of people, not to pay their bills on time. Early in 2021, Double Bay portrait photographer Mark Morffew started a separate company with Mr Mrzyk because he thought that the florist had potential, but could see Mr Mrzyk struggled with the business side of the operation. Within four weeks, the venture fell apart. He had outstanding accounts, Mr Morffew said. There were lots of flower suppliers coming into the shop and on one occasion a heavy came into the shop to hassle him for money. This is the level it got to.

In the months that followed, Mr Mrzyk made false accusations to friends and associates that Mr Morffew had ripped him off. One former friend, Matt Williams, said he lent Mr Mrzyk $4200 to help tide him over but only half had been repaid and the pair were no longer on speaking terms. Are you poor? Mr Mrzyk texted in response to one demand from Mr Williams. I thought you had a good paying job. Mr Morffew, who does not claim to be owed money by Mr Mrzyk, said several people had approached him with reports about what had been said about him. The woman who worked in the coffee shop refused to talk to him for two weeks. He did not know if he had lost business as a result of the rumours. I thought he was a decent person and I staked my reputation on it and he trashed me, Mr Morffew said. Mr Mrzyk maintained to the Herald that Mr Morffew owed him money. He said he had not paid a staff member because she stole money from the till. He denied owing money to couriers or flower growers and said he had good relationships with three suppliers. He said he did not keep credit cards on file and that he had frequently supplied Ms Biller with flowers without charge. He said Ms Rota owed him money and that the court proceedings are being defended. Ms Rota said it was incorrect that she owed Mr Mrzyk money but declined to comment further as the matter involving the unauthorised use of her credit card was before the courts. It is listed for preliminary hearing at the Downing Centre Local Court on August 25.
Never mind annoyance; Premier must heed virus advice Here we go again (Minister, Health at odds over mask rules, March 12). The NSW Department of Health has recommended that indoor mask requirements be reinstated, and the NSW government is resisting. This seems a repeat of last December, when restrictions were removed too early and we ended up with huge case numbers and a very significant number of hospitalisations and deaths. Personal responsibility can only go so far. I am vaccinated and wear my mask, but if the person next to me at the shop or on a train is contagious and not wearing a mask, the odds of me contracting Omicron are greatly increased. As an older adult, there is an increased risk of serious illness. Does anyone really care about us anymore? Premier, please heed the health advice! - Judi LeVine, Manly NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard contends the biggest concern is the failure of about 45 per cent eligible people not having had a booster. But he shouldnt dismiss mitigation measures that augment vaccination. People are understandably tired of restrictions. However, populace annoyance doesnt justify Mr Hazzards ill-considered approach. Inexplicably, community complacency regarding transmission of COVID-19 is rife. That renders crucial the NSW Health Departments recommendations. These doctors are experts who are not influenced by potential repercussions at the ballot box. Their advice should be respected. - Gerardine Grace, Leura Three months ago, I asked my GP if two of my teenage boys could have their booster shots. It was, at that time, four months since they had received their second COVID-19 vaccine as we had returned to Australia from Europe. The GPs answer was no. She had to follow government policy. Now, as expected, seven months since my boys had their second vaccine and seven days since mask restrictions in schools were lifted, I sit in isolation with these two boys. - Joy Jhugroo, Menai Since the arrival of Omicron, about 2000 Australians have lost their lives as a result of this disease. Clearly it is the view of some that this doesnt matter because, on the whole, these people are old and their lives are less important than those who have the right to go about their daily lives mask-free. Hazzard should be telling people to suck it up and mask up rather than pandering to those who behave like wearing one is a gross violation of their personal freedom. - Debra Miniutti, Ashbury

For 18 months, Hazzard was part of the troika, along with Gladys Berejiklian and Kerry Chant, who told us daily we are following the health advice. Since the change in premier, health advice has been placed on the backburner. Premier Perrottet miscalculated in December with Omicron, and now he is repeating this with the new variant. The question he should answer what is more important: health of the people or the economy? After all, if more of us succumb to the variant, then the economy will suffer as we cannot work. - Robert Pallister, Punchbowl Doomed to repeat past errors What a breath of fresh air and common sense from Julianne Schultz (Failure of imagination reaps a map of misery, March 12). Imagination, so undervalued in Australian society, is not something one associates with our current government unless it involves creative ways to spin issues to deflect from blame. The Coalition has lost its way under the leadership of Scott Morrison just as the US Republicans did under Trump. Too many in their respective parties jumped on the bandwagon of expediency, sacrificing their core beliefs along the way. As long as Morrison lives by the unimaginative mantra lower taxes and small government then we are doomed to repeat past errors. It is the very act of slashing the public service which has led to all our current crop of problems. Is this the future we want for our country? - Jan Kent, Farmborough Heights Between them, Parnell Palme McGuinness (Zelenskys model of modern masculinity triumphs, March 12) and George Megalogenis (Walk in circles, mop up disasters, March 12) have nailed it. I cant quite visualise President Zelensky being comfortable with a squeegee in one hand and a hose in the other, although that sort of image might be just what Scott Morrisons looking for as he shirt-fronts Xi Jinping. - Peter Bower, Naremburn If Morrison needs anyone to coin a few new slogans for the election campaign, George Megalogenis might be the man. For Morrisons visit to Lismore, where one flood was catastrophic while another was not, Megalogenis wrote, Morrison couldnt see the continent for the epicentre and that his reactive approach to climate disasters is troops, not targets. The only slogan that resonates with the majority of Australians is science, not slogans but the Coalition cant or doesnt want to hear it. - Ray Peck, Hawthorn, (VIC)

I really want the Liberal Party to lose at the next election. So, Id like to thank the people working the hardest at trying to make this happen: the PMs media advisors. Thanks, guys. - Tracey Schreier, Vaucluse Russia need not be a pariah When the USSR fell apart, NATO should have become extinct likewise. Current policies have driven two military powers into each others company while we watch Ukraine suffer. Russia, which has given the world the Bolshoi and Kandinsky and Tolstoy and Tchaikovsky, need not be a pariah. - Geoffrey Anderson, Richmond Like the fall of Rome, even with the barbarians at the walls, the West sleeps, with no stomach for a fight. Signalling weakness through concessions like no boots on the ground, levelling economic sanctions as a substitute for military action, and arming citizens of satellite states to do the fighting for them, the Wests strategy is purely hope and appeasement. Wasnt that how the Roman Empire crumbled? Lets hope the brave Ukrainians can hold back the flood? - Tracy Rockwell, Katoomba While we sit in the comfort of our own homes we should be ever grateful for the Heralds reporter and photographer, Anthony Galloway and Kate Geraghty, who are surely putting their lives at risk to bring us up-to-date information from Kharkiv in Ukraine. This city is under constant bombing and shelling. Thank you, Anthony and Kate. - Clive Williams, Lavender Bay

All Warne out Of course Shane Warnes death was very sad for his family and friends. However, now were up to the eighth consecutive day of multiple stories about him in the Herald, it really is time to stop (The Warne legacy, Death sparks wild week on Koh Samui, Artist plans Warnes dream dressing room as tribute, Not scared of dying, I just dont want to: the Warne philosophy, March 12). In the end, he was just a man who was lucky enough to be able to make a career out of throwing a ball. Personally, I am looking forward to a Warne-free paper. - Judy Christian, Castle Hill With so much publicity surrounding his death, and the tragic loss of Kimberley Kitching, perhaps the event of Shane Warnes memorial service at the MCG could take the lead from Glenn McGrath and raise funds for the Heart Foundation. - Vicky Marquis, Glebe Unhealthy factionalism After reading about the late Kimberley Kitchings struggle within the Victorian Labor Party to obtain and maintain her Senate nomination for the next federal election, and the machinations of the competing factions (Senator faced health issues and factional brawl before death, March 12), I am left to wonder how Anthony Albanese and his colleagues have the temerity to comment on the current NSW Liberal party selection brawls. Even more lamentable is that such brawling may have contributed to Senator Kitchings health issues. I suppose that it is a case of no-holds-barred when it comes from those in pursuit of power. - Les Sisley, Bathurst

New Moke without ire Further to the many excellent Australian electric car ideas (Letters, March 12) can I suggest we just start remaking the Mini Moke? Update it with roll bars and build it  using Broken Hill iron and WA Lithium  in Adelaide and Melbourne. Put UNSW solar panels on it to charge it when we park it outside and make the batteries reversible, so they could power our house when at home! I dont need anything other than four wheels and steering to get me to the shops and school, they could be on every corner instead of those scooters and ebikes. Marketing can paint them green and gold and call em Wattlecars or something. Make them cheap and reliable and Australian, and well buy them and use them and wont need overseas oil. Cant wait to watch them race at Bathurst on a single charge! - Allan Kreuiter, Roseville Toner relief After filling up two tanks today, the car at $2.22 per litre and the inkjet printer at, by my calculations, $3312.50 per litre, Im thankful for two things: Russia is not the worlds largest exporter of printer ink and that cars dont run on it. - Col Burns, Lugarno For the birds

While John Gerrards Leaf Work is a beautiful and imaginative work of art I dread to think how many birds will be accidentally sacrificed by placing this mirror-cube in the outdoors (Water off a festivals back, March 12). Perhaps a rethink for future Biennale exhibits? - Carolyn Jeffery, Frenchs Forest Bowled over For mirth, its difficult to go past the 1976 Test match between England and the West Indies at the Oval (Fitz Files, March 12). As Peter Willey faced Michael Holding, Brian Johnston reportedly commentated: The bowlers Holding; the batsmans Willey. - Bill Burrough, Braidwood Anti-nuclear How can we trust Scott Morrison with anything nuclear when he cant even pronounce the word properly? - Tim Hunter, Abbotsford

Small agistment The grass in my yard is so high I am going to make it available for agistment (Letters, March 12). - Michael Deeth, Como West Spider can By engaging in her war against spiders, Robyn Dalziell (Letters, March 12) may be eliminating one defence against the mosquito bearing Japanese encephalitis. - Maureen Lysaght, Terrey Hills Rewritten verse
The Northern Rivers housing crisis could quickly become a catastrophe, as flooding in northern NSW renders thousands of homes unlivable and forces people to sleep rough in a region where property prices have already soared at rates higher than Sydneys in the past year.

The NSW State Emergency Service on Sunday has determined that 3396 homes are uninhabitable and 6708 are inundated due to the floods, which have mostly affected the Northern Rivers region.

Thousands of people have been displaced and locals are sleeping in cars, caravans, tents, garage floors, evacuation centres and friends places. They include Mary Douglas, 23, and her father Carl, 63, who have been alternating between the floor of an evacuation centre, a van lent to them for 10 days by a friend of a friend and an air mattress in the car port.

Carl Douglas has spent the past few nights on an air mattress with a leak in a garage, and his daughter Mary has slept in a van that has been loaned to them after their flat in Lismore was inundated. Credit:Janie Barrett

They were invited to stay at a friends house, but felt theyd be imposing: she is already housing nine people in her two-bedroom apartment. Weve literally got what were wearing, Mr Douglas said.
A rare album of photographs by a woman documenting construction of the Sydney Harbour Bridge was lost in the State Library of NSW for nearly 90 years, a victim of poor cataloguing.

Known only by her married name, Mrs Frank Smith was a talented prize-winning amateur who documented the five-year period before the bridge opened on March 19, 1932.

One of the images taken by Mrs Frank Smith. Credit:Mrs Frank Smith, State Library of NSW

The images reveal she had rare access. I stood on the bridge at midday, she writes, describing a page of photos in which she is perched on the unfinished structure surrounded by male workers.

Now the library is trying to solve the mystery of who Mrs Frank Smith was. Her photo album, donated in 1937, will go on display from March 19 in the librarys Amaze Gallery to mark the 90th anniversary of the bridge opening.
My teenager tested positive to COVID-19 last week. This meant our family had to enter its second week of isolation this term, a younger sibling having tested positive in week one of the school year.

With cases of COVID-19 predicted to double in the next four to six weeks, and schoolchildren making up a large chunk of these numbers, it is critical that the health experts and the NSW government create a plan that prevents and manages infection in schools so that sending children home or keeping them home is a measure of absolute last resort.

Children aged 5-11 became eligible for vaccination in January. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Close contact rules keep entire households, including many healthy siblings, isolated in lockdown for seven days at a time. National cabinet is considering changing these rules for close contacts. That should happen immediately. Healthy siblings of COVID-19 cases are missing HSC assessments this week because they are in isolation despite being vaccinated and showing negative PCR tests.

Our children are essential workers. They are the next generation of workers, thinkers, taxpayers and leaders. They cannot be indefinitely resilient. For teenagers especially, COVID-19 lockdowns have led to prolonged virtual learning and missed rites of passage, cancellation of academic events, camps, sporting fixtures, part-time jobs and volunteer commitments, and taken a great mental and physical toll.
More than 100 pieces of debris causing a risk to marine navigation near the Port of Brisbane have been removed and 60 buoys and beacons are being repaired as Queensland continues to recover from the floods.

Queensland Treasurer Cameron Dick. Credit:Attila Csaszar

Treasurer Cameron Dick said the port was slowly returning to its full capacity, describing the impact on the river and local economy as significant.

We know streets and roads turned into creeks, creeks turned into rivers and the Brisbane River itself turned into a raging unstoppable torrent of water, he said.

We know there is danger lurking under the water of the Brisbane River.
Shell has put its case to the offshore safety regulator to resume production from its troubled Prelude LNG facility three months after a series of power failures sent the $24 billion showpiece into a series of dangerous blackouts.

Shell and its partners in the Prelude have lost the capacity to produce 3.6 million tonnes of LNG a year just as global gas prices skyrocket due to doubts over continued supply from Russia.

The Prelude was built in South Korea and towed to Australia.

On Thursday, WA Energy Minister Bill Johnston said Australian LNG producers would be looking for every molecule of natural gas they could get.

If you owned LNG infrastructure, youd be wanting to sweat it as much as you could right now because the price is just enormous, Mr Johnston said.
Former Australians of the Year Grace Tame and Rosie Batty have opened up about the mental toll of being thrust into the spotlight and cautioned feminists against tearing other women down and over-use of jargon-heavy language.

In a joint event at the Sydney Opera House, Ms Tame, who has previously spoken publicly about her mental health struggles, revealed she had recently visited a hospital emergency room after feeling suicidal.

Grace Tame and Rosie Batty on stage in Sydney. Credit:James Alcock

I was actually in the ER the other day because I actually lost control and I was really scared, Ms Tame told the All About Women festival on Sunday.

I called up the clinic and I said, I cant, I cant, Ive stepped too deep into the shame spiral and Im thinking about killing myself. Thats real and thats the toll it takes. Thats the price of shame.
Riverside also says it offers animal therapy at its Otways retreat, an annual desert camp program and a survival camp on Stradbroke Island. In a statement, the Department of Education said Riverside Grammar School is not a registered school and is not registered to provide senior secondary courses such as VCAL or VCE. The Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority is currently investigating whether the entity is compliant with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, a spokesman said. All Victorian schools must be registered with the VRQA and are required to meet minimum standards for governance, financial management, curriculum, teaching practice and providing a safe environment for children. The VRQA reviews independent schools, generally every five years.

Unlike university, the word school is not a prohibited term. However, it is an offence under the Education and Training Reform Act to carry on or conduct a school unless it is registered. Breaches can result in fines. When contacted, Dr Carnegie said: Riverside Grammar has not been informed by either DET or VRQA of any formal investigation and therefore cannot comment. The VRQA said it had been in contact with Dr Carnegie this week. Dr Carnegie previously worked at Trinity Grammar School in Kew, where he received media attention and a teaching award for helping students in his class write a letter to Nelson Mandela, who later visited Australia on their invitation. The 56-year-old describes himself on his website as an educator, writer, and advocate for educational and social reform.

In a newsletter published several years ago, Dr Carnegie said that the Carnegie School would become known as Riverside Grammar School from January last year. The name change represents a transition into a new era, where we take the best of the old school and merge it into a more professional sustainable independent model, he said. The Riverside Grammar School logo. Credit:Justin McManus Riverside Grammar is listed as a charity program under The Carnegie School Inc, a charity registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. In its 2020 financial statement filed with the ACNC, the charity said it had one full-time employee and three volunteers. It received $85,000 in donations and $144,124 in fees that year. Its 2021 financial statement is yet to be filed.

Paul OHalloran, a workplace relations lawyer who assists schools in addressing alleged non-compliance among school staff, said he would be concerned about any institution operating outside mainstream regulation. Non-compliance with minimum standards occurs in even the most highly regulated and compliant schools, he said. I would be concerned that an organisation that was essentially off the grid could hypothetically escape all external scrutiny. No school should be immune from external scrutiny. Dr Carnegie, a registered teacher with the Victorian Institute of Teaching, founded the Carnegie School in 2006, which aimed to provide an alternative model of education for students who fall through the cracks of mainstream education.

The schools registration was first suspended between December 2009 and mid-2010 for failing to meet minimum standards such as not having on-site toilets. Loading The states education regulator announced in June 2012 it planned to close the school for significant breaches, including failing to respond to a parents complaint and employing a teacher before she had been registered. The schools registration was cancelled in September that year. In 2013, Dr Carnegie fought the decision by lodging an application in the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal. He argued that by cancelling the registration, the regulator had discriminated against him because of his personal association with people who have a disability. At the hearing, he accepted that the school had not been compliant with the standards.

He said that he accepted there had been failings, and did not fight the fact that the school had been closed. Dr Carnegie expressed his strong view that it had been discriminatory to close the school without consulting the children and their families, according to a decision published by the tribunal. Dr Carnegie  described himself as fighting on behalf of them, and of all abused children. The regulator said the decision to cancel the schools registration was made because the school did not comply with the minimum standards. It was ruled that there was no prospect of Dr Carnegie succeeding and the claim was dismissed in early 2013. Dr Carnegie has won several teaching prizes, and has previously worked as a journalist.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Alexandra took three days to walk the 70-kilometre stretch of road from her home in Lviv, in western Ukraine, to the Polish border. Thousands of other strangers, fleeing their war-torn homeland, made the journey through the ice and snow with her. The 65-year-old appears, on the outside at least, in good spirits. Once she crossed the border, she was helped onto a bus through Germany and Belgium for the major ferry port of Calais, in northern France. There, she had hoped to travel to England and live with a friend while the cities and towns in her homeland continue to be pounded and shelled daily by the Russian army. I dont know if I ever go back, she says. Maybe yes, maybe no. I pray yes. But I dont know where I stay next. Virginia is the Red Cross main co-ordinator at The Lemon Hotel in Tourcoing, which is hosting 50 Ukrainian families as they wait to apply for UK visas. Credit:Nathan Laine Like hundreds of other Ukrainians who made the same journey, Alexandra was told by British officials when she arrived at Calais  a 2500-kilometre journey from her war-torn homeland  that without proper paperwork and a family member in the UK, she could not make the short trip across the English Channel. She stayed in a crowded hostel for one night, and with about 50 others, she was bussed about an hour to Lille, near the border with Belgium, and placed in emergency accommodation.

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Without a passport, she has two choices. She can make her way to Brussels and undertake ID checks and visa applications or she can go to Paris. Either way, at this stage, she wont make it to Britain. Europe is facing a refugee crisis on a scale unprecedented since World War II. More than 4.5 million people have been displaced by Russias invasion of Ukraine, with 2.5 million refugees fleeing the country. The United Nations has warned that its planning figure of four million might be revised up, while officials have predicted an influx of five million people. Countries bordering Ukraine, especially Poland, are struggling to house them. Alexandra, who fled across the border from Ukraine to Poland, looks through clothing supplied by the Red Cross while waiting at Tourcoing, France. Credit:Nathan Laine In places such as Calais, the backlog from previous humanitarian disasters havent cleared. More than 2000 refugees from Syria, Afghanistan, South Sudan, Iran, Iraq, Libya and others are in pop-up camps. It has turned the region into a political tinderbox and driven a surge in anti-immigrant sentiment. Charity groups such as Care4Calais are preparing themselves for anger towards the Ukrainians because of the generosity being afforded to them that is not afforded to those who have been sleeping rough or in make-shift camps for anywhere up to 12 months. Despite Prime Minister Boris Johnson promising to be very generous towards Ukrainian refugees, Britain has so far taken, as of Monday morning AEDT, about 3000 people. Britains government is under immense pressure from a sympathetic public and media and even within its own ranks to dramatically scale up its efforts.

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Alexandra has left behind her daughter and young adult granddaughter and grandson. My daughters husband stay behind to fight, she says. My granddaughter is 25 and her boyfriend is fighting. My grandson  he is 20  and he has to fight. I just have this bag, she says, pointing to the back seat of a car shes about to depart in for Paris. I hope for UK but they dont seem to want us. She tells stories about the generosity of people shed met along the way, making light of the past few days when no-one could give any of them a straight answer. The city centre of French city Lille is lit in blue and yellow as an act of solidarity with Ukraine. Credit:Nathan Laine Shes one of about 50 Ukrainians in The Lemon Hotel in the city of Tourcoing, about 20 minutes drive from Lille in the car park of a supermarket. Rooms are about $50 per night and it has cramped communal showers and toilet facilities.

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On Friday, in front of the hotel usually reserved for crisis accommodation, young mothers and Red Cross staff play with the children, who appear blissfully unaware of the circumstances which have brought them there. Every so often, locals drop in a bag of donated clothes, boots, shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant and hygiene products. The impending crisis is not yet on full show across the region, which is traditionally sympathetic to the plight of displaced people. While buildings in nearby Lille at night are lit up in yellow and blue in solidarity with Ukraine, only a few thousands of people fleeing Putins war have made it this far. Dozens of families are waiting at the Lemon Hotel in Tourcoing while they apply for refuge in Britain. Credit:Nathan Laine But the sheer confusion as to what happens next has led many to absolute despair. In just three days, the British government has announced three different policies and locations  first in Calais, then Lille and now a new pop-up centre at Arras, about another 40 minutes drive away. But applicants need a referral and an appointment booked. They were promised free passage on trains that did not exist. They were later bussed to destinations where local volunteers had no idea where to direct them. Some are expecting to wait at their hotels for five days for any visa applications they have already submitted online to be processed. The dire situation even led French President Emmanuel Macron to take a swipe at UK counterpart Boris Johnson. Macron, who faces an election within weeks, said the British approach had exacerbated the plight of those fleeing the invasion.

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He said the British governments continued administrative burden meant they were not welcoming Ukrainian refugees who wanted to reach British soil. I would hope that the Ukrainian men and women who have lived through horror and crossed Europe to reach their families on UK territory will be better treated, Macron said. At the Lemon Hotel, 22-year-old Roxy is a hit with the British press because her English is top-notch. She has a compelling story, too, having fled Kyiv with her disabled brother, mother, husband and their cat. Roxy was studying to be an interpreter and wants to return to her home in Kyiv if she can. [But] ... I think it will be impossible for the next few years because the country has to build everything again, she says. A chalk message outside the Lemon Hotel. Credit:Nathan Laine A British TV crew is attempting to connect them with a British family prepared to take them in if the government opens the doors to more migrants in coming days.

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In the past fortnight, our feeds have been dominated by the unlawful and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Russia which has resulted in the loss of hundreds of lives and millions of people being forced to flee from their homes.

Weve all seen and have been moved by images of people, including children and the elderly in Ukraine taking shelter from Russian attacks in underground train stations, and the people of Ukraine standing against this egregious assault.

Ukrainian refugees continue to stream across European borders. Here, people queue to board a train in Zahony, Hungary. Credit:Getty Images

Weve seen how those more marginalised such as LGBTIQ+ people as well as migrants in the Ukraine face greater risks as they try to flee.

Right now, however, there continues to be two major international crises facing the world.
Somerset, KY (42501)

Today

Mostly cloudy skies this morning will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High 69F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..

Tonight

A few clouds. Low 49F. Winds NNE at 5 to 10 mph.
LANDER, Wyo.  The aroma of sizzling meat in melted butter wafts from a cast iron pan while Jaden Bales shows his favorite way to cook up the best steak cuts from a big game animal.

The deep red backstrap pieces, similar to filet mignon of beef, are organic and could hardly be more local. They're from a mule deer hit by a car just down the road from Bales' rustic home in a cottonwood grove beneath the craggy Wind River Range.

Bales was able to claim the deer thanks to a new state of Wyoming mobile app that's helping get the meat from animals killed in fender benders from road to table and in the process making roads safer for critters.

State wildlife and highway officials rolled out the app  possibly the first of its kind in the U.S.  this winter when Wyoming joined the 30 or so states that allow people to collect roadkill for food.

The doe was crossing U.S. 287 south of Lander early on the morning of Presidents Day just as Marta Casey was headed out in her Subaru to go snowboarding.

She hadn't been snowboarding in years. A world traveler who'd only settled in Wyoming a year ago, little did she know she was in for a whole new experience in rural living.

"I tried to slow down and get around it," said Casey. "It was very ... yeah."

After a Wyoming Highway Patrol trooper took a report and promised to shoot the injured deer, Casey was a couple runs into snowboarding when she remembered the app she heard about from Bales, whom she had just recently met.

She alerted Bales, who soon found the doe and used the app to claim it by entering the species and verifying that it wasn't killed illegally.

Next thing Casey knew, Bales had hauled the doe home in his pickup truck and Casey was helping cut it up so they could hang the quarters in Bales' garage.

Wyoming's new roadkill feature within the state Department of Transportation app helps people quickly claim accidentally killed deer, elk, moose, wild bison or wild turkey after documenting the animal and reviewing the rules for collecting roadkill to eat.

Another purpose is to help people follow the rules. For safety reasons, roadkill in Wyoming may not be collected after dark, along interstate highways or in construction zones.

National parks, such as Yellowstone and Grand Teton, also are off-limits for roadkill retrieval.

Unlike in other states such as Alaska, roadkill meat in Wyoming can't be donated to anybody, including charities.

The whole carcass must be retrieved, not just the antlers or hide. In Oregon, which allows people to claim roadkill with an online form, people must surrender the head and antlers to wildlife authorities within five days but in Wyoming the whole animal is fair game.

The Wyoming app helps to collect data. By geotagging roadkill with their phones and documenting the species, app users will contribute to the data that help Wyoming wildlife biologists and highway officials decide where to install wildlife crossing signs and other ways of reducing critter deaths.

Wyoming is famous for its abundant wildlife and big game migration routes that are among the longest in North America. From keeping roadsides mowed to installing warning signs and multimillion-dollar wildlife underpasses along migration routes, Wyoming officials have been trying to reduce the at least 6,000 animals killed on the state's roads each year.

"That's quite a lot. And we know that the majority of those are mule deer," Game and Fish Department spokesperson Sara DiRienzo said.

Mule deer, so named for their mule-like ears, inhabit the western half of North America and are generally bigger than the whitetail deer found across the continent.

Wyoming is home to about 400,000 mule deer, or roughly two for every three of the state's human residents. Although they're not rare and are still enthusiastically hunted, drought and diminishing habitat have played roles in reducing Wyoming mule numbers by almost 30% in the past 30 years.

"Mule deer already are struggling because of a number of factors. Roadkill collisions don't help that," DiRienzo said.

Roadkill is indiscriminate, though, and includes a wide range of scavengers  coyotes, eagles and skunks, to name a few  that feed on highway-killed creatures and end up getting hit themselves.

"You can play the circle of life card and be like, 'Well, there is never something that is wasted,'" Bales said. "But whenever you've got roadkill, it is really dangerous for any of the critters who come and try to eat it."

In the case of Casey's deer, Bales, a spokesperson for the Wyoming Wildlife Federation that pushed for Wyoming roadkill legislation last year, got to the meat before any scavenging animals could risk getting hit.

You don't have to know the person who struck roadkill to be able to claim it in Wyoming, but it's not a bad idea. Bales said he never would have claimed the deer without knowing it had died only a few hours earlier and was still fresh.

Bales mailed in a lymph node from the animal to be tested for chronic wasting disease, a neurological illness similar to mad cow disease that's been spreading through U.S. deer populations for decades, and it came back negative.

After cutting up the deer, Bales and Casey sliced the heart and ate it fried in observance of a tradition that Bales, an avid hunter, grew up with. From there, they carved off roasts and steaks and smaller bits destined for grinding up like hamburger.

Casey had never hunted before and had only eaten wild game a couple times but liked the idea of at least making use of the animal that put her car in the body shop.

"It's always been important to me to understand where our food comes from," she said.

Bales prepared the prized backstraps using a family recipe that includes seasoned salt and fresh-ground fennel seeds.

The verdict? Tender, tasty ... delicious.

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Connecticut is re-imagining its child welfare system.

In a plan recently approved by the federal government, Connecticuts child welfare system would provide greater access to mental health services, substance use treatment, parent support and other services to families to help avoid the state Department of Children and Families from getting involved, officials said.

The Family First Prevention Plan will not only serve those families who come to our attention, but have also taken a bold approach to develop supports for families upstream and within local communities resulting in them actually being diverted from involvement with the child welfare agency," according to state Department of Children and Families Commissioner Vannessa Dorantes.

We need to continue to lift the negative stigma of seeking help and this plan sets the framework for early intervention right in your own community, she added.

Gov. Ned Lamont said the plan is designed to enhance the well-being of all of Connecticuts children, youth and families.

This is Connecticuts plan and one that will lead to our children having a brighter future, Lamont said in a statement.

The plan was developed in response to the Family First Prevention Services Act, which was signed into federal law in February 2018. The law expanded funding for foster care and adoption assistance to also include prevention services. This could include evidence-based mental health treatment programs, substance abuse prevention and treatment programs and in-home parenting skill-based programs, Lamonts office said.

As this plan is implemented, DCF can claim federal reimbursement for evidence-based programs.

This is one of the first major pieces of child welfare financial reform the federal government has established in decades, according to Dorantes.

It is truly revolutionary, Dorantes said.

The state said it is using the Family First Prevention Plan as a tool to build upon existing infrastructure with the goal to prevent maltreatment and children entering foster care.

The program will go beyond families that have previously worked with DCF. Families with circumstances placing them at increased risk for maltreatment and involvement with the child welfare system will also be eligible, the state said. This could be families who have accepted voluntary care management, families that are experiencing interpersonal violence, youth who have been arrested and other factors.

The state submitted its plan in July 2021 and has since been working with the U.S. Childrens Bureau to get it approved. DCF is now considering how to create a Care Management Entity that would connect families, and those concerned about families, with these various services, according to Ken Mysogland, DCFs bureau chief of external affairs.

Though the Care Management Entity will be funded by the state, Mysogland said it will be a private provider, meaning when families reach out for support, it will not open up a case with DCF.

Thats the true essence of prevention is to embed services in our communities with easy access locally so issues that are identified can be resolved quicker and before they escalate, Mysogland said.

DCF has been working toward helping families stay together through preventative and supportive services, resulting in a 19 percent reduction in foster care cases since 2019.

But this plan promises to change the child welfare framework across the state and help families get the services they may need, Dorantes said.

Its just a little slice of what we can do together when we collectively work to make sure kids and families have what they need, she said.

Families who think they may need help with child care, support or other resources should call 211 or visit 211CT.org.

Families can also find behavioral health services and support by going to ConnectingToCareCT.org.

To report instances of child abuse or neglect, please call the DCF Careline at 800-842-2288.
STAMFORD  A proposed policy that would give the Stamford Board of Education the authority to ban books received little support among board members.

One member, Ben Lee, even compared it to the recently approved Parental Rights in Education bill in Florida, or as it is being described by critics, the Dont Say Gay bill.

That legislation would ban certain instruction related to sexual orientation and gender identity in classrooms.

The policy before the Stamford board, which was submitted by Republican member Joshua Esses, was not as broad as the Florida bill. It would give the board the final vote in approving teaching materials in what Esses described as sensitive topics.

He later defined that to mean any topics dealing with gender identity, sexual preference and materials related to the equity and diversity policy passed last year that addresses racial and cultural bias.

The policy would also set up a system in which parents would be notified of reading materials used in classrooms and would give them the ability to opt their children out of instruction involving such materials.

Lee pushed back on Esses comment that incorporating such books would represent introducing politics into the schools.

If we want to talk about politics, we only need to look at whats happening in Florida right now with its Dont Say Gay bill, Lee said. Are we not to say that that is injecting politics into the schools by trying to strip out any mention of gender identity or sexual orientation from the schools whatsoever?

He asked if classic books like The Great Gatsby should be banned, since the narrator of the book is often interpreted by scholars and fans of the book as being gay or bisexual.

It is not political, certainly not in Connecticut, for us to acknowledge that there are transgender students in our school system, Lee said. There are nonbinary students in our school system, there are LGBTQ students in our school system and we must recognize that not only are they students, they are children, and that all children in our school system deserve equal respect and to know that they are acknowledged and that they have equal rights within our schools.

Esses said that the impetus for his proposed policy was a recent controversy related to a book titled The Pants Project that was set to be introduced into Stamford schools for grades 3-5.

The book follows the life of Liv, a transgender boy, who attends a school where he is forced to comply with a female dress code that calls for him to wear skirts. That leads Liv to embark on a mission to get the school to allow students to wear pants.

Parents who criticized the book were especially concerned about one passage that they felt was inappropriate for the age group. In it, Liv recalls a conversation between two other characters: Last week, Chelsea loudly told Jade that shed seen a bulge in my underwear (I wish!).

This incident raised a broader concern that Ive heard not just with respect to those particular materials, but other materials being taught in schools, about are we introducing politics into our schools when we shouldnt? Esses said. Are we introducing age-inappropriate materials into our schools when we shouldnt?

Superintendent Tamu Lucero disagreed with Esses characterization of sensitive topics in the resolution.

I dont know that I would define those topics as sensitive topics as you were defining them, she said.

She asked Esses to give an example of a book that could fall under the sensitive topic description related to the equity and diversity policy.

Esses gave the example of a 10th grade teacher assigning students the book How to be an Antiracist by author Ibram X. Kendi.

Thats the sort of material that as a parent, I would like to know is being taught to my child, Esses said. Id probably let him read the book and talk to him about it, but its certainly something I would appreciate learning about ahead of time.

Lucero responded by questioning if Esses proposed definition of sensitive topics was too broad.

Where does it start and stop when you talk about materials that may or may not be appropriate? Lucero said.

Esses then said one way to clarify his resolution would be to require that any books or teaching materials proposed to be taught to students by the LGBTQ Collaborative  a district-wide committee that includes school employees, parents and students but is not part of the school system  would require prior approval by the board.

Member Dan Dauplaise strongly objected.

To use a phrase thats common to our generation, that triggers me, he said, later adding, I dont believe in banned books. Banned books are trouble.

Members tabled Esses resolution for a future meeting.

ignacio.laguarda@stamfordadvocate.com
After walking a budget tightrope with no safety net for most of the past two decades, Connecticut state government has socked away almost $4.8 billion since 2018 and could nearly double that by mid-2023.

But while thats three-and-half times what Connecticut saved in the prior 25 years combined, the states debt has somehow gotten worse  by a lot.

State officials secured short-term prosperity and less volatile finances for the foreseeable future by adding billions in long-term obligations to do it  a problem future generations of taxpayers may come to resent.

And as Novembers state-wide elections near, the battle to frame the states financial outlook  as the best of times or the worst of times  is only expected to intensify.

Huge surpluses and extra pension payments

At the Connecticut Business and Industry Associations Jan. 21 economic summit, Gov. Ned Lamont was optimistic.

Weve had a surplus three years in a row. That doesnt very often happen, he said. Right now, were strong.

Lamont, who took office in January 2019, has some good reasons to say that.

Taking advantage of a new savings program the legislature ordered in 2017, the Democratic governor has kept the budget balanced and avoided major tax hikes.

Thats a sharp contrast from the 2010s, a decade plagued by deficit forecasts and remembered for two of the largest tax hikes in state history.

Connecticut, which muddled through most of the past decade with no fiscal cushion, achieved the legal maximum rainy day fund allowed by law under Lamont, 15 percent of annual operating expenses, which amounts to about $3.1 billion.

Equally unprecedented, Connecticut is poised to dump billions of extra dollars into its cash-starved pension funds in just a few years.

With the rainy day fund full, the state hit another first under Lamont last fall, shifting a $1.6 billion surplus from the 2020-21 budget year into the pensions. Thats on top of the $2.9 billion in regular contributions already budgeted for pensions for state employees and municipal teachers.

And with analysts projecting another $4.4 billion in black ink across this fiscal year and next combined, the pension funds could see a short-term infusion of cash like never before.

The governor predicted that once those extra payments are made, the states regular, required pension contributions could drop significantly. That means hundreds of millions of dollars that could support education, health care, transportation, municipal aid or tax relief.

Those surplus projections have been fueled in part by a stock market that has largely been robust since 2018, despite a rough first month in 2022.

Connecticuts economic recovery and fiscal health continue to improve, state Treasurer Shawn Wooden, a Hartford Democrat, said in February, adding that the states cash flow, and not just the surplus, is at a historic high as well. This gives us the potential to continue to responsibly pay down Connecticuts pension liabilities at an accelerated rate.

Even as it saves more, CTs debt increases

But theres another side to that coin.

Connecticut reported $95 billion in unfunded obligations last fall, a combination of bonded debt and unfunded pension and retirement health care responsibilities.

Thats almost 30 percent more debt than the state reported in 2016, before five years of balanced budgets, careful savings and an unprecedented supplemental pension payment.

Connecticut, which already ranked as one of the most indebted states in the nation, appears to have gotten worse.

This is why people have a hard time trusting the people currently running our state government, said Madison Republican Bob Stefanowski, who lost the 2018 gubernatorial race to Lamont and is hoping for a rematch this year. Politicians making political calculations to protect their headlines, rather than protecting the states taxpayers and the bottom line.

Some of that extra debt was really always there.

The legislature adopted more conservative assumptions about pension fund investment returns over the past few years  dropping them from an annual average of 8 percent or more to about 7 percent. Pension debt is calculated over 25 or 30 years, and lowering the assumed revenue from investments means more contributions must come from the taxpayers.

But that wasnt the only change that affected pension debt. Governors and legislatures also refinanced the states pension obligations three times in the past four years.

Debt payments, involving both retirement benefit programs and bonding, consumed only 12 percent of the annual budget in the mid-1990s but were eating nearly 30 percent by 2017. The state had failed to properly save for its pensions for more than 70 years, forfeiting billions of dollars in potential investment earnings needed to cover benefits  and leaving the present generation to make up the difference.

Analysts warned finances would hit bottom around 2030, when spiking payments could be quadruple what they were in the mid-2010s, likely crippling most other programs and forcing unprecedented tax hikes.

Lamont and his predecessor, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy, worked with legislatures to smooth out those spikes, shifting billions of dollars in debt, plus interest, onto taxpayers in the late 2030s and 2040s.

But they didnt just lower required contributions for the spike years that are still to come. They also restructured payments in the near-term, making their own budgets easier to manage  while shifting even more burdens onto future taxpayers.

For example, Lamont restructured the teachers pension so that Connecticut actually contributed $128 million less during his first two years in office than it had during Malloys last year on the job.

And the $2.9 billion Connecticut must contribute this year to the two major pension funds combined this fiscal year also is roughly $630 million less than the payments the state would be facing, had it not refinanced both pensions in 2019, according to actuaries projections from three years ago.

In other words, some portion of the big surpluses Connecticut now enjoys stems from slowing down its payment of pension debt.

Its incomprehensible that our debt obligations have gone from $75 billion to $95 billion over the last five years while Gov. Lamont and the Democrats in charge of the legislature take their victory laps, Stefanowski said.

Connecticuts businesses are keeping a close watch on debt levels, but the jury is still out on whether everyone feels good about them.

Our larger businesses are very aware of the long-term liabilities Connecticut has, and that its been a little bit of a noose around the neck, said Chris DiPentima, president and CEO of the Connecticut Business and Industry Association.

And while the CBIA applauds the supplemental pension payments made over the past year and a half, he added, anything that makes state debt levels  and potentially future tax rates  likely to climb remains an impediment to business confidence and job growth.

House Republicans questioned whether pension refinancings couldnt have been delayed until the late 2020s, saving Connecticuts children huge burdens in the future.

Politicians' memories are limited to the election cycle, said House Minority Leader Vincent J. Candelora. They fail to look holistically where we are as a state.

Democrats: Fiscal good news extends way beyond surpluses

But while the overall debt level has increased, Lamont says Connecticut has gained something very valuable: fiscal stability.

For the first time in decades, state officials can look at the planned pension payments  significant though they are  and imagine a scenario in which Connecticut can manage them.

When the state is making its full pension payment plus supplemental payments, it demonstrates to residents and businesses that the state is creating a predictable, sustainable and structural budget environment to increase attractiveness as a great place to establish roots, Melissa McCaw, who stepped down earlier this month as Lamont's budget director, said in February.

The two-year budget Lamont and lawmakers enacted last June increases aid to cities and towns by nearly $200 million per year, on average, without imposing any major tax hikes. Without refinancing, those funds would likely have gone into the pension system, or taxes would have gone up.

And while other states are fearful of what will happen when billions of dollars in emergency federal pandemic relief expires two years from now, Connecticut has relatively little to worry about.

Analysts now project state finances for 2023-24 have a built-in hole of $520 million. But that doesnt include another $680 million they expect to be captured by the volatility adjustment.

Those funds, plus the $3.1 billion in the states rainy day fund, would enable the next governor and legislature to easily manage state finances even without lost federal pandemic relief.

We havent had a recession in a long time, and some of this prosperity is going to be throttled back eventually, Lamont told business leaders.

With the exception of the pandemic-induced economic slump of 2020, Connecticut has not faced a traditional recession since early 2010.

But with probably the biggest rainy day fund per capita  in the country, Lamont added, were relatively well prepared.

Part 2 of the update to A Legacy of Debt, to be published on ctmirror.org on March 20, will examine proposals to reduce the states savings habits and invest more in education, health care, tax cuts and other programs that sacrificed for years as debt payments gobbled up resources.
Milton, PA (17847)

Today

Cloudy this morning with showers during the afternoon. High 69F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 48F. Winds NNW at 10 to 15 mph.
Fifty years ago, in 1972, one-hundred Montana citizens gathered together and wrote the states new Constitution. Of those one-hundred giants of Montana history, only twelve are still with us. In 1972, Montanans began changing Montana from a state known at the time as a corporate colony of the powerful Anaconda Company into a state that vested much of its power in its people, thanks at least in part to the Constitution.

Sept. 14, 1971, was the primary election day for those citizens who sought to become delegates to a Constitutional Convention, which had been authorized by 65% of voters in the 1970 general election. The convention would have 100 delegates elected from the same multi-member districts as the 1971 Montana House of Representatives.

Competition among citizens for delegate seats was strong, perhaps because the Montana Supreme Court had ruled that no elected officials could be delegates. Filing to become delegates were 515 citizens  247 Democrats, 232 Republicans, 32 Independents and 4 from the New Reform Party. In the September 1971 primary, 148 Democrats and 132 Republicans were eliminated from the field, leaving 99 Democrats and 100 Republicans to compete in the general election along with the Independents and New Reform candidates.

Delegate candidates campaigned for votes for 49 days before the special general election on November 2, 1971. When the dust settled, 58 Democrats, 36 Republicans and 6 Independents were elected to fill the 100 delegate positions, including 19 women, a remarkable leap forward in 1971, when only 2 of 156 legislators were women.

On January 17, 1972 the delegates convened in an open convention with a free exchange of ideas, including hundreds of ideas submitted by Montana citizens. After 54 working days the newly drafted Constitution was signed by all 100 delegates and submitted to the people for a ratification vote.

Over 73 days of campaigning, the proposed Constitution was debated before Montana voters. Opposition was well-financed, mostly by those who had profited from favorable provisions in the 1889 Constitution. Citizens hungry for change supported its ratification. On June 6, 1972, the new Constitution was ratified by a narrow 2532 vote margin, upheld by a 3-2 Montana Supreme Court decision.

While most delegates supported ratification, some had opposed it. Yet, through all this process, the 100 delegates had cemented relationships that have lasted to this day. Two reasons delegates bonded were their decision to seat themselves alphabetically, rather than by political party, and to share power by spreading leadership of the committees and officers among Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

Following ratification, the delegates formed a Constitutional Convention Society and have since met annually with family and friends in celebration of their collective efforts to help forge a new Montana. Every five years those gatherings were held in Convention Hall in the State Capitol (the House Chambers). This year the 50 year gathering will be in the Convention Hall on June 15-16.

After 50 years, current generations of Montanans should say thank you to those remaining delegates and to the families of those who have passed. These 100 delegates, proud Montana citizens all, are giants in Montana history. Their new Constitution, often recognized as the best state Constitution in the nation, began with these remarkable opening words: We the people of Montana grateful to God for the quiet beauty of our state, the grandeur of our mountains, the vastness of our rolling plains, and desiring to improve the quality of life, equality of opportunity and to secure the blessings of liberty for this and future generations do ordain and establish this constitution.

Many Montanans and Montana groups are this year celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the 1972 Constitution. Leading the celebration activities is the Montana Constitutional Convention Celebration Committee. Montanas four living former Governors serve as Honorary Chairs of the Committee and we are the Executive Committee.

This is the first of a series of We the People columns about Montanas 1972 Constitution offered by the Celebration Committee, providing insights from folks who participated in the creation of the Constitution 50 years ago. We hope you find them interesting and informative.

Honorary Chairs of the Constitutional Convention Celebration Committee are former Governors Ted Schwinden, Marc Racicot, Brian Schweitzer and Steve Bullock. The Executive Committee, signers of this column, consists of Co-Chairs and ConCon Delegates Mae Nan Ellingson, Missoula and Jerome Loendorf, Helena, as well as non-delegates Evan Barrett, Butte, Norma Bixby, Lame Deer, Bob Brown, Whitefish, Tim Fox, Helena, Mike Halligan, Missoula, Joel Krautter, Sidney, Nancy Leifer, Missoula, Rob Saldin, Missoula, and Chantel Scheiffer, Helena.

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Ashtabula, OH (44004)

Today

Showers early, then cloudy in the afternoon. High 54F. Winds N at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Mostly cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low 43F. Winds light and variable.
The number of registrations of individuals and legal entities increased in January 2022 by 0.24%, compared to the first month of last year, to 11,121, of which 8,248 are limited liability companies (SRL), according to the data centralized by the National Trade Registry Office (ONRC), consulted by AGERPRES.

Most registrations were recorded in Bucharest, namely 1,983 (+ 10.84%, compared to January 2021), and in the counties of Cluj -664 (+ 10.12%), Ilfov - 572 (+ 14.86%) and Timis -518 (+ 3.6%).

On the other hand, the lowest number of registrations was recorded in Covasna counties - 57 (-19.72%, compared to January 2021), Caras-Severin - 72 (-6.49%), Ialomita - 74 (-1 , 33%) and Tulcea - 77 (same as in January 2021).

According to ONRC, the areas in which most registrations were made are: wholesale and retail; repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles (2,220, -13.45% compared to the first month of last year), construction (1,413; + 0.21%), transport and storage (1,232; -10.47%) and professional, scientific and technical activities (1,190; + 11.32%).
Since the start of the conflict in Ukraine, 3,753 Ukrainian citizens have applied for asylum in Romania, of whom 65 in the last 24 hours.

These citizens enjoy all the rights provided by the national legislation, the Ministry of Internal Affairs stated in a press release.

At this moment, the occupancy rate of the General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI) accommodation centers is 63.2 percent.

"Regarding the traffic through the border crossing points, we mention that in the last 24 hours, the state border was crossed on the inbound by 19,462 means of transport and 75,902 people, of whom 16,676 Ukrainian citizens," MAI also informed.
Feb. 24 at 9:41 p.m. marked the end of an era for Heskett Station, as workers there described it. It was the last time North Dakotas oldest coal-fired power plant would ever burn lignite.

Operations Supervisor Lonnie Moody anticipated a somber mood inside the control room that evening. He started working at the plant 30 years ago unloading lignite coal that arrived by rail, and he planned to be there as it shut down, he told the Tribune in an interview on Feb. 23.

I want to see it go off, he said.

The retirement of Hesketts two coal-fired units did not come about suddenly. Montana-Dakota Utilities announced in 2019 that it planned to stop operating Units 1 and 2 north of Mandan, as well as another coal-fired power plant, Lewis & Clark Station near Sidney, Montana.

Moody knew Hesketts coal units were aging -- one is nearly 70 years old -- and that the economics no longer favored coal-fired power at the site. Still, the plant ran well. He was on vacation the day the news came down that the units would retire in a couple of years.

My phone was blowing up, he said.

Joe Geiger remembers that day, too. He also was a supervisor at the plant, and has since moved on to a new job within MDU that includes implementing the retirements.

I think everyone was understanding of the decision, he said. As an employee of the facility, it was still a difficult message to receive.

MDU had planned to stop running the coal units by the end of March, but recent developments sped the timeline up several weeks. A mechanical failure caused Unit 2 to come offline Jan. 30. That factored into the companys decision to shut down Unit 1 on Thursday to comply with federal air regulations, spokesperson Mark Hanson said.

History

Hesketts Unit 1 fired up for the first time in 1954 with a 25-megawatt capacity. It was the largest coal plant in the state in those days.

MDU took out a full-page ad in The Bismarck Tribune ahead of the facilitys dedication the following year, inviting the public to an open house for tours, doughnuts and coffee. Attendees could enter a drawing that promised a DeLuxe Hotpoint Electric Range for a grand prize. MDU named the $6.5 million power plant for company founder R.M. Heskett.

The plant was meant to complement electricity produced at hydropower dams going in up and down the Missouri River, the Tribune reported in articles about the plants construction during the 1950s. When water levels were low and the dams output lacking, Heskett was meant to fill the gap.

The Bismarck-Mandan area was growing for a number of reasons, including the discovery of oil in Tioga in 1951. The oil boom brought a number of energy-related businesses to the state, many of which chose the capital city and its neighbor for their headquarters.

The expansion of agriculture, industry, distribution services and small businesses of all kinds resulted in greatly accelerated demand for electric power in western North Dakota, the Tribune reported ahead of Hesketts dedication.

MDU installed a larger unit with a 75-megawatt capacity at the site in 1963. Heskett made up the oldest still-operating coal-fired power plant in North Dakota until this week. Basin Electric Power Cooperatives Leland Olds Station has that distinction now. It began operating in 1966.

Utilities built a number of larger coal plants in the decades after Heskett came online, primarily further north alongside the mines that feed them. Lignite coal has a high moisture content, making it inefficient to transport long distances by train.

Coal traveled only a short distance by rail to Heskett from the Beulah Mine, operated by Westmoreland Beulah Mining. Coal production is stopping at the mine while a multiyear reclamation process begins, Public Service Commissioner Randy Christmann said.

An executive of Westmoreland Mining Holdings told the Tribune that "while coal extraction may be winding down, our full-scale operation to restore the land to pristine condition will be ramping up significantly."

Chief Operating Officer Joe Micheletti added that the mine has employed 26 people who, in recent years, have supplied Heskett with about 400,000 tons of coal annually.

About 50 people worked at Heskett before its coal retirements were announced.

You spend so much time in there, Moody said. It gets to be like family.

Whats next

Heskett Station will no longer burn coal, but it will continue to send power into the grid via an existing gas-fired unit and another one planned for the site. Both are peaking units. They will sit at the ready much of the time, waiting for a spike in electricity demand before firing up.

Already, construction workers have begun moving dirt for the new unit west of the coal facilities, Hanson said. The unit is slated to come online by the end of the first quarter of 2023, doubling the gas plants 88-megawatt capacity.

MDU installed the first gas unit in 2014, with fuel transported by a pipeline that taps into a larger line at St. Anthony in southern Morton County. The gas comes from the Northern Border Pipeline, which starts in Canada and picks up a significant amount of gas produced in western North Dakotas Bakken oil fields.

MDU has cited low-cost natural gas, the low price of power on the market and rising coal costs as factors in retiring Hesketts coal units.

The decision to retire these units was made in the customers best interest, said Geiger, who now works as MDUs director of generation.

MDU recently entered into an agreement with Minnkota Power Cooperative to purchase power from the coal-fired Milton R. Young Station to help bridge the gap between Hesketts coal retirements and its new gas unit.

Hesketts retirements come as the coal industry has struggled amid an influx of natural gas and renewable energy across the United States. Heskett marks the second coal plant to shutter in recent memory in North Dakota. Great River Energys Stanton Station stopped operating in 2017.

Seven workers will stay on at Heskett to support its gas units. Five employees have accepted other positions within MDU, and seven have short-term assignments, Hanson said. Nearly 30 more will continue to work the next few months to prepare the site for dismantling.

Moody said a number of Heskett workers have left in the years since MDU announced the plants closure. Both he and Geiger said the company has tried hard to help employees find other jobs.

Ultimately, finding gainful employment was one of my higher priorities. Staying with MDU was also a very high priority, Geiger said. The fact that I was able to accomplish both of those goals by moving into that position was hugely beneficial to my family.

He said workers in the coming months will remove hazardous materials and any environmental contaminants, then dismantle just about everything at the site, including the two tall smokestacks. The process is known as decommissioning.

All the structures will come down with the end result being a newly graded site, Geiger said.

Moody expects he will retire around the time decommissioning starts. He said the closure of the coal units will be life-altering for a lot of people.

Its going to be weird to spend 30 years of your life at a place thats going to get erased, he said.

Reach Amy R. Sisk at 701-250-8252 or amy.sisk@bismarcktribune.com.

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Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu announced on Sunday after a meeting with his Israeli counterpart, Yair Lapid, that more than 3,000 Israeli citizens and more than 1,200 Ukrainian citizens of Jewish origin have been supported to enter the territory of our country and then be evacuated to Israel.

"The substantive talks we have had today reflect the excellent level of our bilateral relations, which are of a strategic nature, as well as the common interest of Romania and the State of Israel to develop and deepen the political-diplomatic and sectoral dialogue. This meeting is a continuation the very good contacts we have had as of late, most recently on March 3, when we had a telephone conversation in the context of the dramatic events in Ukraine and, in fact, this visit and our discussions were largely focused on the effects of the illegal aggression of the Russian Federation on Ukraine," minister Aurescu told in a press conference, after the meeting with Yair Lapid.

The head of diplomacy underlined Romania's efforts in the process of evacuating from Ukraine thousands of Israeli citizens or citizens of Jewish origins, including 100 orphans.

"We discussed joint efforts to support the evacuation of people fleeing war, including citizens of the state of Israel. Over 430,000 Ukrainian citizens entered our country through Romania's border crossing points with Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, to whom are added a very large number of citizens of other states who have been evacuated, and this number is certainly rising. I assured my colleague of Romania's commitment to providing full support for the further evacuation of Israeli or citizens of Jewish origin from Ukraine. So far, more than 3,000 Israeli citizens, over 1,200 Ukrainian citizens of Jewish origin have been supported by Romania to enter our country and then to be evacuated, with more than 12 flights to Israel, including about 100 orphans who were brought from Ukraine," the Romanian Foreign minister said.

He added that these efforts were made possible by joint efforts due to exemplary cooperation between the authorities, with reference to the Consular Department of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Embassy in Bucharest.

Bogdan Aurescu recalled the recent operationalization in Suceava of a logistics center, intended to collect and transfer international aid to Ukraine, inviting the state of Israel to support this center.

According to the Romanian official, the serious crisis caused by the illegal Russian military aggression against Ukraine is not only a problem of the region or of Europe, but has global effects.

"The serious multidimensional crisis caused by the illegal Russian military aggression against Ukraine is not only a problem of the region, it is not only a problem of Europe, but it also has global effects. That is why it is important and we decided to stay together to maintain close contact and also to act within the framework offered by the various international organizations in order to support the democratic values, in order to support the international law," specified minister Aurescu.

Another topic addressed by the two foreign ministers concerns the preparation of the third joint Romanian-Israeli government meeting (G2G), scheduled for this year.

"Bilaterally, we have discussed the preparation of the next joint government meeting, the third session of the joint government meeting, this year. We discussed the issues of interest within this framework, of the future joint government meeting, because we want to boost our sectoral cooperation in several areas that are extremely important. We agreed that in preparation for the joint government meeting we should organize another meeting of the joint working group on economic issues, which is under the coordination of the two ministries of foreign affairs. We are talking about the economy - in 2021, our total trade will reach almost 885 million US dollars, an increase of almost 240 million dollars compared to 2020 and 2019. We must, therefore, continue our efforts in this regard," explained Aurescu.

He showed there was also increased potential in several areas, including agriculture, water management, artificial intelligence, and cybersecurity.

"We have discussed this issue with Mr. Minister, increasing resilience, research, innovation, development, technology transfer, because it is extremely relevant for the two states to strengthen their prosperity and, at the same time, their ability to meet the challenges of hybrid nature," added Bogdan Aurescu.

The Romanian Foreign Affairs Minister reiterates Romania's firm commitment to fighting anti-Semitism, xenophobia, with our country adopting, last year, a first National Strategy to combat anti-Semitism, to promote memory policies, to combat xenophobia.

At the end of the conference, Bogdan Aurescu thanked Yair Lapid for the support that the state of Israel provided to Romania during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Israel, Yair Lapid, thanked on Sunday the Government of Romania for the cooperation and the help given to the Israeli citizens in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, which led to the saving of many lives.

"The Romanian government has worked closely with us and helped us a lot to save many lives. Children of Jewish descent from Odessa, children with cancer have been sent to Israel for treatment and thousands of refugees have escaped through Siret customs. Their lives have been saved by cooperation between our countries. Thank you and thank you to the Romanian Government for its cooperation and help," said Yair Lapid, after meeting with Foreign Affairs Minister Bogdan Aurescu.

He called on the Russian Federation to resolve the conflict with Ukraine through negotiations.

"In addition to our long-standing friendship, both in times of peace and in times of war, as we now see the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, which is without justification, we call on Russia to end and resolve this conflict through negotiations. We will do our best to have a peaceful solution. We are working with our allies - the United States and our European partners - to try to end this tragedy as soon as possible," said the Israeli Foreign Affairs minister.
The Border Police informs that in the last 24 hours, 75,902 people entered Romania through the border crossing points, out of whom 16,676 Ukrainian citizens, an increase of 2 percent compared to the previous day.

As many as 7,203 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania (up by 8.7 percent) at the border with Ukraine, and 7,789 Ukrainian citizens entered Romania (down by 2.6 percent) at the border with the Republic of Moldova.

Since the onset of this crisis, until March 12, 2022, at 24.00, at national level, 397,542 Ukrainian citizens have entered Romania.

Currently, border control at the entrance to Romania through the border crossing points is carried out effectively, in accordance with the provisions of the national and community legislation, with control lines covered by Romanian border guards to the maximum capacity.

Similar measures to strengthen control and increased surveillance have been put in place at the land border, with additional crews carrying out missions in areas of responsibility. Action is taken in an integrated system with the other institutions with duties in the field, with a view to the operative exchange of data and information, as well as the joint adoption of the necessary measures for the management of cases.
Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca said on Sunday that citizens need more than ever to be protected from the military, social and economic effects of aggression in Ukraine.

According to a government press release, Nicolae-Ionel Ciuca received Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid at the Victoria Palace of Government on Sunday, with talks focusing on analyzing regional developments and managing the effects of Russian aggression in Ukraine.

Prime Minister Ciuca strongly condemned Russia's unprovoked, unjustified and illegal aggression in Ukraine and noted the strong and unified response of the European Union and NATO states for strengthening the Eastern Flank and guaranteeing security.

"The common, strong, and swift response of all Western states that think in terms of democracy, a market economy, and a rules-based world is especially valuable. Our citizens need more than ever to be protected from the military, social, and social effects, and the Ukrainian people to feel the solidarity of all the states that strongly condemn this illegal aggression," said Nicolae Ciuca, as cited in the release.

The two senior officials discussed the prospects for the situation in the region and ways to resolve the conflict, context in which Israeli Foreign Affairs Minister Yair Lapid mentioned the visit of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Benett to Moscow and talks with the President of the Federation, Vladimir Putin, mentions the release.

"The talks also focused on opportunities for economic and security cooperation between Romania and the State of Israel, especially in the field of cybersecurity. Another important topic was the prospect of organizing a new meeting in Israel of the two governments, an opportunity to capitalize on the opportunities to boost economic cooperation and trade between the two states," specifies the Executive.
As many as 1,626 new cases of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 were registered in the last 24 hours in Romania, by 1,117 fewer than on the previous day, on 18,000 RT-PCR and rapid antigenic tests performed, the Health Ministry informed on Sunday.

Of the new cases, 180 are in re-infected patients who tested positive more than 90 days after the first infection.

Most new cases of infection compared to the previous report are in Bucharest - 466 and the counties of Cluj - 282, Giurgiu - 132, Timis - 128, and Ilfov - 118.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, a total of 2,791,994 cases of infection with the novel coronavirus have been registered in Romania.

- Hospitalisations -

There are 3,716 people infected with SARS-CoV-2 in hospitals across the country, by 115 more than the day before; including 230 children.

580 patients are hospitalised in ICUs, by 15 fewer than the previous day, 2 of whom are children. Of the total number of ICU patients, 520 are unvaccinated.

- Deaths -

According to the Health Ministry, 26 deaths were reported in the last 24 hours in patients infected with the novel coronavirus - 13 men and 13 women (including five cases previously unaccounted for). The age of the deceased ranges from 40-49 to over 80. All deaths were in patients with underlying conditions.

Out of the total of 26 fatalities, 22 were unvaccinated. The vaccinated patients were in the 60-95 age group.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, 64,361 people diagnosed with SARS-CoV-2 infection have died in Romania.
Border police officers from Suceava found and detained, upon entering the country through Siret Border Crossing Point (PTF), a woman from the Russian Federation, wanted internationally, since 2018, by the authorities in her country, for participating in an illegal armed group, informed, on Sunday, the spokesperson of the Suceava Territorial Service of the Border Police (STPF), Ilie Poroch Seritan.

According to the cited source, the 36-year-old woman was found in the Siret Border Crossing Point, on Friday evening, at 19.00, on the inbound, at the check performed on a passenger bus traveling on the route Ukraine - Turkey.

The woman, on whose behalf an international arrest warrant was issued by Interpol, was handed over to the Criminal Investigation Service with the Suceava County Police Inspectorate (IPJ) for the implementation of the legal measures.

She was presented by the Prosecutor's Office attached to the Suceava Court of Appeal before the judge of rights and freedoms within the Suceava Court of Appeal with a proposal for provisional arrest in case of emergency of the extraditable person Amina Gerikhanova, against whom the Russian judicial authorities ordered the transmission of the April 24, 2018 broadcast issued by Interpol Moscow, requesting arrest for extradition, based on the arrest warrant issued on March 27, 2018 by the Oktyabrsky District Court, Grozny, Russia.

The Suceava Court of Appeal set March 24 as the deadline to determine whether the conditions for extradition were met, as the woman is currently in the IPJ Suceava detention center.
This weekends concerts by Maestro Stephane Deneve and the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra featured an international cast of composers and performers with an emphasis on mythical characters  Hindu goddesses, a Persian spirit and a Russian magical folk character.

The Goddess Triptych by the contemporary American composer Stacy Garrop describes Durga (who) Battles a Buffalo Demon, Lakshmi (who) Sits on a Lotus Blossom and Ganga (who) Cascades from the Heavens.

The goddess Durga was brought into being to slay a buffalo demon that couldnt otherwise be killed. The music, scored for large orchestra, is exotic, exciting and powerful while still tonal. The music for her second goddess, Lakshmi, is much calmer, emphasizing string harmonics and woodwinds. The third goddess is Ganga, who symbolizes the sacred river Ganges. The movement begins with scampering music and later features enormous crescendos. The composer was present to witness the world premiere and standing ovation, and piccolo soloist Ann Choomack was given a solo bow.

Paul Dukas La Peri (Poeme danse) is music to accompany the story of Iskender, seeking the Flower of Immortality. When he steals it from the spirit Peri, she steals it back, bringing on Iskenders demise.

After Dukas had completed La Peri he added an opening fanfare for brass, which remains the best known and most popular part of the score. Much of the music is variously sonorous, mysterious, modern, moody and very French.

Igor Stravinskys ballet The Firebird launched his career in 1909. Its based on two Russian folk characters, the magical Firebird and the evil Kashchei the Deathless.

Stravinskys Firebird Suite is made up of seven pieces extracted by the composer from the original ballet score. At this beginning of his career Stravinskys orchestration is a kaleidoscopic variety of exotic sounds. The familiar music is variously pretty, mysterious, moody, exciting, dramatic and loud. Deneve, who conducted from memory, gave solo bows to French horn player Roger Kaza and bassoonist Andrew Duneo, and the powerful ending resulted in another standing ovation.

Between the Garrop and Dukas pieces, Deneves countryman (now a resident of Los Angeles) Jean-Yves Thibaudet, one of the most notable pianists working today, performed Camille Saint-Saens Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, op. 103, subtitled Egyptian. Deneve began the concert with the Ukrainian national anthem with both orchestra and audience standing in respect.

The Egyptian subtitle to Saint-Saens piano concerto concerns itself with the song of a Nile boatman contained in the second movement, and much of the piece was composed in Egypt. The musical feeling is strongly French throughout, however, with Deneve describing Thibaudet as the most American of the French pianists.

At times the balance between soloist and orchestra is particularly admirable, and at others the two forces seem merged into one musical entity. Saint-Saens often put the melody in the orchestra while the piano part contains flourishes, arpeggios and running figures. Thibaudet had an unusual, tack piano-like sound in the extreme treble in certain places, and especially in the third movement was able to demonstrate the power and speed that made this a true concerto performance. The powerful ending led to another standing ovation, especially long and enthusiastic.
Tony Messenger Tony Messenger is the metro columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Follow Tony Messenger 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

Jess Piper connected the dots in Missouris education debate.

Piper lives in Hopkins, just north of Maryville, where she has been a longtime American literature teacher at the public high school. Shes a relatively rare Democrat in this slice of northwest Missouri, running for state representative in the House District 1 race.

The other day, as Missouri lawmakers were debating a bill (House Bill 1522) that would funnel about $18 million from the St. Louis Public Schools to give over to charter schools in the city, heres what she wrote on the social media platform Twitter.:

What does defunding education look like in Missouri? It looks like charters in urban areas and 4-day weeks in rural areas. Schools in higher poverty areas bear the brunt of experimental education. Our kids are test subjects.

Shes not wrong.

One of the truths about Missouri that doesnt get told enough is that there is a lot of potential common ground between urban areas and rural areas that often find themselves divided in legislative debates. Much of that common ground relates to poverty, which tends to predominantly affect white people where Piper lives and Black people in cities.

There is deep poverty in rural Missouri, and yet its Republican lawmakers often seem more interested in proposing legislation that they think would solve St. Louis problems, while exempting their constituents from the same solutions.

On the day Piper wrote that tweet, a former colleague of mine, Springfield News-Leader education reporter Claudette Riley, published a story that shows how widespread the four-day week in rural Missouri schools is becoming. There are now 128 school districts in Missouri  about 25% of all public school districts in the state  that have gone to a four-day school week, with many more considering the decision.

The reason in nearly all cases is the same: money.

After the Great Recession, when state revenue dried up in a state that already woefully underfunded public education, Missouri made it legal for school districts to cut a day from their school week. Those that made the move, and keep making the move, are mostly in rural areas, and the reasons superintendents and school boards give is always lack of funding.

They dont have the money to recruit and retain enough teachers or staff. Turning the lights out one day a week will save money. The pandemic has made things even worse.

Of course, as Piper points out, the very Legislature that allowed the change to four-day weeks has long been part of the problem. In the past decade, Missouri has never ranked higher than 47th in terms of state funding to public schools. The current rank is 49th.

When the Republicans who run the Legislature brag of fully funding the state aid formula that determines how much each school district gets, its only because they changed the law, reducing the amount of money that is needed, a few years ago.

Missouris per pupil funding falls at a middle-of-the-road national ranking, but thats only because wealthy suburban districts can afford to raise property taxes to make sure their students have all the money they need and raise the average.

And about those teachers whom rural school districts say they cant recruit? Thats because Missouris starting teacher pay ranks 50th in the nation.

Amid all this, its no wonder the annual debate over charter schools funding gets so emotional. Some of the people on both sides of the debate use Black kids in St. Louis as a cudgel, accusing opponents of not caring about their success. Meanwhile, none of the rural lawmakers imposing a St. Louis-specific solution on one school district even have to ponder the charter vs. public school debate in their own backyards.

Thats because rural lawmakers, as much as they tout charters in the city, wont vote for them in their own districts. Whats good for the city goose isnt OK for the rural gander.

That doesnt seem fair. Neither does this:

The debate that matters most is the one the Missouri Legislature wont have: When will it fund public schools, in the cities and every tucked-away rural outpost, at a level that doesnt have school boards turning to four-day school weeks or experimental concepts to provide the education that the state constitution says is required?

Put another way: When will Missouris race to the bottom end?

From City Hall to the Capitol, metro columnist Tony Messenger shines light on what public officials are doing, tells stories of the disaffected, and brings voice to the issues that matter. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
A 19-year-old man was killed Sunday morning after he was shot inside a home on Bird Avenue, Buffalo police said.

The shooting happened shortly after 3:40 a.m. at what police described as a party or gathering on Bird, between Grant Street and Richmond Avenue, a police spokesperson said in an email.

The victim was taken by ambulance to Erie County Medical Center where he later died.

While police did not initially disclose the victim's name, SUNY Buffalo State officials said they were told by Buffalo police that a 19-year-old student was the victim of an early morning shooting at an off-campus gathering. College officials identified him as Royden Cave, a Brooklyn native and a freshman criminal justice major.

"On behalf of the entire Buffalo State community, I express my heartfelt condolences to the Cave family and Royden's beloved friends. Our hearts ache for you during this difficult time," Buffalo State President Katherine S. Conway-Turner said in an email sent to students and staff Sunday morning.

Police did not release any further details about the shooting.

Police ask anyone with information to call or text the department's confidential TIP-CALL line at 716-847-2255.

The slaying was at least the 13th homicide in Buffalo so far this year.

Last year, there were 14 homicides through March 13, according to Buffalo Police Department data. Over the last decade, Buffalo has averaged 10 homicides through the end of March, according to a Buffalo News analysis of police data.

Reach Aaron at abesecker[at]buffnews.com or 716-849-4602.

Sign up for our Crime & Courts newsletter Get the latest in local public safety news with this weekly email. Sign up! * I understand and agree that registration on or use of this site constitutes agreement to its user agreement and privacy policy.
Updated Monday night with Major Case Squad statement

SAUGET  The Major Case Squad of Greater St. Louis is asking for the public's help in identifying several people believed to have been in the area of a nightclub where a fatal shooting occurred on Sunday.

Police officers found a 29-year-old Black Jack man dead early Sunday morning in the overflow parking lot of the Oz Night Club in the 300 block of Monsanto Avenue.

St. Clair County Coroner Calvin Dye Sr. later confirmed Jonathan Brown died of a gunshot wound to the head. Police were called to the area about 6:45 a.m. Sunday, and Dye said Brown was pronounced dead at 10:30 a.m.

On Monday night, the Major Case Squad tweeted a series of photos of people "believed to have been in the area when the shooting occurred."

Anyone with information on the case or the individuals shown in the photos is asked to call the Sauget Police Department at 618-332-6500, St. Clair County police dispatchers at 618-825-2681 or CrimeStoppers at 866-371-8477.
FERGUSON  A woman died early Saturday evening in a crash on Chambers Road at Forestwood Drive, police said.

The Ferguson Fire Department freed the woman from the car, police said, but couldn't save her life.

Police said they considered the crash "a criminal matter" but provided no other details. The department reported the crash about 5 p.m.

Anyone with information about the incident is asked to call the Ferguson Police Department at 314-522-3100.
Dozens of Russian nationals joined Ukrainians in the coastal resort town of Limassol, Cyprus to protest the war in Ukraine. Read more of the latest developments here.
LONDON  Russia said on Sunday that it was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from Western sanctions, which it said had frozen nearly half of its gold and foreign currency reserves.

We have part of our gold and foreign exchange reserves in the Chinese currency, in yuan. And we see what pressure is being exerted by Western countries on China in order to limit mutual trade with China. Of course, there is pressure to limit access to those reserves, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said.

But I think that our partnership with China will still allow us to maintain the cooperation that we have achieved, and not only maintain, but also increase it in an environment where Western markets are closing.

Western countries have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russias corporate and financial system since it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it calls a special military operation.

Siluanovs comments in a TV interview marked the clearest statement yet from Moscow that it will seek help from China to cushion the impact.

The two countries have tightened cooperation in recent times as both have come under strong Western pressure over human rights and a raft of other issues.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Feb. 4 and announced a strategic partnership they said was aimed at countering the influence of the United States, describing it as a friendship with no limits.

The sanctions on Russian reserves have become one of the most painful measures for the Russian economy.

A month ago, Siluanov said Russia would be able to withstand sanctions thanks to abundant reserves and was even considering offering Eurobonds to foreign investors once the market volatility subsides.

On Sunday he said the sanctions had frozen around $300 billion out of $640 billion that Russia had in its gold and forex reserves.

Siluanov also said Russia will fulfill its state debt obligations and will pay rubles to its debt holders until the state reserves are unfrozen.
The recent announcement by Peabody Coal that its launching a new company to pursue solar energy production and storage on a massive scale is an acknowledgment, however long in coming, that even this preeminent giant of the coal industry understands that Americas energy future must be an increasingly renewable one.

St. Louis-based Peabody, the worlds largest private-sector coal producer, announced the creation of a renewable energy development company called R3 Renewables. It will develop solar power projects on land it already owns for old coal mining operations in Illinois and Indiana. The scale is significant, promising to ultimately produce multiple times more solar power and battery storage capacity than currently exists in the two states.

As the Post-Dispatchs Bryce Gray reports, the transformation from coal to solar at the sites makes abundant sense from a business perspective for a few reasons. Solar power requires large swaths of real estate, which Peabody already owns there. The company is ultimately responsible for environmental reclamation of the former coal mining sites, but those costs may be postponed while the land is still in use for these projects. And, crucially, the infrastructure to transfer the power from the sites onto power grids is already in place.

Beyond the business sense, the move acknowledges what scientists around the world now virtually unanimously warn is the global emergency of climate change.

The most dire earlier predictions  record-setting annual temperature spikes, melting sea ice, rising sea levels, increased wildfires, less predictable hurricane seasons  have all come to pass, with a vengeance. Hardly a week goes by anymore without some dire new study identifying yet another indication that humanity is doing lasting, perhaps irreversible damage to the planet. (The most recent example is a study showing the Amazon rainforest, a major global resource for absorbing greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, is increasingly having trouble bouncing back from the effects of droughts and wildfires.)

The production and burning of fossil fuels, including coal, are major contributors to the crisis, pouring carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, where it contributes to the heat-trapping greenhouse effect that is, undeniably, warming the planet. Obviously, the worlds industry is too reliant on coal, oil and other fossil fuels to shift overnight to solar, wind and other renewables. But in the long run, that shift is going to be necessary.

The issue continues to spur policy wars in Washington between industrial and environmental interests  which is why moves like Peabodys, done of its own accord, for self-interested business reasons, are so encouraging. This newspaper has never hesitated to criticize the energy giant when criticism has been merited (including for its role in climate-change denial in the past). But credit where its due: This is a breath of fresh air.
Regarding Inmates sought help for Madison County inmate who died during withdrawal (March 10): I was disturbed to read about Elissa Lindhorsts death from opioid withdrawal inside the Madison County Jail. The corrections officers refusal to respond to calls for medical assistance was inhumane, but even more importantly, Lindhorst shouldnt have been in the jails custody in the first place.

Just a few weeks before her death, the Pretrial Fairness Act was passed by the Illinois Legislature. Had the law already taken effect, there is a good chance Lindhorst would still be here today. The law ends the use of cash bond in Illinois and ensures that people are not jailed pretrial simply because they are accused of drug-related charges, especially simple possession.

Under the current system, people like Lindhorst are jailed with assumption that people using substances are safer behind bars, but this is far from true. Among the Illinois incarcerated, only 17% of those in need of clinical treatment services actually receive it. When jails do offer treatment programs, they typically are short of clinical practices, which includes access to medications for opioid-use disorder (buprenorphine and methadone).

Although we cant turn back time, we can help ensure that no one is placed in Lindhorsts situation ever again in Illinois. While law enforcement and Republicans call for repealing the Pretrial Fairness Act, the Post-Dispatchs article about the lawsuit filed by Lindhorsts mother is a tragic reminder of why the law was passed in the first place.

Jen Nagel-Fischer  Alton
VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / March 11, 2022 / Gold Springs Resource Corp. (TSX:GRC)(OTCQB: GRCAF) (the "Company" or "GRC") is pleased to present the 2022 drilling plans for the "South Jumbo" resource located on the Utah portion of the large 8000 ha Gold Springs Project located in the western Great Basin, USA.

Antonio Canton, President, and CEO stated, "After updating the model of the South Jumbo resource with the 2021 drill results, our team has identified new areas for our 2022 drilling program. We are excited to drill in April at "South Jumbo", on the southern end of the 8 kilometer long Jumbo Trend, as it is an important target for our Company's 2022 objective to expand our gold resource to a level where we think our company will be attractive to major gold mining companies."

In 2021, GRC completed 16 holes at "South Jumbo" which focused on filling in a 400 meter gap in drilling between two resource bodies and expanding the gold mineralization to the south and at depth. Results of this drilling include:

7.6 meters @ 1.70 g/t gold equivalent

13.6 meters @ 1.01 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-004

13.6 meters @ 1.01 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-004 4.6 meters @ 0.57 g/t gold equivalent and

7.6 meters @ 0.73 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-005

7.6 meters @ 0.73 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-005 9.1 meters @ 0.67 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-007

20.9 meters @ 0.73 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-011

56.4 meters @ 0.75 g/t gold equivalent and

19.8 meters @ 5.37 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-012

19.8 meters @ 5.37 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-012 16.8 meters @ 0.56 g/t gold equivalent in hole E-21-016

Gold equivalent based on US$1,800/oz gold and US$25/oz silver. For further information about these results, please refer to the Company's news releases dated July 5, 2021 and September 7, 2021.

The 2021 drilling was able to demonstrate the extension of gold mineralization to the south, at depth, and within the gap zone between the two resource pods. The system remains open to the south, where it extends into a large area of post-mineral cover. The southernmost hole E-21-009 intercepted 0.57 g/t Au and 8.0 g/t Ag over 13.7 meters.

Due to poor drilling conditions, many of the holes designed to extend the system to depth were lost before they reached the target. Nevertheless, the hole E-21-012 did enter the target but was lost in a zone that ran 5.2 g/t Au and 12.4 g/t Ag over 19.8 meters at the bottom of the hole.

GRC was successful in demonstrating the presence of good gold values within the gap zone of the two lobes of the South Jumbo resource. This area was not drilled in the past as it awaited cultural clearance which was obtained in 2020. Hole E-21-004 targeted this gap area returning 1.58 g/t Au and 8.3 g/t Agover 7.6 meters and @ 0.97 g/t Au and 2.6 g/t Ag over 13.6 meters. Additional holes will be drilled in 2022 to finish connecting the two lobes of the South Jumbo resource, which could have a significant impact on the resource update.

A total of 12-15 holes are planned for a first phase of the resource expansion effort at South Jumbo. Once these holes are completed and assays are received, a second phase of drilling will be designed to further expand the resource. During the first two months of the drilling season, GRC will be focused on "South Jumbo" and the new discovery at "Charlie Ross", where an additional 15-20 holes are planned for phase one of that program.

Plan Map of South Jumbo Drilling with 2022 Target Areas

2021 drilling in the Gap Zone

2021 drilling extended the South Jumbo resource at depth

Qualified Person

The Qualified Person on the Gold Springs Project is Randall Moore, Executive Vice President of Exploration for Gold Springs Resource Corp. and he has reviewed and approved the content of this press release.

About Gold Springs Resource Corp.

Gold Springs Resource Corp. (TSX:GRC and OTCQB: GRCAF) is focused on the exploration and expansion of the gold and silver resources of its PEA-stage Gold Springs project located on the border of Nevada and Utah, USA. The project is situated in the prolific Great Basin of Western USA, one of the best mining jurisdictions in the world.

Gold Springs Resource Corp. Contact:

Antonio Canton, President and CEO

[email protected]

Forward Looking Statements

Certain statements contained herein constitute "forward-looking information" under applicable Canadian securities laws ("forward-looking statements"). Forward-looking statements look into the future and provide an opinion as to the effect of certain events and trends on the business. Forward-looking statements may include words such as "creating", "believe", "would", "continue", "will", "promising", "should", and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations and entail various risks and uncertainties. Actual results may materially differ from expectations if known and unknown risks or uncertainties affect our business or if our estimates or assumptions prove inaccurate. Factors that could cause results or events to differ materially from current expectations expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements, include, but are not limited to, risks of the mineral exploration industry which may affect the advancement of the Gold Springs project, including possible variations in mineral resources, grade, recovery rates, metal prices, capital and operating costs, and the application of taxes; availability of sufficient financing to fund planned or further required work in a timely manner and on acceptable terms; availability of equipment and qualified personnel, failure of equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, changes in project parameters, including water requirements for operations, as plans continue to be refined; regulatory, environmental and other risks of the mining industry more fully described in the Company's Annual Information Form and continuous disclosure documents, which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com. The assumptions made in developing the forward-looking statements include: the accuracy of current resource estimates and the interpretation of drill, metallurgical testing and other exploration results; the continuing support for mining by local governments in Nevada and Utah; the availability of equipment and qualified personnel to advance the Gold Springs project; execution of the Company's existing plans and further exploration and development programs for Gold Springs, which may change due to changes in the views of the Company or if new information arises which makes it prudent to change such plans or programs.

Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements contained in this press release. Except as required by law, the Company assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or any other reason. Unless otherwise indicated, forward-looking statements in this press release describe the Company's expectations as of the date hereof.

SOURCE: Gold Springs Resources Corporation

View source version on accesswire.com:
CALGARY, AB / ACCESSWIRE / March 11, 2022 / San Lorenzo Gold Corp. ("San Lorenzo" or the "Corporation") (TSXV:SLG)(OTCQB: SNLGF) is pleased to announce that it has completed a first tranche closing (the "First Tranche Closing") of its recently announced private placement (see San Lorenzo press release dated March 10, 2022).

The First Tranche Closing yielded gross and net proceeds of $400,000 which involved the issuance of 4,000,000 common shares and 4,000,000 warrants. Each warrant entitles the holder to purchase one additional common share of the Corporation at a price of $0.20 until March 11, 2023 - being 12 months from closing. No finder's fees, commissions or broker warrants were paid or issued in respect of the First Tranche Closing. Proceeds from the First Tranche Closing will be used for working capital purposes including the costs for the upcoming drilling program at the Corporation's Salvadora property and to pay the expenses associated with the offering.

The First Tranche Closing remains subject to final acceptance from the TSX Venture Exchange Inc.

Insiders subscribed for all 4,000,000 Units sold in the First Tranche Closing for a total of 100%. As insiders of San Lorenzo participated in this First Tranche Closing, it is deemed to be a "related party transaction" as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101-Protection of Minority Security Holders in Special Transactions ("MI 61-101").

Neither the Corporation, nor to the knowledge of the Corporation after reasonable inquiry, a related party, has knowledge of any material information concerning the Corporation or its securities that has not been generally disclosed.

The Offering is exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 (pursuant to subsections 5.5(c) and 5.7(1)(b)) as it was a distribution of securities for cash and neither the fair market value of the units distributed to, nor the consideration received from, interested parties exceeded $2,500,000.

The Corporation did not file a material change report more than 21 days before the First Tranche Closing because the details of the participation therein by related parties of the Corporation were not settled until shortly prior to the First Tranche Closing and the Corporation wished to close on an expedited basis for business reasons.

For further information on the Corporation, readers are referred to the Corporation's website at www.sanlorenzogold.com and its Canadian regulatory filings on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

About San Lorenzo Gold Corp.

San Lorenzo Gold is in the business of exploring for and advancing mineral properties. The Corporation currently has three 100% owned properties in Chile: Salvadora, Nancagua and Punta Alta. The Salvadora property is being explored for large scale copper-gold porphyry targets and high grade epithermal gold-silver-copper vein systems, Nancagua is a high grade mesothermal gold-silver prospect and Punta Alta is a copper - gold porphyry prospect with related disseminated and vein style copper-gold-silver-cobalt mineralization.

For further information, please contact:

Al Kroontje, Chairman

Email: [email protected]

Ken Booth, President

Email: [email protected]

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.

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

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

This press release may contain forward-looking information that involves substantial known and unknown risks and uncertainties, most of which are beyond the control of San Lorenzo. All statements included herein other than statements of historical fact, including statements pertaining to the private placement, are forward-looking information. Such forward-looking information involves various risks and uncertainties, including the risk that the TSX Venture Exchange does not approve the private placement. There can be no assurance that such information will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such information. Any forward-looking statements are made as of the date of this release and, other than as required by applicable securities laws, San Lorenzo does not assume any obligation to update or revise them to reflect new events or circumstances.

SOURCE: San Lorenzo Gold Corp.

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Much more than legislative lines are at stake in a reapportionment challenge before a State Supreme Court judge in Steuben County.

Justice Patrick F. McAllister's decision on a Republican-inspired lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of New York's latest redistricting effort, expected by April 4, may also determine plans for at least one "on the fence" candidate for the State Legislature this year.

State Sen. Edward A. Rath III is not saying much about his future, but is known to be exploring a run against Democratic incumbent Karen McMahon for an Amherst-based seat in the Assembly. But a McAllister decision in favor of the GOP suit could potentially affect Rath's election plans for the Senate, casting the entire situation into electoral limbo, depending on the extent of any potential ruling.

"I'm at a juncture right now where I have to very closely explore each option," is all Rath is saying.

Nevertheless, voters in the 146th Assembly seat McMahon won in 2018 have been fielding telephone polls gauging reaction to a possible Rath candidacy against her. That stems from new lines resulting from the reapportionment process under scrutiny in McAllister's Bath courtroom. Under the new lines, Rath would face incumbent Democrat Timothy M. Kennedy for the Senate.

Rath is also mentioned as a possible Republican candidate for county executive next year. His name currently appears on designating petitions for his 63rd Senate seat, while a GOP "placeholder" candidate is on petitions for the McMahon seat. Rath could be substituted for the placeholder at a later date.

Sources close to the Rath campaign acknowledge that Kennedy, with almost $1.5 million in his campaign treasury and now assigned to a district comprised of approximately 60% Democrats, emerges as the overwhelming favorite. Rath would face a tough challenge against McMahon, who is also expected to enjoy a comfortable Democratic enrollment edge in the new district.

"I would think Karen McMahon would welcome a challenge from Ed Rath," said Erie County Democratic Chairman Jeremy J. Zellner, adding he does not expect the Republican lawsuit before McAllister to succeed.

Still, the judge is slated Monday to hear from experts on both sides of the case on whether partisan gerrymandering influenced the lines drawn by the state's Independent Redistricting Commission authorized by a 2014 constitutional amendment. McAllister noted during a March 3 hearing in Bath that delaying implementation of this year's district lines was possible, but seeks a quick resolution of the case.

McAllister's involvement in the case is likely only the first step in litigation to determine the constitutionality of a process that drew new legislative lines for New York after the 2020 census and could drastically reduce Republican representation, especially in the House of Representatives.

The case differs from previous reapportionment challenges because Republicans behind the suit contend that the 2014 amendment charging the Independent Redistricting Commission with drawing nonpartisan lines was violated when the body deadlocked and the Democratic State Legislature ultimately determined the new districts.

The case is expected to be ultimately determined in the state's highest court  the Court of Appeals.

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Cian PLC (NYSE: CIAN), a leading online real estate classifieds platform in Russia, today announced that Ms. Cloe Harford has tendered her resignation as a member of the board of directors of the Company (the Board), effective as of 4:02 p.m. Eastern time on March 8, 2022 (the Effective Time). Ms. Harford informed the Company that she has resigned as a result of recent geopolitical developments. Ms. Harford served as a member of each of the Audit Committee of the Board (the Audit Committee), the Compensation, Governance and Nominating Committee of the Board (the Compensation, Governance and Nominating Committee) and the Strategy Committee of the Board (the Strategy Committee).

On March 10, 2022, upon recommendation of the Compensation, Governance and Nominating Committee, the Board appointed Gilles Blanchard to the Audit Committee, with effect immediately following the Effective Time. The Board has determined that, after due consideration of all relevant factors, Mr. Blanchard qualifies as independent under the rules of the Securities and Exchange Commission (the SEC) and the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The Board has also determined that, based on his education and experience, Mr. Blanchard is financially literate in accordance with the requirements of the NYSE. Following Mr. Blanchards appointment, the Audit Committee consists of Douglas Gardner, Simon Baker and Gilles Blanchard, with Mr. Gardner serving as Chairperson.

On March 10, 2022, upon recommendation of the Compensation, Governance and Nominating Committee, the Board appointed Maksim Melnikov to the Compensation, Governance and Nominating Committee, with effect immediately following the Effective Time. Following Mr. Melnikovs appointment, the Compensation, Governance and Nominating consists of Gilles Blanchard, Dmitry Antipov and Maksim Melnikov, with Mr. Blanchard serving as Chairperson.

Further, following the resignation of Ms. Harford, the Strategy Committee consists solely of Simon Baker, who serves as Chairperson.

The Company has previously disclosed in its registration statement on Form F-1, declared effective by the SEC on November 4, 2021, that it follows the corporate governance practices of its home country, Cyprus, in lieu of certain of the corporate governance requirements of the NYSE. In addition to the previously disclosed practices, the Company intends to rely on this "foreign private issuer exemption" with respect to: (i) NYSE Rule 303A.01, which requires an issuer to have, among other things, a majority of its board members be independent; (ii) NYSE Rule 303A.4, which requires an issuer to have a nominating/corporate governance committee composed entirely of independent directors; (iii) NYSE Rule 303A.05, which requires an issuer to have a compensation committee comprised entirely of independent directors.

About Cian

Cian is a leading online real estate classifieds platform in the large, underpenetrated and growing Russian real estate classifieds market, with a strong presence across Russia and leading positions in the countrys key metropolitan areas. The Company ranks among the top ten most popular online real estate classifieds globally in terms of traffic (based on SimilarWeb traffic data for other online real estate classifieds and Google Analytics data for Cian for September 2021). Cians networked real estate platform connects millions of real estate buyers and renters to millions of high-quality real estate listings of all types  residential and commercial, primary and secondary, urban and suburban. In the third quarter of 2021, the Company had over 1.9 million listings available through its platform and an average UMV of over 18.7 million. Through its technology-driven platform and deep insights into the Russian real estate market the Company provides an end-to-end experience for its customers and users and helps them address multiple pain points on their journey to a new home or place to work.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Any express or implied statements contained in this press release that are not statements of historical fact may be deemed to be forward-looking statements, including, without limitation, statements regarding our financial outlook for 2021 and long-term growth strategy, as well as statements that include the words target, believe, expect, aim, intend, intend, may, anticipate, estimate, plan, project, will, can have, likely, should, would, could and other words and terms of similar meaning or the negative thereof. Forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees, but involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, including, without limitation: our ability to maintain our leading market positions, particularly in Moscow, St. Petersburg and certain other regions, and our ability to achieve and maintain leading market position in certain other regions; our ability to compete effectively with existing and new industry players in the Russian real estate classifieds market; our heavy dependence on our brands and reputation; any potential failure to adapt to any substantial shift in real estate transactions from, or demand for services in, certain Russian geographic markets; any downturns in the Russian real estate market and general economic conditions in Russia; any effect on our operations due to cancellation of, or any changes to, the Russian mortgage subsidy program or other government support programs; further widespread impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, or other public health crises, natural disasters or other catastrophic events which may limit our ability to conduct business as normal; our ability to establish and maintain important relationships with our customers and certain other parties; any failure to establish and maintain proper and effective internal control over financial reporting; any failure to remediate existing deficiencies we have identified in our internal controls over financial reporting, including our information technology general controls; any new or existing government regulation in the area of data privacy, data protection or other areas and the other important factors discussed under the caption Risk Factors (in particular, Risks Relating to the Russian Federation thereunder) in Cians prospectus pursuant to Rule 424(b) filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on November 4, 2021, and our other filings with the SEC as such factors may be updated from time to time.

Any forward-looking statements contained in this press release speak only as of the date hereof and accordingly undue reliance should not be placed on such statements. We disclaim any obligation or undertaking to update or revise any forward-looking statements contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than to the extent required by applicable law.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220311005437/en/

Investor:



Varvara Kiseleva



Head of Capital Markets and IR



[email protected]

Media:



Olga Podoliaka



[email protected]

Source: Cian plc
Endometriosis research priorities in the final legislation passed by Congress and being sent to the President also includes an increase of $92 million for the NICHD over last year

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- The Endometriosis Foundation of America (EndoFound) is pleased that last night the United States Senate passed HR 2471, the FY22 Consolidated Appropriations Act. The next stop is the Presidents desk for his signature making this a law. This legislation funds the federal government for the rest of the fiscal year and includes the primary federal programs that fund research of endometriosis: the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) and the Department of Defenses Peer-Reviewed Medical Research Program (PRMRP).

Of note, the House and Senate Appropriations Committees prioritized endometriosis research at both NICHD and PRMRP, and the final legislation being sent to the President includes an increase of $92 million for the NICHD over last year and continues to provide $370 million for the PRMRP. This means that NICHD can increase the amount of endometriosis research they fund, and the Department of Defense will continue to fund research on endometriosis among a select group of priority research areas.

The efforts to prioritize research for endometriosis was led in the House by Rep. David Scott (GA), Rep. Kathleen Rice (NY), Rep. Nikema Williams (GA), and Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon (PR) and was supported by the bipartisan Congressional Endometriosis Caucus which is co-chaired by Williams and Gonzalez-Colon. EndoFound looks forward to continuing to work with the House Caucus, Senate champions, and the Biden Administration to prioritize research and awareness in the next fiscal year.

What a bright spot in an otherwise dark period. Im over the moon that Congress is continuing to take this devastating disease seriously. This is exactly why I started EndoFound thirteen years ago with my surgeon, Dr. Seckin. Endometriosis Foundation of America has been working tirelessly since its inception to increase federal research funding for a disease that affects millions of Americans. Today we see more fruits of that labor. Thank you to the House Endometriosis Caucus for carrying forward this long-overdue correction to how we regard womens reproductive health issues, said Padma Lakshmi, co-founder of EndoFound.

EndoFound and our new UpEndo Coalition were happy to support these efforts to prioritize endometriosis research with key federal agencies and the development of the Congressional Endometriosis Caucus, said Dr. Tamer Seckin, co-founder of EndoFound with Padma Lakshmi. Money for research will help us to diagnose endometriosis at earlier stages. Early detection is the single most effective path to prevention from loss of quality of life due to suffering from pelvic pain and infertility.

"I worked for more research funding and helped start the first Endometriosis Caucus when serving in the House so I'm so happy to see new champions step up," said Abby Finkenauer, Candidate for US Senate, Former Congresswoman, and EndoFound Ambassador. "Thank you to Reps. Nikema Williams and Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon along with Reps. David Scott and Kathleen Rice for their efforts. With new resources dedicated to endometriosis research and bringing more attention to this debilitating illness in Congress and our communities through the UpEndo Coalition, we can help more women feel less alone and get the diagnosis and treatment they need to help manage this disease and have a better quality of life."

Actress and Endo Advocate Amy Schumer said, I recently underwent surgery to have my uterus and appendix removed to alleviate my debilitating endometriosis symptoms. This might seem extreme, but it was the best choice for me. I cried as my doctor told me I had a tumor in my endo-ravaged appendix. Chocolate cysts in both ovaries. Endo of the uterus, and PCOS all over. And do you know what? There is still not enough research on this s--- to find a cure. This disease impacts 200 million women worldwide. Now, thanks to the work of so many -- Congress is finally prioritizing endometriosis! Of course, we have much more work to do, but damn, this is a good start."

Diana Falzone, EndoFound Ambassador and EndoTV Executive Producer and Host, said, Endometriosis impacts the lives of 1 in 10 born with a uterus yet there is no cure. It is one of the leading causes of female infertility, a known precursor to ovarian cancer and the primary reasons individuals ages 25-34 have hysterectomies. It costs $78 billion a year in healthcare costs and lost wages and guess what? There are no simple screenings or treatments. There is no cure. Through new attention and research funding we could change that. By working together with our champions in Congress and the medical community we can bring hope for a healthier tomorrow.

"Endometriosis has been a part of my life for too many years and has led me to advocacy and my work with EndoFound. This news is groundbreaking because it gives us hope of someday finding a cure, and finally, our voices are long-last being heard, and others now know that this pain is 'no longer in our heads,'" said Alaia Baldwin Aronow, EndoFound Ambassador.

Endometriosis Foundation of America

EndoFound is the countrys largest non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to increasing disease recognition, providing advocacy, facilitating expert surgical training, and funding landmark research for endometriosis. Engaged in a robust campaign to inform both the medical community and the public, EndoFound places particular emphasis on the critical importance of early diagnosis and effective intervention while simultaneously providing education to medical professionals and their patients. To learn more or get involved go to www.endofound.org/.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220311005477/en/

EndoFound Media Contacts:

Lauren Peteroy Kelly, Scenario PR

[email protected]



Jeanne Rebillard, EndoFound

[email protected]

Source: Endometriosis Foundation of America
FILE PHOTO: A man shelters under an umbrella as he walks past the London Stock Exchange in London, Britain, August 24, 2015. REUTERS/Suzanne Plunkett

LONDON (Reuters) -Britain's London Stock Exchange Group said on Friday it is suspending all products and services for all customers in Russia, days after suspending the distribution of news and commentary in the country following new laws in Moscow.

"LSEG confirms it is suspending all products and services for all customers in Russia, subject to any regulatory requirements," the company said in a statement.

"We continue to support our employees in the region. We are also engaging with our customers outside Russia who depend on us for data and pricing information inside Russia. We are evaluating alternative options to continue providing these services."

The company joins an exodus of Western firms severing ties with Russia after it was slapped with heavy sanctions in the wake of its invasion of Ukraine. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a special operation.

London Stock Exchange Group (LSEG) had already suspended access in Russia to products containing news and commentary since Wednesday this week, and had suspended all new sales of products and services.

However, at the time it did not suspend access to data products for existing customers in Russia.

LSEG distributes news and commentary from Reuters as part of its products. Thomson Reuters, the parent of Reuters News, holds a minority stake in the LSE after the exchange bought data and analytics company Refinitiv from it.

A new Russian law makes it possible to jail journalists who report any event that could discredit the Russian military.

Ukraine's central bank the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) wrote to data platform Refinitiv and rival Bloomberg last week to urge them to ban Russian and Belarussian financial institutions from accessing their platforms.

The NBU argued such a move would "cripple their access to the international financial markets".

Reuters declined comment. Bloomberg was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Iain Withers; Additional reporting by Marc Jones and Huw Jones; Editing by Louise Heavens and Howard Goller)
By Shariq Khan

BENGALURU (Reuters) -Oil prices settled higher on Friday but posted their steepest weekly decline since November, as traders assessed potential improvements to the supply outlook that has been disrupted by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Crude prices have soared since the invasion, which Moscow calls a "special military operation." This week, futures benchmarks hit their highest levels since 2008, then pulled back sharply as some producing countries signalled they may boost supply.

On Friday, supply concerns grew when talks to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal faced the threat of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations.

Brent crude futures rose $3.34, or 3.1%, on Friday, settling at $112.67 a barrel, after hitting a session low of $107.13. U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose $3.31, or 3.1%, to settle at $109.33 a barrel, off the session low of $104.48.

"Iran talks on hold is one factor supporting markets," said UBS analyst Giovanni Staunovo, adding that "market participants will now closely track Russian export data to get a sense how much (supply) is disrupted."

U.S. President Joe Biden said the G7 industrialized nations will revoke Russia's "most favored nation" trade status, and announced a U.S. ban on Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds. The United States banned Russian oil this week.

Next week, Staunovo said, the focus will shift to oil market reports from the International Energy Administration (IEA) and the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Both have indicated the market should be oversupplied this year.

U.S. rig data from energy services firm Baker Hughes Co showed drillers added 13 oil and natural gas rigs, bringing the total to 663, the ninth increase in 10 weeks.

The data is an early indicator of future output. U.S. government officials have called on domestic and global producers to ramp up output.

Brent, which rose over 20% last week, was down 4.8% this week after hitting $139.13 on Monday. U.S. crude recorded a weekly drop of 5.7% after touching a high of $130.50 on Monday. Both contracts last touched these price peaks in 2008.

This week, the Russia-Ukraine conflict pushed the United States and many Western oil firms to stop buying Russian oil. There was talk of potential supply additions from Iran, Venezuela and the United Arab Emirates.

"We have a close eye on the pressure valves that will absorb the supply shock," said UBS head of economics Norbert Ruecker.

In the near term, supply gaps are unlikely to be filled by extra output from members of the OPEC and allies, together called OPEC+, given Russia is part of the grouping, Commonwealth Bank analyst Vivek Dhar said.

Some OPEC+ producers, including Angola and Nigeria, have struggled to meet production targets, limiting the group's ability to offset Russian supply losses.

(Reporting by Shariq Khan, Additional reporting by Shadia Nasralla, Sonali Paul and Mohi Narayan; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Nick Zieminski and David Gregorio)
WASHINGTON, March 13, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On Thursday, March 17, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will host a joint summit on Developing a Bold Decadal Vision for Commercial Fusion Energy. This summit is an important opportunity for the US Government to reflect Kronos Fusion Energy's existing approach to accelerating the delivery of this critical technology.

Continual and rapid developments in fusion technology increasingly put commercial fusion energy on a glide path to inevitability. As a result, fusion energy is now gaining widespread acceptance, representing the unavoidable source of the upcoming energy revolution that will transform America, and the world. Paul Owen, CEO of Kronos Fusion Energy Defense Systems, stated that "Here at Kronos Fusion Energy, we recognize the criticality of this technology and are already grabbing the bull by the horns, building a team that incorporates leadership from across the three pillars of Academia, Government and Industry, in a unified effort to deliver clean, limitless fusion energy to the American people."

Fusion Energy promises incredible world changing potential, including addressing the full spectrum of the United States' energy needs. To that extent, Kronos Fusion Energy has adopted a synchronized effort to ensure that this technology is developed simultaneously across Energy, Defense, and Space.

Recent events in Ukraine bring to stark relief the importance of our work in ensuring that America becomes permanently energy independent, severing our reliance on fossil fuels, their environmental impact on the world in which we live and the geopolitical consequences of this reliance. By developing the first commercially viable fusion energy power plants, capable of providing clean, unlimited energy to the US grid, we can achieve total energy sovereignty, supplying the power needs of our cities and industrial base for the long-term future.

Simultaneously, we are developing applications of this technology that have a direct and transformative impact on our national defense capabilities. Miniaturized fusion generators provide US Military installations with an independent power supply, enabling their full autonomy from the national grid, and augmenting the security of this critical infrastructure. Mobile fusion generators provide the capability of meeting the energy requirements of deployed units, at any scale, anywhere in the world, and enhancing America's global force project capabilities. Applied at the micro scale, fusion technology represents the ability for a quantum leap forward in military tactical capabilities, providing war-winning advances in range, reliability and lethality of assets across all military domains.

Given the vital nature of this technology, Kronos Fusion Energy welcomes the White House's summit and urges our government to recognize that now is the time for action. As clearly demonstrated with the hugely successful Operation Warp Speed, the government can, with sufficient motivation, enable and accelerate private sector investment through direct subsidies or grants, defined advance market commitments and the expedition of the regulatory process. Adopting a similar approach to the opportunity of achieving global leadership in the field of fusion energy is the fastest and surest way to attaining America's energy independence and maintaining our defense supremacy for the long-term future.

For further information:

Kronos Fusion Energy

1122 Colorado St

Houston, TX 78701

https://www.kronosfusionenergy.com

PR contact: Erin Pendleton - [email protected]

Kronos Fusion Energy Defense System is headquartered in Austin, Texas. The company will develop algorithms, simulations, and micro fusion energy generators that will optimize fusion energy. The company will provide America with a competitive advantage in the future energy market with a focus on clean and limitless energy. It has partnerships with leading facilities and experts in essential areas worldwide. The government partners include NASA, the Department of Defense, and DDE National labs. The private partners extend to IBM, Deloitte, Harvard Business School, SAP, and Mathlabs Ventures.

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Source: Kronos Fusion Energy
By Svea Herbst-Bayliss

BOSTON (Reuters) - Ryan Cohen's RC Ventures LLC, which owns nearly 10% of Bed Bath & Beyond, has hired a proxy solicitor, signalling the firm is ramping up for a potential proxy fight at the housewares retailer, two sources said.

RC Ventures has retained Harkins Kovler, the solicitor frequently used by prominent activist investor Carl Icahn in his corporate battles, said the sources, who are not permitted to discuss the private matter publicly.

A representative for Cohen did not respond to requests for comment. Harkins Kovler declined to comment.

A proxy solicitor polls shareholders on how they plan to vote on hotly contested corporate matters such as mergers or proxy fights.

Hiring one signals that Cohen is taking the next steps to prepare for a potential fight with Bed Bath & Beyond.

Cohen, who co-founded online pet food company Chewy and is chairman of the board at GameStop, disclosed his stake in Bed Bath & Beyond in a letter in which he urged the company to narrow its focus on operational and inventory improvements.

He also urged the company to consider strategic alternatives, including a possible sale or spin-off of its buybuy Baby business.

In the letter, Cohen estimated buybuy Baby could be worth billions of dollars on its own now that sales are nearing $1.5 billion with double-digit margins.

A source familiar with Cohen's thinking said the investor is open to a negotiated compromise with the company if it includes significant boardroom change and a committee to review strategic alternatives led by new independent directors.

Bed Bath & Beyond's board currently has 11 members.

At the same time, Cohen is also preparing for a potential fight by selecting potential director candidates, the source said.

Since Cohen's stake became known, Bed Bath & Beyond's stock price has surged 39%.

Harkins Kovler, which was founded in 2015 by former D.F. King executives, is currently handling Icahn's campaign at Southwest Gas.

(Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; editing by Jason Neely)
Phoenix, Arizona--(Newsfile Corp. - March 11, 2022) - The Stock Day Podcast welcomed Permex Petroleum Corporation (OTCQB: OILCF) ("the Company"), a uniquely positioned junior oil & gas company with assets and operations across the Permian Basin of West Texas and the Delaware Sub-Basin of New Mexico. CEO of the Company, Mehran Ehsan, joined Stock Day host Everett Jolly.

Jolly began the interview by asking about the Company's background and current projects. "We are a uniquely positioned junior oil and gas company with assets and operations across the Permian Basin of West Texas and the Delaware Sub-Basin of New Mexico," explained Ehsan. "We actually own and operate on federal, state, and private land and are licensed to do so in both New Mexico and Texas."

"The unique value proposition this company brings to the table as far as current shareholders and future or potential shareholders stems from three core fundamentals," he continued, noting that these fundamentals include timing, geographical locations and formations, and their charge structure. "We only have 68 million shares outstanding with insider ownership of approximately 46% and hardly any debt on the books."

Ehsan then elaborated on the process of licensing to operate on federal and state land. "US domestic oil production should be taking the lead, but unfortunately we do not due to these bans," said Ehsan. "We can create technology to make this industry environmentally friendly, and that's what we should be doing - working with the industry, not banning it."

The conversation then turned to COVID-19 challenges. "The COVID-19 pandemic impacted every sector," said Ehsan, adding that the oil industry was hit the hardest within this sector. "It has changed the industry; it has made us more resilient, and we have continued to grow this industry."

"Could you give us a valuation for your assets?", asked Jolly. "Permex Petroleum had 69 shut-in opportunities, or proved developed non-producing wells," said Ehsan. "We brought one well online recently and we are beginning to work on the remainder of the wells, while simultaneously considering drilling on our new acreage positions," he shared. "Our proved and probable reserves were valued at $285 million (PV10)," said Ehsan. "Our proved reserves, 90% recovery ratio, sits at $129 million at $65 (WTI)."

"The consumer sentiment is shifting within this sector; oil prices are getting high," continued Ehsan. "We believe a necessary correction is happening," he shared, adding that the Company still remains undervalued given the value of its reserves.

"What do you think we can expect from the impact of the Ukraine and Russian war?", asked Jolly. "The effect on oil and natural gas is significant as we are seeing globally with prices skyrocketing," said Ehsan, adding that these increases are also resulting in gasoline and electricity increases. "The US should be proud of its reserves; we should extract them in an environmentally friendly method without emissions and without flaring without relying on hostile countries," he said. "All-in-all I hope this pandemic reopening adjusts our market and I do hope this war ends, but in the short run I think consumers will be hit in their pocketbooks from electricity to gasoline prices."

To close the interview, Ehsan elaborated on the importance of natural gas and oil as a commodity worldwide and the necessity to continue its extraction in an environmentally friendly method. He also encouraged listeners and shareholders to keep up-to-date on the Company's current and upcoming projects as they continue to grow and expand.

To hear Mehran Ehsan's entire interview, follow the link to the podcast here: https://audioboom.com/posts/8045822-permex-petroleum-corporation-discusses-the-significant-impact-of-rising-natural-gas-and-oil-price.

Investors Hangout is a proud sponsor of "Stock Day," and Stock Day Media encourages listeners to visit the company's message board at https://investorshangout.com/.

About Permex Petroleum Corporation

Permex Petroleum (CSE: OIL) (OTCQB: OILCF) (FSE: 75P) is a uniquely positioned junior oil & gas company with assets and operations across the Permian Basin of West Texas and the Delaware Sub-Basin of New Mexico. The company focuses on combining its low-cost development of Held by Production assets for sustainable growth with its current and future Blue-Sky projects for scale growth. The company, through its wholly owned subsidiary, Permex Petroleum US Corporation, is a licensed operator in both states; and owns and operates on Private, State and Federal land. For more information, please visit www.permexpetroleum.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

Permex Petroleum Corporation

Mehran Ehsan

President, Chief Executive Officer & Director

(214) 459-2782

Scott Kelly

CFO, Corporate Secretary & Director

(778) 373-5421

Or for Investor Relations, please contact:

Brooks Hamilton

[email protected]

CAUTIONARY DISCLAIMER STATEMENT:

Neither Canadian Securities Exchange, OTCMarkets nor their Regulation Services Providers (as that term is defined in their respective policies) accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Forward-Looking Statements

Information set forth in this news release may involve forward-looking statements under applicable securities laws. The forward-looking statements contained herein are expressly qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement. The forward-looking statements included in this document are made as of the date of this document and the Corporation disclaims 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. Although Management believes that the expectations represented in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. This news release does not constitute an offer to sell or solicitation of an offer to buy any of the securities described herein and accordingly undue reliance should not be put on such. Neither CSE, OTC Markets nor their Regulation Services Providers (as that term is defined in the policies of either exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About The "Stock Day" Podcast

Founded in 2013, Stock Day is the fastest growing media outlet for Nano-Cap and Micro-Cap companies. It educates investors while simultaneously working with penny stock and OTC companies, providing transparency and clarification of under-valued, under-sold Micro-Cap stocks of the market. Stock Day provides companies with customized solutions to their news distribution in both national and international media outlets. The Stock Day Podcast is the number one radio show of its kind in America.

SOURCE:

Stock Day Media

(602) 821-1102

To view the source version of this press release, please visit https://www.newsfilecorp.com/release/116421
FILE PHOTO: Illumination of the stock graph is seen on the representations of virtual currency Bitcoin in this picture illustration taken March 13, 2020. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/File Photo

By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss

NEW YORK (Reuters) - CoinTracker, which tracks consumers' cryptocurrency taxes and portfolios, said on Thursday it has raised $100 million in funding from a slew of institutional investors and high-net-worth individuals.

The investment puts the company's valuation at $1.3 billion.

CoinTracker enables consumers to track their crypto portfolios across exchanges and wallets, helping users monitor their market value, investment performance, transactions and taxes.

The funding round was led by venture capital firm Accel, according to a statement from CoinTracker, with investors such as Initialized Capital, General Catalyst, Y Combinator Accuity, and Seven Seven Six, the venture firm of Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, also participating.

All five institutional investors confirmed their participation in emails to Reuters.

The funds will be used to expand the company's personnel, maintain coverage of exchanges, blockchains, and other crypto sectors, as well as to scale customer support and content, CoinTracker said in its statement.

Crypto adoption has grown exponentially across multiple exchanges, wallets and applications, with an estimated 221 million global users buying and selling the digital currency as of June 2021. This has created challenges for investors in tracking their portfolio and staying tax-compliant.

"The biggest issue crypto holders face with tax compliance is that as soon as they transact with crypto beyond a single exchange, calculating taxes accurately becomes extremely difficult," Jon Lerner, chief executive and co-founder of CoinTracker, told Reuters in an email.

Historically, he said cryptocurrency tax compliance has been low. By the end of 2015, Coinbase had 5.9 million customers trading $6 billion in crypto. But between 2013 and 2015, the Internal Revenue Service is reported to have received only 800- 900 tax returns with crypto transaction, Lerner added.

Figuring out how to accurately report and manage taxes is where CoinTracker comes in, said Sagar Sanghvi, partner at Accel and CoinTracker board member.

(Reporting by Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss in New York; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
FILE PHOTO: Kim Kardashian West participates in a television interview as she arrives for the 20th Annual Webby Awards in Manhattan, New York, U.S., May 16, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar/File Photo

(Reuters) - Kim Kardashian's Skims raised $240 million in a new funding round that has doubled the shapewear label's valuation to $3.2 billion, Bloomberg News reported on Thursday.

The financing round was led by hedge fund Lone Pine Capital and joined by investment firm D1 Capital Partners, according to the report https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-27/kim-kardashian-s-skim-underwear-brand-doubles-valuation-to-3-2-billion?sref=2h1zKciy, citing Skims Chief Executive Officer Jens Grede.

Skims, Lone Pine and D1 did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment.

Skims, which was launched by Kardashian in 2019, was valued at $1.6 billion in April.

(Reporting by Uday Sampath in Bengaluru; Editing by Maju Samuel)
FILE PHOTO: The Boeing logo is displayed on a screen, at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., August 7, 2019. REUTERS/Brendan McDermid

By Eric M. Johnson, Francesca Landini and Tim Hepher

(Reuters) -Boeing Co is yet to see any respite from a freeze in deliveries of its 787 Dreamliner - but that has not stopped it testing suppliers' capacity to meet output scenarios as high as seven a month by end-2023, three people with knowledge of the matter said.

The planemaker has stopped making public predictions on when it will win approval from U.S. regulators to resume deliveries, halted for nearly a year by factory defects in a still-running saga that is costing $5.5 billion overall.

But, the people said, it has discussed what some analysts consider ambitious scenarios with parts makers as it surveys an industry crippled by successive crises and now facing labor and materials shortages deepened by Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Boeing's production strategy hinges on several key unknowns including when deliveries restart, how quickly it can reduce an overhang of more than 100 undelivered 787s and the extent to which the Ukraine crisis dampens already weak demand.

While some industry sources have pegged a delivery restart as early as next month, the date is increasingly under scrutiny with April just days away.

Boeing's recovery plan could see it increase the current rock-bottom monthly rate of two 787s to three around May, if deliveries have started by then, and again to four around November, two of the people said.

From there, suppliers have been asked to be ready to tackle rates as high as seven a month around October 2023, if requested, the sources added.

That is more than most analysts reckon the market will absorb and the sources stressed no decision has been made on what, for now, remains purely a planning scenario.

The more Boeing produces the harder it may be to shift the backlog of undelivered planes.

Jefferies analyst Sheila Kahyaoglu this week estimated monthly output would stay at two in 2022, rising to 3.5 in 2023 but remaining below 5 "to facilitate the burndown of inventory".

"April delivery restart may be aggressive," Kahyaoglu added.

Boeing has repeatedly referred questions on the timing to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Boeing declined comment on the supplier targets and pointed to comments in January when it said the 787 program remained at a low rate, with an expected gradual return to five a month.

Planemakers frequently test scenarios to keep the supply chain in battle mode ready for the next phase of competition.

"We will run our rate as low as we can while we burn our inventory as fast as we can," Chief Executive Dave Calhoun said in January, adding Boeing would monitor rates as demand grows.

RAMP-UP

The industry has meanwhile received mixed signals on demand for wide-body jets which had peaked well before the pandemic.

Boeing has said it sees a full recovery in airline traffic that underpins plane sales by the end of 2024.

But it has given what appears to be cautious guidance to one supplier, saying that production for major 787 parts could reach pre-pandemic levels by 2026-2027, one industry source said.

Forecasts for the second half of the decade are still at a very preliminary stage, analysts say.

"Overall, our projections for the three-phase commercial market recovery remain unchanged, and we still assume passenger traffic will return to 2019 levels in the 2023 to 2024 timeframe," a Boeing spokesperson said.

Italy's Leonardo, which builds two fuselage sections for the 787 in southern Italy, said on Friday it plans to deliver just over 30 pairs of sections to Boeing this year, up from 28 last year.

Before the pandemic, Boeing was building around 12 of the carbon-composite jets per month, a rate dragged down partially by China-U.S. trade tensions.

Last month, the U.S. FAA revoked Boeing's ability to self-certify newly built 787 aircraft ahead of delivery, raising another potential hurdle to Boeing's plans.

Asked in January whether 787 deliveries would resume in April, Calhoun said, "That's up to the FAA, and we're going to let them do what they have to do."

(Reporting by Eric M. Johnson in Seattle, Francesca Landini in Milan and Tim Hepher in Paris; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel)
Friday afternoon, Corky Johnson, the vice president of the Polish Cadets Hall on Grant Street in Buffalo, was busy making his handmade macaroni salad for that evening's Lenten fish fry.

He's expecting to serve 80 to 90 dinners, some takeout but many in the dining hall.

For the last two Lenten seasons, as Covid-19 regulations shut down so much of society, the Cadets Hall had to serve their fish fry dinners as takeout only. He and his wife carried to-go boxes of crunchy haddock, macaroni salad, mashed potatoes and homemade tartar sauce to customers as they waited in their cars.

Stories of the community fish fry: turkey fryers, 90 pounds of potatoes and volunteers It's time to admit that we take our Friday fish fry for granted. Each Lenten season we seek out this feast of oversized fish with fries, salads, tarter sauce and that all-important slice of bread and expect them to magically be there even during a pandemic.

This year, with new cases and hospitalizations from the virus in a steep decline and just about all Covid restrictions lifted, it's been delightful to have people inside the hall again, Johnson said.

"You get to talk to people. See people. It's good," Johnson said.

Two years after the start of the pandemic, the Friday fish fry gatherings are back, as are parades, packed arenas and sports bars, open churches, welcoming dining rooms and planes bound for spring break getaways.

In other words, Buffalo is ready to party like it's 2019, which is the last time March came and went without dread in the air.

On March 14, 2020, the first cases of Covid-19 were identified in Western New York.

6 Buffalo-area residents show symptoms of coronavirus Twelve members of two families who recently traveled back from Italy are quarantined in their homes as they are being tested for possible coronavirus

Then-Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced that evening that three people in Erie County had tested positive. On the same day, the state recorded its first two deaths from Covid. A frantic effort at contact tracing passengers on a Greyhound bus that had stopped in Buffalo was underway after a Rochester man who had traveled to Italy and taken the bus from New York City came down with the virus. A sense of panic was taking hold as grocery stores ran out of toilet paper, hand sanitizer and chicken.

Then the shutdowns began. Schools. Restaurants. Bars. Gyms. Offices. Parties turned virtual. Parades were canceled.

Government health officials brace for possibility of local coronavirus outbreak Local, state and federal health officials are bracing for an outbreak of the coronavirus. There are still no confirmed cases in New York State and very limited evidence the disease is spreading anywhere in the United States. But the rate of new, confirmed infections globally is making the likelihood of disease containment within the United States increasingly remote, according

The term "social distancing" became the mantra of public health officials. Mask requirements followed.

Two years later, after multiple waves of the spread of the virus, more than 301,200 Western New Yorkers have been infected with Covid-19 and more than 3,800 Western New Yorkers have died.

After the Omicron variant fueled record-high numbers of new cases, sickening more than 3,000 people a day at times during its peak in Erie County, numbers here and across the state have dropped dramatically and continue a downward trajectory.

Now, as we mark the second anniversary of Covid, masks are mostly optional. Vaccine mandates are being dropped. Schools are open. Offices are coaxing their workers to return.

And the crowds are back.

Both of Buffalo's traditional St. Patrick's Day parades are back this year after having to cancel in 2020 and 2021  the Valley Community Association's Old Neighborhood Parade on March 19 and the United Irish-American Association's parade up Delaware Avenue on March 20.

St. Patrick's Day events in Buffalo return with a roar Scores of parades, bar parties, live Irish music and cultural events are on tap for St. Patrick's Day Week.

"We're expecting a lot of people," said Jake Broffman, the parade coordinator for the Valley Community Association. "We're planning accordingly. Everybody is trying to get back out and stretch their legs ... We all need to cut loose."

Having to cancel two parades in a row was not only disappointing, Broffman said, it was tough financially for the association which relies on the funds raised through the parade to fund their community services like daytime programming for seniors and after-school programs for kids.

In September, the association staged a mini parade  a "halfway to St. Patrick's Day" parade. But Saturday's parade will be back to about its normal size with 95 to 100 marching units and thousands of paradegoers expected, Broffman said.

A couple of months ago, as Omicron swept through the region, he was nervous about whether a third St. Patrick's Day celebration would fall victim to Covid-19.

"I've been silently holding my breath saying, 'Please, please, please,' " said Broffman.

With Covid numbers continuing to decrease, Broffman said, his biggest worry now is the weather.

"We are rain or shine. There is no makeup day," he said. "But we're crossing our fingers that we get one of those beautiful March days. We'd love a good '60 and sunny.' "

To be sure, cases of Covid have dropped dramatically.

But, cautioned Dr. Thomas Russo, chief of infectious disease at the University at Buffalos Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, "we're not done with Covid and Covid is still around."

He recalled the bump in the infection rate and hospitalizations that started in mid-March last year.

"That was the kickoff for the Alpha variant," he said. The rise in cases coincided with St. Paddy's Day, Easter and spring break.

But, he said, "we were in a different spot." Vaccines were just being rolled out and far fewer people had been infected.

Since then, vaccine rates have come up. Close to 90% of all New York State residents have had at least one shot, with about three-quarters of Erie County residents having had at least one shot.

The Delta and Omicron variants sickened thousands of people, adding to the number of people who have antibodies.

"The immunity wall is so much better now," Russo said.

So is it safe to be in a crowd now?

Covid-19 in Western New York: The latest statistics More than 319,900 Western New Yorkers have contracted Covid-19 since March 2020 and 3,886 h

Russo said there's still the possibility of getting sick and there's no way to predict whether another, more serious variant could hit. And it's likely there will be another round of infection sometime after the summer as people go back inside.

But in general, he said, the risk of getting sick is low for those who are vaccinated or have had Covid  or both.

People who aren't vaccinated, older or immunocompromised still face risks, he cautioned.

One reason for optimism, he said, was that in the weeks since Gov. Kathy Hochul lifted the mask mandate on indoor spaces, there hasn't been an uptick in new cases.

There could still be a new wave of infections, or the rate of decline may slow or plateau.

"But hopefully, cases will continue to come down," Russo said. "... I'm worried less because of the immunity wall."

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Four weeks ago I visited the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol and spoke with residents about a possible Russian invasion. None of them imagined they would soon be besieged by a Russian military that has cut off their water, electricity, and food supplies, and deliberately attacks civilian targets  including a maternity hospital and civilian convoys trying to leave.

My translator is now hunkered down in a basement with her mom, three cats and three other adults. Ive not been able to make contact with her in nearly two weeks.

Mariupol has become the symbol of an ugly truth that the White House and NATO allies have been too slow to grasp: Despite Russian losses, Vladimir Putin does not want a diplomatic offramp from his Ukraine war.

Furious at Russian losses on the ground in this war, he wants to wipe out Ukrainian cities and towns from the air. Yet, so far, despite sending much military aid, the West has failed to provide Ukraine with the air defenses it needs to stop the slaughter.

That must change now.

A consensus is building among experts that Putin believes he cant afford any deal short of abject Ukrainian surrender, lest he face humiliation and possible ouster. Several Russian attempts to assassinate Ukraines heroic President Volodymyr Zelenskyy have been foiled.

CIA Director William J. Burns testified before Congress on Tuesday that the Russian leader is angry and frustrated right now after miscalculating that Ukraine would be quickly defeated. Hes likely to double down and try to grind down the Ukrainian military with no regard for civilian casualties, Burns said.

So any hopes that Russian-Ukrainian talks will lead somewhere are misplaced.

The war is likely to drag on, creating a massive humanitarian crisis as Russian missiles and bombs devastate cities, including Kyiv. But what if better Western assistance in defending the skies could help Kyiv fend off those bombs and missiles? What if  and I know this challenges the imagination  Ukraine could actually win?

The very concept shakes Western preconceptions. U.S. and allied leaders were certain Kyiv would fall swiftly and they planned to help Ukrainians resist the Russian occupier.

But Ukrainian successes in holding off the invader have impelled NATO countries to, belatedly, pour in anti-tank missiles and Stinger anti-aircraft missiles across the Polish border. This is all to the good. But these weapons wont stop Russian rockets, missiles and higher-flying planes from devastating cities from the air.

Yet the Biden team and its allies still appear conflicted about giving Ukraine some of the tools it is desperately requesting to stop Russias murder from the skies.

Consider the bizarre story of the used, Soviet-made MiG-29 fighter jets that Poland offered to Ukraine. The initial idea was that Ukrainian pilots would fly them from Poland into Ukraine, but the plan became public, making both the Pentagon and Poland nervous. Then Poland suddenly announced it would hand over the planes to NATO in Germany to pass on to the Ukrainians. The Pentagon immediately nixed that plan and said Ukraine didnt need the planes.

Zelenskyy begs to differ. And because the Ukrainian military has done so much better than NATO nations expected, some way should be found to get the Polish planes into their hands.

As for the vociferous argument over no-fly zones, it is understandable that NATO does not want to embroil its planes in direct combat with Russian aircraft. There is an often-repeated fear of escalating the conflict, lest Putin carry out his threat of using nuclear weapons.

Why cant NATO consider a lesser variant of a no-fly zone over the western part of Ukraine, which Russia has not yet besieged? That would permit refugee convoys to travel safely toward Poland and protect the city of Lviv, which is crammed with refugees from elsewhere in the country.

Moreover, Putin is escalating daily, apparently considering the use of chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine  according to U.S. intelligence sources  while falsely blaming any such episodes on Western countries. This is Putins modus operandi: Russian planes bombed hospitals and schools in Syria, while Russians or their Syrian allies also used chemical weapons, blaming their use on their opponents.

While the Biden team must be prudent, it cant afford to let Putin use the nuclear threat to prevent helping Ukraine to stop the destruction of its cities.

We should respond to Putins nuclear threat with contempt, former U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine John Herbst told me. Russia is as vulnerable as we are. He adds, If we let Putin get away with it, what is so different from his marching into Estonia [a NATO-member Baltic state]?

President Joe Biden insists that NATO will defend every member state. But if Putins nuclear threats enable him to destroy Ukraine, he isnt likely to believe Biden.

Better to help Ukraine defend its skies now.

Trudy Rubin is a columnist and editorial-board member for The Philadelphia Inquirer.
VILNIUS, Lithuania  Sergey Smirnov sat on the floor of a dark and dirty Airbnb, leading an editorial meeting of the Russian news organization that continues to work even as he and his staff are on the run from the Kremlins crackdown on a free press.

Smirnov, the editor in chief of Mediazona, was in an apartment above a fried chicken restaurant in this Baltic capital, surrounded by two dogs and the half-dozen stuffed shopping bags he was able to fling into his car on March 4. That was the day Russian President Vladimir Putin approved draconian prison terms for journalists who stray from Kremlin propaganda. Smirnovs wife and two sons, including a 4-week-old newborn, remain in Moscow.

The 22 Mediazona reporters on the Zoom call were in Tbilisi, Prague, Istanbul  whatever city they could reach after international sanctions dried up flights from Moscow and rendered their Russian credit cards useless at gas stations around Europe. Where to get visas, apartments, funding, sympathy  these are the challenges they face in an unprecedented exodus of journalists from their homeland.

I wonder if we should do a story on the hostility Russians are feeling in other countries, one of the tired faces on Smirnovs screen said. Another reporter agreed, while a third was hesitant.

Smirnov, who has already been imprisoned for his reporting in Moscow, shook his head. We are facing difficulties, but it is nothing compared to what they are going through in Ukraine.

The media clampdown in Russia that followed the invasion of Ukraine has decimated a journalism community already ground to near extinction by years of oppression. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said at least 150 of Russias few remaining independent reporters and editors have left since tanks rolled into Ukraine, plunging Russia into what the group called an information dark age.

Now  in Lithuania, Latvia, Georgia and other former Soviet states where Russian remains a common language  they are scrambling to set up newsrooms in exile, determined to continue the hazardous mission of speaking truth to authoritarianism.

They are going to need to rebuild the infrastructure outside of Russia, and that wont be easy, said Vytis Jurkonis, Lithuania director at Freedom House, the pro-democracy watchdog based in Washington.

The immediate need, before any newsrooms or studios are built, is to get journalists and their families residency permits, housing, schools and ways to keep reporting.

The logistics are hard, Jurkonis said. But they need to go do their work and not lose their audience. Thats what the Kremlin wants, to separate these critical journalists from their audience.

Already, in shared hotel rooms or on friends couches, reporters are exploring ways to stay in touch with sources in Russia. Those who arrived earlier are schooling newcomers on the cloaking advantages of VPNs (virtual private networks), encrypted text apps and the chat functions of online video games.

On Sunday, Mediazona published multiple stories on police actions against antiwar protests in St. Petersburg, Russias second-largest city.

Dmitry Semenov, who escaped to Lithuania after being indicted for his writing and activism four years ago, is hearing every day from journalists suddenly on the run, wanting to know where they should go and how to do their jobs when they get there.

Right now, any escape from Russia is good; any city you get to is better than staying inside the country, said Semenov, who now reports for Lithuanian television and speaks every day with fleeing journalists  including from Radio Free Europe and Rain, the main independent TV network in Russia  about relocating to Lithuania.

Many have already arrived in the small but hospitable outpost of Vilnius, a city of medieval streets and half a million residents with a history of protecting human rights activists. Vilnius has emerged as a hub of dissidents and persecuted politicians escaping Putins reach, including a team that supports imprisoned Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny. Exiled Belarusian presidential candidate Svetlana Tikhanovskaya also decamped to Vilnius in 2020.

Russian journalists say they feel welcome here, but the city is not without intrigue. In 2021, security agents were able to snatch Belarusian blogger Roman Protasevich, who was living in Lithuania, by having his flight to Vilnius diverted to Minsk with a fake bomb threat.

Last week, Lithuanias state security service warned the swelling ranks of exiles in the city that Russian and Belarusian agents were becoming more aggressive here. In a Facebook post, it cautioned journalists to be alert for attempts to hack their devices and infiltrate their social circles.

I dont think the journalists should concentrate in any one country, Jurkonis said. It will make them easy targets for Russian operatives.

For now, reporters are still recovering from their pell-mell flight from Russia. Just days ago, Olesia Ostapchuk was writing about Russian mothers who had lost their sons in Ukraine for the independent outlet Holod. After a new law threatened journalists with 15 years in prison for describing Russias war on Ukraine as a war, she headed for the airport.

It took two days of canceled flights before she finally landed in the western Russian city of Kaliningrad, allowing her to pull her 80-pound pink suitcase across the bridge to Lithuania.

I left most of my clothes, my books, everything, said Ostapchuk, 24. Also my boyfriend and my family.

She only told her grandmother, a Putin supporter who wasnt fully aware of Ostapchuks journalism, that she was going on a business trip. She doesnt know if she will ever see her again. She has relatives in Ukraine to worry about as well.

For Smirnov, the need to flee was not unexpected. One of Russias most esteemed independent journalists, he has run Mediazona since it was founded in 2014 by one of the members of Pussy Riot, the dissident punk band. The organization focuses on Russias criminal justice system and is known for liveblogging from the show trials against activists and politicians.

Even before now, they faced political danger that most of us cant even imagine, said Carroll Bogert, president of the New York-based Marshall Project, upon which Mediazona was modeled.

Last year, Russian officials forced Mediazona and Smirnov to register under the restrictive Foreign Agents law, deeming that money generated by Google ads on its website amounted to international funding. Smirnov was also imprisoned for 25 days for retweeting a joke that offended the Kremlin.

He experimented with reporting from Georgia for a few months in 2021, but returned to Moscow after finding Tbilisi too relaxing.

Its not normal, but you get used to waking up at night each time you hear the elevator door open, he said. You feel the tension to understand the tension.

Still, he kept a bag packed, cash on hand, passports ready and prepared veterinarian documents for his dachshund with a heart condition. When the new prison terms were announced, he loaded his green Kia Soul for the 27-hour sleepless drive to Vilnius, including a 13-hour wait at the border.

A few days later, Mediazona and numerous other independent sites were blocked by the Russian government for violating the new restrictions.

Im ready to go to prison for two years, but 15? No, he said.

Smirnovs son, born in February, doesnt have travel documents yet. He hopes his family will join him in Vilnius in a few months, hopefully in better accommodations than the dank studio flat with the oversized hot tub that was all he could find.

The apartments are all gone and Im not a desirable renter, a Russian with two dogs, he said.

Mediazona was getting about $50,000 a month through online donations, most from inside Russia. Those funds are gone now, along with most of the company cash that was in Russian banks. Smirnovs immediate goals are to get the rest of his people out of Russia  hes paying for their transport and a months rent wherever they are  and to keep the journalism going.

We cant even plan our future yet, Smirnov said as he carried his ailing pet to the elevator for a bathroom break outside. Its still too crazy.

Arturas Morozovas contributed to this report.
BANGOR, Maine (Tribune News Service)  Soldiers who were sexually assaulted and harassed in the Maine Army National Guard on Friday criticized lawmakers for failing to grill guard officials about their mishandling of cases and a hostile culture toward female service members.

Four months after a Bangor Daily News investigation laid bare an unchecked culture of sexual abuse and a spike in investigations, the lawmakers tasked with oversight of the Guard didnt press military leaders on the problem and punted on recommending an independent probe, as other states facing similar scandals have done.

It seems as though everyone in Augusta is in denial of what has happened, and I dont believe the organization can truly be committed to the welfare of their soldiers and airmen until they start having difficult conversations, said Meg Church, who shared her story of being harassed and retaliated against by a superior. She now works full time for the South Carolina Army National Guard.

Church questioned why the committee trusts the guard to propose solutions when it wont admit it has a problem. An independent investigation needs to happen. There is no shame in admitting failure if it shows members of the guard that the leadership can and will do better in the future, she said.

The BDN in November published a three-part investigation based on interviews and public documents that showed a recent jump in sexual assault and harassment cases investigated in the Maine Army National Guard, where lax enforcement of policies, little oversight, and retaliation against soldiers who came forward continued for more than a decade.

But lawmakers didnt ask about any of those findings after guard officials discussed their new report outlining how they plan to address sexual abuse and harassment.

Aleigh Suffern, a former sergeant who reported a sexual assault in 2020, said the hearing suffered from a crucial lack of input from survivors. The BDN did not name her in previous coverage because she was still in the process of leaving the guard after investigators substantiated her report against a sergeant major.

I would like to hear more about what the guard is doing to take steps towards preventing this behavior, she said, in addition to how it plans to support survivors.

Committee co-chairs Rep. Chris Caiazzo, D- Scarborough and Sen. Craig Hickman, D- Winthrop, as well as Rep. Morgan Rielly, D- Westbrook, who sponsored the legislation that spurred Fridays meeting, could not be reached for comment after the remote hearing ended.

Riellys bill last year required the guard to submit a report about how well it aligned with 2013 federal best practices for investigating and preventing sexual abuse. On Friday, lawmakers met to discuss the report and largely asked the guard officials clarifying questions about its policies, as well as whether they could provide statistical information and results from a recent culture survey. The committee wanted to get a better understanding of the problem said Rielly.

Adjutant General Douglas Farnham, the guards chief military official, said he would work on fulfilling that request but warned some data may be difficult to provide due to confidentiality reasons.

But in June 2021, guard officials acknowledged that significant increases in workplace discrimination complaints including sexual harassment over the previous 18 months that reflected an unprecedented and unacceptable pattern, according to a copy of an internal email obtained by the BDN.

Until late 2019, the Maine Army National Guard had averaged about one complaint per year of sexual harassment and had no reports of sexual assault until late 2019. That average jumped to about five complaints a year as of June 2021.

The four complaints of sexual assault since 2020 were investigated and substantiated by the National Guard Bureaus Office of Complex Investigations, a division of the federal agency that coordinates with state and territorial national guard units. The bureau reported no investigations of sexual assaults within the Maine Army National Guard before 2020, officials said.

Interviews with more than 15 current and former guard members, including seven women who said they were assaulted by other guard members, said the uptick represented a breaking point in frustration over a culture that enables abuse by retaliating against women who report it. Soldiers faulted the guards policies as ineffective or insufficient.

That said, the guard primarily relies on civilian law enforcement to investigate reports of sexual assault, and only conducts internal investigations in the absence of a criminal prosecution.

However, it does not track its referrals to law enforcement, making it difficult to understand the complete picture of how many sexual assault complaints are brought forward and substantiated.

The BDN identified two criminal cases filed last year involving men who allegedly assaulted another soldier.

Bret Chapman will be sentenced Monday after pleading guilty to one count of sexual abuse for assaulting another service member last year while deployed to the southwest border. Meanwhile, a gross sexual assault case is still pending against Specialist David Cyr in Washington County after he allegedly assaulted a female soldier during a drill weekend in 2019.

(c)2022 the Bangor Daily News (Bangor, Maine)

Visit at www.bangordailynews.com
COLUMBUS, Ohio (Tribune News Service)  Ohio Governor Mike DeWine sent a letter to state and local law enforcement agencies in Ohio requesting information on any surplus or expired personal protective gear that could potentially be donated to Ukraine.

The request for information on donatable law enforcement body armor and helmets was made in response to a request from the National Guard Bureau to the Ohio National Guard to assess the amount of protective gear Ohio could potentially offer to the Ukrainian military as they defend their country against Russia.

I know many of you share my concern for the Ukrainian military men and women who are bravely fighting against the senseless aggression of Russia, Governor DeWine wrote in the letter. I encourage all Ohio law enforcement agencies that have surplus or expired personal protective gear to answer this request for information. Your response could result in help that could save lives in Ukraine.

Equipment will be collected if an identified need is validated by the United States European Combatant Command. At that time, the National Guard Bureau will work with the Department of Defense, its interagency partners, and the Ohio National Guard to develop a logistics plan to collect and deliver any donated equipment to aid Ukraine.

(c)2022 The Portsmouth Daily Times (Portsmouth, Ohio)

Visit at www.portsmouth-dailytimes.com
Weather Eye

with John Maunder

The following data sets and comments are from the climate4you.com website developed by Professor Ole Humlum who is a Danish Professor Emeritus of Physical Geography at the University of Oslo, and Adjunct Professor of Physical Geography at the University Centre in Svalbard.

The website climate4you.com which he edits endeavours to provide an ongoing climate data website which is updated monthly.

It uses data of significant national and global sites such as NASA, WMO, NOAA, UEA, NCDC, IPCC, BoM, SIDA, UAH, NIWA. The objective of the website is to provide information on meteorological and climatological issues of general and specific interest.

Recent global air temperature change, an overview

All temperature diagrams shown below have 1979 as the starting year. This roughly marks the beginning of the recent period of global warming, after termination of the previous period of global cooling from about 1940. In addition, the year 1979 also represents the starting date for the satellite-based global temperature estimates (UAH and RSS).

For the three surface air temperature estimates shown (HadCRUT, NCDC and GISS) the reference period differs. HadCRUT refers to the official normal WMO period 1961-1990, while NCDC and GISS as reference instead uses 1901-2000 and 1951-1980, respectively, which results in higher positive temperature anomalies.

For all three surface air temperature records, but especially NCDC and GISS, administrative changes to anomaly values are quite often introduced, even for observations several years back in time.

Some changes may be due to the delayed addition of new station data, while others probably have their origin in a change of technique to calculate average values.

It is clearly impossible to evaluate the validity of such administrative changes for the outside user of these records. In addition, the three surface records represent a blend of sea surface data collected moving ships or by other means, plus data from land stations of partly unknown quality and unknown degree of representativeness for their region.

Many of the land stations have also moved geographically during their existence, and their instrumentation changed.

The satellite temperature records also have their problems, but these are generally of a more technical nature and therefore correctable.

In addition, the temperature sampling by satellites is more regular and complete on a global basis than that represented by the surface records.

It therefore is realistic to recognise that the temperature records are not of equal scientific quality. At the same time the big efforts being put into all five temperature databases should be gratefully acknowledged by all interested in climate science.

On this background, the present website has decided to operate with three quality classes (1-3) for global temperature records, with 1 representing the highest quality level:

Quality class 1: The satellite records (UAH and RSS).

Quality class 2: The HadCRUT surface record.

Quality class 3: The NCDC and GISS surface records.

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The satellite records (UAH and RSS)

Global monthly average lower troposphere temperature since 1979 according to University of Alabama at Huntsville (UAH), USA. This graph uses data obtained by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) TIROS-N satellite, interpreted by Dr. Roy Spencer and Dr. John Christy, both at Global Hydrology and Climate Center, University of Alabama at Huntsville, USA. The thick line is the simple running 37 month average, nearly corresponding to a running 3 yr average. The cooling and warming periods directly influenced by the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption and the 1998 El Nino, respectively, are clearly visible. Reference period 1991-2020.

Global monthly average lower troposphere temperature since 1979 according to Remote Sensing Systems (RSS). This graph uses data obtained by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) TIROS-N satellite, and interpreted by Dr. Carl Mears (RSS). The thick line is the simple running 37 month average, nearly corresponding to a running 3 yr average. The cooling and warming periods directly influenced by the 1991 Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption and the 1998 El Nino, respectively, are clearly visible. Click here for a description of RSS MSU data products. Last month shown: January 2022. Last diagram update: 10 February 2022.

The HadCRUT surface record

Global monthly average surface air temperature since 1979 according to Hadley CRUT, a cooperative effort between the Hadley Centre for Climate Prediction and Research and the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU), UK. The thin line represents the monthly values, while the thick line is the simple running 37 month average, nearly corresponding to a running 3 year average. An introduction to the dataset has been published by Brohan et al. (2005). Base period: 1961-1990.

The NCDC and GISS surface records

Global monthly average surface air temperature since 1979 according to the National Climatic Data Center (NCDC), USA. This time series is calculated using land surface data from the Global Historical Climatology Network (Version 2) and sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies from the United Kingdom MOHSST data set and the NCEP Optimum Interpolated SSTs (Version 3). The thick line is the simple running 37 month average, nearly corresponding to a running 3 year average. Base period: 1901-2000.

Global monthly average surface air temperature since 1979 according to the Goddard Institute for Space Studies (GISS), at Columbia University, New York City, USA. GISS is a laboratory of the Earth-Sun Exploration Division of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center and a unit of the Columbia University Earth Institute. The thick line is the simple running 37 month average, nearly corresponding to a running 3 yr average. Discussions of reasons why the GISS temperature estimate differs from other estimates can be read by clicking here, here and here. Base period: 1951-1980. Last month shown: January 2022. Last diagram update: 16 February 2022.

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For further Infomation about a wide range of weather/climate matters see my new book Fifteen shades of climate... the fall of the weather dice and the butterfly effect. The book is available through the web site amazon.com. Just Google fifteen shades of climate for details.

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Epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker is warning New Zealanders to brace for "collective grief", with as many as 20 Covid deaths a day possible in coming weeks.

His grim warning comes after the deaths of seven people with Covid were reported on Saturday, taking the pandemic toll to 105. There were 853 hospital patients with Covid, 17 in intensive care, and 18,699 new community cases were reported.

Only 540 of the new cases on Saturday were detected through nasal swab testing, while the rest were picked up throug rapid antigen tests (RATs). With so many people now testing themselves with the RATs, Northern Region Health Coordination Centre nurse leader Sue French has provided a helpful step-by-step demonstration on how to use them properly.

Protesters opposing vaccine mandates caused major traffic congestion in Christchurch on Saturday, when they marched along Riccarton Rd to the Westfield Riccarton Shopping Centre.

With the cost of living skyrocketing alongside the surge in Omicron cases, many Kiwis are saying that the price hikes are now their major concern, ahead of Covid.

Three first-time mothers say midwives have advised them to delay their Covid booster vaccinations until they give birth, but an expert says that could potentially have devastating consequences.

Delivery drivers have become a lifeline for many during the Omicron wave, and the demand is taking its toll on the "exhausted" critical workers.

Vaccination rates

Ministry of Health data shows that as of 11.59pm on March 11, more than 2.5 million booster shots had been given nationally.

Of the eligible people aged 12 and over, 96 per cent have had their first dose, 94 per cent their second, and 72.7 per cent have had their booster.

For Maori, aged 12+, 91.2 per cent have had their first dose, and 87.9 per cent their second. For Pacific Peoples, aged 12+, 98.2 per cent had their first dose, and 96.2 per cent their second.

Global toll

Data from Johns Hopkins University shows nearly 455.7 million cases of Covid-19 have been confirmed worldwide, and nearly 6.04m deaths have been attributed to the virus. Nearly 10.7 billion Covid vaccine doses have been administered.

In the past 28 days, the US recorded 46,879 deaths from Covid and 1.83m cases, Russia had 20,427 deaths and 3.5m cases, while Brazil had 17,376 deaths and 2m cases. South Korean had the most cases during the period, with 4.9m along with 3099 deaths, followed by Germany with 4.8m cases and 5647 deaths.

What should I do?

Anyone who wants to get tested can find their local testing centres by visiting the Ministry of Health website.

Quarantine-free travel from Australia has been suspended.

People should use the Covid-19 tracer app.

If you are sick, call your GP before you visit, or Healthline on 0800 358 5453.

To avoid contracting and spreading the virus, wash your hands properly, cough and sneeze into the crook of your elbow and throw tissues away immediately.
The Ministry of Health is reporting 14,494 new community cases, 896 people in hospital with the virus, and eight Covid-19 related deaths.

The Bay of Plenty has 931 new community cases of Covid-19 with 34 cases in hospital. The Lakes DHB region has 394 new community cases, with 11 cases in hospital.

There are now 197,251 active community cases in New Zealand, which have been identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered. There have been 22 new cases identified at the border.

Of the 14,494 new community cases 440 are in Northland, 4509 in Auckland, 1420 in Waikato, 931 in Bay of Plenty, 394 in Lakes, 597 in Hawkes Bay, 472 in MidCentral, 137 in Whanganui, 355 in Taranaki, 289 in Tairawhiti, 105 in Wairarapa, 1141 in Capital and Coast, 845 in Hutt Valley, 376 in Nelson Marlborough, 1664 in Canterbury, 93 in South Canterbury, 703 in Southern, 18 in West Coast, and five unknown.

Of the 896 cases in hospital 19 are in Northland, 174 in North Shore, 214 in Middlemore, 207 in Auckland, 78 in Waikato, 34 in Bay of Plenty, 11 in Lakes, 3 in Tairawhiti, 24 in Hawkes Bay, 8 in Taranaki, 19 in MidCentral, none in Whanganui, 16 in Hutt Valley, 36 in Capital and Coast, 7 in Wairarapa, 5 in Nelson Marlborough, 26 in Canterbury, and 15 in Southern.

The average age of current hospitalisations is 57 years and there are 18 cases in ICU or HDU.

We know the Omicron variant can cause serious illness and death either directly or by its impact on other health conditions, particularly for our older and more vulnerable New Zealanders, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

Getting vaccinated and boosted will help reduce your risk of severe Covid-19 illness and could save your life.

There continues to be a drop in overall case numbers where for four days last week case numbers were reported at over 20,000 cases and the reduction to 18,699 yesterday has continued to the 14,494 seen today.

That fall has been most pronounced in Auckland where reported case numbers have fallen steadily this week from just under 10,000 reported cases on March 8 to just over 4500 today.

The seven-day rolling average of cases  currently 19,771 provides a useful guide to the trend in case numbers  this average has only dipped slightly from yesterday.

Covid-19 related deaths

As stated, the Ministry of Health is today reporting the deaths of eight people with Covid-19. Of these deaths, six occurred in the Auckland region, one in Waikato, and one in Lakes. The total number of publicly reported Covid-19 related deaths to date is now 113.

Of the people who have died that the ministry is announcing today, three people were in their 60s, one was in their 70s, one was their 80s, and three people were in their 90s. Two were male and six were female.

At this sad time, our thoughts are with the whanau and friends of all those who have died. Out of respect for affected families, we will be making no further comment, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

Registering your result

The Ministry would like to thank the many people who are reporting their Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) results  both positive and negative. Yesterday 33,286 test results were reported, of which 14,047 were positive.

If you test positive with a rapid antigen test, its essential you register your positive result, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson

Click here to report: How to report your RAT results | Unite against COVID-19 (covid19.govt.nz)

Your positive result is important. Its the best way to give public health officials an overview of case numbers in particular areas of New Zealand, to help determine the best spread of public health resources.

Its also important if your condition worsens and you require additional healthcare.

Home isolation

As of 11.59pm on Friday, the isolation period for cases and household contacts has now reduced from 10 to seven days.

This change applies to anyone who was isolating at the time of the change.

If you test positive for COVID-19, you are required to isolate for seven days. You do not need to be retested after your initial positive result. If you still have symptoms after seven days, stay home if you feel unwell, says a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

If you are a household contact and you have done a Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) on both days 3 and 7 of the isolation period of the first Covid-19 positive person in your house, and both tests are negative, you can leave isolation on day 8 if you are well. You should continue to monitor for symptoms though and get tested again should symptoms develop.

If you are a household contact and return a positive RAT result while isolating, you will need to isolate for a further 7 days and stay home till you are feeling well.

Other household members do not have to reset their isolation and can leave isolation on day 8, the same day as the first case can leave isolation, provided they have returned negative RAT results and are not symptomatic.

If youve tested negative, but still feel sick or symptomatic, we strongly advise you to follow public health guidance and stay home and away from public places, work and other social gatherings to keep others and yourself safe. You should retest in 48 hours if symptoms persist or worsen.

Vaccinations administered in New Zealand

Vaccines administered to date: 4,022,709 first doses; 3,968,480 second doses; 34,266 third primary doses; 2,513,191 booster doses: 253,956 paediatric first doses and 7,730 paediatric second doses

Vaccines administered yesterday: 162 first doses; 454 second doses; 21 third primary doses; 7,689 booster doses; 1,040 paediatric first doses and 861 paediatric second doses.

People vaccinated

All Ethnicities (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 4,068,544 first dose (96.7%); 4,011,347 second dose (95.3%), 2,514,829 boosted (72.8% of those eligible)

Maori (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 520,894 first dose (91.2%); 501,937 second dose (87.9%), 220,226 boosted (59.5% of those eligible)

Pacific Peoples (percentage of eligible people aged 12+): 281,596 first dose (98.2%); 275,995 second dose (96.3%), 131,748 boosted (59.9% of those eligible)

5 to 11-year-olds all ethnicities: 253,734 first dose (53.3%); 7,591 second dose (1.6%)

5 to 11-year-olds - Maori: 39,164 first dose (33.9%); 1,180 second dose (1%)

5 to 11-year-olds - Pacific Peoples: 22,749 first dose (46.1%); 844 second dose (1.7%).

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 (90.5%); second dose (88.2%); boosted (70%)

Auckland Metro DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (96.3%); boosted (70.7%)

Waikato DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (93.8%); boosted (68.5%)

Bay of Plenty DHB: first dose (95.4%); second dose (93.6%); boosted (69.2%)

Lakes DHB: first dose (93.7%); second dose (91.7%); boosted (69.4%)

MidCentral DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.5%); boosted (74.7%)

Tairawhiti DHB: first dose (93.5%); second dose (91.1%); boosted (69.8%)

Whanganui DHB: first dose (92.5%); second dose (90.7%); boosted (74.4%)

Hawkes Bay DHB: first dose (97.4%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (72.8%)

Taranaki DHB: first dose (95%); second dose (93.3%); boosted (70.1%)

Wairarapa DHB: first dose (96.9%); second dose (95.2%); boosted (75.5%)

Capital & Coast DHB: first dose (98.9%); second dose (98%); boosted (81.2%)

Hutt Valley DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.8%); boosted (77.4%)

Nelson Marlborough DHB: first dose (97%); second dose (95.6%); boosted (76.3%)

West Coast DHB: first dose (93.2%); second dose (91.4%); boosted (74.2%)

Canterbury DHB**: first dose (100%); second dose (98.9%); boosted (75.5%)

South Canterbury DHB: first dose (95.5%); second dose (94.3%); boosted (76.8%)

Southern DHB: first dose (98.4%); second dose (97.1%); boosted (75.2%).

*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

**Percentage is based on 2020 HSU data - a health-specific population denominator. As the population continues to change over time, coverage rates can exceed 100%.

Hospitalisations*

Cases in hospital: total number 896: Northland: 19; North Shore: 174; Middlemore: 214; Auckland: 207; Waikato: 78; Bay of Plenty: 34; Lakes: 11; Tairawhiti: 3, Hawkes Bay: 24; Taranaki: 8; MidCentral: 19; Whanganui: 0; Hutt Valley: 16; Capital and Coast: 36; Wairarapa: 7; Nelson Marlborough: 5; Canterbury: 26; Southern: 15.

Average age of current hospitalisations: 57

Cases in ICU or HDU: 18

Vaccination status of current hospitalisations (Northern Region only, excluding Emergency Departments): Unvaccinated or not eligible (104 cases / 19%); partially immunised <7 days from second dose or have only received one dose (17 cases / 3%); double vaccinated at least 7 days before being reported as a case (210 cases / 38%); Received booster at least 7 days before being reported as a case (168 cases / 30%); unknown (57 cases / 10%)

*The figures show that just over 3% of people aged 12 and over in the Northern Region have had no doses of the vaccine, while of those aged 12 and over in Northland and Auckland hospitals with COVID-19 for whom we have vaccination status recorded, 15.6% have had no doses of the vaccine and are five times over-represented in our hospitalisation figures.

Cases

Seven day rolling average of community cases: 19,771

Number of new community cases: 14,494

Number of new community cases (PCR): 447

Number of new community cases (RAT): 14,047

Location of new community cases (PCR & RAT): Northland (440), Auckland (4,509), Waikato (1,420), Bay of Plenty (931), Lakes (394), Hawkes Bay (597), MidCentral (472), Whanganui (137), Taranaki (355), Tairawhiti (289), Wairarapa (105), Capital and Coast (1,141), Hutt Valley (845), Nelson Marlborough (376), Canterbury (1,664), South Canterbury (93), Southern (703), West Coast (18); Unknown (5)

Number of new cases identified at the border: 22

Number of active community cases (total): 197,251 (cases identified in the past 10 days and not yet classified as recovered)

Confirmed cases (total): 361,108.

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
Registration of an ozone-friendly forestry fumigant has still to be finalised after five years of evaluation.

Last November the Decision Making Committee of the Environmental Protection Authority reconvened the hearing into an application by Czech based company, Draslovka, for registration of ethanedinitrile.

The applicant, seeking to replace toxic fumigant methyl bromide with EDN, and seven parties were heard.

A direction and minute were issued in December to outline the legal matters arising from the reconvened hearing.

The applicant and submitters were asked to respond to the legal submissions, with four responses received by the January 17 deadline.

In a statement to Coast & Country, the DMC says it is currently evaluating whether it has enough information to close the hearing and progress to making a decision

Draslovka group director Kade McConville says the application for registration of EDN was first submitted to the EPA in July 2017.

The New Zealand forest industry is now in a situation where its use of methyl bromide has been severely curtailed and the need for a replacement to support the export of New Zealand logs and timber is now urgent.

He says Draslovka considers it has provided the DMC with a robust data package founded on sound science.

Using that information, Kade says WorkSafe has developed a Safe Work Instrument for the use of EDN as a fumigant on logs and timber under tarpaulins (sheets) and in shipping containers.

In a separate action, on New Years Day the EPA introduced additional controls around the use of methyl bromide in New Zealand.

Both India and China require methyl bromide to be used, as a biosecurity tool to kill pests, on logs they receive from New Zealand.

Last August, the EPA outlined what it calls a comprehensive suite of new rules, or controls, for the substance.

The decision sets a roadmap to full recapture of methyl bromide, and several controls began immediately, covering ventilation, notification, and reporting, says Dr Chris Hill, general manager of the EPAs Hazardous Substances group.

In general terms, Dr Hill says recapture means using technology to remove the methyl bromide gas from the fumigated enclosure, so that after use it cannot be released into the air.

From January 1, stepped increases started applying to the recapture of methyl bromide from containers and covered log stacks.

"This phased approach allows the EPA to ensure that requirements are being met by industry at each stage," Dr Hill says

There will also be larger buffer zones to prevent people from being in the vicinity while the gas is being used.

As well, local councils and affected parties, including neighbouring marae and other community facilities, must be notified before fumigation takes place.

"Weve been pleased to see ports getting ahead of the curve on these regulations, says Dr Hill.

This includes the Port of Tauranga which has required recapture technology to be used on all log stack fumigations since the start of the year.

A total ban on methyl bromide fumigation aboard ships takes effect from the start of 2023.

Dr Hill says the decision provides a clear and structured pathway for industry to reduce the amount of methyl bromide emitted.

The decision recognises the benefits associated with methyl bromide use, while also protecting human health and the environment.
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Tahlequah, OK (74464)

Today

Scattered thunderstorms during the morning becoming more widespread this afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 67F. Winds ESE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. A few storms may be severe. Low 61F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. 2 to 3 inches of rain expected.
The Buffalo Public Schools district is in transition after a terribly difficult month capping an enormously challenging two years. As someone who works closely with the district, I look forward to the leadership of interim superintendent Tonja Williams.

Yet, we should take this moment as a reminder that no one person, no single group of people, can easily improve outcomes in a district as large and multifaceted as Buffalos. And improving student outcomes in Buffalo should be a major priority for everyone in Western New York, no matter where you live. The future of our region depends on it.

We are witnessing real momentum in sectors like health care, technology, advanced manufacturing and filmmaking, all of which depend on a well-educated and well-trained workforce. There is some value in attracting outside talent to these positions, but the primary source for talent must be local.

While many suburban districts send students to out-of-town colleges that eventually lead to out-of-town employment, Buffalos graduates overwhelmingly stay here. With the influx of new Buffalonians, the citys population is growing for the first time in decades. This growing population will need first-rate educational and employment opportunities to thrive. In turn, our region will only truly take off if the people who live here are the ones who benefit from dynamic new industrial development.

This means that, if you live in Clarence, you need Buffalo Public Schools to succeed. Its the same if you live in East Aurora. Moreover, you should want to be part of the systems change in our region to help ensure that happens.

Working together, we can dismantle policies and practices that put our city school students at competitive disadvantages and we can pursue visionary initiatives that intentionally build bridges from city schools to postsecondary credentialing to industry employment.

At Villa Maria College, where I serve as president, we recently launched certificate credentialing programs in fields such as computer software development and film production that complement our traditional undergraduate programs. Our intent is to provide an array of educational pathways for our students, many who come from city schools, into these emerging industries that lead to meaningful employment.

I am deeply heartened by what I see happening elsewhere in our community, as well, including M&Ts Tech Academy, TechBuffalo, Northland Workforce Training Center, Buffalo Niagara Partnerships work in career pathways, Buffalo Prep and Say Yes Buffalo, all of which aim to build up local talent, especially from our underserved urban communities, to take advantage of new career opportunities in Buffalo.

There is still much to be done, including linking existing programming more directly to individual schools, but the right path is unfolding. While Williams must lead the process, all of us have important roles to play, together.

Matthew Giordano, Ph.D., is president of Villa Maria College.
In brief: This week, Chinese authorities seized a shipment of XFX GPUs at a port on the border between Hong Kong and Shenzhen. It contained 5,840 GPUs that local media identified as mostly AMD Radeon RX 6700 XTs headed for XFX's Chinese sales partners.

According to a report from Chinese customs, the shipment was seized after a routine inspection found three mislabelled GPUs inside. A subsequent investigation discovered that the company shipping them had declared them all with the wrong names and specifications.

Officials say the shipment's value exceeds 20 million ($3.15 million).

Authorities did not mention XFX by name, but a video posted to Weibo on Saturday shows officials opening the shipment where the XFX logo is clearly seen. The Chinese company's website is currently down, and Alibaba-run storefront Tmall has stopped listing its products. China-based online retailer JD continues to sell them.

Although owned by Hong Kong-based Pine Technology Holdings, XFX is headquartered in California. The hardware company's operations outside of China have continued as normal.

It's required to pay import taxes when shipping products to China, which might be what XFX was trying to avoid by mislabeling its GPUs. According to the Chinese outlet My Drivers, the practice is common among OEMs that ship to China.
(Photo : Unsplash/ Dan Dennis) Ford

Ford has decided to sell and ship vehicles without the chips that power non-safety features. The automaker will instead send the chips a year later to the dealers for installation after a vehicle is purchased.

Ford to Sell Vehicles Without Chips

According to Automotive News, Ford has not released the model of the affected vehicles nor the features that will not be available during shipment.

Originally, the automaker had plans to ship partially-built and undrivable vehicles to dealers, but now, the vehicles will be driveable and sellable even without the chips.

Ford's decision comes to move the partially-built vehicles crowding its factories. In February, hundreds of new Ford Broncos were spotted sitting idly in the lots near the company's Michigan Assembly Plant, all of which were deemed undeliverable because there were no chips installed.

Also Read: How Can Tesla Produce Cars Amidst Chip Shortage, Plant Shut Down; Musk Says Best Software Team in the World

Just like the other companies, Ford has been grappling with the constraints introduced by the global chip shortage. In 2021, the lack of semiconductors forced the automaker to scale back production of the popular Ford F-150.

In November 2021, both General Motors and Ford announced a deal with chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries to ease the chip shortage, according to The Verge.

Other car manufacturers have also had to make adjustments because of the global chip shortage. General Motors dropped wireless charging, fuel management module, and HD radios.

As for Tesla, the company sold some car models without USB ports, but they will be installed at a later date. Even luxury vehicles are not exempted from the shortage, as Cadillac removed its hands-free driving feature in its 2022 Escalade, while BMW started shipping some cars without touchscreens.

Boosting the US Manufacturing Industry

The global chip shortage shined a light on the state of manufacturing in the United States and how much of it has moved out of the country.

According to CNET, Intel and Samsung Foundry wants to take advantage of the rising demand for chips to reclaim the country's leadership in manufacturing electronics and vehicles.

Earlier this year, Intel said that it would invest $20 billion in two chip fabrication plants near Columbus, Ohio. The new site could house up to 8 Intel fabrication plants. The entire project will cost the company $100 billion in total.

Al Thompson, the leader of Intel's US government relations, said that they do not want to create a situation where the United States, which created the semiconductor industry and Silicon Valley, would be dependent on other countries for the product.

The US Congress is working on a bill that would give chipmakers $52 billion. The House of Representatives passed its version of the bill in February after the Senate's version of the bill was presented in 2021.

The European Union proposed $17.1 billion in new funding through a Chips for Europe project a few days later. The chip industry's new course is part of decoupling, which is pulling the Chinese and US economies apart.

As for the Asian manufacturers, they are also working on increasing the production of semiconductors. In January, TSMC said that it will invest $40 billion in new chipmaking plants and equipment this year.

In February, Ford reduced the production of vehicles in its North American plants.

In 2021, Ford was forced to shutdown its plants because of the chip shortage.

Related Article: Global Chip Shortage to Persist Until 2023--Demands for PC to Slightly 'Soften' in the Next Years

This article is owned by Tech Times

Written by Sophie Webster

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Congressman Tom Suozzi is seeking the governors office for the second time in his long political career, hoping to fare better in 2022 than the drubbing Eliot Spitzer dealt him back in the 2006 primary.

So far, its been another uphill climb for the Long Island Democrat. Gov. Kathy Hochul holds all the advantages as she faces Suozzi and New York City Public Advocate Jumaane Williams in the June primary. And while Suozzi attended the Democratic State Convention in Manhattan a few weeks ago, he never entered his name for nomination. Hochul was this crews favorite.

And thats the point Suozzi now makes as he launches his own TV ads railing against rising crime and high taxes. Last week he seemed downright proud of being ignored at a convention he says represented the party establishment. Suozzi insists he does not.

If you want the same old, same old establishment candidate, he told the Politics Column a few days ago, you shouldnt vote for me.

Suozzi has been around long enough to earn his own establishment credentials  lawyer, mayor of Glen Cove, Nassau County executive, member of Congress. But now he embraces an outsider persona he believes lays out a path ending at the Governors Mansion.

Ive got a plan; I have a strategy, and Im working hard, he said. And I believe if I execute this plan, I will win this race.

This time around, Suozzi revels in his Italian-Irish roots, often points to his Italian immigrant father, and his own common sense brand of Democratic politics. Three hundred thousand New Yorkers leave the state each year, he says, which he blames on politicians soft on crime and eager to raise taxes.

Suozzi cares little for the bail reform laws he thinks allows criminals who should be in jail to roam the streets instead. He doesnt like over-regulation driving businesses out of state. And though he wont say it, he sounds a lot like Republicans running for governor.

Yeah, but its a traditional Democratic message, he says, noting he appeals to the union guys in bars and at church picnics the party has lost.

People care about crime, taxes and schools, he said, basic bread-and-butter stuff.

The congressmans ads are among the bunch for various gubernatorial candidates saturating Buffalo airwaves in recent days, a sign of things to come. Those ads may struggle in some bellwether towns like Cheektowaga, where his common sense Democrat message might gain traction. This is Hochul turf, as is possibly most of upstate, and he knows it.

Ive got to be popular elsewhere, he says, adding he thinks upstate has never fared very well anyway under the same old, same old Democratic leadership.

He faces other challenges  the kind Hochul will trumpet on TV if she senses any Suozzi climb in the polls. Last week, Business Insider reported Suozzi failed to properly report 31 stock trades that were months or years overdue, worth up to $885,000. Like other pols in the same situation, the Suozzi campaign noted his investments are managed by independent advisors with discretion over all transactions.

Every transaction has been reported on his annual financial disclosure, the campaign said, and all proper periodic disclosures will be filed on a going-forward basis.

Suozzis candidacy merits close attention precisely because of that union guy appeal. Hochul has gained a moderate label, mostly from her congressional days in a Republican district, but is linked in every TV ad to former Gov. Andrew Cuomo and his policies. Williams eagerly embraces the partys progressive wing.

So Suozzis path down the center becomes obvious. Is he on to something?

New York City voters sent a few Republicans to the City Council last year and chose moderate Eric Adams as their mayor over a slew of left-leaning challengers. Suozzi will take that appeal to his Long Island turf, the citys outer boroughs, and as much of upstate as possible during the campaign.

And given the choice he offers voters, his efforts will very much define what kind of Democratic Party these days dominates New York State.

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There should be no question that Buffalo, including its police department, would benefit from the establishment of a skilled, well-functioning civilian advisory board. Unfortunately, the one that existed until recently wasnt that.

As the board fractured over internal disputes, the Buffalo Common Council put it out of its misery, promising to create a better successor. Its the right decision.

The board was the Councils creation, forming it four years ago to solicit community input on police reforms. The independent, 11-member board was to hold public meetings and convey information it gleaned to the Council. It was also to make recommendations to the Buffalo Police Department and the Councils Police Oversight Committee.

Trouble began with the boards structure. Its initial members were appointed by the Common Council, but future vacancies were to be filled by the board itself. In addition, the board would develop its own bylaws and appoint its leaders.

But it didnt create any bylaws until recently and some on the board objected to the confirmation process for new members. Last month, four members announced their resignations. Among them was Rabbi Jonathan Freirich, who joined the board in November. Some members, he said, seemed to have their own agendas.

A fifth member telephoned Niagara Council Member David A. Rivera to say, in Riveras words,  You have to look into this. People are resigning. Its toxic.  Rivera is chairman of the Police Oversight Committee.

One who didnt quit, Dominique Calhoun, said she thought that Council members had personal grievances, including against her. No specifics were publicly cited by any of the board members.

Thats an important place to begin as the Common Council considers the makeup of a new advisory board. The Council, with appropriate input, should clearly define the boards mission and appoint members who accept that vision.

But the problems went deeper. It is an oddity  a Soviet-type oddity  for a board to appoint its own members. Worse, some members objected to the Common Councils confirmation requirements, an essential process for any public body that is committed to transparency.

Some members of the board, who apparently know little about public service, insisted that public confirmation hearings are unprofessional, embarrassing and could deter applicants. Instead, they wanted a verification process, in which the Common Council  creator of the board and hence, accountable for it  would merely confirm that appointments met requirements such as no felony background and residence in the city, Calhoun said.

Its nonsense. Appropriately conducted confirmation hearings help to create professionalism. Any applicants they deter probably shouldnt be on an important public board. If those individuals have valuable contributions to make, they can do so during the boards meetings or in private conversations.

The Common Council did right by scrapping this dysfunctional board, but it is essential to start again. Policing is among the most crucial of municipal services and its most predictably intrusive. Sometimes, that goes wrong and, when it does, police work suffers.

A credible advisory board, supported by the public, the police and the city administration, can go a long way toward overcoming those troublesome issues. When police are a welcome presence, they can do a better job of keeping the peace and, when that fails, of investigating crimes.

Buffalo has done strong work in improving policing over the past several years. In particular, the departments two most recent commissioners, Daniel Derenda and Byron Lockwood, emphasized honesty, discipline and neighborhood relationships in a way that the public noticed. The department's new leader, Joseph Gramaglia, is a 25-year veteran whose resume suggests hes well up to the job of continuing that work.

But a formalized system of public input creates an important conduit for feedback, including criticism and potential improvements. It can help build public confidence. Thats what the Common Council should be aiming for as it goes forward: an effective board, subject to a confirmation process and with appointments not solely made by the board itself. Bylaws would be good.

  

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.ard, itself. Bylaws would be good.
"The Kiev regime established training coordination centers for foreign mercenaries before they were deployed to combat areas," the Russian Defense Ministry spokesman said.

The Russia-Ukraine conflict has already exceeded 16 days. So far the parties have held several rounds of negotiations without being able to reach a ceasefire. Below are the main events as they happen.

March 13

Russian-Ukrainian talks to begin early on March 14 - Ukrainian delegations member

Another round of talks between the Russian and Ukrainian delegations will start on Monday morning in an on-line format, David Arakhamiya, a member of the Ukrainian delegation, told Strana news website.

"Tomorrow, March 14, talks will be held via video link-up starting at 10:30," Arakhamiya, who is the head of the countrys ruling parliamentary faction Servant of the People, said without clarifying the time zone.

Ukraine has been using controversial Clearview AI's facial recognition during the conflict

Ukraines defense ministry has been using Clearview AIs facial recognition technology, the companys chief executive told the Reuters news agency, after the U.S. based company offered to uncover Russian combatants.

Critics point out that the use of this technology could lead to false positives and be in violation of the Geneva Convention. The company is currently fighting massive lawsuits in the United States after being accused of violating privacy rights by taking images from the web.

Countries like Italy (which has fined the company 20 million dollars for breaking its laws) and Canada have accused it of "unlawful data collection".

ICRC says ready to promote dialogue on evacuation of civilians from Mariupol

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said on Sunday it is ready to promote dialogue between the opposing parties on the save evacuation of civilians from Mariupol.

"We call on all parties involved in the fighting to place humanitarian imperatives first," ICRC President Peter Maurer stressed.

The ICRC noted that hundreds of thousands of people in Mariupol are facing dramatic shortages of necessities, including food, water and medicines. To alleviate this misery and prevent further tragedy, a concrete, precise, actionable agreement is needed without delay so that civilians who wish to leave can reach safety, and for life-saving aid to reach those who cannot leave or who wish to stay," it stressed.

"All those participating in the fighting need to agree to the modalities and timing of a ceasefire, the precise locations of the safe passage route, and then ensure that the agreement is respected," the ICRC said. "The parties would also need to clear roads of any obstacle preventing safe passage. The ICRC stands ready to act as a neutral intermediary to facilitate dialogue on such humanitarian issues."

The EU-G7 sanctions against Russia will be approved on Monday. European Commission (EC) President Ursula von der Leyen announced that the 27 countries of the European Union (EU) will stop granting Russia the status of "Most Favored Nation."

This new sanction and other measures were analyzed and agreed at Versailles on Friday with representatives from the Group of Seven (G7), which comprises Germany, Canada, the United States, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Russia eliminates 180 mercenaries in attack near Lviv. Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov announced that some 180 mercenaries were killed in the attack on the Yavoriv military training center in Lviv, near the Polish border.

"The Kiev regime established training coordination centers for foreign mercenaries before they were deployed to combat areas," he said, adding that the destroyed facilities also housed weapons and military equipment shipped from other Western countries.

Bermuda prohibits Russian planes from flying over or landing on its territory. The Bermuda Civil Aviation Authority (BCAA) suspended the certificates of some 740 aircraft of Russian air operators. Previously, on March 9, the British Government introduced a new sanctions package that strengthens London's authority to detain and expel any Russian aircraft.

"Once implemented, the UK sanctions are applicable to Bermuda as an overseas territory," the local Prime Minister David Burt said.

Nearly half of Russia's reserves have been frozen so far. Finance Minister Anton Siluanov denounced that roughly US$640 billion of gold and foreign currency reserves has been frozen. Still, the country's capital reserves have made it possible for banks under severe restrictions to function.

"Of course, we have enough money to ensure the production of vital goods. The Central Bank will provide the necessary liquidity to the financial system," he said, stressing that Russia has been greeted with an onslaught of Western economic sanctions since the start of the special military operation in Ukraine last month.

 SANCTIONS



The BIS announced on 28 February that it would follow sanctions as applicable, widely understood as alignment with G7 . This has no precedent since the establishment of BIS in 1931, not even during WWII. @JoshKirschGMF @nicolas_veron https://t.co/m8N7lSCxh4  Bruegel (@Bruegel_org) March 13, 2022

Czech government sent military aid to Ukraine for over $30 million. Czech Defense Minister Jana Cernochova stated that her country has sent ammunition, machine guns, anti-aircraft defenses and medical supplies to Ukraine for some 29 million euros in recent weeks.

She also said that her government will send more material but did not offer details about the shipment. Earlier, the Czech government announced that it would increase its defense budget from 1.4 to 2 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) until 2025.

Putin-Zelensky meeting depends on the expected results. Although the Kremlin did not rule out a meeting between the presidents of Russia and Ukraine, it conditioned the high-level encounter to the setting of a concrete agenda.

We have repeatedly said that no one excludes the possibility of a meeting between President Vladimir Putin and President Zelensky. However, we need to understand what the outcome of this meeting should be and what issues will be discussed... For this, work at the level of the delegations is underway... It is still too early to talk about the results, Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said.

 Video footage of Canadian mercenaries in Warsaw heading to Ukraine to fight for Zelensky. #Donbass pic.twitter.com/9tKznga5rz  Dean O'Brien (@DeanoBeano1) March 13, 2022

Over 2.6 million Ukrainians have sought refuge outside the country. In his latest report, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi stated that 2,698,280 Ukrainian refugees were residing outside their country as a result of the conflict. He also anticipates that over four million people might leave the country in the coming weeks.

Lviv Mayor says Russia attacked a Ukrainian military base. Russian troops caused 35 deaths and 134 wounded during the attack on Yavoriv, a Ukrainian military base where the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) usually conducts joint military exercises between Ukrainian forces. So far, however, the Kremlin has not confirmed this operation.

Ukraine continues to bomb Lugansk. The Ukrainian military shelled the territory of the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) three times on March 12, according to the LPR office within the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the Ceasefire Regime (CCCC).

The shelling in the city of Irmino destroyed a residential building and damaged three houses, a building, a school, and a medium-pressure gas pipeline, as reported by TASS.


In 1888, Emile Zola was a writer covered in glory. However, from the top of his 48 years, he is overweight, suffers from shortness of breath and has the impression of having missed his life. Zola grows tired of his wife Alexandrine, who lets herself go and with whom he cannot have a child. In this new episode of the Europe 1 Studio podcast "At the heart of history", Clementine Portier-Kaltenbach recounts the meeting of the famous novelist with the one who will upset the course of his existence: the young and pretty Jeanne Rozerot.
This invasion of Ukraine really blew up in Vladimir Putins face. Russia is weak economically (we already knew that), but the war also revealed Russias conventional warfare limitations. Their army and air force is underperforming, they have bad supply issues and command and control is weak. Morale is poor. Their navy cant project worldwide power. The only thing that keeps Russia relevant (and frightening) is their thousands of nuclear weapons.

So you have a country with thousands of nuclear weapons and a big inferiority complex. These are the scariest times since the Cuban missile crisis and 1983  the closest the U.S. and USSR came to war at any time during the Cold War.

I would also remind people who want NATO to get into a shooting war that NATO is a defensive alliance, meant to defend its members from attack. Not as a hammer to enforce foreign policy.

Many dont understand the consequences of engaging Russia directly in Ukraine. Where would the combat theater end? Do Russians attack our bases in Poland? Or our patrols over the Sea of Japan? Do we shoot at Russian patrols near Alaska? Will we attack Russians worldwide? And what if it escalates to nuclear war? Putin isnt playing with a full deck, it seems. So I think we need to tone down the rhetoric about so eagerly going to war with Russia.

Dale Reeck

Cheektowaga
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Ron Faucheux: Control of the U.S. Senate to be pivotal battle in November
As one of Louisianas most outspoken knockers of critical race theory, Denham Springs Republican Rep. Valarie Hodges recalled one of the most profoundly embarrassing moments from a 2021 legislative session that featured many.

During a bill over what Louisiana school kids should be taught, Hodges was asked: Do you know what the middle passage is?

The what? was her reply.

Returning to her seat in the House chamber, Hodges said she asked a colleague who had been a schoolteacher.

Rep. Larry Bagley described captured Africans packed head to toe below decks for the months-long transport from Africa to the United States. The squalid conditions led to an estimated 2 million deaths among the roughly 12 million Africans forced into new world slavery because their skin color made it easier to tell who was enslaved.

I didnt know and when he told me, it brought tears to my eyes, Hodges recalled Thursday. I never heard about that in school.

Every Louisiana 6th grader will now learn about the middle passage and as 9th graders theyll study it in depth under the social studies curriculum approved Wednesday by the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.

Though opposed by nine of the 27 original drafters of the new curricula as not going far enough in educating youth about the history and contributions of African Americans in Louisiana, the approval of the long-awaited student standards is one reason why the national fight over critical race theory wont spill into the 2022 regular session of the Louisiana Legislature that begins Monday, Hodges said.

She said she had never been against teaching more Black history. What Hodges opposed was the widely held conservative interpretation that critical race theory would make White children feel guilty about the treatment of African Americans. Thats why she spent much of last year rallying conservatives on talk radio and at grassroots luncheons to stop critical race theory.

Though actually an academic discipline to ferret out forgotten policies that still negatively impact African Americans, such as nonunanimous jury verdicts, critical race theory became the safe harbor for conservative opposition to Black Lives Matter positions.

HBO satirist John Oliver counted Fox News using the term 4,707 times in 2021. During the past year, 36 states have adopted or introduced laws that restrict teaching about race and racism, according to Chalkbeat, a New York-based news organization covering education. Virginia elected as governor a candidate who had never run before but promised to ban the teaching of critical race theory in commonwealth schools even though CRT  a college and graduate-school level protocol  already isnt being taught school kids.

After hearings last summer on the new curricula attracted dozens of angry parents, state Superintendent Cade Brumley stormed talk radio promising on show after show that patriotic history, not critical race theory, would be taught to Louisiana children. About 2,000 members of the public weighed in on the curricula being drafted  an exercise thats usually ignored.

Its a fight in our state. Its a fight across the nation, Brumley said on Shreveports KEEL talk radio. Ive been pretty clear  in public  that I would not put forth any standard that contained any element of CRT.

Thats why of the 91 education bills filed for consideration during the upcoming session, only three measures deal with curricula  and none mention critical race theory.

Under the rules, each legislator can still file five more bills after Monday, but House Education Committee Chair Lance Harris hasnt heard any rumblings of an anti-CRT measure being added. Thats largely because Brumley and BESE have addressed the issue in its new social studies standards, he said.

They did an excellent job of making a very good curriculum that people on both sides of the aisle think is good and that could do away with the CRT argument, said Harris, a White Republican from Alexandria. If it happened, it happened. Its history.

Agreeing is the committees vice chair, Rep. Patrick Jefferson, a Black Democrat from Homer, who generally is Harris political opposite and has been a vocal proponent of teaching more African American history.

Did they get everything? Absolutely not. But they got a lot and theres always room to expand, Jefferson said Thursday. What was never mentioned when you and I were in school is now able to be addressed, and that shouldnt make anyone feel bad. Its history.
As I looked in the rearview mirror and saw golden rays heralding the setting of the sun, I thought of the choices that go with gazing at the setting or rising of the sun.

Do we favor reflecting on the passing of the day we had or welcome the potential for the day to come? This choice could also be considered a metaphor for life. Simplified it is just this: Do we more often look forward or back? Of course, I believe our age is a big factor in this choice.

When we are young, tomorrow hardly ever comes soon enough. We might be listening for Santa to arrive with the next days presents or thinking about our friends coming to celebrate a birthday. How many days, Mom, till summer vacation?

The years pass and, to us anyway, we have even bigger events to anticipate. Tomorrow, will I pass my drivers test? Will tomorrow be the day that guy or girl finally pays attention to me? Will the mail bring my acceptance letter to the college of my dreams?

More years pass and  I cant wait to walk across that stage for my diploma. Will I get that call or text about that new job tomorrow? I am finally going to ask her (or him) to marry me. Will I be engaged tomorrow?

More years pass and the anticipation becomes a bit easier, perhaps tempered by the results of some of our past hopes and dreams. Our thoughts for tomorrow may be more practical or long-range: How many years to retirement? Will there ever be a tomorrow when I am not worried about events in my childrens lives?

Inevitably, there are nights when we dont want tomorrow to arrive. The tomorrow that means saying our here-on-earth goodbye to a loved one. The tomorrow whose agenda brings a heartbreaking but necessary talk with a parent having health problems that dictate a change in living situation or a talk with a loved one veering off a safe path.

Before we know it, our emphasis changes and we seem to be looking back instead of forward. Well, they are called the sunset years. We remember the good days and invite them to linger in our hearts. The day we knew the person we loved returned that love, the day we brought our newborn home from the hospital. The night before my fiance returned safely from Vietnam I did not sleep much and then, there was the night before the wedding.

Those last two events are 53 years ago, but in my reverie, they are real, exact in my mind, and can even bring back some of the feelings that went with those milestones.

Sunrise, sunset; they are markers for our lives. Some of us may see many more of one than the other due to work schedules or just because we are not morning people. I highly recommend rising at least occasionally to see the beginning of a day presented to us in living technicolor, to use a now old-fashioned movie term. Favoring sunsets over sunrises is a purely personal choice.

Ideally you will have lived enough pleasant memorable times to joyfully reflect upon and kept enough optimism in your life to also anticipate the beginning of a new day happily.

A wise friend told me the windshield is bigger than the rearview mirror because it is better to spend more time looking forward than back.
What do you get when an acute internal crisis meets an extreme external crisis? In the funds management industry, the answer is Magellan Financial Group.

As investment markets hit peak fear on the back of world geopolitical tensions, Magellans internal ructions have made its attempt to reverse its slide in funds under management and performance an even greater challenge.

Over the past month the funds Magellan manages have fallen by $18 billion - the majority of which is due to large and small retail investors taking money out of its products and the remainder is a result of a reduction in the value of investments.

The fallout from the departure of co-founder Hamish Douglass continues for Magellan.

This wall of money represents 20 per cent of the $87 billion in funds Magellan was managing as recently as February 11. This exodus has come hot on the heels of losing a $23 billion mandate in December from British wealth group, St James.

In the space of six months Magellans funds under management have dived by 40 per cent. Its share price has fallen 70 per cent over the past year and is down 1.76 per cent on Monday against a 1 per cent rise in the ASX 200.

Magellan is now the victim of negative momentum. The task of the new investment team under Chris Mackay to reverse the fund managers fortunes will be Herculean.

Read the entire column here
As a professional conversationalist  aka journalist  Ive been striking up conversations for more than 30 years. My estimate is that Ive conducted about 10,000 interviews. Journalism perfectly satisfied my restless curiosity; my need to be nosey.

Ive been fortunate to have spoken with people from all walks of life and from many corners of the Earth, from a shepherd watching his flock on the wintry slopes of Bethlehem to an exorcist exhibiting the shackles embedded in a cell in the Vatican.

Jane Hutcheon wrote and performed Lost in Shanghai, which retraces her mothers childhood footsteps through a China long gone, to sold-out theatre audiences at the 2022 Sydney Festival. Credit:

From 2010, my conversations became more structured with One Plus One on ABC Television. Over nine years I conducted more than 500 face-to-face, in-depth, 30-minute conversations, using questions to draw out the masterpieces and misery, triumphs and setbacks, the ebb and flow of my guests lives. The show featured celebrities, writers, actors and scientists as well as many little-known heroes. These interviews provided me with an insight into how to craft conversations.

Rebel talk is a tool I invented, distilled from these years of personal and professional conversations. It serves as a call to action as well as an acronym: R: readiness (research and prepare); E: empathy (to connect and engage); B: be curious (ask questions); E: engage attention (humble listening); and L: lead the way (choose how to respond).
William Hurt, the Oscar-winning actor of Broadcast News, Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71.

Hurts son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died on Sunday of natural causes. He said Hurt died peacefully, among family. Entertainment industry website Deadline first reported Hurts death.

Actor William Hurt at the premiere of Marvels Captain America: Civil War in Los Angeles in 2016. Credit:Getty

The actor disclosed in 2018 that he had been diagnosed with terminal prostate cancer that had spread to the bone, although at the time he credited an alternative form of chemotherapy with saving his life, according to media reports.

In a long-running career, Hurt was nominated three times for an Academy Award for best actor, winning for Kiss of the Spider Woman (1985).
WARNING: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander readers are warned this article contains a photo of a person who has died. It has been used with family permission.

When Northern Territory police officer Zachary Rolfe was charged with murder after fatally shooting 19-year-old Kumanjayi Walker during an attempt at arrest in the remote outback town of Yuendumu in late 2019, Otto Jungarrayi Sims, a senior traditional Warlpiri man, called it a monumental opportunity: Itll change the course of history for black people. There is hope.

NT police officer Zachary Rolfe (centre) outside court in Darwin. Credit:Zach Hope

With the long and troubled history between law enforcement and First Nations people as a backdrop, it is rare that an officer is charged with the killing of an Indigenous person, and none has been convicted of murder. The latest case became a flashpoint, caught up as it was with the local interpretation of the Black Lives Matter movement.

The legal system has taken its course, and after five weeks of evidence from more than 40 witnesses before the Supreme Court in Darwin, the jury acquitted Constable Rolfe of all charges.
The technique is almost ready to use, he said, we have the prospect of doing things that have been looked at in the past and rejected because of the cost.

Dr. H. G. Raggatt (2nd left) and other members of the Australian delegation at the General Conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna on September 25, 1959. Credit:IAEA

The peaceful application of nuclear explosions offered special promise for practical use in Australia, the secretary of the Department of National Development (Dr H. G. Raggatt) said tonight.

First published in The Age on March 15, 1962

Dr Raggatt was speaking at a lecture by Rr. Garry Higgins, director of the Plowshare Division at the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory, California, which is operated by the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission.

The two most likely application in Australia, he said, involved shifting dirt  blasts that would dig enormous holes for water storage and for harbors in the north.

Pretty Clean

Dr Raggatt said that even now nuclear explosions for peaceful purposes were pretty clean in the radioactive sense and they were getting cleaner.

Scientists had to convince the public of the truth that the risk from fallout was nothing to worry about.
The study also showed younger people were more likely to leave Melbourne during the pandemic, with those aged 25 to 44 making up 57 per cent of respondents who shifted after the first lockdown in 2020. The boom times are transforming these cities, but the growing pains are beginning to show. In Wangaratta, its hard to get a doctors appointment. The waiting list for childcare in Warrnambool has blown out to 140 families. Rents are rising and welfare agencies report more people being pushed into homelessness. Regional Cities Victoria chair Kim OKeeffe said the regions were optimistic.

Definitely regional Victoria is growing and thats going to continue, but it has to be sustainable, she said. The big regional cities are starting to plan for expected  and unexpected  population growth. Geelongs council has identified 5500 hectares in its northern and western growth areas that are in early stages of development, in addition to the rapidly growing suburb Armstrong Creek on the citys south-eastern outskirts. The councils director of city planning and economy, Gareth Smith, said Armstrong Creek was already home to 24,000 residents but would reach up to 55,000 once complete by 2035. The regional centre of Geelong has absorbed much of the flow of residents outside of Melbourne. Credit:Justin McManus

Ballarat council has earmarked 1800 hectares for potential urban development for 24,000 more dwellings within 30 years. And the Greater Bendigo Council has identified 1500 hectares suitable for houses. The pandemic has added more people to already growing regions. Australian Bureau of Statistics figures show the populations of Ballarat and Bendigo each grew 35 per cent between 2001 and 2020, while Geelongs growth rate was 38 per cent. Each of these cities is within commuting distance of Melbourne for those who still work there. Other regional local government areas surging including the Mitchell Shire, at 73 per cent to 47,647; Surf Coast (69 per cent) to 34,771; and Macedon Ranges (37 per cent) to 50,971.

Freshly-minted Ballarat residents Tammy Fitzgerald and husband Lloyd England with their children Grace, 5, and Mason, 13. Credit:Jason South Tammy Fitzgerald moved with her husband and two children from West Melbourne to Ballarat last year, selling their inner-city apartment and upgrading to a four-bedroom house and pool. After successive lockdowns, they wanted more space and freedom from financial stress. They sold their Melbourne unit for just over $1 million and bought their Ballarat home for about $527,000 before fixing it up, halving their mortgage. We dont have to work as much or as hard because life is more affordable, Ms Fitzgerald says.

Ms Fitzgerald was working for the Victorian Department of Treasury and Finance when she moved to Ballarat, but soon found another job at Federation University. Moving gave respite from fast-paced Melbourne life and more affordable independent schools. When I drop the kids off at school in the morning, I just feel at peace. While regional housing prices are more affordable than Melbournes, they are rising fast. Real Estate Institute of Victoria figures showing median sale prices in central Ballarat rose by 102 per cent to $698,062 between 2016 and 2021. In Bendigo, they increased by 59.7 per cent to $635,000 and Geelong grew by 52 per cent to $1.05 million. Geelongs outer suburbs are expanding quickly. Credit:Paul Jeffers

Denise Pirko moved from Mitcham to Wangaratta with her family in August 2020 after she and her husband lost their jobs at the start of the pandemic. Buying a home is cheaper than Melbourne, but prices are outpacing her familys savings while they rent. Median house prices in Wangaratta hit $455,000 in the final quarter of 2021, compared to $360,000 a year earlier. Its wild, she said. Ms Pirko said her family was travelling back to Blackburn in Melbourne to see their GP. You cant get a doctor [in Wangaratta] to save your life. Very few places are accepting new patients.

Victorian Council of Social Service chief executive Emma King said demand for property in regional Victoria meant traditionally affordable locations were no longer accessible to many lifelong residents, who found themselves priced out. She also worries about access to health care as the increased population makes it harder to get doctors appointments, particularly for people without an established relationship with a GP. Victorian Regional Development Minister Mary-Anne Thomas said even small towns were experiencing rising demand for homes and the state government was helping some of them to unlock land or even convert former schools into property developments. Hepburn Shire mayor Tim Drylie in Creswick. Credit:Jason South Hepburn mayor Tim Drylie was motivated by lower property prices to move from Montmorency to the small town of Creswick, near Ballarat, about 10 years ago.
Michelle and Oscar Grodecki began learning American Sign Language against the advice of their speech pathologist when the boy was 18 months old. About a decade later, both mother and son are fluent in ASL and use it every day to communicate. (Matt Howard/CBC - image credit)

"You want him to learn to say 'Mom,' don't you?"

That's what a speech pathologist asked Michelle Grodecki a decade ago when her son, Oscar, was diagnosed with a rare type of hearing loss at 18 months old.

The specialist at the Saskatchewan Pediatric Auditory Rehabilitation Centre (SPARC) told Grodecki that Oscar's best shot at learning to communicate would be through medical approaches. Learning American Sign Language (ASL) was out of the question.

"I was told, 'That's really not the best option. We really want him to speak, and sign language is going to prevent him speaking,'" said Grodecki, who lives in Regina.

Submitted by Michelle Grodecki

For decades, academics around the world have argued over how best to support children diagnosed with hearing loss. Some criticize what they call a binary way of thinking that favours medical interventions over sign language. They say that can lead deaf and hard of hearing kids to struggle to develop socially, delay them in school and cause them to feel isolated.

Despite calls for broader access to ASL, change has been slow in Saskatchewan.

WATCH | In this ASL-interpreted video, people explain the importance of learning sign language  and what's getting in the way of early access:

According to a 2016 Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission report for Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing people, Grodecki isn't alone in her experience at SPARC.

Most families are sent to the centre after hearing loss is detected during a newborn screening test. SPARC focuses largely on improving speech through technology, like cochlear implants (devices that electrically stimulate the hearing nerve) and auditory verbal therapy, which focuses on listening and speaking without lip-reading.

SPARC takes this approach because most deaf babies are born to hearing parents who want their children to be part of their speaking culture, said Lynne Brewster, the audiologist who runs the centre.

She said sign language support is usually recommended later, should the auditory verbal therapy or cochlear implants not work.

Story continues

"We really are not in a position to be all things to all people," Brewster said, noting it's only her running the centre with a couple of part-time specialists.

She's also found children learning ASL while trying these other approaches can hinder their speech development.

But the report says this point of view is "in contrast to the opinions expressed by other health-care professionals who participated in this process."

It also says the "medicalization of deafness and the focus on medical treatments ... is seen by some as an attempt to oppress and invalidate Deaf culture."

Grodecki agreed with the report, saying limiting access to sign language is akin to "linguistic genocide."

"We are killing off a culture," she said.

The 'oral agenda'

Joanne Weber, the Canada research chair in deaf education at the University of Alberta, thinks a "very pervasive and very unconscious" stigma against sign language is partly to blame.

"People are going, 'It would be nice if deaf people could talk because that means that I don't have to do anything. It would make my life easier,'" she said.

Matt Howard/CBC

As a deaf child in the 1970s, Weber said she was subjected to the "oral agenda."

"I was able to [speak]," she said, "but it didn't necessarily account for all that I needed to do to develop into a whole person."

Weber only learned ASL when she was 25. She remembered doctors saying, "Why would you learn sign language? You can speak, for god's sake!"

Submitted by Joanne Weber

Weber said there is a growing body of research that shows using both sign language and speech development tools pays off.

"That's because if the cochlear implant and the auditory rehabilitation doesn't work, at least you have given that child a language," Weber said, pointing to an article from the Maternal and Child Health Journal.

That also means a child's social and emotional development aren't stalled, allowing them to learn at the same rate as hearing children, she added.

Signing in secret

When Oscar was unsuccessful with auditory verbal therapy, Grodecki did her own research and learned sign language through DVDs. The boy's speech developed the more they signed together.

When the speech pathologist noticed improvements in Oscar's communication, Grodecki said she assured them he would "drop the sign language eventually."

Oscar never did.

Submitted by Michelle Grodecki

Now 12 years old, Oscar said it's impossible for him to learn without sign language.

"ASL helps me understand better and helps me understand what people are saying," he said.

Looking back, Grodecki sees the first 18 months of Oscar's life as wasted time.

"I sacrificed language development chasing that dream of speech," the mother said.

The impact of language deprivation

When ASL is used as the last resort, Weber said it can lead to language deprivation. That means it's more difficult for children to learn to read, write or talk.

That's when many parents connect with Saskatchewan Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services, a non-profit organization that helps families learn ASL.

At that point, most children are dealing with mental health issues because they don't have the language to express themselves, said Rae-Mairi Richardson, a sign support professional with the organization. Studies in the U.S. and Australia have indicated higher incidence of mental illness among children with hearing loss.

"Because they've had inadequate access to information, the frustrations are ingrained into them," Richardson said.

'Looking for who I was'

For the first few years of Fatima Tun Nafisa's life, she only understood the meaning of one word: hurt. She first heard it as a toddler, visiting a hospital in her home country of Bangladesh.

"I realized that's how I felt," said Nafisa, now 19, who was born with severe hearing loss.

"I just felt so deflated and didn't know who I was or what my place was in the world ... Was I going to be normal?"

WATCH | Fatima Tun Nafisa describes, in ASL, the impact that being deprived of, then learning, sign language had on her life:

For years, her parents tried teaching her to read lips and worked on her speech, with the help of hearing aids. It's something doctors were pushing them to do.

When she was 13, Nafisa and her family moved to Regina. There, experts gave them the same advice: speech is better than sign language.

"I was very depressed," she said, explaining that communicating her feelings was difficult. "I was still looking for who I was."

It wasn't until she transferred to a high school program for deaf and hard of hearing people two years later that she learned the power of ASL and the community that came along with it.

Submitted by Fatima Tun Nafisa

Her parents still weren't on board, though. So Nafisa signed in secret.

Then her parents saw her perform in a show cast entirely with people who are deaf and hard of hearing. Her family was in tears. Her sister even apologized.

Nafisa remembered thinking, "Wow, I can change my life and I don't have to give up. I can keep going."

Give children all options, advocates say

If all of the options  including auditory verbal therapy, cochlear implants, hearing aids and ASL  were available and promoted to parents when hearing loss is first detected in a child, experiences like Nafisa's could be avoided, Richardson said.

Submitted by Fatima Tun Nafisa

It's among the 15 issues in an updated Deaf, deaf and hard of hearing stakeholders report by the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission, released in October, that still need to be addressed.

Providing access to sign language education is also noted in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, of which Canada is a signatory.

For those who do seek out sign language education, access in Saskatchewan is limited. It's often focused on "signed English"  which isn't a language but the translation of words into hand signs  instead of ASL.

There are specialized programs in a few schools in Regina and Saskatoon. Although, according to the human rights report, many parents have criticized these instructors for lacking qualifications. That's because many tend to be educational assistants rather than teachers of the deaf.

Weber went so far as to call Saskatchewan the "one of the worst places to live for deaf people" when it comes to ASL education.

Nafisa said learning ASL in school changed her life. She wishes her parents had received advice sooner that it was a viable option.

"You would never question a hearing person who uses glasses," she said. "For me, as a deaf person, sign language is my glasses."

Jessie Anton/CBC News

Grodecki encourages parents with deaf or hard of hearing children to offer them choice.

"Your kid is going to tell you what they want," she said. "Giving them every option and every opportunity, until they're old enough to make that decision, will make you feel so much better."

CBC Saskatchewan thanks Michelle Grodecki and Karen Nurkowski for their help interpreting some of the interviews featured in this piece.
A political clash has escalated over the response to the NSW and Queensland floods after the federal government claimed it had to wait for state premiers to ask it to declare a national emergency despite new laws giving Canberra the power to issue the declaration on its own.

Assistant Treasurer Michael Sukkar set off a new round of dispute over the speed of the response to the natural disasters by arguing on Sunday that it was up to state leaders to request federal aid including Australian Defence Force troops and helicopters.

But the federal government changed the law in December 2020 to give itself the power to issue the emergency declarations unilaterally in a change recommended by the royal commission into the Black Summer bushfires two years ago.

With Labor leader Anthony Albanese accusing the government of being too slow to act in a crisis, Prime Minister Scott Morrison insisted on Sunday that he and his ministers had responded as quickly as they could to the floods that spread over northern NSW and south-east Queensland in recent weeks.
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Steve Wildsmith has worked as a writer, editor and freelance journalist for The Daily Times for more than two decades. In addition to coverage of entertainment and occasional news topics, he also serves as the social media specialist for Maryville College. Contact him at stevedailytimes@gmail.com.
Award-winning American journalist Brent Renaud was killed by Russian forces in the Ukrainian city of Irpin, police in Kyiv said in social media posts on Sunday. Another American journalist, Juan Arredondo, was wounded.

In a tweet, Kyiv region police identified the dead man as Renaud, who was 50. Police posted a photo of his body and his American passport as evidence, as well as a photo of an outdated New York Times press badge with Renauds name.

Andriy Nebitov, the head of the Kyiv region police, said in a Facebook post that Russian forces shot Renaud, adding that the occupants cynically kill even journalists of international media, whove been trying to tell the truth about atrocities of Russian military in Ukraine.

Of course, journalism carries risks, but the US citizen Brent Renaud paid with his life for an attempt to shed light on how underhand, cruel, and merciless the aggressor is, Nebitov added.

CNN has not independently verified the account given by police.

Renaud is the first foreign journalist known to be killed in the war in Ukraine. A Ukrainian camera operator, Yevhenii Sakun, was reportedly killed when Kyivs TV tower was shelled earlier this month.

Press freedom groups denounced Sundays violence as a violation of international law.

Russian forces in Ukraine must stop all violence against journalists and other civilians at once, and whoever killed Renaud should be held to account, the Committee to Protect Journalists said in a statement.

Time magazine told CNN that Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker, was in Ukraine in recent weeks to work on a Time Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis.

Our hearts are with all of Brents loved ones, the publication said. It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Arredondo, a Colombian-American photographer, appeared in a social media video from Okhmatdyt hospital in Kyiv and recounted the shooting. He said he and Renaud were driving through a checkpoint in Irpin on the way to film refugees leaving the city when Russian forces opened fire.

Story continues

Arredondo said there were two of us, and Renaud was shot and left behind, adding that Renaud was shot in the neck. We got split and I got pulled into the (stretcher). Asked how he got to the hospital, he replied, an ambulance, I dont know.

Arredondo, a filmmaker and visual journalist who is also an adjunct professor at Columbia Journalism School, posted photos from Zhytomyr, Ukraine, on Saturday, noting in an Instagram post that he is #onassignment.

The Dean of Columbia Journalism School, Steve Coll, told CNN: We dont have any independent information about his injuries at this time but are working now to learn more and to see if we can help.

Arredondo is a prominent photographer, with work featured in The New York Times, National Geographic, The Wall Street Journal, Newsweek, ESPN, Vanity Fair and other media outlets, according to his personal website bio.

Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraines interior minister, said in a statement on Telegram that Renaud paid with his life for attempting to expose the insidiousness, cruelty and ruthlessness of the aggressor.

Irpin, in northern Ukraine just outside Kyiv, has been the site of substantial Russian shelling in recent days and has seen extensive destruction, according to the Kyiv regional government on Friday.

Tributes to Renaud

Renaud was a Peabody Award-winning documentary filmmaker, producer and journalist who lived and worked in New York and Little Rock, Arkansas, according to his biography on the Renaud Brothers website.

With his brother Craig, Renaud spent years telling humanistic verite stories from the Worlds hot spots, including projects in Iraq, Afghanistan, Haiti, Egypt and Libya, according to his website bio.

Brent Renaud, right, and his brother Craig are pictured at the HBO building screening area in New York on September 19, 2007. - Oscar Hidalgo/New York Times

Ann Marie Lipinski, the director of the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard, said the foundation was heartsick over the death of the journalist, who was a 2019 Harvard Nieman Fellow.

Our Nieman Fellow Brent Renaud was gifted and kind, and his work was infused with humanity. He was killed today outside Kiev, and the world and journalism are lesser for it. We are heartsick, she said in a tweet.

A post on the Renaud Brothers Facebook page, dated March 8, urged readers to follow their coverage of the war Ukraine.

Christof Putzel, a friend and colleague of Renaud, told CNN his death was a devastating loss.

I woke up this morning to the news that Brent, long-time best friend, incredible colleague, the best war journalist I think ever existed, finding out about his passing, Putzel said on CNNs Reliable Sources.

Brent had this ability to go anywhere, get any story, listen and communicate what was happening to people that others wouldnt otherwise see it. And it is a devastating loss to journalism today, he added.

Putzel said Renaud was working on a documentary about refugees around the world when the crisis in Ukraine began. He said that Brent was on the plane the next day and covered the plight of refugees from Kyiv into Poland.

Several years ago, the pair won a duPont award for a story they worked on about guns being smuggled into Mexico from the United States.

What I said when we accepted our award was, the only thing bigger than Brents balls are his heart. And I stand by that. Thats what kind of journalist he was, said Putzel.

Renaud had a unique ability to make people trust him as he told their stories in places like Iraq and other war zones, he added.

You could sit down and spend a week watching all of Brents stories over the years back-to-back and just be flabbergasted, Putzel said. The career that he had, his ability to reach people, his ability to capture the humanity behind peoples suffering is something I have never seen before, and I was just honored to work with him as long as I did.

 CNNs Clarissa Ward reported from Kyiv, Mick Krever reported from Poland, Brian Stelter reported from New York and Lauren Kent wrote in London.

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Joe Guzzardi is a Progressives for Immigration Reform analyst who has written about immigration for more than 30 years. Contact him at jguzzardi@pfirdc.org.
This group of spotted animals look like they could be siblings despite being completely different species.

Horse trainer Greetje Arends-Hakvoort, 36, has added three more identical-looking pets to her already-existing clan, a horse, pony, and Dalmatian dog, with all six of them featuring matching black spots.

(Courtesy of Caters News)

Despite being totally different species, they all get along with each other, often going out for walks together and playing in the fields.

People always smile when they see the group together; often people refer to the 101 Dalmatians film and it brings up nice childhood memories for them, Greetje said.

The expanded group now consists of Braveheart, a 9-year-old Noriker; Jack Sparrow, a 3-year-old Dalmatian; Shakespeare, a 1-year-old colt Appaloosa Welsh cross Shetland pony; Gandhi, a 2-year-old mini Shetland stallion; Napoleon, a 7-year-old Shetland; and Nevada, a 10-year-old American Appaloosa cross thoroughbred.

(Courtesy of Caters News)

Greetje takes the group of best friends out with her two daughters, Jolie Lune Arends, 7, and infant Sunnery Jeune Arends, who shared in welcoming the new ponies and horse.

Meanwhile, Jolie and Napoleon, who were born at the same time, are best friends, since they had the opportunity to grow up together.

Greetjes children, Sunnery (L) and Jolie, on the back of the ponies. (Courtesy of Caters News)

Greetje revealed that she has always wanted a Dalmatian and also absolutely adored spotted horses. So two of her wishes came together in a special way.

She also shared that, when Jack was younger, he considered himself as one of the horses and fit in with the group just perfectly.

(Courtesy of Caters News)

Sharing more about the bond between her animals, Greetje said: Trust is the keyword here; horses thrive when trust exists and they need to feel comfortable and self-assured and Jack does exactly that.

Theres a lot of horse and dog love there between them.

Jack Sparrow the Dalmatian on the back of Nevada. (Courtesy of Caters News)

As the family is growing, Greetje said they have even more spots now.

Epoch Times Staff contributed to this report.

Share your stories with us at emg.inspired@epochtimes.com, and continue to get your daily dose of inspiration by signing up for the Bright newsletter at TheEpochTimes.com/newsletter
A general view shows a damaged mansion following an overnight attack in Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on March 13, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images)

At Least 12 Missiles Hit Iraqs Erbil Near US Consulate

At least 12 missiles landed on targets in northern Iraq, hitting an area near a U.S. Consulate in the city of Erbil in the early hours of Sunday, the state news agency quoted the Directorate General of Counter Terrorism in Kurdistan as saying.

Several missiles fell on the city of Erbil, said governor Omid Khoshnaw, the Iraqi News Agency (INA) also reported. Erbil is the capital city of the autonomous Kurdistan region of Iraq.

No victims or casualties after Erbil blasts, Saman Barzanji, health minister in Iraqs Kurdistan Province, was cited as saying.

A spokesman for the Kurdish regional government said there were no casualties. A U.S. State Department spokesperson called it an outrageous attack but said no Americans were hurt and there was no damage to U.S. government facilities in Erbil.

No flight interruptions have been reported at Erbil airport.

Footage posted on social media shows multiple explosions. The Epoch Times cannot independently verify the footage.

A general view shows debris following an overnight attack in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on March 13, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images)

Sky News Arabia earlier reported that five long-range ballistic missiles targeted the site of a U.S. Consulate currently under construction there. It later reported that 12 ballistic missiles were launched from outside Iraq, citing a statement from the counter-terrorism forces in the Kurdistan region of Iraq.

One of the missiles fell on the headquarters of the Kurdish satellite channel K24, which is affiliated with the President of the Kurdistan Regional Government of Iraq , Masrour Barzani. The building is near the U.S. Consulate in Erbil.

A view of the damaged studio at the Kurdistan 24 TV building, after an overnight attack in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on March 13, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran later claimed responsibility for the missile strike on the northern Iraqi city, saying it targeted an Israeli strategic centre and warning of more attacks.

Seeing reports of Iran-backed attacks on the U.S. consulate in Iraq, Rep. Lisa McClain (R-Mich.) said on Twitter. This aggression shows we should absolutely end all Iran Nuclear Deal negotiations now. We must also never buy Iranian oil.

In the past, U.S. forces stationed at Erbils international airport complex have come under fire from rocket and drone attacks that U.S. officials blame on Iran-aligned militia groups. There have been no such attacks for several months.

The last time ballistic missiles were directed at U.S. forces was in January 2020 in retaliation for the killing of Qassem Soleimani, the head of the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corpss Quds Force (IRGC-QF), at Baghdad airport earlier that same month. There were no deaths, however, many U.S. service members suffered head injuries from the strike.

Fars News Agency, which is managed by the IRGC of Irans Islamist regime, appeared to link the missile attack to the killing of Soleimani.

Missiles hit the Israeli-American bases at 01:20 local time; thats not a coincidence. IRGC-QF chief Soleimani was killed in #Iraq on 7Jan2001:20 Iraq time. #Iran, Fars News wrote in a Twitter post, per a translation via journalist Khosro Kalbasi.

A view of a damaged building after an overnight attack in Arbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on March 13, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images)

Jason Brodsky, policy director at United Against Nuclear Iran, wrote on Twitter: The Soleimani factor in the #Erbil attack tonight is important. Soleimanis birthday was on March 11, pro-IRGC media are boasting the attack tonight occured at same time of his death at 1:20 AM, the revenge attack on 01/08/20 also occured at 1:20 AM.

And there are reports the Fateh-110s were used tonight, which also made a cameo appearance in the Soleimani revenge attack on U.S. forces in #Iraq on 01/08/2020. Would note #Iran has also launched Fateh-110s before on #Iraq, e.g. in September 2018 on KDPI HQ in Koya.

An Israeli air strike in Syria killed two IRGC members on March 7, Iranian state media reported earlier. The IRGC vowed to retaliate, it said.

In a statement on March 13, the White House said the United States condemns in the strongest terms Irans missile attack on the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

This attack targeted a civilian residence in Erbil, the Kurdistan Regions capital city, without any justification. The United States stands with Prime Minister Kadhimi and the leaders of the Kurdistan Region, President Nechirvan Barzani, and Prime Minister Masrour Barzani, in condemning this assault on the sovereignty of Iraq and its Kurdistan region.

We will support the Government of Iraq in holding Iran accountable, and we will support our partners throughout the Middle East in confronting similar threats from Iran. The United States of America stands behind the full sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq.

Melanie Sun and Reuters contributed to this report.

Update: This article was updated with the latest details on the attack, including more updated visuals of the affected site of the attack in Erbil, Iraq, instead of the former file photo of the city.
Former President Barack Obama speaks to guests at the Obama Foundation Summit on the campus of the Illinois Institute of Technology in Chicago, Ill., on Oct. 29, 2019. (Scott Olson/Getty Images)

Barack Obama Says He Tested Positive for COVID-19

Former President Barack Obama confirmed Sunday he tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

Ive had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise, Obama said on his Twitter page. His wife, former first lady Michelle Obama, has tested negative for the virus.

The former president then called on people to receive the COVID-19 vaccine, saying that he believes it helped him against more symptoms of the disease.

He provided no other details about the diagnosis.

Obama, 60, had recently returned to Washington, D.C., after spending most of the winter in Hawaii, according to reports.

Michelle and I got vaccinated against COVID-19 because we know its the best way to beat this pandemic, protect one another, and get the country back up and running again, Obama wrote in March 2021 on social media, accompanied by footage of himself and Michelle Obama getting the vaccine. So I hope youll get the vaccine as soon as its available to you. It could save your life.

Former President Donald Trump was hospitalized with COVID-19 in October 2020. He left the hospital several days later. Other former living U.S. presidents, including Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, have not said whether theyve contracted the virus since the pandemic started.

It comes as the U.S. national case total surpassed 79.4 million confirmed CCP virus cases, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Health and Human Services.

Nationwide, cases, deaths, and hospitalizations have declined significantly in recent months.

But outside the United States, Chinese communist officials responded to a surge of COVID-19 cases by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service. Since the start of the pandemic, the CCP has favored a zero COVID response, including harsh lockdowns, mandatory testing, and shutting down entire cities to find and isolate every infected person.

Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology center that sits next to Hong Kong, will undergo three rounds of testing after 60 new cases were reported Sunday, officials said. All businesses except those that supply food, fuel, and other necessities were ordered to close or work from home.

Also Sunday, some residents of Cangzhou, south of Beijing, were told to stay home after nine cases were reported there, according to a government notice. It wasnt clear how many of its 7.3 million people were affected.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
BC Hospice Society Opposed to MAiD in Palliative Care Faces Momentous Vote at AGM

Having lost its 10-bed hospice due to B.C. government regulations, the Delta Hospice Society (DHS) will soon face what it expects to be a fierce confrontation at its annual general meeting as it attempts to adopt an explicit anti-euthanasia stance on its way to building a new private facility.

This AGM is the ultimate showdown between our members for control of the Delta Hospice Society, DHS president Angelina Ireland told The Epoch Times.

We have the pro-life, pro-palliative care side versus the death squad. These are the woke pack who feel entitled to rip apart a 50-year medical discipline of palliative care orthodoxy because its more trendy to be able to kill vulnerable people in their sick beds.

Provincial regulations mandated the non-profit societys hospice in Ladner, a Vancouver suburb, to provide medical assistance in dying (MAiD) onsite back in 2019, to comply with B.C.s MAiD policy. But the DHS board of directors refused.

Fraser Health Authority later terminated its $1.5 million-per-year contract with the DHS to operate the Irene Thomas Hospice built by the society with private funds. As the facility was built on land owned by Fraser Health, the authority took it over in March 2021.

The DHS board, which still has $4 million in assets, now envisions a new MAiD-free facility built on private land and supported by private funds. However, Ireland said she expects a battle royal at the March 26 online annual general meeting, which could see almost 14,000 people participating if most of DHSs members attend.

Members will vote on a revised constitution and bylaws that will protect the societys right to provide life-affirming palliative care and reject MAiD legislation within its private organization, states the March 7 press release.

In 2020, the B.C. Supreme Court and Court of Appeals ruled that the board could not deny membership to pro-euthanasia applicants, despite its argument that its constitution said one of the societys goals was to provide compassionate care and support for persons in the last stages of living, so that they may live as fully and comfortably as possible.

Ireland said the board believes a more explicit stance against MAiD in its constitution would allow the board to have discretion over memberships and pursue the new facility.

Were relentless. We will never quit. Its just that important, she said. So we will never stop fighting until we win.

The society has launched new initiatives since losing its hospice. It has made a Do Not Euthanize advance directive available to members to help them avoid being coerced into euthanasia or having it occur without their permission. It has also created a Delta Cares helpline to provide practical advice for individuals and families struggling with difficult end-of-life circumstances or bereavement.

Caring Versus Killing

Alex Schadenberg, founder of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition, is seeking a DHS board position.

The philosophy of care is whats important, he said in an interview, noting that what the Delta Hospice Society is saying is whats neededthat were going to make sure were going to be involved with a model that provides care to people at the end of life, and its not got anything to do with euthanasia or assisted suicide.

Schadenberg added that leadership is needed in Canada.

Thats whats made the Delta Hospice Society significant, because theyve been willing to be leaders, he said. And it hasnt been easy, has it? Theyve faced a lot of difficulty in taking on a leadership role.

Douglas Farrow, a professor of theology and ethics at McGill University, also believes assisted dying has no place in palliative care.

The distinction between caring for a dying patient and killing a dying patient is not difficult to make, in principle, though occasionally it gets complicated in practice. The distinction between caring and killing, however, is just what euthanasia proponents are determined to erase, he told The Epoch Times.

Farrow said erasing that distinction accomplishes two things: Salving guilty consciences is one. Expanding the killing to people who are not dying is the other.

The sustained assault on the Delta Hospice Society demonstrates that all this has nothing to do with compassion. To normalize killing as caring is the goal, he added. Deep down, that is a terrible act of despair. It is not the beginning but the end of any humane civilization. Unhappily, this is something courts are prepared to tolerate and governments to encourage.

Although MAiD advocates depict the practice as a human right, Farrow believes the entrenchment of MAiD represents a loss of personal autonomy in choice and in health care to the power of a bureaucratic state.

For this reason, what the DHS is standing for is something we must stand fornot only the distinction between caring and killing, but the distinction between those who make the distinction and those who dont, he said.

In other words, we must stand for the freedom to organize our own medical care according to our own principles. Otherwise, they will organize it for us according to theirs.

I, for one, dont wish to be cared for by the people with the erasers, or to be governed by them either.
This photo taken on Jan. 4, 2021 shows Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) soldiers taking part in military training at Pamir Mountains in Kashgar, northwestern China's Xinjiang region. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Increases Military Spending, Requests Military to Help Maintain Stability

News Analysis

Chinese leader Xi Jinping recently issued a directive to Chinas military and the armed police, asking the entire army to prepare for war and at the same time, assist local governments to maintain stability by handling emergencies in a timely manner.

Moreover, Chinas projected defense budget this year increased 7.1 percent year on yearthe highest in three years.

On the afternoon of March 7, Xi attended a plenary meeting of the military and armed police delegations during the fifth session of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese Peoples Political Consultative Conference. In addition to emphasizing the need to uphold the partys absolute leadership over the military, he also asked the entire army to step up war preparations, to assist in local social stability maintenance, and with handling various emergencies in a timely manner.

On March 5, Premier Li Keqiang also proposed in the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) government work report that economic tasks this year should adhere to the principle of prioritizing stability and seeking progress when stability is guaranteed. In the 10,000-character report, the word  stability  was mentioned 81 times, while completely leaving out mention of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Stability has been an ongoing concern for Xi who, at a Politburo meeting held on Feb. 25, stressed the need to maintain overall social stability to ensure the smooth convening of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China this year.

Li Yanming, a U.S.-based political commentator on China affairs, told The Epoch Times on March 10 that, with the exposure of the Iron-Chained Woman scandal in Xuzhou, Jiangsu Province, Chinese peoples long-building anger against the CCPs tyranny may be reaching a crisis point. Xis rare request for the military to assist local authorities to maintain stability indicates the culmination of long-festering social crises in China, with the CCP regime sitting atop a volcano that may erupt at any time.

The scandal started to circulate on Jan. 28, when a video showing a chained, middle-aged woman went viral on Chinese social media. Spotted in a village in Fengxian County, Xuzhou City, the woman allegedly gave birth to eight children. Very likely, she had been trafficked and sexually abused by the party chief of the village and her so-called husband, his brother, and his father. The incident has sparked enormous public condemnation.

Li said that Xi issued Military Order No. 1 at the beginning of this year, emphasizing that the military must safeguard a successful 20th National Congress of the CCP. Then, at the two sessions in March, in a rare move, he asked the military to assist local governments to maintain stability, demonstrate military power, and deter political enemies. Obviously, he is calling on the military to ensure a successful National Congress amid social crises.

Military Spending Increased to $230 Billion

According to a draft government budget report submitted by Chinas Ministry of Finance on March 5 at the National Peoples Congress, the regimes rubber stamp legislature, the CCPs military budget for this year is 1.45 trillion yuan (about $230 billion)a year-on-year increase of 7.1 percent.

This is the first time since 2019 that the CCPs military budget growth has exceeded 7 percent, the fastest growth rate in the past three years.

The CCPs military expert Fu Qianshao told Chinese state media Global Times that in the past two years, the CCPs military spending increase has still been very restrained, and that this level of increase is not considered high. He also strongly denied that the increase in military spending is related to the outbreak of Russian-Ukraine war.

The CCPs government work report this year set a GDP growth target of around 5.5 percent, which means that Beijings military spending will outpace GDP growth. But experts suspect that the CCPs actual military spending is much higher than the officially disclosed figure.

Su Tzu-yun, a scholar at Taiwans National Defense Security Research Institute, recently told The Epoch Times that some international think tanks believe the CCPs hidden military spending may be 1.4 times greater than the official published figures, as the CCPs military expansion is its highest priority. He believes that since Xi came to power in 2012, Chinas military spending has quadrupled to 206 percent. These military expenditures are mainly used for the living expenses of personnel, repairs, maintenance, training, and investment in equipment.

Lee Cheng-hsiu, a military expert at the national security division of Taiwans National Policy Foundation, also told The Epoch Times that the CCPs defense funding has always been opaque, with many spending items hidden as the CCP distributes them in different places. For example, a universitys research development funding used for military equipment research and development may be counted as academic funding. Moreover, Chinas spending on social stability maintenance is huge, and part of it might have been used for armaments.

Li believes that with the Russian-Ukrainian war evolving into a quasi-world war, the risk of a war in the Taiwan Strait is getting higher and higher.

The pandemic and the Russian-Ukrainian war have further exacerbated Chinas economic crisis. The CCP regime is in trouble both at home and abroad, facing military crises, diplomatic crises, economic crises, and social crises. All these crises are closely intertwined with the CCP top-level infighting, which has intensified before the 20th National Congress, Li said.

At this sensitive moment, the CCP has greatly increased its military spending. Xi Jinping urged the military to step up the preparation for war. This means the CCP is openly declaring its global military ambition, and exacerbating the military crisis in the Taiwan Strait. It will pull the trigger for the U.S.-led democracies to initiate a comprehensive campaign to restrain the CCP, including military actions, he concluded.

Luo Ya contributed to this report.
A resident receives food at the entrance of a residental area closed off and restricted due to an outbreak of the Covid-19 coronavirus in Anyang in China's central Henan Province on Jan. 12, 2022. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Beijing Signals That It Might Ease COVID-Zero Policy Amid Growing Economic Pressure

Beijing has signaled that it might relax or lift its long-held dynamic zero coronavirus policy as China faces mounting economic pressure.

On March 5, Chinese leader Xi Jinping for the first time changed his wording on the pandemic, dropping talk of a dynamic zero and instead urging party officials to hold the bottom line of preventing the COVID cases from massive resurgence, according to state media. He made this statement in a speech to delegates from the northern Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, who attended an annual conference of Chinas rubber-stamp legislature, the National Peoples Congress of China.

This is the latest sign that the Chinese regime might switch to a less strict strategy than COVID zero.

Dynamic zero is our countrys response during a given period, China CDC chief epidemiologist Zeng Guang wrote on Weibo, Chinas version of Twitter, on Feb. 27. It wont remain unchanged forever.

Although much of his post defended Chinas ongoing COVID-zero stance, it predicted that China would ultimately abandon the policy, including mass testing, quarantine, and lockdowns.

In the near future, [China] will definitely unveil its roadmap featuring China-style coexistence with the virus at a suitable time, the CDC chief added.

Previously, another China CDC epidemiologist Wu Zunyou expressed on Feb. 15 at a forum hosted by Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies that both private businesses and citizens will face serious pressures just to survival if the policy drags on. Beijing was considering changing its COVID-zero policy as the world was about to embrace full resumption, he said.

Wu also noted that COVID-19 cases would naturally decline even without any curbs imposed, citing India as an example, which experienced a peak in infections in April and May 2021 and then a fast plummet.

Economics professor Antonio Graceffo said that the Chinese Communist Partys (CCPs) COVID-19 policies for China were clearly destroying its economy and making people suffer. A sane choice would be to just end it now, said the analyst in an interview with The Epoch Times on March 3.

Meanwhile, Graceffo criticized the politics of naming the new policy a Chinese-style roadmap to coexist with the virus. It is always Beijings position that it will not follow what the West does or what other countries are doing or what science would support, he said. Theyll invent their own way, he said of the rhetoric from CCP officials.

Taiwan economist Wu Chia-lung said the impact of the CCPs COVID-zero policy on Chinas economy has been direct and obvious, disrupting supply chains and causing on-and-off production and other social issues, including access to medical care and joblessness for many Chinese people.

Around March 2, districts in Hohhot, the provincial capital of Chinas Inner Mongolia, were designated high- and medium-risk areas following reports of new confirmed COVID-19 cases. However, some districts imposed lockdowns while others did not, an interviewee surnamed Feng at Inner Mongolia Normal University told The Epoch Times.

The CCP officials know COVID-zero is impossible, Japan-based commentator Chao Jie told The Epoch Times. That explains why the local authorities loosened the ongoing practice in part of the city, he said.
Believers Should Stand Up for Truth Amid Pressure on Religion: Preacher

When the government tries to restrict the exercise of religion Christians have to stand up, said Robert Jeffress, a preacher, bestselling author, and television host.

What distresses me is when Christians refuse to take a stand [on the lefts agenda that is being pushed] and are willing to just blow whichever way the wind blows, Jeffress told EpochTVs Crossroads program.

The situation that our culture is in right now, and our country is in, it cannot be blamed on non-Christians. I mean, you expect non-Christians to do this. I think we can blame Christians who have been silent for far too longwhat I call wimpy Christiansor not being willing to stand up for truth.

Jeffress said that Christians do not stand up because of pastors who do not take a stand on the word of God.

In the past, its been pastors who have led the way in moral change and moral revolution during the American Revolution, Jeffress said. It was pastors that led the way in the pro-life movement and in the civil rights movement, he added.



Jeffress noted that some people do not want Christians to impose their values upon America. The question remains: Whose values do you want to impose upon our country? Every country follows some value system, he said.

People who are devout followers of a faith, regardless of whether they follow Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism, or any other belief, realize their faith and it impacts every part of their life, be it at home, in business, or how they approach everything in life, Jeffress said.

Americas founders understood that and enshrined it as the First Amendment, which says, Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, Jeffress said.

The idea to exercise faith only privately in the church or the synagogue is foreign to the Bible and foreign to the Constitution, he added.

Worshipers gather for a service during the COVID-19 pandemic in the courtyard of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills in Chino Hills, Calif., in an undated file photo. (Courtesy of Calvary Chapel Chino Hills)

Growing Pressure on Religion

Jeffress believes that when judging by the First Amendment, church lockdowns imposed during the COVID-19 pandemic were unconstitutional.

We ought to be good citizens in our city. We went online for a few weeks to be cooperative, the preacher said, referring to the government directive that required closing churches due to the pandemic caused by the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus.

However, allowing casinos, strip clubs, movie theaters, and marijuana stores to be open while the churches were closed goes against the First Amendment, Jeffress said. There is no constitutional guarantee for such businesses to be open, but there are safeguards for churches, he added.

Churches have special protection that was given to us by our forefathers. And we cant afford to allow that to be sacrificed.

Jeffress called lockdowns of churches the marginalization of Christians and other people of faith during the pandemic.

I think thats just a prelude to whats going to happen, he said.

Theres great evidence that the IRS right now is being weaponized by the Biden administration to go after Christian groups, Jeffress said, citing the case of the Texas-based Christians Engaged which was initially denied tax-exemption status.

Christians Engaged encourages Christians to become involved in the political process, be informed about the views of candidates for public office, register to vote, and pray on a nonpartisan basis for public officials.

The IRS initially denied the groups tax exemption request because, according to the tax agency, certain Bible teachings are affiliated with the [Republican] Party and candidates.'

That denial was subsequently reversed following a public outcry and extensive media coverage by The Epoch Times and other outlets.

Jeffress said he preached recently that Christian believers who are persecuted for righteousness would be given a special blessing.

He thinks that there is some kind of persecution going on right now but those who undergo it are being persecuted for their opinions or preferences.

When you take a stand for Jesus Christ and suffer negative, negative consequences, that is what persecution is about, Jeffress explained.

According to the Bible: The first cases of persecution were not beheadings. It started with a verbal admonishment from the government, fine, followed by the lie, beatings, imprisonment, and finally execution.  Persecution is always incremental, the preacher said.

Jeffress said that he is not afraid of being killed for openly expressing his faith. I get to go to heaven early.

Dont fear those who can only destroy the body. Fear the one who is able to destroy the body and the spirit, the preacher said, citing Jesuss words.

I think as long as we fear God and God alone, it gives us the courage to stand firm, but I really think Christians have got to quit being passive.

[Christians] need to try to slow down the immoral direction were headed in. One way we do that is through the leaders that we elect into office.  There are no perfect candidates, but [there are] those whose espouse those biblical values that we believe in.

Involvement in Politics

Jeffress commented on the view that Christians should not get involved in politics, that Christians shouldnt try to influence the world in which they live, because the word politics comes from Latin and means to influence.

When liberals say Christians shouldnt get involved in politics, what they mean is conservative Christians shouldnt get involved in conservative politics. They dont mind people on their side of the aisle, arguing and influencing all they want.

Nobody would criticize Martin Luther King, Jr., a pastor of the Baptist Church, for getting involved in politics, Jeffress said, adding that King, Jr. is applauded and should have been applauded for getting involved in the Civil Rights Movement.

The preacher said that he is a supporter of former President Donald Trump, who in his opinion was the most pro-life, pro-religious liberty, pro-Israel president in the history of America.

People are longing for leadership like that offered by Trump, Jeffress said.

Hes not a perfect person. Im not a perfect pastor  but he has enacted the most pro-Christian policies of any president weve had.

Mark Tapscott contributed to this report.

Ella Kietlinska Reporter Follow Ella Kietlinska is a reporter for The Epoch Times focusing on U.S. and world politics.
When the Virginia Festival of the Book opens its 2022 schedule on Wednesday, readers can explore a whole new landscape.

Justin G. Reid, director of community initiatives at Virginia Humanities, will serve as moderator for Southern Landscapes: Real and Imagined, which will begin at 7 p.m. Saturday at Paramount Theater. The conversation will bring in W. Ralph Eubanks, author of A Place Like Mississippi: A Journey Through a Real and Imagined Literary Landscape; Jocelyn Nicole Johnson, author of My Monticello; and Imani Perry, author of South to America: A Journey Below the Mason-Dixon Line to Understand the Soul of a Nation.

Together, the panelists will explore how a sense of place informs and enhances fiction and nonfiction, what it means to belong, and Southern literatures role as a greater American literature. Theres so much food for thought there that you may not want to eat dinner before you go.

And at the same time that writers and readers are diving into the meanings and influences of place, the Virginia Festival of the Book itself is welcoming the return of in-person gatherings while keeping the virtual discussions that sustained readers from a distance  and finding itself at home in a new blended world that meets readers wherever they are.

Place and connectionThe authors looking forward to speaking together Saturday bring a variety of perspectives on what it means to live in the South. Even within Eubanks beloved Mississippi, the center of town will look different depending on where you happen to be.

I think, for Mississippians, our culture is a series of small towns, said Eubanks, who is the Carl and Lily Pforzheimer Foundation Fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University. He divides much of his time between his home in Washington, D.C., and Oxford, Mississippi.

The heart of one town there may not resemble that of another, because theyve been built around different influences.

Im from southern Mississippi, which was largely settled after the Civil War with the rise of the railroads. The main street is parallel to the railroad tracks, he said. In northern Mississippi, its the courthouse square. You may go to a town and not see a Confederate statue.

His previous works include Ever Is a Long Time: A Journey into Mississippis Dark Past and The House at the End of the Road: The Story of Three Generations of an Interracial Family in the American South. Hes at work on a book about the Mississippi Delta at the moment.

Im not a fiction writer, because Im bad at making stuff up, he said. So often, what Im doing is following the stories people are silent about.

Eubanks said he looks forward to joining Perry and Johnson to dive into the wonder of place, which opens up a world of human connections.

One of the things I really do enjoy is talking about the process of writing and demystifying it for the readers, Eubanks said. When Im writing about place, Im using the place itself as an archive. Youre trying to understand the physical landscape and the emotional landscape.

Part of the value of the genre is that Southern literature has this power to create real change, Eubanks said. It creates empathy and understanding.

I want them to see it as a national literature. It holds up a mirror to America. Thats a point Dr. Perry so eloquently makes.

Eubanks said he enjoyed participating with Perry in a very memorable discussion on a Mississippi Book Festival panel in 2018. He also looks forward to serving on Saturdays panel with Johnson, whose exploration of the topic through fiction he admires. In Johnsons My Monticello, he said, she takes this fictional idea and then tells us the truth.

Eubanks, who spent quite a bit of time in Charlottesville while he edited Virginia Quarterly Review from 2013 to 2015, noted another Mississippi-Charlottesville connection; Nobel Prize-winning author William Faulkner, an enduring figure in Southern literature, found a place to belong in Charlottesville. The Mississippi author lived in the area in the late 1950s while serving as writer-in-residence at the University of Virginia.

UVa and Charlottesville treated him with the stature and the respect he deserved, Eubanks said. Oxford really didnt embrace his work until he was gone.

Real and imaginedFor Johnson, the sense of place in the Southern landscape can offer opportunities for mining both the public and the personal.

Theres this way in which landscapes are neutral, the writer and public school art teacher said. Theyre not taking sides; theyre the ground beneath our feet.

Once personal layers appear over a landscape, it can reflect how we want things to be, Johnson said. Like a character, it can kind of contribute to it.

Im really interested in history as something really personal. What we remember; what were nostalgic for. What we fear; what we worry about. What we depend on, and what were responsible for.

Fiction also adds to discussions of past, present and place by making sure different voices can be heard.

First and foremost, I love the idea of centering the outsider and de-centering the insider, Johnson said. The reader can move back and forth. I hope it challenges an easy answer to who belongs where. We have complicated problems as a community and a nation, and theres no easy fix.

Who gets to tell the story? Who gets compassion? What do we want for the future, and how do we get there? In a way, its about a community coming together.

Embracing hybrid lifeDuring the past two years, the pandemic has brought into relief the importance of communities coming together, and people created enriching and inclusive ways to make it happen whether physical gatherings were possible or not. The Virginia Festival of the Books new hybrid structure allows readers to attend in person and savor the nuances of authors collegiality, catch virtual events when their schedules suit them, and create customized combinations of the two.

Ive been director of the festival since the summer of 2014, and Ive stressed accessibility, said Jane Kulow, director of the Virginia Festival of the Book.

Her original approach to accessibility was a sincere effort to appeal to a wide range of interests and topics, present most events for free and eliminate the need to register for most offerings. She since learned, however, that shed just started scratching the surface. Pandemic shutdowns and the emergence of the hybrid festival made diving into deeper aspects of accessibility real, and Kulow said the festival has improved as a result.

The options of virtual events, livestreams and videos on demand mean that limited mobility need not mean limited options; the dread of a painful trek from a parking deck to a venue doesnt have to keep a person away from an exhilarating exchange of ideas. A reader can attend from time zones hours away without packing a suitcase, shelling out for a plane ticket or leaving a newborns cradle. Book lovers who work nights and weekends always have a seat at the table.

And with the on-demand video options, theres no need to hurry. That is part of the magic of livestream programming. You can watch it on your own time, Kulow said.

We have learned so much about what accessibility truly means. Weve removed the barrier of time. Weve removed the barrier of distance. We dont have the barrier of cost.

Book devotees can participate whether there is a work conflict, or someone living in western Montana is interested in attending, or someone living in Asia is interested in attending.

Before the pandemic, the festival could bring in 25,000 visitors. Since the arrival of the pandemic prompted the embrace of virtual programming, that number can jump to 50,000 worldwide, Kulow said.

We can meet people where they are and present that direct connection, she said.

In-person events do require some preparation in a pandemic. Festival attendees are urged to check vabook.org and the websites for the specific venues in advance so they can be prepared for differing  and frequently changing  COVID safety guidelines. Charlottesville City Hall can seat about 120, for instance, but in-person attendance at popular Crime Wave events there will be capped at 25. Dont be surprised to find you may be attending some events in person and catching livestreams of others.

Keep a mask with you, be willing to maintain safe distances from other book fans, and stay open to trying programs that interest you through livestreams and on-demand video. The inclusivity of the new festival format wont be discarded with masks and social distancing once the pandemic is over, and the hybrid model is here to stay.

We do not want to close that door, Kulow said.

Landscape  or escapeJust as the hybrid structure of the festival allows guests to suit their own comfort levels by selecting live or virtual events, the variety of offerings at the Virginia Festival of the Book gives readers room to choose when theyd like to dive into current events and weighty topics  and when theyd prefer a little escapism, discovery or sheer fun.

Some events that have been on the festivals schedule for a while seem to take on up-to-the-minute relevance, such as an event at 2 p.m. Saturday in the CODE Buildings Irving Theater with Michael Krepon, author of Winning and Losing the Nuclear Peace: The Rise, Demise and Revival of Arms Control. In the free event, the foreign affairs and policy specialist will dive into the history of nuclear arms control in a conversation with Todd Sechser.

Its eerily timely, Kulow said.

Events like Krepons may attract new viewers on video weeks or months from now as world situations change.

On the other hand, folks who flock to the festival to take a recess from stress can find plenty of appealing spaces to inhabit. Kulow mentioned a virtual cooking demonstration with Rust Belt Vegan Kitchen editor Meredith Pangrace at 2 p.m. Friday, for instance, that makes it quite clear that a little escapism isnt just healthy; it also can be delicious.

Festival events continue through March 20. For a complete schedule, speaker bios and all the particulars, go to vabook.org.

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When Benjamin Franklin loaned money to a man in 1784, he made this request: When you meet with another honest Man in similar Distress, you must pay me by lending this Sum to him. In other words, Franklin did not want to be paid back; he wanted that man to help someone else in the same way.

Early American artist Benjamin West (17381820) had a strong friendship with Franklin. West was raised in a Pennsylvania Quaker community that practiced mutuality and trust; he got his start as an artist from these and other goodhearted people. And he never forgot.

Native Americans taught West how to make paint by mixing riverbank clay with bear grease. Influential people in the Pennsylvania colony soon saw what West could do with his natural talent. Gunsmith William Henry took him under his wing and encouraged him to make a painting of an engraving. This work caught the attention of William Smith, provost of the College of Philadelphia, who offered West an education and connections with important colonials.

Wealthy Pennsylvania merchants saw great promise in the young Quaker who could draw and paint. Two colonials paid for his trip to Italy for more training: William Allen, mayor of Philadelphia and later provincial chief justice, and William Smith. There, the young artist learned the painting techniques of Italian masters. He also studied the theories of art critic Johann Winckelmann on neoclassicism and his quest for ideal beauty through a study of classical art.

Self-portrait, circa 1763, by Benjamin West (after Benjamin West, 1776). The National Gallery of Art; currently at the Baltimore Museum of Fine Art. (Public Domain)

West learned about more advanced painting techniques from British colonist John Wollaston. These techniques included proficiency at painting satin fabric and almond-shaped eyes.

An American in London

West moved to London and settled there in 1763. It was a happening place when he arrived and by 1768 the Royal Academy of Arts was founded, with Joshua Reynolds as its first president. England was producing gifted artists doing impressive work: Thomas Gainsborough, John Constable, and of course, Reynolds.

West made his name in London by painting historical scenes in the neoclassical style. But he supported his family by painting portraits of wealthy aristocrats, who were drawn to his natural charm and talent. Soon he drew the attention of the king and did portraits of the royal family.

West became a favorite painter of King George III (yes, that King George), who eventually appointed him the second president of the Royal Academy of Arts after Reynolds.

Paying It Forward, Artistically Speaking

As West made a name for himself in London, he remembered to pass on his good fortune. He counseled, taught, and befriended three generations of American artists who came to England to study. West provided everything from advice, instruction, and food to money and, in many cases, a job as his studio assistant. His home and studio held a trove of works by the old masters, as well as casts of classical sculptures. Young artists could study his art at a time when no such public collection existed.

The artists who came to West had neither the skills nor the connections to succeed in an artistic career. West used his technical knowledge and experience to train and advise the artists who came to him for help. He taught them complex multifigure compositions and employed sophisticated glazing techniques, according to Wests biography on the National Gallery of Art website. His tutoring and advice transformed the work of the young Americans who studied with him.

These students returned to the colonies to document Americas founding in portraits and history paintings. They included some of the greatest painters in American history: Charles Willson Peale, Gilbert Stuart, John Trumbull, Ralph Earl, Washington Allston, Thomas Sully, and Samuel F.B. Morse, among others.

Benjamin West, circa 1820, by Thomas Sully (after Charles R. Leslie and after Sir Thomas Lawrence, circa 1820). Pennsylvania Academy purchase, 1864. (Public Domain)

Three Waves of Young Painters

Among the first wave of young artists to come across the Atlantic was Gilbert Stuart. West welcomed Stuart, who was destitute, into his home in 1775. Under a five-year apprenticeship with West, as well as his considerable influence, Stuart set up his own London studio.

Stuarts portrait of George Washington shows a detailed shirt ruffle with a more painterly approach to the powdered hair. Stuart was known for a range of flesh tonesrosy pink for cheeks and lips, a slight five oclock shadow around the mouth, and well-placed highlights at the nose and forehead. He showed an adept technique learned under his mentors tutelage.

George Washington, 1795, by Gilbert Stuart. Oil on canvas, 29.13 inches by 24.13 inches. Private collection. (Public Domain)

In the 1780s, another wave of eager students approached West, including John Trumbull, a former mapmaker in the Continental Army. The War for Independence was in full swing, and Trumbull wanted to paint prominent people and battles of the war.

He studied the great neoclassical artists in France as well; there he visited an American scholar and patriot, Thomas Jefferson, who advised Trumbull in his now-famous painting of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

The Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776, circa 1792, by John Trumbull. Oil on canvas, 20.9 inches by 31 inches. Trumbull Collection to 1832. Yale University Art Gallery, New Haven, Conn. (Public Domain)

Now widely known on both sides of the Atlantic, West accepted a third wave of artists to support around 1809. Among them was a British-born, American-bred artist: Thomas Sully. Sully painted Wests portrait and brought Wests ideas and techniques back to the United States, providing a foundation for the growth of the arts in America in the Federal period and creating a late eighteenth and early nineteenth century American style of considerable sophistication, according to Wests biography on the National Gallery of Art website. When he returned to America, Sully applied what he had learned from West in another way: He did not charge students for painting lessons.

Ties of Friendship

In 1783, West began a paintingnever finishedof the participants negotiating peace between America and Great Britain after the war. The painting shows five Americans who were sent to negotiate peace terms with Great Britain: John Jay, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Henry Laurens, and William Temple Franklin (Benjamin Franklins grandson). West painted all the figures from life. The British negotiators would not model for the artist, and so although he had begun the painting in 1783, West never finished the work, which he wished to present to Congress. John Quincy Adams discussed this painting in his diary: As I very strongly expressed my regret that this picture should be left unfinished.

Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity From the Sky, circa 1816, by Benjamin West. Oil on slate, 13.4 inches by 10.1 inches. Philadelphia Museum of Art. (Public Domain)

When Benjamin Franklin was in London, he and West met and became fast friends. To honor Franklin after his death in 1790, West painted a dramatic, but not actual, scene of Franklin showing how lightning generates electricitya totally new area of study. Supposedly, this dangerous experiment occurred in 1752. Franklin was aware of the dangers and did not perform this experiment, as pictured in popular literature. Instead, he used the kite to collect some electric charge from a storm cloud, just enough to show that lightning was electrical, according to the Joy Of Museums website. The painting, in oil on slate, was a study for a larger work that never happened.

West depicted Franklin discovering electricity as given by the divine. Franklin is shown with an aura around his head, seated on clouds. Putti (little cherubs) assist him in drawing electricity from a kite in the sky during a thunderstorm. Two celestial beings are working with scientific instruments on the left. The scene explodes with energyFranklins hair blows, his red cape billows, the kite is whipped among dark clouds. Franklins face is a picture of calm confidence; he is unafraid of being electrocuted and calmly accepts the assistance of the heavenly beings.

West and Franklin maintained close ties throughout the rest of their lives, even after Franklin returned to America.

The Quaker community that originally nurtured West paid it forward to their country as well. Quakers are reputed to have introduced the Bill of Rights and Constitution to the new government.

What West, Franklin, and the Quakers practiced could be what today is known as a gift economy. Giving so the recipient passes on the good fortune has been found to benefit those who give and those who receive. Every community can benefit from the example of the Quaker artist who paid it forward threefold and more.
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman Warren Buffett walks through the exhibit hall as shareholders gather to hear from the billionaire investor at Berkshire Hathaway Inc.'s annual shareholder meeting in Omaha, Neb., on May 4, 2019. (Scott Morgan/Reuters)

Berkshire Rejects Shareholder Call to Replace Warren Buffett as Chairman

Berkshire Hathaway Inc. on Friday urged the rejection of four shareholder proposals recommending that it replace Warren Buffett as chairman, report on its plans to handle climate risk and reduce greenhouse gases, and improve diversity.

The company, run by Buffett since 1965, also said the 91-year-old received $373,204 in compensation for 2021, down from $380,328 a year earlier, comprising his usual $100,000 salary plus personal and home security.

Though Buffetts salary is low for a chief executive officer of a major company, his 16.2 percent Berkshire stake comprises most of his $117.9 billion net worth, which Forbes magazine said makes him the worlds fifth-richest person.

Berkshire disclosed Buffetts pay and recommendations on shareholder proposals in its annual proxy filing, ahead of the Omaha, Nebraska-based companys April 30 annual meeting.

It also said Vice Chairmen Greg Abel and Ajit Jain, who respectively oversee Berkshires non-insurance and insurance operations, were in 2021 each awarded $19 million for a third straight year. Buffett sets their pay.

Berkshire has said Abel would become CEO and Buffetts son Howard Buffett would become non-executive chairman if Warren Buffett could not continue in those roles.

One shareholder proposal, from the National Legal and Policy Center, said those roles are greatly diminished because Buffett holds both, weakening governance, and an independent director should become chairman.

According to the filing, Berkshires directors agree that is a good idea, but only after Buffett is no longer CEO.

In urging rejections of the environmental proposals, Berkshire said many operating units already make disclosures concerning climate risks, and its insurance operations appropriately manage risks from greenhouse gases.

It also said its operating businesses have committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion without needing direction from Buffett.

Berkshires dozens of business units include Geico car insurance, the BNSF railroad, Berkshire Hathaway Energy, Brooks running, and Sees candies, among others.

Buffett controls 32.1 percent of Berkshires voting power. Shareholder proposals he opposes normally fail by big margins.

Berkshires share price is up 9 percent this year, while the Standard & Poors 500 is down 12 percent.

By Jonathan Stempel
White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan speaks to the news media about the situation in Ukraine during a daily press briefing at the White House on Feb. 11, 2022. (Leah Millis/Reuters)

Russia Counts on Sanctions Help From China; US Warns Off Beijing

LONDONRussia said on March 13 that it was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, but the United States warned Beijing not to provide that lifeline.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said sanctions had deprived Moscow of access to $300 billion of its $640 billion in gold and foreign exchange reserves, and added that there was pressure on Beijing to shut off more.

We have part of our gold and foreign exchange reserves in the Chinese currency, in yuan. And we see what pressure is being exerted by Western countries on China in order to limit mutual trade with China. Of course, there is pressure to limit access to those reserves, he said.

But I think that our partnership with China will still allow us to maintain the cooperation that we have achieved, and not only maintain, but also increase it in an environment where Western markets are closing.

Western countries have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russias corporate and financial system since it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it calls a special military operation.

Siluanovs comments in a TV interview marked the clearest statement yet from Moscow that it will seek help from China to cushion the impact.

But U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington was warning the Chinese regime not to provide it.

We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them, Sullivan told CNN.

We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world, said Sullivan, who is due to meet Chinas top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on March 14.

Russia and the Chinese regime have tightened cooperation in recent times, as both have come under strong Western pressure over human rights and a raft of other issues. Beijing has not condemned Russias attack on Ukraine and doesnt call it an invasion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Feb. 4 and announced a strategic partnership they said was aimed at countering the influence of the United States, describing it as a friendship with no limits.

China is Russias top export market after the European Union. Russian exports to China were worth $79.3 billion in 2021, with oil and gas accounting for 56 percent of that, according to Chinas customs agency.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping walk as they attend a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation Council of Heads of State in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, on June 14, 2019. (Vyacheslav Oseledko/AFP via Getty Images)

China Risks Missing Economic Growth Target by Supporting Russia

News Analysis

Beijing has a number of options to offset the impact of Western sanctions on Moscow, but none are big enough to save Russia, and all would decrease Chinas chances of hitting its 5.5 percent growth target, which is already the lowest in decades.

Just before the Ukraine invasion, Beijing and Moscow signed an agreement, reaffirming their friendship and expanding Chinas gas purchases from Russia by about $117.5 billion, while pledging to increase trade by at least $100 billion over the next few years. At that time, no one could have predicted the enormity of the coming sanctions. Neither could anyone have anticipated the tight, anti-Russia coalition that would form, with the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union, NATO, Japan, and other allies all unifying to bring sanctions against Russia.

In addition to the boycotts by banks and credit card companies, shippers, such as Maersk, are refusing to transport goods to and from Russia. Exports and imports are threatened, representing about half of the economy. Since the sanctions began, the Russian ruble has lost approximately 30 percent of its values.

In short, the Russian economy is crumbling, which means that any workaround or any mitigating strategy Beijing comes up with would have to be large enough to carry the weight of the entire economy. And this comes while Chinas own economy is looking at the slowest GDP growth in years.

The Chinese Communist Partys (CCP) promise to increase gas purchases and trade are not cash that China would be handing to Russia at the moment. Instead, it represents a projected increase in trade over a period of years. And even with the increased trade, Russias gas exports to China would fall short of replacing the volume lost through the decertification of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to Europe, by roughly 55 billion cubic meters each year.

The CCP is also promising to buy more Russian grain, but how much is not yet known. Once again, this may not help Russia in the immediate future, as the wheat-growing region of Russia is not set up for export to China. Logistics systems would have to be put in place, which would cost time and money. And for China to purchase anything from Russia, whether its oil or wheat, the issue of how to send and process payments will have to be addressed, as Russia has been effectively banned from using U.S. dollars and U.S.-based payment systems.

The CCP could offer its Cross-Border Interbank Payment System (CIPS), as an alternative to the Western SWIFT, for interbank transfers. But CIPS is still in its infancy and not broadly internationalized.

Another issue is currency. Only less than 3 percent of the worlds trade settlement is done in yuan, and almost none is done in rubles. Russia currently holds about $140 billion worth of China sovereign bonds. China could let Russia call these early, pay in yuan, and then use yuan as a medium of exchange with Russia. This would greatly decrease Russias foreign currency reserves, further weakening the ruble. It also presupposes that Moscow wants to trade in yuan. Additionally, paying off its debts early would be costly for the CCP, at a time when China is also cash-strapped. And still, this would not be enough money to recover all of the damage done by the sanctions.

While none of Chinas possible workarounds will be significant enough to save Russia, any of them is enough to ruin Chinas relationship with the West. The Biden administration has threatened sanctions on those who violate the sanctions or continue to support Russia. And China does a great deal more trade with the United States and the EU than with Russia.

Furthermore, Chinas trade with countries outside of the U.S. sphere is largely done in dollars, using the U.S. payment systems. If sanctions cut China off from these payment systems, like they are doing to Russia, the CCP could follow a similar fate.

Chinese visitors walk past a sign for China UnionPay outside a pawn shop in Macau on Nov. 20, 2013. (Tyrone Siu/Reuters)

Visa and Mastercard both suspended service in Russia. The CCP has offered up UnionPay cards as an alternative. Aside from the time and money that it will take to set up the infrastructure for the Chinese cards to function with Russian banks, the services cannot be in U.S. dollars, for fear of violating U.S. sanctions.

This gets back to the issue of currency. The ruble is worth almost nothing and Moscow may not want the yuan used for domestic purchases inside of Russia. And even if this issue is settled and the cards go live, this does not solve Russias problem of not being able to buy and sell on world markets.

As the ruble plummets, workarounds become more and more difficult because Russia would be buying expensive yuan with cheap rubles. The only thing Russia can do to slow the rubles devaluation is to use U.S. dollars to buy up rubles on international exchange markets. And this is not something China can readily help with. It would also wipe out Russias U.S. dollar reserves.

Chinese Premier Li Keqiang expressed his skepticism at China achieving its 5.5 percent growth target. He cited the pandemic and the Ukraine war as two of the obstacles standing in Beijings way.

ING, Morgan Stanley, and other international financial institutions have already predicted that China will not hit its growth target, even before the Ukraine invasion. Chinas economy has been plagued by its wealth redistribution and common prosperity, which has been strangling wealthy individuals and companies, as well as its zero-COVID policy, suppressed consumer demand, high debt, flagging real estate sector, skyrocketing oil prices, and a host of other problems.

Taking on the support of the entire Russian economy and risking possible sanctions could easily be the tipping point for Chinas GDP.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Boys in a dormitory in a school in Perekhrestya, Ukraine, near the Hungarian border on March 7, 2022, a refuge for 93 orphaned children evacuated from the Artek childrens camp near Kyiv a few days ago due to the Russian invasion. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)

Chinese Student in Kyiv Says Embassys Evacuation Efforts Made Her See Through Regimes Propaganda

I used to be a nationalist, a Chinese student said from Kyiv, Ukraine. I would get angry if anybody says our home country is not good. Now, I will never believe in the Chinese government. Never, never, never.

Mei Qinghe (a pseudonym) told the Chinese-language Epoch Times on March 10 that she fully trusted the Chinese regime and the Chinese Embassy in Ukraine before the RussiaUkraine war broke out.

Mei said the only reason she stayed in Ukraine is that the people there are very friendly and have offered to help her. Theyre the people she trusts, she said.

While the United States, Australia, Japan, and other developed and developing countries were evacuating their citizens, Mei and her fellow Chinese students in Kyiv became worried.

Nigerian students, who just got evacuated from Ukraine amidst the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, disembark from a chartered plane after landing at the Nnamdi Azikwe Airport in Abuja, Nigeria, on March 4, 2022. (KOLA SULAIMON/AFP via Getty Images)

The Embassy told us that there wouldnt be a war, and these Western countries were lying, Mei said, as she noted that she and her fellow students believed the Chinese embassy knew the truth of the situation and would protect them.

We were really emotional at that time and opposed and slandered the U.S. government  because the embassy told us that the U.S. was boasting and trying to create chaos.

Mei had enjoyed her life as a Chinese nationalist before Russia started its invasion on Feb. 24. Most Chinese youths have hate in their hearts because of the brainwashing that they receive as part of their education in China, she says; in schools, students were taught to slander developed Western countries and call themselves patriots.

You know, it would have been easy for us to go to Poland, Turkey, Romania, Moldova, and Slovakia. We couldve taken a flight or train to go to these countries before the bombing. It was easy and cheap. But we didnt because the embassy said there wouldnt be a war, Mei said.

Her life changed early on Feb. 24.

Smoke and flame rise near a military building after an apparent Russian strike in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Feb. 24, 2022. (Efrem Lukatsky/AP Photo)

At 3 a.m., I heard the shelling. I couldnt sleep anymore and wanted to flee immediately, Mei said. Luckily, I quickly found and bought a flight ticket from Kyiv to Warsaw, which would take off at 10 a.m. But by 6 a.m., media reported that Russian troops had destroyed Kyiv airport and my flight was canceled.

She then found herself in a panic. She contacted her fellow Chinese students to try to find a way to flee. Quickly, they realized that there was no way to evacuate by themselves and that they needed help.

We didnt have enough food or cash in our hands. There were long lines in front of every ATM machine [to withdraw cash]  children were crying inside the air-raid shelters  homeless dogs and cats were running on the streets, Mei recalled.

Mei and her friends started their challenging period of waiting.

She said the embassy didnt evacuate anybody until Feb. 28. The embassy only sent us to the border.

Mei said she didnt dare attempt this type of evacuation.

Decision to Stay in Kyiv

Mei regained her calm as the war continued to unfold. Disappointed by the Chinese embassys evacuation arrangements, she was moved by the local Ukrainian people during this difficult time.

Some of my Ukrainian classmates joined the army after the war. They are at the frontlines now, Mei said. The dorm administrator prepared food and drink for us and brought us to an air-raid shelter once there was an alarm.

Civilians, including Tatiana (L), 21, a university veterinary medicine student whos also enrolled in a military reserve program, participate in a Kyiv Territorial Defense unit training in Kyiv, Ukraine, on Jan. 22, 2022. (Sean Gallup/Getty Images)

Mei said she decided to stay in Kyiv with the people who helped her. At the same time, shes very angry about the Chinese state-run medias reports on the situation in Ukraine, which she believes to be the opinion of the Chinese regime.

I read Chinese news every day. The media in China all report on how great the Russian troops are doing in Ukraine, how bad the Ukrainian army is, and how the Ukrainian military used people as hostages.  These are all lies, she said.

Musicians of the Kyiv-Classic Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor UNESCO Peace Artist Herman Makarenko perform at Independence Square in Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 9, 2022, to call NATO to close the skies over Ukraine. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

Mei said she wants to tell the world that its Ukrainian soldiers who have evacuated Chinese students from the war zones in Sumy and other areas, that its Ukrainian soldiers and policemen who rescued Chinese citizens when Russian forces were shooting them, and that the Ukrainian people are helping the Chinese students who are in the country.

Im a human being. If I dont even have the bottom line to be a human being. Then, why am I living in this world? Mei said.

Gu Xiaohua contributed to this report.
Congressman Refutes White House Claim That Energy Policies Are Not Responsible for Record-High Oil Prices

Rep. Russ Fulcher (R-Idaho) said that the Biden administrations policies are stifling energy production across the nation and are responsible for the high cost of oil and gas.

He said it is inaccurate when the White House claims their 9,000 drilling permits show the administration is not to blame for soaring energy prices.

If youre going to explore for oil or energy, it takes a lot of applications and you have to do the application before you know if theres any resource there, Fulcher told NTDs Capitol Report.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki told reporters on March 7 that Bidens energy policies are not preventing new drilling for oil and gas. She said the administrations short-term goal is to keep up with demand for fossil fuels.

There are 9,000 approved drilling permits that are not being used. So the suggestion that we are not allowing companies to drill is inaccurate. The suggestion that that is what is hindering or preventing gas prices to come down is inaccurate, Psaki said in response to a question as to why the Keystone Pipeline project was canceled.

A Chevron oil exploration drilling site near Midland, Texas, on Aug. 22, 2019. (Jessica Lutz/Reuters)

There are applications all over the place, but [many times] thats an application to try to explore, said Fulcher. Its not the truth, its not accurate, in terms of what it sounds like. Thats just a way for people to try to explain it. Yeah, its their fault, not our fault.

Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) said that the White House statement on the 9,000 permits shows a lack of understanding of energy policy and resources.

You may get something permitted, it still may take 10 years to actually get it into production. So a permit doesnt necessarily mean that it can be turned on tomorrow, Graves told Capitol Report on March 9.

Number two, you have things that are permitted that ultimately are dry holes. They dont actually have oil or gas. And so its not a producing, its not a viable, well, Graves added.

Both Fulcher and Graves said that the prices of oil and gas started going up before the United States banned Russian imports in response to the Ukraine invasion.

We had rising gas prices well before the conflict with Ukraine, and it goes back to the first day when the president was sworn in. He started putting regulations and a  significant chilling effect on production here in the U.S. that put the wheels in motion for these rising prices, said Fulcher.

Graves said that increased regulations and stopping projects like Keystone have added to a lack of supply, creating obstacles to the production of oil and gas and the transport of these resources.

Were going to increase regulations. Were going to block you from building pipelines. So all of this creates regulatory uncertainty. And once again, maybe I can produce energy, but I cant get anywhere, said Graves.

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.
President Joe Biden gives remarks on his administration's response to the surge in COVID-19 cases across the country from the South Court Auditorium in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on Jan. 13, 2022. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Correction, Mr. President: Its a Deadly Pandemic of the Vaccinated Too

News Analysis

Despite promises from President Joe Biden and top health officials that COVID-19 vaccines would prevent severe illness, death, and perhaps even transmission of the virus, data indicate that thousands of Americans are dying from the illness even after having been vaccinated.

Striking evidence comes from California, Georgia, and Illinois, where a third of people dying with COVID had been vaccinatedeven some who had received a third booster shot. In the absence of publicly available federal data, the three states offer some of the best numbers on the post-vaccine impact of a pandemic that has claimed 950,000 American lives.

Some health experts say such deaths were predictable. After all, initial reports on the Pfizer, Moderna, and Johnson & Johnson jabs promised vaccine efficacy rates in the 90 percent-plus rangenot perfection. So even if a substantial percentage of the population is vaccinated, vaccinated people will still die. And the vaccines were designed to combat a strain of the virus before the Delta and Omicron variants appeared, suggesting the new scourges may have played a major role in the vaccines disappointing effectiveness.

Nevertheless, on July 21, 2021, President Biden assured Americans at a Cincinnati town hall that If you are vaccinated, you are not going to be hospitalized, you are not going to be in the ICU unit, and you are not going to die.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, echoed his remarks in an interview later that month: The vaccines are very effective in protecting you and extremely effective in protecting you against severe disease.

Dr. Anthony Fauci, director at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, speaks during a Senate committee hearing on the COVID-19 response, on Capitol Hill in Washington on March 18, 2021. (Anna Moneymaker-Pool/Getty Images)

The president has largely held to his stance, allowing during his State of the Union address on Tuesday that new vaccines might be needed, even as reality increasingly undermined it. In December, he asserted, This is a pandemic of the unvaccinatedwords soon to become an administration mantra.

He would later warn: We are looking at a winter of severe illness and death for the unvaccinatedfor themselves, their families, and the hospitals theyll soon overwhelm.

With such debatable claims, authorities have arguably harmed the vaccinated and unvaccinated alike. The vaccinatedespecially the elderly or immunocompromisedhave been given a false sense of invincibility. The unvaccinated have been not only scapegoated; some have lost their jobs as the administrations pronouncements were used to enforce inflexible employer vaccine mandates.

It is true that COVID mortality statistics are uncertain. They are clouded in many cases by failures to distinguish those who died from COVID versus those who died with COVID, and by variations in how unvaccinated is definedwith numerous deaths classified as unvaccinated up until two weeks after a victims second jab.

But the fairly detailed and unambiguous data from California, Georgia, and Illinois show the vaccinated making up a significant percentage of those dying from COVID as the new strains became prevalent. When the Delta strain circulated from mid-November to mid-December of last year, the vaccinated accounted for 21 percent of all COVID-related deaths in California and Georgia, and 38 percent in Illinois. After Delta was overtaken by the Omicron variant, the proportions in California and Georgia rose substantially to over 33 percenta level comparable to Illinois, which remained at its already higher rate.

The paucity of overall national data was illustrated by a remarkable Feb. 20 New York Times story, in which COVID reporter Apoorva Mandavilli wrote that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has published only a tiny fraction of the data it has collected. She quoted an official speaking anonymously saying that the CDC was reluctant to make detailed information about hospitalizations sorted by vaccination status available because it might be misinterpreted as the vaccines being ineffective.

Yet available state and other statistics suggest just thatat least when measured against the original Biden standard that the vaccinated are not going to die: The proportion of fully vaccinated and/or boosted deaths against the number of total deaths is substantial, and appears to have been gradually increasing in recent months at least in several states.

Of the eight states publishing detailed, so-called breakthrough death data on the vaccinated to the present, RealClearInvestigations found that Massachusettswith a substantial 75 percent fully vaccinated ratesuffered the highest percentage of vaccinated deaths: 55 percent from Jan. 1 to Feb. 12, 2022.

Even a recent little-publicized and less comprehensive CDC report notes that among those 18 years of age or older across 25 U.S. jurisdictions, from early April to late December 2021, there were approximately 7 million COVID cases and 95,000 deaths among the unvaccinated, versus approximately 3 million cases and 23,000 deaths among the vaccinated. That one in five deaths were associated with the vaccinated, according to the study, suggests protection weaker than the public has been led to believe.

But in a Jan. 19, 2022 op-ed in The Hill, Dr. Lyndon Haviland of the CUNY School of Public Health castigated dissenters for making much of vaccinated deaths:

By trumpeting the term breakthrough cases, public health authorities are spreading the impression that these infections are novel, unique, and unanticipated by the scientific community. In fact, the vaccine was designed precisely with this likelihood in mind, and it is working exactly as intended. With cases of hospitalization and death largely isolated among the unvaccinated population, it clearly shows the vaccines are doing their job and achieving the desired outcome.

But given the significant and rising proportions of double- and triple-vaccinated deaths, this assertionrepresentative of much of the U.S. public health establishmentis obviously misleading. Haviland did not reply to a request for comment from RealClearInvestigations.

Dr. Peter Hotez, Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine, urged a rethinking of the term fully vaccinated as it applies to severe illness.

I think the key here is to understand that by last fall it was clear that fully vaccinated, meaning 2 doses, was anything but, he said. Hotez points out that by six months past the second dose, CDC data have shown only 57 percent protection vs hospitalizations and 38 percent vs ER visits. He says mRNA vaccines should be viewed as a three-dose series and people with two doses only partially vaccinated. He cites data showing that after three doses, there is a 90 percent reduction in hospitalization and 82 percent reduction in ER visits.  Those who receive three doses are highly protected against hospitalization and presumably death as shown by the CDC.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla made the same point more bluntly in an interview with Yahoo News on Jan. 10, 2022. We know that two dose[s] of the vaccine offer very limited protection, if any, he said. The three doses with a booster  offer reasonable protection against hospitalization and deaths, and against deaths, I think very good. On Feb. 11, the Washington Post reported that a new CDC study shows booster protection against hospitalization waning to 78 percent after four months.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla (R) is seen speaking as U.S. President Joe Biden listens, in Carbis Bay, Cornwall, on June 10, 2021. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

At a recent press briefing, Dr. Fauci stated: The potential future requirement for an additional boost or a fourth shot for mRNA or a third shot for J&J is being very carefully monitored in real time and recommendations, if needed, will be updated.

Dr. Fauci did hint at the need for boosters very early on; as early as January 2021, he was contemplating the need for updated shots to handle new variants. But he, the president, and the media pushed the widespread uptake of shots designed to stymie the original Wuhan strain.

RealClearInvestigations asked for comment from the authorities on issues of vaccine messaging and effectiveness, including the White House, Dr. Faucis NIAID, and the CDC. They did not respond.

If nothing else, it seems clear that this is not a pandemic of the unvaccinated. A question that remains to be answered is whether public health officials had an obligation to be more forthright about the vaccines limitations.

Meanwhile, the administration has been keen to call for the censorship of those it views as peddling pandemic misinformationlinking them to violent extremist attacks during 2021 in a recent Department of Homeland Security bulletin. Largely unacknowledged is a variety of research papers from leading institutions, dating back to at least December of 2020, suggesting that mutations could undermine the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines.

In Tablet Magazine on Feb. 14, Dr. Vinay Prasad, an oncologist and public health researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, decried the politicization of the Centers for Disease Control: The agency is not in fact impartial (and thus not sufficiently scientific), but captured by the countrys national political system.

This is a precarious situation he wrote, as it undermines trust in federal agencies and naturally leads to a trust vacuum, in which Americans feel forced to cast about in a confused search for alternative sources of information.

This article was written by Clayton Fox for RealClearInvestigations.
COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Provides Substantial Protection Against Hospitalization: Study

A booster shot of Pfizers COVID-19 vaccine provides strong protection, at least initially, against COVID-19 hospitalization, although the effect against the Omicron virus variant is lower than that seen when the Delta strain was prevalent, according to a new study.

Researchers in Qatar estimated that the booster was 76.5 percent effective against severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19 caused by the Omicron variant as compared to the protection offered by the two-dose primary series.

The effectiveness was measured relatively soon after administration, with a median follow-up time of 22 days in the booster cohort and 21 days in the nonboosted group.

Having a booster recently is very protective against COVID-19 hospitalization and death due to Omicron, Dr. Laith Abu-Raddad, one of the researchers, told The Epoch Times in an email.

The study was published by the New England Journal of Medicine following peer review.

The study team also looked at the effectiveness of a booster of Modernas shot but couldnt ascertain how well it worked against severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19 because none of these types of cases were recorded in the booster group and only three were recorded in the nonboosted cohort.

However, they found that both the Pfizer and Moderna boosters provided little protection against infection from Omicron, a variant of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus, or SARS-CoV-2.

Pfizers booster was estimated at just 49.4 percent effective at preventing infection compared to the primary series and Modernas was pegged at 47.3 percent. U.S. regulators and the World Health Organization say the efficacy threshold is 50 percent for a successful vaccine.

Against earlier variants such as Delta we had much better protection, greater than 80 percent, said Abu-Raddad, a professor and epidemiologist at Weill Cornell MedicineQatar.

This suggests that we need to start thinking about developing a new generation of vaccines with high protection against a broad range of variants and an effectiveness that does not wane rapidly.

The study was funded by Well Cornell MedicineQatar and the Qatari government, among other institutions.

Limitations include the lack of an estimate of the Moderna boosters effectiveness against COVID-19-related hospitalization and death.

The study population was everybody who received a primary series of the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine in Qatar between January 2021 and January 2022. People who were documented as recovering from a COVID-19 infection, known as natural immunity, before the start of follow-up were excluded. Thats because there was concern that the presence of natural immunity may affect the protection from boosters, the researchers said, citing one of their previous studies.

Abu-Raddad has also led research on natural immunity in Qatar, including a study that found that natural immunity protects well against severe, critical, or fatal COVID-19 cases caused by Omicron.

Natural immunity protects better than the vaccine boosters against the Omicron and Delta variants, according to new and previous studies.

Some research and real-world data, including surveillance data from the United Kingdom (pdf), indicates that the protection from boosters wanes, especially against infection. That has prompted authorization of a second booster in some countries; Pfizer announced recently that it will seek clearance in the United States for an additional shot.

We will continue to follow these vaccinated cohorts to see how the effectiveness of the booster shot will wane over time, Abu-Raddad said.
A person uses a petrol pump at a gas station as fuel prices surged in Manhattan, New York City, on March 7, 2022. (Andrew Kelly/Reuters)

Current Policies Inhibiting Americas Ability to Become Energy Independent: Jason Isaac

The Biden administration has taken a whole-government approach against the fossil fuel industry making the nation less equipped to becoming energy independent, Jason Isaac from the Texas Public Policy Foundation told NTDs Capitol Report on March 11.

While the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is standing on the accelerator to zero emissions, the Biden administration is colluding with large financial institutions and banks to deny capital thats necessary to increase production, Isaac stated, referring in part to an August 2021 policy put in place by the Biden administration to stop banks from lending to overseas fossil fuel projects.

Despite President Joe Bidens statement that thousands of permits have been approved for oil drilling, Isaac said that permits and leases do not equal production because oil producers have to face other regulatory hurdles held up within the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission and the EPA, because this administration is anti-fossil fuels, they are anti-American energy.

Biden denied holding back domestic energy production at a March 8 press briefing, adding that oil producers have 9,000 [permits] to drill onshore that are already approved but have chosen not to use them for production.

Isaac said the Biden administration needs to embrace American energy and energy independence so that markets will start investing again in American energy production and lower prices at the pump immediately.

Over the last two years major U.S. oil stocks have lagged behind the market as investors became reluctant to invest in fossil fuel stocks.

Oil and gas companies do not want to drill more, Pavel Molchanov, an analyst at Raymond James, told CNN. They are under pressure from the financial community to pay more dividends, to do more share buybacks.

Government subsidies toward renewable energy such as wind and solar have further distorted the energy market, threatening the nations energy reliability, causing blackouts and increasing costs, Isaac said.

According to The Wall Street Journal, energy suppliers are having to add large-scale batteries to store more intermittent power during peak periods after the sun falls and wind dies as backup methods to generate electricity. However, because storage technology is somewhat new and relatively expensive, it remains a small fraction of the electricity market.

While the Biden administration has advocated a transition to clean energy, Isaac said that America has reduced harmful air pollution by 78 percent in the last 50 years.

Isaac also added that government subsidies into unreliable renewable energy have driven a surge of foreign investments into U.S. windfarms.

The French government owns EDF Renewables, over 60 percent of that company, and theyre investing in wind farms in Texas. So in Texas, were subsidizing socialism. The Chinese communist government has purchased thousands and thousands of acres in Texas to build wind farms and solar farms, Isaac said in a Feb. 22, 2021 interview with EpochTVs American Thought Leaders.

Texas has since passed SB2116 to prevent China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea from accessing the states electrical grid, while Arizona passed SB1342 to ban the Chinese Communist Party from owning land in the state after a Chinese energy company purchased over 130,000 acres of land near Laughlin Air Force Base in Del Rio and had reportedly been attempting to build a wind farm to access the U.S. power grid, according to the legislation.

Meanwhile, Biden announced a ban on imports of Russian oil, liquefied natural gas, and coal at a March 8 press briefing, during which he said that the shift to clean energy will allow America to achieve greater independence.

Biden stated that loosening environmental regulations or pulling back clean energy investment 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 help, he added.
Police release tear gas into a crowd of demonstrators during clashes outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington on Jan. 6, 2021. (Shannon Stapleton/Reuters)

DC Officers Suicide After Jan. 6 Capitol Breach Designated as Line-of-Duty Death: Lawyer

The suicide of a Washington police officer who was on duty during the Jan. 6, 2021, U.S. Capitol breach has been designated as a line-of-duty death, according to a lawyer for the officers widow.

Attorney David Weber told The Epoch Times in an email that news reports about Jeffrey Smiths suicide being determined by the D.C. Police and Firefighters Retirement and Relief Board to be a line-of-duty death were accurate.

The board ruled that Jeff died as a sole and direct result of the injuries he suffered on January 6th, 2021, defending our Capitol, Weber said in a social media post.

Board officials couldnt be reached by The Epoch Times. Rep. Don Beyer (D-Va.), who represents the district Smith resided in, said the board stated that the officer sustained a personal injury on January 6, 2021, while performing his duties and that his injury was the sole and direct cause of his death.

Erin Smith, the officers widow, asked the board in 2021 for the designation, which enables a widow to get more money.

According to the D.C. code, a death in the performance of duty means the death was the sole and direct result of a personal injury sustained while performing such duty.

An injury or illness report filed by Jeffrey Smith said he was struck by some kind of object  in the face shield, and he began feeling pain in his neck and face.

According to a lawsuit filed by Erin Smith against the two alleged attackers, Jeffrey Smith was struck by a cane or crowbar by the two men. The suit says the officers face shield was up when he was struck.

The two men named in the suit havent been charged with any crimes related to the breach; both have asserted their innocence in court filings.

My client and I applaud the decision by the retirement board and the fact that Erin Smith will now evidently receive benefits in connection with her husbands tragic death, Anthony Shore, a lawyer for one of the men, told The Epoch Times.

The Metropolitan Police Department, which is Washingtons police force, and the departments union didnt return requests for comment by press time.

At least four officers committed suicide in the wake of the Jan. 6 breach.

Officer Jeffrey Smith would still be alive today if he hadnt risked his life to defend all of us at the U.S. Capitol and our democracy itself on January 6th. His heroism led to his death, which absolutely occurred in the line of duty, and the official acknowledgment of that fact is an important moment that I hope will bring a measure of solace to his family and friends, Beyer said in a statement.
The Albemarle County School Board will decide later this month whether to suspend its face mask requirement for school employees as it eases other requirements for students and staff.

Currently, all staff members and visitors are required to wear a mask while inside school buildings while the mandate for students ended earlier this month. With COVID-19 cases declining, school division officials asked board members last week for guidance on staff requirements.

We want to begin to transition to an endemic state with more sustainable infection control practices than what we currently have, said Rosalyn Schmitt, the divisions chief operating officer.

As the omicron surge has receded, Albemarle County is seeing fewer new cases among students and staff members. In the last week, there were 16 new cases reported, the fewest since before the school year.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Albemarle County and Charlottesville are considered at the medium COVID-19 level, which is based on new cases and strain on hospitals.

At the medium level, people who are high risk for COVID-19 are encouraged to talk to their doctor about masking.

Weve been at a very steep decline since mid-January, and we dont foresee anything changing in that sense, both in terms of Albemarle County but overall with the health district, said Ryan McKay, COVID-19 incident commander for the Blue Ridge Health District.

Among changes coming to the practices are are shorter quarantine times for students and staff exposed to COVID-19, which would drop from 10 days to five. In April, the division also will stop contact tracing for individual cases.

Board members are torn on the mask requirement for staff members with many supporting it while others support ending weekly testing for unvaccinated employees.

Albemarle County board member Jonno Alcaro said Thursday he was in favor of suspending the requirement given the drop in case numbers. Board member Ellen Osborne said they should wait more than one week at the low level before changing the requirement.

Board member Judy Le said she was learning toward the arguments made about keeping immunocompromised students and those ineligible for the vaccine safe.

I feel like its just one other uncharted territory that weve been in for the past two years, she said. I feel like weve been in this position before where we all had hope.

She said she is wary of future COVID variants, named after letters in the Greek alphabet, impacting the community.

I am just very concerned about the child of omicron or son of some other Greek letter coming at us. I want to make sure that that doesnt catch us flat footed, she said.

In Charlottesville, the city schools are keeping the testing program for students and mask requirement for employees.

I know everybody is excited to think that we might get to that point [of not needing masks], Charlottesville board chairwoman Lisa Larson-Torres said. I want to remind people that people have family members who are compromised or younger than 5 and arent eligible for vaccinations. There are a lot of considerations to this.

Board members also said they wanted to hear from the divisions School Health Advisory Board before making a decision. That board met Wednesday evening to discuss the changes to the divisions COVID safety plan but did not come to a consensus on a recommendation other than to tie decisions to community levels, Schmitt said.

On Monday, March 14, the changes to quarantine and isolation times will go into effect, according to a presentation at last Thursdays meeting. Students and staff members exposed to COVID-19 will only have to quarantine for five days if they test negative and asymptotic. Previously, they had to quarantine for 10 days.

Staff members who test positive for COVID-19 can come back after five days if they test negative and can consistently wear a mask and social distance for days six through 10. Students who test positive will still have to stay home for 10 days.

The school system isnt letting students come back after five days because the division cant require students to wear a mask when they return early from isolation. Wearing a mask for days six through 10 is part of state and federal guidance.

Effective April 1, the division will not trace contacts in individual cases that occur within schools. They will, however, trace the close contacts if theres an outbreak or sustained transmission within the schools.

The change follows the health districts February move to stop contact tracing for individual cases and shift focus to follow-up of outbreaks and cases in high risk settings.

The school division is delaying the suspension of contact tracing until April 1 in order to monitor how the removal of the mask requirement for students affects transmission of the virus in schools.

The division also is planning to change the requirements for a negative test or a doctors note if a student is displaying any symptom of COVID-19. Thats due to allergy season and availability of at-home testing.

Social distancing, assigned seats on school buses and the divisions COVID-19 dashboard will continue for the rest of the school year. The division also will continue to encourage eating outdoors when possible and frequent handwashing.

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DC Provides Dubious Vaccination Mandate Exemption to Nun-Physician 2 Days After Lawsuit Filed

Two days after being sued by a Roman Catholic nun who provides free medical services to the poor, the District of Columbia seemed to capitulate on March 11 by granting the nun a religious exemption to the districts COVID-19 vaccination mandate for health care workers. But Sister Deirdre Byrnes attorney said on March 12 that the lawsuit isnt going awayat least not for the time beingbecause the exemption may be revoked by the D.C. government at any time.

Byrne is a member and superior of the Little Workers of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, and a retired U.S. Army colonel who served overseas as a soldier and missionary. A medical doctor, shes double board-certified in family medicine and general surgery.

Christopher Ferrara, special counsel for the Thomas More Society, a national public interest law firm thats representing Byrne, said his client has a deep and sincere religious opposition to all three COVID-19 vaccines approved in the United States because they have been tested, developed, or produced with cell lines derived from abortions, something to which Sister Deirdre has deep and sincere religious opposition.

Byrne grabbed national attention when she delivered a pro-life address to the Republican National Convention on Aug. 26, 2020, describing the unborn as the largest marginalized group in the world, and President Donald Trump as the most pro-life president this nation has ever had, defending life at all stages.

As a physician, I can say without hesitation: Life begins at conception. While what I have to say may be difficult for some to hear, I am saying it because I am not just pro-life, I am pro-eternal life. I want all of us to end up in heaven together someday.

The 484-page legal complaint (pdf) in the case, Byrne v. Bowser, court file 1:22-cv-655, was filed on March 9 in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. The defendants are the District of Columbia, Mayor Muriel Bowser, a Democrat, and D.C. Department of Health Director LaQuandra Nesbitt. Bowser and Nesbitt are being sued in their official capacities.

Before the religious exemption was suddenly approved March 11, it had been denied recently after nearly six months of purported consideration of her amply documented request  during which Sister Deirdre practiced medicine without need of vaccination and without objection by any of the hospitals and clinics that benefit from her unpaid volunteer medical services for those in need, the legal complaint states.

Ferrara said the exemption letter the Districts lawyers provided him on March 11 is unacceptable.

I mean, for what its worth, shell take it, but thats not a solution, Ferrara told The Epoch Times.

Its just a Band-Aid on a problem that has to be solved.

Ferrara said the letter states that the exemption is until Sept. 30, 2022, but it appears to say that they can rescind it at any time if, in the judgment of defendant Nesbitt, the director of D.C. Health, it would be in the best interests of public health.

So, Sister Deirdre, the Mother Teresa of the District of Columbia, whos devoted herself to providing free medical care to the needy, including surgeries that can save their lives, is now living with the Sword of Damocles hanging over her head, wielded by defendant Nesbitt, he said.

Ferrara was alluding to the late Mother Mary Teresa Bojaxhiu, renowned for her work helping the poor. She was canonized as Saint Teresa of Calcutta by Pope Francis in 2016.

This is a story about a nun who gave up everything including a prestigious career in medicine, to become a religious sister who provides medical care, including life-preserving surgeries to the poor and the undocumented, Ferrara said.

This is a woman who could have made a million dollars a year easily. Now, shes a nun in a habit.

The suit is based upon the Religious Freedom Restoration Act (RFRA) of 1993 and the First Amendment, both of which protect Byrnes fundamental right to the free exercise of her religion, said Ferrara.

Under the RFRA, the government has to have good reasons to burden religion, he said.

There is no compelling interest justifying D.C.s vaccination mandate for health care workers and even if there were, this law is not narrowly tailored, because instead of forcing people to be vaccinated, you could tell them to wear a mask, get tested every weekif youre naturally immune, they can exempt youwhich she isshe has T-cell immunity, confirmed by testing.

T-cell immunity, which Byrne acquired from having and recovering from COVID-19, can be lifelong, Ferrara said.

T-cells are much better than antibodies because T-cells are more adaptable. They remember what kinds of things have invaded the body and they attack them.

The mandate is suspect because it is not generally applicable and not neutral toward religion, he said. Its on a case-by-case basis, using standards that are never specified anywhere  its basically a disguised system for individualized judgments on a case-by-case basis.

The same federal court in D.C. has twice entered preliminary injunctions against Bowser for abusing her emergency powers during the pandemic, Ferrara said.

The first time was Oct. 9, 2020, when Judge Trevor McFadden, a Trump appointee, blocked the mayors ban on indoor and outdoor church gatherings of 100 or more in Capitol Hill Baptist Church v. Bowser. The second time was March 25, 2021, when McFadden stayed a Bowser order that capped church attendance at 50 people in Roman Catholic Archbishop of Washington v. Bowser.

The Epoch Times reached out to District of Columbia Attorney General Karl Racine for comment over the weekend but didnt receive a reply by press time.
Retired member of the U.S. Army Special Forces and president of the Security Studies Group Jim Hanson on NTD's "Capitol Report" on March 8, 2022. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Even With Militarys Underperformance, Kremlin Likely to Achieve Land Grab: US Security Expert

Jim Hanson, a retired member of the U.S. Army Special Forces and president of the Security Studies Group, said in his assessment, Russian President Vladimir Putins plan in Ukraine is developing according to the Kremlins initial goals, except that the Russian military is floundering.

Ive known what his ultimate goal was from the beginning, and it was to gain recognition for Crimea, to take official control of the two Russian-speaking provinces, and at that point, to use a further incursion into Ukraine proper as a bargaining chip to get sanctions removed, Hanson told the host of NTDs Capitol Report, Steve Lance, in a March 8 interview.

I think this is playing out pretty much as Vlad expected, except for the fact that his military vastly underperformed. He said that Ukraine has been using the anti-aircraft equipment it has to undermine Russias military.

What they also have, though, is the Russians have been not particularly good at the tactics theyve been using. I mean, one of the more famous shots is an attack helicopter being ambushed. And you cant ambush an attack helicopter unless its flying a route you knew it was going to be on.

So, I think the Russians are making some mistakes. And I think the technology and the capabilities that Ukraine had and has been given have made it a lot more dangerous for the Russians to think they can fly unopposed.

Russian army military vehicles are seen in Armyansk, Crimea, on Feb. 25, 2022. (Stringer/AFP via Getty Images)

Hanson said the offer from Poland, a NATO member, to give fighter jets to the United States, who would, in turn, give those jets to Ukraine, is making the war more dangerous.

It absolutely heightens tensions between the U.S. and Russia because  at some level, those are NATO aircraft. I mean, Poland can give them to Ukraine and say, Well, this is outside of our function as a NATO member. Putin does not see it that way and does not have to see it that way, and I think that vastly increases the danger.

Hanson sees the Kremlins demands to take Crimea and the two provinces of Luhansk and Donetsk like an off-ramp to the war, as the land Putin is asking for is already either aligned with Russia or under its control.

Crimea is definitely part of Russia at this point, for all intents and purposes, the two Russian-speaking provinces were in everything but name, and now theyre asking for independence. And at that point, if theyre independent, they will almost certainly join the Russian Federation.

Map showing the parts of Ukraine controlled by Russia and pro-Russian separatists. Crimea is annexed by Russia and the southeastern parts of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions are controlled by pro-Russian separatists. (DDIS Intelligence Risk Assessment)

Hanson said another of Putins demands is that Ukraine not join NATO. So far, Ukraine has turned down Russias demands. Hanson believes Ukrainians have shown Putin they will not submit to his violent attempts to take their country.

I dont believe it really ever was [Putins] goal to take and keep Ukraine, because I cant imagine many places other than Afghanistan that would have a more powerful and dangerous insurgency if you managed to topple their government.

Hanson said if Russia did try to occupy Ukraine, they would keep it at a very, very high cost in blood and treasure.

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 fuel bowser is seen with different petrol types on Feb. 29, 2012 in Sydney, Australia. (Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)

Fuel Prices to Hit Pockets Everywhere

A spike in petrol prices to well above $2 (US$1.46) a litre will hit hip pockets everywhere from the bowser to supermarket shelves, experts are warning.

The warning comes as two Nationals MPs call on the federal government to cut the fuel excise as petrol prices continue to climb towards $2.20 (US$1.60) a litre due to global pressures including the Ukraine-Russia war.

The NRMAs Peter Khoury says truck fleets now paying more than double the average price of fuel compared to April 2020 will inevitably pass the price hike on to consumers.

Diesel is the fuel that our economy runs on. Farming, agriculture and mining, transport, small businesses that run fleets, he told the ABC on Monday.

This is coast to coast and we have never seen anything like it in history. Your family will feel it at the bowser, in the supermarket aisles and everywhere else.

Queensland senator Susan McDonald and Victorian MP Anne Webster want the 44-cents (32 cents) per litre excise cut to help reduce the cost of living pressures.

Senator McDonald says the government should also look at pausing at least a portion of the excise.

We just cant afford to absorb the prices that were looking at currently, McDonald told the ABC.

Webster has contacted Treasurer Josh Frydenberg about providing relief at the bowser.

The government is also facing pressure from Liberal premiers over the tax.

South Australian Premier Steven Marshallwho will face voters at the ballot box this weekend  has called for the excise to temporarily be halved as he fights to retain government.

New South Wales Premier Dominic Perrottet says he would welcome any cut in the excise to ease the soaring cost of living, while Tasmanian Premier Peter Gutwein has also lobbied the government for a cut.

While not ruling out a cut to the excise ahead of the federal budget being delivered on March 29, Prime Minister Scott Morrison says any cut might not make a difference given petrol prices have risen from around $1.70 (US$1.24) to $2.20 (US$(1.60)more than the full cost of the excise.

The things we can do, we do, and the things we cant do anything about, well, we understand them and work with other countries around the world to try and relieve those pressures, he told the Nine Network on Sunday.

Senior Liberal MP Tim Wilson said the tax was there to pay for roads and any cut would need to be balanced against a loss of revenue for the government.

All options will be explored in the lead up to the budget  but we also have to look at the trade offs, the assistant minister told Sky News.

There are a lot of roads that need to be repaired across the country, including a lot of national roads and we have to make sure we have the money to rebuild them.

The fuel excise is expected to raise almost $50 billion over the next four years, with almost $47 billion to go toward land transport projects, according to the Australian Automobile Association.

Wilson said releasing fuel reserves would only be a temporary solution if global instability underpinned by Russias invasion of Ukraine caused the price of oil to soar.

The point of fuel reserves is to make sure we have the fuel reserves necessary in a time of crisiswe live in a very uncertain world right now.

Australia joined 30 countries in releasing a combined 60 million oil barrels from reserves to stabilise prices after Russias invasion of Ukraine caused a spike in prices.

Thirty million barrels of oil will come from the U.S. strategic reserve.
A damaged building after an overnight attack in Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region on March 13, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images)

Iran Claims Responsibility for Missiles That Hit Near US Consulate in Iraq

Irans Revolutionary Guard claimed responsibility on March 13 for a barrage of missiles that hit near the U.S. consulate in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan, according to Iranian state media outlets.

Once again, we warn the criminal Zionist regime that the repetition of any evil act will draw harsh, decisive, and devastating responses, the Revolutionary Guard said in a reference to Israels government.

The statement appeared to suggest that Israel was operating the base, which state media outlets described as a strategic center of Israel, while another outlet claimed that it was operated by Mossad, Israels intelligence agency.

The Revolutionary Guard indicated that the missile strike, which resulted in no injuries or deaths, was in response to an Israeli airstrike in Syria about a week ago in which two Revolutionary Guard officers were killed.

Officials in Kurdistan, a semi-autonomous region, confirmed the strikes late on March 12. Video footage uploaded to social media shows several missiles striking near the U.S. consulate in Erbil. Broadcaster Kurdistan 24, located in Erbil near the consulate, posted a video and photos online showing the damage that was done to its studio floor.

I strongly condemn the terrorist attack on Erbil and call on its resilient people to keep calm and follow the guidance of the security services, Kurdistan Prime Minister Masrour Barzani said in a statement.

The damaged studio at the Kurdistan 24 TV building, after an overnight attack in Erbil, the capital of the northern Iraqi Kurdish autonomous region, on March 13, 2022. (Safin Hamed/AFP via Getty Images)

We call on the United Nations, the United States, the European Union, the Arab League, the federal government, the Iraqi parliament, and the Iranian government to urgently investigate these baseless attacks, the Kurdistan regional government wrote on social media.

The Fars News Agency, which is managed by the Revolutionary Guard, appeared to suggest that the missile attack was linked to the U.S. airstrike in early 2020 that killed top Iranian military commander Qasem Soleimani. After the commanders death, Iran fired a barrage of missiles at a separate U.S. base in Iraq.

Missiles hit the Israeli-American bases at 01:20 local time; thats not a coincidence. IRGC-QF chief Soleimani was killed in #Iraq on 7Jan2001:20 Iraq time, Fars News wrote in a Twitter post.

Earlier on March 13, a U.S. State Department official told Fox News that the missiles were fired from Iranian territory.

There is no damage or casualties at any U.S. government facility, the spokesperson told the channel. The incident is being investigated by the government of Iraq and the Kurdish Regional Government, and we refer you to them for comment. We condemn this outrageous attack and display of violence.
Russia-Ukraine (March 13): Instagram Users in Russia Told Service Will Cease From Midnight

The latest on the RussiaUkraine crisis, March 13. Click here for updates from March 12.

Instagram Users in Russia Told Service Will Cease From Midnight

Instagram users in Russia have been notified that the service will cease from midnight on Sunday after its owner Meta Platforms said last week it would allow social media users in Ukraine to post messages such as Death to the Russian invaders.

An email message from the state communications regulator told people to move their photos and videos from Instagram before it was shut down, and encouraged them to switch to Russias own competitive internet platforms.

Meta, which also owns Facebook, said on Friday that the temporary change in its hate speech policy applied only to Ukraine, in the wake of Russias Feb. 24 invasion.

The company said it would be wrong to prevent Ukrainians from expressing their resistance and fury at the invading military forces.

The decision was greeted with outrage in Russia, where authorities have opened a criminal investigation against Meta and prosecutors on Friday asked a court to designate the U.S. tech giant as an extremist organisation.

The head of Instagram has said the block will affect 80 million users. Russia has already banned Facebook in the country in response to what it said were restrictions of access to Russian media on the platform.

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Ukraines Largest Steel Firm Says Shells Hit Avdiivka Coke Plant

Ukraines largest steel company Metinvest said shells hit the territory of its Avdiivka coke plant on Sunday, damaging some of its facilities.

Earlier, the general prosecutors office said five rockets had hit the plant, which had already suspended operations in the wake of Russias invasion of Ukraine.

Metinvest, majority-owned by Ukraines richest man and business magnate Rinat Akhmetov, said nobody was hurt in the shelling, which hit two coking shops and other areas.

The sites thermal power plant, which supplies heat to the neighboring town of Avdiivka, has stopped working, it said.

Avdiivka is one of the largest coke plants in Europe and the major manufacturer of coke for steel-making in Ukraine.

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Ukraine Has Started Using Clearview AIs Facial Recognition During War

Ukraines defense ministry on Saturday began using Clearview AIs facial recognition technology, the companys chief executive told Reuters, after the U.S. startup offered to uncover Russian assailants, combat misinformation, and identify the dead.

Ukraine is receiving free access to Clearview AIs powerful search engine for faces, letting authorities potentially vet people of interest at checkpoints, among other uses, added Lee Wolosky, an adviser to Clearview and former diplomat under U.S. presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.

The plans started forming after Russia invaded Ukraine and Clearview Chief Executive Hoan Ton-That sent a letter to Kyiv offering assistance, according to a copy seen by Reuters.

Clearview said it had not offered the technology to Russia, which calls its actions in Ukraine a special operation.

Ukraines Ministry of Defense did not reply to requests for comment. Previously, a spokesperson for Ukraines Ministry of Digital Transformation said it was considering offers from U.S.-based artificial intelligence companies like Clearview. Many Western businesses have pledged to help Ukraine, providing internet hardware, cybersecurity tools, and other support.

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Tens of Thousands Protest in Berlin Against War in Ukraine

Up to 30,000 men, women, and children joined an anti-war demonstration in central Berlin on Sunday, with many waving Ukrainian flags or holding banners with slogans opposing the Russian invasion.

Gathering near the Brandenburg Gate, the symbol of a divided Germany during the Cold War, protestersincluding people in wheelchairs and toddlers in pushchairswalked through the streets of Berlin, at times chanting and singing.

Slogans on posters and banners included Stop Putin, Stop War, Russian soldiers go home, and Solidarity with Ukraine!

Above all, its extremely important for Ukrainians to see that we will not forget them, not in two weeks and not after that, said protester Helene Krass.

If we take to the streets every other Sunday for a year thats okay too, she said.

Some demonstrators even backed deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. The Russian invasion has prompted Germany to break a post-World War II taboo of not supplying arms to conflict zones and is now sending Ukraine anti-tank weapons and Stinger surface-to-air missiles from its military stocks.

Sanctions can be introduced which hit the economy and thats important but we should also consider whats of help to the Ukrainian army in times of war and sadly, its weapons, said another protester.

Police said between 20,000 and 30,000 people joined the demonstration, less than half the 100,000 who took to the streets two weeks ago, according to police.

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Ukraine Says Chernobyl Power Line Restored

Ukraine says it has restored a broken power line to the Chernobyl power plant, the scene of a nuclear meltdown in 1986, which is held by Russian troops.

Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko said that heroes from the national power grid company managed to restore the connection. The power is used to run pumps which keep spent nuclear fuel cool to prevent radiation leaks.

Ukraine said Wednesday that power had been cut to the site and that there was enough diesel fuel to run on-site generators for 48 hours. The International Atomic Energy Agency played down concerns, saying it saw little risk of the pools containing the spent fuel overheating even without electricity.

Belarus said Thursday it had set up an emergency power line to Chernobyl from its nearby border.

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White House: NATO Will Respond With Full Force If Russia Attacks

NATO will respond with full force if Russia attacks any of the alliances territory, said White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday.

The incident would trigger NATOs Article 5, which says an attack on one NATO nation would be considered an attack on all allies, he told CBS News. Sullivan did not say how severe the attack would have to be to trigger the provision.

All I will say is that if Russia attacks, fires upon, takes a shot at NATO territory, the NATO alliance would respond to that, he said, adding that the White House has been clear repeatedly that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory, and that means every inch.

At the same time, Sullivan noted that the escalation risk with a nuclear power is severe, and it is a different kind of conflict than other conflicts the American people have seen over the years, Sullivan also told CNN. As things stand today, the United States has not adjusted our nuclear posture, but it is something that we monitor day by day, he continued to say.

Read the full article here.

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US Journalist Brent Renaud Killed in Ukraine, Kyiv Police Says

American journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot and killed in a combat zone near Kyiv, Ukraine, the regions police chief said on Sunday.

Andrey Nebitov, who heads the National Police in the Kyiv region, accused Russian troops of killing Renaud in Irpin, a northwestern suburb of Kyiv. The town has been the target of heavy shelling by Russian forces over the past week.

A 51-year-old world-renowned media correspondent was shot in Irpin today, Nebitov wrote on Facebook, adding that another journalist is injured.

Read the full article here.

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Bus Full of Ukrainian Refugees Overturns in Italy; One Woman Dead

ROMEA bus carrying Ukrainian refugees overturned on a major highway in northern Italy at dawn on Sunday, killing a young mother, Italian firefighters and news reports said.

Italian state TV said there were also five people injured, but none of the injuries was serious, in the crash on the A14 highway near Forli, a town in the Emilia-Romagna region in northeastern Italy. It said the rest of those aboard were safely evacuated.

The bus landed on its side on a grassy slope just beyond a highway guardrail and near a farm field. Firefighters used two cranes in an operation to set the bus upright and remove it after helping the survivors get out of the bus.

The cause of the crash is under investigation. Highway Police official Andrea Biagioli said there were no skid marks.

It could have been (the driver) suddenly falling asleep, Biagioli told state TV, stressing that in any case no cause had yet been determined.

Read the full article here.

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Russia and Ukraine Give Brightest Assessment yet of Progress in Talks on War

Russian and Ukrainian officials gave their most upbeat assessments yet on Sunday of progress in their talks on the war in Ukraine, suggesting there could be positive results within days.

Separately, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said Russia was showing signs of willingness to engage in substantive negotiations about ending a conflict in which thousands have died. More than 2.5 million people have fled.

Ukraine has said it is willing to negotiate, but not to surrender or accept any ultimatums.

We will not concede in principle on any positions. Russia now understands this. Russia is already beginning to talk constructively, Ukrainian negotiator and presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said in a video posted online.

I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days, he said.

RIA news agency quoted a Russian delegate, Leonid Slutsky, as saying the talks had made substantial progress.

According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing, Slutsky said.

Neither side indicated what the scope of any agreement might be.

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Ukraine Is Working With Israel and Turkey to Set up Talks With Russia, Says Negotiator

Ukraine is working with Israel and Turkey as mediators to finalize a location and framework for peace negotiations with Russia, Ukrainian presidential adviser and negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said on Sunday.

When it is worked out, there will be a meeting. I think it wont take long for us to get there, he said on national television.

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Ukraines Mariupol Says Citys Last Reserves of Food and Water Are Running Out

Ukraines besieged port city of Mariupol is running out of its last reserves of food and water, the city council said on Sunday, adding that Russian forces blockading the city continued to shell non-military targets.

People have been in a difficult situation for 12 days. There is no electricity, water or heating in the city. There is almost no mobile communication. The last reserves of food and water are running out, it said in an online statement.

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Russia Counts on Sanctions Help From China; US Warns Off Beijing

Russia said on Sunday that it was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, but the United States warned Beijing not to provide that lifeline.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said sanctions had deprived Moscow of access to $300 billion of its $640 billion in gold and foreign exchange reserves, and added that there was pressure on Beijing to shut off more.

We have part of our gold and foreign exchange reserves in the Chinese currency, in yuan. And we see what pressure is being exerted by Western countries on China in order to limit mutual trade with China. Of course, there is pressure to limit access to those reserves, he said.

Western countries have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russias corporate and financial system since it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it calls a special military operation.

But U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington was warning the Chinese regime not to provide it.

We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions, evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them, Sullivan told CNN.

We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world, added Sullivan, who is due to meet Chinas top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday.

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Russia Strikes Military Base Near Polish Border, 35 Dead, Ukraine Says

A Russian air strike on a large Ukrainian military facility near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday killed 35 people and wounded 134, a local Ukrainian official said, as other officials reported intense Russian attacks around the country.

Britain said the incident, just 15 miles from the Polish border, marked a significant escalation of the conflict. U.S. President Joe Biden has said NATO would defend every inch of its territory if Russias invasion of Ukraine spills over into member states of the Western defense alliance.

Ukraine said foreign military instructors have previously worked at the Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, but a NATO official said there were no personnel from the alliance there. It was not immediately clear whether any non-NATO states might have representatives there.

Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the facility, adding that some were intercepted before they hit. At least 35 people were killed and 134 wounded, he said.

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Nearly 125,000 People Evacuated via Humanitarian Corridors in Ukraine, Says Zelensky

Nearly 125,000 people have been evacuated via humanitarian corridors from conflict zones in Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a video address on Sunday.

Today the key task is Mariupol, he said, adding that a humanitarian supply convoy was now only 50 miles (80 kilometers) away from the besieged port city where more than 400,000 people are trapped.

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Global Response by Central Banks to Ukraine Crisis Not Required: Head of Australian Reserve Bank

The Governor of the Reserve Bank of Australia, Phillip Lowe, doesnt believe a global coordinated financial response to the Ukraine conflict is required.

Lowe said that while central banks worked closely together during the global financial crisis, the current situation was entirely different.

[They worked together in the global financial crisis] because financial markets had frozen and central banks needed to unfreeze those financial markets, he told the inaugural Banking Conference hosted by the Australian Banking Association on March 11.

Read the full article here.

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Russia Claims Ukraine Is Not Letting People Flee

A Russian official on Saturday blamed Ukraine for humanitarian corridors for civilians trying to leave the country not working.

According to Russian National Defense Command Centre head Mikhail Mizintsev: the Russian Federation for the eighth time provided humanitarian corridors in the Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol directions, one humanitarian corridor to the Russian Federation, and another onethrough the territories controlled by the Kiev authorities towards the western borders of Ukraine.

According to Mizintsev: There are already 2,638,989 of them (people wishing to evacuate to Russia) with specific names and addresses from almost two thousand settlements in Ukraine.

Mizintsev claimed this data is being used by the Security Service of Ukraine units to detect all calls, conduct mass total checks, detentions and arrests, searches, and interrogations. People are constantly forced to make excuses for their desire to receive protection in Russia.

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Zelensky: Russia Trying to Create Pseudo-Republics

Russia is trying to create new pseudo-republics in Ukraine to break his country apart, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation on Saturday.

Zelensky called on Ukraines regions, including Kherson, which was captured by Russian forces, not to repeat the experience of Donetsk and Luhansk.

Pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in those eastern regions in 2014.

The occupiers on the territory of the Kherson region are trying to repeat the sad experience of the formation of pseudo-republics, Zelensky said.

They are blackmailing local leaders, putting pressure on deputies, looking for someone to bribe, he said.

City council members in Kherson, a southern city of 290,000, on Saturday rejected plans for a new pseudo-republic, Zelensky said.

Jack Phillips, Bill Pan, Rebecca Zhu, Reuters, and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
U.S. Military Academy cadets attend the 2020 graduation ceremony at West Point, New York, on June 13, 2020. (Timothy A. Clary/AFP via Getty Images)

Man Arrested in Connection With West Point Cadets Fentanyl Overdose in Florida

Police arrested a man on March 11 in connection with five West Point cadets who overdosed on fentanyl-laced cocaine during spring break in Florida.

According to the Broward County Sheriffs Office, 21-year-old Axel Giovany Casseus, of Lauderhill, Florida, was charged with drug trafficking after selling cocaine to an undercover police officer.

Police found the phone number of the dealer who sold drugs to the spring breakers and arranged for undercover officers to buy $1,000 worth of drugs from the dealer, an exchange that took place in a car park in Fort Lauderdale, according to the arrest report obtained by Police1.

Detectives then followed Casseus to Hollywood, Florida, where he was arrested.

The report states that the phone Casseus used to communicate with the undercover detective was the same phone used to communicate with the overdose victims.

While the cocaine purchased by the undercover officers didnt contain fentanyl, the cocaine that led to the overdoses of the cadets did.

Casseus was charged with one felony count of trafficking less than 200 grams of cocaine, as well as for a burglary dating back to January 2020. He was held at the Broward County Main Jail on a $50,000 bond for the cocaine charge.

The U.S. Military Academy cadets were hospitalized after overdosing on fentanyl-laced cocaine on March 10 in Wilton Manors, a suburb of Fort Lauderdale. While police had said on March 11 that six cadets were hospitalized, Lt. Col. Beth Smith, West Point director of public affairs and communications, said March 12 that only five of the six individuals involved in the overdose incident are cadets.

West Point officials issued a statement on March 11 acknowledging that the events had taken place at a rental house and said they were investigating.

The U.S. Military Academy is aware of the situation involving West Point cadets, which occurred Thursday night [March 10] in Wilton Manors, a statement from the academys public affairs office reads. The incident is currently under investigation and no other details are available at this time.

Four of the six students were using the laced drug and at least two of them immediately went into cardiac arrest, Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Stephen Gollan said in a written statement. We are being told that four of those people had taken a substance that was believed to be cocaine laced with fentanyl when they went down into cardiac arrest.

The incident came two days after Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody released a statement warning students that are attending spring break against deadly fentanyl from Mexico that has been flooding the illicit drug market.

Jannis Falkenstern contributed to this report.
Michigan Election Official Charged With Ballot Tampering, Misconduct

A Michigan county elections official and former township clerk was charged with ballot tampering related to the August 2020 primary election, according to state Attorney General Dana Nessel.

Kathy Funk, who was running in 2020 as a Democrat for reelection as Flint Township clerk, also was charged with misconduct in office, Nessel said. The charges, which are both felonies, each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison upon conviction.

Nessel alleged that Funk purposely broke a seal on a container for ballots so that the votes couldnt be totaled during an anticipated recount. She narrowly won reelection in the unofficial count, the attorney generals office said.

Election officials must uphold the integrity of their positions. Those who abuse that commitment undermine the very foundation of our democracy, Nessel, a Democrat, said in a Twitter response to a ClickonDetroit report.

Our department is committed to prosecuting election violations, regardless of the political party of the perpetrator.

Nessels office didnt provide any more details about the allegations against Funk.

After the August 2020 election, Funk filed a report with the Flint Township Police Department claiming there was a break-in at the election office and said a seal on a canister containing ballots had been broken, according to local reports. Her opponent, Manya Triplett, said she had considered a recount but, according to state election law, those votes couldnt be included in a recount because of the tampering.

Under Section 168.871 of Michigan state law, the board of canvassers conducting a recount has to look over all ballots of a precinct using an electronic voting system unless certain problems arise.

The law stipulates that ballots cannot be recounted if the seal on the transfer case or other ballot container is broken or have a different number than recorded in the poll record book, among other circumstances. If the seal on the ballot label assembly is broken or if numbers dont match the poll records or ballot labels, they cannot be counted, according to the Michigan Legislatures website, which offers details of state voting law.

Funk later resigned as Flint Township clerk to become Genesee Countys elections supervisor, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Funks attorney told the news outlet that she is expected to enter a plea of not guilty.

She says its absolutely not true, attorney Matthew Norwood said of the charges, according to the outlet.

Genesee County officials and Norwood didnt respond to a request for comment by press time.
Vials of Pfizer and BioNTech's COVID-19 vaccine are seen in France on Nov. 27, 2021. (Jeff Pachoud/AFP via Getty Images)

More Data Finds Pfizer Vaccine Less Protective in Children 5 to 15 With Omicron

New data suggests that two doses of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dont provide very much protection from infection for children 5 to 15 years old against the Omicron variant of the CCP virus, according to new data published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) journal Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

The CDC analyzed data from the Pediatric Research Observing Trends and Exposures in COVID-19 Timelines (PROTECT) study, which involved 1,364 children ages 5 to 15 from Arizona, Texas, Florida, and Utah. Weekly nasal swabs and surveys were submitted from July 2021 through last month, whether the children had symptoms or not.

Without regular weekly testing you will miss many infections, particularly for kids, who often have mild symptoms, Laura Olsho, principal investigator of the PROTECT project, said in a statement. With increased use of home rapid testing, studies like ours are needed to provide more comprehensive information on rates of infection and vaccine effectiveness.

The study found a sharp decline in efficacy against infection when the Omicron variant became predominant in the United States. The Pfizer messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccine (after the second dose) was 31 percent effective against Omicron infection among children ages 5 to 11 and 59 percent among adolescents ages 12 to 15.

It also found that fully vaccinated children infected with Omicron spent an average of one-half day less sick in bed compared to the unvaccinated who were infected with Omicron. However, the vaccinated group missed 11 hours more of school (26.2 hours) than their unvaccinated counterparts (18.8 hours). There wasnt any significant difference between the groups seeking medical care16.4 percent of unvaccinated children and 15.5 percent of vaccinated children reported needing medical care.

Pfizer told The Epoch Times in an email that the company doesnt comment on non-Pfizer-led studies.

We do not have a comment on this specific analysis as it is not a Pfizer-led study, the vaccine maker wrote. However, we are encouraged by the increasing wealth of evidence from independent researchers and real-world data and welcome additional studies.

A nurse administers a dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in Los Angeles on Jan. 19, 2022. (Robyn Beck/AFP via Getty Images)

The rapid decline in protection against infection echoed similar results found in a New York state study (pdf) that has yet to be peer-reviewed.

Researchers with the New York Department of Health said the vaccine efficacy against infection during the first 13 days after the second dose was somewhere between 62 percent to 68 percent for children 5 to 11, and around 71 percent to 81 percent for adolescents aged 12 to 17.

That protection plummeted in the fifth week to a mere 8 percent to 16 percent in the younger group and between 48 percent to 63 percent for the adolescents. By the seventh week after vaccination, the vaccine efficacy was negative for the 5- to 11-year-olds, meaning the unvaccinated children had a lower risk of infection in the 29 percent to 56 percent range.

A former professor at Harvard Medical School, Martin Kulldorff explained why this might be happening.

A likely explanation is that the unvaccinated children got infected earlier than the vaccinated ones, and once the protection has worn off, the vaccinated children are at higher risk than the unvaccinated ones who have now acquired natural immunity, he wrote in an article. That is, the vaccine simply postponed infections by a few weeks or months.

Despite the rapid decline in efficacy against infection, the CDC says that eligible children and adolescents should remain up to date with recommended COVID-19 vaccinations, claiming that two doses of the Pfizer injection were effective in preventing both asymptomatic and symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection with the Omicron variant.

SARS-CoV-2 is the scientific name of the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus that causes COVID-19.

Kulldorff says it doesnt make sense for children to receive these injections, as they are at low risk for severe disease and death. In addition, he says theres still no solid data about the vaccines efficacy on hospitalizations and deaths and that a proper benefit-risk evaluation has not been conducted.

For children, the mortality risk is very small, and the known and any still unknown risks from adverse reactions may outweigh the benefits at reducing hospitalizations and death from COVID, which are unfortunately still unknown, Kulldorff said.

The emergency use authorization (EUA) for the Pfizer vaccine was extended to children based on two randomized control studies for each group that involved over 4,000 participants. The vaccine had a 68 percent to 98 percent range efficacy against mild COVID-19 following the second dose in the trial for the 5 to 11 age group, while it was between 75 percent and 100 percent for the adolescent group.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had authorized the vaccine for children because the trial showed that the efficacy against infection was 50 percent or higher.

The FDA did not comment on the findings of the CDC or reply to an inquiry on whether the new data affect Pfizers EUA for children aged 5 to 11.

FDA has full confidence in the data that were used to support emergency use authorization of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine in children 5 through 17 years of age and in the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine in preventing severe consequences from COVID-19, including hospitalization and death, a spokesperson for the FDA told The Epoch Times in an email. The agency continues to work closely with the company as they accumulate additional data from their ongoing clinical trial, including on the potential need for an additional dose in children and adolescents.

This article has been updated to include a response from the FDA.
A Ukrainian refugee boy looks out a bus window after arriving in Poland through the Medyka border crossing on March 10, 2022. (Charlotte Cuthbertson/The Epoch Times)

New Ukrainian Refugee Route Could Bring Tens of Thousands to UK: Minister

More than 3,000 visas have been issued to Ukrainians seeking refuge in the UK, with tens of thousands potentially set to benefit from a new humanitarian scheme, UK Levelling Up Secretary Michael Gove has said.

Gove also announced that local authority areas will be entitled to more than 10,000 ($13,038) per Ukrainian refugee.

Additional payments will be available to support school-age children who need to be accommodated within the education system, he said.

Gove said he expects the first refugees making use of the governments new sponsorship route to come to the UK in a weeks time.

Speaking to Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday, he said: People can register their interest on Monday.

Matching will be taking place from Friday. I would expect that in a weeks time well see the first people coming here under the scheme.

Asked for his estimate of the number of people it could bring to the UK, he said: Tens of thousands.

The Homes for Ukraine programme, to be rolled out this week, will allow individuals, charities, community groups, and businesses to bring people escaping the war to safetyeven if they have no ties to the UK.

Britons offering accommodation to people fleeing Ukraine through the new route will receive a thank you payment of 350 ($456) per month.

Sponsored Ukrainians will be granted three years leave to remain in the UK, with entitlement to work and access public services.

Those offering homes will be vetted and Ukrainian applicants will undergo security checks. A website gathering expressions of interest is set to launch on Monday.

Gove said steps must be taken to ensure people who might be intent on exploitation are prevented from abusing the new scheme.

He told Sky News: We absolutely do need to make sure, first of all, that the people in Ukraine are who they say they are, so there need to be some security checks there.

Theres been understandable concern about the scheme being exploited possibly by criminal elements. So, thats the first thing.

Then the second thing is we do need to make sure that people here  are in a position to provide that support, which is why there will need to be security checks as well to make sure that thoseand I think it would only ever be a tiny minority, but stillthose who might be intent on exploitation can be prevented from abusing the system.

The Levelling Up Secretary was also asked for an update on the number of visas that have been granted to Ukrainians so far, after the government came under fire for the speed and scale of its efforts to bring people fleeing the war to the UK.

He said more than 3,000 visas have now been issued, up from the 1,305 figure given by Home Office minister Baroness Williams of Trafford on Friday, correct as of Thursday morning.

Asked if he would take in a Ukrainian refugee through the sponsorship scheme, Gove said: Yes.

He told the BBCs Sunday Morning programme: Im exploring what I can do, I know that there are others who have. Without going into my personal circumstances, there are a couple of things I need to sort outbut yes.

Gove said there are potentially hundreds of thousands of people in the UK willing to take Ukrainians into their homes through the new route.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer claimed the governments handling of refugees fleeing Ukraine has been an embarrassment for the United Kingdom, as he said there should be no cap on the number of people the UK takes in.

He told Sky News: The likelihood of an invasion of Ukraine was known weeks ago.

The Home Office have been far too slow, far too mean in relation to this, and frankly the last few weeks have been an embarrassment for the United Kingdom in the way that it has dealt with refugees.

Polands president told the BBC up to five million refugees could leave Ukraine in the worst-case scenario.

Gove also said he wants to explore an option of using sanctioned individuals properties to house Ukrainians fleeing the war.

Asked about reports in the Daily Mail that he wants to seize Russian oligarchs mansions and use them to accommodate refugees, he told the BBC: I want to explore an option which would allow us to use the homes and properties of sanctioned individualsas long as they are sanctionedfor humanitarian and other purposes.

He added: Theres quite a high legal bar to cross and were not talking about permanent confiscation.

But we are saying: youre sanctioned, youre supporting Putin, this home is here, you have no right to use or profit from itand more than that, while you are not using or profiting from it, if we can use it in order to help others, lets do that.

By Amy Gibbons and David Lynch
Albert Bourla, chief executive officer of Pfizer pharmaceutical company, at the New York Stock Exchange in New York City on Jan. 17, 2019. (Drew Angerer/Getty Images)

Pfizer CEO: Fourth COVID-19 Vaccine Dose Necessary

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on March 13 that a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine would be necessary, claiming it would continue to reduce hospitalizations.

Clearly, we are not where we would all like to be, which is [where] COVID is behind us, Bourla told CBS News. I think that right now, we have very significant tools in our hands so that we can go gradually, I think, back to our normal lives. But we need to understand that the COVID will not go away in the years to come.

Saying Americans would have to figure out how to live with the virus, Bourla then claimed it was likely people would have to get yearly COVID-19 boosters.

We know that the duration of the [vaccine] protection doesnt last very long, Bourla said. If you get sick, you can get sick again next year.  Right now, the way that we have seen, it is necessarya fourth booster right now.

Its not that good against infections but doesnt last very long. But we are just submitting those data to the FDA, and then we will see what the experts also will say outside Pfizer.

The CEO didnt provide data or evidence for the claim, and he also made no mention of natural immunity as a result of prior COVID-19 infection. In the interview, Bourla also didnt touch on COVID-19 vaccine mandates or passport systems required to enter restaurants, gyms, theaters, and other venues in some places.

Bourlas claim comes as deaths and cases from COVID-19, caused by the CCP virus, have plummeted in the United States and the rest of the world in recent weeks. Starting in late January, some Democratic-run municipalities and states have started to roll back their controversial COVID-19 mask restrictions and vaccine passport rules.

Pfizer saw its COVID-19 vaccine profits increase significantly to $37 billion in the past year, with its overall revenues doubling to $81 billion in 2021. The firm in February said it expects to make $97 billion in 2022.

With the earnings report, the pharmaceutical company was accused of profiting off the pandemic by Global Justice Now, a social justice organization based in the United Kingdom.

The development of mRNA vaccines should have revolutionized the global COVID response, the group said in February. But weve let Pfizer withhold this essential medical innovation from much of the world, all while ripping off public health systems with an eye-watering mark-up.

A Pfizer spokesperson told news outlets that the company was firmly committed to equitable and affordable access to the COVID-19 vaccine.

It is not as simple as sharing the recipe. Manufacturing of the Pfizer and BioNTech Covid vaccine involves the use of over 280 materials. There is enormous collaboration already taking place.
The choice to act honorably always rests with individuals. That was the case throughout the 180 years the University of Virginia applied its single-sanction, student-run Honor System that expelled any student caught lying, cheating or stealing. It will be the case as the school moves to a two-semester dismissal for honor violations just approved in a student referendum.

Third-year law student and Honor Committee member Christopher Benos offered the reform. Students voted against a change in the expulsion rule as recently as 2016. So what Benos managed to do required acumen. It also was, in one sense, an exercise in compassion. Now, students who falter get a severe punishment followed by a chance to prove they learned their lesson.

Traditionalists argued that the all-or-nothing Honor System created a model that drilled integrity into students. It might also have instilled fear in a wildly competitive student body that ranks among the smartest in the country in just about any survey of colleges and universities. Modeling behavior and establishing norms help drive good conduct. The question is: Do they create morality or ethics?

The all-or-nothing approach may also have discouraged students from turning in their classmates.

We know UVa graduates from another era who brag that if they left a backpack in the dining hall or a dorm room unlocked they never worried about having anything stolen. That was also the experience others enjoyed at schools such as the College of William and Mary which did not employ such a draconian honor system. We suspect that the insular nature of both campuses and the home training of the student bodies had as much to do with honoring other peoples property as the threat of expulsion.

Whatever the case, the expulsion-only Honor System had fallen on hard times in terms of alumni opinion. The Winter 2021 edition of Virginia Magazine, the alumni publication, featured a comprehensive sampling of graduates opinions on a broad range of issues from 1970 to 2020. The half-century retrospective on the Honor System turned out to be prescient.

The trend line of those remembering Honor as a highly favorable aspect of their student experience starts at a peak of 78 percent within our sampling of the Class of 1970, the authors of the survey wrote. Then it heads down the slope, shedding several percentage points with the Class of 1975 and several more with 1980. When it schusses past that critical 1990 gate, highly favorable dips below 50 percent and continues its descent, into the 40s, then the 30s, before bottoming at 20 percent among the Class of 2020.

Even when the question asked if feelings about the Honor System were merely favorable, the satisfaction rate plummeted from 96% in 1970 to 51% in 2020. The survey said liberals always outnumbered conservatives among alumni self-identifying their political persuasion, but the spread has turned decidedly liberal since 2005.

Before the right wing comes rushing in to blame the left for the demise of integrity at The University, as they like to call it, lets see if honor violations increase significantly under the new, more rehabilitative Honor System.

UVa president Jim Ryan got it right in a statement before the referendum. Students have the right to change the system, he said. The fact that students have proposed a change might be worrisome to some, but I view it as testament to the importance of the honor system and the sense of responsibility students feel about it  regardless of their views about this particular referendum.

There will always be cheaters, liars and thieves. Forgotten backpacks and unlocked dorm rooms may not be as safe today as they once were even with the expulsion penalty still in place. The toughest Honor System cannot protect UVa from the outside world. The Grounds are no longer the bubble they once were. As proof, UVa police recently arrested a non-student for abduction and brandishing a firearm in a campus parking garage.

Individuals determine their own morality and ethics. Systems enforce rules. A code can make students think before they act and punish them when they dont. That merely compels behavior. It does not produce honor.
Progressive Governance Needs a Social Credit State

Commentary

Critics of the Chinese Communist regime often point toward the governments social credit system, in which the government traces individuals electronic paths, from their comments on social media to items they purchase, and issues rewards and punishments based on the information collected. For example, a Chinese citizen who receives a bad social credit score might not be permitted to ride one of the famous high-speed trains, being relegated to the slower trains for travel, and might be denied air travel.

Not surprisingly, people in the West have denounced the system as being heavy-handed, including CBS News, hardly a voice of antiprogressivism:

The fear is that the government will use the social credit scoring system to punish people who are not sufficiently loyal to the communist party, and trying to clear your name or fight your score is nearly impossible since there is no real due process.

Human Rights Watch, hardly a right-wing entity, is even more scathing in its criticism of Chinas system:

Apple CEO Tim Cook looks forward to a common future in cyberspace with China, he told the Chinese governments World Internet Conference earlier this month. This was an embarrassing gesture toward a state that aggressively censors the internet and envisions a dystopian future online.

Other progressive entities, including The New York Times, also have been critical of Chinas social credit system but apparently have no problem with the establishment of a similar de facto system here. The Washington Post went even further, openly taking part in a social credit scheme by publicly identifying people who recently contributed to the Canadian truck protesters and demanding to know why they gave money.

Understand that the Post accessed an illegally hacked document and then used it as a weapon against people who dared contribute to something with which the newspapers staff disagreed, and the purpose was not to be informative but rather to endanger contributors and make them vulnerable to job loss, public shaming, and other kinds of attacks. This is not a rendition of Democracy Dies in Darkness but rather an attempt to impose a greater darkness on all of us.

Not that long ago, political liberals universally would have agreed that using massive electronic surveillance to monitor speech and political contributions was unthinkable. Today, not one mainstream journalistic entity has raised a question about the actions taken by Canadas government against dissenters or even questioned the Posts doxing of those contributors. One surmises that the editors of the Post agree with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, since many protesters do not share the political views of the Posts staff.

The Post is hardly the only entity that has taken the view that supporting the truckers is tantamount to supporting the Nazi Party. The New York Times has denounced the truckers as violent terrorists, in contrast to the demonstrators in 2020 that peacefully destroyed huge portions of American cities, killing and looting as they went. Writes Paul Krugman:

This isnt a grass-roots trucker uprising. Its more like a slow-motion Jan. 6, a disruption caused by a relatively small number of activists, many of them right-wing extremists. At their peak, the demonstrations in Ottawa reportedly involved only around 8,000 people, while numbers at other locations have been much smaller. Despite their lack of numbers, however, the protesters have been inflicting a remarkable amount of economic damage. The U.S. and Canadian economies are very closely integrated. In particular, North American manufacturing, especially but not only in the auto industry, relies on a constant flow of parts between factories on both sides of the border. As a result, the disruption of that flow has hobbled industry, forcing production cuts and even factory shutdowns.

It is not that Krugman believes that governments always should curtail violent protests. While his attacks on the truckers present them as violent thugs, Krugman changes direction regarding the riots in American cities in 2020, claiming that they were remarkably nonviolent:

This comparison will no doubt surprise those who get their news from right-wing media, which portrayed B.L.M. as an orgy of arson and looting. I still receive mail from people who believe that much of New York City was reduced to smoking rubble. In fact, the demonstrations were remarkably nonviolent; vandalism happened in a few cases, but it was relatively rare, and the damage was small considering the huge size of the protests. By contrast, causing economic damage was and is what the Canadian protests are all aboutbecause blocking essential flows of goods, threatening peoples livelihoods, is every bit as destructive as smashing a store window. And unlike, say, a strike aimed at a particular company, this damage fell indiscriminately on anyone who had the misfortune to rely on unobstructed trade. And to what end? The B.L.M. demonstrations were a reaction to police killings of innocent people; whats going on in Canada is, on its face, about rejecting public health measures intended to save lives. Of course, even that is mainly an excuse: What its really about is an attempt to exploit pandemic weariness to boost the usual culture-war agenda.

Krugman hardly is alone at The New York Times. Fellow columnist Michelle Goldberg described the demonstrations as terrifying and roundly condemned the truckers as nothing more than right-wing protesters, which is NY Times speak for people who should have no rights. As for the 2020 demonstrations being peaceful, former NY Times writer Nellie Bowles wrote about how the NY Times withheld her account of the aftermath of the Kenosha riots until after the 2020 election. She had this to say about the mentality behind the NY Times decision to withhold the truth:

Eventually the election passed. Biden was in the White House. And my Kenosha story ran. Whatever the reason for holding the piece, covering the suffering after the riots was not a priority. The reality that brought Kyle Rittenhouse into the streets was one we reporters were meant to ignore. The old man who tried to put out a blaze at a Kenosha store had his jaw broken. The top editor of the Philadelphia Inquirer had to resign in June 2020 amid staff outcry for publishing a piece with the headline, Buildings Matter, Too. If you lived in those neighborhoods on fire, you were not supposed to get an extinguisher. The proper responsethe only acceptable responsewas to see the brick and mortar torn down, to watch the fires burn and to say: thank you.

But what does this have to do with the American and Canadian views of social credit? First, as noted earlier, there has been no condemnation of the Canadian governments heavy-handed crackdown on the truckers, just as no one in the mainstream press even has questioned the Posts attempt to shame and dox the truckers donors. When given the opportunity to condemn what clearly are social credit measures, elite American and Canadian politicians, academics, and journalists have been silent.

Second, by invoking emergency powers, Trudeau has assumed near-dictatorial powers, which would be antidemocratic in anyones book, yet again, the Democracy Dies in Darkness crowd has remained silent. I link no articles because there are none to link.

Beyond the issue of its classifying people who simply are demonstrating nonviolently as terrorists, there is no way that such an order can be limited to one instance. Now that Canadas progressive government has criminalized even peaceful dissentwith approval by the progressive elites in both Canada and the United Statesit will be easier for governments to cross those lines when people express dissent against progressive measures in the future.

All of this goes well beyond the usual accusations of political hypocrisy. One accuses people of being hypocrites in order to shame them, but the Democracy Dies in Darkness crowd is well beyond any capability of being shamed. To them, whatever Trudeau and other progressive regimes do to those that dare dissent against progressive governance is legitimate because there can be no other permissible way of thinking, even while those same people give lip service to constitutional protections such as the First Amendment.

Such protections do not and will not apply to people in groups that do not support progressive ideals and, as we have seen in Canada, officials will increasingly resort to a social credit system undergirded by the woke capitalists of the technology sectors, who apparently have no problems being primary agents of state-sponsored surveillance. For example, Twitter gladly permitted the doxing of people who contributed money to the truckers via a supposedly secure platform. We can expect more of this. Writes Michael Rectenwald:

Woke capitalism cannot be sufficiently explained in terms of placating coastal leftists, ingratiating left-liberal legislators, or avoiding the wrath of activists. Rather, as wokeness has escalated and taken hold of corporations and states, it has become a demarcation device, a shibboleth for cartel members to identify and distinguish themselves from their nonwoke competitors, who are to be starved of capital investments. Woke capitalism has become a monopoly game. Just as nonwoke individuals are cancelled from civic life, so too are nonwoke companies cancelled from the economy, leaving the spoils to the woke. Corporate cancellations are not merely the result of political fallout. They are being institutionalized and carried out through the stock market. The Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Index is a Chinese-style social credit score for rating corporations. Woke planners wield the ESG Index to reward the in-group and to squeeze nonwoke players out of the market. Woke investment drives ownership and control of production away from the noncompliant. The ESG Index serves as an admission ticket for entry into the woke cartels.

Likewise, we can expect the same pressures to be placed upon nonbusiness entities like nonprofit advocacy groups and especially conservative churches. As progressives continue breaking down the historical barriers between the state and private life, a social credit system will fill the void. Individuals, business firms, and organizations that promote progressive viewpoints will see minimal disruption in their lives.

However, those individuals and entities that hold viewpoints that are unacceptable can expect to see daily disruptions, from their finances to simple communications by email. Given the support that American political and economic elites have shown for Trudeau and his crackdowns on terrorist truckers, there is little protection left for those that are not in the good graces of progressives.

Because progressive governance ultimately clashes with reality, progressives must develop ways to enforce their measures, especially when the inevitable pushback occurs. As we have learned from China, a social credit system is one way to curb dissent and to force some people to the margins. American and Canadian progressives are finding social credit also can figuratively beat people into submission.

by William L. Anderson

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) asks a question during the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing titled Police Use of Force and Community Relations, in Dirksen Senate Office Building in Washington on June 16, 2020. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call/Pool)

Republicans Introduce Bill to Help Victims of COVID-19 Vaccine Adverse Reactions

Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah) and other Republican senators introduced legislation on March 11 to help people who have suffered adverse reactions from COVID-19 vaccines.

The federal government has encouraged all Americans to receive the COVID-19 vaccines. While these vaccines have been miraculous and have helped save innumerable lives, there are always some who experience adverse reactions, Lee said in a statement.

A summary of the measure (pdf) provided by his office states that Unfortunately, the thousands of patients who have sought relief for adverse effects of the COVID-19 vaccines have not received compensation under the existing framework.

Lee said, My Countermeasure Injury Compensation Amendment Act will help build trust in future medical treatments and to make sure those who were harmed are properly compensated.

The measure, which is co-sponsored by Sens. Mike Braun (R-Ind.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), and Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), seeks to amend the Countermeasure Injury Compensation Program (CICP).

Issues With CICP

The CICP provides compensation for injuries that result from products delivered during certain public health emergenciesspecifically for injuries and deaths as a result of covered countermeasures under the Public Readiness and Emergency Preparedness Act (PREP Act).

Injuries because of COVID-19 vaccines are covered under the CICP. However, it is extremely difficult to obtain awards under the CICP, particularly related to COVID-19 countermeasures, according to the summary.

As of March 1, only 30 claims have been compensated, totaling more than $6 million. This is out of the 7,547 countermeasure claims filed under CICP for Fiscal Years 2010 through 2022.

The CICP hasnt compensated any of the COVID-19 countermeasures claims, of which there are 7,056or 93.5 percent of all CICP claims since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Of the COVID-19 countermeasures claims, 4,097 allege injuries or death from COVID-19 vaccines, while 2,959 allege injuries or death from other COVID-19 countermeasures, such as the use of a ventilator. The CICP said it does not maintain its aggregated data concerning alleged countermeasures, including vaccines, by specific manufacturer or trade name.

Cody Flint, an agricultural pilot who suspects he was seriously injured by taking a COVID-19 vaccine, told NTDs The Nation Speaks on Jan. 1 that people claiming injuries from the COVID-19 vaccines have no meaningful way to get compensated and have been ignored by the federal government.

At this point, the government has totally abandoned us, Flint said. The PREP Act stated that vaccine injuries were given an outlet to go seek compensation and financial help in the name of [the CICP]. Its an absolute joke. We are totally left in the dark.

Currently, the CICPs compensation is limitedcapped at $50,000 per year for lost employment income (lifetime cap is generally $379,000). A standard death benefit was set at $370,376 in 2021. It doesnt cover attorney fees, pain-and-suffering damages, or punitive damages.

The National Vaccine Injury Compensation Program (VICP)the other federal compensation program for those who have suffered serious adverse reactions to vaccines, specifically for cases related to vaccines routinely given in the United States for pregnant women and childrenprovides compensation much broader than that of CICP.

Besides the loss of earnings, the VICP covers reasonable attorney fees and costs from medical care, rehabilitation, and vocational training. It also covers pain and suffering and emotional distress, capped at $250,000. For a vaccine-related death, the compensation is $250,000. Vaccine-injured victims under VICP have three years from the date of the first symptom to file the claim. CICP only allows people to file the claim within one year after receiving the vaccine.

The Bills Actions

The Republican-proposed legislation would reform the CICP to provide people seeking claims regarding COVID-19 vaccines the same framework for adjudication, award determination, and statute of limitations as the VICP.

The measure would also create a commission to determine what injuries are directly caused as a result of COVID-19 countermeasures as covered under CICP, which includes COVID-19 vaccines. It would also require the secretary of health and human services to include injuries determined by the commission into the covered countermeasure injury table for COVID-19.

The legislation would also allow claims that have been previously rejected to be resubmitted for new consideration.

Brianne Dressen, a Utah mother who experienced a serious adverse reaction as a participant in a COVID-19 vaccine clinical trial, said of the proposed Republican measure, per Lees office: What would this bill mean? It would mean those who are suffering adverse reactions will no longer have to decide between putting the bread on the table or picking up that critical prescription from the pharmacy or paying rent vs going to the doctor.

For those of us waiting for critical compensation, this bill very well could be the difference between healing, and suffering and declining.

A statement from Johnsons office said hes been an advocate for early treatment, health care freedom, and those who have suffered adverse reactions after taking a COVID-19 vaccine.

He will continue to advocate for the vaccine injured so their stories can be seen, heard and believed in order to get the treatment they need, the senators office said.

Harry Lee contributed to this report.
People queue outside a branch of Russian state-owned bank Sberbank to withdraw their savings and close their accounts in Prague on Feb. 25, 2022, before Sberbank closed all its branches in the Czech Republic later in the day. (Michal Cizek/AFP via Getty Images)

Russia Reveals Exact Amount of Reserves Frozen by US and Allies

Russias finance minister revealed that about $300 billion of Russias foreign exchange and holdings have been seized amid sanctions from Western nations.

We have a total amount of reserves of about $640 billion, about $300 billion of reserves are now in a state in which we cannot use them, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov told state-run media on Sunday.

Siluanov further said that more pressure could be applied to the Russian economy due to increased pressure from the West on China.

We have part of our gold and foreign exchange reserves in the Chinese currency, in yuan. And we see what pressure is being exerted by Western countries on China in order to limit mutual trade with China. Of course, there is pressure to limit access to those reserves, he said.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned the Chinese regime not to provide Russia with the financial cushion it seeks.

We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions, evasion efforts, or support to Russia to backfill them, Sullivan told CNN.

China is Russias top export market after the European Union. Russian exports to China were worth $79.3 billion in 2021, with oil and gas accounting for 56% of that, according to Chinas customs agency.

The comments came after the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, and several other countries have imposed harsh sanctions against Russia, including asset freezes, bans on products, and more. Last week, President Joe Biden announced the United States would suspend importing Russian oil, although it reportedly makes up only a small portion of domestic usage.

The Russian Central Bank also has been targeted via sanctions, and the Bank for International Settlements suspended Russia from using its services. At the same time, a large number of U.S. and Western companies said they would not do business with or ship products to Russia following its Feb. 24 invasion of Ukraine.

In an unprecedented move, the Moscow stock exchange said in a statement Saturday that Russias primary stock market will remain closed next week until March 18. The stock market has not opened since Feb. 25.

On March 10, longtime Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, who himself was sanctioned by the United States in recent days, told reporters that Russias economy is experiencing a shock impact now and there are negative consequences but they will be minimized.

While the situation is turbulent, Moscow can take measures to stabilize the countrys economy, Peskov remarked, without elaborating.

This is absolutely unprecedented. The economic war that has started against our country has never taken place before. So it is very hard to forecast anything, he remarked.
A man wounded in air strikes at a nearby military complex is assisted by medical staff outside Novoiavorivsk District Hospital in Novoiavorivsk, Ukraine, on March 13, 2022. (Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Russia Strikes Military Site Near Poland in Significant Escalation, Dozens Dead

Russian airstrikes on the Yavoriv military training area in Ukraine have left at least 35 people dead, according to the Lviv regional administration in a statement on Sunday.

About 30 missiles were fired from warplanes over the Black and Azov and hit the military base, said Lviv regional military administration chief Maksym Kozytsky in a Facebook statement. Another 134 people were hospitalized in the incident, his office said.

The Yavoriv military site is about 12 miles away from the Polish border and is some 25 miles from Lviv, located in western Ukraine.

Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping & Security near Lviv. Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified, Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on social media. This is new terrorist attack on peace & security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this.

Since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24, Russian forces have targeted western Ukraine with fewer strikes than in other parts of the country. However, starting late last week, Moscow appeared to have escalated strikes in the western portion of the country

Airstrikes hit the Lutsk airfield that left two Ukrainian servicemen dead and six people wounded, the head of the Volyn region, Yuriy Pohulyayko, told media outlets in a statement. The strikes also targeted an airport near Ivano-Frankiivsk, where residents were ordered to shelter after an air raid alert, Mayor Ruslan Martsinkiv said on social media.

But on Sunday, a UK minister, Michael Gove, said that the strikes near the Polish border marked a significant escalation in the conflict. Poland is a NATO country, and top officials in the alliance have said they will defend their territories if Russia attacks.

Ukraine said foreign military instructors have previously worked at the Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, which was hit, but a NATO official told Reuters that there were no personnel from the alliance there. It was not immediately clear whether any non-NATO states might have representatives there.

Smoke rises over Irpin, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 12, 2022. (SERGEI SUPINSKY/AFP via Getty Images)

On Saturday, Moscow warned that it would take action against NATO countries continued supply of arms to Ukraine.

We warned the United States that the orchestrated pumping of weapons from a number of countries is not just a dangerous move, it is a move that turns these convoys into legitimate targets, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russian state-run media on Saturday, describing the weapons corridors as a thoughtless transfer that would soon bring consequences.

But Aleksey Danilov, the secretary of Ukraines National Security and Defense Council, alleged that NATO would defend the weapons corridors, according to state TV.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops are trying to surround Ukrainian forces as they advance from the port of Mariupol in the south and the city of Kharkiv in the north, the UK Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

British intelligence also said Russian forces advancing from Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, were trying to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odesa. Air strikes on Mykolayiv killed nine people on Sunday, regional Governor Vitaliy Kim said in an online statement.

Earlier in March, the United States confirmed that it deployed Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries to Poland to proactively counter any potential threat to Poland or NATO.

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, U.S. European Command (EUCOM) spokesman Capt. Adam Miller said on March 9.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Onstage, an emotional story set in mainland China was playing out through dance. A young couple who practiced the spiritual discipline Falun Dafa had just welcomed their first baby. It should have been a happy story, but soon the couple were kidnapped and tortured by regime authorities, and their newborn became an orphan.

As Liang, a virtuoso on the pipa, or the Chinese lute, sat in the orchestra pit, she would get chills as soon as the dance began.

Because I myself had similar experiences, Liang said in a video posted on Shen Yun Performing Arts new website, Shen Yun Creations.

I had to watch my mom get arrested.

Persecuted for Their Faith

I remember so clearly, Liang said. It was the fall of 1999, and she and her mother and some women in the neighborhood went to a local park to practice meditation together.

They were practicing Falun Dafa, a spiritual meditation discipline that teaches the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance, as well as five slow-moving exercises. In the early 1990s, Falun Dafa spread rapidly by word of mouth, attracting an estimated 70 million to 100 million practitioners in mainland China in less than a decade.

At the time, they were doing the second exercise, Liang said. Then she saw something outside the park. I saw a bunch of cars and vans coming closer, and the local security guards swarmed in on us. I was terrified. I remember tugging at my moms elbow. I said, Mom, theyre coming to arrest you!

It all happened right in front of my eyes. Those people got closer and closer, and then they dragged them all away.

In 1999, Chinese Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin ordered the eradication of Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong. Almost overnight, practitioners began to be rounded up and detained, sent to forced labor camps and reeducation centers, and tortured, many to death.

Because Liang was just a young child, the police made no move to arrest her.

Eventually, Liangs mother was released. But over the next two years, she was imprisoned four times for her faith.

As a person of faith living under the Partys regime, Liangs mother wanted her daughter to have a better future. Over the years, she encouraged Liang, a talented pipa virtuoso, to apply to ensembles.

As fate would have it, one major performing arts company founded in America specifically had need for highly skilled musicians of traditional Chinese instruments like the pipa.

When I was studying in Beijing, my mom told me: I have good news! Shen Yun has accepted your application. You can go now, Liang said.

When her parents came to send her off at the airport, Liang knew she wouldnt see them again for a long time. They said little but exchanged much in those last looks and tearful moments.

I felt like that one step might be like leaping into another worlda world apart. It was so hard to take that step because some pieces in Shen Yun directly portray the persecution of Falun Gong, Liang said.

For her, this was a reason to join the companyto use her talents to tell the world the truth about the CCPs persecution of spiritual believers.

But this also put her family at some level of risk again.

The CCP has countless ways to terrorize people and make their lives difficult, so I worried a lot for my parents safety. I felt I might never see them again unless the persecution ended and I could go back, Liang said.

In that moment, Liang drew from lessons from traditional Chinese culture.

Many famous people in history, when they set off to do something, they never considered whether it would succeed or fail. Theyd look at it from a moral perspective, she said.

If its morally justified, theyd take it on. If its something that goes against their conscience or morals, even if its full of advantages, they wouldnt do it. I always think of this when I think of the persecution.

And, distressing as her experiences in China were, Liang says they deepened her understanding of her art and her ability to interpret music.

Liang Yu speaks about her firsthand knowledge of the persecution of Falun Gong in China. (Shen Yun Performing Arts)

An Artists Role

It was Liangs mother who paved the way for her to become a musician. One day, as a young child, her mother brought her to a musical instrument store and told her to take her pick.

Liang closed her eyes, spun around in circles, and stopped and pointed at the instrument in front of her. It was pear-shaped, and she decided this was it.

I told my mom, Thats the one. If you dont let me learn it, then I wont ever learn again, Liang said.

By middle school, she placed in national competitions, and her winning streak continued through high school and college.

At the time, music for Liangas it is for many young professionals todayrevolved around the world of competitions. It was like a sport.

Wed compete for speed, strength, and difficulty, she said.

Since joining Shen Yun, her view has changed.

Great art and great music shouldnt be judged by these standards alone. Theres a saying, Mountains need not be high, but they are famous if immortals live there. Waters need not be deep, but they have spirit if dragons live there, Liang said. Something is inspiring not because of its technique on the surface, but because of its heartfelt inner meaning.

This is something I gradually realized only after joining Shen Yun, she said. When she used to play with a competitive mindset, she felt her music was restless.

If I am restless, then whatever music I play will sound restless too. But if I can keep a calm and tranquil heart, then no matter how its played, it will still sound pleasant.

Since joining the classical Chinese dance company, Liang has changed and matured as both an artist and a person. She attributes this to the atmosphere of traditional culture and the universal values of Shen Yun.

A Profound Mission

The companys tagline this year is one that many have called bold: China before communism. The companys mission has been, since its inception, to revive 5,000 years of Chinese civilization, each year showing audiences through music and dance the beauty of what was once called the Celestial Empire. Ancient China was deeply spiritual, and for five millennia, it centered around the concept of harmony between heaven, earth, and humankind. Perhaps that undertaking has always been bold.

I truly believe that Shen Yun is a unique group of artists, Liang said.

Everything that Shen Yun does, Shen Yuns persistence, influence, and legacy, along with the stories Shen Yun is telling, are the essence of traditional Chinese culture. Theyre the most beautiful parts of the culture.

Its been an education for Liang as well; she has discovered many things about her heritage.

In Shen Yuns dances, I have discovered many values from traditional culture: respect for the heavens and respect for the gods, compassion, integrity, respect, wisdom, trustworthiness, loyalty, filial piety, honesty, honor, courage, she said.

These are the most basic values that people should have. Often, I feel that what Shen Yun expresses is like when youre faced with hardship under impossible circumstances, amid seemingly insurmountable difficulties, can you carry on?

Can you choose justice? Can you stand by your principles? The ancients have a saying, I desire to live, and I desire to be righteous. When one cannot have both, one must forsake life for righteousness.

My experiences growing up, and the experiences of Falun Gong practitioners, have shown me many examples of fighting for a just cause, she said. Like Shen Yuns mission, like my moms actions back then, these have all inspired me to stay steadfast in my faith, and to persevere in doing whats right.

In 2018, Liang and her family were able to be reunited in North America, but the CCPs persecution still continues.

After every performance, when the curtain goes up and Liang looks out at the audience, she remembers her reason for doing everything she does.

No matter how much I have to suffer, no matter how much I have to endure, I would be willing to do it, she said. I feel that everything is worth it.

The Epoch Times is a proud sponsor of Shen Yun Performing Arts. We have covered audience reactions since Shen Yuns inception in 2006.
Two armed US-made F-16V fighters fly over at an air force base in Chiayi, southern Taiwan on January 5, 2022. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwan Will Defend Differently Than Ukraine in Event of Chinese Invasion: Expert

TAIPEI, TaiwanMilitary strategists worldwide have been analyzing the war in Ukraine, particularly how Ukrainians have been able to stall the military advancement of much powerful Russia using mobile weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles and the Stinger portable air-defense system.

These strategists are making comparisons to Taiwan, an island that would also be fighting a much more powerful foe, should the Chinese regime take a cue from Russia and invade its democratic neighbor.

However, a China expert in Taiwan pointed out that Ukraine and Taiwan are fundamentally different, given that the former shares a land border with Russia, while the latter is an island that is separated from mainland China by a narrow body of water called Taiwan Strait.

Ding Shuh-fan, emeritus professor of the Graduate Institute of East Asia Studies at Taiwans National Chengchi University, told The Epoch Times that if the Taiwanese were using Javelin or Stinger to defend themselves, that would mean the Chinese military was about to land in Taiwan or has already landed, which would not be ideal in terms of defending the islands sovereignty.

Whats best for Taiwan is that their landing forces do not land in Taiwan at all, Ding said.

For example, if Chinese military forces begin to assemble, lets say, in Fujian, we could potentially fire short-range missiles at their ports, particularly military ports, or strike their landing vessels. Fujian is a southern Chinese Province that sits direct opposite Taiwan.

Of course, once the Chinese military starts to advance to the islands shore, Taiwan would need to rely on Javelin and Stinger, just like the Ukrainians have done, as well as firing short-range missiles at their fighter jets, according to Ding.

The Chinese Communist Party sees Taiwan as a part of its territory even though the island is a de facto independent entity with its own liberal democratic government. In October, Chinese leader Xi Jinping vowed that the reunification of Taiwan with China would definitely be realized.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has fueled speculation that Xi would follow in Putins footsteps and decide to invade Taiwan.

The likely scenario is that China would start an attack against Taiwan by launching a barge of missiles at the island before it takes a brief pause to assess the success of its missile strikes, according to Ding.

During this short pause, Ding said Taiwan would need to assemble its forces, put together a counter strike to hit back at Chinas military installments, including ports, radar stations, and missile launching sites. Ultimately, the goal would be to prevent China from sending out its invasion forces across the Taiwan Strait, he added.

As such, Ding said Taiwans current defense strategyknown either as multidomain deterrence or layered defenseis the right approach to defend Taiwan. He pointed out that Taiwans missile density is one of the highest in the world.

The United States, when approving a potential $100 million sale of equipment and services to Taiwan to boost the islands Patriot missile defense system in February, said the proposed sale will help to sustain the recipients missile density and ensure readiness for air operations.

In May 2019, Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen, held a press conference explaining the need for the island to further advance its asymmetric warfare capabilities in order to counter Chinas military threats. As a result, she said local production of submarines and anti-aircraft and anti-ship missiles would speed up.

Submarines would be a great counter to Chinese naval fleets, Ding said, since they could be positioned at projected paths of invading ships, further reducing the chance of Beijing landing its forces in Taiwan.

Reservist training is one thing that Taiwan could do to boost its self-defense, Ding said. Another is having companies develop their own defense plan in case their own facilities are hit with Chinese missiles.

Taiwans Ministry of National Defense has announced that it planned to have 15,000 reservists train under a tougher training program for 14 days at 24 battalions across the island this year, according to Taiwans government-run Central News Agency.

Finally, Taiwans self-defense could further improve if more Taiwanese soldiers undergo U.S. military training, according to Ding.

Tsai acknowledged in 2021 that a small number of U.S. troops were training Taiwanese soldiers in Taiwan.
Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen speaks while inspecting reservists training at a military base in Taoyuan on March 12, 2022. (Sam Yeh/AFP via Getty Images)

Taiwanese President Calls for All-Out Defense Strategy, Referencing Ukraine War

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen called for civil efforts to defend the country against the increased authoritarian threat, referencing the Ukraine war, as she visited training army reservists.

The recent situation in Ukraine once again proved that to protect the country, in addition to the assistance from the international society, depends on the unity of the whole people, Tsai said on March 12 as she observed reservists undergoing training led by army veterans at the Nanshipu firing range outside the capital Taipei.

Tsai, dressed in full military fatigues including body armor, said reservists were specifically getting trained in areas close to their homes.

The Saturday drill came under a new domestic program to beef up the countrys war readiness.

This educational [reservist] mobilization is an implementation of the spirit of all-out defense with the principle of local mobilization and local engagement of the enemy, she added.

Taiwans establishment of the all-out-defense strategy is aimed at mobilizing all available military power to deal with a potential China invasion, given the growing risk of a cross-strait military conflict. Beijing has long claimed the island as its own territory, to be annexed by force if necessary, despite the island having its own military, constitution, and democratically elected government.

Today I went to support our reservists & see our new military reserve training for myself. Facing a growing authoritarian threat, the people of #Taiwan are committed to defending our nation & way of life. pic.twitter.com/eZgQggukXk   Tsai Ing-wen (@iingwen) March 12, 2022

The government announced late last year reform training for its reserve forcesthe islands important backup for regular soldiers. Changes include an extended 14-day call-up system in the place of previous five-to-seven-day stints and more combat and shooting exercises.

Defence Minister Chiu Kuo-cheng hopes the new training regimen launched a week ago can boost the combat readiness of Taiwans reservists, state-run media Central News Agency reported. For our reservists, if they train for between seven and 14 days a year, that gives us a lot more confidence, Chiu told reports.

There are many lessons Taiwan can learn from Ukraine, according to the minister, where he said people were being given guns and sent to fight after only a few days of training.

Russias full-scale attack on Ukraine, which began Feb. 24, was countered by the latters use of mobile weapons, including Javelin anti-tank missiles and Stinger portable air-defense systems. The asymmetric defense strategy, helping troops become harder to attack and better able to survive and strike back in a war, echoed what Tsai emphasized since taking office in 2016.

This is a dangerous moment for Europe and for freedom-loving people around the world, said Sandra Oudkirk, the director of the American Institute in Taiwan, in a March 12 press release. The people of Ukraine are resilient. Theyve had a democracy for decades, and their bravery is inspiring the world, she said.

Beijing has since largely sided with Mosco, in the meanwhile, refusing to condemn its actions in East Europe as a war or invasion.

Reuters contributed to this report.
Soldiers of the People's Liberation Army are seen before a giant screen as Chinese leader Xi Jinping speaks at the military parade marking the 70th founding anniversary of the regime, in Beijing on Oct. 1, 2019. (Jason Lee/Reuters)

The Emperor Has No Clothes

Commentary

Fear over Chinese aggression dominates the headlines, and most analysts think China will succeed in any potential invasion. But carefully studying the Russian military reveals similar problems for China and suggests that the Chinese military is the emperor with no clothes.

Probably the biggest revelation during the Russian invasion of Ukraine has been the utterly dismal performance of the Russian military. For months, analysts wrung their hands at the Russian juggernaut. It had 190,000 soldiers attacking from three directions and using a variety of methods ranging from amphibious invasions to paratroopersand that was after its vaunted hybrid (cyber, psychological) warfare would supposedly drop Ukraine into Russias lap. Who could stop the Russians?!

But it turns out that fuel, poor training, civilians who had never touched a rifle before, and a former comedian turned president could make the Russian army look pathetic. In short, the overwhelming impression the conflict has left is that the emperor has no clothes. Its easy to say that Russia was a paper tiger after the fact.

But there are just as many signs, in the same areas, suggesting that the Chinese threat is also an emperor with no clothes.

Lack of Experience

A great deal could be said about Russian and Chinese training. But the short summary is that the Russian soldiers werent well trainedthey were poorly motivated and poorly led before the war started, and the stresses of combat have only made that worse. The Chinese army faces many similar problems, including poor retention of junior officers, leadership thats more worried about making mistakes, and rote training.

On a larger scale, the Russian army had experience in swift takeovers in Georgia and the Crimean Peninsula. But it didnt have experience fighting in a longer campaign. Russian forces took a long time to take the capital city of Grozny during the war in Chechnya. This should have given Russia pause because Ukraine has several citieslike Kharkiv, Kyiv, and Mariupolthat seem even more difficult to capture. And yet somehow, everyone thought Ukraine would just fall into Russias lap.

Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) has less combat experience than the Russians, and greater obstacles. Simple geography, for example, makes an amphibious invasion tougher than simply driving a tank down the road. And yet the Russians are having trouble with a column of tanks that can drive neither to nor around Kyiv.

The Wrong Experience

The Russians did have some experience, but it ill-prepared them to suddenly destroy the armed forces of a large country and absorb them. The Russian air experience in Syrian operations was often two-by-two. The failure to gain air superiority in Ukraine has shown that they simply dont have the staff to plan and organize large-scale aerial maneuvers.

The small Ukrainian Air Force can engage the pilots one-on-one without being overwhelmed by superior numbers. Once engaged, the pilot training of the Russian Air Force often consisted of rote maneuvers with limited flying hours overall. This makes Russian pilots easy targets for the Ghost of Kyiv (whose kills are unverified, but believable), as well as for stingers and manpads that the West has supplied Ukraine.

Chinese fighter pilots dont have experience in a brush war like Russia does, but they do have significant problems, including a long and ineffectual training program that utterly failed to prepare them for combat, according to the U.S. Air Forces China Aerospace Studies Institute. The PLA Air Force took measures to improve these deficiencies only in 2021.

In addition, Chinese jets, such as the J-20, use inferior engines that have either exploded or required the use of afterburners to reach top speeds, at the cost of their stealth. Simply applying air force to air force, without the use of additional ground- or naval-based air defenses, even with a four-to-one numbers advantage, wont suffice.

Its tough to imagine a fresh batch of recruits, with a year of good peacetime training, flying inferior jets, suddenly outmatching Taiwanese pilots flying F-16s over their homeland. And this is assuming the United States wont intervene by using the extended range sensors of the F-35 or directly engaging with the incomparably trained and experienced fighter pilots flying peerless aircraft.

Chinese J-20 stealth fighter jets fly past during a military parade at the Zhurihe Training Base in Chinas northern Inner Mongolia region on July 30, 2017. (STR/AFP/Getty Images)

Fear and the Soldier

Ive been saying for years that weapons systems dont fight wars. Theyre simply tools employed as dictated by strategy and used by a soldier, sailor, or airman.

Chinese history has examples that show a small number of well-trained soldiers defeating larger forces. The Northern Song Dynasty collapsed on the plains around its capital of Kaifeng. But the Southern Song was safe for more than 30 years in the 12th century because of its impressive navy. It had lost most of its northern territory and faced a massive invasion from the Jurchens, who aimed to finish the job. But the navy broke the pontoon bridge of the invading force, which severed the invading armies logistical connection, and this prevented them from retreating to the north side of the river.

The 8,000-man naval force of the Southern Song Dynasty tied down a 100,000-man army for a significant amount of time. A short time later, it faced another engagement. Despite being outnumbered six to one, the Song navy charged into the much larger force, secure in its superior training, and annihilated the opposing fleet. A small number of well-trained forces succeeded in defending their homelands.

But the perception of Chinese supremacy has been built up for a few reasons. Fear sells. Being afraid of the communist Chinese menace and wanting more information about them makes people click on articles. When the Chinese regime tested a hypersonic missile, Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, called it a Sputnik moment, even though the United States is constantly upgrading its already ample and proven missile defense systems. Milley probably said that because he was hoping for the massive infusion of funding the space program received.

China has a rather large military, and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has stepped up its aggression with other countriesfor example, through its wolf warrior diplomacy. The CCP tries to buy its way into influence with the Belt and Road Initiative. It illegally builds islands in the South China Sea to claim additional territory.

Since 1949, China has had border disputes with every one of its neighbors and has launched preemptive wars to settle them. The regime has flown planes in Taiwans air defense identification zone dozens of times. It commits genocide against the Uyghurs, oppresses its own people, and encroaches on Hong Kongs autonomy, among other things. Theres reason for caution and preparation against that aggression.

But that aggression doesnt mean the Chinese military will perform any better than Russia. As I predicted, the Russian invasion would likely look like the disastrous Winter War with Finland. And there are indicators in things such as geography, training, and equipment that suggest China might even fare worse.

Unlike most analysts looking at the Russian invasion with fear, we should boldly proclaim that Chinese leader Xi Jinping and the CCP are like the emperor with no clothes. The West and Taiwan should maintain a healthy concern over Chinese aggression, but not an irrational fear.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Time to Turn Those Clocks Forward, Thanks to Daylight Saving

LOS ANGELESDaylight saving time will begin at 2 a.m. on Sunday, March 13, meaning its time to spring forward and turn clocks ahead by one hour.

The Automobile Club of Southern California warned morning drivers to be on the lookout for pedestrians, since it will be dark for an hour longer in the mornings.

The time change means California will shift into the same hour as Phoenix and Tucsonwhich do not switch to daylight saving time due to long daily hours of Arizona sunlight during summertimealong with the rest of the Mountain Time Zone.

Hawaii also stays on its standard time, meaning the islands will be three hours earlier than Los Angeles for the next half year, instead of two hours.

As usual, fire officials urged people to use the time change as a reminder to check smoke alarms and replace the batteries if necessary. It is also a good time to reset timers on outdoor lights and lawn sprinkler systems.

Fire officials offered the following tips on handling and maintaining smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors:

Install smoke detectors on all floors of your home or apartment.

If the devices are hardwired into your electrical system, be sure to have a backup battery-operated smoke detector in case of a power outage.

Mount alarms high on walls, at least four to 12 inches from the ceiling.

Never paint over a smoke detector.

Use a vacuum cleaner to remove lint or dust.

Test the smoke detectors regularly. If the smoke detector chirps it is an indication of a low battery, which should be changed.

Joyce Kuo contributed to this report.
Russian and Ukrainian officials take part in talks in the Brest region, Belarus, on March 3, 2022. (Maxim Guchek/BelTA via Reuters)

Ukrainian, Russian Negotiators Say Significant Progress Made in Ceasefire Talks

Russian and Ukrainian negotiators said on March 13 that there has been progress in talks to potentially end the more than two-week-long conflict between the two countries, with results coming in days.

To clarify. At the negotiations, the [Russian Federation] isnt making ultimatums but is instead carefully listening to Ukraines proposals, Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, wrote on Twitter.

The Kyiv government is continuing to demand to end of the war and the withdrawal of [Russian] troops, according to Podolyak, who noted that theres understanding and a dialogue with Russia.

I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days, he said in comments that he delivered in an accompanying Twitter video.

On Russias side, Leonid Slutsky, a member of the delegation and head of the State Dumas Committee on International Affairs, was quoted by state-run media outlet RIA Novosti as saying that significant progress has been made after the March 13 talks.

According to my personal expectations, this progress may grow in the coming days into a joint position of both delegations, into documents for signing, Slutsky said, according to a translation.

A potential agreement between the parties might save many people and reduce tensions in the near future, he said.

Neither Russia nor Ukraine indicated what the scope of the agreement could be. No details were provided.

Three previous rounds of negotiations produced few results. Recently, Ukraine and Russia agreed to establish humanitarian and evacuation corridors for civilians in several areas, although both sides accused one another of firing on people.

U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman said on March 13 that Moscow was showing signs of willingness to carry out more significant talks to end the conflict. Sanctions and other forms of economic pressure are beginning to have some effect, she said.

We are seeing some signs to have real, serious negotiations, Sherman told Fox News.

Objectives of the talks include a bid to get a ceasefire in the first instance, to get humanitarian [corridors], and to end this invasion, she said.

Earlier in the day, however, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of carrying out airstrikes on a military training base just 12 miles from the Polish border, as Western officials described the incident as an escalation.

On March 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin told state media outlets that there were positive shifts in the talks, but he didnt elaborate.

A day later, President Joe Biden sent a memorandum to the State Department authorizing that $200 million in weapons and military training be provided to Ukraines forces. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said the Department of Defense is working to send additional military equipment and weapons.

Fighting across the country has repeatedly raised the specter of nuclear accidents, as fighting has occurred around nuclear power plants.

On March 13, Ukraine said it had restored a broken power line to the decommissioned Chernobyl plant, the scene of the worlds worst nuclear disaster in 1986. The plant was recently knocked off the grid, and it was relying on generators. That raised concerns about its ability to keep spent fuel cool, although the International Atomic Energy Agency downplayed those worries.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
TUESDAY

Illuminating: Funeral Trends of the Past, Present and Future, noon, online. Hear the fascinating history of the funeral industry and how funerals have evolved over time. From aqua cremations to terramation, learn about the current trends in eco-friendly burials and other distinctive ways to celebrate the life of your loved one. Registration: 541-757-9616 or outreach@luminahospice.org.

THURSDAY

Computer Security and Privacy, noon, online. Learn about threat modeling, encryption, malware, private browsing and searching, secure passwords and more in this librarian-led workshop. Free registration: https://bit.ly/cbcplprivacysecurity.

SATURDAY

Linn County Flea Market, early shopping 8 to 9 a.m., $6; general admission 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., $2; Linn County Fair & Expo Center, 3700 Knox Butte Road E., Albany. The countys largest indoor flea market, with 80-plus vendors selling antiques, collectibles, vintage and one-of-a-kind items. Shopping supports nonprofit agencies including Friends of the Lebanon Public Library, the Historic Carousel and Museum of Albany, Green Acres Farm Sanctuary, Keitha's Kittie Rescue and Furniture Share. Fun activities include Party Perfection and special guest Caesar the No Drama Llama onsite from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Information: 541-619-5708 or josefine.fleetwood@linncountyfleamarket.com.

Friends of the Lebanon Public Library Book Sale, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Lebanon Senior Center, 80 Tangent St. Sale features hundreds of new arrivals, the refreshed bookstore, special editions and sets of books and DVDs, Blind Date books, carved vintage book art and more. The Friends are also participating in the Linn County Flea Market at the Linn County Fairgrounds on the same day. Proceeds from both sales will support reading and arts programs at the library. Cash or checks only. Information: 541-730-3602 or friendslebanonorlibrary@gmail.com.

Items for this calendar are pulled from the user-generated calendar that runs on our websites. For further information, write to jane.stoltz@lee.net.

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Understanding China in Light of the Ukraine Crisis

Beijing has considered international response to potential invasion of Taiwan, says academic

Chinas threats against Taiwan are not being overlooked amid the war in Ukraine given their similarities to how Russia prepared for its invasion. In this context, a member of the U.S. National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, speaking at a defence conference in Ottawa, provided her views on Beijings motivations and outlook for its relations with Russia.

Cynthia Watson, dean of faculty and academic affairs with the Washington, D.C.-based National War College, said she believes the biggest takeaway for Beijing from the Russian attack is that there can be a great deal of international cooperation under U.S. leadership to stop actions that go against the rules-based international orderand the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has to weigh those factors when considering acting against Taiwan.

Cynthia Watson, dean of Faculty and Academic Affairs with the National War College in Washington, D.C., participates virtually at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence 2022, on March 11, 2022. (Screenshot via The Epoch Times)

Taiwan remains the last issue from the Chinese Civil War, that many people within the Party believe the Party absolutely cannot back down on, because if they were to do so, it would show the vulnerability of the Party, Watson told an audience of primarily military personnel during a session titled Understanding China on March 11 at the Ottawa Conference on Security and Defence 2022.

However, she sees the possibility that there is a timeline that [Chinese leader] Xi Jinping believes he must fulfill, and it being a relatively short one for the reunification of Taiwan with the mainland.

The fact that there are voices in Taiwan more aggressively calling for the island nation to wholly reject unification probably is one of the things that is most alarming and potentially setting [Beijings] aggressive timeline into effect, she added.

Asked what risk Beijing might face if the world turned against Chinese manufacturing should it invade Taiwan, similar to the global sanctions imposed against Russia, Watson pointed to the 1989 Tiananmen Square incident, which resulted in international sanctions.

The business community came back to China just 18 months later and began providing technology and investment, she said, noting that its actually after 1989 that we see some of the greatest growth in China, fuelled by outside investment and fuelled by outside technology and the movement of capital to China.

She added that she believes Beijing is counting on the same sort of short-term memory if the world were to turn on them on Taiwan, but reiterated her view that the Party doesnt believe it has a choice on Taiwan.

However, she said questions abound regarding what timeline Xi has in mind for Taiwan, and its a matter of reading the tea leaves given the impenetrable nature of understanding CCP decision-making.

Russia and China

Much has also been discussed about the relationship and co-dependence between Russia and China in light of the Ukraine crisis. Watson actually doesnt see a growing relationship between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Xi.

Theres no question that China recognizes that there is a danger to this relationship, Watson said, adding that there is an inherent mutual distrust thats bound to grow starting in the not-too-distant future due to China being much healthier based on its younger demographic and stronger economy.

Nevertheless, the topic of Chinas food security has been vastly under-appreciated, she said, as it used to rely on Ukraine as a major source of grain. She also noted that part of the reason China feels greater ties to Russia is its need for Russias natural resources.

Watson said she is confident theres a sense on the mainland that Chinas growth since the mid-1970s is now seeing some structural challenges, whether theyre demographic, whether theyre environmental, or whether theyre simply that the model they have been working on, seems to have exhausted itself that lead the leadership to potentially feel very anxious.

However, she said her sense is that the CCP is going to continue taking whatever steps it needs domestically to keep people employed and to engage in social spending, adding to its already-significant internal debt, doing so in ways that may not make sense to us as outsiders in terms of economic stability.

She reminded the attendees that under Xis predecessors, China opened up economically, joined the World Trade Organization, and saw its economy grow by leaps and bounds. But Xi, she said, is making China more internally focused and the CCP is now less willing to entertain different ideas.

The first thing in the CCPs mind is its survival while retaining power, Watson said.
US and EU Shift Fuel Imports From Russia to China Clean Energy

Theyre jumping from the frying pan to the fire

News Analysis

The Ukraine war is driving sanctions on Russia that limit sources of oil and gas for U.S. and European markets. Buyers are now seeking alternate non-Russian sources, driving renewed interest in renewable energy such as wind and solarboth sectors in which Chinese companies are increasingly competitive.

Energy buyers are also seeking oil and gas from currently sanctioned countries like Iran and Venezuela, relieving pressure on them meant to improve their human rights, and giving them bargaining leverage on issues like their authoritarian forms of government and nuclear proliferation.

While Russian sanctions are ramping up, pressure on other illiberal countries is necessarily decreasing due to a lack of an even and sustainable approach to the application of sanctions. China and its de facto alliesIran, North Korea, and Venezuelaare actually the bigger long-term threat, compared to Russia, and so shifting markets there could hurt democracy more in the long term.

This is not to argue that Russia should not be sanctionedit should, and sanctions should increase. Rather, Russia sanctions should be designed so that other illiberal regimes are not the beneficiaries.

On March 8, the European Commission issued an energy plan that started, Following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the case for a rapid clean energy transition has never been stronger and clearer. The European Union imports over 46 percent of its coal, 40 percent of its gas, and 27 percent of its oil from Russia.

The EU statement said that while diversifying its supply of gas away from Russia, the EU fosters its international partnerships, including with the G-7 and other major global gas importers: Japan, South Korea, India, and China.

Luz Ding at Bloomberg noted on March 9 that Europes wartime plan for a faster transition to clean energy as it seeks to replace Russian fossil fuels will provide a boost to the order books of China renewable manufacturers.

By 2030, the European Union will add 900 gigawatts of solar and wind power, according to the new EU energy plan, almost double what analysts previously expected.

Large solar panels are seen in a solar power plant in Hami, northwest Chinas Xinjiang region, on May 8, 2013. (STR/AFP via Getty Images)

Morgan Stanley, a leading investment bank, predicted as much as a 15 percent increase to Chinas solar exports as a result. The key beneficiary will be Chinas Longi Green Energy Technology Company, which is the worlds biggest solar company. Longi had its products seized by U.S. customs authorities in November due to their polysilicon sourced from Xinjiang, where Uyghurs are enslaved in factories and fields. Xinjiang currently supplies 45 percent of the worlds polysilicon.

Rather than shifting purchases of energy to China and its illiberal allies, Europe and the United States could patronize their own allies, including through the purchase of British solar panels, Norwegian natural gas, and Canadian oil, for example.

Norways gas already accounts for 23.6 percent of EU gas imports. Supporting countries friendly to democracy means buying more energy from countries like Norway.

Consumers in Europe and Britain support this approach. All else equal, they prefer solar panels from British companies to those from Chinese companies, for example. One British solar producer, called UKSOL, manufactures in Spain.

The president of UKSOL, Andrew Moore, told The Independent on March 8, Were increasing the number of orders because of this rejection of Chinese brands used by wholesalers in the UK.

Moore continued: The consumer is asking (about forced labour) and rightly so. Theres been an uptick from Europe, I get emails every day from consumers who dont want Chinese panels.

Due to international pressure and in response to voter demand, governments are exploring legislation against forced labor, led by the U.S. ban on goods made in Xinjiang.

However, solar panel companies can evade U.S. bans on Xinjiang goods by shifting their exports to European and British markets at steep discounts. Sometimes, their origins in China are hidden from the customer.

There are many ways companies try to hide forced labour in their supply chains, Professor Laura T. Murphy told The Independent.

According to Moore, Wholesalers in the UK wont promote slightly higher price[d] panels because the industry is dominated by price, and price is dominated by China.

Rather than shift energy purchases to China and other illiberal regimes, the better approach is to invest in the production of energy by democracies and our allies, even if that means spending more on wind turbines, solar panels, or lithium batteries, for example. By empowering friends rather than the enemies of democracy with our energy dollars, we empower the future of democracy rather than its demise.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
Brent Renaud attends The 74th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in New York on May 31, 2015. (Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Peabody Awards)

US Journalist Brent Renaud Killed in Ukraine, Kyiv Police Say

U.S. journalist and filmmaker Brent Renaud was fatally shot in a combat zone near Kyiv, Ukraine, the regions police chief said on March 13.

Andrey Nebitov, who heads the National Police in the Kyiv region, accused Russian troops of killing Renaud in Irpin, a northwestern suburb of Kyiv. The town has been the target of heavy shelling by Russian forces over the past week.

A 51-year-old world-renowned media correspondent was shot in Irpin today, Nebitov wrote on Facebook, adding that another journalist is injured.

Nebitov also shared photos that purportedly showed Renauds bloodied body, his U.S. passport, and a New York Times press badge that bore his name. While Renaud was initially thought to be covering the conflict for the NY Times, the paper clarified that he hadnt been on assignment for the newspaper for some time.

Brent was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to the New York Times over the years. Though he had contributed to the Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at the Times in Ukraine, Cliff Levy, a deputy managing editor for the newspaper, said in a statement. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago.

A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Renaud had won a Peabody Award for his work alongside his brother, Craig, according to the website of their company, the Renaud Brothers. The two have worked on film and television projects covering a wide range of topics, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya, the fight for Mosul, extremism in Africa, cartel violence in Mexico, and the youth refugee crisis in Central America.

Jake Sullivan, a national security adviser to President Joe Biden, said on March 13 that the Biden administration is trying to get more information about Renauds death and would respond with appropriate consequences.

This is obviously shocking and horrifying, and Ive just learned about it as I came onto air here, so I will be consulting with my colleagues, well be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of it, he said in an interview with CBS News Face the Nation.
President Joe Biden speaks in the East Room of the White House about Russian military activity near Ukraine, on Feb. 22, 2022. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP via Getty Images)

US Sending More Weapons to Ukraine After Biden Authorization: Pentagon

The Pentagon is working to send additional military equipment and weapons to Ukraines military after President Joe Bidens weekend authorization of an additional $200 million to the embattled country, said a Department of Defense spokesman.

Were going to get working on that right away to get that additional material into their hands, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told ABC News on Sunday.

Without specifying what kind of U.S. military equipment or firepower is being supplied, Kirby noted that Ukraines military has most effectively used air defense systems, drones, and man-portable air-defense systems, or MANPADS.

They are doing very well with that and we believe those are what they need the most, Kirby told the outlet.

On Saturday, Biden issued a memorandum that authorized an additional $200 million in aid for weapons and training in Ukraine, which is not a NATO or European Union country.

Kirby noted that the reportedly slowed Russian advance near Kyiv and the fact that Ukrainian forces continue to contest the airspace above their country after more than two weeks are evidence that the military aid is making a difference.

About a week ago, the U.S. military sent Patriot surface-to-air missile batteries to Poland to deal with any potential threats, officials said.

There was also confusion about whether Poland would provide aging MiG-29 fighter planes to Ukraine, with an official saying that the planes would be transferred to a U.S. air base in Germany. The announcement drew pushback from Pentagon and White House officials, including Kirby.

Over the past weekend, Russian officials warned that it considers any weapon deliveries into Ukraine as potential targets to be fired upon.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said Saturday that Moscow has warned the U.S. that pumping weapons from a number of countries it orchestrates isnt just a dangerous move, its an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets.

Since the start of the war, Ukrainian officials, including President Volodymyr Zelensky, have repeatedly called on the United States and NATO partners to establish a no-fly zone. But the White House and NATOs leadership have denied such a proposal, saying it would sharply escalate the conflict with Russia.

Ukrainian officials, meanwhile, said that Russian forces fired missiles at the Yavoriv military training area, located just 12 miles from Ukraines border with Poland.

Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping & Security near Lviv. Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified, Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said on social media. This is new terrorist attack on peace & security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this.

Michael Gove, a UK lawmaker, said that the strikes near the Polish border marked a significant escalation in the conflict. Poland is a NATO country, and top officials in the alliance have said they will defend their territories if Russia attacks.
White House: NATO Will Respond With Full Force If Russia Attacks

NATO will respond with full force if Russia attacks any of the alliances territories, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on March 13.

The incident would trigger NATOs Article 5, which states that an attack on one NATO nation would be considered an attack on all allies, he told CBS News. Sullivan didnt say how severe the attack would have to be to trigger the provision.

All I will say is that if Russia attacks, fires upon, takes a shot at NATO territory, the NATO alliance would respond to that, he said, noting that the White House has been clear repeatedly that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territoryand that means every inch.

At the same time, Sullivan noted that the escalation risk with a nuclear power is severe, and it is a different kind of conflict than other conflicts the American people have seen over the years, Sullivan told CNN. As things stand today, the United States has not adjusted our nuclear posture, but it is something that we monitor day by day.

The remarks came after Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of carrying out an airstrike against the Yavoriv military training area in Ukraine, located about 12 miles from the Polish border. At least 35 people died in the strike, officials said on March 13.

Ukrainian soldiers are on guard in Irpin, north of Kyiv, Ukraine, on March 12, 2022. (Sergei Supinsky/AFP via Getty Images)

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, according to officials. The facility has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other countries in the Western alliance.

Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscows threats to target those shipments. Ukraine isnt a NATO member, whereas Poland is.

The base has hosted international NATO drills, and a senior NATO official, Adm. Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying the spirit of military cooperation between Ukraine and international forces. As such, the site symbolizes Russias longstanding concerns that the 30-member Western military alliance poses a threat to Moscow by operating so close to its territory.

On March 12, top Russian officials stated that weapons shipments inside Ukraine would be considered legitimate targets by the Russian military.

We warned the United States that pumping Ukraine with weapons from a number of countries orchestrated by them is not just a dangerous move, but an action that turns the corresponding convoys into legitimate targets, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said, according to state news agency TASS.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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NORWALK  Artist Oksana Tanasiv, owner of Oksana Tanasiv Gallery on South Main Street, moved from Ukraine to the United States in 2004, but never stopped worrying about the relationship between her country and Russia.

I am Ukrainian. I was born in Ukraine  and all my career, I worry about Ukraine, Tanasiv said. Russias not just today, its been continuing for decades. This is not the story of one day, its really hurting my heart for a long time.

At 26, Tanasiv moved to the United States with her young daughter, leaving the rest of her family in Ukraine, where they still live.

Looking for some way to help her homeland and loved ones, Tanasiv turned to her work and art.

Contacting other artists, many originally from Ukraine, Tanasiv organized an exhibit at her gallery on Saturday with all of the proceeds from the exhibit going toward helping the Ukrainian people.

The money will go toward Ukrainian medical centers, the Ukrainian Army, refugee camps and similar organizations, Tanasiv said.

I created a lot of art inspired by Ukrainian culture and history, so a lot of collections that are presented before and exhibited in Stamford and New York, Tanasiv said.

Some of the pieces Tanasiv is presenting in the exhibit were from a series that began in 2016 in response to Russian propaganda against Ukraine.

The art in these series were based on antique Ukrainian patterns, signs and geometric designs, Tanasiv wrote on social media. For centuries, these patterns were created as embroidered designs and used in clothing, tableware and routine life. Its sacred meaning was coded in geometrical signs, and according to the ancestors beliefs, protected family, kids, home from evil. I turned the antique patterns into new modern art compositions with using new colors and modern materials.

Tanasivs family lives on the western side of Ukraine, which has yet to see heavy bombing, she said.

To gather support for the event, Tanasiv reached out to other Ukrainian artists she knows in the New York and Stamford who donated pieces for the exhibit, she said.

Along with Tanasivs own work, she said the exhibit featured pieces by Miro Duzinkevich, Oksana Rudenko, Irina Rodnikoff, Elen Zelin, Paul Larson, Julie DiBiase and Miggs Burroughs, among others.

Rodnikoff first connected with Tanasiv on social media, as a fellow Ukrainian native living in the New York area as an artist.

Rodnikoff, who lives in Brooklyn, donated three pieces for the exhibit. Tanasivs exhibit is one of multiple projects Rodnikoff said she is working on to help her family and people in Ukraine.

I create other fundraising to aid Ukraine. Its not some single activity. I would do everything, whatever I can, Rodnikoff said. Im collecting food, clothes to donate to some organizations that collect and sort to send to Poland and they distribute farther. I would do everything because I cannot just sit and do nothing.

As a young woman in 1994, Rodnikoff moved alone from Ukraine to the United States.

All Ukrainians who live overseas, this is not the first time we are facing this situation. In 2008, when the first war, lets say, happened in Ukraine, when Russia invaded, me and my family also took a big part in the volunteering process and activity, Rodnikoff said. For example, my mom, she had a little factory, and she was sewing for soldiers. My brother, he also was transporting stuff like food to soldiers on the front lines and he got two medals from the government for his volunteering activity. Being part of the family, we cannot just sit and do nothing.

Rodnikoffs family still lives in Ukraine, but her mother was visiting in New York when the war broke out, and she hasnt been able to return. Her family never had the desire to leave Ukraine, because they are happy there and love the country, Rodnikoff said.

Rodnikoffs brother is on the front lines volunteering where he can, she said.

When asked if her family back home is safe, Rodnikoff said its hard to know.

These are the questions Im answering every other hour, Rodnikoff said. No one knows whats going to happen tomorrow, so I cannot say my brothers safe. Hes not experienced. Hes a regular civilian  whatever he can do.

abigail.brone@hearstmediact.com
Hawaiian Bros Island Grill, a restaurant new to the Metro East, and a bank each requested special-use permits for drive-through facilities at the city's administrative and community service (ACS) meeting Thursday.



They were both unanimous decisions.

Hawaiian Bros, at 2386 Troy Road, will replace the former Pizza Hut location, which closed in September 2020. Prior to being a Pizza Hut, the site was the original Lion's Choice location in town.

This will mark the chain's first Metro East location. The closest existing locations are in the Chicago area.

The request made Thursday is for a single-lane drive-through. City staff believe this site offers enough "stacking space" for drivers waiting to get their orders. The previous drive-through did not have to undergo a permitting process, said City Planner Emily Calderon, so there was no prior special-use permit for it on file.

The city's zoning board of appeals voted in favor of the resolution 6-0 on Feb. 28.

The other location is the Bank of Madison County, a division of the Bank of Belleville, which will move to the former Illinois Bell building at 119 S. Main St. this fall. It asked for a special-use permit to construct a dual-lane drive-through. City staff again noted that the site has ample space to stack vehicles in line as they wait to access a teller. The city's zoning board of appeals was in favor of the resolution for the permit by a vote of 5-1 on Feb. 28. The historic preservation committee also voted in favor of the request.

City Planner Emily Calderon said the drive-through lanes would be an accessory structure detached from the primary building. Both of these requests now move to the city council meeting Tuesday for final approval.

In other action, the committee unanimously voted in favor an ordinance certifying the city's official zoning map.

The next ACS meeting is March 31 at 5 p.m. in city hall, 118 Hillsboro Ave.
The Illinois mask mandate ended on Feb. 28 and more than 8.5 million people in Illinois over the age of 5 have been fully vaccinated against the coronavirus. There were just 715 hospitalizations due to confirmed cases of COVID-19 on Wednesday and 45 deaths due to the virus on Thursday, while there were just four reported Monday.

However, there are places that still require masks, Melaney Arnold, public information officer for the Illinois Department of Public Health, wrote in an email. All individuals, regardless of vaccination status, are required to wear face coverings where federally required, including on planes, buses, trains and other forms of public transportation and in transportation hubs such as airports and trains and bus stations, per the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Additionally, congregate facilities like correctional facilities and homeless shelters still require masks as well as health care settings.

"School districts and private businesses can continue to require masks at their discretion," Arnold wrote. "While masks for the general public are not required, there are times and people for whom they are recommended."

People with symptoms of coronavirus, a positive test or exposure to someone with COVID-19 should also wear a mask, Arnold wrote. The CDC has mask use guidance which offers additional information on when to wear a mask and considerations for specific groups of people, such as those with weakened immune systems or medical conditions that put them at higher risk for severe COVID.

"Layering prevention strategies  like staying up to date on vaccines and wearing masks  can help prevent severe illness and reduce the potential for strain on the healthcare system," Arnold wrote.

The CDC states that masks are primarily intended to reduce the emission of virus-laden droplets by the wearer, which is especially relevant for asymptomatic or presymptomatic infected wearers who feel well and may be unaware of their infectiousness to others, which is estimated to account for more than 50% of coronavirus transmissions. Masks also help reduce inhalation of these droplets by the wearer.

The community benefit of masking for coronavirus control is due to the combination of these two effects, the CDC states. Individual prevention benefit also increases with increasing numbers of people using masks consistently and correctly.

Counties where people should wear masks

The CDC's Community Levels can help communities decide what prevention steps, such as masking, to take based on the latest data. Levels include low, medium and high and are determined by looking at hospital beds being used, hospital admissions and the total number of new COVID-19 cases in an area.

Most counties in Illinois currently are described as low, meaning people should wear masks based on their personal preference, informed by their personal level of risk. Those in low areas are advised by the CDC to stay up-to-date on vaccines against the coronavirus and get tested if exhibiting symptoms.

Counties in the area described as low community-level include Madison, Morgan, St. Clair, Monroe, Bond, Clinton, Jersey, Greene, Calhoun, Scott, Cass, Schuyler, Brown and Sangamon.

The next step up is medium, meaning masks should be worn if a person is immunocompromised or at high risk for severe illness or if they live with or have social contact with someone at high risk for severe illness. People with close contacts who are at risk should consider testing for infection before interacting and wear a mask when indoors with that contact. Additionally, immunocompromised people in medium counties should talk to healthcare providers about additional precautions such as wearing masks or respirators when indoors in public.

Like people in low community-level counties, people in medium are encouraged to stay up-to-date on vaccines and get tested if exhibiting symptoms. Medium counties in Illinois include Macoupin, Montgomery, Adams, Pike and Perry.

Finally, people in high community-level counties should wear a well-fitting mask indoors in public, regardless of vaccination status or individual risk (including in K-12 schools and other community settings). For those who are immunocompromised or at high risk for severe illness, masking is especially important in high community-level counties and those individuals should wear a mask or respirator providing them with greater protection.

Those in high community-level counties may also choose to wear a mask or respirator providing them with greater protection in certain situations, including when they are with people at higher risk for severe illness, or if they are at higher risk for severe illness. Additionally, it is important to wear a mask or respirator when an individual is sick or caring for someone who is sick with COVID-19. A respirator will provide the best level of protection when caring for someone who is sick with COVID-19.

Those in high community-level counties should wear a mask indoors, in addition to staying up to date with coronavirus vaccines and getting tested when exhibiting symptoms.

The only high community-level county in Illinois currently is Johnson County in southern Illinois. Missouri high community-level counties include Lewis and Madison.

Children are still recommended to wear masks

Masks are still highly recommended for people at higher risk for severe illness, as some people remain more likely to become very sick with COVID-19. That includes people who are older and people with certain medical conditions, as well as those who are pregnant, may become pregnant or were recently pregnant.

People at increased risk and those who live or visit with them, should talk to healthcare providers about whether they and the people around them should wear a mask or respirator when the COVID-19 Community Level is medium and should wear a mask or respirator providing greater protection when the COVID-19 Community Level is high.

Children ages 2 years and older can wear masks or respirators to protect themselves and others from COVID-19. Parents should choose a well-fitting and comfortable mask or respirator that children can wear properly, the CDC stated. A poorly fitting or uncomfortable mask or respirator might be worn incorrectly or removed often, reducing intended benefits.

Parents should choose masks that are a size that fits over the child's nose and under the chin but does not impair vision, follow the user instructions for the mask or respirator and understand that some types of masks or respirators may feel different if a child is accustomed to wearing cloth or disposable procedure masks.

Although respirators may be available in smaller sizes, the CDC states that respirators are typically designed to be used by adults in workplaces and therefore may not have been tested for broad use in children.

If a child has a medical condition, such as a heart or lung problem, healthcare providers should be consulted before methods are used to improve mask fit or a child uses an ASTM F3502 mask or respirator. If a child has a hard time breathing, gets dizzy, or has other symptoms while trying to adjust a mask or using an ASTM F3502 mask or respirator, choose a cloth or disposable mask, CDC states. They should continue to protect themselves and others.

Other people who should use masks

People with disabilities may have difficulties wearing a mask, which includes people of any age with certain disabilities. Challenges may be caused by being sensitive to materials on the face, the CDC states, difficulty understanding the importance of mask-wearing for protection, or having difficulty controlling behavior to keep the mask in place, Arnold wrote in an email.

People with certain disabilities or their caregivers can assess whether they need to wear a mask, Arnold wrote. To do this, consider the person's ability to:

Wear a mask correctly (proper mask size and fit)

Avoid frequent touching of the mask and face

Limit sucking, drooling or having excess saliva on the mask

Remove the mask without assistance

People who are deaf or hard of hearing may consider:
Politics

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Local GOP turmoil comes to a head in election violation lawsuit against party chair

DRC file photo The Denton County Courts Building. Jeff Woo / Jeff Woo/DRC The Denton County Republican Party office is on Country Club Road near Hobson Lane in south Denton. A lawsuit filed last month is alleging election violations within the party. Connie Hudson Brent Hagenbuch Jayne Howell Sam Burke DRC file photo The Denton County Courts Building.

Editor's Note This article serves as the Denton Record-Chronicle's kickoff of Sunshine Week, March 13-19, which highlights the importance of open government and free access to public information.

Brewing turmoil within the Denton County Republican Party, largely based on the partys chair election, has resulted in a lawsuit alleging election violations against outgoing DCRP chair Jayne Howell, who says shes being viciously slandered at the end of her term.

The lawsuit was filed Feb. 17 by five plaintiffs in the 393rd Judicial District Court against Howell and DCRP Executive Director Belinda Small. The list of plaintiffs includes Alana Phillips, a current DCRP precinct chair. The other four, according to one who was reached for comment, have applied for leadership roles in the party.

The lawsuit is multifaceted but stems from one overarching grievance  the party leaderships handling of the 2022 DCRP chair election. Howell announced last year she wouldnt be seeking reelection after four years at the helm of the party, and the race for her replacement came down to two candidates: Brent Hagenbuch and Connie Hudson.

Hagenbuch is currently the partys vice chairman of political affairs, and Hudson was formerly the partys vice chairman of precinct development. But Hudson did not end up making it on the March 1 ballot because her application was never approved. As of March, it is one of only three county chair applications in the entire state to be listed as rejected by the Texas Secretary of States Office.

Hudsons filing, according to numerous interviews with DCRP officials, has caused a rift within the party. Thats because she, along with others in the party, allege Howell and Small sabotaged her campaign, claiming they didnt fulfill an obligation to provide her with all the requirements she needed and properly notify her that her application wasnt complete.

The heart of the issue comes down to a Texas primary election rule, Section 172.021(f) of the Election Code, which states a political partys state executive committee by rule may require that an application for the office of county chair be accompanied by a nominating petition containing the signatures of at least 10 percent of the incumbent precinct chairs serving on the county executive committee.

In the case of the DCRP, that equates to a nominating petition including 15 precinct chair signatures. According to a letter from Howell, its required because the Texas State Republican Executive Committee has opted to require it.

What about the red folder?

Filings for county and precinct chairs opened up Nov. 13 and needed to be complete by Dec. 13 at 6 p.m. An online post from Hudson, posted to her campaign Facebook page Dec. 21, includes her allegations and provides a timeline. In it, she writes that she went to turn in her application Dec. 8, asking Small several times if everything was correct.

It wasnt until the evening of Dec. 13, Hudson wrote, that she returned to the partys headquarters and was told about the missing form for the signatures. She stated Howell told her it was too late to accept her application because the signatures were not included.

Her post includes other events between her filing and the day of the deadline and addresses key points, including that a red folder containing election information was given to other candidates and not to her.

Why wasnt I given a red folder? Hudson wrote. Is it because Jayne and the GOP establishment had already chosen a candidate?  We knew that Brent was their choice, but I thought they would be honest in their dealings.

The lawsuit, for which Hudson is not one of the five plaintiffs, makes mention of that red folder and other points. It also alleges Small used a checklist when taking applications from other candidates and did not use a checklist when accepting Hudsons.

The evidence would rather suggest that Chairman Howell and Executive Director Bell Small willfully conspired together to make sure that other candidates received the appropriate filing forms, while ensuring that Hudson did not, the lawsuit reads. If Executive Director Small made a mistake by not notifying Hudson of the missing nominating petition, Chair Howell had the final responsibility to notify Hudson, provide the nominating petition, and to do so in a timely manner.

Ultimately, the lawsuit asked for an emergency injunction against Howell and Small, which would have barred them from serving in DCRP roles for the March 1 primary election. A hearing was held prior to the election, at which Hudson testified, but the injunction was not granted. Hagenbuch was the only candidate on the ballot come election day.

The lawsuit also asks the Denton County District Attorneys Office to open a speedy investigation of criminal and fraudulent election violations and allegations henceforth provided in this complaint. In an interview, Hudson said Howell defrauded the Denton County voters by not allowing me to be on the ballot.

Had she followed the law, I wouldve been on the ballot, Hudson said. The one thing theyre trying to twist on this is that Election Code 1.010. Its very specific and says its the offices job to give us all the paperwork.  I shouldve never walked out of that headquarters without those papers.

Hudson was referring to an affidavit included in the lawsuit, which states: This is where the law was not followed. The authority (Bel Small) did not furnish the forms (withdrawal and ten percent of Precinct Chair signatures) that I requested several times, asking if everything was complete for my application filing, according to Texas Election Code Section 1.010.

Hudson said shes OK with the lawsuit being pursued because Howell is not trustworthy to be handling elections. She and one of the plaintiffs directed specific questions about the lawsuits status to Alana Phillips, but Phillips could not be reached after multiple phone calls and messages.

Its not about me anymore, Hudson said. We are looking at different routes. I really did hope that we couldve taken care of it in-house.

A frivolous allegation?

A December letter from Howell, included in the lawsuit as Exhibit A, addresses Hudsons allegations, stating the county chair has five business days to review and accept a filing, and that Small is a notary who provided that service to Hudson as a courtesy.

Immediate review and notice of rejection are not required as has been posted on social media by some, Howell wrote. I arrived at headquarters on December 13th at approximately 5 pm (3 Business days after Connie Hudsons filing).  I informed her we needed her Precinct Chair nominating petition. This was less than 30 min after I reviewed her application. Thus, it was immediate.

In an interview, Howell called the idea of her endorsing Hagenbuch over Hudson a frivolous allegation. As far as Hudsons application is concerned, she said there was no reason to believe Hudson didnt know about the signature requirement, because Hagenbuch had brought up the petition on more than one occasion and at one point asked Hudson for her signature to use in his own campaign.

Regarding Hudson not receiving a candidate information folder, Howell said she was not there on the day Hudson filed, but that she would typically pick one up along with a blank filing form for any candidate. Hudsons application, however, was already filled out. Howell added there are dozens of red folders stacked on a counter in the front door area.

When Connie walked in, she brought in a completed filing form  well, who printed that off for her? Howell said. She brought it in filled out, and she walked straight into [Smalls] office to get it notarized. We just didnt think about the red folder.  It was sitting on the counter that she and several others had to pass several times. We would offer it to any candidate.

Howell said its the candidates responsibility to know the filing requirements, and the DCRPs responsibility is to provide any information that a candidate needs upon request.

We had several candidates file early in the period that were missing items or made mistakes on their filing forms that we had to reject, Howell said. But they filed early in the period, so they had an opportunity to correct it and get on the ballot.

Howell called the lawsuits premise meritless and said she is being criticized for exercising her responsibility to the election laws. She said its illogical to think she would try to purposely keep Hudson off the ballot.

There would be no reason for me to want to do that, Howell said. I kept Connie in leadership as one of our officers for four years.  To be slandered here so viciously at the end of my term is very disappointing.

Case nearing the end?

Denton-based attorney Sam Burke, representing Howell, said his understanding of the lawsuit is that the legal question comes down to whether or not Howell notified Hudson of the defects in her application within the five-business-day period.

Theres not an immediate obligation to review it because there are a lot of applications theyre receiving, so the law gives them five days to do it, Burke said. They did it. If you file your application less than five days before the deadline, this is a problem you can have. Theres a way to get control of this: You can file your application 10 days before.

Burke said the plaintiffs first needed to prove there was a failure to respond and then that the injunction barring Howell from a role in the election would remedy the issue. The court denied the request, he said.

They got a hearing on it, and the court denied the request, Burke said. They would have to change whats in their pleading and then ask the court to do something else.

Regarding the request for a Denton County District Attorneys Office investigation, Burke said its a novel request and that he doesnt believe the court would have the authority to initiate that. He said hell be sending over a written order this week, which could end up closing the case after the plaintiffs get a chance to respond.

Only the judge decides this, Burke said. It didnt appear to me that the judge found it credible, but I dont know whats in the judges mind.

Related

Quote Had [Jayne Howell] followed the law, I wouldve been on the ballot.  I shouldve never walked out of that headquarters without those papers.  Connie Hudson, who had hoped to run for chair of the Denton County Republican Party
MYANMAR is one of the closest neighbours of Bangladesh. Before World War II, many people from Bangladesh used to travel to Myanmar (Burma then) in search of livelihood. Since then, the people of this country have developed an economic and social relationship with Burma. Apart from India, Bangladesh shares a border with Myanmar.

The 271km-long Bangladesh-Myanmar border is very important for Bangladesh due to geographical reasons. Bangladesh can use Myanmar by land for communication with Southeast Asian countries including China. Road connectivity is possible through Myanmar, perhaps a new horizon of relationships and possibilities unfolds.

Myanmar can also use Bangladesh to reach South Asia, especially Nepal, Bhutan and India. Bangladesh and Myanmar both share a common regional platform like The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC). On the other hand, Bangladesh is considered a hub between South Asia and Southeast Asia.

It is true that Bangladesh is a Southeast Asian country geographically but a South Asian country culturally, demographically and historically. This is an outstanding geo-strategic characteristic of Bangladesh.

Therefore, without the involvement of Bangladesh, any connectivity among the states of Asean and South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation is absolutely impossible. Myanmar is a country rich in natural resources. There are huge amounts of natural resources like tin, zinc, copper, tungsten, coal, marble, limestone, natural gas, hydropower etc.

The major resource of this country is mineral resources and Myanmar can be a major source of energy for Bangladesh to ensure its energy security. Food and grains are produced in large quantities in Myanmar and it can also be a big helper for Bangladesh in the field of food security.

The country has a huge potential for rice cultivation, but lands there have not been unutilised for decades due to lack of human resources. Myanmar needs labourers as rice production in Myanmar accounts for approximately 43% of total agricultural production in the country, making it the seventh largest producer of rice in the world.

Out of 67.6 million hectares of land, 12.8 million are used for cultivation. In 2019 alone, Myanmar accounted for 13,300 million tonnes of milled rice production. Rice production in Myanmar is heavily dependent on human and animal power, both traditional methods of cultivation. However, it lacks manpower and technology in this regard.

But Bangladesh has these two things. It has a surplus of human resource and Myanmar can utilise it for maximum gain. But Bangladesh has never been able to take full advantage of this opportunity as the country, comprising 135 tribes and different ethnic groups, has been under military rule for many years. That may be one of the reasons why the relationship between Bangladesh and Myanmar is not deep.

If Bangladesh had good relations with Myanmar, its dependence on India could be reduced in many cases and if contacts were made in Southeast Asia and China through Myanmar, there would be immense potential for investment and trade.

Bangladesh and Myanmar are both on the way to becoming developed countries. Bangladesh is going to be a South Asian Economic Miracle, playing a significant role in Myanmar and to some extent all of Southeast Asia.

For this, Myanmar should increase its diplomatic relations with Bangladesh for the better mutual interest for all of South Asia and Southeast Asia. The European Union, China, India, Russia and North Korea are becoming allies in Myanmars oil, gas, mineral resources and military markets.

Taking advantage of US negligence, Myanmars military junta extended a helping hand to China for investment purposes. China is now the biggest investor in this country. According to Earth-Rights International, a private group, more than 26 Chinese companies are investing in Myanmars oil, gas, mineral resources and allied sectors.

China has already become its biggest ally in building and supplying arms to Myanmar. Myanmar has not only developed relations with China, but also with India and both countries are building trade relations with Myanmar.

The US is also changing its approach to the Myanmar question, which is why the US, a strong economic country, has started taking new initiatives to develop relations.

Recently, a 41-year dispute over the maritime border between Bangladesh and Myanmar had been settled by the International Court of Justice.

As a result, the rights of Bangladesh have been established in an area of 11,000 square kilometers. Myanmars waters have also been identified and as a result, this problem has been eliminated.

The path of creating tension in the Bay of Bengal has been blocked. Myanmar is rich in minerals, ores, oil, gas, precious stones and other natural resources and it is major supplier of wood to the world.

While attracting foreign investment has been limited to the oil and gas sector, the country has recently shifted its focus to attracting production-based investment.

The country is well ahead in power generation due to sound investments in hydropower generation. The tourism industry is also a promising sector of the country. Myanmars economy has so far been limited to extracting natural resources, said Nobel laureate economist Professor Joseph Stiglitz, who warned that the country would suffer a curse of wealth if it continued.

Some resource-rich countries in Africa, including Nigeria, Sudan and Benin, have been plagued by corruption, internal strife and poverty.

These countries could not adopt proper wealth management system and economists have opined that if democracy is restored in Myanmar and corruption is reduced, it will not have to go to the level of countries that have failed in wealth management.

Therefore, it can be assumed that Myanmar will become a country with rapid economic growth in a few years. The countrys biggest economic advantage is that it is a member of the 10-nation Asean. Asean is one of the three most successful trade blocs in the world consisting of Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines, Brunei, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar.

The bloc controls about 24% of total world trade and its share in world trade is growing every year and its trade relations with China, Japan and South Korea are deepening due to the increase in trade.

Asean countries account for more than 50% of total trade among themselves and the three countries. As a result, Bangladesh has the opportunity to benefit by strengthening ties with this trade alliance, that is, Myanmar.

Both countries are among the seven member countries of BIMSTEC, as such there is ample opportunity to increase trade and investment relations between them through the initiative.

There are many opportunities to enhance Bangladeshs bilateral trade and investment relations with Myanmar. Through the import of gas and electricity, Bangladesh can obtain future energy security.

The two countries can jointly explore for oil and gas in the Bay of Bengal and Bangladesh can also contribute to the development of Myanmars infrastructure.

The proposed construction of the Asian Highway, funded by the Asian Development Bank and other donor groups, could also increase land connectivity between the two countries and there is ample opportunity to increase shipping.

Furthermore, joint investments can be made in the production of fertiliser, plastic, cement and furniture. Both countries will benefit if Myanmar produces raw materials and Bangladesh utilises its skills, technical knowledge and labour. Myanmar imports almost every product while Bangladesh can export ready-made garments.

Bangladesh produces medicines, electronics. Myanmar can import these from Bangladesh hugely. On the other hand, Myanmar is a source of agricultural products. Bangladesh can import these from Myanmar.

During the moment of Bangladeshs onion crisis with India in 2019, Myanmar provided onions to Bangladesh. Bangladesh understood the importance of bilateral trade with Myanmar at that time. On the flip side, Bangladesh is keen to provide assistance to Myanmar, with Covid-19 vaccine diplomacy, counter terrorism approach for regional security in some sectors.

However, the Rohingya refugee problem has caused a rift between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

As such, Myanmar should solve this problem to serve its own and regional interests. The country should understand that it is an issue in South Asia and Southeast Asia could become volatile and unstable because of it.

However, the two countries can also increase production in the agricultural sector through joint ventures. Apart from adopting joint investment projects, Bangladesh can increase imports of various agricultural products including pulses, spices, fish and rice.

Thus, enhancing bilateral relations could contribute to the growth of trade and investment relations with Asean and BIMSTEC countries. This will create an opportunity to solve the Rohingya problem and stop militant activities. They have to engage sooner than later to find a political solution and restore sanity and human dignity. Therefore, Myanmar and Bangladesh should should take effective steps to strengthen bilateral relations.
Book of Love puts the fun back into romantic comedy

Love is universal! Although the type of universal love that Hollywood has been talking about in romantic comedies over the years has often been pretty unrealistic  honestly when has anyone ever landed in a different country and found everybody, including the person they like, all seem to speak one language. That finally has been addressed in the brand-new romantic comedy Book of Love.

World-Entertainment

By David Griffiths

Sunday 13 March 2022, 11:00AM

Veronica Echegui and Sam Claflin in Book of Love (2022)

Directed by Analeleine Cal y Mayor (Treading Water), the film revolves around a young British writer named Henry Copper (Sam Claflin  Me Before You). Henry has written a romance book that he loves, but it seems like he is the only one because the book is not selling largely due to the lack of sex in it. Despite the feedback Henry is still convinced that romance and sex should never be mixed together.

With the book virtually being given away in bookstores in the UK Henry finds himself called into the offices of his publisher, Jen Spencer (Lucy Punch  Into The Woods), where he is expecting to be fired. Instead though he is told that his book has become a bestseller in Mexico and he must leave straight away for a whirlwind press tour.

On arrival in Mexico Henry discovers that he is a superstar and suddenly he must deal with things such as social media and fans everywhere he goes. However, after meeting Maria Rodriguez (Veronica Echegui  Trust), and seeing how worked up the people become after reading his novel, Henry soon begins to realise that the translation of his novel may be a little different to the English version.

Book of Love does have its moments and to be honest the characters of Henry and Maria are very, very likable, but the thing that sets this film apart from most other romantic comedies is the fact that the director and screenwriter David Quantick (Veep) have attempted to make the film so natural that it is in both English and Spanish. When Henry arrives in Mexico he quickly realises that there are very few people with whom he can actually converse. So important is that to the plot of the film it becomes a central theme of the film and also provides a great deal of laughs as Henry tries to converse with people, including Marias son.

While there is a lot to like about Book of Love, including some of its witty dialogue, there are moments that are so cheesy you will groan  wait until you see the poor acting when Marias ex-husband, Antonio (Horacio Garcia Rojas  Narcos: Mexico), is hit in the head with a book,  and of course if you have seen enough of these films you will be able to pick the ending off a mile away.

But the film is still a fun ride as it plays out to get to that ending. As was mentioned previously both Henry and Maria are likeable characters and you find yourself wanting to see them get together from the first moment they meet.

Quanticks screenplay also surrounds the two with interesting enough characters. Antonio is a cliched villain but still a villain that you will hate. Then there is Henrys Mexican publisher who again is a walking cliche but still manages to pull the laughs. Mainly though the likable parts of this film play out between Henry and Maria and Henry and Marias young son  and it is those moments throughout the film that keep the audience interested. And for the laughs  well they do come frequently during the film but are mainly from the many, many Mexican fans that will do or say anything to spend time with Henry.

Book of Love does have its flaws but for the most part it remains a likeable film. The filmmakers behind it need to be congratulated for having the courage to create a bilingual film because that in itself brings a realism to this film that makes it lovable.

Book of Love opens in Phuket on Mar 17 and has yet to be classified.

2.5/5 Stars

David Griffiths has been working as a film and music reviewer for over 20 years. That time has seen him work in radio, television and in print. You can follow him at www.facebook.com/subcultureentertainmentaus
Top cops son crashes Porsche into motorcycle, rider killed

BANGKOK: A Pakistani refugee was killed when a sports car driven by the son of a former deputy national police chief crashed into his motorcycle early yesterday (Mar 12), police said.

deathpolice

By Bangkok Post

Sunday 13 March 2022, 09:35AM

Investigators examine the scene of the accident where a Porsche sports car struck a motorcycle near the Taksin Bridge in Bangkok early yesterday (Mar 12). Photo: Nakhon 002, FM91 Trafficpro via Bangkok Post

The Porsche Taycan Turbo S driven by Pornmet Songmetta, son of Pol Gen Wirachai Songmetta, crashed into the Yamaha Fino motorcycle driven by Waseem Ahmad near the Taksin Bridge in Bangkok, around 1am, said Pol Capt Thamnong Montha, deputy inspector at the Samrae police station.

The 40-year-old motorcyclist later succumbed to his head wounds at Taksin Hospital, reports the Bangkok Post.

Pornmet sustained head and face injuries from contact with the steering wheel and received treatment at Suksawat Hospital.

Following his treatment, he reported to police and admitted that he had carelessly made a sudden lane change before the incident. Police were waiting for results of his alcohol blood test and medical examination, Pol Capt Thamnong said.

Police were expected to charge him with reckless driving causing death.

Pornmet, 29, is an executive of Absolute Clean Energy, a renewable energy company listed on the SET100 Index. His family are the major shareholders in the business. Forbes magazine estimated the net worth of Pol Gen Wirachai at US$585 million (B19.4 billion) after the market listing in November 2019.

Pol Gen Wirachai was to return to his post in October last year after a court overturned his firing a year earlier over the leak of a sensitive recording.

In the call, former national police chief Chakthip Chaijinda is heard ordering Pol Gen Wirachai to steer clear of an investigation into a shooting that had targeted another high-profile police figure, Surachate Big Joke Hakparn.
UN to hold more meetings this week on Ukraine war

NEW YORK: The United Nations will have multiple meetings this week about Russias war in Ukraine, though it is unclear if they will lead to the adoption of an official text, diplomats said.

deathpoliticsRussianUkraineviolence

By AFP

Sunday 13 March 2022, 10:06AM

Russian forces are waging a multipronged assault on Ukraine. Photo: Sergey Bobok / AFP

Tomorrow (Mar 14), the Security Council will discuss the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). Polish foreign minister Zbigniew Rau is expected to speak during the session, one of the diplomatic sources told AFP yesterday.

Although this is an annual meeting, it will place special focus on the war in Ukraine and will likely see fresh calls for peace.

For two weeks, a French-Mexican draft resolution on humanitarian aid has been debated by some council members. Members originally hoped to vote on the text in early March, but a date for a vote has not yet been set.

On Friday, Chinas ambassador to the UN Zhang Jun told AFP he had not yet seen a finalized text.

According to the draft version, obtained by AFP, the council would deplore the dire humanitarian consequences of the hostilities against Ukraine.

The body would demand an immediate cessation of hostilities, particularly all attacks on civilians.

The text would also require the protection of civilians, including humanitarian personnel and persons in vulnerable situations such as children.

The draft is at risk of being vetoed by Russia, which has been rejecting all political texts, according to diplomats - some of whom have suggested the draft be submitted directly to the UN General Assembly.

There is no veto power in the larger forum, but resolutions passed by the assembly are not binding like those passed by the Council.

On Mar 2, the General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution that deplores Russias invasion of its neighbor and demands the immediate withdrawal of troops.

A total of 141 countries voted in favor of the resolution and five against, with 35 abstaining.

In addition, the Security Council may finally meet on human rights violations, according to diplomats.

The prosecutor for the International Criminal Court (ICC), Britains Karim Khan, who would attend such a meeting, urged Friday for the parties in Ukraine not to use heavy weapons in populated areas.

The ICC, based in the Hague, was created in 2002 to try individuals for war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide.

Ukraine did not sign the Rome Statute, the ICCs founding treaty, but in 2014 Kyiv recognized the courts jurisdiction over crimes committed in its territory.

Moscow withdrew its signature from the Rome Statute in 2016, meaning Russians can only be prosecuted if they are arrested within the territory of a country that respects the ICCs jurisdiction.
Wreath-laying ceremony takes place at Heroines Monument

PHUKET: The wreath-laying ceremony for the 237th Heroines Festival took place this morning (Mar 13) at the Heroines Monument on Thepkasattri Road in Thalang.

culture

By The Phuket News

Sunday 13 March 2022, 02:48PM

Phuket Governor Narong Woonciew presided over the ceremony which started at 8am this morning. Thi was then followed an hour later by various representatives from government agencies and private sector entities jointly laying wreaths to honour ancestors and the two sisters, Chan and Mook, who lead the Phuket contingent in repelling the Burmese invasion in 1785.

Whereas the festival is an annual occurrence, the Heroines Monument on Thepkasattri Road wasnt built until 1966 when the then Governor, Uan Surakul, worked together with locals to build a structure that was fitting to honour the memory and legacy of those who fought and died during the afore mentioned Burmese invasion.

To further celebrate the 237th anniversary of Thalang Victory Day, there will be a traditional light and sound show and historical play entitled 237 years of honouring the two heroines of Thalang this evening at Phuket Historical Park, for many years called Thalang Victory Field, in Baan Riang, Thalang.

Local food stalls will be on offer throughout the festival while COVID-19 health and safety measures will be enforced throughout. Tourists and local residents are welcome to attend. The festivities run until Tuesday (Mar 15).
Montreal, CA (H4T1V6)

Today

Steady light rain this morning. Showers continuing this afternoon. High 15C. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies. Slight chance of a rain shower. Low near 4C. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Welcome to The Denver Gazettes Metro Moves. Youll get the latest metro Denver openings, closings, hiring and promotion briefs here. To submit your companys news, drop an email to dennis.huspeni@gazette.com.

Opening soon

Promising views from Pikes Peak to Longs Peak from a rooftop bar, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants announced plans for a 190-room, 19-story boutique hotel in the Denver Tech Center, according to a news release from IHG Hotels & Resorts.

The hotel will be at 6985 E. Chenango Ave., Denver, northwest of Belleview Avenue and I-25. It will be Kimptons third location in metro Denver, with the other two downtown: Kimpton Hotel Monaco and Kimpton Hotel Born in Union Station.

The hotel aims to appeal to business travelers, with walking-distance access to the RTD Belleview Light Rail station and 7,000 square feet of meeting and event space.

The US Mountain Region has always been an appealing market for us, CEO Mike DeFrino said in the release. The success of properties such as the Hotel Born in Denvers Union Station and the Armory Hotel in Bozeman, Montana confirm that our adventurous spirit and work hard play hard mentality have found a like-minded home here. Were thrilled to be expanding in Colorado and look forward to working alongside our partners at DTC Hospitality to bring their vision to life and infuse our heartfelt care and passion for highly personalized experiences into the new Kimpton Denver Tech Center.

The property will be owned by DTC Hospitality Investors LLC, developed by Cypress 16 LLC in conjunction with McClurg Century Investments LLC. KGD Architecture designed the building and KARAMANN will handle the interior. Its being built by general contractor Harvey-Cleary Builders.

We are thrilled to become part of Belleview Station and partner with Kimpton to bring a vibrant full-service boutique hotel to DTC, Gary Roffe, managing partner at DTC Hospitality, said in the release. Our distinctive restaurant and rooftop venue will add new experiences to an area rich in community and the place we call home.

Its scheduled to open in early 2024.

Reopening

Louisville CycleBar owners Dale and Laurette Binke spent more than two months cleaning the damage caused by the Marshall fire and reopened the business at 459 McCaslin Blvd. on March 5.

In addition to introducing the Phoenix Ride  a 60-minute class focused on the strength of community, owners offered free and discounted memberships to victims of the Dec. 30 wildfire that destroyed almost 1,100 homes and businesses. Owners also allowed customers to gift memberships sponsored by the studio to someone else in need, and let anyone affected by the fires ride for free.

Over the last several weeks our community has held on, weve let go, weve mourned what we lost and weve come together to find our rock-solid resolve to move forward, lead instructor Lisa Merves, whose family lost their home in the fire, said in a news release. The road back home will be long, but we often find that its the steepest hills that lead us to the most beautiful places. We are finding so much strength in the kindness and support of friends and family near and far.

We are thrilled to bring our incredible community back together during tough times like these to celebrate the strength of riding and rising as one, the Binkes said in the release. The studio cant wait to welcome back familiar faces as well as new guests looking for a place to ride, recover, and ready for the road ahead.

For more information, visit the CycleBar website or call 720-304-5664.
EDWARDSVILLE  The Madison County Board is poised for a final vote Wednesday on the sale of the Plum Street property in Edwardsville.

The sale of the 14-acre site has been approved by the county board's Buildings and Facilities Management, and Finance and Government Operations committees. It's on the agenda for the full board to consider at its Wednesday meeting.

In February a single bidder, The Staenberg Group  a multi-state development company with offices in St. Louis and Denver  offered the county $3.86 million for the property at the intersection of Illinois 159 and Governors Parkway. The company is also developing Orchard Town Center in Glen Carbon.

The bid was the minimum the county had said would be acceptable. It also was the propertys appraised value.

The sale has been controversial. Opponents want the property kept as greenspace and, before it is sold, a developer should have tro provide detailed plans for the site. They also argue development of the site will increase traffic in the area.

Also on Wednesday, the county board will consider appointments to various board and committees, including another attempt to replace the current chairman of the Madison County Transit District board, Ron Jedda.

The agenda includes the appointment of Derrick Keith Cox to a four-year term, replacing Jedda.

Madison County Board Chairman Kurt Prenzler attempted to replace Jedda several times last year, but got no support from the board. In February 2021 Prenzler nominated Charles Brinza to Jeddas seat. Then, in April and May 2021, he nominated Cedric Irby. Irby's name was placed on county board's June agenda, but his name was replaced by Richard W. Gibson who nominated to replace Jedda at the county board's July meeting.

The appointment was one of several pulled from that agenda.

A total of 30 appointments to 25 separate board, ranging from the countys Zoning Board of Appeals to various cemetery and fire district boards, are on Wednesday's county board agenda.

The board chairman has appointment powers from about 70 different boards. But the appointments must be approved by the full board.

The Madison County Board meeting is set for 5 p.m. Wednesday, March 16 in the County Board Room of the Administration Building in Edwardsville.
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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I like to think of my behavior in the sixties as a learning experience. Then again, I like to think of anything stupid Ive done as a learning experience. It makes me feel less stupid.

- P. J. ORourke

As another milestone birthday approaches (my 65th) Im giving in to remembrances of days long past. Like the day I turned 11, in 1968, when my thoughts were probably about riding my bike and the upcoming, always blissful, summer vacation.

The late sixties were, like always it seems, a time of serious issues, when people just a few years older than me took a stand against another war, while I was cluelessly opening a few presents and likely enjoying one of Moms homemade chocolate cakes. One of these groups of protesters called themselves The Catonsville Nine. And the war they protested was in Vietnam. On that day in mid-May they went to the draft board in Catonsville, Maryland, took 378 draft files, brought them to the parking lot in wire baskets, dumped them out, poured homemade napalm over them, and set them on fire. I admire people who take a stand. But looking back, Im thankful I was born in 1957 and not 47. Chocolate beats napalm every time.

If someone thinks that love and peace are cliches that must have been left behind in the Sixties, thats his problem. Love and peace are eternal.John Lennon

The month before the event in Catonsville, on April 4, Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot to death at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis. This caused an outbreak of riots in major American cities, which lasted for several days. Two months later police arrested James Earl Ray and charged him as Dr. Kings assassin.

Two months and a day after King died, Sirhan Bishara Sirhan fired a .22 caliber revolver at Senator Robert Kennedy in the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles, during a campaign rally, just after Kennedy had finished addressing supporters in the hotels main ballroom. George Plimpton, Rosey Grier, author Pete Hamill and 1960 Olympic gold medalist Rafer Johnson were among several men who subdued and disarmed Sirhan.

26 hours later, Kennedys presidential bid, and his life, came to an end.

Two days before RFK was shot, Valerie Jean Solanas waited for Andy Warhol at his New York studio. When he arrived she shot at him three times, hitting him once. Solanas was the author of the SCUM (Society for Cutting Up Men) Manifesto, which encouraged male gendercide and the creation of an all-female society. She was apparently mad at Warhol because he hadnt returned a script shed sent to him.

In September of 68, France exploded their first hydrogen bomb. Im not sure if they ever set off another, but fortunately the concept of French Terrorism never took off.

The other day they asked me about mandatory drug testing. I said I believed in drug testing a long time ago. All through the sixties I tested everything.  Bill Lee

January 20, 1969Richard Milhous Nixon succeeds Lyndon Baines Johnson as the 37th President of the U.S.

January 28A blowout on Union Oils Platform spills 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil into a channel and onto the beaches of Santa Barbara County in Southern California, inspiring Wisconsin Senator Gaylord Nelson to organize the first Earth Day the following year.

January 30  The Beatles give their last public performance, on the roof of Apple Records. The police broke up the impromptu concert.

July 17  The New York Times publicly takes back their 1920 published ridicule of rocket scientist Robert H. Goddard, that spaceflight is impossible.

July 20  The lunar module Eagle lands on the lunar surface. The world watches as Neil Armstrong takes his historic first steps on the Moon.

If you can remember anything about the sixties, you werent really there.Paul Kantner
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On March 9, Marion Ford, of Tennessee, was traveling on I-24 when for unknown reasons, she lost control of her Kia Soul and struck the cable median divider, according to the Caldwell County Sheriffs Office. Passengers Dexter White, 28, and Alexis Hardy, 22, both of Tennessee, and a 4-year-old child were uninjured. Ford was taken from the scene by Caldwell County EMS for treatment of non-life-threatening injuries.
One of Washington College Academys new divisions is the School of Arts and Crafts where sewing, basket making and drawing are among the many classes offered.
Water and sewer projects may not spark the imagination with possibilities, but they are crucial to a communitys future growth.

When Houston County commissioners began prioritizing how to spend the $20.6 million allocated for the county in the American Rescue Plan, they looked at projects with long-term impacts  water, sewer, and infrastructure.

What we really wanted to focus on were projects that we could invest in  and I dont use that term lightly  that we could invest in the community to create things that would continue for years going forward to create revenue for the county, create opportunities for our citizens, Houston County Commission Chairman Mark Culver said.

Like an industrial park that could create jobs or a water system that will allow for future development.

The majority of the money we wanted to invest in the community so that 10 years from now, 20 years from now, we could look back and still see our investment giving back to the community and the citizens, Culver said.

Under the $350 billion American Rescue Plan, counties across the country are getting $65.1 billion in direct aid through the plans State and Local Coronavirus Fiscal Recovery Funds. State and local governments have until the end of 2024 to obligate funds for projects and until the end of 2026 to spend the federal money.

Monday, the Houston County Commission will consider approving a list of seven priority projects that add up to nearly $14.8 million of the countys total allocation. Also on Monday, commissioners will consider authorizing the first allocation among its priority projects  a water infrastructure project with the Houston County Water Authority. Even though the commission may approve a list of priority projects, each project will come back to the commission for final approval.

Along with Houston Countys $20.6 million, other Wiregrass counties were allocated millions of dollars: Barbour County, $4.8 million; Coffee County, $10.2 million; Covington County, $7.2 million; Dale County, $9.6 million; Geneva County, $5.1 million; Henry County, $3.3 million; and Pike County, $6.4 million.

Houston Countys plans for the remaining $5.8 million not allocated for priority projects will be finalized later, Culver said.

There are restrictions on how the federal dollars can be spent, and Culver said its important that the county ensures that money is spent appropriately. There have been requests to assist volunteer fire departments, nonprofit agencies and others.

Weve got to make sure these funds are spent properly, Culver said.

Here is a breakdown of Houston Countys priority projects:

Houston County Water Authority  $5 million

The first allocation set to come up for approval, this Houston County Water Authority project includes a new 250,000 gallon water tank and 16-inch water lines down the U.S. 231 South corridor all the way to the Florida state line.

The project will improve water service down the 231 corridor, including the countys distribution park. While the county has provided funding to the water authority in the past, the authority is not funded in the countys budget, Culver said. The federal windfall allows for improvements that would be difficult for the authority to do otherwise.

The water authority has needed an additional tank for several years, Culver said. This just allows us to partner with them.

Window replacement for administrative building  $4.5 million

While Culver said its hard to imagine paying $4.5 million for windows, the project has been repeatedly delayed by the county for about three to four years due to the expense.

The six-story Houston County Administrative Building has floor-to-ceiling windows on the front and back of the structure and is plagued with leaks during heavy, blowing rain storms. Culver said had it not been for the American Rescue Plan funds, the county would have probably borrowed money this year for new windows.

We just cant ask our employees to work under those conditions, and we cant ask citizens to come into that building and work that way, he said.

Municipal sewer projects  $1.75 million total

These are actually four separate projects being funded by each of the municipalities involved. The county is simply contributing money toward the projects.

Taylor, Kinsey, and Cowarts will each receive $500,000 to go toward building sewer treatment plants and laying sewer lines. Rehobeth will get $250,000 to help it lay sewer lines and connect to Dothans sewer system. Theres very little sewerage out in the county, Culver said. Septic tanks are the rule rather than the exception.

As Commissioner Brandon Shoupe put it during Thursdays county commission administrative meeting, some things just arent possible without adequate sewer.

These expansions will allow future developments that right now are probably unfathomable in some of these areas, Shoupe said. You cant have a really nice grocery store unless you have sewer.

Industrial property  $1 million

This is a partnership with the City of Dothan and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce to secure a large tract of land, about 100 acres, for industrial development.

The chamber, Culver said, is out of inventory when it comes to large acreage. Culver said property off Napier Field Road is being considered, and its hoped there could be partnerships with other neighboring counties, such as Dale County, in the future.

Weve been working to try to locate some property that we could develop to have industrial property, he said.

Downtown green space  $1 million

With this project, the City of Dothan will basically be a sub-recipient, and the county will simply be contributing money to a larger project that could open up an area from the Dothan Civic Center all the way to Foster Street for green space.

If it comes to fruition, we absolutely want to be a part and partner with that, Culver said. It will be a game changer for our community if it all comes to fruition.

Homeland Security building  $1 million

Houston County has Homeland Security equipment in storage at the Houston County Farm Center. Since the county commission will consider an offer from the City of Dothan to purchase the farm center property on Monday, the county will need another site to store the equipment used by the Sheriffs Department and Emergency Management

The possible sale of the farm center to the city, however, created an opportunity for the two local governments to collaborate on a storage facility that both can utilize.

HVAC upgrades  $500,000

This project deals primarily with upgrades to the heating and air conditioning system within the current Houston County Sheriffs Office on North Oates Street next to the county courthouse. The upgrades wont be undertaken until the sheriffs department moves out of the building and into their new home next to the countys admin building a few blocks north.

Upgrades will be done before a new occupant moves into the space.

Peggy Ussery is a Dothan Eagle staff writer and can be reached at aussery@dothaneagle.com or 334-712-7963. Support her work and that of other Eagle journalists by purchasing a digital subscription today at dothaneagle.com.

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Turbines spin as a blood moon lunar eclipse sets behind the towers on the Shiloh II wind farm in the Montezuma Hills near Bird's Landing, California, on May 26, 2021. (Brian van der Brug/Los Angeles Times/TNS)
US Policy: Cheer Ukrainians On -- and Keep Us Out!
France will still give aerial military support to Malian troops battling an Islamist insurgency in the Sahel even after its counter-terrorism mission has withdrawn, but only where Russian fighters are not present, the forces commander said on Friday.

Malis former colonial power announced last month that it would pull out 2,400 troops first deployed to Mali almost a decade ago, after relations with the countrys ruling military junta turned sour earlier this year. read more

Tensions arose over the juntas decision to delay democratic elections in February, as well as its collaboration with private contractors belonging to Russias Wagner group.

But the commander of Operation Barkhane, General Laurent Michon, told a press briefing in neighbouring Burkina Faso that France would continue to offer aerial support in areas free of Russian mercenaries.

We will continue to help via air by training people on the ground who are capable of calling planes, of guiding them, he said, adding that similar support would be offered to soldiers in Burkina Faso and Niger, which also shares a border with Mali.

Malis military spokesman did not respond to calls for comment.

The country has been struggling to reign in insurgents with ties to al Qaeda since they seized its desert north in 2012, prompting France to send troops to push them back the following year.

The militants, now also linked to Islamic State, have regrouped in recent years and seized swathes of countryside despite the presence of foreign boots and U.N. peacekeepers.

There are fears Frances departure could undermine efforts to quell violence that has also spread into Niger, Burkina Faso and other neighbouring countries, killing thousands and displacing millions.

At least 10 people were killed and several wounded in Burkina Faso on Friday when militants attacked an informal gold mining site in the northern province of Seno, which borders Niger, a local government official and a military source said.

Operation Barkhane will take four to six months to withdraw its troops in Mali.

The European Union has imposed sanctions on the Wagner Group, accusing it of clandestine operations on the Kremlins behalf.

Russias President Vladimir Putin said there were no ties between Wagner and his government, although more than a dozen people with links to the group previously told Reuters it has carried out clandestine combat missions for Russia in Ukraine, Libya and Syria.

France estimated in January that between 300 and 400 Russian mercenaries were operating in Mali, while Sweden puts that figure at around 800.

SOURCE: REUTERS
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ALBANY  "Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience," a world-renowned traveling virtual exhibition of 19th century painter Vincent van Gogh's work, is coming to Albany in June.

Yet the exact location remains "secret"  for now  with the immersive experience website teasing the location will be revealed soon.

Tickets for the 20,000-square-foot light and sound spectacular featuring two-story projections of the post-impressionist artists works will go online Thursday, March 17 at 10 a.m., according to a countdown timer on the events website.

People can sign up now for the waitlist for ticket announcements. In perhaps a targeted marketing move, posts about the exhibit began appearing in Albany area Facebook feeds over the weekend. Ticket prices will start at $32.20 for adults and $19.10 for children.

The show, which has been featured in major cities across the U.S., Europe and Asia, has only been as close as New York City and Boston to the Capital Region. The Boston show has ended, but a more permanent installation in Manhattan still attracts people from hundreds of miles away.

Judging from the list of cities that are hosting the virtual experience, it appears the show is expanding into smaller markets, with other June shows scheduled for Cincinatti, Ohio and Grand Rapids, Michigan.

The notion of the secret location, the idea that you dont find out until the last minute  that is all a part of the excitement, Exhibition Hub CEO Mario Iacampo told Cincinnati.com last week.

Promotional materials promise a 360 video, light and music experience and total artistic immersion that will display projections of the Dutch painters work, including one of his most well-known pieces, 1889's "The Starry Night." There are also virtual reality experiences available, and a physical re-creation of the room in "Bedroom in Arles" that van Gogh painted in 1888.

The events website illustrates attendees gazing at projections of the artists swirling and vivid creations, blown up and broadcast on giant walls.

The results are in See the winners of each category of the 2022 Best of the Capital Region contest, as determined by popular vote.

Over 5 million people have attended the shows worldwide since 2017.

A second installation, Beyond Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience, is also criss-crossing the country.

Van Gogh: The Immersive Experience is organized by a Brussels-based company called Exhibition Hub, whose website said it has produced more than 70 exhibitions and immersive edutainment experiences around the world, reaching more than 6 million visitors.
COLONIE  A generation ago, 205 Wolf Road was one of the Capital Region's preeminent hotels.

Called the Best Western Turf Inn when it opened in the mid-1970s, it hosted Hollywood stars, New York governors and thousands who used it as a stopping point between Albany and the 1980 Olympics in Lake Placid, according to the Times Union's photo archives of the property.

But now the large structure on one of the Capital Region's busiest commercial strips is vacant, and has been given the "X" designation by the town of Colonie, signifying to first responders that the building is unsafe to enter.

From the archives: Wolf Road through the years

The hotel closed at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 and never reopened, said Sean Maguire, director of economic planning and development for Colonie. The building, which was last called the Red Lion Inn, has since been determined a safety risk, with the white "X" with the red background recently seen mounted to the front of the building to let emergency responders know to avoid entering it. Wayne Spenziero, manager of Colonie's building department, did not immediately return a request for comment about the structural status of the building.

The "X" designation was posted on the front of the building a few weeks ago, but the sign appears to be gone this past week.

Since the pandemic shutdown people have broken into the property and smashed windows, destroyed dry wall and spray-painted walls, according to photos local radio station WGNA published online last month. A van also spray-painted with graffiti has also been left in front of the hotel.

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 property went into foreclosure during the pandemic and was bought by 205 Wolf LLC on Nov. 29, according to a deed filed with the Albany County clerk's office on Dec. 1. The manager of the company that formerly owned the property is based in Florida, and has been involved with the bankruptcy of dozens of hotels around Orlando, according to news reports.

Maguire said the new owners are in the process of putting together a revenue-generating plan to either reuse or rehabilitate the building. The Albany Business Review reported that the new owners said they likely would not reopen the main building as a hotel.

The 205 Wolf LLC has the same address listed with the New York state State Department as Trinity Realty Group, which owns many properities on Wolf Road. However, TRG President Kevin Parisi said Sunday that the wrong address is on file for that LLC, and Trinity is not the new owner of the hotel. "Unfortunately we are not the owners," he wrote in an email. "The LLC is not part of our company."




ALBANY  As he makes his rounds at Albany Medical Center these days, Dr. Dennis McKenna can almost sense a pre-pandemic atmosphere.

In the past two years, the hospital system has diagnosed a total of 4,511 people with COVID-19 and admitted 3,273 to the hospital for care. More than 1,000 of those patients became so sick that they had to be transferred to intensive care units, and nearly half of those patients required the assistance of ventilators to breathe.

Today, the beds are no longer full of COVID-19 patients. Staffers, many of whom fell sick during the recent omicron wave of infections, have returned. At one point during the recent surge, some 700 employees tested positive, McKenna said. One day last week, the number was just 10.

I will tell you that walking through the hospital right now there are some reminders that we're dealing with COVID, including the fact that in our clinical workspaces everybody continues to be masked, said McKenna, an emergency medicine physician and president and CEO of the hospital. But if it wasn't for things like that, I would say that the hospital, for the first time in about two years, really does feel like it's back to the way things were operating before the pandemic.

As the region and nation continue to experience a precipitous drop in COVID-19 infections heading into the pandemic's third year, calls for a return to normalcy are intensifying. Mask mandates are being lifted. Businesses are planning to bring employees back into offices. And people everywhere are eager to move beyond the awfulness that has marked the past two years.

But moving on wont be so easy, experts say.

Signs of COVID-19s devastation are everywhere  from children who lost caregivers and people living with debilitating long COVID symptoms to rising crime, record numbers of drug overdoses and soaring mental health crises. Public health leaders who worked on the Capital Regions front lines believe the fallout from these crises will likely last generations. But there are actions decision-makers can take now to lessen the impact, they say.

While many are exhausted by stress, some worry the drumbeat of calls to return to normal are simply at odds with whats happening on the ground in communities where vaccine skepticism and rates of chronic disease are high.

I think in some respects the shift is too soon, said Dr. Brenda Robinson, founder and CEO of the Black Nurses Coalition, an Albany-based organization fighting health care disparities. I also think were forever changed, so I have a problem with entities giving the impression that, OK, in a couple months we'll be fine  youll go back to living your lives as usual. That typically doesn't happen with a pandemic. Maybe our grandchildren may get to that, I don't know, but right now, I don't think that is the safest message to get. Because we are still in a pandemic, and we still have a lot of barriers and hurdles to get over.

"We are still in this, Robinson said.

"Folks who were good are no longer good"

The long-term impacts of COVID-19 are already being felt, local health leaders said.

People who postponed routine care, for example, are now experiencing an increase in more acute complications such as stroke, McKenna said.

Hospital leaders throughout the Capital Region repeatedly issued calls for people to not delay care. But McKenna said public health officials missed an important opportunity to place more emphasis on overall health throughout the pandemic.

The emphasis from the very beginning was only on one aspect of what it takes to keep yourself safe  masking, social isolation, social distancing  and then it was about vaccine, he said. And all those were very appropriate messages at the time. But I wish that we had had a dialogue as a nation over the last two years. And I wish that people took the last two years to get out and to walk, and then to jog, and then to run, or to watch what they eat, or to lose weight or to stop smoking, or to control their blood pressure, or to watch their salt intake."

Not only would those behaviors have lessened a person's risk of developing severe COVID-19, McKenna believes, they would have helped prevent strokes, heart attacks and disease.

Of course, pursuing healthy habits during times of unrelenting stress is easier said than done. Many people turned to drugs, alcohol and comfort food to cope. The impact was felt almost immediately: By April 2020 localities throughout the region were reporting a disturbing spike in drug overdoses; federal data has since revealed that overdose fatalities in the U.S. are at an all-time high.

The impact on mental health is being felt in other ways, too. Albany Meds pediatric and adult emergency departments have seen a significant increase in the number of patients experiencing mental health crises over the last years, McKenna said.

I think it was pretty obvious to some of us in the beginning that this was going to have a significant impact on mental health, and we're seeing that now, he said. And I think that we have to be more careful in the future about mental health and making sure that we have resources in place to deal with not only those that have pre-existing mental health conditions, but those that might develop them as a result of the stress that's been brought out by social isolation and masking and not being able to interact and do the things they did before.

Through her work with the Black Nurses Coalition, Robinson has seen the fallout of COVID-19 in the Capital Region's most marginalized communities.

She and her largely volunteer-run team of Black nurses spent weekends and weeknights throughout the pandemic knocking on doors in Albanys Arbor Hill, West Hill and South End neighborhoods to get the word out about COVID-19 precautions and, later, vaccines. They also conducted wellness checks and helped people get food, health care and transportation.

The needs they encountered were  and still are  great, Robinson said.

I'm not taking anything away from 9/11 at all, because that was horrible, but people are still suffering from that, she said. To this day, people are still suffering. And I think with this pandemic, people will still be suffering. So for folks to give a message that, 'Oh, we're great now, we can throw away these masks and it's gonna be business as usual'  no, it's not.

"Folks who were good are no longer good," she said. "People who were stable are no longer stable. Folks who did not need help need help now. And some people who were healthy are surely not healthy now.

Hard lessons learned

As the nation begins to chart a path out of the pandemic, Capital Region health leaders believe we need to take a hard look at our response over the past two years.

Albany County Health Commissioner Dr. Elizabeth Whalen said one of the hardest lessons learned was the importance of early and rapid surveillance testing. The U.S. needs to ensure it has the domestic supply chain and technological capabilities to ramp up testing in the face of a new communicable disease, she said.

We did not have that capability until the disease was really widespread, she 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 federal government and states also need to invest in their public health workforce if they hope to have a robust response during public health emergencies, she said. After years of underfunding and attrition, local health departments like hers had to rely on a largely volunteer-run workforce to help with contact tracing, case management and vaccination clinics, she said.

Beefing up the health care workforce overall  in hospitals, nursing homes and other settings  will also be key, McKenna said. Longstanding staffing shortages in the sector have only worsened throughout the pandemic; reversing them will take time.

There has to be a Manhattan Project-type effort to get young adults, college, high school, grade school interested in going into health care, he said.

Perhaps the most obvious lesson learned was the significant and real-life impact that disinformation had on people over the past two years, officials said. It didnt help that the science on the coronavirus was so new and changed as the virus mutated, Whalen said.

That's what viruses do: They change and evolve," she said. "And for the public, I think that created a perception that the information was changing because people were flip-flopping. That's not the case. That was because the virus was changing and the information adapts as you learn more with data. ... That, to me, was a very big challenge.

"The needle is health care disparities"

In Robinsons view, government efforts moving forward can't just be focused on keeping rates of COVID-19 low and vaccinations high. The virus had a disproportionate impact on communities of color because of longstanding health inequities fueled by systemic racism, she said.

The vast majority of coronavirus fatalities were in people who had comorbidities such as hypertension and diabetes  two conditions that continue to disproportionately affect Black people, she pointed out.

We can't continue to pretend that our dilemma, our present paradigm right now in health care disparities  and even the social determinants of health  are not based on racism, Robinson said. We just can't continue to ignore those pieces.

The return-to-normal rhetoric hasn't given Robinson much hope that government leaders are serious about systemic change. People have to show up to public forums and speak out on issues like health care disparities, she said. They also have to demand representation at the tables where decisions are made.

For me, the needle is not moving, she said. I mean, OK, we're doing better with COVID-19  but where is the needle at? We still have health care disparities, we still have health inequities. The needle doesnt move because our rates of COVID-19 are low. Thats not the needle. The needle is health care disparities ... and that's the needle I want to move.

Robinson said she's also frustrated that the present system of applying for and receiving federal grants that would help with the fallout of COVID-19 are inherently biased against small community organizations like hers.

Many grants that are awarded to community-based organizations are reimbursement-based, with the money arriving after its already spent.

So if someone grants you $25,000 or $50,000 or whatever, youve got to have $50,000 in your pocket, she said. How many small organizations have that?

Whalen agreed that systemic change is needed, and urged public health officials to take advantage of the current spotlight on health care disparities to advocate for funding for programs and services that address them.

The U.S. also needs to have a serious conversation about universal health care, she said.

We have to continue to focus on the importance of providing health care as a right, Whalen said. We're the most developed nation in the world, and our health indicators are not reflective of that. And I think that there needs to be a shift in the entire system.
Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., and his Republican cronies are blaming President Joe Biden for the Russian invasion of Ukraine. He's weak, they say, and his withdrawal from Afghanistan has emboldened Russian President Vladimir Putin and other oligarchs.

Conveniently forgotten is the fact that former President Donald Trump, who apparently remains the sole owner of the U.S. Republican Party, set the date for our withdrawal from Afghanistan and, by that means, set the stage for collapse of the anti-Taliban government. Likewise forgotten is Trump's fawning relationship with Putin, trusting his lies rather than the controverting facts turned up by U.S. intelligence agencies. And, while few Republicans will acknowledge it, Trump remains an admirer of Putin, calling his invasion of Ukraine "savvy."
Her local ward medical center told Minh Anh to wait longer for certificates stating she treated her Covid-19 at home when she visited the place for a third time.

On Feb. 23 the resident of Cau Giay District in Hanoi tested negative for Covid after seven days of home treatment.

The 30-year-old had spent nearly VND3 million for testing and medicines, and her company's HR department advised her to make a claim from social insurance. For this, she needs local officials to certify she was sick and treated herself.

The Law on Social Insurance provides that an employee who falls ill and must temporarily leave work is entitled to a subsidy equal to 75 percent of the salary paid for social insurance in the preceding month. But their health examination results must be issued by a competent medical examination and treatment facility.

Anh expects to receive nearly VND1.1 ($48.16) million, not much, but "better than not getting any money back".

She has obtained all the other documents necessary and only needs a sick leave certificate to make the insurance claim.

When she went to the ward health station to apply for a sick leave certificate, she was told to submit the application by email and wait for a response.

But she has not even received an acknowledgment. When she went to the center to inquire, she was merely told to keep waiting.

She is now worried she might not get her money.

According to a representative of the Yen Hoa Ward health station, the delay in paperwork is because there are many Covid patients who need to be taken care of, health stations are understaffed and personnel there have also been infected.

"We will surely take care of everyone's requests. But it will take time".

Hanoians queue up in front of a ward medical center in Hoang Mai District to get Covid recovery and other certificates needed to make social security claims on Feb. 28, 2022. Photo by VnExpress/Pham Chieu

Duc Hung, 29, also of Cau Giay District contracted Covid on Feb. 7 and was cured a week later. But unlike Anh, he has not even received the certificate saying he has completed home quarantine.

"Since the time I got infected I have made dozens of phone calls to ask for a certificate," he said.

According to many people who had Covid, making a social insurance claim involves tortuous procedures, causing them to give up quickly.

According to an HR employee at an event planning company, only around 10 out of nearly 100 infected employees have submitted all documents while the rest have yet to get them or do not intend to file a claim.

"Many of them do not want to go to ward medical centers because of the crowds there while some said the claim procedure is tortuous".

Nguyen Thuy Phuong, head of the short-term social insurance division at the Vietnam Social Security (VSS), says, "We do not have the authority to issue documents, rules or procedures".

Last November tens of thousands of people in HCMC who treated Covid at home could not make a social insurance claim because ward medical centers only issued certificates of completion of isolation and treatment.

The HCMC VSS resolved it by using the information listed in this document to settle the claims of over 10,000 people.

But the Ministry of Health's Medical Examination and Treatment Administration requires Covid patients treated at home to furnish a sick leave certificate and has asked everyone whose claim was settled to get it.

A majority of Covid patients in Hanoi now have mild symptoms and do not need to visit a medical facility, and so have no way of obtaining a medical certificate to prove their illness.

The city Department of Health has instructed commune and ward health stations to issue the certificate to patients treated at home.

But only medical stations in suburban districts like Dong Anh and Soc Son, where many blue-collar workers live, have issued it and not those in inner districts.

Phuong says: "The Departments of Health of Ho Chi Minh City, Thanh Hoa Province and Nghe An Province have instructed local medical stations to issue medical certificates to recovered patients. But in some localities they have not received the instructions and patients have to wait".

According to the Department of Medical Service Administration, as of March 8 more than 1.5 million Covid patients had treated themselves at home and want to make social insurance claims.

The Ministry of Health has sent the government a proposal recognizing seven types of must-have documents for recovered patients, including sick leave certificates, in order for people to be eligible for social insurance benefits.

These documents will be used as the basis for payment and benefits by the Social Insurance Agency.

"If this proposal was approved perhaps I wouldn't have to risk my life every day by going to the ward's health station, where hundreds of people line up to ask for a leave of absence from work," Ngoc Lan of Cau Giay District, who recovered from Covid on Feb. 28, says.

When she first went, heavily pregnant, to the ward medical station to ask for a medical certificate, she was told to return after four days to get it. But it was delayed and she had to go again on the eighth day.

Mai Quynh of Thanh Xuan District says: "It's too complicated and takes too long".

On Feb. 25, 10 days after recovering from the disease, she did not bother to make an insurance claim.

She does not want to be jostled about by the crowds at the medical center and is also worried her efforts might be in vain since regulations are constantly changed.

Dr Nguyen Huy Nga, former head of the Ministry of Healths General Department of Preventive Medicine, says medical facilities should have methods so that infected and newly recovered people do not have to physically go to medical facilities to obtain the documents.

Some Hanoi wards are directing people to apply for the certificates through the leaders of their residential areas.

Minh Nhat of Hoang Mai District thinks "This way the process will be handled quickly while limiting unnecessary contact".

Anh hopes the ministry's proposal will be approved soon.

"People will suffer less if all paperwork is simplified".\

Since Covid-19 broke out, Vietnam has recorded over 5.83 million patients, of whom more than three million have recovered.
As recent elections and school board debates have illustrated, we can add the teaching of American history to the long list of issues about which our country is intensely arguing.

We can find a way to teach our history, even painful chapters where weve made terrible mistakes, and we can do it in a way that still celebrates the highest aspirations of our great country by recommitting to the principles of a liberal arts education, which had its genesis in ancient Greece and flourished during the Age of Enlightenment.

Our own nations founders understood this. Although the delegates who convened for the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 disagreed on much, they all believed that an educated, informed and engaged citizenry was essential for the republic to survive and prosper.

While it is understandable that teaching of American history would be a very emotional and delicate topic, our current level of discourse simply must improve. A countrys citizens must have a sense of who they are and what they aspire to be. Thus, the aims of education, the curricula schools follow, and the classroom approaches employed are all integral and essential to a viable republic. Our founders knew that.

Schools throughout our country should teach American history by reading primary sources to learn firsthand facts about our past. When theories or explanations are offered, they should vary in ideological perspective, thereby giving students plenty to contemplate as they search for meaning. Seminar discussions and formal debates help students take ownership of their education and drive more effective learning outcomes. Requiring argumentative essays where students take a position and defend it based on what they have learned helps them derive meaning from their newly acquired knowledge.

Sadly, the debate over teaching history has quickly devolved into a dysfunctional Red vs. Blue fight absent of deep thought and reflection. Much of the latest flare-ups center around how we should inform our young about heinous wrongdoing in American history, including the institution of slavery, and especially how we should teach about the violence and oppression toward people of color since emancipation.

Although there are clear lines between facts and theories, these important distinctions are often ignored by partisans in the ongoing culture war. For example, the existence of the institution of slavery and later, Jim Crow laws, the Plessy v. Ferguson Supreme Court decision and its significance, the Tulsa massacre of 1921, and contemporary statistics on education levels, homelessness and incarceration  these are all facts. When teachers convey them in the context of teaching American history, there should be no controversy.

However, efforts to explain why social and economic problems exist are different from facts and are often in the realm of theory. These should be carefully evaluated in relation to evidential support and claimed causal linkages, and balanced against other competing theories that explain the phenomena in question.

Critical race theory, like most theories, is not a monolith. There are variations in contentions within its broader classification. That stipulated, CRT is generally an attempt to explain American power dynamics, relationships and history through the lens of race as the driving force of those interactions.

At Siena College, I teach a section of the First-Year Seminar, a full-year course for all freshmen in which professors organize the larger learning objectives of critical thinking, communication, social/leadership development and Franciscan values within the context of a broader intellectual theme of the professors choosing. The theme for my course is American Exceptionalism and its Critics. The debate over CRT is right on point for my course.

My approach to teaching was shaped by my experience as a student at Siena many years ago. I believe the classroom should serve as a marketplace of ideas. Students read primary sources and secondary sources from differing perspective, then engage in discussion of ideas and theories, debating them on their merits. This critical first step sets the stage for arguably the most important dimension of education where students ultimately derive meaning by reflecting on that newly acquired knowledge in relation to their own values. Because this is intensely personal, only the student is capable of attaching meaning to knowledge.

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For example, in one of the lessons in my course, students learn the facts surrounding the debate at the Constitutional Convention by reading the U.S. Constitution, selected texts from The Federalist Papers and opinion pieces by anti-Federalist thought leaders. The students then read secondary sources to help them make sense of these primary documents. Consistent with the ideal of a liberal arts education, these secondary sources vary in ideological perspective to allow students to contemplate the significance of what theyve learned.

My students read the American exceptionalism account from conservative scholar Wilfred McClay, Land of Hope, and accounts from a couple of critics of American exceptionalism  Howard Zinns A Peoples History of the U.S. and Patrick Deneens Why Liberalism Failed. Students are then required to write essays that explore found meaning in all these sources. This requires critical thinking, and by design, they must be original in their analysis.

Students grades are not based on which approach they find most convincing (conservative or progressive), but rather their demonstrated understanding of assigned course readings; a clear, compelling and meaningful thesis statement and defense of that thesis with internally consistent, documented points. In short, I assess their mastery of knowledge and the manner in which they derive meaning and convey the significance of it.

To explore why our country has not fully lived up to what we put on paper in documents like the Declaration of Independence, my students read both the CRT-based 1619 Project and the conservative-based 1776 Project, and other prominent sources such as Frederick Douglass and Martin Luther King Jr. The CRT-friendly piece by Peggy McIntosh, White Privilege and Male Privilege has long been assigned by the First-Year Seminar, but to provide more ideological balance I assigned with it the conservative perspective on contemporary race relations from Black American/Hoover Scholar Shelby Steele, White Guilt: How Blacks and Whites Together Destroyed the Promise of the Civil Rights Era. Having read these pieces to acquire knowledge and gain awareness of the differing theoretical explanations for the facts theyve learned, our students engage in formal debate to help them evaluate the merits of these arguments. Thereafter, students reflect on the meaning of what they read and debated, and derive meaning and defend it in an argumentative essay.

I do not believe a free people should ban ideas, books and theories. These should rise and fall on their merits in the marketplace of ideas. In my previously published works, readers will see a clear predilection for American exceptionalism in explanations for U.S. political development, but as a professor my responsibility is to educate, not indoctrinate, hence my balanced approach to assigned readings and grading rubrics. Likewise, professors with a CRT bias should ensure they also assign readings that challenge that perspective or they run the risk of indoctrinating their students and we can (and must) do better than that.

Christopher P. Gibson is the president of Siena College. He is a decorated Army combat veteran who served as a U.S. Representative from New York from 2011 to 2017.
New Missouri legislation could mean the death of the KCPS and even more urban core school districts across the Show-Me State.

Surprisingly, support for this move has garnered more than a bit of traction amongst many people of color and working-poor families.

Here's a peek at the process moving forward . . .



The bills, which deal with charter school funding and establishing an open enrollment system, both earned 85 votes in support  just three above the minimum 82 votes needed. They both now head to the Senate for consideration.



The first, sponsored by Rep. Doug Richey, R-Excelsior Springs, would establish a formula by which school districts would transfer funds to charter schools based on student enrollment.



The second, sponsored by Rep. Brad Pollitt, R-Sedalia, would create an open enrollment system to allow students to transfer to a school district outside of the one in which they reside.

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
Here's a quick peek at a great trick from mainstream media AND politicos on both sides of the aisle: They attempt to pick & choose leaders for communities without much evidence of popular support.

If we wanted to be clinical we could talk about the "agenda setting function" of media but most of this is just good old-fashioned elitism.



The topic in question is voter ID and the reality is that the issue doesn't resonate with Latino communities as much as progressives would like us to believe . . . Still, here's an overview of the topic with good data to support sketchy conclusions . . .



Currently, voters can present a variety of different forms of identification at the polls, including some that dont include a photo, like a utility bill or voting card. Requiring a photo ID would have a disproportionate and harmful impact on the states Hispanic population . . .



About 137,700 registered voters in Missouri did not have a state-issued identification in 2017, according to an analysis from the Secretary of States Office.



Another 140,000 voters had expired IDs and 2,000 more voters had forfeited their drivers licenses.

Now, let's not forget that TKC is by far the most widely read Latino political blogger in the entire American Midwest . . . It's a dubious honor and I didn't really have any competition to overcome . . . Still, I should be at least somewhat aware of the people who claim to be leading me.

Sadly, none of the folks on the Zoom call suffered by Guv Parson stood out.

What we learned . . .



"Rita Chang, is a community organizer with the advocacy nonprofit Inter-Faith Committee on Latin America."

That sounds cool. Even better, according to KCUR and several publication supported by Missouri progressive political donors . . . She's a leader of my community.



And again, all that we can say is:

BIENVENIDOS!!!

I learn so many things by reading local news and this morning it was fun to meet my new boss. Now I have to go tell my cousins and all my fellow Latinos in Kansas City who have no idea who any of these people are . . . Even though they're supposed to be "leaders" defined by some white lady planning another embarrassing election defeat for the Missouri Democratic Party.



Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .
A highlighted letter to the editor offers a peek at the opinions of the last dozen people who read the newspaper.



Meanwhile, it's important to know that the Kansas GOP is hard at work pushing back against sanctuary cities.

Still, here's the word . . .



"Few people recognize the anxieties of undocumented life. But with emerging policies such as this act, many local undocumented immigrants may feel less hesitant about driving at night to take their sick child to the emergency room for fear of being stopped because they fit a profile. Others may feel more comfortable reporting being the victims of crime."

Read more via www.TonysKansasCity.com link . . .

Municipal ID cards are a game-changer for vulnerable residents of Wyandotte County OPINION AND COMMENTARY As a child of immigrants who also researches and advocates for immigration reform, I was overjoyed to hear the Safe and Welcoming Act was passed in Wyandotte County. Local advocates for immigration reform have fought for half a decade to get it passed.

Related reading amid growing complaints about disparity as these new white refugees have garnered global sympathy vs. Black & brown refugee families that are often denied . . . (But get in anyhoo)



Ukrainian family allowed into US after being stopped at US-Mexico border A Ukrainian woman and her three children crossed into the United States on Thursday after being turned away at the US-Mexico border a day earlier, according to the family's attorney.

More Ukrainians fleeing Russian invasion denied entry at US-Mexico border U.S. officials at the San Ysidro border are turning away Ukrainians fleeing from the Russian invasion. Friday morning, Nataliia Poliakova was one of more than a dozen war refugees who was denied access. She fled her home in Kyiv five days after Russia's invasion.

Black and brown refugees are once again being turned away in Europe amid Ukraine migrant crisis The United Nations expects more than 4 million people to leave Ukraine in what could become Europe's largest refugee crisis this century. The head of the U.N. Refugee Agency has acknowledged some refugees fleeing Ukraine have faced "a different treatment" at the border.

You decide . . .
Brevard, NC (28712)

Today

Mostly sunny. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. High 82F. Winds W at 10 to 15 mph..

Tonight

Clear to partly cloudy. Low 53F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Mining is underway at i-80 Gold Corp.s Granite Creek underground operation as the company continues exploration there, explores for a potential underground mine at its Ruby Hill Mine, awaits study results to recommission the autoclave at Lone Tree Mine and prepares for underground exploration at McCoy Cove.

We have done very well toward achieving our goals and objectives in 2021 and 2022 will be a truly transformational year for i-80, said Matt Gili, president and chief operating officer of the Reno-based company that is in its second year.

At Granite Creek in Humboldt County on the site of the former Pinson Mine, i-80 Gold plans to process test ore from the underground mining at the Sage Mill operated by Nevada Gold Mines down the road from Granite Creek at the Twin Creeks Mine that is now part of the Turquoise Ridge complex.

In an asset swap with NGM last year, i-80 Gold gained the right to process ore at the Sage Mill until the Lone Tree processing facilities are in operation. NGM received i-80s 40% ownership of the South Arturo Mine on the Carlin Trend so NGM is now 100% owner there, and i-80 took over Lone Tree.

Small Mine Development is the contract miner at Granite Creek, and SMD will be dropping the decline for additional exploration while the test mining is done in the upper stages, Gili said.

At Lone Tree west of Battle Mountain, the autoclave facility was on care and maintenance, and Gili said i-80 Gold contracted with Hatch Ltd. to do a study on the recommissioning of the mills.

We expect the study in the second half of the year. It will set out scheduling and the budget for the recommissioning project, he said, reporting that the company expects the restart project to take two years after the study is completed.

Meanwhile, i-80 Gold is using the laboratory at Lone Tree that NGM operated but dropped one shift because NGM employees that stayed with NGM moved out, Gili said. And i-80 is using the office complex there.

The Buffalo Mountain deposit six miles from the Lone Tree facilities was also part of the asset swap, and he said i-80 Gold plans a small mine there. The ore goes to a Lone Tree heap leach pad. Permitting is expected this year for the project. NGM had already started the permitting process, Gili said.

At Ruby Hill in Eureka County, which i-Gold purchased from Waterton Global Resources, surface mining ended late last year, but leaching continues while the company is in the middle of a very aggressive drilling campaign to delineate the deposit at East Archimedes, he said.

Underground ore mined from Ruby Hill would be processed at Lone Tree, according to the company.

There were no layoffs when the open-pit mining ended at Ruby Hill, which is just outside the town of Eureka, Gili said.

Currently i-80 Gold has 70 employees companywide, including corporate officers, not counting contractors, such as SMD, but the company is looking at adding employees.

At the Cove Project south of Battle Mountain, earthwork has started for the exploration decline, Gili said. McCoy Cove was an operating mine years ago and Premier Gold was exploring there for some time before a spinoff that created i-80 Gold as a stand-alone company in March 2021.

Equinox Gold Corp. acquired Premier Gold Mines and then spun off i-80 Gold.

The company has been enthusiastically received by the stock market and the Nevada mining community, Gili said. Weve assembled a great team and exploration has surpassed expectations at Granite Creek.

The company reported drilling results from Granite Creek in February that showed promising results.

Hole iGS21-15 was drilled to test with core, the down-dip extension of the Ogee Zone where a reverse circulation hole drilled by Barrick in the early 2000s reported high-grade mineralization over an appreciable width, said Tyler Hills, i-80 Golds senior geologist.

The core hole has confirmed a broad zone of high-grade mineralization and could represent an area of converging faults at depth with substantially increased widths. This could have significant implications on the upside opportunity at Granite Creek, he said in a company announcement.

In another slightly earlier exploration report on Granite Creek that further delineated a new high-grade horizon, the South Pacific Zone, i-80s chief executive officer, Ewan Downie, stated that the consistency of high-grade mineralization in the South Pacific Zone is truly impressive as the ongoing drill program continues to demonstrate the significant upside opportunity at Granite Creek.

Including programs at Ruby Hill and McCoy Cove in 2022, we expect to drill in excess of 50,000 meters in 2022 with a goal of expanding our already enviable resource base, he said. 

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STAMFORD  The Stamford Board of Representatives cant affirm zoning and planing-related protest petitions, the states highest court has ruled, answering a question that has for years rankled city boards when residents strike back against neighborhood changes.

However, the decision on Friday came with a caveat.

Though the justices on the state Supreme Court decided that representatives overstepped (their) authority in voting to take on two petitions that fought land-use changes, they split from previous rulings and pointed out that one of the petitions was actually valid under the charter.

Lawsuits brought against the Board of Representatives by two developers  Manhattan-based George Comfort & Sons and Stamfords Building & Land Technology  put a magnifying glass to local protocols for fighting city and community change. In both instances, residents mounted petitions to strike back against developments they argued would disrupt the character of their communities. And in both instances, elected officials validated those petitions despite questions over whether they had enough signatures.

The question of validity is at the heart of both cases. When law firm Cummings and Lockwood sued on behalf of George Comfort & Sons in 2018 and BLT in 2019, its attorneys argued that neither petition was valid because they did not meet provisions established by the charter that govern their thresholds.

For a petition to be valid, the charter lays out that it must have signatures from either 100 landowners or 20 percent of the owners of privately owned land within 500 feet of the area so zoned, whichever is least, if the proposed amendment applies to only one zone.

Petitions relevant to two or more zones in the city need 300 landowner signatures, but those signatures can come from anywhere in the city.

If a petition meets those qualifications, the charter says that city reps can strike down a potential land-use change, an interpretation that the justices upheld across both cases.

The signature requirements in (the charter) are not a mere formality but serve an important substantive purpose, namely, limiting the authority conferred on the board of representatives by ensuring that review of an amendment ... is triggered only if there is a sufficient number of owners of private property within a defined geographical area with interests directly affected by the proposed amendment, Justice Steven Ecker wrote in the courts opinion.

However, the court ruled that the Board of Representatives cannot be the body that decides whether a petition meets the requirements.

The question before the board of Representatives was not the petition, which indicated the property owners objection to the zone change, but whether the zone change should be approved, Ecker continued.

But the roads diverge for the two cases, according to the justices.

Even though the court in both of these decisions is very clear that (representatives) dont have the authority under the charter to make that determination, according to land use attorney Michael Cacace, another issue underpins George Comfort & Sons controversial attempt to build a gym in its High Ridge Road.

Starting in 2018, lawyers for the Manhattan developer argued that the resident petition failed to meet the 300-signature threshold. As a result, the company felt city representatives erred in upholding it.

Though 696 people signed the petition, the plaintiff contended that many owned only a fractional stake of the land, either because they owned the property jointly with another person or because they lived in a condominium. Because of that, the developer argued that those people lacked sufficient ownership rights to merit an entire petition signature.

The 696 signatures, George Comfort & Sons posited, overstated land ownership interests at hand.

The high court rejected at least part of that argument in its decision. Instead of evaluating whether all 696 signatures were valid, the justices took a narrower approach. They considered signatures from 120 individual property owners, along with 240 signatures from people who signed jointly with a co-owner. (In those instances, two owned a property together and both owners signed the petition.)

The plaintiffs attorney argued that two owners only get one signature because of legal precedent for joint tenants. However, the Supreme Court concluded that precedent didnt apply to the High Ridge Park case.

The protest petitions defined by precedent dealt with percentages of landowners, not discrete signatures, the court held. The justices decided that a different kind of petition necessitated a different yardstick.

Although these people owned a home with another person, the court argued that each person was entitled to a petition signature. Under that lens, the petitioners had gathered at least 360 signatures, far exceeding the citys threshold for a valid petition.

The court makes a bright-line distinction between those two types of petitions, Cacace said. In the one case, where theres a finite number of landowners signatures  that can be by anyone who owns an interest in land, it doesnt have to be the whole land. But when youre talking about a percentage of the land around the site of the decision, then youve got to have all the parties who own that land, not just a minority percentage.

And because the petition contained the requisite number of signatures, the justices deemed the petition valid, and the case must return to trial court for a final decision.

Even though the court ruled that each owner of a joint property counted as one signature when all owners signed, it didnt answer every question posed by the High Ridge Park case. The justices declined to decide whether the signatures from 336 other property owners, including condo owners and partial-property owners, were valid in this petition.

Even though the case put forth by BLT also deals with petition signatures, the legal arguments in that instance were more straightforward. Justices affirmed that the resident petition that sought to block denser development on the former B&S Carting lacked enough signatures.

Because the Board of Representatives voted on that petition regardless, the court contends that their decision was moot.

Because a valid protest petition is a condition precedent to the authority of the board of representatives to vote on the merits of an amendment, that boards vote on the merits of an amendment contained in an invalid petition is void, Ecker wrote.

veronica.delvalle@hearstmediact.com
H John Voorhees III / Hearst Connecticut Media

DANBURY  A 38-year old Danbury man was arrested on multiple drug-related charges after officers with a court-authorized search and seizure warrant conducted a search of his car, according to police.

At about 3 p.m. March 7, detectives from the Special Investigations Division and members of the Patrol Division executed the warrant regarding the sale of illegal drugs, including prescription opioid medication, in the city, police said.
(BPT) - A significant majority of parents want to be home every night to tuck their children into bed (based on a OnePoll and Amazon Glow survey of 2,000 American parents*). Thats not always possible if you work long hours or are among the more than six million Americans who have a job that
The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Karim Khan, has decided to launch a formal inquiry into the situation in Ukraine.

Thats according to a statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

It is noted that the events of recent days, in particular, the unprovoked escalation of Russia's aggression against Ukraine, give reason to believe that crimes within the jurisdiction of the ICC are being committed in Ukraine. Along with the situations in Crimea and Donbas, there are grounds to claim that the aggressor's troops continue to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The Ministry said that, despite the fact that Ukraine is not a party to the Rome Statute, the state has recognized its ad hoc jurisdiction based on statements submitted earlier. Indeed, Ukraine has filed two applications with the International Criminal Court. The first one concerned the events that took place in Ukraine in the period from November 21, 2013, to February 22, 2014, and the second one concerned continued crimes committed in the period from February 20, 2014. The analysis of these two appeals gave the Prosecutor's Office all grounds to allege that war crimes and crimes against humanity are being committed.

"Russia's top military and political leadership is bound to appear before the International Criminal Court and be held accountable for every crime committed. This will be the Nuremberg Trials of the 21st century," the Foreign Ministry said.

The war with Russian invaders has been going on in Ukraine since February 24. The United States, the European Union, and other countries have imposed sanctions on Russia as an aggressor, whose international isolation is expanding by the day.

Ukraine has officially filed a lawsuit against the Russian Federation with the UN International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Ukraine has received more than 40,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this in his evening address, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"The humanitarian headquarters continues to operate in the government. From March 2 to 12, Ukraine received more than 40,000 tonnes of humanitarian aid. The Ministry of Infrastructure and Ukrzaliznytsia are currently operating as a logistics headquarters," Shmyhal said.

According to him, a third of the aid received has already been delivered to the regions and distributed to those in need.

"Special thanks to those people, those communities that host evacuees," he said.

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Putin announced the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure, 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.
Some 12,729 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors on March 12, and a Mariupol-bound humanitarian cargo is to be delivered tomorrow afternoon.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this in a televised video address, Ukrinform reports.

"All the humanitarian corridors which, by the way, were agreed, worked. Some 12,729 people were evacuated today. The humanitarian cargo for Mariupol should arrive tomorrow afternoon. Due to the complexity of the route, they had to spend a night in Berdyansk," Zelensky said.

As reported, on February 24, Russian President Putin announced the beginning of the invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure, with missiles hitting Ukrainians' homes.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.
The United Kingdom has sent humanitarian aid for those fleeing Russias attack on Ukraine to Moldova.

The relevant statement was made by UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss on Twitter, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

We are providing vital humanitarian aid to those fleeing Russias horrific attack on Ukraine. This shipment of hygiene kits and blankets to Moldova will ensure that those most affected by the conflict receive the crucial help they need, Truss wrote.

We are providing vital humanitarian aid to those fleeing Russias horrific attack on Ukraine.



This shipment of hygiene kits and blankets to Moldova will ensure that those most affected by the conflict receive the crucial help they need.  pic.twitter.com/jf4TEAZAbT  Liz Truss (@trussliz) March 12, 2022

A reminder that about 280,000 Ukrainian refugees have crossed the border with Moldova since the Russian invasion started.

On February 24, 2022, Russian President Vladimir Putin initiated a large-scale invasion of Ukraine, starting a war. The Russian military are shelling and destroying the key infrastructure facilities, launching missile strikes on housing sectors in Ukraine.

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After Russia's shelling of the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security (Yavoriv military training area) in Lviv region, Defense Minister of Ukraine Oleksii Reznikov once again called on NATO to close the sky over Ukraine.

russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security near Lviv. Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified. This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky! Reznikov posted on Twitter.

As reported, on March 13, Russian aggressors launched an airstrike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Lviv region (former Yavoriv training area of the Land Forces of Ukraine). According to preliminary data, about 30 missiles were fired from bombers that took off from Saratov. Most missiles were destroyed by Ukrainian air defense units. As a result of the shelling, 9 people have been killed, 57 have been wounded.

On February 24, Russian president Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops shell and destroy infrastructure, conduct massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns using artillery, MLRS, and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

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Russian special services are planning a series of coordinated measures to discredit ethnic Ukrainians living in Russia.

Thats according to the Center for Countering Disinformation with the National Security and Defense Council, Ukrinform reports.

According to the Center, in order to rally Russian society to support the war with Ukraine, Russia's security services are planning an operation aimed at discrediting Ukrainians living in Russia.

As part of the special operation, it is planned to spread appeals to Ukrainians living in Russia to lead a protest movement to overthrow the Putin regime.

In particular, public opinion leaders outside Russia with an allegedly pro-Ukrainian position could be involved in voicing such calls.

It is also intended to provide an ethnic coloring to any potential protests that might erupt across the country, related to the sharp deterioration of living conditions of average Russians. Also, these protests might involve provocations of a violent (terrorist) nature, which the Russian government will claim have been "organized" by ethnic Ukrainians.

In addition, the idea will be further promoted among Russians that the war with Ukraine was inevitable and that the Ukrainians must be exterminated.

On February 24, Russian President Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine. Russian troops have been shelling and destroying key infrastructure, massively shelling and bombing residential areas.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

From the first days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the United States, as well as other allies and partners of Ukraine, have imposed tough sanctions and export restrictions targeting Russian economy.
President Volodymyr Zelensky discussed Russian aggression against Ukraine and war crimes committed by Russian invaders with the presidents of Slovakia and Romania.

Continued negotiations with international partners. Informed President of Slovakia

Zuzana Caputova and President of Romania Klaus Iohannis about countering Russian aggression, Russian war crimes, in particular against civilians. Thanked for supporting the Ukrainian people. Our path to the EU was also discussed, Zelensky posted on Twitter.

In addition, Zelensky discussed Ukraine's struggle against Russian aggression with Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson and Prime Minister of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala and thanked them for support.

Held talks with British PM Boris Johnson and PM of the Czech Republic Petr Fiala. Talked about the Ukrainian people's struggle against Russian aggression, about Russia's criminal attacks on civilians. Thanked the partners for their important support. We appreciate it, he wrote on Twitter.

On February 24, Russian president Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops shell and destroy infrastructure, conduct massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns using artillery, MLRS, and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

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Ukraines Armed Forces shot down a Russian drone, which was used to aim and adjust artillery fire, in Zhytomyr region.

Russian Forpost drone was shot down in Zhytomyr region. The vehicle was used to adjust and aim artillery fire," the 115th separate brigade of the Territorial Defense of Zhytomyr Region posted on Facebook.

As noted, Forpost UAV (Searcher) is a family of tactical reconnaissance unmanned aerial vehicles developed by Israel Aerospace Industries.

In 2012, Russia began producing Forpost UAV, a licensed version of Searcher 2.

The war against Russian invaders has been going on in Ukraine since February 24.

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky discussed increasing financial support for Ukraine and sanctions pressure on Russia with European Council President Charles Michel.

Regular international talks. With President of the European Council, we discussed the issue of increasing financial support for Ukraine and sanctions pressure on the aggressor. Special attention was paid to the further negotiation process on Ukraines EU membership, Zelensky posted on Twitter.

On February 24, Russian president Putin declared war on Ukraine and launched a large-scale invasion. Russian troops shell and destroy infrastructure, conduct massive shelling of residential areas of Ukrainian cities and towns using artillery, MLRS, and ballistic missiles.

Martial law was imposed in Ukraine and general mobilization was announced.

ol
Ukraine has destroyed the myth about the "invincibility" of the Russian army. The enemy suffers serious losses in manpower and equipment.

"We have destroyed the myth about the 'invincibility' of the Russian army. They expected to conquer us in 48 hours. Stocks of food, fuel, and ammunition were made for three days utmost. But we stopped them and thwarted the plans of aggression. The enemy suffers serious losses in manpower and equipment," Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valery Zaluzhny posted on Facebook.

He noted that this war proved how far Ukraines Armed Forces had advanced in recent years. "Today, the professionalism of the Russian army resembles ours as of the beginning of 2014," the Commander-in-Chief said, adding that the story about the "downed" Ukrainian Bayraktar drone is an illustrative example of "their military skills."

In particular, at 09:32 on Sunday in Kharkiv region, the air defense unit of the 6th Army of the Russian Armed Forces used TOR surface-to-air missile system to shoot down a Russian UAV which was advancing for reconnaissance in Kharkiv direction. At the same time, the Russian air defense forces reported on the destruction of the Bayraktar UAV of Ukraines Armed Forces to their leadership.

According to Zaluzhny, the investigation into the reasons for the disappearance of the Russian UAV proved the fact that it had been shot down by their own air defense unit, but the army command decided to hide this information.

"This is how the so-called second strongest army in the world is fighting," said the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

As reported, the total combat losses of the enemy from February 24 to March 13, according to the General Staff of the Armed Forces, are approximately as follows: more than 12,000 soldiers, 374 tanks, 1,226 armored combat vehicles, 140 artillery systems, 62 MLRS, 34 air defense systems, 74 aircraft, 86 helicopters, 600 vehicles, 3 ships / boats, 60 fuel tanks, 7 UAVs of operational and tactical level. Data are being clarified as the calculation complicated by the high intensity of hostilities.

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Russian military that captured Zaporizhzhia NPP use the territory of the plant as their military base.

"Two plants have been seized: Chornobyl NPP from the very beginning of hostilities and Zaporizhzhia NPP has been seized for about 9 days. The invader is on the territory of our ZNPP, there are about 50 units of heavy equipment on the territory and up to 500 soldiers. Another 1,000 soldiers and 400 units of equipment are near the town of Enerhodar in a unit that belongs to a thermal power plant  a common coal-fired station. In fact, the invaders are now using the territory of the plant as their military base," Head of the National Nuclear Energy Generating Company of Ukraine Energoatom Petro Kotin said, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

According to him, the nuclear power plant is well guarded in peacetime, there are CCTVs, many facilities that are now used by the invaders, including a bomb shelter. "In case of a radiation accident, according to the emergency plan, the staff takes shelter. There are places where you can stand, where to feed, and they use all this to secure their infrastructure," Kotin said.

He reminded that on the night of March 4, when the ZNPP was captured, the enemy hit Power Unit 1 with heavy equipment, destroyed the training center, and damaged the administrative building. At the same time, ZNPP has a lot of nuclear material because the plant has 6 power units, it is the largest in Europe, he stressed.

The head of Energoatom also noted that after the capture of ZNPP, the invaders intended to establish control over the South-Ukraine NPP, but the Ukrainian military stopped them.

As reported, Russian troops captured ZNPP on the night of March 4. The plant was stormed by an enemy column, which consisted of about 100 units of equipment.

During the assault, 3 Ukraines National Guard officers were killed and two more were injured.

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Ukrainian underground gas storage facilities are containing about 9.5 billion cubic meters of natural gas at the moment.

The relevant statement was made by Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal in his video address, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

Gas reserves are about 9.5 billion cubic meters. Gas imports from Hungary, Slovakia and Poland are underway, Shmyhal told.

Gas production operations are also underway within those facilities, which are not located within the contact line.

Shmyhal also noted that the Ukrainian government had recently submitted a draft law to the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine to reduce an excise tax on fuel and a VAT rate from 20% to 7%. Such a significant reduction is expected to stabilize prices and prevent shortages. The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine is also considering the reduction in VAT to 0% if the logistical expenses of fuel suppliers continue to grow.

According to Shmyhal, they are now holding talks with the largest global companies on gasoline and diesel fuel supplies to Ukraine.

Currently, four nuclear power plants, all hydro power plants and thermal power plants are running in Ukraine. The Ukrainian government has also agreed on additional coal supplies by rail from Poland.

Photo: Naftogaz

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Medicare provides health insurance to sixty-three million seniors in the United States. Each year the program costs the federal government around $836 billion.

Both the program's budget and the number of people enrolled has increased steadily in recent years as the Baby Boomers, America's largest generation, reach the program's eligibility age of sixty-five.

The program as we know it today began in 1965 when the Congress passed a law which amended the Social Security Act to establish a program to provide those sixty-five and older access to healthcare regardless of their medical history or income.

When President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the bill into law, only around sixty percent of seniors had access to healthcare.

Who is eligible to receive Medicare?

Medicare Parts A and B are what are known as original Medicare.

Part A covers inpatient hospital services, post-hospital skilled nursing facility (SNF) services, hospice care, and some home health services. Around ninety-nine percent of seniors in the US are enrolled in Medicare Part A because "because they or their spouse paid Medicare payroll taxes for at least 40 quarters (about 10 years) on earnings covered by either the Social Security or the Railroad Retirement systems." Those who do not meet the eligibility requirements are able to pay a "premium of either $274 or $499 each month in 2022 depending on how long they or their spouse worked and paid Medicare taxes."

Part B of the program covers costs related to physicians services, outpatient hospital services, durable medical equipment, and other medical services. Unlike Part A, the program requires members to pay a monthly premium for Part B coverage. In 2022, the premium increased by fifteen percent to $170,10. For those who receive Social Security benefits, the premium is deducted from their monthly payment.

Part C, or Medicare Advantage Plans, and Part D which helps seniors keep down the cost of prescription drugs are fully optional plans. Medicare members can purchase these plans which vary depending on where the individual lives.

What is Medicare for All?

Medicare for All, popularized by presidential candidate Bernie Sanders would expand the current program to cover all age groups.

There are more than 28 million people, or around eight percent of the population that do not have insurance in the US. This number balloons to over fifty percent when looking at the number of people who are under-insured meaning that their health care costs are overly burdensome; for example if "their out-of-pocket costs, excluding premiums, over the prior 12 months are equal to 10 percent or more of household income" or if "their deductible constitutes 5 percent or more of household income."

Costs can vary widely because of the plans available in one's area and by what they are offered by their employer. The patchwork system in the United States leaves Americans paying the highest prices for healthcare in the world.

Proponents of Medicare for All have often made ethical arguments in its support arguing that the currency system and "our failure to guarantee healthcare to all exacerbates economic inequality through high out-of-pocket costs for care, medical debt, and bankruptcy."

With a centralized insurance system, a government can take advantage of economies of scale by pooling patients together to bring down costs. Another way is through limiting the number of medical suppliers to help bring down costs. So, for example, rather than buying the prosthetic hips needed for a replacement for several companies, the government can create contract with one or a select few. This encourages competition, as those companies who are interested in the bid must show that they have a cost-effective and high quality product.

Does the public support Medicare for All?

Various polls conducted over the years have found widespread public support for Medicare for All, a fact often ignored by mainstream politicians. A 2021 poll conducted by Reuters and Ipsos found that around seventy percent of all respondents (and fifty-one percent of those who identified as Republicans) supported Medicare for All.

Response from Washington

Those who oppose Medicare for All tend to argue that people like their doctor and want more choice when it comes to healthcare. While, this may be true in cases of those with excellent insurance, the millions who lack coverage or have adequate coverage have very little choice when it comes to their healthcare and are left in an extreamly vulnerable position.

Some also argue that it would increase costs and taxes on the middle class, but this claims have been disputed. Regardless of if a single-payer system is implemented, it is clear that the American health care system needs reform to ensure that all those who live in the country have access to high quality care.
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Reports are emerging that on 12 Friday, Iran targeted a US military base and consulate in Erbil Iraq, with as many as six missiles.

So far, officials with the Department of Defense have said no US casualties have been reported.

Does the crisis in Ukraine relate to the attack?

With global tensions high, many are wondering if the strike was motivated by the US' involvement in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

At this point, it does not appear that the conflict in eastern Europe was a contributing factor.

Rather, the attack in Erbil is reportedly related to the killing of two Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) leaders in an Israeli air attack that took place in Syria earlier this week.

Tensions have been increasing between the US and Iran over the last few years, prompted primarily by former-President Trump's rejection of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), otherwise known as the Iranian Nuclear Agreement.

In January 2020, Iran conducted a similar attack on a US base in retaliation for the killing of IRGC general Qasem Soleimani.

Since President Biden took office, the two countries have failed to return to the negotiating table over Iran's nuclear ambitions. These factors help to highlight that there are many other reasons, outside of the conflict in Ukraine, that could have motivated the attack.

Does Iran support the Russian invasion of Ukraine?

Western media has made it very clear that Russia's targeting of Ukraine has brought Europe, Canada, and the United States closer together. Very little has been reported on Russia's geo-strategic alliances and how other countries are interpreting the invasion.

One of President Putin's first calls after declaring his intention to invade Ukraine was to Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi who told the Russian leader that he supported his decision and affirmed that NATO expansion is a serious threat to the security and stability of independent nations. Some Iranians have taken to the streets to protests President Putin's actions, showing that support for the Russian regime is not uniform in the country.

When the United States announced additional sanctions on Russia in early March, White House officials said that they were going to take an approach similar to that taken towards Iran.

This news came after the European Union announced that various Russian banks would be prohibited from using the SWIFT banking system. When various Iranian banks were removed, Russia provided them with a connection to their global transaction system.
ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 13th Mar, 2022 ) :Anti Vehicle Lifting Cell (AVLC) of the Islamabad Police busted a notorious Shani Gang by arresting six of its active members besides recovering 46 vehicles and 10 motorbikes worth millions of rupees from their possession.

Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Muhammad Ahsan Younas has handed over the keys of recovered vehicles to the rightful owners during a ceremony held at police line headquarters on Sunday. DIG Operations Malik Awais Ahmad, SSP Investigation Syed Ali Akbar Shah were also present at the occasion.

After assuming the charge as IGP Islamabad, Muhammad Ahsan Younas had strengthened the AVLC and provided extra strength so the AVLC can work inefficiently manner and curb car and bike lifting incidents in the city.

The AVLC, following the directions of the capital police chief, has evolved a comprehensive strategy to bar car theft from Federal capital and to recover stolen vehicles. He said the AVLC of Islamabad police, led by Inspector Liaquat Ali Malik, have carried out a raid and held six active members of the notorious Shani Gang.

46 stolen vehicles and 10 motorbikes of different make were recovered from their possession.

The detained members of the dangerous car lifting gang have been identified as Arslan Sajid alias Shani, Basit, Masood, Muhammad Riasat, Niaz Ali, and Aijaz Ahmad against whom cases were registered.

The gang members were involved in lifting vehicles from the precincts of police stations Kohsar, Industrial Area, Sabzi Mandi, Khanna, Secretariat, Bani Gala, Margalla, Karachi Company, and Ramna. The spokesman mentioned that the gang members used to roam in streets of posh sectors of the capital to select the cars and later on pilfer the vehicles. He also informed the detained car lifters were habitual and sent to jail by police earlier as well.

It is worth mentioning that the AVLC had also recovered 20 vehicles that were returned to their actual owners.

IG Islamabad Muhammad Ahsan Younas appreciated the performance of Incharge AVLC Inspector Liaqat Ali and his whole team and awarded them with cash rewards and commendation certificates. The IGP also invites the whole team to tea to encourage them.
The debate about whether the practice of switching clocks twice a year should continue or be ditched ticks on. The system was first adopted in the US in 1918 but dropped the following year, only to be taken up again. In 1966 the act of changing the hour to take advantage of longer days in the summer months was made uniform across the US.

However, not all the states went along with adopting Daylight Saving Time, a few holdouts kept Standard Time. It wasn't until 2006 that Indiana became the 48th state to conform with the practice, previously a large part of the state didn't bother with the time change. Now a number of states would like to do away with the twice annual time change and just stick with Daylight Saving Time.

How does Daylight Saving Time work?

Twice a year the majority of Americans change their clocks for Daylight Saving Time. The change happens on the second Sunday of March and the first Sunday of November each year. The shift is always done on the weekend at 2:00 am to limit the amount of disruption caused.

There is a saying to help remember which way to change your clock, Spring forward, Fall back, so in the springtime you turn your clock forward one hour and in the autumn you turn your clock back an hour. The time shift allows people to take advantage of extra daylight during summer allowing them to save energy, as well as reducing crime and traffic accidents.

Which states are not changing their clocks?

The only parts of the US that do not have Daylight Saving Time are Hawaii, most of Arizona, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa.

Arizona experimented with the change beginning in 1918, but decided to permanently opt out of the Daylight Saving Time in 1968. Although the state observes Standard Time, the Navajo Nation, a Native American territory in the north-east of the state, which also crosses over into New Mexico and Utah, does make the twice a year time shift.

Hawaii is the only other state that currently doesnt observe Daylight Saving Time. Along with the other US territories in the Pacific and the Caribbean Sea, they are close enough to the equator that there is no significant difference in sunrise and sunset times across the year so there are no benefits from changing the hour.

States call for time change but not as expected

For some the twice annual time change is a bother, which has led to calls to end the practice of Daylight Saving Time. 29 states have introduced legislation to do away with the twice-yearly switch, 18 have passed legislation in the past four years to take up Daylight Saving Time year round.

Those states are: The 18 states are Alabama, Georgia, Minnesota, Mississippi and Montana (2021). Idaho, Louisiana, Ohio (resolution), South Carolina, Utah and Wyoming (2020). Delaware, Maine, Oregon, Tennessee and Washington (2019). Florida (2018; California voters also authorized such a change that year, but legislative action is pending). Some states have commissioned studies on the topic including Massachusetts (2017) and Maine (2021).

However, the ultimate authority to do so has been under the Department of Transportation since 1966 and they would need Congressional approval. But, if those states chose to keep Standard Time all year, they wouldn't need to ask the federal government for its OK.

One other problem, depending on which poll you look at, Americans can't agree on whether to ditch the system or which system to go with if it were nixed. A poll back in 2019 found that 71 percent of Americans dont like switching their clocks back and forth twice a year. The catch is that according to the 2019 AP-NORC poll more Americans, 40 percent, would prefer to have Standard Time year round. Add to that, another pool taken by CBS just four years prior found that Americans were split about down the middle about whether they wanted the twice annual time change or not.

Why do we change the clocks for Daylight Saving Time?

The first person credited with suggesting the idea of changing our clocks to take advantage of the longer summer days was Benjamin Franklin while he was living in Paris. But the man credited with getting the ball rolling was a British builder named William Willett who suggested the idea to Parliament as a way for the nation as a whole to make better use of daylight.

However, Germany was the first to implement the practice of seasonal time changes, desperate to save energy during the First World War. The policy quickly caught on with most European nations, the US and the United Kingdom along with its allies adopting the Daylight Saving Time by 1918. However, many nations got rid of the system in the years after the war only to adopt it again when there was a need to conserve energy.

Does Daylight Saving Time really conserve energy?

The Daylight Saving Time is credited with reducing crime, people are doing activities in the daylight so there are less opportunities for criminals, as well as saving lives and preventing traffic accidents. However, the primary reason for the twice-yearly shift comes from the energy savings it is purported to have. According to the US Department of Transportation study in 1975, the US experienced nearly a one percent daily savings on energy use during the yearly Daylight Saving Time period.

However, those findings have been contradicted by more recent analysis performed in 2006 when Indiana implemented Daylight Saving Time statewide. Researchers found that residential energy consumption actually increased by around one percent. They ventured that although less lighting is needed, the longer summer evenings caused a spike in AC usage in households throughout the state.
Music Time in Africa is VOAs longest running English language program. Since 1965, this award-winning program has featured pan African music that spans all genres and generations. Ethnomusicologist and Host Heather Maxwell keeps you up to date on whats happening in African music with exclusive interviews, cultural information, and of course, great music -- including rare recordings from the Leo Sarkisian Library of African Music.
The clergy of the Russian Orthodox Church in the Dutch city of Amsterdam, announced Saturday it was splitting from the Moscow church because of threats to them over Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In a statement posted to its website it said that after a meeting, "the clergy unanimously announced that it is no longer possible for them to function within the Moscow Patriarchate and provide a spiritually safe environment for our faithful."

It was "with a heavy heart" that the four priests of Saint Nicholas of Myra in Amsterdam had reached their decision, they said.

They had asked Archbishop Elisey, of the Russian Orthodox Church in The Hague, to grant them canonical dismissal and had applied to join the Constantinople Orthodox Church, the statement added.

Patriarch backs invasion

In an early statement, the church clergy said that they would no longer mention the name of the Patriarch Kirill, head of the Russian Orthodox Church, in their liturgy because of his backing for the invasion of Ukraine.

In a February 27 sermon, the Patriarch described Moscow's opponents in Ukraine as "evil forces" fighting against the "unity of Russia."

That early Amsterdam church decision led to an unscheduled visit from Archbishop Elisey during mass, who told them that Moscow was watching their actions closely, they said.

The Amsterdam clergy said they felt that they were being pressured by both the archbishop and the Russian state to go back on their stance.

Other priests denounce Moscow church

The Amsterdam branch of the Russian Orthodox Church is not the only one to object to the position taken by the church's leader.

In Ukraine, some Russian Orthodox priests have denounced the Moscow church since the start of the invasion.

And the Paris-based Metropolitan Jean de Doubna, who heads up about 60 parishes following the Russian tradition across Western Europe, expressed his support for Ukraine in an open letter published on Wednesday.

He also appealed to the Patriarch Kirill to intervene to stop the "bloodbath."
A train crash in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo has killed at least 60 people, the state rail company and local sources said on Saturday.

"(Currently) the toll is 61 dead, men, women and children (and) 52 injured who have been evacuated," Marc Manyonga Ndambo, director of infrastructure at the SNCC train operator, told AFP.

Local media quoted the provincial governor Fifi Masuka as saying 60 people had been killed.

The train was a freight service which had been carrying "several hundred stowaways," said Manyonga said even though this was prohibited.

"Some of the bodies were still trapped in the wagons that had fallen into the ravines," he added.

Manyonga said the train was made up of 15 wagons, 12 of which were empty, and was coming from Luen in a neighboring province destined for the mining town of Tenke, close to Kolwezi.

It derailed at 11:50 p.m. (2150 GMT) on Thursday at the village of Buyofwe, about 200 kilometers from Kolwezi, "at a place where there are ravines," into which seven of the 15 wagons fell, he said.

"My team is working hard to clear the track by Monday," Manyonga added. He did not say how the crash had happened.

Train derailments are common in the DRC, as are shipwrecks of overloaded boats on the country's lakes and rivers.

Due to the lack of passenger trains or passable roads, people use goods trains to travel long distances.
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warns humanitarian and economic issues are likely to claim more lives in Afghanistan than conflict.

Bachelet recently made a one-day trip to the Afghan capital, Kabul, where she conveyed this message to the Taliban rulers. While there, she stressed the importance of respecting the human rights of all people. Bachelet said this was key to finding a pathway out of the countrys economic, humanitarian, and human rights crisis.

The high commissioners spokeswoman, Liz Throssell, tells VOA Bachelet emphasized the importance of inclusivity in navigating the way out of the multiple crises facing Afghanistan. Throssell says the high commissioner told the Taliban authorities the societies that are more sustainable and peaceful are those that consider their people as part of the solution, rather than as antagonists to be suppressed.

The high commissioner stressed that it is crucial to urgently address what has really and rightly been described as the catastrophic effects of the economic sanctions and asset freezes Even though there has been a decline in hostilities, the multiple humanitarian and economic crises in Afghanistan may, in fact claim far more lives than actual conflict, she said.

The United Nations reports 22 million people, more than half of Afghanistans population, need humanitarian assistance. It says one in three people faces acute hunger, two million children are malnourished, and more than three-and-a-half million people are internally displaced. Aid agencies report women and girls are particularly vulnerable and face protection risks.

Throssell says the high commissioner met a range of people who were able to voice their concerns. She says Bachelet met women who spoke about their struggles against injustice in the country. They expressed their need to regain the rights they had achieved over the past two decades before the Taliban retook the country last August.

They needed their rights to freedom of expression, of peaceful assembly, to be free from the fear of reprisals, to be able to engage in politics, to be able to train as health care workers, and of course to be able to have an education, said Throssell.

The new Taliban rulers say they hope to be able to open all schools for girls later this month. When the group was last in power in the late 1990s, girls were banned from attending schools and women from leaving home unless accompanied by a close male relative.

At the end of her visit, the high commissioner urged the international community to ease sanctions and unfreeze assets. She said this crucially would help to jump start the Afghan economy and relieve the suffering of millions of people.
Iran has claimed responsibility for a missile barrage that struck early Sunday near a sprawling U.S. consulate complex in the northern Iraqi city of Irbil, saying it was retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard.

No injuries were reported in the attack, which marked a significant escalation between the U.S. and Iran. Hostility between the longtime foes has often played out in Iraq, whose government is allied with both countries.

Iran's powerful Revolutionary Guard said on its website that it launched the attack against an Israeli "strategic center of conspiracy" in Irbil. It did not elaborate, but in a statement said Israel had itself been on the offensive, citing the recent strike that killed two Revolutionary Guards.

Earlier, a U.S. defense official and Iraqi security officials said the strike was launched from neighboring Iran.

One Iraqi official in Baghdad initially said several missiles had hit the U.S. consulate in Irbil and that it was the target of the attack. Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistan's foreign media office, said none of the missiles had struck the U.S. facility but that areas around the compound had been hit. A statement issued by the interior ministry of Iraq's Kurdistan region said the missiles were launched from outside Iraq, from the east, without naming Iran.

The U.S. defense official said it was still uncertain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed. A second U.S. official said there was no damage at any U.S. government facility and that there was no indication the target was the consulate building, which is new and currently unoccupied.

Neither the Iraqi official nor the U.S. officials were authorized to discuss the event with the media and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Satellite broadcast channel Kurdistan24, which is located near the U.S. consulate, went on air from their studio shortly after the attack, showing shattered glass and debris on their studio floor.

The attack came several days after Iran said it would retaliate for an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria, that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard. On Sunday, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the attacks in Irbil, without saying where they originated.

The missile barrage coincided with regional tensions. Negotiations in Vienna over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal hit a "pause" over Russian demands about sanctions targeting Moscow for its war on Ukraine. Meanwhile, Iran suspended its secret Baghdad-brokered talks aimed at defusing yearslong tensions with regional rival Saudi Arabia, after Saudi Arabia carried out its largest known mass execution in its modern history with over three dozens Shiites killed.

The Iraqi security officials said there were no casualties from the Irbil attack, which they said occurred after midnight and caused material damage in the area. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

One of the Iraqi officials said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, without elaborating. He said the projectiles were the Iranian-made Fateh-110, likely fired in retaliation for the two Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria.

Another U.S. official said in a statement that the U.S. condemned what it called an "outrageous attack against Iraqi sovereignty and display of violence."

U.S. forces stationed at Irbil's airport compound have come under fire from rocket and drone attacks in the past, with U.S. officials blaming Iran-backed groups.

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East has repeatedly warned about the increasing threats of attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed militias on troops and allies in Iraq and Syria.

In an interview with The Associated Press in December, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said that while U.S. forces in Iraq have shifted to a non-combat role, Iran and its proxies still want all American troops to leave the country. As a result, he said, that may trigger more attacks.'

The Biden administration decided last July to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by Dec. 31, and U.S. forces gradually moved to an advisory role last year. The troops will still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq's fight against the Islamic State.

The U.S. presence in Iraq has long been a flash point for Tehran, but tensions spiked after a January 2020 U.S. drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed a top Iranian general. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at al-Asad airbase, where U.S. troops were stationed. More than 100 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the blasts.

More recently, Iranian proxies are believed responsible for an assassination attempt late last year on Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

And officials have said they believe Iran was behind the October drone attack at the military outpost in southern Syria where American troops are based. No U.S. personnel were killed or injured in the attack.

Al-Kadhimi tweeted: "The aggression which targeted the dear city of Irbil and spread fear amongst its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people."

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish-controlled region, condemned the attack. In a Facebook post, he said Irbil "will not bow to the cowards who carried out the terrorist attack."
Britain will pay people to open their homes to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion as the government moves to deflect anger over its response to the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.

The new program called "Homes for Ukraine" will let refugees from the war come to Britain even if they do not have family ties, the government said Sunday.

Britain will pay people 350 pounds ($456) a month if they can offer refugees a spare room or property for a minimum period of six months.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has sought to portray Britain as helping lead the global response to the Russian invasion, which Moscow calls a "special operation," but his government has faced criticism over delays in accepting refugees.

Lawmakers from all the main political parties have attacked the government's insistence that Ukrainians seek visas and biometric tests before arriving in Britain, saying this prioritized bureaucracy over the welfare of those fleeing war.

Under the new scheme, members of the public, charities, businesses and community groups should be able to offer accommodation via a webpage by the end of next week, the government said.

"The UK stands behind Ukraine in their darkest hour and the British public understand the need to get as many people to safety as quickly as we can," Michael Gove, the minister for housing, said in a statement.

"I urge people across the country to join the national effort and offer support to our Ukrainian friends. Together we can give a safe home to those who so desperately need it."

Anyone offering a room or home will have to show that the accommodation meets standards, and they may have to undergo criminal record checks.

The number of refugees fleeing Ukraine could rise to more than 4 million, twice the current estimates of about 2 million, the U.N.'s refugee agency said last week.
One man was detained in Poland suspected of raping a 19-year-old refugee he'd lured with offers of shelter after she fled war-torn Ukraine. Another was overheard promising work and a room to a 16-year-old girl before authorities intervened.

Another case inside a refugee camp at Poland's Medyka border, raised suspicions when a man was offering help only to women and children. When questioned by police, he changed his story.

As millions of women and children flee across Ukraine's borders in the face of Russian aggression, concerns are growing over how to protect the most vulnerable refugees from being targeted by human traffickers or becoming victims of other forms of exploitation.

"Obviously all the refugees are women and children," said Joung-ah Ghedini-Williams, the UNHCR's head of global communications, who has visited borders in Romania, Poland and Moldova.

"You have to worry about any potential risks for trafficking  but also exploitation, and sexual exploitation and abuse. These are the kinds of situations that people like traffickers  look to take advantage of," she said.

The U.N. refugee agency says more than 2.5 million people, including more than a million children, have fled war-torn Ukraine in what has become an unprecedented humanitarian crisis in Europe and its fastest exodus since World War II.

In countries throughout Europe, including the border nations of Romania, Poland, Hungary, Moldova and Slovakia, private citizens and volunteers have been greeting and offering help to those whose lives have been shattered by war. From free shelter to free transport to work opportunities and other forms of assistance  help isn't far away.

But neither are the risks.

Police in Wrocaw, Poland, said Thursday they detained a 49-year-old suspect on rape charges after he allegedly assaulted a 19-year-old Ukrainian refugee he lured with offers of help over the internet. The suspect could face up to 12 years in prison for the "brutal crime," authorities said.

The Migration Data Portal notes that humanitarian crises such as those associated with conflicts "can exacerbate preexisting trafficking trends and give rise to new ones" and that traffickers can thrive on "the inability of families and communities to protect themselves and their children."

Security officials in Romania and Poland told The Associated Press that plain-clothed intelligence officers were on the lookout for criminal elements. In the Romanian border town of Siret, authorities said men offering free rides to women have been sent away.

Human trafficking is a grave human rights violation and can involve a wide range of exploitative roles. From sexual exploitation  such as prostitution  to forced labor, from domestic slavery to organ removal, and forced criminality, it is often inflicted by traffickers through coercion and abuse of power.

A 2020 human trafficking report by the European Commission, the EU's executive branch, estimates the annual global profit from the crime is 29.4 billion euros ($32 billion). It says that sexual exploitation is the most common form of human trafficking in the 27-nation bloc and that nearly three-quarters of all victims are female, with almost every fourth victim a child.

A large proportion of the refugees arriving in the border countries want to move on to friends or family elsewhere in Europe and many are relying on strangers to reach their destinations.

"The people who are leaving Ukraine are under emotional stress, trauma, fear, confusion," said Cristina Minculescu, a psychologist at Next Steps Romania who provides support to trafficking victims. "It's not just human trafficking, there is a risk of abduction, rape ... their vulnerabilities being exploited in different forms."

At Romania's Siret border after a five-day car journey from the bombed historical city of Chernihiv, 44-year-old Iryna Pypypenko waited inside a tent with her two children, sheltering from the cold. She said a friend in Berlin who is looking for accommodations for her has warned her to beware of possibly nefarious offers.

"She told me there are many, very dangerous propositions," said Pypypenko, whose husband and parents stayed behind in Ukraine. "She told me that I have to communicate only with official people and believe only the information they give me."

Vlad Gheorghe, a Romanian member of the European Parliament who launched a Facebook group called United for Ukraine that has more than 250,000 members and pools resources to help refugees, including with accommodations, says he is working closely with the authorities to prevent any abuses.

"No offer for volunteering or stay or anything goes unchecked, we check every offer," he said. "We call back, we ask some questions, we have a minimal check before any offer for help is accepted."

At Poland's Medyka border, seven former members of the French Foreign Legion, an elite military force, are voluntarily providing their own security to refugees and are on the lookout for traffickers.

"This morning we found three men who were trying to get a bunch of women into a van," said one of the former legionnaires, a South African who gave only his first name, Mornay. "I can't 100% say they were trying to recruit them for sex trafficking, but when we started talking to them and approached them  they got nervous and just left immediately."

"We just want to try and get women and kids to safety," he added. "The risk is very high because there are so many people you just don't know who is doing what."
For many Ukrainians, staying online has been daunting as Russia attacks telecoms and power supplies, but some people, like Oleg Kutkov, a software and communications engineer, are testing out a new way to stay connected.

In a FaceTime interview with VOA Mandarin from Kyiv, Kutkov held up the components of the two-part terminal needed to connect via Starlink, an internet constellation of some 2,000 satellites operated by billionaire Elon Musk's private firm SpaceX, one of a growing number of enterprises supporting Ukraine.

The Starlink dish and modem setup is easy to use, according to Kutkov, who is in his mid-30s.

"You just place the receptor outside, power on, wait a few minutes, and then you can go online without any additional tuning," he told VOA Mandarin on Monday.

Kutkov said, "Our government is communicating with citizens using social (media) channels, and we are getting all the information from them on the internet. Not from TV or radio, but the internet. So [having connectivity] is very important."

Skylink arrived in Ukraine with next-generation speed. On Feb. 26, Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine's vice prime minister and minister of digital transformation, tweeted to Musk, "while you try to colonize Mars  Russia try to occupy Ukraine! While your rockets successfully land from space  Russian rockets attack Ukrainian civil people! We ask you to provide Ukraine with Starlink stations and to address sane Russians to stand."

Hours later, Musk tweeted that Ukraine would soon have Starlink service and despite criticism that he was using the crisis as a marketing stunt, the hardware began arriving there on Feb. 28.

Fedorov tweeted on March 9 that a second shipment of Starlink equipment had arrived as the situation in Ukraine continued to deteriorate.

According to NetBlocks, a London-based organization tracking internet outages around the world, several major cities in southern Ukraine, including Kherson and Mariupol, have experienced severe internet disruption due to attacks on infrastructure and power supplies.

In other areas, including Kharkiv and Kyiv, internet connections were disrupted as Russian troops launched cyber assaults targeting financial and government websites in Ukraine.

And even though Musk has cautioned the Skylink connection is being used by Russia to target users, Kutkov has been sharing his experiences with the service on Twitter. He told VOA Mandarin that he has received requests for support from across the country, including from ordinary citizens, companies and even those in the military.

"Ukraine is a highly digitized country," Kutlov said. "We have everything online."

SpaceX is one of a growing number of private companies that began taking an active role in supporting Ukraine in the fight against Russia almost as soon as Russia began missile and artillery attacks on Feb. 24.

Mobile phone carriers including T-Mobile, AT&T and Verizon have waived charges for calls and texts to and from Ukraine.

Tesla is allowing any electric vehicles to use its charging stations along the borders of Ukraine with Poland and Hungary.

Airbnb, the online marketplace for lodging, stepped up to organize free short-term accommodation for 100,000 refugees from Ukraine.

Google and Facebook have banned Russian state media from their European platforms while working with European governments to combat the spread of disinformation from the Kremlin. Twitter began labeling all tweets containing content from Russian state-affiliated media outlets on Feb. 28.

As of Friday, more than 340 companies have announced their withdrawal from Russia's economy in protest of Putin's invasion of Ukraine, according to the Yale School of Management.

Russia has threatened to counter that exodus by nationalizing foreign-owned businesses that have decided to flee the country in response to the invasion of Ukraine.

Eli Dourado, a senior research fellow at the Center for Growth and Opportunity at Utah State University, told VOA Mandarin the reason that so many private companies have taken action is that Russia's invasion has "shocked and disgusted much of the world."

He said the circumstances of the conflict have left a lot of people feeling that "it's almost pure good versus evil."

Abishur Prakash, co-founder and geopolitical futurist at the Center for Innovating the Future, a Toronto-based advisory firm, said one of the reasons Western corporations, especially tech companies, are taking sides is "because the global landscape has now permanently shifted."

"The West is trying to permanently decouple from Russia, and Western tech firms are more than complying," said Prakash, author of The World Is Vertical: How Technology Is Remaking Globalization, in an emailed response to VOA Mandarin. "There is a tacit acceptance in the boardrooms of technology companies that Russia has become 'off limits.'"
Russian invasion of Ukraine headlines

- At least two killed after Russian missile hits a residential building in north-west Kyiv on Monday morning; at least two people were killed and twelve were wounded in the attack.

- Russian journalist and TV producer Marina Ovsyannikova arrested after staging an anti-war protest during a nightly news broadcast on a state run channel.

- Diplomatic talks between Russia and Ukraine are expected to restart after brief break. This comes as the mayor of Mariupol reports that the city's "last reserves of food and water are running out

- 35 are dead and over 100 people are wounded after a Russian attack on a Ukrainian military base which sits around 10 miles from the Polish border

- 2.8 million Ukrainians have fled their country since the invasion began

- US warns China that military and economic support to Russia could bring about serious financial consequences for the country.

- US journalist and award-winning filmographer Brent Renaud killed near by Russian troops in Kyiv; Fox News journalist Benjamin Hall has also been injured while in Ukraine.

Russia - Ukraine conflict information

- Can families in the US sponsor Ukrainian refugees?

- Gas prices are up around the world. Where are people seeing the quickest increase?

- Ukrainian officials say Russia is preparing a "false flag" operation on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant

- How does the Russian government prevent protests against the Kremlin?

Related News
U.S. authorities have broadly expanded the use of a smartphone app during the coronavirus pandemic to ensure immigrants released from detention will attend deportation hearings, a requirement that advocates say violates their privacy and makes them feel they're not free.

More than 125,000 people  many of them stopped at the U.S.-Mexico border  are now compelled to install the app known as SmartLink on their phones, up from about 5,000 less than three years ago. It allows officials to easily check on them by requiring the immigrants to send a selfie or make or receive a phone call when asked.

Although the technology is less cumbersome than an ankle monitor, advocates say tethering immigrants to the app is unfair considering many have paid bond to get out of U.S. detention facilities while their cases churn through the country's backlogged immigration courts. Immigration proceedings are administrative, not criminal, and the overwhelming majority of people with cases before the courts aren't detained.

Advocates said they're concerned about how the U.S. government might use data culled from the app on immigrants' whereabouts and contacts to round up and arrest others on immigration violations.

"It's kind of been shocking how just in a couple of years it has exploded so quickly and is now being used so much and everywhere," said Jacinta Gonzalez, senior campaign director for the Latino rights organization Mijente. "It's making it much easier for the government to track a larger number of people."

The use of the app by Immigration and Customs Enforcement soared during the pandemic, when many government services went online. It continued to grow as President Joe Biden called on the Department of Justice to curb the use of private prisons. His administration has also voiced support for so-called alternatives to detention to ensure immigrants attend required appointments such as immigration court hearings.

Meanwhile, the number of cases before the long-backlogged U.S. immigration court system has soared to 1.6 million. Immigrants often must wait for years to get a hearing before a judge who will determine whether they can stay in the country legally or should be deported.

Since the pandemic, U.S. immigration authorities have reduced the number of immigrants in detention facilities and touted detention alternatives such as the app.

The SmartLink app comes from BI Inc, a Boulder, Colorado-based subsidiary of private prison company The GEO Group. GEO, which runs immigration detention facilities for ICE under other contracts, declined to comment on the app.

Officials at Immigration and Customs Enforcement, which is part of the Department of Homeland Security, declined to answer questions about the app, but said in a statement that detention alternatives "are an effective method of tracking noncitizens released from DHS custody who are awaiting their immigration proceedings."

In recent congressional testimony, agency officials wrote that the SmartLink app is also cheaper than detention: it costs about $4.36 a day to put a person on a detention alternative and more than $140 a day to hold someone in a facility, agency budget estimates show.

Advocates say immigrants who spent months in detention facilities and were released on bond are being placed on the app when they go to an initial meeting with a deportation officer, and so are parents and children seeking asylum on the southwest border.

Initially, SmartLink was seen as a less intensive alternative to ankle monitors for immigrants who had been detained and released, but it is now being used widely on immigrants with no criminal history and who have not been detained at all, said Julie Mao, deputy director of the immigrant rights group Just Futures. Previously, immigrants often only attended periodic check-ins at agency offices.

"We're very concerned that that is going to be used as the excessive standard for everyone who's in the immigration system," Mao said.

While most people attend their immigration court hearings, some do skip out. In those cases, immigration judges issue deportation orders in the immigrants' absence, and deportation agents are tasked with trying to find them and return them to their countries. During the 2018 fiscal year, about a quarter of immigration judges' case decisions were deportation orders for people who missed court, court data shows.

Advocates questioned whether monitoring systems matter in these cases, noting someone who wants to avoid court will stop checking in with deportation officers, trash their phone and move, whether on SmartLink or not.

They said they're concerned that deportation agents could be tracking immigrants through SmartLink more than they are aware, just as commercial apps tap into location data on people's phones.

In the criminal justice system, law enforcement agencies are using similar apps for defendants awaiting trial or serving sentences. Robert Magaletta, chief executive of Louisiana-based Shadowtrack Technologies, said the technology doesn't continually track defendants but records their locations at check-ins, and that the company offers a separate, full-time tracking service to law enforcement agencies using tamperproof watches.

In a 2019 Congressional Research Service report, ICE said the app wasn't continually monitoring immigrants. But advocates said even quick snapshots of people's locations during check-ins could be used to track down friends and co-workers who lack proper immigration authorization. They noted immigration investigators pulled GPS data from the ankle monitors of Mississippi poultry plant workers to help build a case for a large workplace raid.

For immigrants released from detention with ankle monitors that irritate the skin and beep loudly at times, the app is an improvement, said Mackenzie Mackins, an immigration attorney in Los Angeles. It's less painful and more discreet, she said, adding the ankle monitors made her clients feel they were viewed by others as criminals.

But SmartLink can be stressful for immigrants who came to the U.S. fleeing persecution in their countries, and for those who fear a technological glitch could lead to a missed check-in.

Rosanne Flores, a paralegal at Hilf and Hilf in Troy, Michigan, said she recently fielded panicked calls from clients because the app wasn't working. They wound up having to report in person to immigration agents' offices instead.

"I see the agony it causes the clients," Flores said. "My heart goes out to them."
From the three-light traffic signal, refrigerated trucks, automatic elevator doors, color monitors for desktop computers, to the shape of the modern ironing board, the clothes wringer, blood banks, laser treatment for cataracts, home security systems and the super-soaker childrens toy, many objects and services Americans use every day were invented by Black men and women.



These innovators were recognized for their inventions, but countless other inventors of color have gone largely unrecognized. Others are completely lost to history.



There were some instances where Black inventors would compete with Alexander Graham Bell, with Thomas Edison, where their inventions were really just as good and just as transformative, but they just did not have access to the capital, says Shontavia Johnson, an entrepreneur and associate vice president for entrepreneurship and innovation at Clemson University in South Carolina. They did not have access to all these different systems that the United States puts in place to support inventors.



Thomas Edison is credited with inventing the lightbulb, but it was Lewis Latimer, the son of formerly enslaved people, who patented a new filament that extended the lifespan of lightbulbs so they wouldnt die out after a few days. Latimer got a patent for his invention in 1882, something countless Black innovators in the generations before him were unable to do.

Free Black citizens could obtain patents from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, but enslaved Black people could not. Slavery wasnt abolished until 1865, with the adoption of the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Prior to that, the inventions of Black innovators were often claimed by their enslavers or other white people.



Modern-day research suggests that was the case with the technology behind the cotton gin  a device that separated cotton seeds from their fibers. It was largely innovated by enslaved Black people, but a white man named Eli Whitney obtained the patent for the invention.



We often count our country as being this place where innovation and entrepreneurship thrive, Johnson says. But when you completely exclude a group of people from access to the patent system,  exploiting their invention, then the natural result of that is, you look at the most important inventors and innovators in American history  and they pretty much are your stereotypical white male inventor, not because other people have not been innovative, too, its just these folks have been excluded from the patent system.

This deliberate early exclusion of Black inventors from the patent system and, in large part, the pantheon of great American inventors, was rooted in racist assumptions about the intellectual inferiority of Black people, according to Rayvon Fouche, a professor of American studies at Purdue University in Lafayette, Indiana.



Invention was seen as this God-given ability. So, as you can imagine, all the perceptions, ideas about masculinity, maleness, power [and] authority are all wrapped into this vision of inventiveness, says Fouche, who also leads the National Science Foundations Social and Economic Sciences Division. The inherent understanding of what an inventor is and was and could be  the framing of that term  eliminated the possibility for all Black folks and all marginalized people.



Other barriers Black inventors historically faced included less access to equal education, systematic exclusion from professional scientific and engineering

societies, limited access to wealthy investors and mainstream banks for start-up capital to commercialize their inventions, and racial violence.

Black inventors were also less involved in patenting activity between 1870 and 1940, during times of lynchings, race riots and segregation laws in the United States.



There were also the Black creators who came up with innovations that didnt necessarily fit the traditional ideas of inventiveness.



For much of our history, when we think about the word invention, its sort of freighted with these white, Eurocentric notions of what that means, says Eric Hintz, a historian with the Lemelson Center for the Study of Invention and Innovation at the Smithsonians National Museum of American History. Often, the traditional definition of invention is something like a machine that saves human labor or animal labor, that does some task more efficiently.



That kept certain innovations by Black people from being recognized by the patent system.



[The patent system] is built on this model that basically assumes innovation is desirable when it's tied to commercial benefit. But if it is rooted in community survival or the needs of society, that is not worthy of protection, and we see that in the law, Johnson says. There are certain types of things that are patentable, and certain things that are not patentable, and that is a distinction that I do think leaves a lot of people out of the ecosystem.



A New York DJ known as Grandmaster Flash pioneered the use of record turntables as an instrument by using his fingers to manipulate the sounds backward and forward or to slow it down. He had an innovative style of mixing records and blending beats that pioneered the art of deejaying, but he holds no patents.



Black people have been doing lots of creative, innovative things, Fouche says. We can think about all kinds of technological creative things within the context of hip-hop and music production and art in other ways. But of course, the patent office is driven by techno-scientific innovation. And I think part of it is, for me, to open up the conversation of what inventiveness is and can be.

Museum collections have historically excluded the contributions of marginalized people, a failing the Smithsonians Lemelson Center readily acknowledges.



"Definitely the Smithsonian and other libraries and museums have been complicit over the decades, over the centuries, of privileging white inventors in the things that we collect, says Hintz. We have a ton of stuff on Edison and Tesla [electricity] and Steve Jobs [innovator of Apple products and devices] and whomever, but it's incumbent on us now to make sure that we're preserving the stories of Madam C.J. Walker, Grandmaster Flash, Lonnie Johnson  who invented the Super Soaker, of Patricia Bath, an ophthalmologist who invented a way of eradicating cataracts.



Walker, Americas first self-made female millionaire, built her fortune with a line of hair care products for Black women. Black people also invented the clothes dryer, the automatic gear shift in vehicles, the modern toilet, lawn sprinkler, peanut butter and potato chips.



But the innovation gap persists. African Americans and women still participate at each stage of the innovation process at lower rates than their male and white counterparts.



How do you get more Black kids, girls [and] marginalized people into these pathways that have been traditionally white, middle class and male? Fouche says, emphasizing the importance of sparking childrens imaginations, despite any obstacles.



I'm more interested in saying, Well, what do you want to do? How do you want to change the world? What are the things that are meaningful to you? and just impressing upon people the limitless opportunities.  So, don't limit the possibilities.
Irans ballistic missile strike on the northern city of Irbil, which damaged some residential structures but caused no casualties, has been criticized by leaders from across Iraqs political spectrum.

Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed credit for the late-night strike in which 12 ballistic missiles were fired against an alleged Israeli strategic center of conspiracy in the Kurdish city, according to a statement.

Muqtada al-Sadr, the influential Shiite cleric whose political party won majority seats in Iraqs most recent parliamentary elections, issued a statement calling on the government to submit a protest note to the United Nations and the Iranian ambassador asking for guarantees that [such an attack] will not be repeated in the future.

Analysts say Sadrs relatively strong reaction, which went beyond a mere condemnation, indicates Irans waning popularity in the oil-rich country, where Iran-backed political parties have lost ground in the recent parliamentary elections.

Mahmoud Othman, a veteran Kurdish politician who served as a member of the Iraqi parliament, tied the Iranian attack to a political deal between Sadr, the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), which rules Irbil, and Sunni politicians to form a government. The agreement excludes Iran-allied Shiite parties, namely the Fatah Alliance.

Iran has stated it publicly that its behind the attack, Othman told VOA by phone.

[Iranians] say they have targeted Israeli bases in the region. In reality, they are not content with KDPs position, allying with al-Sadr and others. They see this as undermining their groups, he added.

More than six months have passed since Iraq held parliamentary elections in October, but the process of forming a new government has been hampered by political bickering and failed negotiations.

Its unclear if the attack will have any impact on the government-formation process.

Local media published images of the aftermath of the missile attack, which damaged at least one three-story structure in the city and a studio for a local television channel.

Security footage released by Kurdistan24 TV appeared to show the attacks shockwaves causing ceiling tiles and glass to fall from the stations studios.

Irbil Governor Omed Khoshnaw told VOA that the attack, which coincided with slain Iranian General Qasem Soleimanis birthday, targeted the U.S. consulate in the city, but the building didnt sustain damage. Soleimani was assassinated in a U.S. drone strike ordered by former President Donald Trump two years ago.

U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said in a statement, We will support the Government of Iraq in holding Iran accountable, and we will support our partners throughout the Middle East in confronting similar threats from Iran. The United States of America stands behind the full sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity of Iraq.

The U.S. embassy in Baghdad also condemned the missile attack, calling it a criminal act for which Iran must be held accountable.

The United States condemns the criminal attack on civilian targets in Erbil, said the embassy in a statement.

Iranian regime elements have claimed responsibility for this attack and must be held accountable for this flagrant violation of Iraqi sovereignty and for terrorist attacks on innocent civilian properties.

Iraqs outgoing prime minister, Mustafa al-Kadhimi, called the attack an act of terror.

The attack that targeted the dear city of Erbil and terrorized its residents is an attack on the security of our people, he said on Twitter. Mohammed al-Halbousi, the speaker of the Iraqi parliament, said the attack necessitated a unified and firm national stance to deter and confront it.

Because of the lengthy border they share with Iran, the Kurds in the countrys north are the most concerned about the attack. The president of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, has appealed to the international community for help against the regions neighbors cowardly and unwarranted attacks.

Targeting Erbil in such a way, and the repeat of such attacks, is an alarming development, as it is a blatant violation of peace, stability, and sovereignty of Iraq, read an English-language statement by Barzani.

I urge the federal government of Iraq and the international community to end such aggressions and do their best to prevent further violations of the sovereignty and stability of the country and the security and peace of its citizens.

This story was originated in VOAs Kurdish service with contributions by Dilshad Anwar.
Editors Note: Award-winning visual journalist Brent Renaud was killed in the Ukrainian city of Irpin on Sunday. His colleague Juan Arredondo, who was with him when they came under fire, was injured. Here, VOA Eastern Europe Chief Myroslava Gongadze reflects on her friend and former Nieman fellow.

Brent Renaud was not a man you can forget. Quiet, usually by himself, he was never the one to speak first.

Renaud may not have been a man of many words, but I had the sense that he was unusually perceptive. Even without much conversation, he could somehow know a persons deepest thoughts.

The first time I realized the depth of his empathy and curiosity was in a narrative writing class, when he read an essay about the grandmother who raised him.

It was 2018 and Renaud and I were among that years Nieman Fellow intake at Harvard University, along with Juan Arredondo, who was with Renaud when they came under fire in Irpin.

Renaud, an experienced documentary filmmaker, often on the front line, covered the stories others would rather forget.

He would blend in and make the subjects of his documentaries feel so at ease that people would forget he was there and let their guard down.

He liked people, but preferred dogs. We were classmates but did not speak much.

So I was surprised when he was one who gave me such a deep and thorough analysis and suggestions for the essay I wrote at Harvard about my husband, George Gongadze, who was murdered in Ukraine in 2000.

Now Ukraine, in tragic way, connects them.

My husband was murdered and beheaded while uncovering high-level corruption in Ukraine. Renaud was in Ukraine to tell the story of those being attacked and killed by the Russian army.

Both cared about people and truth.

Since this war started, the sense of loss, confusion, helplessness and anger is with me all the time.

Just like 22 years ago when I lost my husband, today I am losing my friends and my Ukrainian family.

I know that many of my Ukrainian-born colleagues at VOA share that feeling. They are trying to stay calm and report on the news while not knowing what will happen to their loved ones in Ukraine.

At the same time, I feel resolute and proud of Ukrainians, for withstanding the Russian aggression, and of my brave colleagues, journalists like Brent who sacrifice their lives to tell the world the truth.
Roegchanda Pascoe braved death threats while trying to ease the gang violence plaguing the Cape Flats community just outside Cape Town, South Africa. Facia Boyenoh Harris faced harassment while advocating for womens rights and protections against sexual violence in Liberia. Najla Mangoush a year ago accepted the role of foreign minister in the U.N.-backed transitional government of Libya, a country deeply divided by a decade of civil war.

These three Africans are among a dozen women being honored by the U.S. State Department with its 2022 International Women of Courage Awards for demonstrating exceptional courage, strength and leadership in advocating for peace, justice, human rights, gender equity and equality  often at great personal risk and sacrifice, according to a press statement.

They will be recognized Monday at a ceremony that, because of the pandemic, will bring them together virtually instead of in person in Washington. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will preside, with remarks by first lady Jill Biden.

Roegchanda Pascoe

Pascoe, 47, is a crime prevention activist working in the Cape Flats, a poor community outside Cape Town where mixed-race people were forcibly resettled in the 1960s under South Africas apartheid system.

Gangs have had a decadeslong hold there, trafficking in drugs, guns, prostitution and more. Violence has been so normalized, Pascoe told VOA.

But in 2013, after a boy was caught in gang crossfire and killed while playing outside, she co-founded the volunteer Manenberg Safety Forum. Named for the township in which its based, the forum raises awareness about the criminal justice system, trains community advocates, and provides counseling and other support for victims of violence, especially women and children. Pascoe draws an honorarium through a grant from the Global Initiative Against Transnational Organized Crime.

The forum also has mediated between gangs, aiming to peacefully resolve disputes.

On July 20, 2016, Pascoe and several other Manenberg residents witnessed an alleged gang attack on a man who died later that day. Pascoe was the only witness willing to testify at the 2019 murder trial, helping to convict the gangs leader and two others.

The day before her scheduled testimony, unknown assailants shot at her house. Pascoe had been moved to a safe house earlier that day, but her young children were still at home. They have since joined her in hiding, fearing gang retaliation.

I cannot be silent when injustice is happening to any human being, she told VOA of her decision to testify. But the effect of gang violence has been dire for me.  Ill never be able to move back to the community.

Yet Pascoe has persevered. Through the forum, she continues to mediate community conflict and support victimized women and families. She set up a crime prevention and intervention program for at-risk youths. She has organized a walking bus system for schoolchildren to be escorted by adults  often mothers who had been jobless. They get paid, skilled up and trained how to do emergency first aid, Pascoe said.

She has amazing strategies to develop her community, Oscar Nceba Siwali said of Pascoe in an email to VOA. He directs the Southern African Development and Reconstruction Agency, which promotes nonviolence in some of the countrys toughest communities. In workshops to help engage NGOs to work together, she has been most helpful  points forward while acknowledging [the] past.

Pascoe hopes her selection for a Courage Award will help others realize that, no matter how disadvantaged, they can make valuable contributions.

It will mean a lot for our young women leaders, she said.

Facia Boyenoh Harris

In 2005, Harris was in her first year at African Methodist Episcopal University in Liberias capital, Monrovia, when she and some classmates started the Paramount Young Women Initiative. They raised money for scholarships to help other students struggling with financial need, family burdens, academic difficulties and more.

They added workshops. We talked about family life, socioeconomic issues and the inspiration that we needed as Liberia began recovering from civil war, said Harris, now 39. We had a safe space to come together.

Today, the nonprofit initiative continues to provide that safe space support for adolescent girls and young women, promoting education, mentoring and leadership.

Its just one activist outlet for Harris, a former journalist whose paid job is to direct outreach for Liberias Independent Information Commission. Its charged with enforcing the countrys Freedom of Information Act.

Harris co-founded the Liberian Feminist Forum and, as a community organizer, has campaigned for broader political participation and better sanitation. She fights gender-based violence, including rape and female genital mutilation.

In Liberia, were dealing with a very strong patriarchal system that continually marginalizes women, Harris said.

Liberias president declared rape a national emergency in 2020, and the government recently launched a hotline to report sexual and gender-based violence. But Gender Minister Williametta E. Saydee-Tarr, addressing the nations Senate Thursday [March 10], complained of low rates of reporting and slow criminal prosecution.

There are lots of challenges with the system, Harris said. Police sometimes say they lack the capacity to investigate or make arrests, or a victim or relatives may not want to press charges. Cases can get snagged in the criminal justice system.

People need timely access to justice, Harris said.

Shes also advocating for equal representation in public office. Though Liberia was the first African country to elect a female head of state - Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president from 2006 to 2018  women remain underrepresented in national elective office. Harris noted that in Liberias Legislature, women hold just 11 of 103 seats in the lower chamber and two of 30 seats in the Senate.

Women do not have the same access to money for filing fees and campaigns, said Harris, suggesting campaign finance measures.

Harris said the Courage Award honors the women of Liberia who have continuously worked hard to ensure that injustices come to an end while advancing the countrys development. It represents a personal challenge, too: I have a greater responsibility to do more  to leave a better Liberia for the generations after us.

Najla Mangoush of Libya

Mangoush was appointed March 15, 2021, as Libyas foreign minister  the first female to hold that position in the North African country of 7 million.

A lawyer and human rights advocate, she also is a doctoral candidate at George Mason Universitys School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, just outside of Washington. Mangoush  who holds a masters degree in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University, also in Virginia  set aside her dissertation to take the Cabinet position.

She wanted to serve her country, said Susan F. Hirsch, a GMU professor of conflict resolution and anthropology supervising Mangoushs research.  Shes someone who is very diplomatic. Shes a born peacemaker.

Peacemaking skills get put to the test in Libya, an oil-rich country mired in conflict since longtime ruler Moammar Gadhafi was overthrown and killed in 2011. Mangoush is part of the Government of National Unity, a U.N.-based administration installed in Tripoli in early 2021 as a transition to an elected government. But presidential and parliamentary elections set for December were delayed and have not yet been rescheduled.

A new government appointed by Libyas parliament March 1 has challenged the unity governments mandate, putting Mangoushs Cabinet post at risk.

During the 2011 revolution, Mangoush worked with civil society organizations as head of the National Transitional Councils public engagement unit. She also has represented Libya at the U.S. Institute of Peace. Now shes grappling with issues such as illegal migration and the presence of unwanted foreign military troops.

To enter into the fray of Libyan politics and Libyan civil war and take a stand is a pretty courageous thing, said Marc Gopin, who directs GMUs Center for World Religions, Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, where Mangoush once served as program director for peacebuilding and traditional law.

An additional award

Beyond Mondays virtual awards ceremony, honorees will take part in a virtual leadership program to connect with their American counterparts and strengthen the global network of women leaders, the State Department said in its press release. More than 170 women from more than 80 countries have been recognized for their work since 2007.

To support their work, each honoree also receives a $5,000 stipend from American Women for International Understanding. The nonprofit group and its roughly 125 members promote women-to-women interactions through exchange visits, study programs and events.

The groups stipends allow recipients to do more of their essential work, said Julienne Lusenge, a 2021 Courage Award winner and human rights activist in the Democratic Republic of Congo. She told VOA that, with her $5,000, I built bathrooms for the children at a school in Mbau village.

AWIU plans a May 24 dinner in Los Angeles to celebrate this years honorees. There, in recognition of its 15-year collaboration with the awards program, the group will receive its own prize: the State Departments Gender Champion Award.

This report originated in VOAs Africa Division.
Turkey and Armenia have pledged to pursue the normalization of ties in what the Turkish foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu described as a "productive and constructive" meeting on Saturday.

After talks with his Armenian counterpart, Ararat Mirzoyan, Cavusoglu said that Azerbaijan also "supports the process" of normalization.

Armenia and Turkey have no diplomatic relations, a closed land border and a deep-seated hostility rooted in the mass killing of Armenians under the Ottoman Empire during World War I.

But in December, the two countries appointed special envoys to normalize relations, spurred by support from regional powerbroker Russia and Armenia's arch-foe Azerbaijan.

The push came a year after Azerbaijan used the help of Turkish combat drones to recapture most of the territory it lost to ethnic Armenians in a 1990s war in the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh.

A Russian-brokered truce that ended the second conflict removed Turkey's main objection to talking to Armenia -- namely, Yerevan's support for the local Nagorno-Karabakh government's claim of independence from Azerbaijan.

The first commercial flights for two years resumed in early February between Turkey and Armenia, but the land border between the two countries has remained closed since 1993, forcing trucks to transit through Georgia or Iran.
U.S. officials say Russias lethal shelling in the western part of Ukraine on Sunday, close to the border with Poland, is something that they had anticipated.

This does not come as a surprise to the American intelligence and national security community, said U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan during a Sunday morning appearance on CNN. What it shows is that Vladimir Putin is frustrated by the fact that his forces are not making the kind of progress that he thought that they would make.

At least 35 people died and 134 were wounded early Sunday when Russia fired cruise missiles at the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, a military base in western Ukraine.

The facility, not far from Lviv, is where NATO units train with Ukrainian troops.

NATO troops in Poland are a scant 25 kilometers away, prompting concern that even a misstep by Russias military could cause the war to further widen.

If Russia attacks, fires upon, takes a shot at NATO territory, the NATO alliance would respond to that, warned Sullivan in an interview on the CBS networks Face the Nation program.

Sullivan and officials from the National Security Council and State Department are scheduled to be in Rome on Monday to meet Chinese Communist Party Politburo Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi.

The discussion will be part of our ongoing efforts to maintain open lines of communication between the United States and the Peoples Republic of China [PRC]. The two sides will discuss ongoing efforts to manage the competition between our two countries and discuss the impact of Russias war against Ukraine on regional and global security, according to NSC spokesperson Emily Horne.

Sullivan on Sunday also responded to growing concern Russia will use chemical weapons in Ukraine.

We cant predict a time and place, said Sullivan on CBS, noting an escalation of rhetoric from Moscow falsely accusing the United States and Ukraine of developing chemical or biological weapons to use against Russian troops.

Thats an indicator that the Russians are getting ready to do it and blame it on others, according to Sullivan.

On NBCs Meet the Press, Sullivan said, We've consulted with our allies and partners about it, and we are prepared for that eventuality. He echoed U.S. President Joe Bidens warning from last week that Russia would face severe consequences if such weapons are deployed.

In a video released shortly early Monday local time, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy renewed a plea for NATO to impose a no-fly zone over his country, predicting if that does not happen it is only a matter of time before Russian rockets fall on your territory, on NATO territory.

In recent days, satellite imagery and media reporters have indicated Russian armored units are poised to relaunch a major offensive to attempt to take Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, after a lull.

An award-winning American filmmaker and journalist is among the latest casualties of the conflict near the capital.

Brent Renaud died in Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv, according to officials.

It is one more example of the brutality of Vladimir Putin and his forces as theyve targeted schools and mosques and hospitals and journalists, said Sullivan on CNNs State of the Union program.

Renaud, who had previously worked for The New York Times, NBC and HBO, paid with his life for attempting to expose the insidiousness, cruelty and ruthlessness of the aggressor, said a statement from Anton Gerashchenko, an adviser to Ukraines interior minister.

In recent days, the focus of the invasion has shifted to the besieged southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol.

We have already evacuated almost 125,000 people to the safe territory through humanitarian corridors, President Zelenskyy said in a video address released earlier Sunday. Were doing everything to counter occupiers who are even blocking Orthodox priests accompanying this aid, food, water and medicine. There are 100 tons of the most necessary things that Ukraine sent to its citizens.

Ukraines Foreign Ministry tweeted Saturday that Russian forces had shelled a mosque in Mariupol where 80 people were sheltering, including some from Turkey.

Seven civilians, including a child, were killed Saturday in a designated humanitarian corridor when Russia struck the convoy, forcing the civilians to turn around, Ukraines Defense Ministry said.

Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said only nine of 14 humanitarian corridors were open Saturday.

About 13,000 people were evacuated along the routes that had been agreed upon as safe passage exits for civilians, according to Vereschuk.

Also Saturday, a Russian missile attack destroyed a Ukrainian air base in the city of Vasylkiv, according to Mayor Natalia Balasynovych who said an oil depot also was destroyed.

Russias Interfax News Agency quoted Balasynovych as saying Russian rockets also destroyed an ammunition depot near Vasylkiv.

Jeff Seldin and Cindy Saine contributed to this report. Some information also came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Zimbabwe police Saturday blocked the country's main opposition party from holding rallies ahead of March 26 elections to fill seats that have fallen vacant since the general election in 2018. The police says the rally ban in Mavhunga, about 80 kilometers east of Harare, is meant to ensure peace and stability.

Police camped overnight Friday at a venue in Marondera, where the leader of Zimbabwes main opposition, the Citizens Coalition for Change, Nelson Chamisa, was supposed to address his supporters Saturday. The 44-year-old candidate later came to disperse the crowd waiting for him.

We are a party of peace, a party of the rule of law, he said.

Chamisa said his party does not want to fight with people. He said the government denied permission to hold a rally, so the party asked for permission to come and tell about that. He told his supporters he does not want the politics of Zimbabwe to cause any death. Then he added that what the government does not know is that here in Marondera, his arrival is good enough.

In an interview Sunday, Fadzayi Mahere, the Citizens Coalition for Change spokeswoman said her party was not happy with the bias of the Zimbabwe Electoral Commission and the police in favor of the ruling ZANU-PF.

Our rally in Marondera was purportedly banned and yet ZANU-PF was car rally and other unsanctioned in the very same area," she said. "Not once have they sought authorization or given notice to the police, yet these unlawful prohibitions are meted out against us. Ours is a struggle of non-violent resistance. However, the thousands that came out just to hear president Chamisa speak shows beyond any doubt that the citizens are prepared to do whatever it takes to reclaim their dignity. We continue to urge supporters to register to vote in their masses so that we attain our target in 2023: A landslide victory.

Zimbabwe police Sunday refused to comment on the ban of the Citizens Coalition for Change in Marondera. It issued a letter to the opposition saying it needed time to prepare to ensure there was peace at the rally. Two weeks ago, violence instigated by suspected ruling ZANU-PF supporters at a Citizens Coalition for Change rally resulted in two deaths and dozens injured.

Alexander Rusero, a former senior politics lecturer at Harare Polytechnic college, says police and political parties must thwart violence at opposition rallies.

Police have arrested 16 suspected ZANU-PF supporters who are accused of causing the violence and who now face murder charges in connection with the deaths at the opposition rally.

Zimbabwes pre-election season has been marred by violence that has claimed lives and left thousands injured since 2000 after a strong opposition party emerged.
Russias military pounded Ukraine with artillery and airstrikes Saturday amid fierce fighting northwest of the capital of Kyiv and in several other cities as Russian troops mass 25 kilometers from the capital.

A Russian missile attack destroyed a Ukrainian air base in the city of Vasylkiv early Saturday, according to Mayor Natalia Balasynovych. She said an oil depot also was destroyed, while Russias Interfax News Agency quoted Balasynovych as saying Russian rockets destroyed an ammunition depot near Vasylkiv.

Ukraines foreign ministry tweeted Saturday that Russian forces shelled a mosque in Mariupol where 80 people were sheltering. The ministry did not disclose the timing of the attack, but it said some of those in the mosque were from Turkey.

A member of the local Suleiman Mosque Association in Mariupol who was sheltering at the mosque, Ismail Hacioglu, said the mosque was not hit directly but had caught fire, according to Agence France-Presse.

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at a news conference Saturday that Russia was sending in more troops after Ukrainian forces disabled 31 of Russias battalion tactical groups in what he described as Russia's largest army losses in decades. Zelenskyy did not elaborate, and his claim was not verified.



Zelenskyy also said about 1,300 Ukrainian troops had been killed since Russia first invaded Ukraine February 24 and suggested more Ukrainians would be willing to die to protect the capital of Kyiv from the Russians.

"If they decide to carpet bomb [Kyiv], and simply erase the history of this region, the history of the Kyivan Rus, the history of Europe, and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that's their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves," Zelenskyy declared.

Meanwhile, Ukraines military reportedly said Saturday Russian forces have captured the city's eastern outskirts, and Ukrainian authorities have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged southern port city.Ukrainian officials in Mariupol said Friday more than 1,500 people have been killed since Russia began its assault on the city, a figure that has not been independently confirmed.

Several humanitarian corridors will open Saturday, providing residents with a safe passage from the violence in Kyiv, Sumy, Mariupol and other cities, Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video message. She also expressed hope that Russia would observe the cease-fire to allow for safe evacuations.

"I hope that the day will go well, all the planned routes will be open, and Russia will fulfill its obligations to guarantee the cease-fire regime," Vereshchuk said.

The governor of the of the Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, told local reporters Saturday that civilian evacuations from embattled towns in the region were proceeding Saturday and are planned to continue Sunday, despite the fighting and threats of Russian air attacks.

"We will try to get people out every day, as long as it's possible to observe a cease-fire," Kuleba said

In other developments, negotiations between Russia and Ukraine have been continuing by video conference, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Saturday, according to Russias state-owned RIA news agency. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba offered no details on the latest round of talks but reiterated Kyiv would not surrender or agree to any demands.

On Friday, a senior U.S. defense official said Russia had widened its war in Ukraine by targeting areas in the west of the country and appears to be regrouping troops near the capital, Kyiv, as the United States and its allies increase sanctions on Moscow.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence, confirmed Russia had begun targeting sites in western Ukraine, hitting airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, part of a salvo of more than 800 missiles launched since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian forces were continuing to mount "an adaptive and nimble" defense that was frustrating Russian forces, the U.S. defense official said.

National Security Correspondent Jeff Seldin and Senior Diplomatic Correspondent Cindy Saine contributed to this report. Some information came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
Brent Renaud, 51, an award-winning videographer was killed when the car he was travelling in was fired on by Russian troops according to police. He and another journalist who was injured were travelling to film civilians fleeing their homes as Russian troops surround Kyiv.

According to the regional police, Renaud was fatally shot when Russian forces shot at the car near the Romanivsky Bridge in Irpin. On a Facebook post, Kyiv Chief of Police Andrey Nebitov wrote The occupants cynical[ly] kill even journalists of the international media who try to show the truth about the inaction of Russian troops in Ukraine.

Renaud was accompanied by Juan Arredondo, a Colombian-American photographer, who regularly works with The New York Times and National Geographic according to his bio. He explained from the hospital that he and Renaud after crossing a bridge in Irpin, they had gotten into another car and when they reached a checkpoint they came under fire. The two got split up while trying to escape continued firing from the checkpoint.

Confusion about why Renaud was in Kyiv

Initial reports said that he was a New York Times journalist by the publication stated that he was not on assignment for them in Ukraine and that he last collaborated with the newspaper in 2015.

The confusion came when he was found with a press badge that he had been issued years ago by the New York Times. A spokeswoman for the paper Danielle Rhoades Ha said We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renauds death.

A talented filmmaker

Renaud had spent the last decade working in hot spots around the world to present candid humanistic stories according to a biography posted by him and his brother Craig Renaud. The brothers won a Peabody Award in 2015 for a Vice News documentary on a Chicago school for students with severe emotional issues.

The two brothers often worked together to cover the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, including the fight for Mosul, the earthquake in Haiti, and extremism in Africa. The brothers also explored the violence of the drug cartels in Mexico and youth refugees in Central America.
Ukrainian officials say Russia launched a missile attack early Sunday on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, a military base in western Ukraine near the countrys border with Poland. NATO troops in Poland are just a scant 25 kilometers away.

The New York Times reports some of the missiles were intercepted, but other missiles hit the base, causing casualties, but officials have not released any details.

Reuters reports that the military base is one Ukraine's biggest, and the largest in the western part of the country and is the location where Ukraine holds most of its drills with NATO countries.

Russias military continued to pound cities across Ukraine on Saturday with artillery and airstrikes.

Ukrainian officials said Russian planes fired several missiles at an airbase near Lviv in western Ukraine on Sunday but gave no further details.

Seven civilians, including a child, were killed Saturday in a designated humanitarian corridor when Russia struck the convoy, forcing the civilians to turn around, Ukraines Defense Ministry said.

Ukraines Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said only nine of 14 humanitarian corridors were open Saturday. Vereshchuk said about 13,000 people were evacuated along the routes that had been agreed upon as safe passage exits for civilians.

Also Saturday, a Russian missile attack destroyed a Ukrainian air base in the city of Vasylkiv, according to Mayor Natalia Balasynovych who said an oil depot also was destroyed.

Russias Interfax News Agency quoted Balasynovych as saying Russian rockets also destroyed an ammunition depot near Vasylkiv.

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his nightly address Saturday that Russia is trying to create new pseudo-republics in Ukraine to break his country apart. "Ukraine will stand this test, the president said. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land.

French and German leaders spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday, but France said in a statement they did not detect a willingness on Putins part to end the war.

Ukraines foreign ministry tweeted Saturday that Russian forces shelled a mosque in Mariupol where 80 people were sheltering. The ministry did not disclose the timing of the attack, but it said some of those in the mosque were from Turkey.

A member of the local Suleiman Mosque Association in Mariupol who was sheltering at the mosque, Ismail Hacioglu, said the mosque was not hit directly but had caught fire, according to Agence France-Presse.

Meanwhile, Ukraines military has reportedly said Russian forces have captured Mariupols eastern outskirts, and Ukrainian authorities have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in the besieged southern port city.

Ukrainian officials in Mariupol said Friday more than 1,500 people have been killed since Russia began its assault on the city, a figure that has not been independently confirmed.

On Friday, a senior U.S. defense official said Russia had widened its war in Ukraine by targeting areas in the west of the country and appears to be regrouping troops near the capital, Kyiv, as the United States and its allies increase sanctions on Moscow.

The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity in order to discuss intelligence, confirmed Russia had begun targeting sites in western Ukraine, hitting airfields in Lutsk and Ivano-Frankivsk, part of a salvo of more than 800 missiles launched since the start of the invasion.

Ukrainian forces were continuing to mount "an adaptive and nimble" defense that was frustrating Russian forces, the U.S. defense official said.

The official also told reporters the U.S. is seeing signs that Russian forces, and the Russian air force in particular, are displaying a "general risk aversion" while also showing their inexperience.

"This is not a military that has great expeditionary capability and experience," the official said. "Nothing on this scale."

But the official also warned there are indications Russian forces are learning from their early missteps.

Some information also came from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse and Reuters.
A ruling Zanu PF member has castigated the Zimbabwe Republic Police for blocking opposition party rallies ahead of the forthcoming council and parliamentary by-elections on March 26.

In a statement, Frank Guni, said President Emmerson Mnangagwa should condemn the police and force police chief, Godwin Matanga, to resign if they are clamping down on the opposition without state authority.

Guni said, I have always been ZANU PF and continue to be but I will be the first to admit that the nonsense happening in Zimbabwe is more than barbaric. The ZRP are an organ of the State not some ZANU PF (our party's) militia. We can not foist ourselves on the masses using state organs and stifle democracy while continuing to proclaim that we are a democratic state and we are open for business. No sane investors will seed serious money into such a volatile and polarized economy!

If indeed the ZRP are doing these stupid stunts on their own then the State and our party president must not only condemn their actions but stop them and demand an explanation from our police commissioner general or at least demand his resignation, heads must roll. What they are doing is seriously undermining our democracy, our government and indeed our ruling party.

Guni said there should be an impartial application of the law in Zimbabwe.

The law must be blind and equitably applied to all citizens and institutions regardless of their station in our political discourse! I am aware that my comments might ruffle some shortsighted minds in my party but it is nevertheless necessary for our democracy to thrive that progressive and objective party cadres state the truth and remind ourselves of the ethos of our liberation struggle and hard won independence. Zimbabwe is for all of us, no one is more Zimbabwean than others. We must learn to co-exist and and allow our people to consciously support us and those who choose to support others must freely do so in our free Zimbabwe.

The furious Zanu PF activist said the ruling party should strive to work for all people in Zimbabwe.

Matanga and police spokesperson, Assistant Police Commissioner Paul Nyathi, were unreachable for comment as they were not responding to calls on their mobile phones.

The Zimbabwe Republic Police has been of late attempting to block rallies organized by the Citizens Coalition for Change, arguing that in some cases the party gave a short notice in informing them of planning to have car rallies before holding mass meetings.
Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said the area has sustained intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days.

Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death. Renaud and Putzel won a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University journalism award for "Arming the Mexican Cartels," a documentary on how guns trafficked from the United States fueled rampant drug gang violence.

This guy was the absolute best, Putzel told The Associated Press via phone from New York City. He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know. This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.

The details of Renaud's death were not made immediately clear by Ukrainian authorities, but American journalist Juan Arredondo said the two were traveling in a vehicle toward the Irpin checkpoint when they were both shot. Arredondo, speaking from a hospital in Kyiv, told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli that Renaud was hit in the neck. Camilli told the AP that Arredondo himself had been hit in the lower back.

We crossed the first bridge in Irpin, we were going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us," Arredondo told Camilli in a video interview shared with the AP.

A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car. Hours after the shooting of Renaud, Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said journalists would be denied entry to the city.

In this way, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders, Markushyn said.

The U.S. State Department said it would not comment on Renaud's death out of respect for his family members but that consular assistance was being offered to them.

The U.S. State Department condemned attacks on news professionals and others documenting the conflict.

We are horrified that journalists and filmmakersnoncombatantshave been killed and injured in Ukraine by Kremlin forces," the department said via Twitter. "This is yet another gruesome example of the Kremlins indiscriminate actions.

The State Department also said it would not comment on Renauds death to respect his family's privacy but that consular assistance was being offered.

Responding to news of Renauds death, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for an immediate halt to violence against journalists and civilians.

This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law, the committee said on Twitter.

Along with his brother Craig, Renaud won a Peabody Award for Last Chance High, an HBO series about a school for at-risk youth on Chicagos West Side. The brothers' litany of achievements include two duPont-Columbia journalism awards and acclaimed productions for HBO, NBC, Discovery, PBS, the New York Times, and VICE News.

Renaud was also a 2019 Nieman fellow at Harvard and served as visiting distinguished professor for the Center for Ethics in Journalism at University of Arkansas. He and his brother founded the Little Rock Film Festival.

Among other assignments, Renaud covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating 2011 earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya and extremism in Africa.

Putzel, who worked with Renaud for 12 years, paid tribute to his courage and passion.

Nowhere was too dangerous," Putzel said. It was his bravery but also because he deeply, deeply cared.

He is survived by his brother Craig, Craig's wife, Mami, and a nephew, 11-year-old Taiyo.

___

AP journalists Sylvia Hui in London and Maria Grazia Murru in Przemysl, Poland, contributed to this report.
At a meeting of the Russian Security Council, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced that he had received 16,000 applications from foreign volunteers eager to fight against the neo-Nazis in Ukraine. These are mainly people who took on ISIS in Iraq and Syria.

The Board greenlighted the initiative.

In 2007, during the second Chechen War, Al-Qaeda and the neo-Nazis forged an alliance against Russia, under the joint authority of Dmitri Yarosh (current special adviser to the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian armies) and Dokou Oumarov (then Emir of the Islamic Emirate of Ichkeria).

Meanwhile, Ukraine claimed to have enlisted 66,000 foreign volunteers who have been integrated into its Territorial Defense Forces which already boasts nationalist militias (of the Stepan Bandera type).
Knesset Speaker Mickey Levy did not accede to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskys request to address the Knesset plenum by video. He gave the excuse that many members were absent, hence it would be preferable to arrange it in a private meeting room by zoom.

Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett telephoned President Zelensky to advise him to agree to Russias terms, including tearing down monuments honoring Nazi collaborator Stepan Bandera and arresting the neo-Nazis he enlisted in his army.
The 2022 Two Sessions, the annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body, concluded Friday, March 11. From an innovation perspective, there are some noteworthy takeaways.

Looking back at 2021, China has been steadily increasing support for innovation. We saw corporate R&D increase with 15.5%, a push for the Digital China initiatives to bring digital technology to incumbent industries, refocus on more fundamental science and technology development, and tax support for Micro-, Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (MSMEs), especially those with homegrown technologies. We also saw an increase of regulation and oversight of the booming technology sector, in particular finding ways to properly regulate platform businesses and their role in the Chinese economy.

Looking forward, continuous policy support and (tax) incentives for innovation remain. While we see less an explicit focus on the commercialization of innovation, the work report suggests a further push of science and technology development to increase self-reliance. In particular, the work report emphasizes the upgrading of the industrial value chain and technology in manufacturing. It appears that innovation continues to refocus on core technologies and scientific breakthroughs, rather than business models and consumer facing innovations.

This is interesting for two reasons. On the one hand, China is already pioneering a great many consumer facing innovations and often hailed as the breeding ground for new retail transformations. So, it makes sense for China to focus on developing industrial and manufacturing core technologies, where it has more global dependencies, rather than further pushing the already excellent consumer innovation landscape. But will it lead to a less vibrant consumer sector? On the other hand, it also means that there is going to be more opportunities for industrial and manufacturing innovators in the years to come. Capital investments may flow further into industrial sectors. Will there be new opportunities for foreign technology investors?

The year 2021 saw increased scrutiny and flurry of regulations and reforms of the consumer tech sector, related to platform business. In 2022 we will see a balancing of regulating these consumer tech sectors while encouraging other sectors. But it appears unlikely that there will be further, stricter regulations coming to platform businesses. It is, however, likely that it will take considerable time for the implications and regulations to sort out and stabilize.

There are also two possible challenges to observe.

First, the development of science and technology, especially breakthrough innovations, take time and talent. It will have to remain a long-term focus on China in the work reports for the years to come. The current limitations of international exchange and overall geopolitical climate is not encouraging an innovation culture driven by diversity and global networks of talent. The domestic development of talent and global access to networks of innovation remains an important, perhaps underemphasized, point in the work reports.

Second, although MSMEs have received support during the crisis, voices from the market indicate that many are still struggling. The 2022 government work report sets out to further help entrepreneurs to devote themselves to creating start-ups and pursuing innovation and to develop their businesses free from undue concern. While this is good news, it remains to be seen if the MSMEs sector can rebound quick enough.

Mark Greeven is Professor of Innovation and Strategy at the International Institute for Management Development, Switzerland.

The opinions expressed in this article reflect those of the author, and do not necessarily reflect those of People's Daily Online.
The children are between the ages of 1 and 4 years old, with the eldest child telling deputies, "I think my mommy is dead.
New York's Museum of Modern Art evacuated after two people were stabbed inside, police say
Hong Kong: Fanling isolation facility ready

Chief Secretary John Lee today visited the fourth community isolation facility constructed with Mainland support at Ma Sik Road in Fanling.

The facility is built on land lent by developers. It provides about 350 rooms and 1,000 beds for emergency isolation purposes.

Upon arrival, Mr Lee attended a handover seminar with Deputy Director of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Yin Zonghua and the chairman of the contractor, China State Construction International Holdings.

Mr Lee was briefed by the contractor's representatives and government staff on the equipment installed at the site and its operation.

To ensure occupants can obtain access to their rooms as soon as possible upon arrival, the Security Bureau has introduced the electronic self-registration service.

Mr Lee praised the bureau's anti-epidemic task force for adopting a more humanised approach and making good use of technology to raise management efficiency.

He thanked the central government for supporting the Hong Kong SAR Government to construct such community isolation facilities.

Four facilities providing 8,900 beds for emergency isolation were handed over to the Hong Kong SAR Government in less than two weeks' time.

This story has been published on: 2022-03-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Q: Yang Jiechi, Member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, will meet with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in Rome, Italy. I hope you could share the key issue of the upcoming meeting.

A: The key issue of this meeting is to implement the important consensus reached by the Chinese and US heads of state in their virtual summit in November last year. The two sides have been in contact on the matter since late last year, stayed in communication about the meeting and set a time for the meeting according to their schedules. They will exchange views on China-US relations and international and regional issues of common concern.
The Ukrainian industrial company Interpipe continues to work for Ukraine's victory over the invaders, 504 employees of the company defend Ukraine in the ranks of the Armed Forces and territorial defense.

According to the company's statement, part of the necessary uniforms for the fighters, including thermal underwear, pads, winter uniforms, tactical backpacks, medicines and medical preparations, were purchased from the funds of the Revival of the Region Charitable Foundation for the fighters, the first parcels have already been received by the fighters, the purchase of other equipment continues.

"We are processing requests from military units and Dnipro city hospitals helping the wounded. From the money of the fund, we have provided the current need for medications, consumables, medical supplies of city clinical hospitals No. 4 and No. 6, as well as the Mechnikov Regional Clinical Hospital," the statement reads.

Interpipe added that it continues to supply, upon request, military units and units of the territorial defense of Nikopol, Novomoskovsk and Dnipro with enameled metal utensils, fuel, tools, generators, automotive parts, pipes, rods, staples, slabs, sand and other construction materials. Separately, about 5 tonnes of pipes were handed over to the Zaporizhia military registration and enlistment office for the manufacture of beds.
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Partisan gerrymandering in the computer age has undermined majoritarian democracy  that much is clear. Using algorithms to give one party a numeric advantage over another is more effective than old-fashioned gerrymandering done by hand, and reduces the number of competitive districts for the House of Representatives. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Its equally clear that no solution to the problem is in sight. As statistical modeling becomes more sophisticated, things could conceivably even get worse. The Supreme Court flirted with ruling that partisan gerrymanders were unconstitutional, but ultimately opted against intervening. It wont take up the issue again under the courts current composition.

Congressional Democrats tried to pass the Freedom to Vote Act, which would have outlawed partisan gerrymandering by requiring neutral districting methods. The bill foundered for lack of support from centrist Democrats.

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Recently, state supreme courts in North Carolina and Ohio have bravely weighed in to block particularly egregious Republican gerrymanders. The good news is that the U.S. Supreme Court cant reverse those decisions, since they are based on state constitutional grounds. But with 50 such courts around the country, many of them controlled by the same party that runs the states politics, reliance on state justices isnt an adequate solution, either.

In response, Democrats are adopting the time-honored strategy of if you cant beat them, join them in the states where they hold power. New Yorks legislature is adopting a gerrymander aimed at grabbing several seats for the party. Illinois Democrats are doing something similar. Once both parties are relying on aggressive computer-assisted partisan gerrymanders for their safe seats, national legislation requiring neutral districting will become a utopian fantasy.

Can our constitutional democracy withstand this troubling new reality? To hear voting-rights advocates tell it, the answer sounds as if it should be no. Partisan gerrymandering clearly contradicts the principle of one person, one vote, in which everyones vote has equal value. If it is now permanent, then it would seem to erode the very possibility of fair voting.

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On closer examination, however, we have cause to think that constitutional democracy can survive. Its not that partisan gerrymandering wont continue to undermine majority rule. It will. The reason is that our democracy is, and has always been, far less predicated on majority rule than we imagine.

The U.S. Senate is an extreme departure from one person, one vote. The Supreme Court has the power to be counter-majoritarian, and exercises it. The Electoral College disempowers millions of voters in states with large partisan majorities.

Partisan gerrymandering has existed since earliest days of the Republic, even before Governor Elbridge Gerry of Massachusetts involuntarily lent his name to it in 1812. While computer-aided gerrymandering makes the partisan bias worse, it is different only in degree, not in kind.

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In other words, our constitutional democracy co-exists with a pretty radical lack of respect for majority rule. We would do well to reduce that where we can. But when we fail, we shouldnt resort to the rhetoric of existential threat. We should look in the mirror  not through Instagram filters  and recognize the truth, which is that we dont have a majoritarian Constitution. We never did. And we never will.

Madisons Nightmare

We are accustomed to being told that the framers of the Constitution were suspicious of popular majorities. Thats true in some ways. Certainly the framers did not choose a popularly elected president, preferring to leave the selection of electors up to the states, which at the time relied on their legislators to choose the electors. Some framers wanted only propertied white men to vote  although, again, they left the decision of who could vote to the states.

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Yet that narrative is also too simple, at least when it comes to their greatest anti-majoritarian institution, the Senate. James Madison, primary architect of what became the Constitution of 1787, wanted the Senate to be established on the basis of state populations, like the House of Representatives and the Electoral College. True, state legislatures were to choose the senators, and they were imagined as natures aristocrats, not men of the people. Their numbers, however, were supposed to reflect the actual distribution of the population, allowing for the morally repugnant three-fifths compromise.

Madison was therefore astonished and outraged when the small states, led by New Jersey, insisted on the equal representation in the Senate that they had in the old Congress under the Articles of Confederation, and that they also had at the Constitutional Convention. He and other large-state delegates to the convention tried to cajole, reason with and ultimately threaten the small states with inevitable war unless they relented.

In response, the small states walked out of the convention. That sufficed to force the large states, including Madisons Virginia, to agree to the so-called Great Compromise. The small states were so worried that majoritarianism would eventually be used against them that they wrote in a guarantee that they could never lose their equal Senate representation without their consent. That effectively made the provision unamendable, and its why we are stuck with the Senate as long as we keep the U.S. Constitution.

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Despite his enormous influence in Philadelphia over the long summer of 1787, Madison left the convention dejected. He knew the structure of the Senate deviated wildly from the way a democratic republic should be designed.

He was not similarly worried about the Electoral College because it wasnt yet an obvious distortion of popular will. In the first presidential election, some state legislatures chose the electors, while others ran popular elections. It was only as all states started running popular elections that the Electoral College system began to disempower voters in states with large one-party majorities. In this sense, one of our most notably non-majoritarian institutions is the result of an accident.

The Electoral Colleges effect in suppressing majority rule is reversible, constitutionally speaking, without an amendment. States dont have to use winner-take-all as the principle for choosing electors. Maine and Nebraska dont, in fact. Or the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact might conceivably kick in some day, so that the president is chosen by genuine popular vote.

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By contrast, whats striking about the Senate is how unchangeable it is. In the U.K., Parliament became more representative through the extension of the vote to more and more people during the 19th century. In the U.S., the franchise was extended to Black Americans and then to women roughly over the same period of time. But the Senate never changed. It now stands as a permanent anomaly of U.S. democracy.

The One Person, One Vote Myth

The people who made the American Revolution rallied around the slogan no taxation without representation. But it was not until 1964 that the principle of one person, one vote came to be considered part of U.S. constitutional norms.

In that year of civil rights signs and wonders, the Supreme Court first held that congressional districts should be of the same population size. Then it decided that the same rules apply to state legislative districts  even for state senates, some of which were districted by state constitutional law the same way as the federal Senate.

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The courts language was more cautious than the one person, one vote adage would suggest. It said that the Constitution means that, as nearly as is practicable, one mans vote in a congressional election is to be worth as much as anothers.

Recognizing that the Senate did not fit this description, the court said that any other outcome would defeat the principle solemnly embodied in the Great Compromise  equal representation in the House for equal numbers of people. This equivocal formulation asserted that equality in the House of Representatives was as much part of the 1787 compromise as inequality in the Senate.

But that had not been true as a historical matter. The original compromise gave state legislatures discretion to design congressional districts, and those legislatures had not rigorously adhered to the numerical guidance that the Supreme Court of the civil rights era was now imposing on them. And it was an extraordinary reach to apply the one-person-one-vote rule to state senates, contradicting as it did the constitutional norm that applied to the U.S. Senate.

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For three decades, the courts treated the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as providing binding rules for how districts should or should not be drawn with respect to racial equality. Designed to implement one person, one vote, the law prohibited states from intentionally dividing up Black voters into different districts where they would not be a majority and their votes diluted.

The tables turned in the 1990s. In 1993, the Supreme Court construed the Constitution to prohibit the practice of designing districts with a focus on the racial composition of the voters. The twist was that the case involve a district designed to elect a Black candidate. The shape of the district, the court said, was so bizarre that it offended the idea of equal protection of the laws, even though the population of the district was the same as the population of all other districts.

That put the Supreme Court in the business of reviewing the constitutionality of new districting  so long as the question was whether the districts were being gerrymandered by race. The litigation that followed helped give rise to the creation of a new field of law, sometimes called the law of democracy.

Logically, the Supreme Court might then have gone on to outlaw partisan gerrymandering. Yet despite liberal efforts to get it to do so, the five votes necessary never materialized. The current state of the law is that it is ordinarily unconstitutional for a state legislature to account for race in drawing congressional district lines, but permissible to target partisan affiliation.

The takeaway is that the reforms in the civil rights era were more limited than is popularly imagined. Some of the worst excesses of the use of districting to disenfranchise Black voters were eliminated. More Black members of Congress were elected as a result.

But the conservative Supreme Court substantially limited the effects of the Voting Rights Act. From the standpoint of pure democratic representation as it is understood around the globe, todays arrangements in the U.S. are woefully backward.

The Enduring Reality

Originally, the emerging use of computer programs to draw political boundaries was seen as a tool to encourage nonpartisan districting. The reality turned out to be the opposite: State legislatures can design partisan boundaries more successfully than they could in the old days. The number of competitive U.S. House districts continues to decline.

It is therefore time to acknowledge that the U.S. Constitution, as written and as interpreted by the courts, does not mandate pure representative majority rule, or anything like it. The U.S. system is not parliamentary  not even close. It does not express the will of the people by giving each person an equal say in who is elected. And if the Senate is taken into account, it never will.

To win the presidency and control the Senate, Democrats must win substantially more than half the votes of the voting public. Thats not fair. But its a feature of our system, not a bug. While we should work to find ways to change it  the fight for equality is unceasing  we should also realize that Republicans will fight those changes out of self-interest. Fundamental constitutional transformation is not in the cards.

Probably no one would want to design a democratic system from scratch this way today. Our constitutional arrangements are the result of events that go back to the way Britain chartered colonies in the Americas. They incorporate theories of politics that resonate with the late 18th century more than the early 21st. Not only are they not perfect. They arent even just, seen through the lens of contemporary conceptions of equality and equal voice.

They are also what we have. So while it is valuable to insist that some political arrangements are bad and need to be improved as much as possible, we should be able to do this without simultaneously and apocalyptically claiming that, if they dont change, the entire constitutional system will collapse.

Someday it will crumble and die  all political systems do. But the odds are that it wont fail for the foreseeable future. And thats the only future that needs to worry Americans alive today.

More From Bloomberg Opinion:

 The Bill That Could Save America From Another Jan. 6: Noah Feldman

 Global Democracy Is Doing Fine. U.S. Democracy Is in Trouble: Niall Ferguson

 The Left Is Losing the Worlds Culture Wars: Pankaj Mishra

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Noah Feldman is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist and host of the podcast Deep Background. He is a professor of law at Harvard University and was a clerk to U.S. Supreme Court Justice David Souter. His books include The Three Lives of James Madison: Genius, Partisan, President.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

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Investment and new milestones in quantum computing are bringing the prospect of an ultra-powerful computer that can crack any code closer to reality. Alphabet Inc.s Google and International Business Machines Corp. are racing to increase the number of qubits  the quantum equivalent of bits that encode data on classical computers  on a quantum chip. Firms like Canadas D-Wave Systems Inc. and French startup Alice&Bob are offering quantum computing services to clients that want broad processing power to solve complex problems.

But any technological advance comes with concerns. While a fully-fledged quantum computer doesnt appear to exist yet, there is already worry about its ability to crack encryption underpinning critical communications between companies and between armed forces. Andersen Cheng, founder and chief executive officer of London quantum-encryption firm Post Quantum, joined me on Twitter Spaces on Wednesday to talk about why NATO, banks and other entities need to prepare for a world where quantum attacks are possible. Here is an edited transcript of our conversation.

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Parmy Olson: How significant is the prospect of quantum computers usurping the machines we use today?

Andersen Cheng: Its going to impact every single one of us. I trained as a computer auditor over 30 years ago so I have seen enough in cybersecurity, and the biggest existential threat we are facing now is a quantum attack. Remember a few months ago when Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram went dark for a few hours? Imagine if they went dark and never came back up? Or what if we couldnt buy our stuff on Amazon? That is the thing we have to worry about in terms of what a quantum machine can do.

One thing that is now emerging is the possibility of a quantum machine that can also crack encryption. When a quantum machine comes in, itll be like an x-ray machine. A hacker no longer needs to steal my wallet. All they have to do is to go to the lock on your front door and take an X-ray image of it. They then know what the key looks like and can replicate it.

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PO: Machines today cant crack the encryption underpinning networks like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and Signal. Can the quantum-computing services provided by IBM or D-Wave already do that?

AC: No. We cannot tell at this point if someone has already got the first functioning quantum machine somewhere. All the computers were using today are what we call classical computers. A quantum machine cannot do very complicated computation, but it can do millions of tries in one go. A quantum machine is useless in doing 99% of the work that we see today, but its extremely fast in doing many very simple tries simultaneously.

The opinion has been that this machine is 10 to 20 years away. But in the intelligence world, people are now worried it will be within five years. Theres been more urgency in the last two and a half years. This is why you see a lot more initiatives going on now in terms of claiming quantum supremacy. Nation states have put billions of dollars into building a quantum machine. There have been several lab-based breakthroughs in the past few years, which have got people worried.

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PO: Lets say somebody gets hold of a quantum computer that can break encryption. What could they do?

AC: One option is a harvest-now-and-decrypt-later attack. Right now Im using my iPhone, using a public key that is encrypted. If someone is trying to intercept and store our information, they are just harvesting it. They cannot decrypt it today. But one day they could open up all the secrets [with a quantum computer].

PO: NATO has started experimenting with your virtual private network which has quantum encryption embedded into it. Why are they trialing this?

AC: The current algorithms we use inside a VPN (a tool used to securely tunnel into a corporate network or through a national firewall) either use a standard from RSA Laboratories or elliptic-curve cryptography. Neither are quantum safe.

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PO: Meaning they could be cracked by a quantum computer?

AC: Correct. If you start collecting my data, one day with a quantum machine you could actually crack [the passwords protecting it]. That is the worry from a lot of organizations. NATO has got 30 members states so interoperability is important. If you send allied troops into Ukraine, they have to talk to each other. Since different armies use different communication protocols, you have to think about the harvest-now-decrypt-later risk. So this is why they are at forefront of looking for a quantum-safe solution.

PO: What else is at risk from a quantum attack?

AC: Bitcoin and the blockchain. I would say 99% of all cryptocurrencies are using elliptic-curve cryptography, which is not quantum safe. Whoevers got the first working machine will be able to recover hundreds of billions of dollars worth of cryptocurrency.

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PO: Which countries are on the forefront of using quantum encryption?

AC: Canada (where quantum computing firm D-Wave Systems is based) is at the forefront of quantum innovation. Then Australia, the Netherlands, France, the U.K. and then you have the U.S. In 2017, Donald Trump made an executive order for a $1.2 billion quantum computing initiative. Thats actually nothing compared to other nation states. China has openly committed between $12 billion and $15 billion to quantum supremacy. France has committed 1.8 billion euros ($2 billion) to quantum.

PO: What about the commercial sector?

AC: The American commercial sector has been very innovative with quantum computing, including Google, IBM, Honeywell International Inc.

I cannot name names but some of the largest banks are all quietly building up what we call the PQC teams, or the post quantum crypto teams, to prepare for the migration. Some of them do see it as an existential threat and they also see it as a marketing advantage to tell customers they are quantum safe. I know one of the largest systems integrators in the world has committed $200 million to build out a quantum consulting division. They see this as like Y2K happening every month in the next 10 years.

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PO: Y2K refers to when everybody thought the worlds computers would blow up when the date changed on Jan. 1, 2000.

AC: It was a once-in-a-lifetime event which did not happen. I was working for JP Morgan Chase & Co. at the time on the Y2K migration committee. Three days after Jan. 1, Sandy Warner, then-CEO, sent an email to every employee saying, Wow, we only spent $286 million on Y2K and nothing happened, so we are very pleased.

PO: How much of the worries over quantum are being overblown by consultants keen to earn fees to set up these new systems? Bearing in mind youre in this market too.

AC: The consultants are thinking Christmas has come early. Everyones been procrastinating until NIST (Maryland-based National Institute of Standards and Technology) updated its standards to include quantum cryptography. I believe the first wave of huge revenues will go to consulting firms, and then the next wave will come down to vendors like us.

This column does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the editorial board or Bloomberg LP and its owners.

Parmy Olson is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering technology. She previously reported for the Wall Street Journal and Forbes and is the author of We Are Anonymous.

More stories like this are available on bloomberg.com/opinion

2022 Bloomberg L.P.

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Evidence in the murder case against Adnan Syed could get a new look with the support of Baltimore prosecutors, marking the latest development in a two-decade legal saga that gripped the nation after it was highlighted in the hit podcast Serial. Wp Get the full experience. Choose your plan ArrowRight Baltimore prosecutors signed on to a motion with Syeds attorney Thursday, asking a judge to order the Baltimore City Police Lab to retest certain items collected as evidence in the 1999 killing of Hae Min Lee, using the latest DNA technology. Lee was strangled and discovered in a clandestine grave in Leakin Park.

Syeds attorney and Baltimore prosecutors agreed Lees clothing and shoes, as well as hairs recovered around her body and other pieces of evidence not specified, should be tested with DNA technology that was not available for Syeds trials  DNA analysis thats now regularly used by law enforcement to identify or exclude suspects, according to their motion.

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Authorities have maintained that Lee struggled with Syed, her ex-boyfriend, in a car before she was killed. Syeds attorney argued in the latest motion that strangling someone, and dumping their remains, requires the killer to be near the victim. The motion requests testing the evidentiary items for the presence of DNA.

Syeds attorney, Erica J. Suter, director of the University of Baltimore Innocence Project Clinic, wrote that the absence of her clients DNA on items not yet tested  certain clothing, the shoes and hair  would amount to evidence of his innocence and could persuade a judge or jury he was.

Now 41, Syed has maintained his innocence for more than 20 years. Incarcerated at the Patuxent Institution in Jessup, Syed was sentenced in 2000 to life in prison plus 40 years. That penalty was handed down after his second trial on charges stemming from Lees killing.

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His case rocketed to national and international prominence when it was examined in the Serial podcast beginning in 2014. An HBO series brought more attention to his case.

Syed has appealed his conviction repeatedly, with the states highest court in 2019 restoring his conviction, which the intermediate appellate court had overturned. The Maryland Court of Appeals found that deficient legal representation at trial hadnt prejudiced him.

The Maryland Office of the Attorney General in 2018 oversaw a DNA analysis of various evidence in Syeds case, including fingernail clippings, blood samples and a condom. None tested positive of Syed, and the findings were received to different effects: Syeds lawyer at the time said it proved his client wasnt responsible for the death, while state prosecutors contested that it hardly exonerated him.

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The joint request from Suter and city prosecutors asks for different items to be examined for whats known as touch DNA.

That refers to the analysis of trace DNA left behind when someone touches something, like skin cells or bodily fluids, which are more rich with DNA, said Maneka Sinha, an assistant professor at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.

The motion also asks items to undergo a more generic test to determine whether a profile can be identified and tests that seek to identify the profiles of people born as men, said Sinha, adding that each has the potential for exculpatory value.

In the spring of 2021, Suter contacted prosecutors about Syeds case, she said in a statement.

The idea for retesting DNA came up as Suter worked with the city prosecutors Sentencing Review Unit following Marylands passing the Juvenile Restoration Act, which enables those convicted of crimes before they turn 18 to petition the court for a sentence modification, States Attorney Marilyn Mosby said in a statement.

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In the process of reviewing this case for a possible resentencing, it became clear that additional forensic testing  which was not available at the time of the original investigation and trial in this case  would be an appropriate avenue to pursue, said Mosby, who declined to comment further.

Becky Feldman, the prosecutor in charge of the Baltimore States Attorneys Office Sentencing Review Unit, wrote in her portion of the motion calling for more DNA testing that the new tests would assist greatly in evaluating [Syeds] post-trial claims.

Suters statement described her clients more than 20-year legal battle and credited prosecutors for supporting further DNA testing after several months.

We are eager to finally have access to the forensic tools to establish Mr. Syeds innocence, Suter said.

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Colin Starger, law professor and associate dean at the University of Baltimore, said its significant that prosecutors signed on to the motion.

That tends to support that both sides involved in this litigation understand that this could provide a factual basis that could be very strong, Starger said.

However, if the tests turn up no DNA at all, it would be hard for the defense to make a case, he said.

Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, Starger said. I would imagine if it comes back with nothing at all then it means nothing; it doesnt change the picture.

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Jamestown, site of the first permanent English settlement in North America, is seen last month, sandwiched between the James River and a swamp. (Julia Rendleman for The Post)

Retropolis The Past, Rediscovered
Zelensky talks with Israeli PM, asks to assist in release of Melitopol mayor, local public figures

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and asked him for assistance in releasing the mayor of Melitopol and local public figures.

"Continued dialogue with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett. We talked about Russian aggression and the prospects for peace talks. We must stop repressions against civilians: asked to assist in the release of captive mayor of Melitopol and local public figures," Zelensky said on Twitter.
Aisha Sultan is a St. Louis-based journalist who studies parenting in the digital age while trying to keep up with her tech-savvy children. Find her on Twitter: @AishaS.
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In 2020, Rebel Wilson flew from Australia to present the best director trophy at the BAFTA Film Awards.

Her humorous speech, which referenced a lack of women nominated in the category and bemoaned that box office flop Cats was overlooked entirely, was one of the funniest moments of the night.

Rebel Wilson is hosting this years BAFTA Film Awards at Londons Royal Albert Hall. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Now, Wilson is heading back to BAFTA where shes been asked to host the ceremony on Sunday at Londons Royal Albert Hall.

Im very pumped, very pumped for Sunday for the BAFTAs, but definitely, like, pretty nervous because like its a live event and its just like, its a one and done situation, she says.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Helena Kam used to love seeing and hearing the black cockatoos flock around Balmoral Village, in the Southern Highlands. But over the 22 years shes lived there, their calls have become few and far between. Its not only the birds that have disappeared: lizards, stick insects and wild orchids have all gone too, she says. It hasnt helped that bushfires and back-to-back floods have swept through the area, destroying the habitat and Kams home. But the natural disasters and loss of biodiversity have one thing in common: they are anxiety inducing. To say that I am anxious about climate change is an understatement, she says. Helena Kam and her son Gabriel at their Balmoral home destroyed by the Green Wattle Creek fire in December 2019. Credit:Kate Geraghty Without stronger action, Kam worries we wont have a world to live in. The planet has heated by 1.1 degrees and Australias land mass has warmed by an average of 1.4 degrees since 1910, according to the CSIRO. The United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change report on climate change last year issued a code red for humanity. The groups most recent report on March 1 said climate change will cost Australias economy hundreds of billions of dollars in coming decades.

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All the facts are there. We dont have the time to sit and ponder, Kam says. Various terms have been coined to describe the psychological distress which accompanies climate change. Theres climate anxiety and eco-anxiety, as well as solastalgia (from the Latin solacium for comfort and the Greek root -algia for pain, coined by philosopher Glenn Albrecht in 2003 to describe a homesickness you have when you are still at home). Although its use dates back to the 1940s, perhaps the most apt term for the modern state of affairs is eco-grief. Thats the grief that people are feeling as we watch our planet die around us, explains Dr Kate Wylie, chair of the Royal Australian College of GPs climate and environmental medicine group. Wylie says GPs are seeing an increase in people of all ages presenting with psychological distress they attribute to concern for the climate. One of the interesting things about it is not really an anxiety disorder: its an extremely rational response. It makes sense to be sad, Wylie says. In its position statement on climate change, the Australian Psychological Society says it believes the phenomenon involves serious and irreversible harm to the environment and to human health and psychological wellbeing.

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The society first released a handbook for managing climate anxiety in 2017. Its president, Professor Tamara Cavenett, says in the past five years climate change has shifted from being something a certain subset of concerned individuals cared about to one of the most common issues psychologists discuss with their clients. Before, it was future oriented. People were talking about something that sounded far off and like it wouldnt necessarily happen, which meant it was something people could dismiss quite easily, she says. But with the fires and the flood, people are realising it is here and now. It is not really an anxiety disorder: its an extremely rational response. It makes sense to be sad. Dr Kate Wylie, chair of the Royal Australian College of GPs climate and environmental medicine group Professor Will Steffen, a climate expert and councillor with the Climate Council, agrees. While scientists have been researching and warning of climate change for more than 30 years, for the public the theoretical concept has only become a reality in the past few years. For him, the biggest concern is timing. You cannot stop the worsening of climate change in a couple of years. We are locked into worsening conditions until 2050, he says. It is going to be much worse.

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Concern for the climate becomes climate anxiety when it interrupts a persons life. Varsha Yajman, 19, and Tiger Perkins, 21, are anxious about climate change. Yajman was involved in organising the School Strike 4 Climate protests in her final years of school. Perkins is one of the leaders of the environment collective at the University of Sydney. Credit:Steven Siewert It is the degree of distress youre feeling with your thoughts and how long you are spending on those thoughts, Cavenett says. Varsha Yajman, a 19-year-old climate activist who was involved in organising the School Strike 4 Climate protests in her final years of school, says the floods have thrust climate back to the forefront of peoples minds. During the pandemic, climate change definitely went under the radar in the news, the university student and paralegal from Asquith, in Sydneys north, says. She feels conflicted about her climate anxiety: aware she is not as affected as those directly impacted by recent weather events but also conscious that she does experience stress and guilt as a result of the climate crisis. You might not think about it in the moment, but then afterwards you are like, Oh, no: why did I catch a plane?

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As a woman with South Asian heritage, she is particularly concerned when thinking about the impact of the climate in that region. There are lots of voices that arent being heard at all. When the news is overwhelming, you remember: this isnt even all of it. The climate crisis has led some young people to reconsider what their futures should look like, including whether they should bring children into the world, Professor Cavenett says. A 2019 survey of about 1600 young people aged 14 to 23 found 82 per cent believed climate change would diminish their quality of life and 80 per cent reported being somewhat or very anxious about climate change. Macheon Smeaton, a 24-year-old university student from Sydneys inner west, says he struggles to imagine what the world will look like when he is 50. I have two nieces and Im already thinking about their future and how difficult parts of their future will be because of whats already set in motion, he says. Asked what form the mental stress he experiences from climate change takes, Smeaton says it is more sadness for himself but anxiety for his nieces.

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She knows now of the link between alcohol use and worsening anxiety and depression (something discussed by celebrity chef Nigella Lawson) and can see, in retrospect, why she became quite suicidal. I had lost interest in everything, she says, including my kids and husband, Id blown up a few relationships  Id behave in ways that were not me. The depression and anxiety was being driven by alcohol and I had suicidal ideation: that was enough for me to go, holy shit, this is ... just no. I didnt want to stuff around with moderation, only drinking on a Friday or whatever, the [suicidal thoughts] scared the shit out of me. Kayte Murphy says now every part of my day is the best part of my day after eliminating alcohol following a stint in rehab. Credit:Louie Douvis Ms Murphy stresses she does not judge anyones alcohol consumption and is clear that she is no wowser. My whole thing is, I dont want other women to feel alone.

But having realised alcohol was derailing a life in which her wit and warmth had helped make Mrs Woog one of the best-known online presences in her demographic, it clicked with the former publishing executive that she needed to be admitted to rehab. Loading Now well and truly sober after three weeks treatment, and months in which she can now taste food, sleep properly and wake up feeling good rather than feeling the effects of a bottle-plus of wine a night, Ms Murphy wants to discuss the issue, so others feel they can also find support. She was struck when she arrived in rehab to see many women around her from very similar backgrounds. Researcher and clinical addiction psychiatrist Dr Shalini Arunogiri works at Australias leading national addiction treatment, training and research centre, Turning Point, as well as Cabrini Hospitals women-only mental health service, where clinicians are seeing the acute impact of the pandemic on womens mental health.

What we see in both units and through the direct [phone] line is unprecedented numbers of women contracting these services for help with substance use problems, particularly alcohol, says Dr Arunogiri. Particularly in rehab what we are seeing is women who have been trying to keep it together in the pandemic ... in which isolation and economic pressures have brought everything to a bit of a head. Alongside that, some of the coping mechanisms women normally use  [group] exercise, social connection, seeing friends [which] is so important  went offline in the pandemic. If you are having a drink every day, that is likely some level of dependence psychologically, but also in the brain. Dr Shalini Arunogiri, addiction psychiatrist, Turning Point and Cabrini Health Women who would have described themselves as social drinkers pre-pandemic, have transitioned to drinking at home; often alone and often drinking to soothe whats happening internally  anxiety, for some, stress around stuff to do with family and financial pressures. Dr Arunogiri is among the clinicians seeing a change in pattern, or focus, of drinking from reward and pleasure, to it being about what I need to wind down, relax, get to sleep.

I also hear I need a drink because thats my special time, time I can spend by myself not thinking about everyone else, she says, adding that drinking while cooking dinner is also frequently raised. When women associate drinking with a sanctuary or self time, it sets off warning bells for practitioners, and means alcohol is serving a particular function and makes it a habit that is hard to break. If you are having a drink every day, that is likely some level of dependence psychologically, but also in the brain, Dr Arunogiri says. Loading Flinders University medical researcher Dr Belinda Lunnay, who has published on class and womens drinking and womens alcohol consumption during COVID-19, says some women increased their drinking during the pandemic as a nearest port in a storm to get through the day, and some started drinking earlier in the day. Middle-aged women were already the biggest drinking age group before the pandemic, Dr Lunnay has found.

Midlife women are consuming [alcohol] more than any generation of women before them and currently more than any other age group. Potential causes include the gendered responsibilities of caring for both their children and their parents, alongside working in paid and unpaid [domestic] roles, she says. Alcohol provides women with time out/away from these responsibilities and producing ... instant relaxation, and women describe this as a reward which helps them to cope in the absence of a literal break in time away from these responsibilities. Women say alcohol allows them to manage feelings and emotions, especially loneliness, as children grow and transition out of more dependent care needs, and as relationships change  including separation, divorce or change in work relationships: Amongst these complexities and demands of midlife drinking alcohol is a form of self-care. Society needs to understand that stress for women is coming from every direction ... alcohol is the friend that never lets you down. Sarah, a 49 year-old Melbourne chef who left rehab last week. Dr Lunnays research found drinking was socially normal in the lives of middle-class women and a perfectly acceptable, regular way to cope, which Kayte Murphy also notes. This message is reinforced to women through alcohol marketing and social media, where mummy wine-time memes are common.

Sarah* a 49-year-old Melbourne chef who lost her job during the pandemic, left rehab at Cabrini Healths new women-only mental health clinic last week and says the experience was literally life-changing. Alcohol is like a best friend that never lets you down; through the stress of job loss, elderly parents and physical illness, there is always the comfort of the sedation found in a bottle of vodka, she says. But with that comes the terrible shame of drinking alone, hiding the bottles and lying to your spouse. There is so much comfort in the numbing effect of alcohol. Until it wears off, and you have to deal with reality plus a hangover. Psychiatrist Jayashri Kulkarni is helping women with alcohol use disorders to understand and treat their condition. Credit:Penny Stephens In rehab, under psychiatrist Professor Jayashri Kulkarni, she learned about the stressors on women in middle age, including menopause and hormonal and parenting issues, and says she now believes society needs to understand that stress for women is coming from every direction.

Sarahs 17-day rehab stay helped her kick vodka and Valium and turned her life around. She also wants other women to understand there are options available to help them. Professor Kulkarni says Sarah typifies everything were seeing. This is what we see in a lot of high-functioning women. Alcohol use disorders have always been talked about as a male disorder ... but women with alcohol misuse is catching up fast and thats not a good place for equality to be. A lot of programs for alcohol disorder treatment are not geared towards women. Researcher Mia Miller from The George Research Institute for Global Health, who has also studied middle-aged womens alcohol habits examined long term, risky drinking among women this year and found one in five women are consuming alcohol at levels considered binge-drinking.

I thought more insidious daily drinking would be more common, she says, but we were quite surprised to see the binge-drinking was so high among 40 to 65 year-olds. Women aged 40 to 55 were more likely than women in the older age group to be drinking at that level. The established link between alcohol and nine cancers, notably breast cancer, makes the finding even more worrying, she says. Kayte Murphy also believes it is vital women are better informed about alcohol use, and can access life-saving help. Having gone through rehab, its not because youre a failure, you need someone to help you kick it. Its very difficult to give up alcohol on your own, and there is not a lot of support out there for people. Happily for Ms Murphy, who took up painting while in the facility and is selling many of her brightly coloured works, the stay returned the sunshine to her life, without it needing to come in liquid form: I dont want to sound like a bore, she says. But now every part of my day is the best part of my day.
The Israeli leadership is not against an idea of organizing negotiations on a peaceful settlement between the Russian Federation and Ukraine on its territory, but only if it sees chances for their success, reports the Jerusalem Post, citing an Israeli diplomatic source.

"We have to see if we can really help. If there is a possibility of a breakthrough [in the negotiations], then we will do anything for this," the source said, commenting on the option of negotiations in Israel.

"We know from our own experience that holding negotiations in a situation where there is no chance of success can lead to a deterioration of the situation on the ground," he added.

The Ukrainian side stated, the newspaper emphasizes, that negotiations with the Russian Federation in Israel could be a good option. "Russia did not reject the idea of talks in Jerusalem," the Jerusalem Post writes.

On Saturday evening, Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett was reported to have had a telephone conversation with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
A Melbourne woman has won a transcontinental court battle against her estranged brother for custody of an 11-year-old sheepdog with a heart condition.

The fight over Kojak, a Shetland sheepdog, began when Victorian man Michael Phillips, 30, demanded to take back ownership of the dog after his sister had been caring for it for four years and had registered the dog in her name.

Kojak has moved to Italy with his now legally recognised owner.

Phoenix Amaterasu, 42, who now lives with Kojak in Italy, said she had spent tens of thousands of dollars on vet bills and legal fees on the beautiful and gentle dog.

Melbourne Magistrates Court heard Mr Phillips bought Kojak as a puppy in 2010, with his mother splitting the $900 cost as his 19th birthday present. The dog lived with Mr Phillips at his mothers home and various rental properties until 2016, except for a short period when he went overseas.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison has signalled more help on the cost of living in the federal budget this month after declaring Australians understood the war in Europe was to blame for a surge in the price of petrol to about $2.20 per litre.

With Labor accusing the government of allowing wages to fall in real terms for years, Mr Morrison left open the idea of a change to fuel excise as one of the options to ease the pain for households at the petrol pump.

Blaming Ukraine for rising petrol prices: Scott Morrison. Credit:Rhett Wyman

I think Australians know that whats happening with petrol prices at the moment is being caused by whats happening with the war in Europe  I think Australians understand those issues, the Prime Minister told the Nine Network on Sunday morning.

So were working with other countries around the world at the moment in terms of releasing fuel reserves to try to alleviate the pressure on fuel prices.
Bipartisanship is not dead  you just have to squint a bit to see it. On Thursday the state Labor MP for Lismore, Janelle Saffin (who was the federal member for Page from 2007 to 2013), met Deputy Prime Minister Barnaby Joyce at the Lismore council chambers to discuss the devastating floods.

Joyces electorate of New England crosses over with Saffins and the two know each other a bit from the corridors of Parliament House.

I do hold a mop: Prime Minister Scott Morrison dries a flood-damaged court in Brisbane on Thursday. Credit:Getty

Also present were Lismore mayor Steve Krieg (a recently elected independent, and small business owner) and Nationals MP Kevin Hogan, the current member for Page. Prime Minister Scott Morrison had left Lismore by then.

As much as some people wanted to blame his government  for not declaring a national disaster soon enough; for not giving out enough taxpayer-funded assistance  Morrisons presence for a few hours was symbolic more than practical, and he knew it.
Pokies heir strikes it lucky A block of six apartments on the harbour at Manly has seen a slew of top sales in quick succession totalling more than $34 million, of which one of the biggest beneficiaries is Paul Ainsworth, son of billionaire pokie baron Len Ainsworth. The apartment sold by Paul Ainsworth was just the latest of four in the block sold in quick succession. Ainsworth scored more than $9 million for his two-level spread in the Oyama Avenue block, despite it being in need of a bit of a renovation and last trading for $2.05 million when his investment company, Writeman, purchased it in 2001. It is the latest sale making the most of pent-up buyer demand that was first tapped last September when Clarke & Humels Helene Taylor and Michael Clarke sold a three-bedder for $8.6 million to Elizabeth Copeland, a former investor in business technology start-up Avoka Technologies.

Transport Asset Holding Entity chairman Bruce Gordon is downsizing from Cammeray. Credit:Fairfax Media A month later another apartment sold for $6.875 million to Julie Morgan, wife of Transport Asset Holding Entity chairman Bruce Morgan, both of whom are downsizing from their recently sold $11.5 million Cammeray home. Still with buyers circling in January, the Clarke & Humel team then sold the largest apartment in the block for $9.6 million on behalf of insurance industry veteran Damien Sullivan and his wife Kathryn, which no doubt paved the way for Ainsworths bullish sale last week. Ainsworth still owns property locally, but corporate records show he is now a local in Gladesville, where he bought an ultra-contemporary home for about $4.3 million in 2019. His former high-end Manly home is the Mediterranean-style villa on Fairy Bower he sold in 2004 and which is now owned by former Channel Seven chief Tim Worner. Top hopes for Top of the Town

Investment banker Michael Rothner was just days away from settling on his $7.3 million purchase of the sub-penthouse in Darlinghursts landmark Top of the Town building recently when he listed it with a guide of $10 million to $11 million. The four-bedroom sub-penthouse has been listed with $10 million to $11 million hopes. How did the price jump so quickly? It was a long settlement. The head of AsheMorgan and leading figure in Sydneys Jewish community has already been living in the four-bedroom spread for almost two years, having exchanged to buy it back in 2020. At the time the building record was $10.9 million set when property developer Duncan Hardie and his wife Lyn bought the penthouse in 2016, but dropped to $10.5 million a year ago when the Hardies sold it for $10.5 million to Kerry Paramor, wife of property veteran Greg Paramor. The protracted settlement and quick resale is reminiscent of billionaire Brett Blundys Rose Bay mansion, which he agreed to buy in 2013 for a then jaw-dropping $33 million, only to settle on it in 2016 and within weeks list it for $45 million.

Rothner is no stranger to a trophy deal of his own. He and his former wife Lisa sold their Darling Point residence in 2014 for $23.2 million to freight boss Terry Tzaneros, who then sold it four years later for $31.8 million to Winky Chow, the daughter of Chinese-Australian billionaire Chau Chak Wing. Michael Rothner exchanged on the sub-penthouse in the Top of the Town building in 2020. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer Rothner has listed it with Richardson & Wrenchs Jason Boon and 1st Citys Julian Hasemer. Woollahras fast-moving market Venture capitalist David Klinger is no doubt relieved he never managed to sell his Woollahra home when he listed it in 2019 with $9 million hopes.

Thats because hes now selling it with a $14.5 million guide through Richardson & Wrench Double Bays Michael Dunn. The Rosemont Avenue residence was first listed by David Klinger in 2019. In his favour, the ceiling has been raised considerably on the suburbs highest sales in the years since thanks to Mike Cannon-Brookess $18.5 million purchase of Germanys former consul-general official residence, Kerri-Anne Kennerleys $22 million house sale of a year ago, and the $45 million sale of Rosemont estate by Lady Margot Burrell a few weeks later. Venture capitalist David Klinger is selling in Woollahra. Credit:LinkedIn Klingers Federation residence boasts a whos who of previous owners, such as developer Andrew Richardson, who sold in 1999 for $2.82 million to recruitment boss Phil Kerry and his wife, former Olympian Anne-Maree Kerry, who in turn sold to lawyer Chris Murphy a year later for $3.35 million.

Klinger, a former executive at Macquarie Bank, purchased it in 2007 for $5.695 million from investment manager Craig Goodman, and recently scored DA approval for a third-level addition with a lift and three-car garage. Rob Deutschs home upgrade F45 co-founder Rob Deutsch has set an April 2 auction on his Bronte home, given plans to upgrade to more family-friendly digs near the harbour. F45 gym founder Rob Deutsch is selling his Bronte house for $17.5 million. Credit: A trio of agents  Pillingers Brad Pillinger, PPDs Alexander Phillips and Ray White Double Bays Ashley Bierman  have been appointed to sell the three-level residence with a guide of $17.5 million.

F45 co-founder Rob Deutsch is planning a home upgrade. Credit:Peter Braig Deutchs home upgrade comes less than two years after he stepped down as chief of the fitness giant, and since expanded his property portfolio to include the Patchway estate in Burradoo for $4.8 million, and a $2 million house on Mermaid Beach on the Gold Coast. Deutsch purchased the Bronte house in 2018 for $11.2 million, renovated it a year later, and listed it briefly in 2020 before a slew of local sales set successive suburb records, most recently at $25 million for the house long owned by the late Seven chief Maureen Kerridge. Hunters Hills latest high hopes Chinese billionaire Sam Guo may have set the Hunters Hill house price record when he sold Windermere for $19 million late last year, but the peninsulas all-time high has been held by the Woolwich residence Vailele since 2017 when Chinese-born Wang Xiande purchased it for $22.18 million from Christine Salter, widow of Salmat co-founder Phil Salter.
Salisbury, MD (21801)

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Cloudy early, then thunderstorms developing this afternoon. Gusty winds and small hail are possible. High 81F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%..

Tonight

Partly cloudy. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 57F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
Wilmington, DE (19810)

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Showers early, then cloudy in the afternoon. High near 75F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 70%..

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Partly cloudy. Low around 55F. Winds NNW at 5 to 10 mph.
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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that the Russian leadership is turning its state into an analogue of the so-called "DPR" and "LPR".

He stressed that the Russian occupiers cannot conquer Ukraine, because they do not have such strength and spirit.

"They are based only on violence. Only on terror. Only on weapons, of which they have a lot. But the occupiers have no natural basis for a normal life. So that people can feel happiness. And dream. They are organically incapable of making life normal! Wherever Russia came to a foreign land, dreams are impossible. Just a very hard fight for survival. As a result of the attack on Ukraine, the Russian leadership is actually turning its state into an analogue of the so-called 'DPR' and 'LPR,'" Zelensky said in a video message on Sunday night.

According to the words, this is "a large zone isolated from the whole world, where poverty will reign and where everything will be determined only by violence."

"And where people will run away from. As soon as they can. Whoever can. Look  who is leaving Russia. Who is withdrawing their business. These are specialists who can cope in the global market. These are IT people who do not want to live in a territory where there is no freedom. These are businessmen who feel that everything will be taken away from them when they simply want to. These are artists who know that creativity in a territory where a person's life is worth nothing is also worth nothing," the president said.

According to him, Russia is currently "losing brains, talents and money."

"But if this happens to Russia, then what awaits the so-called 'DPR' and 'LNR'? Only complete degradation," the president summed up.
Weatherford, TX (76086)

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Cloudy skies this morning followed by scattered showers and thunderstorms during the afternoon. A few storms may be severe. High 82F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 50%..

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Scattered thunderstorms this evening becoming more widespread overnight. A few storms may be severe. Low 67F. Winds SSE at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
U.S. consulate area in Iraqi Erbil hit by rocket fire, no casualties  media

Explosions were recorded on Sunday night near the U.S. consulate in Erbil (the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan), media reported, citing local authorities.

According to the Iraqi Ministry of Health, to which the publications refer, there are no victims or injured, some buildings in the area of shelling suffered material damage.

Representatives of regional authorities reported that the airport is operating as usual.
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Willmar, MN (56201)

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A mix of clouds and sun early followed by cloudy skies this afternoon. High 61F. Winds SE at 5 to 10 mph..

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The Danish TV channels TV 2 and DR, in cooperation with 18 humanitarian organizations, held a concert in support of Ukraine Sammen for Ukraine at the Town Hall Square in Copenhagen on Saturday, during which DKK 165.12 million (about $24.2 million at the current exchange rate) were raised.

According to TV 2's post on its website, the concert shown by both channels featured 17 Danish artists to raise money for the victims of the war in Ukraine, and the fundraiser is still ongoing.

Donations were both from individuals and corporate, in particular, they could be made by sending an SMS worth DKK 150 (about $22).

The website of the event states that the concert featured portraits of ordinary Ukrainians who suffered from the war, and stories about Danes who help Ukrainian refugees. In addition to Copenhagen, the concert was also broadcast on big screens in Aarhus, Odense, Aalborg and Esbjerg.

It is clarified that a minimum of 93% of the funds raised will go directly to emergency assistance, and humanitarian organizations, including UNICEF, Red Cross and Save the Children, Caritas, Medecins Sans Frontieres, UNHCR, CARE, can use a maximum of 7% to manage their work on providing emergency assistance.

TV 2 pointed out that even before the concert, the Red Cross said that the Danes had broken all records and collected DKK 750 million ($112.5 million) for humanitarian aid to Ukraine  across all the country's emergency organizations, including the Red Cross alone  DKK 350 million ($52.5 million).
Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said the area has sustained intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days.

Peabody Award Recipients Craig Renaud, left, and Brent Renaud attend the 74th Annual Peabody Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 31, 2015, in New York. Brent Renaud, an American journalist, was killed in a suburb of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 13, 2022, while gathering material for a report about refugees. Ukrainian authorities said he died when Russian forces shelled the vehicle he was traveling in. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death. Renaud and Putzel won a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University journalism award for "Arming the Mexican Cartels," a documentary on how guns trafficked from the United States fueled rampant drug gang violence.

This guy was the absolute best, Putzel told The Associated Press via phone from New York City. He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know. This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.

The details of Renaud's death were not made immediately clear by Ukrainian authorities, but American journalist Juan Arredondo said the two were traveling in a vehicle toward the Irpin checkpoint when they were both shot. Arredondo, speaking from a hospital in Kyiv, told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli that Renaud was hit in the neck. Camilli told the AP that Arredondo himself had been hit in the lower back.

We crossed the first bridge in Irpin, we were going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us," Arredondo told Camilli in a video interview shared with the AP.

Craig Renaud, left, and Brent Renaud attend the 74th Annual Peabody Awards at Cipriani Wall Street, May 31, 2015, in New York. Brent Renaud, an American journalist, was killed in a suburb of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 13, 2022, while gathering material for a report about refugees. Ukrainian authorities said he died when Russian forces shelled the vehicle he was traveling in. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car. Hours after the shooting of Renaud, Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said journalists would be denied entry to the city.

In this way, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders, Markushyn said.

The U.S. State Department said it would not comment on Renaud's death out of respect for his family members but that consular assistance was being offered to them.

The U.S. State Department condemned attacks on news professionals and others documenting the conflict.

We are horrified that journalists and filmmakersnoncombatantshave been killed and injured in Ukraine by Kremlin forces," the department said via Twitter. "This is yet another gruesome example of the Kremlins indiscriminate actions.

Responding to news of Renauds death, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for an immediate halt to violence against journalists and civilians.

This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law, the committee said on Twitter.

TIME released a statement deploring Renauds death and saying he had been in the region working on a TIME Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis.

We are devastated by the loss of Brent Renaud, the statement said. Our hearts are with all of Brents loved ones.

Along with his brother Craig, Renaud won a Peabody Award for Last Chance High, an HBO series about a school for at-risk youth on Chicagos West Side. The brothers' litany of achievements include two duPont-Columbia journalism awards and productions for HBO, NBC, Discovery, PBS, the New York Times, and VICE News.

Renaud was also a 2019 Nieman fellow at Harvard and served as visiting distinguished professor for the Center for Ethics in Journalism at University of Arkansas. He and his brother founded the Little Rock Film Festival.

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Among other assignments, Renaud covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating 2011 earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya and extremism in Africa.

Putzel, who worked with Renaud for 12 years, paid tribute to his courage and passion.

Nowhere was too dangerous," Putzel said. It was his bravery but also because he deeply, deeply cared.

He is survived by his brother Craig, Craig's wife, Mami, and a nephew, 11-year-old Taiyo.

___

AP journalists Sylvia Hui in London and Maria Grazia Murru in Przemysl, Poland, contributed to this report.
LONDON (AP)  Sci-fi epic Dune won five prizes and brooding Western The Power of the Dog was named best picture as the British Academy Film Awards returned Sunday with a live, black-tie ceremony after a pandemic-curtailed event in 2021.

LONDON (AP)  Sci-fi epic Dune won five prizes and brooding Western The Power of the Dog was named best picture as the British Academy Film Awards returned Sunday with a live, black-tie ceremony after a pandemic-curtailed event in 2021.

New Zealand filmmaker Jane Campion was named best director for The Power of the Dog, becoming only the third woman to win the prize in the awards seven-decade history.

Haley Bennett poses for photographers upon arrival to the BAFTA Nominees' Party in central London Saturday, Mar. 12, 2022. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Lead acting trophies went to Hollywood star Will Smith and British performer Joanna Scanlan, as an event that has worked to overcome a historic lack of diversity recognized a wide range of talents  including its first deaf acting winner in Troy Kotsur for CODA.

Last years awards ceremony was largely conducted online, with only the hosts and presenters appearing in person. This years return to collective celebration at Londons Royal Albert Hall took place in the shadow of Russias brutal invasion of Ukraine.

British film academy chairman Krishnendu Majumdar opened the show, hosted by Australian actor-comedian Rebel Wilson, with a message of support for Ukraine.

Catriona Balfe poses for photographers upon arrival at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

We stand in solidarity with those who are bravely fighting for their country and we share their hope for a return to peace," he said.

After that came the glitz, with 85-year-old diva Shirley Bassey and a live orchestra performing Diamonds Are Forever to mark the 60th anniversary of the James Bond films, Britain's most successful movie export.

Bond is turning 60, and his girlfriends are turning 25, joked host Wilson, who toned down her usual bawdy material for the ceremony's early-evening TV broadcast on the BBC.

Renate Reinsve, left, and Joachim Trier poses for photographers upon arrival at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Denis Villeneuves Dune, a space epic set on a desert planet, took five trophies from its 11 nominations: visual effects, production design, sound, Greig Fraser's cinematography and Hans Zimmer's score.

"The Power of the Dog, set in 1920s Montana and starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a ranch owner, was nominated in eight categories and won two big ones: best film and best director. Campion is only the third female winner in that category, but the second in two years after Chloe Zhao for Nomadland in 2021.

Cumberbatch lost to Smith, who was named best actor for his performance as the father of Serena and Venus Williams in "King Richard."

Montana Brown takes a photograph upon arrival at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Scanlan was a surprise best-actress winner, beating contenders including Lady Gaga to win for After Love, a first feature by Aleem Khan about a woman who makes a life-changing discovery after her husbands death.

Some stories have surprise endings dont they? said a disbelieving Scanlan.

Scanlan, best known as a star of satirical TV political comedy The Thick of It, said the prize would open doors.

Salma Hayek poses for photographers upon arrival at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

I hope I get a really exciting, chunky short film and also a Bond audition," she said.

Kenneth Branaghs semi-autobiographical Belfast, the story of a childhood overshadowed by Northern Irelands violent Troubles, was named best British film.

Ariana DeBose was named best supporting actress for her performance as Anita in Steven Spielberg's lavish musical West Side Story. The supporting actor prize went to Kotsur for CODA, in which he plays the deaf father of a hearing daughter.

Lea Seydoux poses for photographers upon arrival at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Vianney Le Caer/Invision/AP)

Have you considered maybe a deaf James Bond? he asked in his speech, delivered in sign language.

Lashana Lynch, who made a splash as a double-0 agent in Bond thriller No Time To Die, took the rising star award, the only category chosen by public vote. She thanked "the women of this country who taught me what it is to be in this industry as a dark-skinned woman. I thank you for laying the foundation for people like me.

No Time to Die also won the prize for best editing.

Joanna Scanlan holds her Best Actress award for her role in the film 'After Love' at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchis Oscar-nominated drama Drive My Car was named best film not in English. Encanto, the story of a Colombian clan with magical powers, was named best animated feature, and 1960s Harlem music extravaganza Summer of Soul won the best documentary prize.

Sian Heder won the adapted screenplay prize for CODA. Best original screenplay went to Paul Thomas Anderson for coming-of-age story Licorice Pizza.

The British awards are usually held a week or two before the Academy Awards and have become an important awards-season staging post. This years Oscars take place March 27.

Lashana Lynch posa en la sala de prensa tras recibir el Premio BAFTA del cine britanico a la estrella emergente, el domingo 13 de marzo de 2022 en Londres. (Foto por Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

The British film academy has expanded its voting membership and shaken up its rules in recent years in an attempt to address a glaring lack of diversity in the nominations. In 2020, no women were nominated as best director for a seventh consecutive year, and all 20 nominees in the lead and supporting performer categories were white.

Majumdar said this year's more diverse field showed that "change has come." But the celebration of cinema was subdued, with many attendees reflecting on the war raging on the other side of Europe.

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Cumberbatch wore a lapel badge in the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag. He said it was to oppose the megalomaniac Russian President Vladimir Putin raining down terror on Ukraine.

Ian Canning, from left, Tanya Seghatchian, and Emile Sherman hold the Best Film award on behalf of Jane Campion for the film 'Power of the Dog' at the 75th British Academy Film Awards, BAFTA's, in London Sunday, March 13, 2022. (Photo by Joel C Ryan/Invision/AP)

Its a very scary and sad time, he said on the red carpet. Although this is a gesture, and people can say its hollow, its just something I can do tonight  along with pressuring British politicians to take in more refugees from the war.

Jonas Poher Rasmussen, director of animated feature Flee, the story of an Afghan refugee, said it was surreal to be at an awards show when the world is burning.

But he said images of the millions driven from their homes in Ukraine underscored the message that these stories need to be told.

___

Hilary Fox contributed to this story.
NEW YORK (AP)  William Hurt, whose laconic charisma and self-assured subtlety as an actor made him one of the 1980s foremost leading men in movies such as Broadcast News," Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71.

FILE - William Hurt and Heidi Henderson arrive at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards Sunday, Jan. 15, 2012, in Los Angeles. Hurt, the Oscar-winning actor of Broadcast News, Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71. Hurt's son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died Sunday, March 13, 2022 of natural causes. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File)

NEW YORK (AP)  William Hurt, whose laconic charisma and self-assured subtlety as an actor made him one of the 1980s foremost leading men in movies such as Broadcast News," Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71.

Hurt's son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died Sunday of natural causes. Hurt died peacefully, among family, his son said. The Hollywood Reporter said he died at his home in Portland, Oregon. Deadline first reported Hurts death. Hurt was previously diagnosed with prostate cancer that had spread to the bone in 2018.

FILE - Actor William Hurt, star of the new AMC series "Humans" poses for a portrait on Monday, June 22, 2015 in New York. Hurt, the Oscar-winning actor of Broadcast News, Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71. Hurt's son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died Sunday, March 13, 2022 of natural causes. (Photo by Amy Sussman/Invision/AP, File)

In a long-running career, Hurt was four times nominated for an Academy Award, winning for 1985's Kiss of the Spider Woman. After his breakthrough in 1980s Paddy Chayefsky-scripted Altered States as a psychopathologist studying schizophrenia and experimenting with sensory deprivation, Hurt quickly emerged as a mainstay of the '80s.

In Lawrence Kasdans 1981 steamy neo noir Body Heat, Hurt starred alongside Kathleen Turner as a lawyer coaxed into murder. In 1983s The Big Chill, again with Kasdan, Hurt played the brooding Vietnam War veteran Nick Carlton, one of a group of college pals who gather for their friends funeral.

Hurt, whose father worked for the State Department, was born in Washington D.C. and traveled widely as a child while attending boarding school in Massachusetts. His parents divorced when he was young. When Hurt was 10, his mother married Henry Luce III, son of the Time magazine founder. Hurt studied acting at Julliard and first emerged on the New York stage with the Circle Repertory Company. After The Big Chill, he returned to the stage to star on Broadway in David Rabes Hurlyburly, for which he was nominated for a Tony.

FILE - Actor William Hurt plays with his dog, Lucy, in Riverside Park in New York on Oct. 10, 2013. Hurt, the Oscar-winning actor of Broadcast News, Body Heat and The Big Chill, has died. He was 71. Hurt's son, Will, said in a statement that Hurt died Sunday, March 13, 2022 of natural causes. (AP Photo/Frazier Moore, File)

Shortly after came Kiss of the Spider Woman, which won Hurt the best actor Oscar for his performance as a gay prisoner in a repressive South American dictatorship.

I am very proud to be an actor, Hurt said, accepting the award.

In 1986's Children of a Lesser God, it was his co-star, Marlee Matlin, who took the Oscar for her performance as a custodian at a school for the deaf. Hurt played a speech teacher. For Hurt and Matlin, their romance was off-screen, as well  but it wasn't Hurt's first experience with his private life finding notoriety.

Hurt was first married to actor Mary Beth Hurt from 1971 to 1982. While he was married, he began a relationship with Sandra Jennings, whose pregnancy with their son precipitated Hurt's divorce from Mary Beth Hurt. A high-profile court case ensued six years later in which Jennings claimed she had been Hurt's common-law wife under South Carolina law and thus entitled to a share of his earnings. A New York court ruled in Hurt's favor, but the actor continued to have a strained relationship with fame.

Acting is a very intimate and private thing, Hurt told The New York Times in 1983. The art of acting requires as much solitude as the art of writing. Yeah, you bump up against other people, but you have to learn a craft, technique. Its work. Theres this odd thing that my acting is assumed to be this clamor for attention to my person, as if I needed so much love or so much attention that I would give up my right to be a private person.

In her 2009 memoir, Matlin detailed physical and emotional abuse during their relationship. At the time of its publishing, Hurt issued an apology saying: My own recollection is that we both apologized and both did a great deal to heal our lives.

In those years, Hurt also struggled with drug and alcohol abuse, and attended rehabilitation clinics. He also developed a reputation for not always being an easy collaborator. The New Yorker called him notoriously temperamental. In 1989, Hurt married to Heidi Henderson, who he met at rehab. They had two children together. Hurt also had a daughter with French actress and filmmaker Sandrine Bonnaire, whom he met while making the straight-to-video 1992 Albert Camus adaptation The Plague.

Among Hurt's greatest performances was James L. Brooks' 1987 comedy Broadcast News, as a slick but lightweight anchorman who symbolized the emerging fusion of entertainment and journalism.

Albert Brooks, Hurts Broadcast News co-star, was among the many who responded to Hurts passing Sunday. So sad to hear this news, wrote Brooks on Twitter. Working with him on Broadcast News was amazing. He will be greatly missed.

After his torrid 80s run, Hurt fell increasingly out of favor with filmmakers in the '90s, and some reasoned that it was because of his reputation. Hurt, however, continued to defend his approach, telling The Los Angeles Times in 1994 that I give more by solving the truth than by pandering to expectations and facile hopes.

"If a director tells me to make the audience think or feel a certain thing, I am instantaneously in revolt, Hurt said. Im not there to make anyone else think or feel anything specific. I have agreed to something the whole piece says. Beyond that it is my only obligation to solve the truth of the piece. I dont owe anybody anything  including the director.

Nevertheless, Hurt never slowed down, piling up credits in the 90s and 00s  Woody Allen's Alice, Wayne Wong's Smoke, Nora Ephron's Michael, Franco Zeffirelli's Jane Eyre.

Hurt, always a intelligent screen presence, gradually morphed into a character actor. He received his fourth Oscar nomination for his small but potent role in David Cronenberg's 2005 thriller A History of Violence."

Hurt continued to work constantly in the years leading up to his death: 10 episodes of Damages"; a string of Marvel films, including Avengers: Endgame" and Black Widow, as the military officer Thaddeus Ross; 14 episodes on Amazon's Goliath.

Often, Hurt suggested that his fabled run in the '80s was the outlier to what defined him as an actor.

Success is isolating, he told The Telegraph in 2004. Certainly the Oscar was isolating. In some ways, it was antithetical to what I was aiming at. I didnt want to be isolated. I didnt want some big target on my chest saying: Hes an Oscar-winner, hes the one to be. I wanted to be an actor, so I was very confused about it. Sometimes Im still confused about it.

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This story has been updated to remove a reference to Mary Beth Hurt. The actress did not appear in The Big Chill.

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Follow AP Film Writer Jake Coyle on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/jakecoyleAP

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This story has been corrected to remove reference to Mary Beth Hurt acting in The Big Chill. She did not appear in the film.
MILAN (AP)  Italian paper mills that make everything from pizza boxes to furniture packaging ground to a halt as Russia's war in Ukraine has sent natural gas prices skyrocketing.

People walk past a fishing boat with banners against the gasoline price increase, in the Roman port of Fiumicino, Friday, March 11, 2022. Nowhere more than in Italy, the European Unions third-largest economy, is dependence on Russian energy taking a higher toll on industry. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

MILAN (AP)  Italian paper mills that make everything from pizza boxes to furniture packaging ground to a halt as Russia's war in Ukraine has sent natural gas prices skyrocketing.

And it's not just paper. Italian steel mills, likewise, turned off electric furnaces last week. And fishermen, facing huge spikes in oil prices, stayed in port, mending nets instead of casting them.

Nowhere more than in Italy, the European Unions third-largest economy, is dependence on Russian energy taking a higher toll on industry. Some 40% of electricity is generated from natural gas that largely comes from Russia, compared with roughly one-quarter in Germany, another major importer and the continent's largest economy.

Over the past decade, Italy's dependence on Russian natural gas has surged from 27% to 43%  a fact lamented by Premier Mario Draghi. It will take at least two years to replace, his energy transition minister says.

Even before the war, Europe was facing a serious energy crunch that drove up costs for electricity, food, supplies and everything in between for people and businesses. Ever higher prices tied to fears that the conflict will lead to an energy cutoff are hitting the continent much harder than the U.S. because it imports so much of its oil and gas from Russia.

European leaders meeting Friday in Versailles outside Paris discussed ways of easing the pain. Draghi pushed to diversify gas sources, develop renewables and introduce a cap on natural gas prices. He said his foreign minister, who recently visited Algeria and Qatar, was working on new gas markets.

We are talking about errors made over many years," said Francesco Zago, CEO of the Veneto-based paper and packaging manufacturer Pro-Gest. We get too much gas from Russia. In school, they tell us we need to diversify the sources, otherwise there is a danger.

Natural gas prices were on the rise last year as reserves dwindled in Europe, but Zago said his company was able to stabilize prices and continue operating. That changed with the Russian invasion, when already high prices soared from 90 euros a megawatt hour to over 300 euros a megawatt hour.

We found ourselves facing huge losses, Zago said.

To remain profitable, he said they would have had to nearly double prices from 680 euros a ton to 1,200 euros  not doable on the marketplace.

He suspended operations at six mills that recycle paper to supply one-third of all of Italys packaging needs, and he is keeping a close eye on the energy market to see when production can relaunch. For now, there is still enough stock to keep open the company's sites that make cardboard boxes and other packaging, supplying industries from food to pharmaceuticals to furniture. But that could run out soon.

Likewise, Acciaierie Venete shut three of its steel mills for a few days last week as prices spiked to 10 times above normal. The makers of high-quality steel for automotive and agricultural machinery had enough stock to work on finished product, waiting for prices to dip so they could reopen.

Never, ever has this happened that we had to shut down ovens, said Francesco Semino, an executive at the steel-making company based in the northeastern region of Veneto.

The urgency of Italys energy situation is trickling down to consumers in the form of higher heating bills, and more recently, rising prices at the pump, with gasoline topping 2 euros a liter this week, or nearly $6 a gallon.

Radio call-in shows are soliciting ideas about how to save energy, reviving memories of long-abandoned tricks like ember-fueled bedwarmers. Italys state broadcaster has launched a campaign with lists of how to save energy, including turning off lights, lowering thermostats and regularly defrosting refrigerators, under the motto Millumino di meno, or I light up less.

Truckers who say they can't afford higher gasoline prices are set to strike this coming week. Fishermen took the hit last week, deciding not to trawl the waters off Italy, with fishing boats along the entire peninsula moored in port.

At current prices, it costs 1,250 euros a day to run boats out of Fiumicino, leaving little room for profits after plying the sea for cod, sea bass, sea bream, octopus, squid and shrimp, said Pasquale Di Bartolomeo, who runs one of 22 boats out of the port near Rome.

Restaurants, he said, will make do with frozen seafood or farm-raised fish. He hopes the prices ease so he can return to work.

The family needs to eat, there are expenses, Di Bartolomeo said.

Italy decreased its gas consumption from 2010 to 2014, thanks to the addition of subsidized wind and solar power, but reliance on natural gas pushed back up again in recent years as it took polluting coal power plants offline.

They have been substituted mostly by natural gas as renewables stalled, partly because of Italys infamous bureaucracy that has kept many investors away, said Matteo Di Castelnuovo, an energy economist at Milans Bocconi University.

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Italy clearly underestimated the problem of increasing its gas consumption the last few years, and with that, its dependence on Russian gas, he said.

The government has pledged to simplify red tape, and this week approved six new wind parks that will produce more than 400 megawatts of energy. Energy transition minister Roberto Cingolani has floated the idea of next-generation nuclear to a reluctant population.

"Nuclear fusion will not save us from Russian gas,'' Di Castelnuovo said, referring to a technology that is still decades away.

Italy's dependence on Russian gas can most quickly and effectively be reduced by simple conservation methods, he said, given the time and investments it takes to transition to other energy sources.

That can include such measures as improving home insulation, using appliances that consume less energy and lowering the thermostat.

My heat, my thermostat, is actually paying for Putins missiles and bombs, Di Castelnuovo said. It is good enough for me to lower it by 2 degrees and wear a jumper instead.
BRAMPTON, Ont. - Patrick Brown has officially joined the race to lead the federal Conservatives, with a promise to heal the fractures that have erupted in the party over recent years.

Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown poses for a photo for a supporter alongside his wife Genevieve Gualtieri after winning the Brampton Mayoral Election during a campaign celebration in Brampton, Ont., Monday, Oct. 22, 2018. Brown, the former member of Parliament who unceremoniously resigned as Ontario's Progressive Conservative leader and returned as Brampton's mayor, plans today to embark on his latest challenge: Running for Conservative leadership. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

BRAMPTON, Ont. - Patrick Brown has officially joined the race to lead the federal Conservatives, with a promise to heal the fractures that have erupted in the party over recent years.

Brown, 43, launched his campaign in Brampton, Ont., where he has served as mayor since 2018.

He walked on stage at the Queens Manor Event Centre with his wife, Genevieve, and their two children Sunday as the crowd chanted his name.

Brown's speech pitched a campaign that offers a greater voice for caucus members and a bigger Conservative tent.

"I want people who have never voted Conservative, and voted for other parties to feel welcome in our family," Brown told the crowd Sunday.

Brown, known within the party as a hardworking organizer, is the fifth candidate to enter the Conservative leadership race, already populated by former federal Progressive Conservative leader Jean Charest and Ottawa-area MP Pierre Poilievre.

Rookie Ontario MP Leslyn Lewis and Independent Ontario MPP Roman Baber are also running.

Browns political roots run deep in Brampton, and its a part of the country where Conservatives know they need to grow their support if they hope to form government.

He promised to do that without sacrificing seats in western or rural Canada, and suggested the party needs to stop treating Conservative members in the west "like an ATM and start delivering election victories."

In his speech, Brown addressed the main concern raised about his candidacy by party membership: his support for carbon pricing during his time as leader of the Progressive Conservatives in Ontario.

Many party members reject carbon pricing as an ineffective "tax," including Poilievre, who has vowed to repeal the federal consumer carbon price and attacked Brown over his support of the policy.

Patrick Brown stands on stage with his wife Genevieve Gualtieri and children Theodore (right) and Savannah as he announces his candidacy for the federal Conservative Leadership at a rally in Brampton, Ont., on Sunday, March 13, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young

Just before Brown announced his leadership candidacy, Poilievre's team launched an attack ad with the tag line "Patrick Brown will say and do anything," pointing out his inconsistent position on environmental policy.

"Past attempts by conservative parties in Canada to address climate change, including one that I led, haven't been done with consultation with our membership or caucus," he said.

"Trust me from experience, I can definitely admit that is not the right approach."

He said, if elected leader, the party would decide on its environmental policy collectively.

"I'm confident that together we can come up with a winning position, one that addresses climate change and respects provincial jurisdictions, energy security, energy sector workers, while keeping life affordable," he said.

Brown recently wrote a letter asking Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland to forgo a planned increase for April 1, citing the price of gas and other affordability issues.

Brown also made a pitch to rebuild trust with Canada's "cultural communities," a voter base who call the country's largest cities and suburbs home and whose support Conservatives must win over if they hope to win the next election.

Brown's speech touted his opposition to Quebec's Bill 21, a controversial secularism law in that province that prohibits public servants in positions of authority from wearing religious symbols on the job.

As Brampton's mayor, Brown spearheaded a plan for cities to pledge money to help fund a legal challenge of the law.

He also condemned the Conservatives' promises for a barbaric cultural practices hotline and a niqab ban during the 2015 election as an attempt to stifle religious freedoms and normalize intolerance. Those policies were the reason Conservatives lost that race against Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, he said.

Brown's turbulent political career has been defined by its ups and downs.

Born in Toronto, he was a young Tory who in 2000 was elected as a city councillor in Barrie, Ont. From there, he became an MP in former Conservative prime minister Stephen Harper's government.

Brown left federal politics after winning leadership of Ontario's Progressive Conservative party in 2015, where he served as the province's Opposition leader until 2018.

Within months of an election  at a time when the Liberal government had spent more than a decade in power  in January 2018 CTV published allegations of sexual misconduct from two women against Brown.

The allegations have not been proven in court, nor have they been independently verified by The Canadian Press. Brown has long denied them.

But after initially promising to stay in the job, Brown resigned the next day and within weeks was kicked out of caucus.

He then ran for mayor of Brampton, Ont., and was elected in October 2018. He has remained in that role ever since.

Last week, Brown and CTV resolved a years-long defamation lawsuit he launched after the 2018 story.

In his speech Sunday, he offered the controversy as an example of his fighting spirit.

"When the media tried to make me cancel culture's latest victim by smearing me with false allegations I fought back and won," he said, to cheers from the crowd.

A statement released by the broadcaster and Brown said CTV regrets some factual inaccuracies their original story contained. The statement did not specify what those inaccuracies were and a CTV spokesperson declined to elaborate.

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The original article includes a correction that updates the age of one of two women who accused Brown of sexual misconduct.

The news network said no money exchanged hands in the settlement.

Brown has not signalled any intent to resign as mayor of Brampton while seeking the federal party leadership. He has said he would donate his salary to various causes, including the William Osler Health System Foundation in Brampton for the duration of the race.

Conservatives will find out who their new leader is Sept. 10. Candidates have until June 3 to sign up new members and April 19 to declare they're running.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 13, 2022.

 By Laura Osman and Stephanie Taylor in Ottawa
Manitoba was hit with another bout of blustering winds and freezing cold Saturday, closing the Perimeter Highway for the seventh time this winter due to poor driving conditions.

Manitoba was hit with another bout of blustering winds and freezing cold Saturday, closing the Perimeter Highway for the seventh time this winter due to poor driving conditions.

Fifty-three provincial routes have been shut down this winter overall due to poor driving conditions, compared to 22 in 2020-21 and 31 in 2019-20, according to Manitoba Transportation and Infrastructure.

Environment and Climate Change operational meteorologist Brian Luzny called Saturdays weather "a muted version" of the blowing snow earlier this week, when reduced visibility caused a major multi-vehicle collision on McGillivray Boulevard near the Perimeter Highway.

The city was set to receive between two and four centimetres of snow and hit a -36 windchill earlier in the day.

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People walk across the Esplanade Riel as heavy snow begins to fall Saturday afternoon. (Daniel Crump / Winnipeg Free Press)

"Temperatures are warming up, the system is bringing fairly substantial amount of warm air with it I would expect the wind chills to only improve throughout the day, even though we are getting more wind," Luzny said.

Theres a silver lining to the chill passing through  itll be quick, and its looking like next week will begin to feel like the beginning of a Winnipeg spring, and may even hit above-zero temperatures.

"I think we unofficially are starting to hit warmer, back to normal (temperatures) and it looks like for a majority of next week, that the melt might be on, somewhere in the highs near zero to five degrees range," he said. "So it looks like the cold is unofficially, hopefully over."

Lifelong Winnipegger Roland Girouard, 63, was taking the snow in stride Saturday afternoon. He said he was happy to hear warm weather was on the horizon, but the colds never bothered him anyway.

"I get sick of it, but I get adjusted. Its all in the mind," Girouard, who was on his way to Tokyo Smoke down Osborne, told the Free Press.

"Its winter time, its Winterpeg, its going to get ugly. But this winter was exceptionally ugly."
With the clock ticking on COVID-19 isolation rules, the Manitoba Federation of Labour is renewing its call for the provincial government to give all workers 10 days of mandatory paid sick leave.

With the clock ticking on COVID-19 isolation rules, the Manitoba Federation of Labour is renewing its call for the provincial government to give all workers 10 days of mandatory paid sick leave.

Kevin Rebeck, MFL president, said he is worried about what will happen to workers when the last public health mandates come off the board, leaving nothing but recommendations Tuesday.

"I think it is terrible," Rebeck said. "Workers have always felt pressure to come in when they were sick.

"Now we have a premier (Heather Stefanson) saying we have to learn how to live with COVID, at the same time groceries and gas prices are going up. Staying home sick and not getting paid could be the difference between paying a bill or putting food on the table.

"This is the time when people should keep other people safe."

The MFL is asking the province to follow the federal governments lead and put in place 10 days of paid sick leave for all Manitoba workers.

"It needs to be standard for everyone," Rebeck said. "This needs to be done in legislation.

"The federal government did it, but only eight to 12 per cent of the workers here are federally covered  the other 90 per cent dont have it."

Rebeck said he has asked the Stefanson government to at least begin consultations about the issue, but doesnt know if it will happen.

"It may well take an election to make it happen."

The Tory government announced last month, beginning March 15, public health orders requiring mask use in public places would end. Last week, Shared Health said Manitobans would still need to wear masks inside at a health-care facility.

As well, March 15 will also see the end of anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 being ordered to isolate. The province says it will now be recommending people with symptoms stay home and isolate for five days after symptoms start until they have no fever or symptoms; people who test positive with no symptoms can come out of isolation five days after the test.

A provincial spokesman said in a statement: "Manitobas public health emergency leave provides unpaid job protection for workers who are required to take time off due to COVID-19."

"As well, under the employment standards code, employees are entitled to three unpaid days for family-related leave and up to 17 unpaid weeks for long-term leave for serious injury or illness."

Epidemiologist Cynthia Carr doesnt believe it is time for employers and anyone else to ease up on vigilance against the virus. (Mikaela MacKenzie / Winnipeg Free Press files)

The spokesman said employers can provide additional benefits beyond what is in the employment standards code. Manitoba is watching what other provinces are doing regarding paid sick time, and is working with both the federal government and other provincial and territorial governments to look into it further, he added.

James Bedford, Manitoba Teachers Society president, said teachers have sick leave benefits and the union supports teachers staying home if they are feeling sick.

But Bedford admits that isnt always easy.

"The challenge to staying home arises in cases where substitute teachers are in short supply  as they have been throughout the pandemic," he said.

"Teachers can feel obligated to go to work if there may be no one to fill in and keep their classroom running. MTS is working with the Department of Education, the provinces faculties of education and the Manitoba School Boards Association to make it possible for education students to substitute in classrooms and alleviate the impact of shortages across the province."

Winnipeg epidemiologist Cynthia Carr said North American workers have always been challenged between working and feeling guilty about staying home "with just a cold, for example, when this is still an infectious illness."

"It should not have to be mandated that you stay home when sick  especially if infectious for the well-being of co-workers as well as consumers, clients, (and) patients with whom the worker interacts," Carr said.

"I understand employers have been impacted by employee absenteeism, however, encouraging people to come to the workplace when carrying an infectious disease will result in more disruption to the workplace, not less."

Carr said she doesnt believe it is time for employers and anyone else to ease up on vigilance against the virus.

She said employers should still have virus screening of employees and send them home for the first few days or have them wear a mask if they have symptoms or are coughing or sneezing.

"We should be making workplace and community safety part of our routing and not just attended to properly because theres a mandate."

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Tory McNally, director of human resources services at Legacy Bowles Group, said every workplace should make their own rules based on a safety assessment.

"If an assessment reveals that social distancing cannot be properly maintained, then the employer can keep mask orders in place for staff," McNally said.

"If an employee is feeling nervous about taking their own mask off, they have the right to request accommodation to be allowed to stay masked while at work. I know that many businesses are strongly encouraging that their employees continue to wear masks, but are leaving it up to individual choice."

She said the federal government is continuing with the Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit until at least May, so even if the employer refuses to give paid sick leave, income assistance is available.

"Disability is a protected human right and employers cannot discriminate against someone who is ill."

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca
BEIJING (AP)  China's government responded Sunday to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service.

People wearing face masks walk alone a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

BEIJING (AP)  China's government responded Sunday to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service.

Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology center that abuts Hong Kong, will undergo three rounds of testing after 60 new cases were reported Sunday. All businesses except those that supply food, fuel and other necessities were ordered to close or work from home.

Case numbers in China's latest infection surge are low compared with other countries and with Hong Kong, which reported more than 32,000 on Sunday. But mainland authorities are enforcing a zero tolerance strategy and have locked down entire cities to find and isolate every infected person.

Shoppers wearing face masks walk across a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. (AP Photo/Kin Cheung)

Shenzhen is home to some of China's most prominent companies, including telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Ltd., electric car brand BYD Auto, Ping An Insurance Co. and Tencent Holding, operator of the popular WeChat message service.

On the mainland, the government reported 1,938 new cases, more than triple Saturdays total.

About three-quarters, or 1,412 cases, were in Jilin province in the northeast, where the industrial metropolis of Changchun was placed under lockdown on Friday and families were told to stay home after a spate of infections.

China, where the first coronavirus cases were detected in late 2019 in the central city of Wuhan, has reported a total of 4,636 deaths on the mainland out of 115,466 confirmed cases since the pandemic started.

A security guard helps a worker put on protective gear outside an office building that was closed off after a case of coronavirus was detected on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

In Shanghai, Chinas most populous city with 24 million people, the number of cases in the latest surge rose by 15 to 432.

The city government called on the public not to leave unless necessary. It said intercity bus service would be suspended starting on Sunday.

Those who come or return to Shanghai must have a negative nucleic acid test report within 48 hours before arrival, said a city health agency statement.

In Hong Kong, a health official warned the public not to assume the territory's deadly coronavirus surge was under control as the government reported 190 new fatalities, most of them elderly people, and 32,430 new cases. That's down from above 50,000 after stringent travel and business curbs were imposed.

Hong Kong, a crowded financial hub of 7.4 million, is trying to contain an outbreak that has killed 3,993 people, most of them in the latest surge driven by the omicron variant, and swamped hospitals.

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People should not get the wrong impression that the virus situation is now under control, said Dr. Albert Au, an expert with the government's Center for Health Protection. Once we let our guard down, its possible that (infections) will bounce back and rise again."

Construction crews sent from the mainland have built temporary isolation centers in Hong Kong for thousands of patients.

On the mainland, 831 new cases were reported Sunday in Changchun, 571 in the nearby provincial capital city of Jilin and 150 in the eastern port city of Qingdao.

Authorities in Jilin are stepping up anti-disease measures after concluding their earlier response was inadequate, according to Zhang Yan, deputy director of the provincial Health Commission.

The emergency response mechanism in some areas is not sound enough, Zhang said at a news conference, according to a transcript released by the government.

Also Sunday, some residents of Cangzhou, south of Beijing, were told to stay home after nine cases were reported there, according to a government notice. It wasnt clear how many of its 7.3 million people were affected.
Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, though he's feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative.

Former President Barack Obama speaks during a memorial service for former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid at the Smith Center in Las Vegas, Jan. 8, 2022. Former President Obama said on Sunday, March 13, 2022 that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, though he's feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh, file)

Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, though he's feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative.

Ive had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise, Obama said on Twitter. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.

Obama encouraged more Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite the declining infection rate in the U.S. There were roughly 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when that average was closer to 800,000.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 75.2% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7% of the fully vaccinated have received a booster shot. The CDC relaxed its guidelines for indoor masking in late February, taking a more holistic approach that meant the vast majority of Americans live in areas without the recommendation for indoor masking in public.
LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian missiles pounded a military base in western Ukraine on Sunday, killing 35 people in an attack on a facility that served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting its defense. The barrage marked an escalation of Moscows offensive and moved the fighting perilously close to the Polish border.

Serhiy Kralya, 41, looks at the camera after surgery at a hospital in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine on Friday, March 11, 2022. Kralya was injured during shelling by Russian forces. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian missiles pounded a military base in western Ukraine on Sunday, killing 35 people in an attack on a facility that served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting its defense. The barrage marked an escalation of Moscows offensive and moved the fighting perilously close to the Polish border.

The attack so near a NATO member-country raised the possibility that the alliance could be drawn into the fight, and was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility at Yavoriv, which has long been used to train Ukrainian soldiers, often with instructors from the United States and other countries in the Western alliance. Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscow's threats to target those shipments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a black day," and again urged NATO leaders to establish a no-fly zone over the country, a plea that the West has said could escalate the war to a nuclear confrontation.

If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory. NATO territory. On the homes of citizens of NATO countries, Zelenskyy said.

Anastasia Erashova cries as she hugs her child in a corridor of a hospital in Mariupol, eastern Ukraine on Friday, March 11, 2022. Anastasia's other child was killed during the shelling of Mariupol. (AP Photo/Evgeniy Maloletka)

In addition to the fatalities, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that 134 people were wounded in the attack.

Ina Padi, a 40-year-old Ukrainian who crossed the border with her family, was taking shelter at a fire station in Wielkie Oczy, Poland, when she was awakened by blasts Sunday morning that made the glass in the windows shake.

I understood in that moment, even if we are free of it, (the war) is still coming after us, she said.

A man plays with a child before she boards a Lviv bound train, in Kyiv, Ukraine, Saturday, March 12, 2022. Fighting raged in the outskirts of Ukraine's capital, Kyiv, and Russia kept up its bombardment of other resisting cities. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Since their invasion more than two weeks ago, Russian forces have struggled in their advance across Ukraine, in the face of stiffer than expected resistance, bolstered by Western weapons support. Instead, Russian forces have besieged several cities and pummeled them with strikes, hitting two dozen medical facilities and leading to a series of humanitarian crises.

The U.N. has recorded at least 596 civilian deaths, though it believes the true toll is much higher, and Ukraines Prosecutor Generals office said that at least 85 children are among them. An American filmmaker and journalist was also killed Sunday. Millions more people have fled their homes amid the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II.

Talks for a broad cease-fire have so far failed, but the Kremlin's spokesman said another round would take place on Monday by videolink, according to Russian state news agency Tass. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser to Rome to meet with a Chinese official. There are worries in Washington that Beijing is amplifying Russian disinformation and may help Moscow evade punishing Western economic sanctions.

A baby who fled Ukraine, is cared for by his mother at a refugee center in Korczowa, Poland, Sunday, March 13, 2022. Now in its third week, the war has forced more than 2.5 million people to flee Ukraine. (AP Photo/Daniel Cole)

Zelenskyy said he will continue negotiating with Russia and making requests for a meeting with Putin, which, so far, have gone unanswered by the Kremlin. Daily talks, Zelenskyy said, were necessary to establish a cease-fire and add more humanitarian corridors, which saved more than 130,000 people in six days.

The attacked training base near Yavoriv is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the Polish border and appears to be the westernmost target struck during Russias 18-day invasion.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the attack, tweeting: The brutality must stop.

Tymur Samolevska, 12, a Ukrainian internally displaced from Zaporizhya, puts together a puzzle inside a dorm in Novoiavorisk, near Lviv, western Ukraine, Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The base has hosted NATO drills, and a senior official, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying the spirit of military cooperation" between Ukraine and international forces.

As such, the site is a potent symbol of Russia's longstanding concerns that the expansion in recent years of the 30-member Western military alliance to include former Soviet states threatens its security  something NATO denies. Still, the perceived threat from NATO is central to Moscow's justifications for the war, and it has demanded Ukraine drop its ambitions to join the alliance.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, which is less than 150 kilometers (94 miles) north of Romania and 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Hungary, two other NATO allies.

A Ukrainian firefighter walks inside a large food products storage facility which was destroyed by an airstrike in the early morning hours on the outskirts of Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, March 13, 2022. Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraine's western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people, following Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia's grinding invasion.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

NATO said Sunday that it currently does not have any personnel in Ukraine, though the United States has increased the number of U.S. troops deployed to Poland. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the West would respond if Russia's strikes travel outside Ukraine and hit any NATO members, even accidentally.

The city of Lviv, in western Ukraine itself, so far has been spared the scale of destruction happening to its east and south. Its population of 721,000 has swelled during the war, with residents escaping bombarded cities and as a waystation for the nearly 2.6 million people who have fled the country.

Ukrainian and European leaders have pushed with limited success for Russia to grant safe passage to civilians trapped by fighting. Ukrainian authorities said more than 10 humanitarian corridors would open Sunday, with agreement from Russia, including from the besieged port city of Mariupol, where the city council said 2,187 people have been killed.

People attend rally against the Russian invasion on Ukraine in Berlin, Germany, Sunday, March 13, 2022. On Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022 Russian troops have launched their anticipated attack on Ukraine. (Paul Zinken/dpa via AP)

But such promises have repeatedly crumbled, and there was no word late Sunday on whether people were able to use the evacuation routes. Officials did say that a convoy carrying 100 tons of aid was expected to arrive in Mariupol on Monday.

The suffering in the port city is simply immense, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday, noting that hundreds of thousands of its residents are facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.

Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell, the Geneva-based organization said in a statement. Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated.

Displaced Ukrainians queue to board a Poland bound train in Lviv, western Ukraine, Sunday, March 13, 2022. Lviv in western Ukraine itself so far has been spared the scale of destruction unfolding to its east and south. The city's population of 721,000 has swelled during the war with residents escaping bombarded population centers and as a waystation for the nearly 2.6 million people who have fled the country. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

The fight for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could help Russia establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Meanwhile, continued fighting on multiple fronts caused more misery in Ukraine on Sunday and provoked renewed international outrage.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, authorities reported nine people killed in bombings. They said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a childrens resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and others were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

A woman with her belongings and food, sits on a chair in an improvised shelter in a subway that city residents use as a bomb shelter while a train passes by in the opposite line in Kyiv, Ukraine, Sunday, March 13, 2022. (AP photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east.

Kyiv Region police said on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on a car carrying two American journalists. The U.S. State Department said Brent Renaud died. Juan Arredondo was wounded.

In the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, Ukrainian soldier Alexei Lipirdi, 46, said that the Russians want to intimidate us so that we will not be calm," but he and his unit remain defiant. As he spoke, smoke billowed from distant buildings and cars stood damaged or abandoned.

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The citys mayor said only about 10,000 of its 60,000 residents remain. Many who stayed behind are the old or sick and those who are caring for them.

At a suburban hospital, doctors said 80% of their patients are civilians wounded by shelling. Patient Volodymr Adamkovych, his abdomen bandaged, said he was wounded when his home was hit. He spent the night in his basement before he could reach doctors.

___

Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this report.

___

Follow the APs coverage of the Ukraine crisis at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
Russian invaders shelled the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security (Yavorivsky military training ground) in Lviv region early Sunday morning, authorities report.

"The occupiers launched an airstrike on the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security. According to preliminary data, they fired eight missiles. Information about the victims is being established," Lviv military regional administration said on Telegram.

Press secretary of the Academy of the Ground Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Anton Myronovych said on the air of Suspilne that a missile attack was carried out upon one of the military units. According to preliminary data, there are no dead, but information about the injured and wounded is being clarified. "Air defense played a certain role," Myronovych said.
Five area fire departments benefited from a hands on training exercise that was held outside of Beaver Dam Saturday.

Fire departments from around Dodge County met at W8172 Ollinger Road on Saturday including: Beaver Dam, Burnett, Fox Lake, Horicon and Juneau were at the former home.

We are outside of the city, we dont have water supply, Beaver Dam Fire Chief Michael Wesle said.

The other fire departments also brought apparatus and water tenders to help keep the area safe and train.

The newer members are really getting a feeling what it will be like the first time they go in and really fight a fire, Wesle said.

The structures on the property were already scheduled for demolition as part of a housing project that is slated for development in spring. A development agreement with Neumann Developments of Pewaukee was approved by the council in September. Approximately 60 single-family lots are planned on the land that sits near the YMCA of Dodge County and the Corporate Drive business park.

The city of Beaver Dam does not have a dedicated training facility, so we do not have the ability to practice firefighting in a real environment, so Neumann Properties, who will be developing this property, was gracious enough to allow us to train not only today, but for the last several weeks doing training on the grounds.

Some of the training that was done was ventilation training, search and rescue and other skills needed by fire fighters.

Today what we are focusing on is fire suppression, Wesle said.

The house was inspected by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to ensure there were no environmental hazards, Wesle said.

The main goal today is not to burn down the house, Wesle said. We have up to 17 sets in the house (including hay or cardboard).

Wesle said they placed newer firefighters in the room when the fires were ignited so they would learn about fire behavior.

It gives them a lot of confidence, Wesle said. They are able to feel the heat and see when there is a fire that visibility goes to zero. They are able to feel the heat and humidity when they suppress the fire, so it is a great opportunity not only for our seasoned but especially for our newer people to get in and actually experience a fire.

Follow Terri Pederson on Twitter @tlp53916 or contact her at 920-356-6760.

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The Paralympic Winter Games Cauldron is lit during the opening ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games at the National Stadium in Beijing, capital of China, March 4, 2022. [Xinhua/Wu Huiwo]

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua)  Chinese President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will attend the closing ceremony of the Beijing 2022 Paralympic Winter Games scheduled on the evening of March 13, at the National Stadium.

The ceremony will be broadcast live by China Media Group, and xinhuanet.com will provide live broadcast in photos and text.

(Source: Xinhua)
Colloquially known as The Bluff, Bluff is a seaport town on the southern coast of South Island in New Zealand; previously named Campbelltown, this habitation is the southernmost town in New Zealand and one of the earliest locations of European settlement in the country.

Climate And Geography Of Bluff

Ocean view from rocky beach in Bluff, New Zealand.

Summers are cool, and winters are cold in Bluff, meaning that year-round visitors should be prepared to dress appropriately. Wet, windy, and partly cloudy throughout the year, the temperatures vary from 4 C (39 F) to 17 C (62 F). The hottest month of the year is January, with highs of 17 C (62 F), while July is typically the coldest with lows of 4 C (39 F) and highs of 9 C (48 F).Located some 30 km from the city of Invercargill, the Main South Railway Line also serves the area and was one of New Zealands earliest train routes, built in 1867. Situated at the end of the peninsula that makes up the western side of Awarua Bay and Bluff Harbor, the port is located in the narrow entrance channel. It covers an area of 3.90 square miles, and today 1,797 residents call Bluff their permanent home. The ethnic makeup of Bluffs residents is roughly 78% European descent and 23% Maori, with small groups of Asian and other Pacific island peoples.

The town is dominated by Bluff Hill, a prominent 265 m (870 f) tall landmass that gives the settlement its name; the hill provides shelter from strong westerly winds while enclosing the town in a bubble of cool air. The hill was known by early whalers and fishermen as Old Mans Bluff before being shortened to simply The Bluff.

History Of Bluff

Lighthouse, Bluff, New Zealand, with container ship being piloted out of the harbor.

The first European ship recorded as entering the now harbor of Bluff was the British trade vessel Perseverance in 1813. Within the decade, permanent habitation began, and the first non-Indigenous residents of the area settled in 1823. Though it remained a largely pit stop type of location in the ensuing years, its population grew modestly enough for it to attain the status of a borough in 1878.

Though named Campbelltown in 1856, it was affectionately known by locals as The Bluff in reference to a prominent conical hill nestled beside the town which dominates its landscape. In 1917, the name was officially changed to Bluff.

Attractions In Bluff

Other than the prominent hill, tourists and other visitors can expect to find a charming community and other activities in Bluff. Maritime history is naturally an important component of Bluffs story as a port town, and the Bluff Maritime Museum celebrates it all. It contains a large collection of artifacts, models, boats, displays, and a full-sized replica of a typical oystering boat. Built in 1992, the museum also honors the blending of traditional indigenous Maori cultures with those of the European settlers. Bluff Harbour is the main gateway for ships on their way to Antarctica and is the terminus for the catamaran ferry to Stewart Island.

The famous oysters of Bluff.

Home to the Foveaux Strait oyster fleet, Bluff Harbours oysters are well known for their tasty flavor and juiciness, renowned across New Zealand. An annual Bluff Oyster Festival has attracted global visitors, but its last two installments have been canceled due to the COVID 19 pandemic.

Across the entry for Bluff Harbor is Tiwai Point, the home of New Zealands only aluminum smelter; powered by the Manapouri Power Station 160 km to the southeast, the smelter exports nearly 90% of its aluminum products, mainly to Japan.

Global signpost - world distances measured from the world's southernmost signpost in Stirling Point, Bluff, New Zealand.

But of course, the main tourist spot that any visitor will surely want to see and photograph is Stirling Point. Located on State Highway 1, the so-called towns biggest tourist attraction is a large signpost showing the direction and distance to major cities and locations around the globe.Named for a local Captain Stirling who operated a whaling station in Bluff, the signpost was first erected in 1960. Because Bluff is an administrative part of Invercargill City, the signpost also includes sister cities of Invercargill (Kumigaya, Japan, and Sugian, China). Reportedly the most photographed item in Southland, the Stirling Point signpost has evolved from a humble wooden fixture with six destinations to a modern metal post with more than twelve international locations cemented in place.

Although it is a small seaport town, Bluff has plenty of big world charm and holds an important place in the history of European settlement in New Zealand. From the gaze of Bluff Hill, its world-renowned oysters, and of course a truly unmistakeable directional sign, those who find themselves in Bluff will surely have a story or two to recount.
RSPCA backs petition targeting fairer deal for pet-owners in rented sector

The RSPCA has backed a new petition calling for an end to blanket bans on keeping pets in Wales private rented sector.

Sam Swash, councillor for Mancot ward on Hawarden Community Council, launched the petition in a bid to remove the use of no pet clauses in tenancy agreements across Wales.

It is collecting signatures until late April and has already passed the first threshold required to be considered by the Senedds Petitions Committee.

RSPCA Cymru is now urging others in Wales to follow suit and sign the petition to support those with pets looking for a home in the private rented sector.

This July, the Renting Homes (Wales) Act 2016 comes into force  which is reforming the rented sector in Wales; including through the provision of contracts, how properties are maintained and communication between landlords and tenants.

However, despite the Welsh Government publishing a draft of documentation in recent months related to the new law, there remains no specific references to preventing blanket bans on pets, or encouraging landlords to adopt Model Tenancy Agreements which allow pets in their properties.

While allowing pets is a matter for landlords, the RSPCA wants to see the Welsh Government ensure that, through model agreements, consent for pets becomes the default position, which is routinely promoted to landlords.

The situation in Wales is presently less favourable to pet owners than in England  where a Government led model tenancy agreement, introduced in January 2021, encourages landlords to allow pets as a default, unless exceptional circumstances exist.

Speaking about why he decided to start the petition, Sam Swash said: As a resident of a North Wales village that is next to the English border, it struck me as being totally unfair that being allowed to keep a pet in rented accommodation can be dependent on something as simple as which part of the UK you happen to live in.

It is really disappointing that Wales still allows blanket no pet clauses when the UK Government has already acted to remove them from tenancy agreements in England. Being able to keep a pet should not be a luxury for those lucky enough to own their own house.

Billie-Jade Thomas, RSPCA public affairs adviser  who has experienced the difficulty renters face when it comes to finding properties that accept pets first-hand  said: With Wales commonly  and correctly  recognised as a nation of animal lovers, it is surprising that we still continue to lag behind when it comes to requiring landlords not to place blanket bans on pets in rented accommodation.

I have experienced first-hand how difficult finding a rental property that accepts pets is for myself, with no pets clauses a common sight on adverts.

Companion animals play an important role in improving their owners mental health and wellbeing, while helping to reduce loneliness, which raises questions about whether it is fair to deprive tenants of these benefits because they rent, rather than own, their properties.

With the competition and demand for rental properties particularly high at the moment, action against unjustified no-pets clauses is urgently needed, and it is vital that the Welsh Government gives this issue the attention it deserves while making improvements to the rental industry in Wales.

RSPCA Cymru is joined in its support for the petition by Flintshire based Senedd Member Carolyn Thomas MS.

Carolyn Thomas added: Being a tenant in rented accommodation shouldnt mean that you are excluded from being able to keep a pet. As a pet owner myself, I know just how important pets are to families across Wales.

Unfortunately, the situation here in Wales is currently more restrictive to pet-owning tenants than it is in England and that is not acceptable. I am hopeful that this petition will encourage the Welsh Government to ban the use of no pet clauses in Wales.

Under the Housing (Wales) Act, all landlords in Wales need to be registered. The RSPCA has prepared training documents about the benefits of pet ownership for landlords in facilitating happier, healthier tenants; which  positively  the Welsh Government has distributed to private landlords and agents through Rent Smart Wales; but sadly too many in Wales continue to not allow pets.

Estimates suggest that only seven percent of private landlords advertise pet-friendly properties in the UK; and the number could be even lower in Wales, given the existence of model tenancy agreements elsewhere in the UK.

The petition can be found here: https://petitions.senedd.wales/petitions/244977
CNN's Maija Ehlinger and Mallory Gafas contributed reporting. Mohammed Tawfeeq, Andrew Carey and Mick Krever reported from Lviv. Tim Lister and Clarissa Ward reported from Kyiv. Tara John wrote from London. Simone McCarthy wrote from Hong Kong.
Mayor of Ivano-Frankivsk Ruslan Martsinkiv announced another missile attack on the city airport on Sunday morning.

"This was the third strike at the airport. The enemy wants to completely destroy the infrastructure of the airport. According to preliminary information, no one was hurt," Martsinkiv said on the air of Ukrainian Radio.

According to him, there are again claims to the public warning system. The missile strike followed literally ten minutes after the end of the air raid alert, the mayor said.
Comedian Katt Williams ended his show in Nashville, Tennessee, early Saturday night because of a bomb threat,. Williams is seen in this file photo performing in Sunrise, Florida, on August 20, 2021.
Clarissa Ward reported from Kyiv, Mick Krever reported from Poland, Brian Stelter reported from New York and Lauren Kent wrote in London.
Weather Alert

...The Flood Warning continues for the following rivers and locations in Indiana... White River at Edwardsport and Elliston. 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. Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize the dangers of flooding. Additional information is available at www.weather.gov/ind. This statement will be updated within the next 12 to 24 hours. && ...FLOOD WARNING REMAINS 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 &&
As a result of a night air raid on the Kramatorsk-Lviv evacuation train, one person was killed and one was wounded, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of Donetsk Regional Military Administration, said.

"At about 00:00, as a result of an air raid, the Kramatorsk-Lviv evacuation train was damaged. As a result of this cynical crime, one person died, one was injured," Kyrylenko wrote on his Telegram channel on Sunday.

In turn, Ukrzaliznytsia reports that on the night of March 12-13, a passenger train was hit by debris during shelling near the Brusyn station in Donetsk region. It was heading for an evacuation voyage to Lyman to pick up residents of Luhansk and Donetsk regions, who were in the zone of fierce hostilities.

"As a result of the injuries, one of the train attendants of this train died, the other was injured and taken to the hospital in Sloviansk, where she is now being treated. Ukrzaliznytsia is now making every effort to evacuate the train crew of the damaged train and all passengers, including about 100 children, who were waiting for rescue at the station in Lyman," the report says.
In Sviatohirsk, the Russian aggressor fired on several buildings of the children's regional health center Pearl of Donbas, and also the Sviatohirsk Cave Monastery. One person was hospitalized, two went to the emergency room, and more than 30 were treated on the spot, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration, said.

"The whole essence of the 'Russian world' was also demonstrated by the Russian military in Sviatohirsk: they damaged several buildings of the children's regional health center Pearl of Donbas with their bombs. In addition, they caused damage to two premises of the Sviatohirsk Cave Monastery, where at that time there were a total of about 1,000 people. Among them are more than two hundred children. As a result, one person was hospitalized, two went to the emergency room in Sloviansk on their own; another 30 people who received minor injuries were treated on the spot. The infrastructure around the Lavra has been damaged, personal private property has been damaged," Kyrylenko wrote on his Telegram page on Sunday.
SpaceCast Weekly is a NASA Television broadcast from the Johnson Space Center in Houston featuring stories about NASA's work in human spaceflight.

This includes the International Space Station and its crews and scientific research activities, and the development of Orion and the Space Launch System, the next generation American spacecraft being built to take humans farther into space than they've ever gone before.

Please follow SpaceRef on Twitter and Like us on Facebook.
Russian troops used phosphorus munitions in the city of Popasna, Luhansk region, Head of the Regional Military Administration Serhiy Haidai reports.

"War criminals  Russian troops used phosphorus ammunition in Popasna. Crushing, destructive, ugly force. This is what the Nazis called Brennende Zwiebel [burning dome]. This is what the Rashists are now firing at our cities. Incredible suffering and fires," he wrote on the Telegram channel.

According to the International Committee of the Red Cross, ignited phosphorus burns at temperatures over 800 degrees Celsius, and fires can spread over large areas, up to several hundred square kilometers.

The use of such weapons can cause very severe and painful injury, or lead to a slow, painful death.

The 1977 Additional Protocols to the Geneva Convention prohibit the use of white phosphorus munitions if civilians are endangered by doing so.
Acclaimed documentary filmmaker Brent Renaud was shot and killed by Russian forces Sunday in Ukraine, where the 50-year-old was working on a documentary about the global refugee crisis.

Renaud's vehicle was fatally hit by Russian fire at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv, according to the Associated Press. The outlet reported that Renaud was traveling with American journalist Juan Arredondo when their car was shot by Russian forces; Renaud was reportedly shot in the neck, while Arredondo was hit in the lower back.

"We crossed the first bridge in Irpin, we were going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us," Arredondo said in a video interview relayed to the Press by Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli.

Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn later said that journalists would be denied entry to the city amid Russian attacks, while U.S. State Department spokesperson Ned Price condemned Russia's "indiscriminate" violence against all kinds of people amid Vladimir Putin's ongoing military assault on Ukraine, which has drawn near universal condemnation from nations around the world.

"We are horrified that journalists and filmmakers  noncombatants  have been killed and injured in Ukraine by Kremlin forces," Price wrote. "We extend condolences to all those affected by this horrific violence. This is yet another gruesome example of the Kremlin's indiscriminate actions."

We are horrified that journalists and filmmakersnoncombatantshave been killed and injured in Ukraine by Kremlin forces. We extend condolences to all those affected by this horrific violence. This is yet another gruesome example of the Kremlins indiscriminate actions.  Ned Price (@StateDeptSpox) March 13, 2022

In a statement obtained by EW, producing partners Michael Sugar and Ashley Zalta of Sugar23 also remembered Renaud for his commitment to traveling to dangerous corners of the world to research his subjects.

Story continues

"We are saddened to learn of the loss of award-winning filmmaker and US journalist Brent Renaud. Brent was in the region working on a documentary with Sugar23, TIME Studios, and Day Zero Productions, focused on the global refugee crisis," they said. "Brent dedicated his life to seeking the truth and sharing humanistic portraits and narratives from those experiences in some of the most dangerous hot spots in the world. Our deepest sympathy is extended to all of Brent's loved ones."

Prior to his death, Renaud earned News & Documentary Emmy nominations for his work on HBO's Dope Sick Love (2005), which followed drug-addicted couples struggling to maintain their relationships, and Vice's Last Chance High (2014), which chronicled the staff of Chicago's Moses Montefiore Academy as they attempted to change the lives of at-risk students. He also scored a Directors Guild of America Award nomination for directing the 2005 documentary Off to War, about members of the Arkansas National Guard who shaped up to join the army during the Iraq War.

Check out more from EW's What to Watch podcast, featuring the day's top must-see picks in TV and movies, the biggest entertainment headlines, interviews with your favorite stars, trivia, and more.

Related content:
Photo credit: DANIEL LEAL - Getty Images

The conflict in Ukraine is escalating, and so is anxiety in and out of the country. So for this weeks Friday Sessions, we talked with disaster psychiatrist Craig L. Katz, M.D. His efforts around disaster psychiatry have included organizing the psychiatric response to 9/11 in New York City. He founded and directs Mount Sinais Program in Global Mental Health, is a professor of psychiatry at the Icahn School of Medicine, and spoke to us live, from a quiet spot in the ER at Mount Sinai Hospital.

Its hard to know what the psychological aftermath will be, Dr. Katz told Friday Sessions co-host Drew Ramsey, M.D. We generally divide the psychological aftermath into acute, immediate, and long-term. Acute is days or weeks after the event, but you have to be able to define after.

But from disasters hes provided services for previously, its clear that its important to pay attention to mental health issues right now. If issues continue, he says, you need to see if theyre coalescing into PTSD or major depression or relapses of alcohol use problems.

He identified that other people are often your best defense in shoring up mental wellness in situations like the Ukranian conflict.

Communities that are explicit about mental health being part of disaster and trauma recovery are really going to go a long way; we know from research that communities that are more cohesive do much better mental health-wise, he said. Even if youre sweeping up your streets together. Even in community-wide disasters, people often feel theyre the only ones it happened to. Having people do things together opens up a back-door channel for people to talk about what one another is going through.

Another approach: The military uses something called battle buddies, he said. People pair up to check on each other and how theyre doingyou can check in along a stress continuumare you doing OK; do you have a little bit of distress, a moderate amount, a lot?

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Drs. Katz and Ramsey acknowledged that if youre not involved in the conflict and youre not directly helping someone who is, there can be a sense of helplessness or almost guilt.

You might wonder how you can enjoy your coffee or nature when others are suffering. I often say the only thing worse than everyone running away from a disaster would be if everyone ran toward it, Dr. Katz says. We need the rest of the world to go on. In the case of the war, people are fighting maybe for the kind of world many of us are living in. You have to maintain itthere has to be something theyre fighting for. Which doesnt mean you shouldnt feel sad or anxious. Thats natural in the face of something terrible, he says. Of course, if your stress reactions are negatively affecting your life (your work, sleep, appetite, etc), pay attention to that and dont be afraid to ask for help.

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Former US President Barack Obama Photo by Jeff J Mitchell/Getty Images

Former President Barack Obama revealed on Sunday he tested positive for COVID-19.

In a tweet, he said he "had a scratchy throat for a couple days."

"Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative," Obama added.

Former President Barack Obama announced on Sunday that he has tested positive for COVID-19.

"I just tested positive for COVID. I've had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative," Obama said in a tweet.

"It's a reminder to get vaccinated if you haven't already, even as cases go down."

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the risk for severe illness, hospitalization, or death from COVID-19 is "lower for many people but others remain at high risk." Experts have said a fourth COVID-19 booster shot may be beneficial.

Pfizer CEO Albert Bourla said on Sunday it will be necessary to receive an additional booster shot in the future. "The protection that you are getting from the third, it is good enough, actually quite good for hospitalizations and deaths."

Studies have shown that three vaccines may be enough to protect against coronavirus variants for a long time. According to a New York Times report last month, an expert said they were seeing diminishing returns from additional doses.

Moderna CEO Stephane Bancel has said that the pandemic will be over by 2022, but those most vulnerable to COVID-19 might need a new type of booster in the fall, as Insider's Dr. Catherine Schuster-Bruce previously reported.

At least 965,000 Americans have been killed by the coronavirus, according to the latest data compiled by Johns Hopkins University. Since peaking in January, the number of new COVID-19 cases in the US has plummeted by more than 90%.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

Read the original article on Insider
Minister of Defense of Ukraine Oleksiy Reznikov called for closing the sky over Ukraine in connection with the shelling by the Russian occupation forces at the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security of the Hetman Sahaidachny National Academy of Land Forces in Yavoriv district of Lviv region.

"Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security near Lviv. Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified. This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border. Action must be taken to stop this. Close the sky!" Reznikov wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
A second suspect has been charged with murder after the pair shot a man selling Jordan gym shoes on Facebook Marketplace after arranging to rob him the West Side in August, prosecutors said.

Roger L. Cooper, 21, appeared at a Saturday hearing that was live streamed on YouTube where Cook County Judge Kelly McCarthy ordered him held without bail.

Cooper, of the 3300 block of West Fulton Boulevard, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in the death of 26-year-old Torrence Sumerlin, police said.

Earlier, another suspect, DeShawn London, 20, was taken into custody for the same fatal shooting that happened Aug. 20 in the 2400 block of West Polk Street. London, who was in court earlier this week, was also charged with trying to escape, police said.

In court Saturday, prosecutors said a witness who was asked by London and Cooper to hang out the day of the fatal shooting told investigators she thought they were going to buy weed, but the two were planning a snatch and run robbery of a man who was selling a pair of Jordans online.

The witness drove the two to the Polk Street address where London and Cooper exited a silver BMW and walked to gangway where they waited for the Sumerlin who arrived in a black Dodge Charger.

Both left the gangway wearing ski masks. The witness heard a gunshot, followed by another, before Cooper and London returned to the BMW and sped away, prosecutors said. The Sumerlin dropped the yellow shoes as he collapsed from being shot in the chest.

The BMW, which London was riding in, later crashed.

Sumerlin had recently opened an online store where he sold hard to come by Nike gym shoes, according to a police report. Hed meet customers in person and took a gun with him that day because he did not know the people he was selling to, the report said.

At some point Cooper was questioned by detectives about the fatal shooting, and he lied telling them he was just a lookout, but eventually, several witnesses identified him as one of the robbers, prosecutors said.

Cooper, who is on probation, has a pending case for another Marketplace robbery, and has two armed-robbery convictions, is due back in court Tuesday.

dawilliams@chicagotribune.com




An American photographer and videographer was killed in Ukraine and another journalist was injured covering the war with Russia.

Kyiv Regional Police Chief Andriy Nebytov wrote in a Facebook post on Sunday that video journalist Brent Renaud had been killed in Ukraine.

"A 51-year-old world-renowned media correspondent was shot in Irpen today," Nebytov wrote, according to a Facebook translation of the post. "Another journalist is injured. Now they are trying to remove the victim from the war zone."

Nebytov posted photos of Renaud's passport and a New York Times press badge that had his name and photo, identifying him as a journalist with the newspaper.

The Times clarified in a statement posted to Twitter that Renaud was not on assignment for the newspaper in Ukraine. He was carrying a badge that had been issued for an assignment years ago.

"We're deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud's death. Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years," the newspaper wrote in a statement.

"Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago," the newspaper added.

Asked by co-anchor Dana Bash on CNN's "State Of the Union" about reports that an American journalist was killed in Ukraine, national security adviser Jake Sullivan said he had just been informed of the reports as he came on the air and that he would have to consult with his colleagues, America's allies and partners, and Ukrainians on the ground "to learn more about what happened."

He said if an American journalist was killed, it would be "a shocking and horrifying event."

"It is one more example of the brutality of [Russian President] Vladimir Putin and his forces as they targeted schools and mosques and hospitals and journalists, and it is why we are working so hard to impose severe consequences on him and to try to help the Ukrainians with every form of military assistance we can muster to be able to push back against the onslaught of these Russian forces," he added.

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Nebytov said Renaud's death illustrated Russia's "ingenuity, cruelty and ruthlessness."

"The occupants cynical kill even journalists of the international media who try to show the truth about the inaction of Russian troops in Ukraine," Nebytov wrote in a Facebook post, according to a translation by the platform.

"Of course, the profession of a journalist is a risk, but US citizen Brent Renaud paid his life for trying to highlight the aggressor's ingenuity, cruelty and ruthlessness," he added.

Updated at 4:37 p.m.
(Getty)

Benedict Cumberbatch has showed solidarity with the people of Ukraine while walking the Baftas red carpet on Sunday night.

The actor, who is nominated for Best Leading Actor at the Baftas for his role in The Power of the Dog, wore a small blue and yellow badge to the awards ceremony.

Blue and yellow are the colours of the Ukraine flag.

Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Thursday 24 February. The war is currently entering its third week.

An estimated two million people have fled Ukraine so far, heading to border countries in Europe.

On the red carpet, the actor told the BBC that its horrific what were seeing daily, adding that he is showing solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine.

The actor also told Sky News that he hopes to be part of the governments new humanitarian scheme to host Ukrainian refugees.

The scheme, which was announced last week, will see Britons asked to open their homes to people fleeing Ukraine as part of a sponsored humanitarian route to allow more refugees to travel to the UK.

The route will allow refugees without family links to the UK the opportunity to come to the country and escape the war.

Those who enter the UK through the new route will be allowed to stay for an initial period of 12 months. They will be entitled to work, claim benefits and access public services, it has been reported.

A spokesperson for the government said: The routes we have put in place follow extensive engagement with Ukrainian partners.

This is a rapidly moving and complex picture and as the situation develops we will continue to keep our support under constant review.

You can find out more about the scheme here.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrives for a Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on September 14, 2021. Blinken was questioned about the Biden administration's handling of the U.S. withdraw from Afghanistan.





Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday announced that he had authorized $200 million in defensive assistance for Ukraine following a request from President Biden.

"I have immediately authorized today, pursuant to a delegation by the President, a fourth Presidential Drawdown of up to $200 million for additional military assistance for Ukraine's defense," said in a statement.

"This package will include further defensive assistance to help Ukraine meet the armored, airborne, and other threats it is facing," he continued.

Blinken noted that the additional funds would bring the total amount of U.S. security assistance provided to Ukraine since Jan. 2021 to $1.2 billion, saying in a post on Twitter that the fourth drawdown in less than a year was "unprecedented."

Earlier on Saturday, Biden directed Blinken to provide the defense aid, saying the secretary of state could use the funds for military training and to provide general "assistance to Ukraine and to make the determinations required."

This comes after Congress on Thursday approved a massive government funding package that included $13.6 billion in aid tied to Ukraine.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine, now extending into its third week, has met with condemnation and multiple waves of sanctions targeting Moscow from the U.S. and its allies.

"We are committed to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity and will continue to provide Ukraine the support it needs," Blinken said.

"We will also continue to provide humanitarian assistance to those in need and to back the people of Ukraine in their fight for their country through security and economic assistance," he continued. "The international community is united and determined to hold Putin accountable."
The filmmaking duo Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, otherwise known as Daniels, had been tinkering away at an ambitious screenplay for their new movie when the Marvel opportunity arrived.

There were meetings with Marvel about Loki that we didnt even take, Scheinert said in an interview alongside Kwan at the SXSW Film Festival. We were trying to make our own multiverse movie, Kwan interjected. No, the meeting was set, and we went, but by the time we went we said we probably werent going to do it, he said. We were trying to shoot our own movie at the same time.

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That was Everything Everywhere All at Once, the dazzling and unclassifiable saga that opened the festival on Friday. The directors first feature together since the similar blend of poignance and surreal humor that distinguished their 2016 debut Swiss Army Man, the sophomore feature stars Michelle Yeoh as a woman who learns that she can experience endless dimensions simultaneously, and uses the power to attempt a reconciliation with her estranged teen daughter (Stephanie Hsu). The movie, which opens in theaters on March 25, promises to satisfy an expanding fan base that has followed them for years while bringing their vision to an even wider audience. Were pretty sure this is going to be a life-changing month for us, Scheinert said.

Produced by A24, which signed a first-look TV deal with Daniels after taking on the project, Everything Everywhere All at Once marks the latest example of the singular filmmakers and their ability to mash genres into a silly-sweet one of their own. Needless to say, they do not regret passing on the Marvel show, even when they werent quite sure how Everything Everywhere All at Once would pan out. Instead, the opportunity to direct a bigger budget project with a similar conceit put them on notice to finish tinkering with their epic script.

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Everything Everywhere All at Once - Credit: Allyson Riggs, Courtesy of A24

Allyson Riggs, Courtesy of A24

They were trying to do sci-fi Douglas Adams style, Kwan said of the Loki concept for Disney+. It was kind of scary getting those offers and being like, Dammit, this is what were working on!

The Daniels dreamed up Everything Everywhere All at Once while on the press tour for Swiss Army Man, though during that time, Scheinert also directed his solo feature The Death of Dick Long, and the pair directed some standalone TV episodes. During that lengthy gestation period, every movie that came along with some resemblance to their plot made them nervous. That included another Marvel entry, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, which, like their own plot, weaves in extensive martial arts combat indebted to the classics of the genre. Above all, Everything Everywhere All at Once builds on The Matrix with its unlikely protagonists gradual realization that reality is more complicated and bendable than it seems, but even a new Matrix movie came out before their own homage.

This movie is 100 percent a response to The Matrix, obviously, Kwan said. We wanted to make our version of it. It was wild to be like oh, We took so long that the Wachowskis to beat us to it.

But Daniels watched The Matrix Revolutions last year with their own movie in the bag, and they grinned through a mini-debate about the results. I loved it, Kwan said. I know its a mess, but there was enough in there for me to be really happy. Scheinert shrugged. I think theres one Matrix movie, he said. Its one of the best films ever made.

His resistance to the recent sequel was also informed by their own navigation of the industry. Im not a fan of many series or trilogies, Scheinert said. I love a sit-down experience that starts and finishes well. I dont need more Die Hard. I have Die Hard.

If the pair do end up tackling some preexisting IP, it would be as strange and beguiling a choice as the original movies they make. Kwan said they had dreamed up a list of sequels they might consider, and the only one that really got them excited was a pitch to Paramount on a follow-up to How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.

Wait, really?

I loved that movie growing up, Kwan said. We pitched it to Paramount. They said no. I loved that movie growing up. The idea grew out of a wider impulse. I want to do a rom-com, Kwan said. We tried to replace the idea with other rom-coms but this is the one for us.

He added that the executives who received the pitch at Paramount have since left, and theyre eager to give it another shot. Its all outlined, he said. If someone wants to make this movie, I want to use the original cast and the original motion picture soundtrack. But he tacked on a caveat. It has to be theatrical-only and a directors cut, he said with a grin. Scheinert chimed in. And $200 million! he said.

That much may have been tongue in cheek. But Daniels are keen on discussing that even a work-for-hire has to be funneled through their own unique filter. We have a Terminator sequel, too, Kwan said. Some people were like, What would you do with a Terminator movie? And I was like, I would never  oh, wait a minute He stroked his chin and smiled. Our only real rule is that we dont want to get bored with whatever were doing, because were sure the work will suffer a lot, he said.

The pair tend to speak about the blockbusters that inspired them growing up through a critical lens that comes across in their filmmaking as well. Everything Everywhere All at Once, for example, was a response to other multiverse sci-fi movies that bugged them. My pet peeve is time travel when you introduce it and just do a tiny bit like its no big deal, Scheinert said. It would be such a big deal! Like if logic broke down and time didnt move forward and a million people could go back in time a million number of times thered be absolute chaos.

The 2009 Star Trek reboot irked him because of its own multiverse twist. When the Star Trek universes overlapped and there were two Spocks, I was like, OK, if I were there, I would be so philosophically freaked out about more than that. Id be like, What is time? It just always feels like a missed opportunity.

The bottom line was that Daniels were better off developing concepts from the ground up. Then we can just throw out anything thats not working, Scheinert said. I respect people who are able to play in someone elses sandbox but thats kind of intimidating because if theres a preexisting fanbase for a character, and a lore, a mythology and Im not allowed to throw out something thats not working, that seems hard. They were thrilled to have a new home at A24 to develop TV ideas  even if (like many first-look deals today) their options for producing movies were less certain.

Thats the harder thing, Kwan said. Were developing TV stuff with some friends and were really excited that something will come out of that one day. With movie stuff, were still lost at sea. Our brains were waiting for this movie to come out to really figure out what were doing next. At least now, with A24, they didnt have to consider what to do if another Marvel TV offer popped up. We dont really love meetings, Scheinert said. Just having a home is kind of a comfort.

While it remains to be seen how Everything Everywhere All at Once performs when it opens theatrically later this month, their decision to stay the course on the project seemed to be validated by the ecstatic response at the SXSW premiere, where the post-screening Q&A stretched on for over 30 minutes and audiences ignored Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis, and the other cast members onstage to ask adoring questions of Daniels instead. The conversation reflected the Daniels movies themselves, with an element of absurdity that gave way to sweetness and a surprising amount of depth. Kwan in particular juggled questions of intergenerational trauma and violence against the AAPI community with aplomb.

I am flattered and honored, but I love that the film speaks for itself and Im very hopeful that I can shut up and let that happen, Kwan said in their interview the next day. I dont know if we want to be the ones involved in it, but this movie is going to create a lot of conversations whether or not were a part of it. That stuff is so important to talk about but sometimes I feel ill-equipped.

There was one aspect of the movies impact that Daniels did want to guide along, and it involved the plot point surrounding the sexuality of the teen character, who is gay. While Everything Everywhere All at Once had yet to secure a distributor in China, the pair were adamant that it could only do so with censors allowed her sexuality to remain a part of the story. Its not up to us if the movie is released in China, but all we said was that you cant cut the gay storyline, Scheinert said. Thats all weve said to foreign distribution people.

Their commitment echoes comments made last year by Chloe Zhao, who was similarly insistent that the sexuality of the character Phastos in The Eternals remained intact. The movie never opened in China. If they had to censor other stuff, and we got a gay story out there, wed be so thrilled, Scheinert said. Kwan chimed in: The movie doesnt work without it.

For now, they were still basking the glow of a finished movie that actually played for audiences. Kwan was moved to screen the movie with an audience that included his father, who showed up martial arts movies as a kid. My dad was so happy last night, Kwan said. Just seeing something I made with Michelle Yeoh in it  my dad is a very stoic man, but he was smiling all night, and it was wild.

A24 releases Everything Everywhere All at Once on March 11, 2022.

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Scotlands Ali Price is tackled by Italys Paolo Garbisi (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)

Kyle Steyn paid tribute to Ali Price after the Scotland scrum-half marked his 50th international cap with a brilliant man-of-the-match performance in Romes Stadio Olimpico.

The 28-year-old, who represented the British and Irish Lions last summer, was involved in four of the Scots tries as they defeated Italy 33-22 on Saturday to claim the Cuttitta Cup in their penultimate Guinness Six Nations fixture.

Steyn was delighted to see his Glasgow clubmate excel on such a landmark occasion for him.

Ali Price celebrates with the Cuttitta Cup (Mike Egerton/PA) (PA Wire)

Alis unbelievable, said Steyn. It was great to see, especially on his 50th cap. Hes someone who wears his heart on his sleeve.

We all know how much playing for Scotland means to him. It was great to see him at his best  attacking, running the ball, making line-breaks and creating tries.

Several of Scotlands flair players came to the fore on a day when they scored five eye-catching tries, and wing Steyn believes it bodes well for next weekends campaign-concluding trip to Ireland.

A good team win on the road. #AsOne pic.twitter.com/PB3DgESqmm  Scottish Rugby (@Scotlandteam) March 13, 2022

The strength of our attack was a massive positive, said Steyn. A lot of it came from turnover and our ability to quickly transition, which were really chuffed with.

We just want to take that forward to Dublin, where we know that game management and playing rugby in the right areas of the park is going to be crucial early on.

Well back ourselves to take chances when they arise, but the biggest thing is we need to be ready to go there and front up.

While Scotland generally attacked impressively in Rome, they were undermined by some slack defending which resulted in them conceding three tries, including two in the closing quarter.

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The game in Dublin is going to be massive, and finishing on a high is the top priority for us

Scotland's Kyle Steyn on facing Ireland

Reflecting on the Italy match overall, Steyn said: I think first up, five points away from home in the Six Nations, youre going to take that any day of the week.

We knew especially on defence we werent as consistent as we wanted to be, but I thought that for most of the game we controlled it pretty well and played rugby where we wanted to play it: in their half.

We were disappointed we didnt kick on in that second half and really make it count. We werent happy to finish the match the way we did but everything just turns to next week now and we know that defending like that next week isnt going to be good enough.

The game in Dublin is going to be massive, and finishing on a high is the top priority for us.
Richland Academy Dance Ensemble to perform at Senior High

Richland Academy Dance Ensemble (RADE)

Richland Academy of the Arts will be presenting its 2022 RADE show at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, March 19, at Mansfield Senior High School. RADE (Richland Academy Dance Ensemble) is one of the academys pre-professional dance groups, where members undergo hours of weekly training to enhance their skills, improve technique, and pursue their passion for dance.

In this program, attendees will enjoy a variety of dance styles including Broadway, classical ballet, jazz, contemporary, and tap with original choreography by Marden Ramos, Erin Wolford and Sarah Horrigan.

This year the academy is celebrating Lexington High School senior Elisabeth Madore.

Tickets for this 90-minute, in-person performance are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors, students and veterans. Masks are not required.

For more information, call 419-522-8224 or visit richlandacademy.com.

Galion Intermediate students raising funds for Golden Age Center

Galion City Schools Treasurer Charlene Parkinson, center, works with Wesley Williams, left, and Shanessa Bryant to count recently collected donations during the Galion Intermediate School's fundraiser benefiting the Galion Golden Age Center.

GALION  Students at Galion Intermediate School are participating in their next community service project to benefit the Galion Golden Age Center.

Students have been collecting donations during the months of February and March. Students can donate $.50 to wear jeans or $1 to wear jeans and a hoodie every Friday for the opportunity to dress down during the campaign.

Galion Treasurer Charlene Parkinson will be working with fifth grade students every Friday to count the monies collected for the project. The Intermediate Schools total raised is in addition to the $500 raised by the Galion Primary School for the Golden Age Center.

The final community service project for the Galion Intermediate and Primary Schools will be held during the months of April and May to benefit the Humane Society serving Crawford County.

Area Agency on Aging 2022 scholarship application deadline approaching

ONTARIO  April 1 is the deadline to apply for scholarships from the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc.

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Its 2022 Scholarship Program will provide three scholarship awards this year to individuals for higher education or classes benefitting the field of aging. One $2,000 scholarship will be awarded to a student attending a four-year university. A $1,000 scholarship will go to a student attending a two-year college or technical school. There's also a $1,000 scholarship for a student attending any higher institute of learning or enrolled in an accredited program for certification.

Applicants must be high school graduates of 2021 or earlier or hold a GED and reside or work in one of the following nine counties: Ashland, Crawford, Huron, Knox, Marion, Morrow, Richland, Seneca, or Wyandot.

Find more details about the Scholarship Program and the application on the Ohio District 5 Area Agency on Aging, Inc. website.

For more information, contact Susie Danuloff at the Area Agency on Aging at 567-247-7105 or sdanuloff@aaa5ohio.org.

Butler student awarded two scholarships

Lauren Mellott

WORTHINGTON  Lauren Mellott of Butler is the recipient of a $3,000 undergraduate scholarship from the Ohio Soybean Council Foundation and the first-ever $1,000 scholarship from the Ohio Soybean Association to support students interested in advocating for the future of soybeans.

Mellott is a sophomore at The Ohio State University studying agriscience education.

In its 15th year of programming, the OSCF this year is awarding 13 scholarships to undergraduate and graduate students in Ohio. Since 2008, the OSCF scholarship program has awarded over $400,000 in scholarship funds to students studying agriculture or a related field at Ohio colleges and universities.

FIRST School participates in Creative Educator Academy

The Creative Educator Academy (CEA) is a year-long professional learning experience designed to expose educators to innovative thinking and creativity in educational problem-solving with an emphasis on STEAM (Code + Create) and hybrid learning. Ohio State, along with a partnership with Apple, is providing hardware, scholarships, professional learning, and support as part of its Community Education Initiative.

The academy is meant to support educators, especially those at high-needs school districts, and students at FIRST School are benefiting through their participation. Chris Jones from FIRST School said they have created great new ways for his students to track their learning progress, such as using iPads and special apps to learn songwriting and improve reading literacy and even coding on an iOS program.

Private Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Programs include the Abraxas School east of Shelby and FIRST School, located west of Lucas.

Mansfield native and orthopedic surgeon joins Northeast Ohio clinic

Emily Exten, M.D.

FAIRLAWN  Orthopedic surgeon, Emily Exten, M.D., has joined Crystal Clinic Orthopaedic Centers Medina and Montrose locations. She is accepting new patients.

A Mansfield native, Dr. Exten is a board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon, specializing in foot and ankle conditions, including fractures; plantar fasciitis; deformities of the toes, foot or ankle; tendinitis; arthritis; and sprains. She graduated from Wright State University Boonshoft School of Medicine in Dayton. Dr. Exten completed an orthopaedic surgery residency at Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals and a foot and ankle fellowship at Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University in Milwaukee.

She has practiced medicine since 2007. Since that time, Dr. Exten has volunteered on medical mission trips, where she treated patients in Nicaragua and Belize. She is a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons and the American Foot and Ankle Society.

For more information, call 330-668-4040.

New natural resources officers on the job at Mohican

COLUMBUS  Eighteen new Natural Resources officers, recently commissioned by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, will begin on-the-job training in their newly assigned Ohio State Parks. Among them are Jered Moran of Dalton and Michael Nodo of Massillon, who were assigned to Mohican State Park.

Natural Resources officers are responsible for enforcing laws, education, and emergency response in various state parks, forests, waterways, and other natural areas. The new officers will continue their training by working closely with experienced officers in their assignment areas for the next several months.

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Life briefs: Richland Academy dancers, Galion fundraiser, scholarships
This photo shows peach tree budding at the Greening Nurseries, Monroe, where a good number of relocated Japanese evacuees were employed. The young men pictured here came from the Jerome War Relocation Center in Arkansas and the Poston War Relocation Center in Arizona. Provided by Online Archive of California

As I have been writing the book, "The Greening Nursery Company: Born in 1850 and An American Success Story", Ive learned a lot about tree development and landscape processes.

One of the most interesting processes  tree budding and propagation  was one of the Greening Nursery Companys greatest successes.

The Greening Nursery Company developed the Research Department of the Greening Nursery Company in the 1910's. Greening employee Roy E. Sperry developed the Greening System of Bud Selection.

As profiled in the publication, The Voice of the Orchids, Sperry tells the story of bud selection that began on July 19, 1917 at the Friday Brothers Orchard, located in Coloma, Michigan. The concept of propagating buds from limbs or trees that are known to possess commercially-desirable characteristics (in the case of fruit  color, size, taste, durability, etc.) was not new.

Defined as chimera  the development of plants with two or more genetically different tissues growing separately but adjacent to each other  created opportunities to produce high-quality, disease-resistant fruit, vegetables and flowers. Thus, chimera, in the context of hybridization, became the foundation of the Greening System of Bud Selection with the inclusion of the following characteristics: color, taste (when applicable), preservation and origins (disease resistance, structural integrity, etc.).

Results of the early experiments with bud selection by Sperry and his Greening Research Department team began to bear fruit, so to speak, in the mid-1930's. For example, the Montmorency-Fernwood strain of cherries  developed by cross-pollinating cherry buds from the Fernwood Farm of Amos Tucker (located between South Haven and Fennville, Michigan, first planted in 1921) with buds from the Montmorency cherry trees grown by W.W. Farnsworth of Waterville, Ohio  were then planted at the Skinner Orchard in Fennville, Michigan and the Jonathan Woodman Orchard in Paw Paw, Michigan (in addition to other test orchards located at various farm in Hartford, Michigan).

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Eugene Kodani, from the Poston Relocation Center in Arizona, who was employed at the Greening Nursery Company, Monroe, where he was engaged in budding peach trees. This nursery employed nearly 20 evacuees in this type of work. Provided by Online Archive of California

Results of the test showed the Reber cherry tree ripens its fruit seven days earlier than normal and is equal in production and size of fruit in comparison to other Montmorency cherry strains. Later tests throughout the 1940s indicated the Montmorency-Fernwood cherries were free from what is known as the cherry yellow virus years after propagation.

This enabled the Botany Department of the Michigan State College to cross bud into peach seedlings in an attempt to yield a tree in the same genus as the cherry also free of the yellow protoplasma bacteria. The virus is known as peach yellows when found on peach tree leaves. Other fruits in the genus shared by cherries and peaches are plums and almonds  both wild and domestic varieties.

It was at this time that the Greening Nursery Company provided jobs and housing for the first wave of the War Relocation Authoritys Japanese Evacuation and Resettlement initiatives during World War II.

Work on the peach tree budding allowed Japanese Americans to escape the barracks life that existed at the Jerome War Relocation Center located in southeastern Arkansas along the Arkansas Delta and the Poston War Relocation Center located in southwestern Yuma County Arizona.

In Monroe, the new Greening Nursery Company employees were encouraged to develop skills in peach bud selection and propagation, among other tasks. Budding work required a keen eye and the ability to perform the work both in the field and in other locations on the Greening Nursery property.

Spear later pursued how the Montmorency-Fernwood cherry experiments also included foundation planting exercises  where scion or bud wood orchards were established by planting trees comparatively close together and grown by the Greening Nursery Company to furnish not fruit but propagation buds. These buds would also be developed into virus-free seedlings.

The first evacuees to relocate in Michigan went to work for the Greening Nursery Company in Monroe. Some of them are shown here loading a truck with fruit trees for shipment to an orchard in the western part of the state. There were 17 evacuees in the last group to take jobs at the nursery with several others joining them later, many from the Jerome Relocation Center in Arkansas and Poston Relocation Center in Arizona. Provided by Online Archive of California

Tom Adamich is President  Visiting Librarian Service, a firm he has operated since 1993. He also is Project Archivist for the Greening Nursery Company and Family Archives.

This article originally appeared on The Monroe News: Monroe County history: Relocated Japanese Americans worked in Monroe
Eric Gaillard/AFP via Getty

Monacos Princess Charlene is back home in the tiny city-state after a mysterious medical odyssey that kept her apart from her husband, Prince Albert, and their young children for nearly a year.

The palace issued a statement Saturday confirming the 44-year-old royal had been reunited with her family, while also saying that she is still recovering from the aftereffects of whats been described as an infection.

She still needs peace and calm, the statement said, adding that she was having an encouraging recovery.

The princess health has been the subject of speculation since she reportedly came down with an ear, nose, and throat infection while visiting South Africa, her homeland, 10 months ago.

After being stranded there for six months, she returned briefly to Monaco in the fall, looking emaciatedonly to be sent to a Swiss clinic to be treated for exhaustion, both emotional and physical.

At the time, Albert told People that leaving Monaco was her decision.

She wanted this. She already knew the best thing to do was to go and have a rest and have a real medically framed treatment, he said.

Prince Albert II of Monaco and his children, Princess Gabriella and Prince Jacques, stand with a message for their mother, Princess Charlene, at the balcony of Monaco Palace on Nov. 19, while she was in Switzerland for exhaustion. Valery Hache/AFP via Getty

The palace said Princess Charlene will gradually return to public life as soon as her health is strong enough.

As The Daily Beast has reported, royal life has been a challenge for Princess Charlene, with Monacos elite failing to warm to the former Olympic swimmer after she married Albert a decade ago.

How Struggling Princess Charlene Was Mistreated by Royal Snobs

But Albert has insisted his wifes condition is purely medical.

This has nothing to do with our relationship. I want to make that very clear. These are not problems within our relationship, he told People.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

Get the Daily Beast's biggest scoops and scandals delivered right to your inbox. Sign up now.

Stay informed and gain unlimited access to the Daily Beast's unmatched reporting. Subscribe now.




Thousands of citizens rallied across the European continent on Sunday in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Protesters in Germany marched from Berlin's Alexanderplatz square to a site near the Brandenburg Gate, many carrying blue and yellow Ukrainian flags and banners that read "Stop the War" and "Peace and Solidarity for the people in Ukraine," The Associated Press reported.

Anti-war protests were also held in numerous European cities such as Warsaw, London, Frankfurt, Milan, and Naples.

Some demonstrators at the protests said they were Russian and felt ashamed about their native country's war on its neighbor, according to the AP.

"We're against this war so we wanted to show our solidarity," Aleksandra Belozerova, a Russian studying in Germany, told the wire. "It's the least we can do in this situation."

In Russia, protests against the war have seen a massive police response. Local rights group OVD-Info reported more than 668 people being detained by authorities in 36 Russian cities.

Footage from Russian media shows a heavy police presence at some locations including Manezhnaya Square, as officers were seen carrying away protesters from the demonstrations, the AP reported.

Russia has ramped up its strikes on civilian targets in Ukraine as the war moves into its third week, including the bombing of a children's hospital and maternity ward that reportedly killed three and injured at least 17.

Questions over a possible chemical weapons attack by Russia emerged this week after Moscow accused the U.S. of housing biological weapons in Ukrainian territory - a statement the White House rejected.

The U.S. has warned that Russia may be making such claims to lay false pretexts for a potential attack by Moscow.

Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said on Sunday that the U.S. has not "seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical or biological attack right now," but emphasized the department is "watching this very, very closely."
The blockade of Mariupol by Russian invaders is the number one problem for the military-political leadership of Ukraine, Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Meri Akopyan has said.

"The all-round defense of the city of Mariupol continues. The military-political leadership of Ukraine regards the blockade of Mariupol as problem number one. It is obvious that the city is of strategic importance for the enemy in order to provide a land corridor to the occupied Crimea from the occupied territory of the south of Donetsk region, which is controlled by the Russian Federation," Akopyan is quoted by the press service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs on Sunday.

The deputy minister of internal affairs said that during the 12 days of the blockade of the city and the merciless shelling of residential areas, 1,582 civilians of Mariupol have been killed by the Russian occupation forces.

"This is revenge for the invincibility of the residents, who have been showing their pro-Ukrainian position since 2014. But this is not what the military does, but terrorists who take innocent civilians hostage," Akopyan said.
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will host leaders from countries along Russia's northwestern flank next week to discuss ways they can respond to President Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine, including finding new ways to isolate Russia's economy.

The leaders from countries in the Joint Expeditionary Force, a British-led grouping made up of Denmark, Estonia, Finland and Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, and Sweden will meet for talks in London on Tuesday.

The leaders are expected to agree to more military exercises in the North Atlantic and Baltic Sea and will discuss the war in Ukraine and energy security, Johnson's office said.

"European security has been shaken by the attack of Russia on Ukraine, and alongside our partners, we will take action to ensure we emerge stronger and more united than before," Johnson said in a statement.

"Ensuring we are resilient to Putin's threats needs to go beyond our military footing - together alongside our North and Baltic Sea partners we must ensure we are insulated from Russia's interference and impact on our energy supplies, economy and values."

Britain has imposed sanctions on hundreds of Russian individuals and entities, promised to phase out Russian oil imports and banned Russian companies from raising debt and equity in its financial centre.

(Reporting by Andrew MacAskill; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
Photo Illustration by The Daily Beast/Alamy

As a maskless Joe Biden entered the House Chamber for his State of the Union address, shaking everyones hand, for a moment, it looked like the world had returned to its normal somewhat dependable self. But then my daughter, currently in law school, called at the end of Bidens speech to ask me if I was following the spread of the new COVID-19 variant BA.2, also known as stealth Omicron. She wanted to know if I thought it would spread in the United States and cause another wave of the pandemic. She then asked me if we should buy iodine pills to protect us against Vladimir Putins potential use of nuclear weapons after Russias invasion of Ukraine. My daughter ended the conversation with, "OK, I am going to watch an episode of the Gilmore Girls to make myself feel better."

I was not surprised how my daughter ended our conversation. A few months earlier, when she was home for the holidays during the Omicron wave, she watched Gilmore Girls episode after episode on Netflix. She had watched the show so many times I wondered how it still held her interest. When I asked my daughter why she kept watching Gilmore Girls reruns, she answered, I find it soothing, Mom. I like the characters. They are dependable. I know what will happen next, and that comforts me. I then turned to my younger daughter, and she said the exact same thing.

I mentioned this to my friend, a senior lawyer at a Wall Street firm, and she says that she does the same thing, but she watches SVU reruns. She tells me there is always something bad happening at the beginning of the episode, and usually, by the end of the episode, the characters resolve it. They close the loop, and there is certainty. It makes her feel good. She also finds the characters predictable and dependable. I asked another friend, an artist, who was watching reruns of Property Brothers for a similar fix, and my client, who runs her own business, likes reruns of The Bachelorette. It makes her feel like she can find love in the future and finds knowing how everyone will act hopeful and comforting.

I remember watching a lot of reruns when I was young, but I found them irritating, and no help for what ailed me. I had my own addiction to certainty and a different way to soothe it. I was always worried about my grades, a boy liking me, or a summer job. So, I would write stories about what would happen next in my life to make me feel certain. However, when none of the plots played out in real life. I was left surprised and devastated and unable to handle the twists and turns of life.

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The only problem is that these approaches to uncertaintywhether we try to write our own plotlines or turn to existing, familiar onesprovide us with only temporary relief and escape. Starting in my thirties, this realization that I couldn't escape uncertainty played a huge role in my life. I got to a point that I realized certainty was unattainable because anything can change and be taken away. I thought my life would be secure when I became a lawyer and got that big job at a law firm, only to find out that they were firing half the first years because of the economy. My job was saved but I never again felt safe. The marriage I entered into for a lifelong commitment blew up when my husband came home one day and said he wanted to be with other women. All the things I thought were safe and secure were nothing more than choices that led to experiences with just as much uncertainty as anything else in my life.

Enter the pandemic. Sure, we had heard about events like this in history, but most of us felt very certain something like this would never happen. I sometimes think of the Saturday Night Live sketch from last year (which I saw only once!) when a group of people go to a psychic in 2019. She predicts one of their boyfriends would be washing off the outside of a Doritos bag before they open itand how certain they were that this was the most unlikely thing ever to happen.

As I write this now, if not for my pursuit of comfort in the unknown, I don't know how I would have managed my husband leaving or dealing with a global pandemic. Sure, I had unbearable heartbreak, disappointment, and lost moments, but I was able to hold a loose grip on hope knowing that uncertainty was my best ally because if I wanted my life to change, it had to happen in the unknown. Hope is a funny thing. You don't need that much hope for it to feed you and sustain you during challenging times.

Many of us don't realize that our despair often sinks us much more than the events that happen to us. Despair is merely another form of certainty, making us believe that the past and this moment guarantee a certain future. A loose grip on hope does the opposite. You see things for what they are, but you still get to believe in the potential of the unknown, the miracles, and the good things that you can never predict. Yogi Berra once said, The future aint what it used to be. At first glance, the quote makes you laugh. At second glance, we realize many of us actually feel this way and it is our potential path to live in despair.

So, when did uncertainty become my ally? I wish I could say I had this moment and never questioned life again, but that wouldn't be true. However, I had a decisive, Aha moment that changed my life. I've written about this moment many times in my books, and I have gone over and over it on my podcast, but it bears repeating. Its the ultimate rerun, a Taoist story about a farmer.

One day, so the story goes, a farmer's horse ran away. His neighbor came by and said, You have the worst luck. The farmer replied to the neighbor, Maybe. The next day, the horse returned with five mares, and his neighbor came by and said, You have the best luck. The farmer replied, Maybe. The day after that, the farmer's son was riding the horse and fell off and broke his leg, and the neighbor came by and said to the farmer, You have the worst luck. The farmer replied, Maybe. The next day, the army came looking to draft the boy for combat, but he could not go because his leg was broken. The neighbor came by and said, You have the best luck. Again, the farmer said, Maybe.

When I first heard this story, I remember feeling a deep shift within, but it took me a while to embrace this as my life philosophy. As the years went by, it has been my lifesaver and perspective for holding onto hope without attaching to an outcome being one way or another. Just like the farmer whose horse runs away, we lose jobs, people break our hearts, and businesses go under, but the next moment always has the potential for something new. It might not be as big as the farmers son being spared from war, but often life changes ever so slightly each day. Eventually, a new path is created for us, and sometimes it truly is better than we can imagine. Other times it is just enough to squeeze some new experiences out of the moment or create a life still worth living.

In my opinion, the best we can do is embrace the Maybe. Sure, things might not work out to our liking. You can refer to it as the "maybe not," but that is just one piece of uncertainty. The unknown also offers another side of maybe. Maybe what is happening is good. Maybe we can accept what is happening and still be OK, or maybe things can get better. This way of thinking gives us the sliver of hope that propels us to get out of bed in the morning. Enough hope to create new business even when the economy is uncertain, begin new relationships even when we are heartbroken, and send our kids back to school with masks (or no masks!) when COVID-19 is still in our communities.

For me, life is not any more uncertain now than it has ever been. I find these days more challenging at times but in no way more uncertain. Many of us are unaware that the uncertainty we run away from rules our lives whether we like it or not. The job we take, the person we marry, or the business we start are all measured in some way with our relationship with the unknown. How much risk can we tolerate? How many things are we "willing not to know" in our relationship? How close to becoming broke are you willing to go to make your dreams come true? It has always been a game of surrender and letting go, but because most days look the same, we don't always notice the constant change of life. We fail to see all the things that must come together every day to make it look the same and all the subtle shifts that create change even when we can't see it in the moment.

But now, this has all become so much more obvious. Questions like, Is it really safe to follow the new CDC guidelines on masks? Will my employer now ask me to come to the office full-time? Can I take this vacation to Europe or Asia this summer or will there be another variant? Will this pandemic ever end and life get completely back to normal? Will climate change affect the community I live in? Is it possible that Russias invasion of Ukraine will be the start of World War III? And the list goes on. We are all at a crossroads. Either we develop a new relationship with the unknown, in a way to partner with it, or we live with an incredible amount of stress and worry while trying to control things that are obviously out of our grasp.

If we can just remember life is filled with potential because the unknown exists, we can live differently. If you can shift to this perspectivethat life is always offering you something newyou will be more likely to live in wonder, creativity, and innovation. You will live with less stress and worry because most pressures are future projections and not based on the present. When we recognize the other side of Maybe, each moment offers us more than our greatest fear. And even if our fears still exist, embracing all of Maybe gives us the view where so much more is possible.

I am positive that this idea of Maybe will give you more resilience and hope than watching reruns. You will have to try it and let me know if it can stand up against reruns of the Gilmore Girls or reruns of a really good season of the Bachelorette. Just maybe it can!

Allison Carmen is a business consultant, business and life coach, podcast host, and author. After fifteen years of working as an attorney overwhelmed with anxiety about the future, Allison Carmen found hope and freedom when she discovered the Philosophy of Maybe which later became her popular book The Gift of Maybe. Today, Allison works as a life coach and business consultant with a vast array of people, from entrepreneurs and owners of multi-million-dollar companies to artists, actors, writers, fashion designers, attorneys, medical workers, nannies, and parents. Allisons book, The Gift of Maybe, was published by Perigee, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Her newest book is A Year without Men: A Twelve-Point Guide to Inspire + Empower Women (Skyhorse, 2021). Allison is also a popular blogger for The Huffington Post, Psychology Today, and AARPs The Ethel. For more information visit www.allisoncarmen.com and subscribe to her podcast 10 Minutes to Less Suffering.

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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.

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.

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.

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?

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.
BRUSSELS  Since Russias invasion, more than 2 million people have fled Ukraine. An additional 4 million might not be far behind in whats shaping up as Europes largest refugee crisis since World War II.

But is Europe ready for it?

The European Union and member states have shown a massive outpouring of support. Countries bordering Ukraine, including Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania, have rapidly erected reception centers, where tired and bedraggled arrivals are being warmly greeted with offers of food, clothing and shelter. Poland is also offering free use of mobile networks and public transportation for Ukrainians to join family and friends there or in other parts of Europe. Countries farther afield have similarly pledged support. The Belgian government, for example, is running a campaign to identify vacant public housing and find people willing to host Ukrainians.

The policy response has also been uncommonly fast and generous. Speaking in a unanimous voice that was unexpected  given the fractures of recent years among member states over refugees and migration  the European Council last Thursday in a first-ever move triggered the Temporary Protection Directive. (It wasnt activated during the 2015-16 refugee crisis, which included people escaping Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.) This measure offers protection for one year to those fleeing Ukraine. The protection status may be extended up to three years. This blanket designation means that countries wont have to assess asylum claims for each person.

Though this is a milestone for EU policy and spares national asylum systems from huge burdens, the action represents just the first lap. Policymakers in Brussels and other European capitals are understandably focused on the immediate provision of food, shelter and now legal status, but they need to also consider bigger near-term realities: Finding housing and providing access to jobs, education and health care for new arrivals.

The tasks are enormous, but if politicians activate the right levers, they can lessen some of the challenges and avoid the public perception that they are poorly managing or losing control of the situation  a widespread concern among governments on both sides of the Atlantic.

Heres what EU countries should do:

Establish a fast and smooth registration process, including identity and security checks. Refugees will be required to register with authorities in an EU country to access this newly available temporary protection status and related rights. Because the goal is to quickly provide protection, having Ukrainians queue up with other asylum-seekers would thwart that ambition. Instead, there should be specific registration offices set up for those fleeing Ukraine. A key lesson from Europes 2015-16 crisis should be taken: These registration offices must be robustly staffed and the delivery of documents automated. Without a well-functioning registration system, Ukrainians will not be able to access the status and services essential to their integration. EU institutions, such as the border management agency Frontex and the EU Agency for Asylum, can also be major resources for countries that become overwhelmed.

Deliver on the right to employment enshrined in the Temporary Protection Directive. New arrivals will need support to navigate the written and unwritten rules of the local labor market. Ukrainians were already an important source of labor within the EU before the Russian invasion. Countries like Poland and Germany, which face persistent labor shortages, have actively sought to attract Ukrainian workers in recent years. Other member states confronted with similar shortages may learn from their example. The EU could seize the opportunity to coordinate country efforts in the area of credential recognition, using the digital tools that Germany and others developed in 2015 to efficiently recognize and certify the skills of Syrian arrivals.

Work with the large Ukrainian diaspora already in Europe. Before the invasion, there were some 2 million Ukrainians in Poland. Large Ukrainian communities also exist in Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, Spain and Portugal. If mobilized effectively, these diaspora communities can be valuable in helping new arrivals integrate. Support from diaspora members and community groups to navigate employment, enroll children into schools and find longer-term accommodation can speed up integration. But such support cannot fall to the diaspora community alone.

Successful integration is essential, not just for the well-being of displaced people shell-shocked by the devastation to their lives and country but for Europe itself. The early open-arms welcome could turn cold if Europeans perceive the costs to their communities as too high, such as in strained public services and overcrowded schools.

Indeed, the conditions were set long before this crisis for potential acrimony, given the hard stance Poland, Hungary, Greece and other member states have taken in recent years  and even in recent months  against asylum-seekers from Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and other parts of the world. Echoes of this can be seen in the racialized response unfolding now as Africans and Asians living in Ukraine and attempting to flee are being treated far less favorably than white Ukrainians.

The devastation in Ukraine has been staggering, and the response to the huge displacement of people has been remarkably swift. Yet this moment calls for European policymakers, governments, humanitarian groups and others to keep a disciplined eye on mid- and longer-term integration even as theyre racing to provide immediate food, medical attention and shelter. Much rides on their success.
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The Security Service of Ukraine has published an interception of the occupier's conversation, in which he is concerned that he will not receive $2,000 for the murders of Ukrainians and speaks of the Russian military's intention to desert because of the impossibility of receiving the promised money.

From the audio intercept, published by the SBU on its Telegram channel on Sunday, it follows that the Russian military does not receive the promised funds and is therefore ready to desert. "It's scary that they're flaking on us not paying money," a Russian military man said.

"This phrase contains all the cynicism of the Russian invaders. They don't care that they kill Ukrainian children, entire families and bomb maternity hospitals. It doesn't matter that tens of thousands of their own soldiers die. The Russian occupier is only worried about one thing: for the murder of Ukrainians, he does not receive his $2,000," the SBU said under the audio recording made public.

The SBU said: "So Putin's "big army" is gradually turning into an army of deserters. Some soldiers run away without even waiting for the promised monthly salary, because they understand: life is more expensive."

"And which of the occupiers is still more important than money, we have good news: the Ukrainians will provide them with a free shipment home... in body bags," the Ukrainian intelligence service said in the statement.
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Top officials of automobile companies have promised Union Minister Nitin Gadkari on March 12, to start manufacturing vehicles of flex-fuel variants within six months.

Addressing 'ET Global Business Summit' virtually, Gadkari further said the government is working on a plan to shift public transport to 100 percent clean energy sources.

"This week, I had a meeting with managing directors of all big automobile companies and SIAM representatives. And they promised me that they will start manufacturing flex-fuel engines for vehicles that can run on more than one fuel," he said.

Read also: This modified Royal Enfield Meteor 350 imagined as a futuristic bobber, check pics

Flex-fuel, or flexible fuel, is an alternative fuel with a combination of gasoline and methanol or ethanol. The road transport and highways minister said companies like TVS Motor and Bajaj Auto have already started producing flex-fuel engines for their two and three-wheelers.

He said now farmers are making bioethanol from rice, corn and sugarcane juice. According to Gadkari, soon most vehicles in India will run on 100 percent ethanol. Last year in December, the government had issued an advisory to carmakers to introduce flexible-fuel engines in vehicles.

Gadkari also said the government is working to encourage the use of green hydrogen and other alternative fuels. "But at the same time you understand, presently we are using maximum petrol and diesel, and the international scenario is not good.

"We are facing crucial problems because there is a war between Russia and Ukraine and I feel that it is really a big challenge," he said.

So the only option, Gadkari noted, is alternative fuels like bio-ethanol and LNG, which are import substitutes, cost effective, and pollution-free. The minister pointed out that presently India imports crude oil worth Rs 8 lakh crore and it can go up to Rs 25 lakh crore in the next five years.

(With inputs from PTI)

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The Airports Authority of India (AAI) is all set to start its operations soon at the newly built Deoghar domestic airport. Deoghar, a holy city famous for Baba Baidyanath Dham, one of the twelve jyotirlingas, is ready to be connected with air transport as AAI has completed the construction of the airport.

The operations will begin soon after formalities of technical NOC and trials are completed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), said an official.

The airport will be the second airport in the state after Ranchi. Spread in a vast area of 650 acres, the design of the terminal building is inspired by the structure of Baba Baidyanath Temple. Paintings of tribal art, handicrafts, and local tourist sites are showcased on the terminal building.

Also read: Alliance Air plane overshoots runway at Jabalpur airport, DGCA to probe

The terminal with beautiful architecture is equipped with modern facilities including 24-hour medical assistance for passengers. With six check-in counters, the airport has a peak hour handling capacity of 200 passengers.

Sandeep Kumar Dhingra, Airport Director of Deoghar Airport said, "Deoghar Airport is a domestic airport where Airbus A-320 & A-321 can land on a runway, which is 2,500 meters. Its width is 45 meters. It has four parking bases for A-320 & A-321. We have six check-in counters, a departure conveyor, and two arrival conveyor belts.

X-rays, security equipment, and CCTVs have also been installed inside the terminal". To protect the environment the airport has installed solar energy and water harvesting systems. With its strategic location, the airport will provide air connectivity to people from Dumka, Gonda, Banka, and the neighboring state of Bihar.

The local traders and visitors have expressed their happiness as earlier they would travel for days to reach Deoghar by train. Jitesh Rajpal, a visitor and an official of the Indian Red Cross Society in Deoghar said, "Earlier, Doctors who were not able to come to Deoghar, will now come to this place after the functioning of the airport.

It will surely boost the health and economy of the place and even the tourism because of the Baidyanath Temple on the international platform. The airport will also boost employment." Kaushal, a resident in Deoghar said, "Due to Covid-19, we had gone through a lot of troubles from the economic point of view, but Deoghar Airport will surely deliver a boom to retail markets of this place because the products of this place will now reach the international market in the future".

With the construction of the new airport in Deoghar, regional connectivity is set to receive a major boost. It will enhance tourism and open new trade opportunities in the region dominated by the tribal people.

(With inputs from ANI)

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New Delhi: The government has time till May 12 to launch the initial public offering (IPO) of LIC without filing fresh papers with market regulator Sebi, an official said. The government's sale of about 31.6 crore shares or 5 per cent stake in Life Insurance Corporation (LIC), which was estimated to fetch around Rs 60,000 crore to the exchequer, was originally planned to be launched in March, but the Russia-Ukraine crisis has derailed the plans as stock markets are highly volatile.

On February 13, the government filed the draft red herring prospectus (DRHP) for the IPO with Sebi, which granted its approval for the same last week.

"We have a window till May 12 to launch the IPO based on the papers filed with Sebi. We are watching the volatility and will file the RHP giving the price band soon," an official said.

The DRHP filed with Sebi had details of the financial results of LIC and also the embedded value till September 2021.

If the government misses the May 12 window available with it, LIC would have to file fresh papers with Sebi giving the results of December quarter and also update the embedded value.

LIC's embedded value, which is a measure of the consolidated shareholders value in an insurance company, was pegged at about Rs 5.4 lakh crore as of September 30, 2021, by international actuarial firm Milliman Advisors. Although the DRHP does not disclose the market valuation of LIC, as per industry standards it would about 3 times the embedded value.

The official further said that although the market volatility has reduced in the last fortnight , it would wait for the market to stabilise further so that retail investors get confidence to invest in the stock. LIC has reserved up to 35 per cent of its total IPO size for retail investors.

"The portion reserved for retail investors require about Rs 20,000 crore to come in from retail buyers. Based on our market assessment, currently the retail demand is not as much to bid for the entire quota of shares," the official said.

The government was expecting to garner over Rs 60,000 crore by selling about 31.6 crore or 5 per cent stake in the life insurance firm to meet the curtailed disinvestment target of Rs 78,000 crore in the current fiscal year. In case the share sale does not happen by March, the government will miss the revised disinvestment target by a wide margin.

At 5 per cent stake dilution, the LIC IPO would be biggest ever in the history of Indian stock market and once listed LIC's market valuation would be comparable to top companies like RIL and TCS.

So far, the amount mobilised from IPO of Paytm in 2021 was the largest ever at Rs 18,300 crore, followed by Coal India (2010) at nearly Rs 15,500 crore and Reliance Power (2008) at Rs 11,700 crore.

The government, however, did not disclose in the DRHP the discount which will be given to policyholders or LIC employees in the public offering. Also Read: Piyush Goyal asks industry to explore ways to raise manufacturing contribution to 25% of GDP

As per norms, up to 5 per cent of issue size can be reserved for employees and up to 10 per cent for policyholders. During the current financial year, so far Rs 12,423.67 crore has been obtained through OFS, employee OFS, strategic disinvestment and buyback. Also Read: Jharkhand government tables over Rs 1 lakh crore budget for FY23

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New Delhi: Union Minister for Commerce and Industry Piyush Goyal on Sunday called for startups to help India become self-reliant in Energy and Defence sectors while citing an example of the COVID-19 pandemic which was converted into an opportunity.

"Every crisis can be converted into an opportunity like that of COVID. It is a big crisis and the `biggest of the century` crisis was converted into an opportunity, wherein many of our boys and girls came up with innovative solutions to the problems," said Goyal at an industry event in Bengaluru.

He also said that the present situation fits in the "Make in India" programme launched eight years ago. "The outcome of COVID-19, everything collectively is helping India`s growth trajectory," the minister said.

During the event, Goyal also listed several illustrations where the Startups could provide solutions to resolve problems and assured the startups that the government was listening to their needs and its doors are open round the clock. Also Read: Here's how to link Aadhaar card with PAN card

While referring to the traffic problem in Bengaluru, the Union Minister asked startups to find solutions to ease the traffic. Also Read: Amazon Fab Phones Fest: Redmi, OnePlus, Realme phones selling at discounted prices

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New Delhi: After sweeping Punjab Assembly elections, AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal and state CM designate Bhagwant Mann held a victory roadshow in Amritsar on Sunday (March 13) to thank voters.

Speaking at the roadshow, Kejriwal said, "Every single penny of govt coffers will be spent on people of Punjab, we will honour all pre-poll promises."

The Delhi Chief Minister said that he is happy that after years, Punjab has got an "honest chief minister".

Earlier today, Kejriwal along with Mann paid obeisance at the Golden temple. The Delhi CM, along with his Deputy Manish Sisodia, was received by Mann at the airport. Senior leader Raghav Chadha was also present.

#WATCH Aam Aadmi Party national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Punjab CM designate Bhagwant Mann hold victory roadshow in Amritsar pic.twitter.com/KqiseFyZHR  ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2022

Kejriwal and Mann also visited the Durgiana Mandir, the Sri Ram Tirath Mandir and Jallianwala Bagh memorial in Amritsar. "We will take the blessings of Guru Sahib to fulfil the promises we made to the people of Punjab. Our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is coming to Amritsar (for roadshow) today to thank the people," Mann had said earlier today.

Bhagwant Mann's oath-taking ceremony will take place on Wednesday (March 16) at Khatkar Kalan, the ancestral village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh, in Nawanshahr district. Only Mann will take the oath on Wednesday, while the rest of his cabinet, which may comprise 17 members, will be held later, a source told IANS.

AAP scripted a landslide victory in the border state by upending Congress from power. Arvind Kejriwal-led party bagged 92 seats in the 117-member Punjab Assembly. AAP candidates defeated Congress and the SAD-BSP combine and its bigwigs, including Charanjit Singh Channi, SAD patriarch Parkash Singh Badal and former chief minister Amarinder Singh.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: As the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has already announced Class 10 term 1 results on Friday, the CBSE Class 12 students should note that their term 1 results are expected to be released soon.

CBSE official Rama Sharma, when asked about the CBSE 12th term 1 result date, said, "will inform." Earlier, CBSE had said that both class 12 results will be announced this week.

The board released Class 10 term 1 results on Friday (March 11, 2022). The board has communicated to the schools the performance of class 10 students in the theory paper of the exam. The scores of the practical papers are already with the school.

The students must note that CBSE is unlikely to release these results on their official website.

"Being Term - I only, no mark sheet cum passing certificate is being issued now. Only one mark sheet cum passing certificate will be issued after the Term-Il examination to have parity with the previous results," the statement further reads  ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2022

As per a circular issued by CBSE, no marksheet cum passing certificate will be issued for term-1 exams. The board will only release a combined marksheet of both terms after the declaration of term 2 results, the notice informed.

CBSE Class 12 term 1 result 2022: Passing marks

Students should score a minimum of 33 per cent marks in each subject and aggregate in order to clear the exam. Since the total number of theory marks in term 1 is 40, the passing mark will be 13.

Meanwhile, CBSE will hold the Term-II examinations for Classes 10 and 12 from April 26, 2022.

Term-II examinations for classes 10 and 12 to be held from April 26, 2022. This time exam timings will be 10:30 am and won't be conducted in two shifts. Further details available on the official website, said CBSE.

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New Delhi: Even as Congress undergoes another poll debacle in five states, the grand old party on Sunday (March 13) restored faith in the leadership of the Gandhi family. Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala said every Congress worker wants Rahul Gandhi to lead the party, however, the next president will be decided through the process of the organisational polls which is underway, PTI reported.

In a nearly five-hour-long meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) today, the party put its weight behind Sonia Gandhi to continue to lead the party after the major political embarrassment in five states that went to polls. As per ANI sources, the interim president in her speech said that if the party feels all three (herself, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra) are ready to resign. The CWC unanimously rejected Gandhis proposal.

Sonia Gandhi said she is ready to make "any and every sacrifice" as per the wishes of the Congress workers and the CWC, sources told PTI.

Addressing a press conference after the CWC meeting, AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said that Sonia Gandhi will immediately adopt corrective measures to revamp and re-strengthen the organisation.

"Every single member of the CWC wants Sonia Gandhi to guide the party till organisational elections are held," Surjewala said.

The Congress has also decided to hold a 'Chintan Shivir (brainstorming session)' after the Budget Session of Parliament, and the CWC will reconvene before that, Venugopal said. The Budget session is scheduled to end on April 8. Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot suggested that the 'Chintan Shivir be held in his state.

Gehlot has also batted for Rahul Gandhi to take charge of the party once again.

Former party chief Rahul Gandhi, general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, party's leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and P Chidambaram were among the senior leaders who attended the CWC meeting in Delhi that began at 4.

While from the Group of 23 leaders, who have called for organisational overhaul, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Anand Sharma and Mukul Wasnik were the only three present in the CWC meeting.

Former prime minister Manmohan Singh and senior party leader A K Antony were not present due to health reasons.

(With agency inputs)

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The enemy decided on the direction of the main efforts and focused on attacking our forces in the JFO area, Oleksiy Arestovych, adviser to the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, said at a briefing in Kyiv on Sunday.

"We are containing it, strike back hard. Significant manpower and equipment of the enemy was destroyed in Kherson region," he said.

According to Arestovych, "Mariupol, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kyiv region are holding on." "In the north and in Kharkiv region, the enemy has been stopped, it is taking measures to regroup, pull up forces and is not conducting active hostilities," he said.
Pulwama: The Jammu and Kashmir Police on Sunday (March 13) arrested four active associates affiliated with the Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM) outfit in the Pulwama district of south Kashmir.

During the investigation of a case FIR number 50 and 51 of 2022 of P/S Pulwama, it was established that 4 youth were actively associated with the JeM outfit providing logistic, transportation and other facilities for commission of militant acts, a police statement said.

The accused have been identified as Imtiyaz Ahmad Rather, a resident of Chewa Kallan, Naseer Ahmad Malik (Madrasa Administrator), a resident of Wasoora, Rayees Ahmad, a resident of Khanpora Newa and Yawar Rashid Ganai of Gudoora Pulwama.

It is pertinent to mention that on 12-03-2022 two militants of banned outfit JeM were killed in an operation at Chewa Kallan and one militant was apprehend alive, the police further said.

Investigation is underway, the J&K police added.

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New Delhi: Veteran Congress leader Mukul Wasnik was the suggested name by the G-23 leaders for the post of Congress Party President, reported ANI quoting inside sources.

The reports come ahead of the high-level meeting of the Congress Working Committee at 4 pm on Sunday to discuss the partys poor performance in the assembly elections 2022 in all five states amid reports of likely changes in top leadership.

Currently, Sonia Gandhi is the interim president of the Congress.

According to ANI sources, the G-23 leaders, a name was given to the dissident group within the party, which includes veterans like Kapil Sibal, Ghulam Nabi Azad and Anand Sharma, had suggested Mukul Wasnik for the post of president of the party.

However, the reports suggest that Wasniks name was not accepted by the Congress Working Committee.

The source, who is a part of G23, also said that the new party president should lead the party in the manner as was done by Sonia Gandhi in early 2000.

The source added, "Though Sonia Gandhi is the (interim) president, it is virtually (being) run by KC Venugopal, Ajay Maken and Randeep Surjewala. There is no accountability fixed on them."

"Rahul Gandhi is not the president. But he operates from behind the scene and takes decisions. He does not communicate openly. We are party's well-wishers and not enemies," added the source.

Rahul Gandhi had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in general elections in 2019.

Later, Sonia Gandhi who took over the reins of the party again as interim president had also offered to quit in August 2020 after an open revolt by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.

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New Delhi: The Hijab controversy that erupted in Karnataka and made national headlines has now reached Uttar Pradeshs Aligarh where an educational institute banned the entry of hijab-clad students.

The Shree Varshney College, on Saturday, issued a notice `banning` entry of students in the campus without "prescribed uniforms" and refused entry to Muslim girls who were wearing hijab, sending students into a frenzy.

The Shree Varshney Colleges notice directed students not to cover their faces while attending class.

Several students returned home after they were denied entry adding that the staff refused to let them in.

A student, studying in B.Sc final year, said that the college authorities had first asked her to remove the burqa which she was wearing while entering the campus and later they asked her to remove the hijab, too.

"I fail to understand why they have a problem with our hijab. I am not prepared to go anywhere without a hijab and the college is not allowing us to enter the campus anymore," she said.

Meanwhile, Beena Upadhyaya, administrative officer of the college, said that this notice is a `reminder` to students that there is a "dress code" in the college that has to be adhered to.

When contacted, college proctor Anil Varshney said, "The dress code is clearly mentioned in the prospectus.

"We only want students to follow the rules and regulations of the college. We are following directions. The students have just been told that dress codes will be implemented with more seriousness now," he added.

(With IANS inputs)

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New Delhi: In a first, the Bihar Police Department has decided to recruit transgenders for various posts in the department.

As per the latest development, the General Administration Department has issued a resolution to include transgenders or transgenders in the Backward Classes Schedule (2) in the ongoing recruitment drive.

Under this, there will be a direct appointment of one transgender for every 500 posts in the upcoming appointments of constable or inspector in Bihar Police.

This decision was taken in a meeting chaired by the Chief Secretary, which was also attended by the officials of Home and General Administration Department.

The authorities also informed that in the upcoming phases of recruitment, 51 eunuchs can be directly appointed in the police service, out of which 41 posts are for constable, while the remaining 10 are for an inspector.

The officials explained that for every 500 appointments, a transgender would be appointed. However, if the authorities are unable to find any eligible transgender for the post, it will be filled by any eligible candidate belonging to the backward class.

Additional Chief Secretary of Home Department cum General Administration Department Chaitanya Prasad, Home Secretary K Senthil Kumar, Additional Secretary General Administration Department Mahendra Kumar and Joint Secretary of Home Department Special Branch Animesh Pandey were present in the meeting.

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Coimbatore: A 21-year-old aerospace engineering student, who joined the Ukrainian paramilitary force as a volunteer, has expressed his willingness to return home to Coimbatore, according to family sources. R Sainikhesh joined the Georgian National Legion last month and was fighting against Russian troops after the war broke out last month.

The Georgian National Legion is a paramilitary unit formed by mostly ethnic Georgian volunteers fighting on the side of Ukraine in the ongoing war.

His parents came to know only after central intelligence officials met them and sought the details of Sainikhesh some days ago.

The sources said the youth's father Ravichandran had spoken to his son three days ago, during which he had expressed his willingness to return home.

Since Indian officials are closely following the matter, Ravichandran was expecting his son to rejoin them soon, they said.

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Srinagar: A terrorist who killed an off-duty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in South Kashmir on Saturday has been arrested, informed Inspector General of Police, Kashmir, Vijay Kumar.

IGP Kashmir also said that the pistol used for committing the crime was recovered from the suspect, following which a case has been registered.

Vijay Kumar said, "We have arrested killer of CRPF personnel. Weapon of offence (pistol) recovered on his disclosure. 01 OGW who accompanied him during terror crime also arrested. Militant crime was committed on the direction of Lashkar-e-Taiba Commander Abid Ramzan Sheikh.

According to the police, an overground worker who accompanied the terrorist during the crime was also arrested.

The Kashmir Zone police tweeted, "We have arrested #killer of CRPF personnel. #Weapon of #offence (pistol) recovered on his disclosure. 01 OGW who accompanied him during #terror crime also arrested. Terror crime was committed on the direction of LeT Cmdr Abid Ramzan Sheikh. Case registered: IGP Kashmir".

We have arrested #killer of CRPF personnel. #Weapon of #offence (pistol) recovered on his disclosure. 01 OGW who accompanied him during #terror crime also arrested. Terror crime was committed on the direction of LeT Cmdr Abid Ramzan Sheikh. Case registered: IGP Kashmir  Kashmir Zone Police (@KashmirPolice) March 13, 2022

Earlier, on Saturday, a CRPF jawan was shot dead in the Shopian district of Jammu and Kashmir.

Mukhtar Ahmad Dohi, a resident of Shopian, succumbed to his injuries while on his way to the hospital. The security forces cordoned off the area.

"Terrorists fired upon one CRPF personnel namely Mukhtar Ahmad Dohi R/o Shopian. He succumbed to his injuries and attained #martyrdom while on his way to the hospital. Area cordoned off. Further details shall follow," the Kashmir Zone Police said in a tweet. Further details are awaited.

Meanwhile, in the last three days, four terrorists attacks were witnessed in Kashmir, in which two sarpanchs were shot dead, one in Srinagar and another in Kulgam. Additionally, yesterday afternoon another sarpanch was fired upon in the Shopian district but he managed to escape unhurt. These targeted attack has once again bought fear among the common man in Kashmir.

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New Delhi: A team of the BKC cyber police in Mumbai recorded the statement of senior BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis for almost two hours at his residence on Sunday (March 13) in connection with a case of alleged illegal tapping of phones.

Talking to the media after recording his statement, Fadnavis said, A police team recorded my statement in the transfer, posting case. I answered all questions. Maharashtra govt had been brushing aside the case for the past six months. I am a whistleblower of this case.

I submitted the documents regarding State's transfer case to Union Home Secretary. I haven't shared the documents with the media, he stated.

IPS officer Rashmi Shukla is accused of illegally tapping phones of political leaders and senior officials when she was chief of the State Intelligence Department (SID). Former Maharashtra chief minister Fadnavis had cited a letter purportedly written by her to the then Maharashtra Director General of Police about alleged corruption in transfers in the police department.

Further, the letter also mentioned details of intercepted phone calls, leading to the ire of the MVA government alleging that Shukla tapped phones without permission, PTI reported.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra minister Dilip Walse Patil took a dig at Fadnavis alleging that the BJP leader did not answer the questions sent to him by the police pertaining to the case.

Devendra Fadnavis was not summoned but was sent a set of questions to answer. Today, a police team went to his residence as he did not answer those questions sent to him regarding the case, Patil was quoted as saying by ANI.

Opposition is doing politics on this case. Till now, 5-6 notices have been given to Devendra Fadnavis. A case has been registered against 5 unknown persons. 24 people statements recorded till now and more will be recorded in the future, Patil added.

On Saturday, Fadnavis had said he received a notice in which the Mumbai Police summoned him on Sunday in connection with the transfer, posting case.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: The mother of Aam Admi Party MLA Labh Singh Ugoke, Baldev Kaur, on Saturday continued working as a sweeper in the government school, even after her son won the 2022 Assembly elections in Punjab.

Ugoke, who defeated the outgoing Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi from the Bhadaur seat with a margin of 37,550 votes, used to work in a mobile repairing shop.

"We have always worked hard to earn money. Irrespective of my son`s position, I will continue to perform my duty in the school," said Kaur.

Mother of AAP MLA who defeated Channi still works as sweeper in govt school Read @ANI Story | https://t.co/EsVi6l76Qi#PunjabElections2022 #LabhSinghUgoke pic.twitter.com/A7QS9M4lzg  ANI Digital (@ani_digital) March 13, 2022

Joyed by the victory of her son as an AAP candidate whose party symbol is a broom, Kaur said `Jhadu` is an important part of my life.

"Even though he contested against the Chief Minister of the state, we were always confident that my son would win," she added.

School Principle Amrit Pal Kaur told ANI that Ugoke has studied in the same school and brought many laurels.

Punjab | Baldev Kaur, mother of AAP's Labh Singh, who defeated Congress' Charanjit S Channi from Bhadaur in Barnala, continues to work as a sweeper at a govt school in Ugoke village. She says," 'Jhadu' is an important part of my life. I'll continue to do my duty at the school." pic.twitter.com/OuX5kIPLFr  ANI (@ANI) March 13, 2022

"Labh Singh`s mother has been working as a sweeper in this school for a long time now. He has also studied in this school. He has brought many laurels to his village and school. Kaur says she wants to continue working in the school," said Amrit Pal Kaur.

Singh`s father, Darshan Singh, who used to work as a labourer, said that the family will live as of earlier. He wants his son to focus on the welfare of the people instead of the family.

"People of the village elected him. We want him to be working for the welfare of the people. We will continue to live the way we used to earlier," said Darshan Singh.

Ugoke joined the AAP in 2013 and rose in the ranks of the party quickly.

He had sought AAP`s ticket from Bhadaur seat in 2017 too but the party had then decided otherwise.

Villagers were joyed by his victory, saying that they still can`t believe that Ugoke they knew for so long has become an MLA now.

"For day and night, he used to work for the party. We never thought that he would get the ticket from the party and would become an MLA.

We are happy for him," said one of the villagers.

The AAP bagged a landslide victory in the Punjab polls, winning 92 Assembly seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly.

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New Delhi: Pakistan on Saturday said it was not satisfied with India's "simplistic explanation" on the "accidental firing" of a missile that landed in Pakistan's Punjab province and demanded a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident.

Foreign Office spokesperson said Pakistan has taken note of the Press Statement by India's Press Information Bureau's Defence Wing regretting the "accidental firing" of the Indian-origin missile into Pakistani territory on March 9 due to "technical malfunction" and the decision to hold a high-level Court of Inquiry.

Pakistan summoned India's Charge d'Affaires here on Friday and conveyed its strong protest over the unprovoked violation of its airspace by an Indian missile.

Pakistan's National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf on Friday questioned India's ability to handle sensitive technologies and said the Indian government did not bother to inform Pakistan about the accidental missile firing incident.

The Foreign Office said the incident raises several fundamental questions regarding security protocols and technical safeguards against accidental or unauthorised missile launch in a nuclearised environment.

"Such a serious matter cannot be addressed with the simplistic explanation proffered by the Indian authorities," it said, adding that some of the questions should be answered.

"Indian decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is not sufficient since the missile ended up in Pakistani territory. Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident," it said.

"India must explain the measures and procedures in place to prevent accidental missile launches and the particular circumstances of this incident," the FO said, adding that India must clearly explain the type and specifications of the missile that fell in Pakistani territory.

The Indian missile landed near Mian Chunnu city in Pakistan's Punjab province on Wednesday evening without causing damage to civilian property.

"It is learnt that the missile landed in an area of Pakistan. While the incident is deeply regrettable, it is also a matter of relief that there has been no loss of life due to the accident," India's Ministry of Defence said in a statement on Friday.

Pakistan also sought the flight path/trajectory of the accidentally launched missile and how it ultimately turned and entered into Pakistan.

It asked if the missile was equipped with a self-destruct mechanism and why it failed to actualise.

It further asked India if its missiles were kept primed for launch even under routine maintenance.

"Why did India fail to immediately inform Pakistan about the accidental launch of the missile and waited to acknowledge till after Pakistan announced the incident and sought clarification?" the FO asked.

It also said that India needs to explain if the missile was indeed handled by its armed forces or some rogue elements.

The incident happened at a time when there is a chill in bilateral relations between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue. Pakistan had downgraded diplomatic ties with India after India revoked the special status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Pakistan said the whole incident indicates many loopholes and technical lapses of serious nature in India's handling of strategic weapons.

Given the short distances and response times, any misinterpretation by the other side could lead to counter measures in self-defence with grave consequences, the Foreign Office noted.

Pakistan also called upon the international community to take serious notice of this incident of grave nature in a nuclearised environment and play its due role in promoting strategic stability in the region, the FO concluded.

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New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday chaired a high-level meeting to review Indias security preparedness, evacuation status and the prevailing global scenario in view of the ongoing military escalation between Russia and Ukraine.

During the sitting, the prime minister directed the authorities to ensure that all possible efforts should be made to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, who died in Kharkiv following heavy shelling.

The Prime Minister was also briefed on the latest developments and different aspects of Indias security preparedness in the border areas as well as in the maritime and air domain said the official statement.

The leader also sought details on Indias evacuation mission from Ukraine, Operation Ganga along with some citizens of Indias neighbouring countries, from Ukraine.

Meanwhile, under Operation Ganga almost 20,000 Indians have been brought back in over 90 special flights from the Ukraine borders via various neighbouring nations.

On Friday, the last batch of students returned on a special flight carrying around 600 Indian students which landed at the Hindon Indian Air Force Base a day later.

Earlier, Nepal Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Indian government for evacuating four Nepalese citizens, mostly students, from Ukraine amidst the military offensive by Russia.

The evacuation of the Nepalese students was done as part of India's 'Operation Ganga' at the request of the Nepal government.

Russian forces launched military operations in Ukraine on February 24, three days after Moscow recognised Ukraine's breakaway regions - Donetsk and Luhansk - as independent entities.

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Russia, due to the sanctions of the United States, Europe and their allies, which blocked the Russian Federation access to part of the gold and foreign exchange reserves, cannot use almost half of them  about $300 billion.

"This is about half of these reserves that we had. We have a total amount of reserves of about $640 billion, about $300 billion of reserves are now in a state in which we cannot use them," Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said in an interview at one of the Russian TV channels, noting that part of the gold and foreign exchange reserves, including the National Wealth Fund, are frozen.

The minister also recalled that part of the gold and foreign exchange reserves of the Russian Federation is in yuan, in connection with which the West is trying to get China to also restrict Russia's access to its currency.

Siluanov said that due to the freezing of reserves, the Russian Federation had problems with the fulfillment of obligations, including debt. The minister repeated the thesis already voiced earlier: sovereign debt, including those denominated in foreign currency, Russia will serve in rubles until the moment when the gold and foreign exchange reserves are unfrozen.

"We need to pay for critical imports. Food, medicine, a number of other vital goods. But - I repeat once again - the debts that we have to pay to countries that have been unfriendly to the Russian Federation and have made such restrictions on the use of gold and foreign exchange reserves - it is in these countries, we will pay the debts in ruble terms," the minister said.

On March 1, the United States issued a directive prohibiting Americans from any transactions with the Bank of Russia, the Ministry of Finance and the National Welfare Fund (NWF). Similar decisions were announced by the UK, Japan, Canada, and Switzerland.

The current structure of reserves is not known - the Bank of Russia discloses detailed information with a lag of at least six months.
New Delhi: The Congress party after the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting on Sunday (March 13) announced that Sonia Gandhi will continue to lead the grand old party and will remain in the post of party president. "Congress interim president Sonia will lead us and will take future steps. We all have faith in her leadership," Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge after the party's working committee meeting told to ANI.

Congress's interim president Sonia Gandhi today held the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting at the AICC office to discuss the poll debacle in all 5 states and the current political situation.

"She (Sonia Gandhi) continues to be the president of the party. Detailed discussion held about the 5 states elections. We discussed how to take things forward and how we prepare for the forthcoming elections," AICC Goa in-charge, Dinesh Gundu Rao told ANI after the party's CWC meeting.

Mallikarjun Kharge, Ambika Soni, Salman Khurshid, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra along with other leaders attended the CWC meet. The G-23 dissident leaders, who have questioned the leadership and pressed for organisation overhaul, have indicated that the issues of internal polls could be raised again.

Meanwhile, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot expressing his faith in Gandhi family and asserting its importance to Congress said, Rahul Gandhi should become the Congress party president.

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New Delhi: Ahead of the Congress Working Committee meeting on Sunday (March 13, 2022) to discuss the outcome of the assembly elections, there have been reports that Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi will resign from all organisational posts. However, party spokesman Randeep Surjewala has dismissed as "wrong, mischievous and incorrect" reports claiming that the Gandhi family members will resign from all party positions.

"It is unfair for a TV channel to carry such unsubstantiated propaganda stories emanating from imaginary sources at the instance of ruling BJP," Surjewala said on Saturday.

It is notable that the Grand old party has lost Punjab to the Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and could not wrest any of the four other states - Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur - from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

While Sonia Gandhi has not been actively campaigning for some time, Rahul Gandhi has been the star campaigner for the Congress besides Priyanka Gandhi, with the brother-sister duo also playing a major role in key decisions of the party. Despite a high-pitched campaign led by AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the Congress could manage to win only two of the 403 assembly seats with the vote share plummeting to a meagre 2.33 per cent and most of its candidates losing security deposits.

Rahul Gandhi had resigned as Congress president after the party suffered its second consecutive defeat in general elections in 2019. Sonia Gandhi who took over the reins of the party again as interim president had also offered to quit in August 2020 after an open revolt by a section of leaders, referred to as G-23, but the CWC had urged her to continue.

ALSO READ | 'Congress is losing its credibility': Mamata Banerjee's big statement after Assembly Election results



Sunday's CWC meeting is likely to see some fireworks as the G-23 dissident leaders, who have questioned the leadership and pressed for organisation overhaul, have indicated that these issues will be raised again.

Noted historian and political analyst Ramchandra Guha has said that Gandhis must "retire from politics" immediately for the good of the party and democracy in the country as they are unable to revive the Congress.

(With agency inputs)

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Kolkata: Two elected councillors of the TMC and Congress were shot dead in separate incidents in Panihati and Jhalda areas of West Bengal on Sunday, police said. Anupam Dutta, the TMC councillor of ward number eight of Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district, was shot at from a close range by unidentified motorcycle-borne youths while he was visiting a park on North Station Road in Agarpara in the evening, a police officer said.

The councillor sustained serious head injuries and was rushed to a private hospital in the area where doctors declared him brought dead, he said, adding that a police contingent has been deployed as the situation was tense.

In Jhalda Municipality of Purulia district, four-time Congress councillor Tapan Kandu was shot dead by unidentified assailants, another police officer said. The councillor was shot at by three motorcycle-borne youths when he went for a walk near his residence in his ward number two in the evening, he said.

Kandu, who slumped to the ground, was lifted up by locals even as the assailants escaped the spot. He was rushed to a private hospital in Ranchi in neighbouring Jharkhand, where doctors declared him brought dead.

Kandu had won from ward number two of Jhalda Municipality for the fourth time in last month's civic polls and was a popular leader in the area, Congress sources said.

The verdict of the voters threw a hung board after recent polls in Jhalda Municipality, with the Congress and Trinamool Congress having won five seats each and independents securing two seats.

In Panihati, TMC secured a majority by bagging 33 of the 35 wards. Naihati's TMC MLA Partha Bhowmick said, "Anupam Dutta was a popular figure in the area and this was a pre-planned murder. I won't immediately blame the BJP but this is true that he had defeated a big-shot of the saffron party in the area and earned their wrath."

Purulia's Congress leader Nepal Mahato said that the murder of his party councillor Tapan Kandu was political, and that he would be visiting the area soon.

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Lucknow: The BJP got the support of the over half of the Hindu voters while the Samajwadi Party was backed by over two-third of Muslim electors in the just-concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, a post-poll survey has revealed.

According to the findings of the CSDS-Lokniti survey, the BJP saw a marginal increase in its support among the Muslim voters as compared to the 2017 Assembly elections.

The study also points to the fact that the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party got the support of 26 per cent of Hindu voters, up from 18 per cent in the last Assembly elections.

Yadav had visited many temples in course of his whirlwind campaign with an aim to dent the BJP's vote base among the Hindus.

Sanjay Kumar, professor and co-director of Lokniti, a Research programme at the Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS), told PTI that the findings of the survey were based on a comprehensive sample, an important factor for any survey to be accurate.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had set the tone for polarised elections, saying 80 per cent of the population supported the BJP while the rest 20 per cent like in the past continue to have aversion to it.

His statement was seen in the political circles as a reference to the ratio of Hindus and Muslims in the state's population.

The CSDS-Lokniti survey says the BJP was favoured by 54 per cent of the Hindu voters as compared to 47 per cent in 2017.

The BSP was supported by 14 per cent Hindu voters. The Congress was supported by 2 per cent Hindu voters.

The BJP and its alliance partners bagged 273 of the 403 Assembly seats in the elections, the results of which were declared on March 10. The SP-led alliance got 125 seats while the Congress got only two seats, down from seven last time.

The BSP got only one seats, its worst-ever performance.

The post-poll survey revealed that 79 per cent of Muslim voters chose the SP, up from 46 per cent in the 2017 state elections.

Though there is no Muslim candidate among the 273 winners of the BJP-led coalition, 8 per cent of Muslim voters supported it, an increase of three percentage points than the 2017 polls.

The BJP had not fielded a single Muslim candidate while one candidate from the community was given by its alliance partner Apna Dal (Sonelal), who had fielded a community member against Azam Khan's son Abdullah Azam in Suar of Rampur. Apna Dal candidate Haider Ali Khan, however, lost to Azam's son.

The election results came as a nightmare for the BSP, which was supported by only six per cent of the Muslim voters, down from 19 per cent last time.

The Congress too saw a major decline in support among the community as only three per cent Muslims supported it as against 19 per cent last time.

Mayawati had the previous day blamed the "casteist media" for spreading rumours that the BSP was the B-team of the BJP.

The BSP had fielded 87 Muslim candidates followed by 75 by Congress and 64 by the SP.

Thirty-four Muslim candidates won the elections, nine more than the last time. Of the winners, 31 belonged to the Samajwadi Party.

Three others belonged to the SP's alliance partners -- Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and Om Prakash Rajbhar's Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP).

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New Delhi: Even though the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) recorded a massive win in the recently concluded Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and paved the way for chief minister Yogi Adityanath to take the top office for the second consecutive term, all eyes are now on his deputy Keshav Prasad Maurya who lost the assembly poll contest in Sirathu.

Maurya, who has said that he is a worker of the BJP and will do whatever the party tells him to do, lost to Samajwadi Party's Pallavi Patel by 7,337 votes.

While Maurya polled 98,941 votes, Patel, the elder sister of Union minister Anupriya Patel, got 1,06,278 votes.

ALSO READ | Keshav Prasad Maurya, 10 other ministers in Yogi Adityanath govt lose their seats

"With all humility, I accept the mandate of the people of Sirathu assembly constituency. I am thankful to each and every party worker and also express my gratitude towards the voters, who have voted for me. It is a happy moment for us that the BJP has formed the government once again due to the policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Uttar Pradesh and in three other states," he had said after the defeat.

It is noteworthy that a person who is not a member of either House of the state legislature can also become a minister provided that he/she becomes a lawmaker within a period of six months after taking oath as a minister. Maurya, however, can still be the deputy as he is currently the Member of the Legislative Council (MLC).

Maurya had not fought in the 2017 Assembly elections but was made brought in as MLC to enable him to continue as the deputy CM in the Yogi Adityanath-led government. The tenure of the MLCs, notably, is six years.

Maurya is the party's OBC face and is most likely to remain in the UP cabinet 2.0.

Meanwhile, Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to visit Delhi on Sunday (March 13) to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and discuss the new cabinet. The swearing-in ceremony date is also likely to be discussed during the meeting.

According to ANI, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda and National General Secretary BL Santosh will also attend the meeting.

UP BJP President Swatantra Dev Singh, Minister Sunil Bansal, state in-charge Radha Mohan Singh will also accompany Adityanath during his 2-day visit to the national capital.

As per reports, the BJP is considering several new faces in the Yogi Cabinet and it is being speculated that the party leadership has prepared a basic list of probable Deputy Chief Ministers and Ministers on the basis of qualification, caste and regional equations.

(With agency inputs)

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New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, in his first visit to the national capital after the party notched up a comprehensive victory in the assembly polls.

Earlier in the day, Adityanath met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu and BJP general secretary BL Santhosh.

Adityanath is likely to meet BJP president JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh thereafter.

Set to take oath as the chief minister for a second term, Adityanath's talks with the top party leadership, including Shah and Nadda, are likely to centre around a host of issues related to the government formation besides being a formal exercise.

He is likely to be here for two days, sources said.

The BJP won 255 seats in the 403-member Assembly. Its two allies secured another 18 seats. Political watchers believe that Adityanath's stature has received a boost with the win as his leadership was at the centre of the BJP's re-election bid.
New Delhi: The registration process for the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) CA May exams 2022 ends today, March 13. Interested and eligible candidates can apply by visiting the official website of ICAI: icaiexam.icai.org. However, candidates can apply till March 20 with a late fee.

ICAI CA May Exams 2022: Important dates

CA foundation exam dates: May 23, 25, 27, 29

CA intermediate exam dates: May 15, 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30

CA Final Course exams dates: May 14, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29

Click Here for Official Notification

ICAI CA May Exams 2022: Here's how to apply

Step 1: Visit the official website of ICAI: icai.org

Step 2: Click on the Registration tab on the Homepage

Click Here for Direct Link to Apply

Step 3: Fill in the credentials and upload the required documents

Step 4: Pay the application fees and click on submit

Step 5: Download the application form for future references.

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NEW DELHI: Late actor Amjad Khan was quite a famous name during his era but did you know when the actor met with a serious accident it was megastar Amitabh Bachchan who came for this rescue?

Yes, you heard that right!

Amjads wife Shehla Khan recalled the whole incident which happened ahead of the shooting of his film The Great Gambler (1979).

The actor needed surgery which was known as tracheostomy (a surgical procedure to ease breathing) and Amitabh had then given his signature in hospital documents for the doctors to perform a tracheostomy on Amjad.

Sharing the horrifying incident, she said that the accident took place at Sawantwadi, near Goa, when she was 6 months pregnant and it was an extremely serious accident. While she was still dealing with the accident, Amjad was gasping for breath and also had internal bleeding as 13 of his ribs and also his femur bone were broken. Even though his condition was more serious, he was 'more worried' about her and losing their child.

While talking to Pinkvilla, Shehla said, "A mob had gathered outside the hospital in Sawantwadi. 'Gabbar Singh ko bahar lao (Bring Gabbar Singh outside)' they kept saying. The doctors sent us to Panjim or else the crowd would have pulled down the hospital. He had to be operated in Goa and thats when Amitji (Bachchan) gave his signature for the doctors to proceed with the tracheostomy (a surgical procedure to ease breathing)."

She added, "Amjad and Amitji shared a close bond. Amitji must have been nervous because no one knew whether the man was going to make it or not. He was surprised when Amjad wrote down the term tracheostomy on a piece of paper, gesturing to Amitji if he would be undergoing it. In fact, even in that condition, he spelled the complicated word correctly. Soon, we chartered a flight to Mumbai. We stayed in Nanavati Hospital for three months."

For the unversed, helmed by Shakti Samanta, The Great Gambler was a crime-action film. It also starred Zeenat Aman, Neetu Singh, and Prem Chopra in pivotal roles.

Initially, Amjad was part of the film but due to his severe accident, he couldnt continue and so Utpal Dutt bagged his role.
Kolkata: Actor Rupa Dutta has been arrested for allegedly committing attention diversion theft at the venue of the International Kolkata Book Fair, police said on Sunday. Dutta, who has acted in television soaps, was arrested on Saturday after a policeman saw her throwing a purse into a dustbin, an officer of Bidhan Nagar North police station said.

She was then detained and questioned, during which discrepancies were found in her answers. Several purses and Rs 75,000 in cash were found from her bag during a search, he said.

"The woman has been arrested in connection with 'kepmari' (attention diversion theft) and further investigation is underway to find out whether more people are connected with the crime," the officer said.

Dutta was earlier in the soup after she wrongly accused filmmaker Anurag Kashyap of sexual harassment, while sharing on social media screenshots of her conversation with another person who shared the first name with the renowned director.

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New Delhi: Bigg Boss OTT couple Shamita Shetty and Raqesh Bapat fans have been worried after news of rift between the two hit headlines. However, now a sweet exchange between the two on their Instagram account has pacified them. Shamita attended the Iconic Gold Awards 2022 recently where she won a trophy. Raqesh wished his ladylove for her victory with a sweet Instagram story.

In the story put up by Raqesh, Shamita can be seen looking stunning in a sexy and shimmery dark blue gown. She is also wearing a bright smile as she flaunts her golden trophy. Raqesh wrote alongside the photo, Congratulations," with a heart-eyed emoji. Shamita later reposted Raqeshs story on her Instagram account along with a big pink heart which had thank you written over it.

Earlier, according to a report in ETimes all is not well between Shamita and Raqesh. The report suggests that the two are in a massive quarrel mode" for a few days. The publication claimed that due to their fight, Shamita also decided to skip his rakhi brother Rajeev Adatias farewell dinner on Thursday night. Rajeev is set to leave for London soon.

Shamita wants Raqesh to shift to Mumbai. After he went separate ways from his wife Ridhi Dogra, Raqesh has shifted base to Pune. Now, Raqesh does not want to shift to Mumbai. Shamita feels that this is not the right way to have a relationship," a source told Etimes. It further revealed that Shamita and Raqesh have not been keeping in touch.

Shamita was never sure about Raqeshs love for her. She had expressed her apprehensions during her stint in Bigg Boss 15," the source added.

Shamita Shetty and Raqesh Bapat met on the sets of Karan Johar hosted Bigg Boss OTT. The two fell in love on the reality show and since then have openly expressed their feelings for each-other. Shamita and Raqesh also celebrated the formers birthday together and also celebrated Valentines day with one another.
EU High Representative Josep Borrell, on behalf of the European Union, strongly condemned the kidnapping of the mayors of the Ukrainian cities of Melitopol and Dniprorudne by Russian troops, and an attempt to create illegal government structures.

"The EU strongly condemns the kidnapping of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudne by Russian armed forces. It is yet another attack on democratic institutions in Ukraine and an attempt to establish illegitimate alternative government structures in a sovereign country," he said on his Twitter on Sunday.
New Delhi: The government has mandated that PAN cards be linked to Aadhaar cards. The deadline to link your PAN and Aadhaar cards is March 31, 2022. According to the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), the deadline for linking both documents has been extended from September 30, 2021 to March 31, 2022.

Users may do this by texting UIDPAN 12 digit Aadhaar number> 10 digit Permanent Account Number> to 567678 or 56161. If the linking is successful, the message "Aadhaar is already associated with PAN" will appear.

For example: UIDPAN 0000011112222 AAAPA7777Q. If your name and date of birth are the same in both documents, the Aadhaar number will be linked with the PAN number after sending SMS to the aforesaid numbers.

How to link online:

STEP1: If you are visiting this website for the first time, click on Register Here first.

STEP2: After OTP verification, create a password by providing the PAN data. Then you'll need to log in.

STEP3: If you already have an account, simply click here to log in.

STEP4: Visit the official website of Income Tax Department-incometax.gov.

STEP5: The option to Link Aadhaar may be found at the bottom of the page.

STEP6: When you select the option, a new page will appear.

STEP7: Enter your PAN number, Aadhaar number, and registered name now.

STEP8: Select the Aadhaar option from the drop-down menu.

STEP9: Your two numbers are now being linked by the Internal Revenue Service.

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New Delhi: Tech giant Google has reportedly suspended Play Store purchases and subscriptions for Android users in Russia. In late February, Google had earlier announced that it will be cutting down on advertisements and media from the Russian Federation as a response to the country`s invasion of Ukraine, reports GizmoChina.

However, this week, the company has taken further action on the ongoing situation as the company has paused the Google Play Store`s billing system for Android users in Russia.

In the official statement from Google, the company stated that due to payment system disruptions, Google Play has paused its billing system for users in Russia as of March 10, 2022.

Google clarified that this means users cannot purchase apps and games, make subscription payments or conduct any in-app purchases of digital goods via the Google Play Store in Russia.

Free apps will remain available on the Play Store to download and install.

As for existing user subscriptions via the Google Play Store, Google informed that subscriptions will unfortunately not be able to be renewed and will be cancelled.

However, the existing subscription (i.e. the 1-month or 1-year subscription that the Russian Android user had purchased before this announcement) will continue until the end of the then-current billing period.

The company also clarified that it will still honour existing developer subscription billing grace periods and any free trials will continue to work until payments are attempted. Also Read: 7th Pay Commission: Salary of select govt employees increased by up to Rs 8000, check if you are eligible

On a closing note, Google also stated that the situation is rapidly evolving and that the company encourages users to follow Google for Google`s latest update on the matter if there are changes of action. Also Read: Apple iPhone SE 2022 selling for Rs 28,300, check offer details

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Baghdad: At least six missiles were fired Sunday toward the US consulate in Iraq's northern city of Irbil, with several missiles hitting the building, Iraqi and US security officials said.

A US official said the missiles were launched from neighbouring Iran.

Early reports suggested there were no US military casualties, a senior US defence official said.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because the information was still coming in, said it was still not certain exactly how many were fired and exactly where they landed. It also wasn't clear if there were other casualties.

The Iraqi security officials said there were no immediate report of casualties from the attack, which occurred shortly after midnight and caused material damage in the area. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

One of the officials said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, without elaborating.

The attack comes several days after an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria killed two members of Iran's Revolutionary Guard. Iran's foreign ministry strongly condemned the attack Wednesday and vowed revenge.

On Sunday, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the attacks in Irbil, without saying where they originated.

Satellite broadcast channel Kurdistan24, which is located near the US consulate, went on air from their studio shortly after the attack, showing shattered glass and debris on their studio floor.

A security statement said Irbil was targeted 'with a number of missiles' early Sunday, adding that security forces were investigating the incident and would release more details later.

The attack comes as negotiations in Vienna over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal hit a 'pause' over Russian demands about sanctions targeting Moscow over its war on Ukraine.
New Delhi: Days after Indias "accidental firing" of a missile that landed in Pakistan's Punjab province, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday (March 13) that his country could have responded to New Delhi but it observed restraint.

Reacting to the incident for the first time, Pakistan PM said, "We could have responded after an Indian missile fell in Mian Channu but we observed restraint."

As per PTI, Khan made the remarks while addressing a public rally in Punjab's Hafizabad district on Sunday afternoon. Talking about his country's defence, he said that "we have to make our defence and country strong."

An unarmed Indian supersonic missile had entered Pakistani territory on Wednesday (March 9) evening, endangering several airliners during its flight before hitting a private property (cold storage) near Mian Channu, some 275-km from Lahore. There was no casualty reported.

India had claimed that the missile was "fired accidentally" during a routine maintenance operation because of a technical malfunction, adding that a high-level court of enquiry' had been ordered into the incident.

Earlier on Saturday, Pakistan's Foreign Office (FO) said it was not satisfied with India's "simplistic explanation" on the "accidental firing" and demanded a joint probe to ascertain the facts.

"Pakistan has proposed to New Delhi a joint probe into the incident to establish facts since the missile had landed into Pakistani territory," Pakistan's FO said. Further, it questioned why India did not inform Pakistan immediately about the accidental launch' of the missile.

"Indian decision to hold an internal court of inquiry is not sufficient since the missile ended up in Pakistani territory. Pakistan demands a joint probe to accurately establish the facts surrounding the incident, the FO added.

(With PTI inputs)

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Lviv: Ukraine accused Russian forces on Saturday (March 12, 2022) of killing seven civilians in an attack on women and children trying to flee fighting near Kyiv, and France said Russian President Vladimir Putin had shown he was not ready to make peace.

With Russia`s invasion in its third week, the Ukrainian intelligence service said the seven, including one child, were killed as they fled the village of Peremoha and that "the occupiers forced the remnants of the column to turn back."

Ukrainian officials later said the convoy was not traveling along a "green corridor" agreed with Russia when it was struck on Friday, correcting their earlier assertion that it was on such a designated route.

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report and Russia offered no immediate comment.

Moscow denies targeting civilians since invading Ukraine on Feb. 24. It blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities, an accusation Ukraine and its Western allies strongly reject.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow was sending in new troops after Ukrainian forces put 31 of Russia`s battalion tactical groups out of action in what he called Russia`s largest army losses in decades. It was not possible to verify his statements.

"We still need to hold on. We still have to fight," Zelenskiy said in a video address late on Saturday, his second of the day.

He said earlier that about 1,300 Ukrainian troops had been killed so far and urged the West to get more involved in peace negotiations. The president suggested Russian forces would face a fight to the death if they sought to enter the capital.

"If they decide to carpet bomb (Kyiv), and simply erase the history of this region ... and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that`s their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves," he said.

Zelenskiy discussed the war with Chancellor Olaf Scholz and President Emmanuel Macron, and the German and French leaders then spoke to Putin by phone and urged him to order an immediate ceasefire.

A Kremlin statement on the 75-minute call made no mention of a ceasefire and a French presidency official said: "We did not detect a willingness on Putin`s part to end the war".

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the United States of escalating tensions and said the situation had been complicated by convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine that Russian forces considered "legitimate targets".

In comments reported by the Tass news agency, Ryabkov made no specific threat, but any attack on such convoys before they reached Ukraine would risk widening the war.

Crisis talks between Moscow and Kyiv have been continuing via a video link, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov was quoted as saying by Russia`s RIA news agency. He gave no details but Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would not surrender or accept any ultimatums.

Zelenskiy later on Saturday said he had spoken to Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about the prospects for peace talks. Bennett met with Putin and previously talked by phone to Zelenskiy, but the diplomatic efforts so far have appeared fruitless.

HUMANITARIAN CORRIDORS

Russian rocket attacks destroyed a Ukrainian airbase and hit an ammunition depot near the town of Vasylkiv in the Kyiv region, Interfax Ukraine quoted its mayor as saying.

The exhausted-looking governor of Chernihiv, around 150 km (100 miles) northeast of Kyiv, gave a video update in front of the ruins of the city`s Ukraine Hotel.

"There is no such hotel any more," Viacheslav Chaus said, wiping tears from his eyes. "But Ukraine itself still exists, and it will prevail."

Britain`s defence ministry said fighting northwest of the capital continued, with the bulk of Russian ground forces 25 km (16 miles) from the centre of Kyiv, which it has said Russia could attack within days.

Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol remained encircled under heavy Russian shelling, it said.

But the general staff of the Ukraine armed forces said later on Saturday that Russia had slowed its offensive and in many places its forces had been stopped. The military`s Facebook post did not give details.

Russia`s invasion has been almost universally condemned around the world and Moscow has drawn tough Western sanctions.

The Russian bombardment has trapped thousands of people in besieged cities and sent 2.5 million Ukrainians fleeing to neighbouring countries. Zelenskiy said the conflict meant some small Ukrainian towns no longer existed.

The United States said it would rush up to $200 million in additional small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine, where officials have pleaded for more military aid.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its neighbour`s military capabilities and "de-Nazify" the country.

Ukrainian officials had planned to use humanitarian corridors from Mariupol as well as towns and villages in the regions of Kyiv, Sumy and some other areas on Saturday.

But Russian shelling threatened attempts to evacuate trapped civilians, they said.

Still, around 13,000 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities on Saturday, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. It was almost twice the number who got out the previous day but far fewer than on the two days prior to that.

A senior Russian defence ministry official said the humanitarian situation in Ukraine continued to decline rapidly and blamed Ukrainian fighters, accusing them of mining neighbourhoods and destroying bridges and roads, the RIA news agency reported.

Russian officials have previously accused Ukrainian forces of shelling their own people and then seeking to blame Moscow, allegations that Kyiv and Western nations dismissed as lies.

The governor of the Kyiv region, Oleksiy Kuleba, said fighting and threats of Russian air attacks were continuing on Saturday morning though some evacuations were proceeding.

The Donetsk region`s governor said constant shelling was complicating bringing aid into the southern city of Mariupol.

Images taken on Saturday by private U.S. satellite firm Maxar showed fires burning in the western section of Mariupol and dozens of apartment buildings heavily damaged.

"There are reports of looting and violent confrontations among civilians over what little basic supplies remain in the city," the U.N.`s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said.

MAKESHIFT BURIALS

People were boiling ground water for drinking, using wood to cook food and burying their dead near where they lay, a staff member for Medecins Sans Frontieres (Doctors without Borders) in Mariupol said.

At least 1,582 civilians in Mariupol have been killed as a result of Russian shelling and a 12-day blockade, the city council said on Friday. It was not possible to verify casualty figures.

Efforts to isolate Russia economically have stepped up, with the United States imposing new sanctions on senior Kremlin officials and Russian oligarchs on Friday.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the EU on Saturday would suspend Moscow`s privileged trade and economic treatment, crack down on its use of crypto-assets, and ban the import of iron and steel goods from Russia, as well as the export of luxury goods in the other direction.

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Lviv: A Russian missile attack on a large Ukrainian military facility near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday (March 13) killed nine people and wounded 57, Ukrainian officials said.

Foreign military instructors have previously worked at the base, Ukraine said. It was not clear whether any were there at the time.

Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the Yavoriv International Center for Peacekeeping and Security, adding that some were intercepted before they hit.

The 360 square-km (140 square-mile) facility less than 25 km (15 miles) from the Polish border, is one of Ukraine`s biggest and the largest in the western part of the country.

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report. The Kremlin did not immediately reply to a request for comment on the missile strike so close to the border with NATO.

Nineteen ambulances with sirens on were seen by Reuters driving from the direction of the Yaroviv facility after the strike and black smoke rose from the area.

"Russia has attacked the International Center for Peacekeeping & Security near Lviv. Foreign instructors work here. Information about the victims is being clarified," Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov said in an online post.

A Ukrainian defence ministry representative told Reuters the ministry was still trying to establish if any foreign instructors were at the centre at the time of the attack.

Ukraine held most of its drills with NATO countries there before the invasion. The last major exercises were in September.

In the weeks before Russia invaded on Feb. 24, the Ukrainian military trained there, but according to Ukrainian media, all foreign instructors left the training ground in mid-February, while leaving all the equipment.

Russia`s invasion of Ukraine, launched by President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, has sent more than 2.5 millions fleeing across borders and trapped thousands of people in besiegedcities.

While Western nations have sought to isolate Putin by imposing harsh sanctions, the United States and its allies are concerned to avoid NATO being drawn into the conflict.

AIRPORT HIT IN WEST

The mayor of another city in western Ukraine, Ivano-Frankivsk, said Russian troops also continued to hit its airport, with no initial reports of casualties.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops are trying to surround Ukrainian forces as they advance from Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south, the UK Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

"Russian forces advancing from Crimea are attempting to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odessa," the ministry said in an intelligence update posted on Twitter.

Air raid sirens again woke residents in Kyiv on Sunday morning, hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russian forces they face a fight to the death if they try to occupy the capital.

"If they decide to carpet bomb and simply erase the history of this region ... and destroy all of us, then they will enter Kyiv. If that`s their goal, let them come in, but they will have to live on this land by themselves," Zelensky said on Saturday.

Ukraine accused Russian forces on Saturday of killing seven civilians, including one child, in an attack on women and children trying to flee fighting near Kyiv.

Reuters was unable immediately to verify the report and Russia offered no immediate comment.

Moscow denies targeting civilians. It blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities, an accusation Ukraine and its Western allies strongly reject.

`NEED TO HOLD ON`

"We still need to hold on. We still have to fight,"Zelensky said in a video address late on Saturday, his second of the day.

The United States said it would rush up to $200 million in additional small arms, anti-tank and anti-aircraft weapons to Ukraine, where officials have pleaded for more military aid.

The Kremlin describes its actions as a "special operation" to demilitarise and "deNazify" Ukraine. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of choice that has raised fears of wider conflict in Europe.

Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov accused the United States of escalating tensions and said the situation had been complicated by convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine that Russian forces considered "legitimate targets".

In comments reported by the Tass news agency, Ryabkov made no specific threat. Any attack on such convoys before they reached Ukraine would risk widening the war.

Crisis talks between Moscow and Kyiv have been continuing by video link, said Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, according to Russia`s RIA news agency. He gave no details, but UkrainianForeign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said Kyiv would not surrender or accept any ultimatums.

Russian troops have destroyed 3,687 Ukrainian military infrastructure facilities so far, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying on Sunday. It was not possible to independently verify his statement.

The Donetsk region`s governor said constant shelling was complicating bringing aid into Mariupol. Fires were burning in the western section of the city and dozens of apartment buildings heavily damaged, according to images taken on Saturday by private US satellite firm Maxar.



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Washington: US President Joe Biden said he has moved 12,000 troops along the borders with Russia, such as Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania and Romania while asserting that Vladimir Putin will not be victorious in the war he has waged against Ukraine.

Addressing members of the House Democratic Caucus on Friday, Biden stressed over "not fighting a third World War in Ukraine" but avowed sending an "unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory".

The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) is a group of 30 North American and European nations. According to NATO, its purpose "is to guarantee the freedom and security of its members through political and military means."

Biden said the people of Ukraine have demonstrated remarkable bravery and courage in the face of a Russian military offensive but the security assistance that the US provides has been critical in their defence.

"And as we provide support to Ukraine, we're going to continue to stand together with our allies in Europe and send an unmistakable message that we will defend every inch of NATO territory with a united galvanized NATO," the US president said.

"That's why I've moved 12,000 American forces along the borders with Russia -- Latvia, Estonia, Lithuania, Romania et cetra... Granted, if we respond, it is World War three. But we have a sacred obligation on NATO territory... although we will not fight a third World War in Ukraine."

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.

"The idea that we're going to send in offensive equipment and have planes and tanks and trains going in with American pilots and American crews, just understand -- and don't kid yourself, no matter what you all say -- that's called World War Three," he said.

The US president said that he spent hours the alliance together -- the EU, NATO and including all those in Asia.

"As a result, we've been able to ramp up our economic pressure on Putin and further isolate Russia on the global stage," he said.

Biden said the G7 nations -- Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom, the United States -- made a move to remove the favoured nation status for Russia.

He claimed that as a result of the US-led sanctions, the economy of Russia is badly impacted.

"The totality of our economic sanctions and export controls are crushing the Russian economy. The Ruble has lost more than half its value."

"Moscow Stock Exchange is closed... why is it closed? Because the moment it opens, it will be disbanded. Credit rating agencies have downgraded Russia's government to junk status," Biden said.

He said that democracies are rising to the moment rallying the world for peace and security. "We are showing strength and we will never falter. Putin's war against Ukraine will never be a victory."

"I want to thank you for showing a unified front to the world. When Putin unleashed his assault, he thought he could divide NATO.

"He thought he could divide this country in terms of the parties. He thought he could divide Democrats and Republicans at home, but he failed," Biden told the members of the House Democratic Caucus.

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Lviv: An American journalist was shot and killed by Russian forces in the town of Irpin in Ukraine`s Kyiv region and another journalist was wounded, Kyiv regional police chief Andriy Nyebytov said on Sunday.

Nyebytov initially said the dead journalist worked for the New York Times. However the Times said that the journalist had previously worked for the paper but was not currently working for it. The Times named the journalist as Brent Renaud.

"We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud`s death. Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years," The Times said in a statement posted on Twitter by its spokesperson.

"Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine," it said.

"Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago."

Nyebytov said that Renaud was shot by Russian forces in Irpin, but did not give details of the incident. He did not identify the wounded journalist.

"Another journalist was wounded. We are currently trying to take the victim out of the combat zone," he said in a statement.

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The United States authorities have notified Beijing of the consequences if the PRC tries to help Russia compensate for losses from Western sanctions, said Jake Sullivan, National Security Adviser to the President of the United States.

"We are closely monitoring the extent to which China actually provides material and economic support to Russia," Sullivan was quoted as saying by Ria Novosti, RT reported.

According to him, "The US authorities informed Beijing that they would not tolerate or allow any country to try to compensate Russia for its economic losses."

The adviser to the President of the United States stressed that "this will entail consequences for the PRC."

Earlier, Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said that Western countries are putting pressure on China in order to limit Russia's access to its yuan reserves.

Western sanctions on Russia will affect the recovery of the global economy and harm all parties, said Premier of the State Council of China Li Keqiang.

"The global economy is already under the heavy influence of the pandemic, the corresponding sanctions will hit the recovery of the global economy and will not benefit either side," Ria Novosti quoted him as saying.

Keqiang also noted that China has always adhered to an independent and peaceful foreign policy.

"China has always pursued an independent peaceful foreign policy and developed bilateral relations not directed against any third party," Keqiang concluded.
President of the EU Council Charles Michel strongly condemned the indiscriminate shelling of civilians and the kidnapping of the mayors of Ukrainian cities, calling it Russia's "military-political aggression" against Ukraine, which must stop.

This is how Michel commented on the latest developments in the war that Russia unleashed against Ukraine on his Twitter on Sunday.

"Condemn in the strongest possible terms Russia's indiscriminate shelling of civilians in #Ukraine as well as the abduction by Russia of Melitopol and Dniprorudne mayors and other Ukrainians. Such abductions and other pressure on Ukraine's local authorities are another blatant violation of international law. Russia's military and political aggression against Ukraine must stop," he wrote.
Protest action against so-called "KhPR" begins in Kakhovka, invaders open fire in air to intimidate protesters in Kherson  Information Resistance

The Russian military began firing into the air to intimidate participants in a protest against the invaders, which is taking place in Kherson on Sunday, the Information Resistance has reported.

"The Russians opened fire in the air to intimidate the protesters against the proclamation of the so-called "KhPR" in Kherson," Information Resistance said on its Telegram channel.

In addition, Information Resistance reported about a protest action against the Russian invaders in Kakhovka.

"The residents of Kakhovka are also protesting against the proclamation of "KhPR" today. More than 6,000 people have already taken to the streets," the Information Resistance said.
In Irpen, Russian troops killed a New York Times journalist, and another journalist was wounded, Chief of the police in Kyiv region Andriy Nebitov has said.

"The invaders cynically kill even international media journalists who are trying to show the truth about the atrocities of Russian troops in Ukraine. Today, a 51-year-old correspondent of the world-famous New York Times media was shot dead in Irpen. Another journalist was wounded. Currently, they are trying to take the victim out of the combat zone," Nebitov wrote on Facebook.

He also published an editorial journalistic ID and passport, according to which this is a video journalist, U.S. citizen Brent Renaud.
By Ayya Lmahamad

The European Parliament issued a resolution on March 10 that contained defamation and explicit anti-Azerbaijani propaganda.

The resolution is titled "On the destruction of Nagorno-cultural Karabakh's heritage". It's also worth mentioning that it's not about Armenian graffiti, but rather a specific "Armenian heritage" that was purportedly destroyed during the 44-day war.

Reportedly, 679 deputies took part in the voting, of which 635 were in favor of the resolution, two were against and 42 abstained.

The document's wording refers to the destruction of "Armenian cultural heritage" as though an investigation had already been conducted and the facts established. However, the UNESCO monitoring team has yet to visit the region, and the European Parliament, by voting in favor of Armenia's proposal, accuses Azerbaijan.

The dossier also makes allegations against Azerbaijan's governmental policy, which is supposedly based on "Armenophobia". When we consider that Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had visited Paris the day before and met with French President Emmanuel Macron, the scenario becomes even more bizarre.

EU Summit

At the same time, on the same day, a two-day informal European Union summit began in Versailles, organized at the initiative of the French president in the EU. The summit agenda focused on three major issues: lowering Russian gas imports by two-thirds by the end of the year, bolstering European defense, and developing a new economic development model.

The first point is especially notable when discussing Azerbaijan, given how many calls and visits to Baku were made following the escalation of the Ukraine-Russia crisis.

Speaking about alternatives to Russian gas, which Europe is now looking for, European Commissioner for the Environment Virginijus Sinkevicius mentioned that there are gas import destinations such as the United States or Qatar, from which LNG cargoes will be transported, as well as Azerbaijan, Algeria, and Norway, from which gas will be delivered to Europe via pipelines.

So, on the one hand, the EU holds an informal conference to address the critical issue of Europe's energy security, in which Azerbaijan plays a part, and on the other, the European Parliament votes an anti-Azerbaijani resolution.

Azerbaijani heritage destruction

Azerbaijani political analyst MP Rasim Musabayov told local media that the resolution plainly shows that European MPs are ready to accept any move orchestrated by Armenian lobbyists with their eyes closed.

"However, these same Armenian lobbyists must recognize that these resolutions are meaningless and will not alter anything. Every core of the resolution contains a deceptive message," he stated.

The analyst noted that there is nothing left to destroy in Azerbaijans liberated territories as everything was destroyed under the Armenian occupation, especially Azerbaijani cultural and historical heritage.

Azerbaijan has invited UNESCO many times to come and look at what the occupiers have done, but instead absurd, completely unfounded decisions are made, he said.

He added that the purpose is simple: to show Azerbaijan the power of the Armenian lobby.

"Azerbaijan will not be intimidated by such flimsy, illegitimate resolutions. European lawmakers have once again proved their dishonesty and irresponsibility, and such actions are unlikely to increase Azerbaijan's respect for so-called European principles," he added.

International law crisis

The Russian political scientist, doctor of political sciences, Eastern Vector consulting center director Tatiana Poloskova told local media that the adoption of this resolution is largely the result of the efforts of the Armenian diaspora and lobby.

The resolution was prepared for more than a day. During this period, the Armenian diaspora had the chance to engage its contacts in the European Parliament and work with these people, she said.

She noted that deputies who passed such a resolution hardly thought about the reaction of Azerbaijan.

"As for the resolution as an act, I would say it is not deadly. Both the European Union and the United Nations pass strong resolutions, but not all of them are implemented or responded to. There is now an international law problem, including diplomatic and international mechanisms that apply the accepted norms and standards," she stated.

Furthermore, Azerbaijan's Consul General to the Western United States, Nasimi Aghayev, stated on his official Twitter page that Armenia razed 10,000 square kilometers of Azerbaijan, desecrated and destroyed at least 65 Azerbaijani mosques, many of which were turned into pigsties, obliterated 900 cemeteries, and so on.

Yet European Parliament targets Azerbaijan. It is nothing but an attempt to whitewash Armenians crimes! he wrote.

It is also worth noting that the European Parliament has announced, through Estonian MP Marina Kaljurand, that Europe does not accept the outcomes of the 44-day conflict because "peace must be won by dialogue, not force".

As a result, it is unclear how European firms and financial entities "not acknowledging" Azerbaijan's triumph may assist in the reconstruction of freed regions. On March 11, a team of specialists from the United Nations, the European Union, and the World Bank came to Baku to assess the requirements for restoration of Azerbaijan's freed areas using the Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Assessment Routes for Peace approach.

It is apparent that this is not the first time that disputes between the European Parliament and other EU institutions have arisen.
Head of NATO military committee: Russia's attack on Ukrainian training center near Polish border is signal of dissatisfaction with supply of weapons to Kyiv

Admiral Rob Bauer, Head of the NATO Military Committee, has said that Russia's attack on the military training center near the Polish border is a "clear signal" to the West because of the supply of weapons to Ukraine.

Russia has been bitten by Western supplies of weapons, including fuel to Ukraine, the Dutch media quoted the admiral as saying on Sunday.

However, Bauer believes that the Russians are not going to attack NATO. At the moment they are really staying away from us. At that time, as usual, they are somewhat more aggressive towards NATO, the admiral said.

He also believes that Russia is not looking for another adversary. And this is a very strong adversary, because after all it is NATO, the high-ranking military man said.

At the same time, Bauer said that the supply of weapons does not violate any international rules.

According to international law, NATO can do this simply because it is about supplies that should ensure that the Ukrainian government can protect itself, the admiral said.
The United States will not negotiate exemptions to Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia to save the 2015 Iranian nuclear deal (the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, JCPOA), The Wall Street Journal reported, citing a senior U.S. State Department official.

"I don't see the scope for going beyond what is within the confines of the JCPOA. I think its pretty safe to say that there is no room for making exemptions beyond those," the newspaper quoted an unnamed representative of the State Department as saying.

He said that the official said an agreement between Iran and the U.S. was "within reach," saying only a few issues were holding up a deal when talks in Vienna were broken off Friday because of Russia's demand.

The U.S. official said if Russia presses its guarantee demands or doesn't reply "in the coming week," Washington would need to "very quickly consider an alternative path."

The representative of the U.S. authorities said one option for the U.S. and its partners would be to create an interim deal that could freeze some of Iran's activities and wind back aspects of its nuclear program in return for some level of sanctions relief from the U.S. Iran has always rejected the idea of an interim deal.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has said that the Russian invaders are using fake news about alleged traitors among the Ukrainian security forces and the military to provoke clashes and shooting between the defenders of Ukraine.

"The Russian occupiers cannot defeat the Ukrainian military in battle, so they are increasingly acting with insidious methods. In particular, there have been cases when information about supposedly traitors and saboteurs is deliberately thrown into the information space, their names are published, car numbers  with a call to immediately detain. Often such fake news aims at employees of law enforcement agencies and the military," the SBU said on its Telegram channel.

The Ukrainian intelligence service said that the purpose of such fake news is to sow discord and provoke skirmishes and shootings between the defenders of Ukraine.

In this context, the SBU calls on citizens to be extremely careful about the dissemination of unverified information, especially when it is anonymous, and the Ukrainian special service asks representatives of law enforcement agencies and the Territorial Defense to carefully check the information received.

"Dear citizens, if you have information about sabotage-reconnaissance groups, first of all, report it to law enforcement officers. It is advisable to indicate the contact phone number so that the information can be quickly checked and the necessary measures taken. You can also send information to the official chat bot @stop_russian_war_bot It will be checked," the SBU said in the statement.
Prosecutor general calls on intl partners to take responsibility, help Ukraine after murder of NYT journalist

Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova reacted to the killing of New York Times journalist Brent Renaud by Russian invaders, saying the time has come for international partners to take responsibility and help Ukraine.

"Silence breeds consequences. Today, at a checkpoint in Kyiv, the body of a U.S. journalist killed by the Russian aggressor was discovered... This man worked for The New York Times. Russian bandits killed him in Irpin. They killed him brutally. They shot him in the head," Venediktova wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

She appealed to international partners to help Ukraine.

"I appeal to international partners  should we count the number of victims on the calculator? Help. Take risks. Take responsibility. It will be impossible to sit on the sidelines. Not on the sidelines anymore," the Prosecutor General said.

Venediktova added that Ukrainian law enforcement officers have entered data on the murder of the American journalist in the register and will investigate this case.

"I believe that we will bring the killers to justice, but we will not return the life of your citizen. All other citizens too. Unfortunately," Venediktova said.

Earlier it became known that Russian troops killed New York Times journalist Brent Renaud in Irpen, another journalist was wounded.
The authorities of Irpin, Kyiv region, have banned journalists from entering the town, Mayor Oleksandr Markushin said.

"From today, we prohibit the entry of journalists to Irpin. Thus, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders. I beg all media representatives, as well as all Ukrainians - do not post our military personnel, their equipment or anything that would indicate their location on social networks! This is very important," Markushin wrote in the Telegram channel.
Kyiv City Council has increased the reserve fund of the city budget to UAH 1.3 billion for the needs of the defense of the capital and civil protection of the population, Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said.

"Today we had a meeting of Kyiv City Council, which was attended by 68 deputies from all factions. We made the following decisions: we increased the reserve fund of the city budget for the needs of the defense of the capital and civil protection of the population," the mayor of the capital wrote on his telegram channel on Sunday.

In particular, according to him, the reserve fund has been increased to compensate the transport enterprises of the capital, including those operating in shelter mode (for example, the subway), to compensate transport workers who take people out of the suburbs where fighting continues - the city helps the region and provides Kyivpastrans buses for the evacuation of people from Hostomel, Bucha, Vorzel and Irpin.

Also, Klitschko noted, the increase in the reserve fund is due to the need for additional funding for the city's electricity and heat supply, and other acute needs of Kyiv.

"The reserve fund, which we included in the budget in peacetime, is UAH 250 million. Today, in the conditions of war, we have increased it to UAH 1.3 billion," the mayor of Kyiv said.
Kazakhstan will send first batch of humanitarian aid to Ukraine weighting over 28 tonnes

On March 14, Kazakhstan will send the first batch of humanitarian aid to the population of Ukraine, the Kazakh interdepartmental commission said on Sunday.

"The Commission on International Humanitarian Aid made a decision to allocate a batch of medical supplies to the population of Ukraine ... The issue of delivering humanitarian cargo along the route Almaty-Katowice (Poland) by aircraft has been worked out. Humanitarian aid to citizens of Ukraine will be sent by two flights on March 14 and March 15, 2022 from the airport of Almaty," the message says.

The total weight of humanitarian aid will be 28.2 tonnes and 17 types of medicines: antibiotics, anti-inflammatory, antitussive and antihypertensive drugs, the report says.
Kuleba urges foreigners not to join Russian invasion forces in Ukraine: even if you survive, you will be war criminals

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba calls on foreigners who are being agitated to join Russian troops fighting against Ukraine not to do so, not to become war criminals.

"Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. I warn foreign nationals who might be agitated to join Russian invasion forces: don't. We have already launched cases in international courts. Even if you survive, you will be a war criminal. Not worth money or anything else," he said on Twitter.
Number of refugees from Ukraine reaches 2.7 mln, of which almost 1.7 mln to Poland, 1.85 mln IDPs - UN

Russia's military offensive against Ukraine forced 2,698,300 people to leave the country in 17 incomplete days of the war in search of safety, protection and assistance, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reports as of 13:00 Kyiv time on March 12.

The office clarifies that the Ukrainian-Polish border accounted for 61.3% of all refugees.

The Polish border service reported on Twitter on Sunday the number of refugees from Ukraine to Poland since February 24, when Russia started the war, has reached 1.675 million. According to the service, on March 12, some 79,800 people crossed the Polish border from Ukraine - 5% more than the day before, but less than March 10, when there were 87,000.

As of 07:00 a.m. on March 13, another 16,800 refugees from Ukraine arrived, the border service added. According to it, on March 12, the largest flow to Poland was recorded at the Medyka checkpoint  21,500, Dorohusk  12,000 and Hrebenne  11,100.

According to the UNHCR, Hungary accepted 246,210, Slovakia  195,980, Moldova  104,930 (data as of March 10), Romania (data as of March 8)  84,670, others European countries (data as of March 11)  304,160.

According to the department, 106,000 people arrived in Russia from Ukraine, 940 arrived in Belarus.

UNHCR indicates that the downward trend in the flow of refugees has stopped: after a peak of 208,940 on March 6 and a decrease by March 11 to 151,420, on March 12 their number increased again - to 155,840.

"As the situation continues to evolve, about 4 million people may leave Ukraine," the UNHCR said.

According to its data, there are currently at least 1.85 million internally displaced persons (IDP) in Ukraine and another 12.65 million people directly affected by the war.
Power supply to the Chornobyl NPP site has been resumed, but Ukraine still needs the intervention of the world community to ensure nuclear safety, Energy Minister Herman Haluschenko said.

"Today, thanks to the incredible efforts of Ukrenergo specialists, our nuclear scientists and electricians, we managed to return power to Chornobyl nuclear power plant, which was seized by Russian invaders. Our Ukrainian power engineers, risking their own health and lives, were able to prevent the risk of a possible nuclear catastrophe that threatened all of Europe," he wrote on Facebook on Sunday.

He explained that now the cooling systems of spent nuclear assemblies will again operate in a normal mode, not from backup power supply.

The minister noted that Ukraine is capable of providing or resuming electricity supply at Ukrainian energy facilities, one of which is Chornobyl nuclear power plant, without anyone's help.

At the same time, Haluschenko stressed that Ukraine still needs the help of the international community to ensure nuclear security, pointing out that it is impossible to ensure it by mere exploits on the part of Ukrainian energy specialists in the face of military aggression.

"Therefore, I once again appeal to our international partners - the European Commission, the IAEA, the UN, the OSCE - help us protect nuclear facilities. Now it is extremely important to force the enemy to leave our nuclear power plants and establish a 30-kilometer demilitarized zone around Ukraine's nuclear facilities," he said.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

From 18:15 on March 12 to 02:20 on March 13, Azerbaijani army positions came under Armenian fire from various directions, the Defence Ministry has reported.

Members of the illegal Armenian armed detachment on the Azerbaijani territory, where the Russian peacekeepers are temporarily deployed, using small arms periodically subjected to fire Azerbaijan army positions in the direction of the Khojavand and Tartar regions.

The Azerbaijan Army Units took adequate retaliatory measures in these directions.

According to the ministry, there are no losses among the military personnel and equipment of the Azerbaijan Army.

Currently, the situation in these directions is stable. The Azerbaijan Army Units completely control the operational situation.

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.
Ambassador of Ukraine to Israel Yevhen Korniychuk has filed a lawsuit with the Supreme Court of Israel against the actions of the Israeli government and personally Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked on the issue of accepting refugees from Ukraine.

The suit, according to ITV channel 12, alleges that Minister Shaked violates the agreements reached earlier by Jerusalem and Kyiv on a visa-free regime, using "vague language" for this. The ambassador noted that he decided to resort to filing a lawsuit after all diplomatic options had been exhausted to protect Ukrainian citizens seeking asylum from the war.

The lawsuit focuses on the fact that the Interior Minister of Israel does not have the authority to make a sole decision on the issue of accepting refugees from Ukraine; the plaintiffs believe that this issue should be decided by the government of the Jewish state in close cooperation with the Knesset commission on international affairs.

Earlier, the Interior Ministry extended the period of stay in Israel for Ukrainian tourists legally staying in the country by two months.
Zelensky thanks Meta and other platforms for their active position in support of Ukraine

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky thanked Meta (formerly Facebook) and a number of other platforms for their active support and assistance to Ukraine.

"War is not only a military confrontation on Ukrainian land. It is also a fierce battle in the information space. I want to thank Meta and a number of other platforms that have an active position, which help and stand side by side with the Ukrainians," Zelensky wrote on Twitter on Sunday.
The U.S. Embassy in Ukraine has condemned the shelling of the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security in Yavoriv, Lviv region.

"We deplore the attack at the IPSC in Yavoriv, which killed 35 and wounded 134. The attack on the center, where the United States, Poland, Lithuania, UK, Canada and others trained Ukrainian forces, will not defeat the heroic soldiers who trained there," the embassy said on Twitter.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken had a conversation, agreed on further support for Ukraine and discussed the need to hold the Russian Federation accountable for its crimes.

"In a call with @SecBlinken we coordinated further support for Ukraine. We both agree that more needs to be done to stop Russian aggression and hold Russia accountable for its crimes. Grateful to the U.S. for firmly standing by the people of Ukraine. Ukraine will prevail," Kuleba said on Twitter on Sunday.
PrJSC Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant, part of Metinvest Group, has come under massive fire from Russian troops.

"Today, March 13, Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant of Metinvest Group became subject to massive shelling  There were no casualties," the press service told Interfax-Ukraine.

At the same time, they specified that as a result of the shelling, the plant's combined heat and power plant (CHPP), which supplies heat to Avdiyivka, stopped.

Earlier it was reported that due to active hostilities in Ukraine, the plant partially mothballed production facilities.

Avdiyivka Coke and Chemical Plant is the largest coking plant in Europe, the main producer of coke in Ukraine.
Zelensky: Today there can't be no half-decisions or half-tones - you are either for peace or support bloody Russian aggressor

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky calls on the world to decide on support for Ukraine in the fight against Russian aggression.

"Today there can be no half-decisions or half-tones! There is only black and white, good and evil! You are either for peace or support the bloody Russian aggressor in the murder of Ukrainian children and women," he tweeted on Sunday evening.
By Azernews

By Sabina Mammadli

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov and OSCE Secretary-General Helga Schmid have met to discuss the reconstruction and reintegration in the Azerbaijani territories liberated from Armenian occupation in the 2020 second Karabakh war.

The meeting took place during Bayramovs working visit to Turkey to attend Antalya Diplomacy Forum.

The parties focused on various aspects of the agenda, cooperation between Azerbaijan and the OSCE, as well as the latest regional developments.

Bayramov informed the secretary-general about the work done by Azerbaijan to restore the liberated territories, especially in the field of ecology and environmental protection.

The minister also spoke about the steps taken by Azerbaijan to implement the tripartite statement, which was signed between Russian, Azerbaijani, and Armenian leaders on November 10, 2020, following the second Karabakh war.

Furthermore, the parties examined the possibility of the OSCE participating in the post-conflict development and reintegration processes.

In addition to the foregoing, Bayramov and Schmid spoke about other regional and global matters of mutual concern.

Azerbaijan and Armenia resumed their second war on September 27, 2020, when Armenia began firing on Azerbaijani civilians and military positions. The war came to an end on November 10, when the leaders of Azerbaijan, Russia, and Armenia signed a trilateral cease-fire agreement.

The Azerbaijani army declared victory over the Armenian forces. The agreement required Armenia to withdraw its troops from Azerbaijani territory that it had occupied since the early 1990s.

In the war unleashed by Armenia, Azerbaijan's Ganja, Barda, Yevlakh, Beylagan, Tartar, Gabala, Goranboy, Aghjabadi, Khizi and other cities and regions, fairly far from the war zone, came under Armenia's missile and artillery fire.

Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have confirmed that Armenia used prohibited cluster bombs and missiles in its attacks on Azerbaijani cities.

As a result, 100 Azerbaijani civilians, including 12 children and 27 women, were killed. There were 454 people injured, including 35 children. One hundred and eighty-one children lost one parent, five children lost both parents, and one family died. In total, 12,292 residential and non-residential structures, as well as 288 vehicles, were damaged.
Egyptian authorities succeeded in releasing 20 Egyptian sailors who were held in Yemen over the past several days reportedly over charges of trespassing into Yemeni territorial waters without a permit.
Germany's top court said Tuesday that it has rejected the appeal of a former member of Syria's secret police who was convicted last year of facilitating the torture of prisoners in his home country.
Egyptian Minister of Trade and Industry Nevine Gamea and a delegation from Mercedes-Benz Egypt discussed in Cairo on Tuesday boosting the companys projects in the country.
Russian troops are pressing their offensive across Ukraine, pounding populated areas with artillery and airstrikes and deploying siege tactics honed in Syria and Chechnya  where front line cities were reduced to rubble.

The Ukrainian government said on Saturday that Russias troops have shelled a mosque sheltering more than 80 people in the besieged city of Mariupol. There was no immediate word on casualties.

Bombardment intensified as Russian units fanned out to prepare their assault on the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic prize for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Ukrainians armed with portable missiles and Molotov cocktails have vowed to annihilate any Russian forces who enter the capital.

Now in its third week, the war has expanded to areas closer to NATO members Poland and Romania, with Ukrainian authorities saying Russian airstrikes attacked sites in two western cities. Meanwhile residents in some besieged areas have faced so much firepower they cant even bury the dead.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has accused Russia of kidnapping the mayor of another, occupied city of Melitopol, calling it a new stage of terror.

The West has ramped up economic pressure on Russia, as the U.S. and its allies downgraded Russians trade status  the latest in efforts to further isolate Moscow for the invasion.

The war has forced more than 2.5 million people to flee Ukraine, while others seek refuge in basements, subway stations and underground shelters. The Ukrainian chief prosecutors office says at least 79 children have been killed since the start of the invasion.

Here are some key things to know about the war:

Whats Happening in Besieged Mariupol?

The Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey said Saturday that 86 Turkish nationals, including 34 children, were among the people who had sought safety in the mosque that was shelled. Ukrainian authorities have warned of a humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol, besieged by Russian forces and where Ukraines military said Russian forces have captured the citys eastern outskirts.

Repeated attempts to bring in food and evacuate civilians have been cancelled due to relentless Russian fire, while Moscow accuses the Ukrainians of violating cease-fires. Mariupols mayor says the 12-day assault has killed over 1,500 people.

Doctors Without Borders said some residents are dying for lack of medication, with the city without drinking water or medicine for over a week now. The aid group says people are resorting to boiling water from the ground or extracted from heating pipes.

What of the Missing Mayor of Occupied Melitopol?

Zelenskyy said the mayor of Melitopol, west of Mariupol and near Crimea, was kidnapped, and videos have emerged of local citizens there protesting the Russians presence, carrying flags and shouting.

Kirill Timoshenko, the deputy head of Ukraines presidential office, posted a video which he said shows armed men taking Mayor Ivan Fedorov across a square. Russian forces captured Melitopol, with a population of 150,000, on Feb. 26. Another video subsequently published online showed hundreds of Melitopol residents marching in a central square, demanding the mayors release. The video could not be immediately independently confirmed.

The prosecutors office of the Luhansk Peoples Republic, a Moscow-backed rebel region in eastern Ukraine, accused Fedorov on its website of terrorist activities.

Whats Happening around the Capital and Elsewhere?

In the northeast, Russian forces were blockading Kharkiv, Ukraines second-largest city, even as efforts have been made to create new humanitarian corridors around it and other urban centers.

Ukraines emergency services reported that the bodies of five people were pulled from an apartment building that was struck by shelling in Kharkiv, including two women, a man and two children.

In Kyiv, an ammunition depot outside the city was shelled overnight, sending billowing black smoke into the sky, according to video provided by emergency workers. It was unclear immediately if were injuries or deaths.

The Russians push on Kyiv from the northeast appeared to be advancing, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on condition of anonymity to give the U.S. assessment of the fight. Combat units were moved up from the rear as the forces advanced to within 30 kilometers (19 miles) of Kyiv.

New commercial satellite images appeared to capture artillery firing on residential areas that stood between the Russians and the Ukrainian capital. The images from Maxar Technologies showed muzzle flashes and smoke from big guns, as well as impact craters and burning homes in the town of Moschun, 33 kilometers (20.5 miles) from Kyiv, the company said.

The strikes in western Ukraine, in the cities of Ivano-Frankiivsk and Lutsk, were confirmed by Russia, which said it used long-range weapons to put military airfields in the two cities out of action. Lutsk Mayor Ihor Polishchuk said four servicemen were killed and another six were wounded.

What has the AP directly witnessed or confirmed?

An Associated Press journalist witnessed tanks firing on a 9-story apartment block in Mariupol and was among a group of medical workers who came under sniper fire on Friday. Conditions at a local hospital there were deteriorating, electricity was reserved for operating tables and the hallways were lined with people with nowhere else to go.

Anastasiya Erashova, wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brothers child. No one was able to save them.

The city of 430,000 has been without food, running water and electricity for 10 days.

In Baryshivka, a village east of Kyiv, people surveyed damage and boarded up windows after a Russian bombing reduced a restaurant and a cinema to hanging metal, dust, glass and other debris. Ivan Merzyk, a 62-year-old resident, said: Putin created this mess, thinking he will be in charge here. Ukrainians are a free nation. We are not going away from here and we dont want to see any Russian here.

Are People Being Safely Evacuated from Ukraine?

Ukrainian authorities said there are plans for several evacuation and humanitarian aid delivery routes. The top priority remains freeing people from the city of Mariupol and getting aid to its desperate population.

Buses were being sent Friday to multiple Kyiv suburbs to bring people to the capital, where authorities say half of the metropolitan areas population, or around 2 million, has already fled.

There were also efforts to create new humanitarian corridors around the cities of Kherson in the south, Chernihiv in the north and Kharkiv in the east. Russian forces were blockading Kharkiv and pushing their offensive in the south around three cities and towns, including the hometown of Ukraines president, Kryvyi Rih.

Warsaws mayor has appealed for international help as the city becomes overwhelmed by refugees, with more than a tenth of all those fleeing the war arriving in the Polish capital. Its train stations have become crowded transit hubs, with many camping out on the floor.

Are More Sanctions Against Russia Happening?

U.S. President Joe Biden announced an agreement Friday with other nations to revoke Russias most favored nation trade status, which would allow for higher tariffs to be imposed on Russian imports.

The U.S. also banned imports of Russian seafood, alcohol and diamonds.

Western nations have been largely united in punishing Russia economically.

French President Emmanuel Macron said Friday the European Union will continue applying pressure to Moscow and consider all options for more sanctions if Putin intensifies bombing and lays siege to Kyiv.

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Israel has denied allegations it urged Kyiv to accept Moscow-proposed terms as part of Israels mediation efforts to end the conflict in Ukraine.

Israeli media said Friday that a senior Ukrainian official accused Prime Minister Naftali Bennett of acting as a mailbox for Russian demands.

According to left-leaning daily Haaretz, the unidentified official said Bennett urged Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky over the telephone to "accept the Russian stance" and surrender.

"This report isn't just inaccurate but patently false," a senior official in Bennett's office said in a statement sent to AFP on Saturday.

"At no point did PM Bennett advise President Zelensky to take a deal from Putin -- because no such deal was offered to Israel for us to be able to do so," the official added.

"Bennett has at no point told Zelensky how to act nor does he have any intention to."

Since Russia's invasion of Ukraine began on February 24, Bennett has avoided forceful condemnation of Russia's invasion, stressing Israel's strong ties with Moscow and Kyiv.

Israel has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine and Bennett, who visited the Kremlin a week ago, has sought to mediate between the two countries in a bid to end the conflict.

Ukraine's ambassador to Israel Yevgen Korniychuk this week thanked Bennett for his mediation efforts but grew emotional when expressing frustration that Israel had not yet approved the export of defensive equipment -- specifically helmets and flak jackets -- to Ukraine.

"I don't know what these people (Israeli officials) are afraid of, to provide personal security to Ukrainians," Korniychuk said, as he put on the type of helmet he said Ukrainians were seeking to acquire.

According to Israeli media, Bennett has rejected repeated requests from Kyiv for military assistance.

During a press conference on Friday, Korniychuk said Israel did not have "exclusivity" over mediation efforts, noting that none had so far been successful.

He called on Israel to join Western countries that have imposed harsh sanctions on Russia.

The office of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid said he would depart Saturday evening for visits to Romania and Slovakia to discuss the conflict with senior officials.

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Egypt condemned in the strongest terms the cowardly terrorist attack that targeted the Iraqi city of Irbil that took place in the early hours of Sunday and resulted in some material losses, a statement by the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs read on Sunday.

As many as 12 ballistic missiles were fired on the northern Iraqi city, with no injuries reported. It was not immediately clear where they landed.

Egypt reiterates its strong condemnation of these despicable acts, the statement added, stressing the countrys support to Iraq.

The ministry added that Egypt supports any measures Iraq will take to safeguard its security and stability.

US and Iraqi officials told AP  on condition of anonymity  that the missiles were launched from neighbouring Iran.

Iraqi officials in Baghdad initially said several missiles hit the new and unoccupied US consulate in Irbil and that it was the target of the attack, while US officials said it was still uncertain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed, according to AP.

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Award-winning American filmmaker and journalist, Brent Renaud, was killed in Ukraine on Sunday while reporting in a suburb of the capital, Kyiv, according to Ukraines Interior Ministry, while White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned that Russia will face a response from NATO should any of its attacks in Ukraine cross borders and hit members of the security alliance.

Renaud, 50, had worked, according to the "New York Times," for a number of American news and media organizations in the past, including HBO, NBC and The New York Times.

The American Newspaper said that the Ukrainian authorities said he was killed in Irpin, a suburb that has been the site of intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days, but the details of his death were not immediately clear. Ukrainian officials said another journalist was wounded as well.

Medics and witnesses told AFP that another Journalist was wounded. Danylo Shapovalov, a surgeon volunteering for the Ukrainian territorial defence, said one of the Americans died instantly and he had treated the other.

AFP reporters in Irpin saw the body of the victim. A third victim, a Ukrainian who had been in the same car as the Americans, was also wounded.

Ukrainian officials were quick to blame Russian forces for the shooting but the exact circumstances were unclear. AFP reporters heard small arms and artillery fire in the area.

"The car was shot at. There were two journalists and one of ours (a Ukrainian)," Shapovalov told AFP.

"Our guy and the journalist are wounded, I provided them first aid, the other one received a wound in the neck, he died immediately."

Papers found on the American reporter's body identified him as 50-year-old video documentary shooter Brent Renaud, of New York.

A New York Times identity card was among the papers, leading to reports he worked for the paper, but the US daily said he was not working for it at the time of his death.

"Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years," said a statement tweeted by deputy managing editor Cliff Levy.

"Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine."

US: NATO will act if Russia hits alliance

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan says Russia will face a response from NATO should any of its attacks in Ukraine cross borders and hit members of the security alliance.

Russian missiles on Sunday struck a military training base close to Ukraine's western border with NATO member Poland and killed 35 people. Sullivan tells CBS News' "Face the Nation'' that President Joe Biden "has been clear repeatedly that the United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory and that means every inch.'' Sullivan says a military attack on NATO territory would cause the invocation of Article 5. That requires other countries in NATO to come to the defense of the attacked nation. Sullivan says "We will bring the full force of the NATO alliance to bear in responding.'' Sullivan says NATO would respond even if a shot by Russia that hit NATO territory was accidental.\ Israeli Foreign Minister Condemns Russia Israel's foreign minister Yair Lapid, condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine, calling on Moscow to halt its attacks and end the conflict.

Lapid's criticism Sunday is among the strongest that has come from Israeli officials since the war began. His remarks set him apart from Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, who has stopped short of condemning Russia.

Israel has walked a fine line in its response to the crisis. Bennett has voiced support for the Ukrainian people and the country has sent humanitarian aid to Ukraine. But Israel relies on Russia for security coordination in Syria, where Russia has a military presence and where Israeli aircraft have frequently struck enemy targets over recent years. Bennett has been attempting to mediate between the Kremlin and Ukraine.

Lapid made his remarks in Bucharest, Romania, where he met his Romanian counterpart.

85 Children killed

The office of Ukraine's Prosecutor General says a total of 85 children have been killed since the start of the Russian offensive in Ukraine.

More than 100 more have been wounded, the office said. Officials also said that bombings and shelling have damaged 369 educational facilities in the country, 57 of which have been completely destroyed.

Russian Airstrike On Military Base Near Polish Border

At least nine people were killed and 57 wounded when a Russian airstrike hit a military training base in western Ukraine close to the Polish border, a local official said Sunday.

The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyi, said Russian forces fired more than 30 cruise missiles at the Yavoriv military range, located 30 kilometers (19 miles) northwest of the city of Lviv and 35 kilometers (22 miles) from Ukraine's border with Poland.

The assault brought the war closer to the border with Poland. A senior Russian diplomat has warned that Moscow considered foreign shipments of military equipment to Ukraine legitimate targets.''

The United States and NATO have regularly sent instructors to the range, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, to train Ukrainian military personnel. The facility has also hosted international NATO drills.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in Ivano-Frankivsk, a city in western Ukraine located 250 kilometers (155.34 miles) from Ukraine's border with Slovakia and Hungary.

Russias New Ukrainian Pseudo-Republics

Russia is trying to create new pseudo-republics'' in Ukraine to break his country apart, President Volodymyr Zelensky said in his nightly address to the nation Saturday.

Zelensky called on Ukraine's regions, including Kherson, which was captured by Russian forces, not to repeat the experience of Donetsk and Luhansk. Pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in those eastern regions in 2014.

The occupiers on the territory of the Kherson region are trying to repeat the sad experience of the formation of pseudo-republics,'' Zelensky said. They are blackmailing local leaders, putting pressure on deputies, looking for someone to bribe.''

City council members in Kherson, a southern city of 290,000, on Saturday rejected plans for a new pseudo-republic, Zelensky said.

Russia recognized the Donetsk People's Republic and the Luhansk People's Republic before invading Ukraine in February. Moscow said it had to protect the separatist regions, and is demanding that Ukraine recognize their independence too.

Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land,'' Zelensky said.

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Egypt is set to receive a total amount of 189,000 tonnes of wheat from Russia, Ukraine and Romania in the coming days, a statement by the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade said on Sunday.

The wheat shipments from the three countries  which were contracted earlier  have been loaded and are expected to arrive at the Egyptian ports within the coming days, the ministry said.

This comes within the framework of the supply ministry's continuous daily follow-ups on wheat shipments from abroad to prevent disruptions to the supply chain, the statement said.

The expected wheat shipments of 189,000 tonnes are distributed equally from the three countries - 63,000 tonnes from each.

Egypt has already secured 126,000 tons of wheat last week, also distributed equally from France and Romania, the ministry said.

The ministry affirmed the regularity in the supply chain of imported wheat contracted from multiple origins, thus enhancing the strategic reserve of wheat.

Last week, Ukraine, which accounts for 12 percent of the world's total wheat exports, announced that it would not be exporting commodities including wheat, corn, grains, salt, and meat.

Ukraine, however, will still stick to exporting the shipments that have already been contracted on.

Egypt  the worlds top wheat importer  imports 80 percent of its wheat needs from Russia and Ukraine.

On the heels of the Russia-Ukraine war, the country has set its eyes on 14 alternative markets  including non-European countries like the US, Argentina, Canada and Paraguay  to meet its grain needs.

In an attempt to deal with expected shortages in wheat, the ministry has recently banned the export of wheat, fava beans, lentils, pasta and all kinds of flour for the next three months.

Moreover, in light of the advent of the month of Ramadan  which will start in early April and typically witnesses an increase in the rate of consumption of food products - the Ministry of Trade and Industry decided on Saturday to impose an export ban on cooking oil, corn and all kinds of cracked green wheat (fereek) for three months.

So far, the price of wheat in Egypt has increased by only 17 percent, compared to 48 percent in the international market, Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said last week.

Madbouly offered assurance that Egypt has enough wheat reserves to last till the end of 2022.

Egypt's current strategic wheat reserves are sufficient to cover the coming four months, and it is expected that the local wheat supply season  which starts in mid-April  will cover an additional five more months, according to officials.

Egypts local wheat production is expected to reach at least 10 million tonnes this year after 3.65 million feddans of wheat were planted, according to Head of the National Wheat Campaign Reda Mohamed Ali.

During a telephone interview with the Sabah El-Kheir Ya Masr (Good Morning Egypt) TV show on Monday, he stated that, "we will have enough stocks until the end of the year," he added.

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Egypt is set to revamp 37 sidewalks in Cairo's Zamalek to facilitate the daily movement of people with disabilities around the upscale neighbourhood as per a newly signed cooperation protocol, a statement by Ministry of Local Development said on Sunday.

The agreement was signed on Sunday between the country's Ministry of Local Development and Cairo governorate, on one side, and civil society organisation Good Makers Foundation and PepsiCo Egypt Group, a Cairo-based affiliate of the international beverage company, on the other.

The move complements the recently launched cooperation initiative between the Egyptian government and civil society organisations, which started in Cairo's Maadi neighbourhood last year, according to the statement.

The new initiative is meant to facilitate the integration of people with disabilities into the society without reliance on escorts, added the statement.

As per the initiative, the Local Development Ministry and Cairo governorate will issue licences and approvals required for implementation of the project.

On the other side, Good Makers Foundation and PepsiCo Egypt Group will be tasked with reconstructing the selected sidewalks to provide easy access for disabled people by building wheelchair ramps and putting up signage.

In October 2021, 28 sidewalks in the Maadi neighbourhood were selected for reconstruction as per a protocol inked between Cairo governorate, Housing and Development Bank and Misr El Kheir Foundation.

The preparation work for the selected sidewalks in Maadi has been concluded, Local development Minister Mahmoud Shaarawy, who attended Sundays event, said.

He also expressed his aspiration to expand the initiative to include another districts in Cairo and other governorates in cooperation with civil society organisations and major companies, the statement pointed out.

In recent years, the country has intensified its efforts to provide easily accessible transport and public spaces for physically challenged people.

Up to 11 million individuals in Egypt live with a disability, according to General Supervisor of the Egyptian National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPD) Ashraf Marai.

Celebrating the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December 2021, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi announced a package of executive measures targeting the welfare of people with special needs.

He also called for more specialised training for teachers working with children with special education needs and training programmes and workshops for Egyptians with special needs to help them qualify for job opportunities.

In February, the Egyptian ministries of transport and social solidarity signed a cooperation protocol to adopt measures meant to facilitate access and use of public transportation for people with disabilities.

The protocol is meant to help people with disabilities move around seamlessly includes on the newest transportation currently under construction, such as the monorail, the LRT, and the BRT, and the existing means, such as the railways and underground metro, read a cabinet statement.

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By Trend

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov met with High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Vice President of the European Commission Josep Borrell, within the framework of participation in the Diplomatic Forum in Antalya, Trend reports citing Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry.

The parties discussed the prospects for cooperation between Azerbaijan and the EU, also the strategic energy partnership.

The importance of completing negotiations on a new agreement between Azerbaijan and the EU also emphasized.

Bayramov and Borrell discussed the situation in Ukraine and the provision of humanitarian assistance to this country.

Minister Jeyhun Bayramov informed Borrell about the situation in the South Caucasus, the implementation of the trilateral statements on Azerbaijans Karabakh and reconstruction work carried out on these territories.

The parties also exchanged views on other issues of mutual interest.
Hanafy El-Gebaly, speaker of Egypt's House of Representatives, and his Kuwaiti counterpart Marzouq El-Ghanem announced Sunday that they intend to step up coordination in regional and international parliamentary circles to defend their vital interests and those of the Arab world.

El-Gebaly, who is currently visiting Kuwait, said the relations between Egypt and Kuwait are historical and deep-rooted.

"Kuwait has a special place in the hearts of the Egyptian people because of its strong and solid support for Egypt," said El-Gebaly, noting that "the political leadership of the two countries have always been keen on coordinating among themselves at all levels and in a way that serve the interests of their peoples."

Marzouq El-Ghanem, the speaker of the Kuwaiti National Assembly, said Kuwait has always been interested in building strategic relations with Egypt in all fields, particularly in parliamentary terms.

El-Gebaly also met with the crown prince of Kuwait Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad El-Sabbah.

El-Gebaly said Egypt and Kuwait have similar positions on the majority of Arab and international issues. "This makes relations between the two countries very strong and remarkable," said El-Gebaly.

For his part, Sheikh Meshaal Al-Ahmad El-Gaber El-Sabbah said Kuwait is proud of its close relations with Egypt and that "Kuwait highly appreciates Egypt's constructive role in supporting Arab causes."

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A military drone that apparently flew all the way from the Ukrainian war zone over three European NATO-member states before crashing into an urban zone of the Croatian capital was armed with an explosive device, Croatia's defense minister said Sunday.

The Soviet-made aircraft crossed Romania and Hungary before entering Croatia, slamming into a field near a student dormitory late Thursday.

About 40 parked cars were damaged in the large explosion, but no one was injured.

``Traces of explosives and clues suggesting that this was not a reconnaissance aircraft were found. We found parts of an air bomb,'' Croatian Defense Minister Mario Banozic said at the crash site.

He said that this further raises a question about whether the drone belonged to Russia or Ukraine.

``There are elements that indicated it could have come from both,'' he said.

Air crash investigators have pulled most of the drone's remaining parts from a large crater it created on impact, including a partly damaged black box that should reveal the drone's flight path.

Croatian officials have criticized NATO for what they called a slow reaction to a very serious incident and called into question the readiness of the military alliance's member states to respond to a possible attack.

NATO said the alliance's integrated air and missile defense had tracked the object's flight path. But Croatian officials said the country's authorities weren't informed and that NATO reacted only after questions were posed by journalists.

``If this situation had been detected and resolved in time in neighboring countries, we would not be here today,'' Banozic said.

``We will seek answers to what happened. The defense ministers of Romania and Hungary said that day they were evaluating what happened. We are waiting for an answer,'' he said.

Croatian investigators identified the unmanned aircraft that crashed in Zagreb as a Soviet-era Tu-141 that was used for reconnaissance missions in both countries in the 1980s.

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Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who travelled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Ukraine's Interior Ministry said the area has sustained intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days.

Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death. Renaud and Putzel won a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University journalism award for Arming the Mexican Cartels, a documentary on how guns trafficked from the United States fueled rampant drug gang violence.

This guy was the absolute best, Putzel told The Associated Press via phone from New York City. He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know. This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.

The details of Renaud's death were not made immediately clear by Ukrainian authorities, but American journalist Juan Arredondo said the two were traveling in a vehicle toward the Irpin checkpoint when they were both shot. Arredondo, speaking from a hospital in Kyiv, told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli that Renaud was hit in the neck. Camilli told the AP that Arredondo himself had been hit in the lower back.

We crossed the first bridge in Irpin, we were going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us, Arredondo told Camilli in a video interview shared with the AP.

A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car. Hours after the shooting of Renaud, Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said journalists would be denied entry to the city.

In this way, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders, Markushyn said.

Responding to news of Renaud's death, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for an immediate halt to violence against journalists and other civilians.

This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law, the committee said on Twitter.

Along with his brother Craig, Renaud won a Peabody Award for Last Chance High, an HBO series about a school for at-risk youth on Chicago's West Side. The brothers' litany of achievements include two duPont-Columbia journalism awards and acclaimed productions for HBO, NBC, Discovery, PBS, the New York Times, and Vice News.

Renaud was also a 2019 Nieman fellow at Harvard and served as visiting distinguished professor for the Center for Ethics in Journalism at University of Arkansas. He and his brother founded the Little Rock Film Festival.

Among other assignments, Renaud covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating 2011 earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya and extremism in Africa.

Putzel, who worked with Renaud for 12 years, paid tribute to his courage and passion.

Nowhere was too dangerous, Putzel said. It was his bravery but also because he deeply, deeply cared.

He is survived by his brother Craig, Craig's wife, Mami, and a nephew, 11-year-old Taiyo.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi called on the government on Sunday to offer farmers additional incentives to encourage them to deliver the largest possible amount of wheat during this agricultural season.

Farmers will be offered additional incentives per ardeb (150 kilograms) of wheat delivered, Presidential Spokesman Bassam Rady said in a statement without specifying the value of the new incentives.

The president gave the directives in a meeting with a group of officials, including Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, Minister of Agriculture El-Sayed El-Quseir, and Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mohamed Abdel-Ati.

Despite the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, both major exporters of wheat to Egypt, Egyptian officials have affirmed that the countrys current strategic wheat reserves are sufficient to cover needs for the coming four months.

Wheat stocks will also be sufficient for Egypt through the end of the year as farmers are set to begin delivering wheat when the local wheat supply season starts in mid-April.

In November, Egypt raised the procurement price for an ardeb of wheat to EGP 820 in a move meant to encourage farmers to increase the amount of cultivated land of wheat amid a global hike in wheat price before the current crisis in Ukraine.

Egypt seeks to procure up to 5.5 million tonnes of wheat from local farmers during this wheat season  2 million tonnes more than it procured in 2021  according to the premier and several officials this month.

Egyptian farmers have cultivated 3.6 million feddans with wheat this year - an increase of 400,000 feddans over the past year, El-Qusseir said in a press conference last week.

In 2021, Egypt imported 5.5 million tonnes of wheat, on top of 3.5 million tonnes that was produced locally, according to data released by the supply ministry in December.

Russia and Ukraine together account for 29 percent of the worlds wheat exports, according to the Wheat Outlook report for 2022 issued by the US Department of Agriculture.

Egypt receives 80 percent of its wheat imports from Russia and Ukraine.

Last week, Ukraine, which accounts for 12 percent of the world's total wheat exports, announced that it would not be exporting commodities including wheat, corn, grains, salt and meat.

Egypt has affirmed it is working on plans to diversify sources of wheat imports, includes buying wheat from countries outside Europe, such as the US, Argentina, Canada and Paraguay.

Egypts Minister of Supply and Internal Trade Ali Moselhi affirmed late in February that contracts to import wheat from Russia are still valid.

Egypt is set to receive a total amount of 189,000 tonnes of wheat distributed equally from Russia, Ukraine and Romania in the coming days, a statement by the supply ministry said on Sunday.

Egypt has already secured 126,000 tonnes of wheat last week, with 63,000 tonnes each from France and Romania, the ministry said.

Last week, Egypt announced it was banning the export of wheat, fava beans, lentils, pasta and all kinds of flour for the next three months. This comes as part of the states plan to secure the products that the citizens need, particularly the basic commodities, the supply ministry said in a statement.

This comes especially in light of preparations for the holy month of Ramadan, which will start in April, during which the rate of consumption of food products increases considerably, the ministry added.

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A total of 2,179 Egyptian students enrolled in Ukrainian universities have filled out a government form to transfer to private and national Egyptian universities, Minister of Emigration Nabila Makram said on Saturday.

Students can fill out the form here.

This comes as the Russian invasion of Ukraine continued for its 17th day on Saturday. The conflict has forced 2.5 million people to flee the country, according to the United Nations on Friday.

Egypt has repatriated hundreds of Egyptians, mostly students, from war-torn Ukraine via Air Cairo planes and is planning to help them continue their education at private and national universities.

Before the Russian invasion, around 6,000 Egyptians lived in Ukraine, including about 3,000 students, according to officials.

So far, 80 percent of Egyptian students in Ukraine have left for other European countries, especially Poland, which had received 826 students as of Thursday, Makram told media.

However, a small percentage of nationals are refusing to leave Ukraine, including students who want to continue their education in Ukraine or those who fear that their academic career may be affected if they leave the country.

For example, some nationals in the southern Ukrainian city of Kherson preferred to remain in the city, Makram added.

Transferring to Egyptian universities

Of the 2,179 Egyptian students who filled out the unified form to transfer to Egyptian universities, only 941 have proof of enrollment in their universities in Ukraine, Makram said. Submitting the proof of enrollment, however, is essential to join Egyptian universities, she added.

Students wanting to transfer to Egyptian universities have three months to obtain the required documents from their universities in Ukraine.

Starting 14 March, students will have two weeks to submit these documents to the Ministry of Emigration, the minister said.

To submit the documents, students will have to visit the ministrys headquarters at 96 Ahmed Oraby street in Gizas Agouza district from 10am to 3pm Sunday through Thursday, Makram said.

Students must bring their passports with residence permits stamped before 24 February, the first day of the conflict in Ukraine, and certificates of the courses they took in Ukraine, according to Makram.

Students studying medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and engineering will have to undergo college entrance tests, she said.

However, students of other disciplines can visit the national or private universities directly after learning about disciplines with vacant seats through their respective websites, she added.

This special measure was approved in a cabinet meeting last week attended by Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly and Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar.

Students wanting to transfer to Egyptian universities have to submit proof of taking the Thanaweya Amma or other equivalent higher school certificates, the cabinet said in a statement.

Students who fail to submit academic placement tests from Cairo University or Ain Shams University within three months will have their transference requests cancelled, the statement said.

Students who successfully transfer to an Egyptian university will not be allowed to transfer to another in the country, according to the statement.

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The Grand Imam of Al-Azhar Sheikh Ahmed El-Tayyeb called on world leaders on Sunday to do everything in their power to extinguish the fires of war, urging them to unite their efforts to save the vulnerable and displaced.

My generation and I have witnessed the cruelty and bitterness of wars and conflicts. We also witnessed their ruinous effects through economic collapse; wasted resources; and the spread of poverty, illiteracy, disease, and hate, said the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar, the worlds leading Sunni Muslim institution.

My generation and I have witnessed the cruelty and bitterness of wars and conflicts. We also witnessed their ruinous effects through economic collapse, wasted resources and the spread of poverty, illiteracy, disease and hate.

1/2    (@alimamaltayeb) March 13, 2022

Reaching day 17 of Russias invasion of Ukraine, the war has so far forced more than 2.5 million people to flee Ukraine, while others seek refuge in basements, subway stations, and underground shelters, according to the UNHCR.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians since the start of the invasion, including at least 79 Ukrainian children.

Unite your efforts towards saving the vulnerable and displaced, for history will remember your ability to achieve stability, justice, and peace for your people and humanity, El-Tayyeb concluded.

Meanwhile, Pope Francis condemned the barbarity of killing children and civilians while speaking to thousands of people in St. Peters Square for his Sunday blessing.

In the name of God... stop this massacre, the pope said.

With an aching heart I add my voice to that of the common people, who implore the end of the war. In the name of God, listen to the cry of those who suffer, and put an end to the bombings and the attacks! #LetsPrayTogether #Ukraine #Peace  Pope Francis (@Pontifex) March 13, 2022

This comes after a series of attacks that targeted various civilian areas, including religious buildings.

Earlier last week, the grand imam called on Russia and Ukraine to defer to the voice of reason as well as on world leaders and international institutions to support peaceful solutions between the two neighbours.

Wars will only bring more death, destruction, and hatred to our world. Conflicts can only be settled through dialogue, he said last week.

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A number of Egyptian civil society organisations witnessed on Sunday the signing of the Charter of National Alliance for Civil Development Work, which seeks to ensure effective engagement of civil society institutions developing communities and meeting their legitimate needs.

In September, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi launched the National Strategy for Human Rights and declared 2022 Year of Civil Society, urging civil society to "continue working hard side by side with state institutions to achieve sustainable development in all fields."

Addressing many areas, the charter covers the ethical aspects that support development work based on a set of governing values, most notably efficiency, quality and participatory development work between the General Federation of NGOs and Foundations and the civil society institutions.

The charter highlights rights under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 1966.

One of the charters goals is to unify efforts of the civil society to serve target groups and coordinate between civil society organisations to ensure maximum benefit for individuals in the society.

The charter also aims to establish a database that would serve as the foundation on which all developmental initiatives will be based to ensure that services provided by civil society groups reach their beneficiaries in coordination between these groups and the state.

Hayah Karima Foundation, Bait Al-Zakat Foundation, Al-Joud Foundation, Al-Orman Charity Association, Egyptian Food Bank, Misr El-Kheir, Magdi Yacoub Heart Foundation and the National Cancer Institute attended the signing of the charter.

Attendees also included representatives from the Coptic Evangelical Organisation for Social Services, Baheya Foundation, Ahl Masr Foundation, Life Makers Foundation, Raie Misr Organisation, Resala Charity Organisation, Al-Baqyat Al-Salehat Association, Egy Liver Association and Cairo University Hospitals.

Also, Elaraby Foundation for Social Development, Dr.Mostafa Mahmoud Charity Association, Sonaa Al Khair Foundation for Development, Care Egypt Foundation, and Justice and Support Foundation.

Egypt has called for intensifying the role of the civil society groups and NGOs over the past years, including ratifying a law for regulating NGOs work in 2019, which replaced a piece of 2017 legislation that was heavily criticised by civil society locally and internationally for restricting the work of NGOs.

The National Council for Human Rights (NCHR) has also affirmed enhancing cooperation with civil society organisations in the near future to support their participation in implementing the National Strategy for Human Rights.

The national strategy will run until 2026 and address civilian and political rights; economic, social and cultural rights; the rights of marginalised groups (women, children, disabled people, youth and the elderly) and education and capacity building in the human rights field.

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Waves of Russian missiles pounded a military training base close to Ukraine's western border with NATO member Poland, killing 35 people. The strike followed Russian threats to target foreign weapon shipments that are helping Ukrainian fighters defend their country against Russia's grinding invasion.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling training facility that is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the closest border point with Poland, according to the governor of Ukraine's western Lviv region. Poland is a key location for routing Western military aid to Ukraine.

Since Russia invaded Ukraine, Lviv had largely been spared the scale of destruction unfolding further east and become a destination for residents escaping bombarded cities and for many of the nearly 2.6 million refugees who have fled the country.

The training center in Yavoriv appears to be the most westward target struck so far in the 18-day invasion. The facility, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, has long been used to train Ukrainian military personnel, often with instructors from the United States and other NATO countries.

It has also hosted international NATO drills. As such, the site symbolizes what has long been a Russian complaint: That the NATO alliance of 30 member countries is moving ever closer to Russia's borders. Russian has demanded that Ukraine drop its ambitions to join NATO.

Lviv governor Maksym Kozytskyi said most of the missiles fired Sunday "were shot down because the air defense system worked.'' The ones that got through through killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, he said.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Ukraine's border with Slovakia and Hungary, an attack the city's mayor said was intended "to sow panic and fear.'' The airport, which includes a military airfield as well as a runway for civilian flights, also was targeted Friday.

Fighting also raged in multiple areas of the country overnight. Ukrainian authorities said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a children's resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and refugees were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

Another airstrike hit a westward-bound train evacuating people from the east, killing one person and injuring another, Donetsk's chief regional administrator said.

To the north, in the city of Chernihiv, one person was killed and another injured in a Russian airstrike that destroyed a residential block, emergency services said.

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east. Chief regional administrator Oleksiy Kuleba said Russian forces appeared to trying to blockade and paralyze the capital with day and night shelling of the suburbs.

Kuleba said Russian agents were operating in the capital and its suburbs, marking out possible future targets. He vowed that any all-out assault would meet stiff resistance, saying: "We're getting ready to defend Kyiv, and we're prepared to fight for ourselves.''

Talks aimed at reaching a cease-fire again failed Saturday, and the U.S. announced plans to provide another $200 million to Ukraine for weapons. Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov warned other nations that sending equipment to bolster Ukraine's military was "an action that makes those convoys legitimate targets.''

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to break his country apart, as well as starting "a new stage of terror'' with the alleged detention of a mayor from a city west of Mariupol.

"Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land,'' Zelenskyy said during his nightly address to the nation Saturday.

Russian soldiers pillaged a humanitarian convoy that was trying to reach the battered and encircled port city of Mariupol, where more than 1,500 people have died, a Ukrainian official said. Ukraine's military said Russian forces captured Mariupol's eastern outskirts, tightening their siege of the strategic port. Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

An Associated Press journalist in Mariupol witnessed tanks firing on a nine-story apartment building and was with a group of hospital workers who came under sniper fire on Friday. A worker shot in the hip survived, but conditions in the hospital were deteriorating: Electricity was reserved for operating tables, and people with nowhere else to go lined the hallways.

Among them was Anastasiya Erashova, who wept and trembled as she held a sleeping child. Shelling had just killed her other child as well as her brother's child, Erashova said, her scalp crusted with blood.

"No one was able to save them,'' she said.

In Irpin, a suburb about 12 miles (20 kilometers) northwest of central Kyiv, bodies lay out in the open Saturday on streets and in a park.

"When I woke up in the morning, everything was covered in smoke, everything was dark. We don't know who is shooting and where,'' resident Serhy Protsenko said as he walked through his neighborhood. Explosions sounded in the distance. "We don't have any radio or information.''

Zelenskyy encouraged his people to keep up their resistance.

"We do not have the right to let up our defense, no matter how difficult it may be,'' he said. Later Saturday, Zelenskyy reported that 1,300 Ukrainian soldiers had died since the Russian invasion began Feb. 24.

The first major city to fall, earlier this month, was Kherson, a vital Black Sea port of 290,000 residents. Zelenskyy said Saturday that Russians were using blackmail and bribery in an attempt to force local officials to form a "pseudo-republic'' in the southern Kherson region, much like those in Donetsk and Luhansk, two eastern regions where pro-Russian separatists began fighting Ukrainian forces in 2014. One of the pretexts Russia used to invade was that it had to protect the separatist regions.

Zelenskyy again deplored NATO's refusal to declare a no-fly zone over Ukraine and said Ukraine has sought ways to procure air defense assets, though he didn't elaborate. U.S. President Joe Biden announced another $200 million in aid to Ukraine, with an additional $13 billion included in a bill that has passed the House and should pass the Senate within days. NATO has said that imposing a no-fly zone could lead to a wider war with Russia.

The Ukrainian president also accused Russia of detaining the mayor of Melitopol, a city 192 kilometers (119 miles) west of Mariupol. The Ukrainian leader called on Russian forces to heed calls from demonstrators in the occupied city for the mayor's release.

Moscow has said it would establish humanitarian corridors out of conflict zones, but Ukrainian officials have accused Russia of disrupting those paths and firing on civilians. Russian forces have hit at least two dozen hospitals and medical facilities, according to the World Health Organization.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said just nine of 14 agreed-upon corridors were open on Saturday, and that about 13,000 people had used them to evacuate around the country.

French and German leaders spoke Saturday with Russian President Vladimir Putin in a failed attempt to reach a cease-fire. According to the Kremlin, Putin laid out terms for ending the war. For ending hostilities, Moscow has demanded that Ukraine drop its bid to join NATO and adopt a neutral status; acknowledge the Russian sovereignty over Crimea, which it annexed from Ukraine in 2014; recognize the independence of separatist regions in the country's east; and agree to demilitarize.

The Russian invaders appear to have struggled far more than expected against determined Ukrainian fighters. Still, Russia's stronger military threatens to grind down Ukrainian forces.

Thousands of soldiers on both sides are believed to have been killed along with many civilians, including at least 79 Ukrainian children, its government says. At least 2.5 million people have fled the country, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

One is Elena Yurchuk, a nurse from the northern city of Chernihiv. She was in a Romanian train station Saturday with her teenage son, Nikita, unsure whether their home was still standing.

"We have nowhere to go back to,'' said Yurchuk, 44, a widow who hopes to find work in Germany. "Nothing left.''

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By Trend

Recently, videos and photos reflecting the movement of various equipment belonging to the Azerbaijani army have been circulating on social networks, Trend reports referring Azerbaijani Defense Ministry.

These videos and photos are old footage recorded during the Patriotic War and at various previous exercises.

"Currently, any movement, dislocation of the Azerbaijan Army is not carried out.

Discussions on this issue lead to the formation of misconceptions among the population, as well as to the disclosure of military and state secrets.

We urge users of social networks not to succumb to such provocations, and also not to disseminate unconfirmed information," noted the ministry.
Britain on Sunday defended lobbying Saudi Arabia to up its oil output as energy sanctions on Russia hit Western consumers, after the Gulf kingdom executed a record number of prisoners.

Senior cabinet minister Michael Gove did not deny a report in The Times on Saturday that Prime Minister Boris Johnson is set to visit Riyadh this week.

The newspaper said Johnson will lobby Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to help offset the impact of the Ukraine-linked sanctions, after Britain and the United States said they were ending imports of Russian oil.

"We have to rely on oil from a number of countries, many of whose human rights records we don't approve of," Gove told Sky News, after Saudi Arabia said it had executed a record 81 people in one day.

"Saudi Arabia is a security partner of the United Kingdom. I think that there are human rights concerns. We're clear about those," he said.

"But we also recognise that at a time when the world is in a fragile situation, that diplomacy alongside clarity on human rights is important."

Contacted by AFP, a Downing Street spokesperson declined to elaborate on any travel plans by Johnson this week. He is due to host a defence summit with leaders of northern European countries on Tuesday.

Fallout from the sanctions on Russia has sent prices of petrol and diesel in Britain to record highs, adding to a cost-of-living crisis as household heating bills also rocket.

Johnson Thursday said Britain and its allies were moving away from dependence on Russian oil and gas, so that they were no longer "blackmailed" by President Vladimir Putin.

The White House on Wednesday was forced to deny a Wall Street Journal report that the crown princes of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates had refused to accept calls by US President Joe Biden.

The Times said Johnson was better placed to lobby bin Salman, having stayed in contact with him via WhatsApp messages despite the brutal killing in 2018 of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Germany's Economy Minister Robert Habeck on Tuesday issued an "urgent appeal" to the Saudi-led OPEC oil producers group, to increase production and "create relief on the market".

Russia is the world's largest producer of gas and second-largest oil producer, behind Saudi Arabia.

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The US and China are sending top aides to Rome on Monday as tensions between the two countries mount over the Russia-Ukraine war and worries spread that the conflict will take even darker turns.

In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. ``We will not allow that to go forward,'' he said.

US officials are also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for chemical or biological weapons attacks launched by Vladimir Putin's forces in Ukraine.

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the US and European Union.

China needs access to those markets, yet it also has made gestures supportive of Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with ``no limits.''

In his talks with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, Sullivan will indeed be looking for limits in what Beijing will do for Moscow.

``I'm not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats,`` he told CNN in a round of Sunday news show interviews. ``But what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences'' if China helps Russia ``backfill'' its losses from the sanctions.

``We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world,'' he said.

The White House said the talks will focus on the direct impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security.

Biden administration officials say Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with US support.

They say China is effectively providing cover if Russia moves ahead with a biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians.

When Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, Sullivan told NBC's ``Meet the Press,'' ``it's a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.''

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, on ABC's ``This Week,'' said ``we haven't seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical or biological attack right now, but we're watching this very, very closely.''

The striking US accusations about Russian disinformation and Chinese complicity came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged with no evidence that the US was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs.

The Russian claim was echoed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who claimed there were 26 bio-labs and related facilities in ``which the US Department of Defense has absolute control.''

The United Nations has said it has received no information backing up such accusations.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the claims ``preposterous.``

``Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them,'' Psaki tweeted last week. ``It's a clear pattern.''

Sullivan told ``Face the Nation'' on CBS that the Russian rhetoric on chemical and biological warfare is ``an indicator that, in fact, the Russians are getting ready to do it and try and pin the blame elsewhere and nobody should fall for that.''

The international community for years has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons in carrying out assassination attempts against Putin detractors such as Alexei Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal.

Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war.

Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, CIA Director William Burns also noted grave concern that Russia might be laying the groundwork for a chemical or biological attack of its own, which it would then blame on the US or Ukraine in a false flag operation.

``This is something, as all of you know very well, is very much a part of Russia's playbook,'' he said. ``They've used these weapons against their own citizens, they've at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere, so it's something we take very seriously.``

China has been one of few countries to avoid criticizing the Russians for their invasion of Ukraine. China's Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, just weeks before Russia launched the Feb. 24 invasion.

During Putin's visit to China last month, the two leaders issued a 5,000-word statement declaring limitless friendship.

The Chinese abstained on UN votes censuring Russia and has criticized economic sanctions against Moscow. It has expressed its support for peace talks and offered its services as a mediator, despite questions about its neutrality and scant experience mediating international conflict.

But questions remain over how far Beijing will go to alienate the alliance and put its own economy at risk. Sullivan said China and all countries are on notice that they cannot ``basically bail Russia out ... give Russia a workaround to the sanctions,'' with impunity.

Chinese officials have said Washington shouldn't be able to complain about Russia's actions because the US invaded Iraq under false pretenses.

The US claimed to have evidence Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction though none was ever found.

On CNN, Sullivan said the administration believes China knew that Putin ``was planning something'' before the invasion of Ukraine.

But he said the Chinese government ``may not have understood the full extent of it because it's very possible that Putin lied to them the same way that he lied to Europeans and others.''

Sullivan and Yang last met for face-to-face talks in Switzerland, where Sullivan raised the Biden administration's concerns about China's military provocations against Taiwan, human rights abuses against ethnic minorities, and efforts to squelch pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

That meeting set the stage for a three-hour-long virtual meeting in November between Biden and Xi.

Sullivan is also to meet Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, while in Rome.

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Stung by criticism of its lackluster approach to refugees fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the UK on Sunday unveiled a new scheme to allow them to stay with Britons for up to three years.

The "Homes for Ukraine" programme will allow "tens of thousands" to gain access to work, healthcare and education, even without family ties to Britain, cabinet secretary Michael Gove said.

The government wanted to try to ensure that "every available home" is opened up "to those who are fleeing persecution", he told Sky News.

"There are a large number of people in this country, generous-hearted and in a position to provide homes, and businesses and charities as well," added Gove, whose portfolio includes housing.

Hosts will be given 350 ($457, 418 euros) a month and must commit to a minimum stay of six months -- potentially a stumbling block when Britons are grappling with the worst cost-of-living crisis in a generation.

They must sponsor a named Ukrainian -- which Gove said could be someone Britons have met on social media, or with churches and charities playing an intermediary role.

Britons will need to undergo security vetting, especially to protect vulnerable women and children from Ukraine.

The refugees themselves will still require a visa, although the government has simplified the process after a deluge of attacks last week over the complications it had thrown up to fleeing Ukrainians.

Gove said that a website for Britons to register as sponsors would launch on Monday, with the first arrivals possible in a week.

The opposition Labor party welcomed the new scheme, but said the government still had to clarify key details and compared it unfavorably with the EU's no-strings approach to Ukrainian refugees.

"Frankly the last few weeks have been an embarrassment for the UK in terms of refugees," Labor leader Keir Starmer said on Sky.

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Tens of thousands of people rallied Sunday in cities across Europe to protest against Russia's ongoing war in Ukraine, with small vigils taking place in Russia as well despite a crackdown by authorities against such demonstrations.

German trade unions called a protest in Berlin, where sunny weather boosted the turnout. The march led from the city's Alexanderplatz _ a large square named after Russian Tsar Alexander I _ to a site near the Brandenburg Gate.

Many participants carried flags in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine, while others bore banners reading ``Stop the War'' and ``Peace and Solidarity for the people in Ukraine.''

Norbert Herring, who held up a sign that read ``What are you doing to your neighbor?`` as the crowds filed past the Russian Embassy, said the images from Ukraine reminded him of the bombing of cities during World War II.

Several participants at the Berlin protest said they were Russians ashamed about what their country was doing.

``We're against this war so we wanted to show our solidarity,'' said Aleksandra Belozerova, a Russian studying in Germany. ``It's the least we can do in this situation.''

Her friend, Aliia Biktagirova, held a sign with letters for the Russian phrase for ``No War'' represented as asterisks to reflect the censorship she said is taking place in Russia concerning the conflict.

In Russia, where demonstrations against the war in Ukraine have been typically met with a heavy police response, rights group OVD-Info said more than 668 people had been detained in 36 cities as of late afternoon Moscow time.

There was a heavy police presence at central locations including Manezhnaya Square near the Kremlin, with officers carrying demonstrators away to waiting police vans, in footage posted by Russian media. The number of people protesting nationwide appeared to be far fewer than the last major protests a week ago, when OVD-Info listed more than 5,000 people who were detained.

Anti-war protests were also staged in Warsaw, London and the German cities of Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart.

A small far-right party organized a protest in Serbia's capital, Belgrade, in support of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

The occupants of dozens of cars waved Russian and Serbian flags, honked horns and chanted slogans in favor of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Some cars had ``Z'' painted on them _ the letter is used on Russian armored vehicles in Ukraine and is now a symbol of support for Russian troops.

Despite formally seeking European Union membership, Serbia has refused to join international sanctions against its ally Russia despite voting in favor of the U.N. resolution condemning Moscow's aggression. The country's dominant state-controlled media carry frequent pro-Russia reports about the war.

One day after rallies in Florence and Naples, Italians and Ukrainians who live in Italy turned out for protests in Milan and Rome on Sunday against the war in Ukraine.

In the first row of a march in Milan, Italy's financial capital, protesters held bloodied cloth bundles to represent children killed in Russian attacks on Ukrainians. Some children held drawings, and many marchers streaked their cheeks in the colors of the Ukrainian flag.

Before the march, protesters stretched out an enormous, rainbow-colored peace flag in a Milan square.

In Rome's march, one of the participants held a cardboard sign that read, ``Close the Sky,'' an apparent reference to Ukraine's plea to NATO to establish a no-fly zone over Ukraine against Russian warplanes. Italy's government, like that of fellow NATO allies, have ruled out a no-fly zone option, contending such a move would risk vastly widening the conflict in Europe.

Pope Francis decried the ``barbarianism'' of the killing of children and other defenseless civilians in Ukraine. He told a crowd estimated by the Vatican to number 25,000 people gathered in St. Peter's Square for his customary Sunday noon appearance that the attacks must stop ``before cities are reduced to cemeteries.''

In Cyprus, dozens of Russian nationals joined Ukrainians in the coastal resort town of Limassol Sunday to protest the war in Ukraine. About 50 Russians converged on Limassol's promenade prior to joining with other protesters to chant slogans such as ``Stop the war, stop Putin'' and waving blue and white flags they said where the Russian national flag without the red stripe that represented ``blood and violence.''

Protester Evgeniya Shlykova, who has been living and working in Cyprus for five years, told The Associated Press that despite Russian propaganda, Ukraine ``didn't deserve this action from our government'' and that protesters demand an immediate end to the war ``that we don't support.''

``I do believe that the person who did the most to make Russia weak and not united is Putin himself,'' said Shlykova who faulted the Russian president and his supporters for bringing the world's wrath on Russia that is proud of its humanistic values and culture. ``But now Russia is the aggressor for the whole world, and we protest it.''

Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian nationals in Taiwan and supporters also staged a march in Taipei to protest the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

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The French government has announced a package worth 2.0 billion euros ($2.2 billion) to help consumers struggling with soaring fuel prices, with the cost of filling up set to be cut at the pump.

French Prime Minister Jean Castex announced late Saturday that petrol and diesel prices would be reduced by 15 centimes per litre.

The bill will be slashed by this amount when vehicle owners pay, with the state then reimbursing gas station owners for the difference.

"That means every time you fill up for 60 euros, you save around nine euros," Castex said.

With petrol prices now topping two euros per litre at the pump in some areas, the government has come under pressure to reduce the impact on households.

It has also been under pressure to cut fuel taxes ahead of presidential elections next month, with more than half of prices at the pump made up of taxation.

Underlying petrol and diesel costs are linked to global oil markets which have risen by around 30 percent since the start of the year due to strong global demand and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Last October, the government of President Emmanuel Macron announced a cap on gas and electricity prices until the end of 2022 and handed out cheques to poor households to help them with their domestic energy bills

Eight out of 10 French households have a vehicle, according to official statistics.

Polls suggest Macron is the frontrunner in elections on April 10 and 24.

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Former parliamentarian and philanthropist Anissa Hassouna passed away in Cairo on Sunday at the age of 68 after a long struggle with cancer.

Born in 1953 in Cairo, Anissa Hassouna was the daughter of late Minister of Justice Essam Hassouna, who held the post in the 1960s.

She graduated from the Faculty of Economics & Political Science at Cairo University and started her career as a diplomat at the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs before moving to the Council of Arab Economic Unity for 14 years then to the League of Arab States.

Hassouna then moved to the private sector in 1991 and joined Misr Iran Development Bank where she worked for 16 years till 2007.

In March 2009, she became executive director of the Magdi Yaccoub Heart Foundation in Egypt, holding the role through 2015. The foundation was created in 2008 by famous Egyptian cardiologist Sir Magdi Yaccoub to provide free cardiovascular healthcare for children.

In late December 2015, President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi appointed Anissa Hassouna as a member of parliament in the House of Representatives where she focused on laws relating to women, children and healthcare.

The later former MP published her memories about her struggle with cancer titled Bedoon Sabeq Enzer (Without Prior warning) in 2017 following her diagnosis.

The book became a best-seller in Egypt.

Despite her struggle with cancer, Anissa Hassouna continued her career in charity and became the executive director of Al-Nas Children Hospital in 2019, which provides healthcare to children for free.

Days before her death, Anissa Hassouna appeared for the last time publicly on a wheelchair while being honoured by Egypts First Lady Enitasser El-Sisi on Tuesday during the celebration of International Womans Day in Cairo among other women who contributed positively to the Egyptian society.

Anissa Hassouna is survived by her husband Sherif Nagy and two daughters.

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The Iraqi official in Baghdad initially said several missiles had hit the U.S. consulate in Irbil and that it was the target of the attack. Later, Lawk Ghafari, the head of Kurdistan's foreign media office, said none of the missiles had struck the U.S. facility but that areas around the compound had been hit.

The U.S. defense official said it was still uncertain exactly how many missiles were fired and exactly where they landed. A second U.S. official said there was no damage at any U.S. government facility and that there was no indication the target was the consulate building, which is new and currently unoccupied.

Neither the Iraqi official nor the U.S. officials were authorized to discuss the event with the media and spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity.

Satellite broadcast channel Kurdistan24, which is located near the U.S. consulate, went on air from their studio shortly after the attack, showing shattered glass and debris on their studio floor.

The attack came several days after Iran said it would retaliate for an Israeli strike near Damascus, Syria, that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard. On Sunday, Iran's state-run IRNA news agency quoted Iraqi media acknowledging the attacks in Irbil, without saying where they originated.

The missile barrage also came as negotiations in Vienna over Tehran's tattered nuclear deal hit a ``pause'' over Russian demands about sanctions targeting Moscow over its war on Ukraine.

The Iraqi security officials said there were no casualties from the attack, which they said occurred after midnight and caused material damage in the area. They spoke on condition of anonymity in line with regulations.

One of the Iraqi officials said the ballistic missiles were fired from Iran, without elaborating. He said the projectiles were the Iranian-made Fateh-110, likely fired in retaliation for the two Revolutionary Guards killed in Syria.

Another U.S. official said in a statement that the U.S. condemned what it called an ``outrageous attack against Iraqi sovereignty and display of violence.''

U.S. forces stationed at Irbil's airport compound have come under fire from rocket and drone attacks in the past, with U.S. officials blaming Iran-backed groups.

The top U.S. commander for the Middle East has repeatedly warned about the increasing threats of attacks from Iran and Iranian-backed militias on troops and allies in Iraq and Syria.

In an interview with The Associated Press in December, Marine Gen. Frank McKenzie said that while U.S. forces in Iraq have shifted to a non-combat role, Iran and its proxies still want all American troops to leave the country. As a result, he said, that may trigger more attacks.'

The Biden administration decided last July to end the U.S. combat mission in Iraq by Dec. 31, and U.S. forces gradually moved to an advisory role last year. The troops will still provide air support and other military aid for Iraq's fight against the Islamic State.

The U.S. presence in Iraq has long been a flash point for Tehran, but tensions spiked after a January 2020 U.S. drone strike near the Baghdad airport killed a top Iranian general. In retaliation, Iran launched a barrage of missiles at al-Asad airbase, where U.S. troops were stationed. More than 100 service members suffered traumatic brain injuries in the blasts.

More recently, Iranian proxies are believed responsible for an assassination attempt late last year on Iraq's Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi.

And officials have said they believe Iran was behind the October drone attack at the military outpost in southern Syria where American troops are based. No U.S. personnel were killed or injured in the attack.

Al-Kadhimi tweeted: ``The aggression which targeted the dear city of Irbil and spread fear amongst its inhabitants is an attack on the security of our people.''

Masrour Barzani, prime minister of the semi-autonomous Kurdish-controlled region, condemned the attack. In a Facebook post, he said Irbil ``will not bow to the cowards who carried out the terrorist attack.''
KYODO NEWS - Mar 13, 2022 - 21:48 | All, Japan

A boat with a captain and 14 anglers on board caught fire on Sunday afternoon in Kagoshima Prefecture, southwestern Japan, forcing them to evacuate by jumping into the sea, the coast guard said.

All of them, including a 12-year-old boy, were later rescued by a ship sailing nearby. Nine anglers who were burned or had other injuries were taken to hospitals, with rescue workers saying they are all conscious.

The captain reported to the coast guard after the fire broke out on the 14-ton Grand Line Eishin Maru at around 2:35 p.m. off Makurazaki.

The boat was returning to the port of the city from an island in the area after passengers finished fishing, the coast guard said. It burned and sank.

The nine people taken to hospitals include the boy. The eight other men are in their 30s to 60s, the rescue workers said.
By Ken Endo, KYODO NEWS - Mar 13, 2022 - 12:20 | All, World

Russia's unnecessary war and invasion of Ukraine is costing many people's lives and has forced more than 2 million refugees to flee their homes according to the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees.

There are numerous things to consider regarding the invasion, but since we are currently in an era of rivalry between China and the United States, I will focus on how Beijing perceives the invasion and how it will affect relations with Moscow.

The topic is important as it will greatly influence Japan's future course of action.

The invasion of Ukraine has put China in an embarrassing position. This is not unexpected since China touts respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity as its fundamental foreign policy principles yet a full-scale invasion is the most extreme form of external interference.

China, moreover, had agreed in a friendship treaty with Ukraine that it would support the latter when threatened, which further puts Beijing in an uncomfortable position.

As China's rivalry with the United States intensifies however, its relationship with Russia has deepened.

Since coming to power, Chinese President Xi Jinping has held more than 30 summits with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. And in contrast to the state leaders who boycotted the Beijing Winter Olympics over China's human rights repression in Xinjiang and elsewhere, Putin attended its opening ceremony.

When they met during Putin's visit, China indicated it shared Russia's national security concerns, together pushing back against the U.S.-led international order. Russia can be considered to be the only major country with which China maintains good relations.

It should be noted that China's sense of national interest is separate from its fundamental principles mentioned above. Sovereignty and non-intervention in domestic affairs are important to China, but less so than national survival and interests that depend on international environment and cooperation.

Therefore, even though Ukraine's invasion has put China in a discomfiting position, Beijing will not end its cooperation with Moscow. It is unacceptable when commiserating with Ukrainians' despair but could be understood when looking at China's perception of its interests.

The problem rises here. When the Chinese leadership makes the connection between the situation facing Ukraine and Taiwan, China exposes its violent side in the same way as Russia.

While Xi was reportedly unwilling to express support for the invasion, as Russia never supported China's reunification of Taiwan by force, he did direct his government to help maintain the Russian economy against sanctions.

If this holds true, it means that the leader of the Chinese Communist Party himself made the linkage between Ukraine and Taiwan in the context of unification by force, or violence itself.

The implication is that if Russia supports China's actions to unify with Taiwan by force, China would recognize Ukraine's invasion by Russia.

People in Taiwan and Ukraine want peaceful lives, are proud of their homelands and cherish their democratic society. But its neighboring leaders who exert enormous power do not even take that into consideration.

We could perceive in Xi's reported comments that he believes powerful countries cooperating together have the right to wield destructive violence, if necessary.

China is facing a headache over the situation it has found itself in over Russia's invasion of Ukraine. Some believe this has led Beijing to abstain from voting for the U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Russia over Ukraine.

How true is that?

The Chinese government has refused to describe Russia's attack as an invasion, its leader wants to help Russia, and it has lifted restrictions on Russian wheat imports that had been imposed over fungus concerns.

At their summit during the Beijing Olympics, Xi and Putin agreed to expand the use of their local currencies in mutual trade settlements to increase their independence from the U.S. dollar financial system. They also agreed to increase Russian natural gas exports to China.

The move was to offset sanctions against Russia and can be taken as China's complicity in the invasion and war against Ukraine.

Russia and China have had difficult relations but both countries have in common authoritarian governments that casually repress freedom and human rights. They also share a determination and interest in challenging a U.S.-led global order.

A large part of the international community has turned against Putin over his invasion of Ukraine, making it inevitable for Russia to step up its dependency on China. That is not a bad posture for Beijing.

The increasing entwinement of Beijing and Moscow, with their combined power and will, is a great threat to the current global order on which rest the values of freedom and rule of law.

As a close neighbor to Taiwan, Japan cannot treat the situation in Ukraine as if it is a concern far from its shores.

(Ken Endo is a professor at Hokkaido University's Graduate School of Public Policy.)
By Reito Kaneko, KYODO NEWS - Mar 13, 2022 - 09:43 | All, World, Japan

Japan's Ground Self-Defense Force and the U.S. Marine Corps have started a three-week-long amphibious exercise to improve response capabilities to contingencies as China expands its maritime strength and reach.

The drill, due to run through March 25 in central Japan, is "the first large-scale" exercise in the Indo-Pacific region between the GSDF's amphibious brigade and the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit, according to Capt. Nikki Gallegos.

Gen. Yoshihide Yoshida, the GSDF chief of staff, told a press conference earlier this month that the training, involving about 400 GSDF members and 600 from the Okinawa-based Marine unit, is "important to enhance interoperability" between the two forces.

In the exercise, members of the GSDF's Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade, established in 2018 to protect Japan's remote islands, and the U.S. unit will land from their assets on the sea or in the air and then engage in combat situations on the ground.

To transport the brigade, dubbed the Japanese Marines, the GSDF's V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft will participate in a joint drill for the first time, according to officials.

China, which has asserted territorial claims in various areas in the region, routinely sends ships to waters near the Japan-administered Senkaku Islands in the East China Sea.

"The 31st MEU and ARDB are two of the best trained and most prepared crisis response forces within the first island chain," said Col. Michael Nakonieczny, commanding officer of the U.S. unit, noting that the primary purpose of the exercise is to "deter competitor and adversary aggression."

The first island chain is a defense line drawn by China off the east coast running in an area that includes Japan's Okinawa, Taiwan and the Philippines.

The Senkakus, a group of uninhabited islets that China claims and calls Diaoyu, fall within the chain.

The ongoing joint exercise is based on a U.S. concept seen as having been developed with China in mind, known as the Expeditionary Advanced Base Operations, or EABO.

To counter any attempt to prevent U.S. military intervention in areas of concern, the concept focuses on maintaining a persistent forward naval presence in urgent or normal circumstances.
By Trend

Turkish Airlines has canceled more than 279 flights from Istanbul airports, Trend reports citing Anadolu news agency.

A total of 192 flights from Istanbul International and Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen International airports were canceled due to adverse weather conditions.

Number of 230 flights of the airline from Istanbul Airport and 49 from Sabiha Gokcen Airport were canceled due to heavy snowfall on March 13, 2022, the press service of the airline stated.
KYODO NEWS - Mar 13, 2022 - 17:40 | All, Japan

Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Sunday asked ruling party lawmakers to unite as one to clinch a victory in the upcoming House of Councillors election and ensure a stable coalition government as Japan confronts "history-making" challenges such as COVID-19 and Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Kishida, who spoke as president of the Liberal Democratic Party at its convention, underscored the importance of its coalition with its junior partner Komeito, dismissing an emerging view that their relationship has become awkward over cooperation in the election, possibly in July.

"Is there any other option than LDP-Komeito that can be entrusted with governing the country when we face history-making challenges? I don't think so," Kishida told the convention.

"At times, upper house elections have triggered a big political change. Let us unite as one and secure a victory," said Kishida, who was elected LDP president last September.

The party head vowed to bolster Japan's defense and push for the LDP's goal of revising the Constitution, condemning Russia's "reckless" move to change the status quo by force as a challenge to the international order and peace.

He also vowed to ensure a return to normal life after antivirus curbs and bolster steps to mitigate the impact of rising crude oil and other prices.

The party convention came as the Democratic Party for the People, an opposition party, has apparently been warming to the LDP, a potential sign of a change in the political landscape.

In its campaign policy approved Sunday, the LDP said it will "proactively promote policy dialogue with Rengo and other friendly labor unions," specifically mentioning the Japanese Trade Union Confederation, which has been a major source of support for the opposition bloc, including the DPP.

Kishida has placed priority on wealth distribution through wage hikes, a stance shared by Rengo. "I hope to see aggressive pay hikes in 'shunto' wage negotiations," he said, adding that raising pay is not a cost but an investment in the future.

The upper house election this summer is a key test for Kishida as LDP president and thus prime minister, as voters deliver a verdict on his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic and the economy, hit by anti-virus curbs and the war in Ukraine.

"The stage is set for cooperation in the House of Councillors election. We will look at the situation in each constituency and seek substantive cooperation that will produce results," Komeito chief Natsuo Yamaguchi said.

"I'm confident there is no alternative to the LDP-Komeito coalition," he added.

In the run-up to the convention, Kishida met with Yamaguchi to confirm the strength of the coalition heading into the key election.

The meeting came after the DPP, in a rare move by an opposition party, approved a draft budget for the business year from April in the powerful House of Representatives, as leader Yuichiro Tamaki said he had gotten assurances from Kishida that the government would consider freeing up a trigger clause, which would reduce gasoline taxes when crude oil prices soar.

Surging fuel costs and rising food prices are feared to cool consumer sentiment, dealing a blow to the economy. Some ruling party lawmakers are calling for additional stimulus to support the economy ahead of the election.

Yamaguchi on Saturday called for freeing up of the trigger clause and stressed the need to consider further economy-boosting measures.

The LDP formally endorsed limiting the number of one-year terms that its secretary general and other senior executives can consecutively serve to three, in line with Kishida's promise during his campaign for LDP president to reform the ruling party and give new, younger faces the chance to take these posts.

When Kishida revealed the plan just as he announced his candidacy, it caused a stir in the LDP. He was then seen as taking aim at Toshihiro Nikai, a kingmaker who became the longest-serving secretary general after serving over five years under Shinzo Abe and Yoshihide Suga.

"We need to show that the LDP can change as Japan needs to change," Kishida said.
As the annual sessions of China's top legislature and political advisory body were held, the country's democratic system again comes to the spotlight. What does Chinese President Xi Jinping say about China's democracy? And what do foreign analysts have to say? #GLOBALink





Produced by Xinhua Global Service
People queue to fill the tanks at a Waitomo gas station in New Zealand's capital city Wellington in the afternoon of March 11, 2022, moment before another hike in fuel price. (Photo by Meng Tao/Xinhua)

Petrol stations across the country were swamped with cars before the price hike came into effect.

WELLINGTON, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Cars, boats and gallon bottles, New Zealanders were filling every tank with fuel before another big price hike tipped at the weekend.

Petrol prices have already jumped up dramatically over the past month, which saw the national average price of 91 petrol increase 11.8 percent to 2.94 New Zealand dollars per litre, with a 23.1-percent increase for diesel to 2.28 New Zealand dollars per litre, according to the price comparing tool Gaspy.

On Friday, local fuel retailer Waitomo warned of a looming unprecedented rise in prices. Chief Executive Jimmy Ormsby said the company had been advised by its supplier that prices would increase after 6 p.m. local time Friday evening.

People queue to fill the tanks at a Waitomo gas station in New Zealand's capital city Wellington in the afternoon of March 11, 2022, moment before another hike in fuel price. (Photo by Meng Tao/Xinhua)

"With the biggest single jump in our wholesale price seen in my time," said Ormsby.

Even though most of the competitors said that they would not follow suit to impose sudden price hikes, motorists were quick to react by queuing at petrol stations and filling their tanks to beat potential price hikes. Petrol stations across the country were swamped with cars before the price hike came into effect.

Some petrol stations had reportedly run out of 91, 95 and diesel, while others saw as long as 1 km of queues.

People queue to fill the tanks at a Waitomo gas station in New Zealand's capital city Wellington in the afternoon of March 11, 2022, moment before another hike in fuel price. (Photo by Meng Tao/Xinhua)

Fuel prices since jumped up 17 to 30 cents at Waitomo's different petrol stations. Prices differed among petrol stations, but the sign of price increase seemed no easing trend.

New Zealand Institute of Economic Research economist Shamubeel Eaqub told local media that the steep increase in fuel prices can be attributed to the Ukraine crisis.

On Thursday, New Zealand finance minister Grant Robertson warned that it was "not the end of the road" for petrol and diesel price hikes.

"I can't give you a specific dollar term, but it's quite clear petrol prices will continue to rise," said Robertson. 
OUAGADOUGOU, March 13 (Xinhua) -- At lease 10 people were killed on Saturday in an attack that targeted a gold mine in Burkina's Sahel region, local media reported on Sunday.

Around 20 unidentified armed individuals attacked the artisanal gold mining site of Baliata, in the Sahel region, killing at least 10 miners and injuring several others, reports said.

Fourteen people were killed Thursday in a similar raid on a gold mining site in the region's Seytenga.

Security in Burkina Faso has worsened since 2015, with terrorist attacks killing more than 1,000 people and displacing over one million others in the west African nation. 
New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said India's efforts to combat coronavirus have set an example and it is among countries which understood the pandemic's seriousness and took various timely decisions to combat the virus. Addressing BJP workers to mark the 40th foundation day of the party, he also appreciated the maturity shown by people during the lockdown, describing it as unprecedented.

"We got to see our collective strength on Sunday evening," he said referring to the countrywide exercise to switch off lights and illuminate diyas for nine minutes to show India's collective strength to fight the deadly virus. He also urged BJP workers to follow a five-point agenda, including working to ensure that no poor goes hungry.

Also Read | Coronavirus Cases Rise To 4,067 In India, Death Count At 109: Health Ministry

Here are top 10 takeaways from PM Modi's speech:

1. We are among countries which understood this pandemic's seriousness and took one decision after another in time to combat it: PM Modi

2. Humanity is facing a crisis, our devotion to service of the country creates our path during this challenging time. India has worked rapidly with a holistic approach that is being appreciated by not only Indians but also WHO: PM Modi

3. We started our fight against Covid-19 much earlier with the help of all state governments. We will continue our fight with the help of experts and have taken stringent decisions in the process: PM Modi

4. The current situation is in no means less than a war. It is a war to save humanity. I appeal to every BJP worker to contribute to PM-CARES Fund and motivate 40 others to do the same, says PM Modi.

Also Read | It's Long Fight That India Will Win, Says PM Modi As He Praises Nation's Efforts To Combat Coronavirus

5. Government has developed an app called Aarogya Setu. I request all of you to tell people about it, everyone should make sure that at least 40 others install it, says PM Modi.

6. I state it with full responsibility that this is a long war against coronavirus pandemic. But we do not have to get tired or take a rest in this war. We have to emerge victorious, says PM Modi.



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New Delhi:

Haryana State Board Students from class 1 to class 8 are going to be promoted to the next grade without examination. Haryana Chief Minister, Manohar Lal Khattar has said that all schools in state are going to promote students of Class 1 to Class 8 to the next academic session due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. Haryana Chief Minister also said that students of these classes will be promoted and enrolled to the next class as soon as the schools reopen in the state. Meanwhile, the Science subject for Class is also not conducted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and students of class 10 will be promoted to the next class on the basis of average marks in other respective subjects.

Haryana School Exams 2020

Meanwhile, the class 10 Science exam will be conducted when the situation comes under control. Similarly, students of class 11 students are going to be promoted to the next class and the rest of examinations will be conducted once the lockdown period is over and the situation is brought under control.

Also Read: CBSE | Pending Exams And Evaluation Plan Ready, Says HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal

Earlier, CBSE board has released an official circular stating that the board will conduct the examinations of main 29 subjects on the basis of their importance for higher studies and admission to colleges. CBSE is going to conduct the remaining class 10 examination (North-East Delhi centre) and class 12 examination after the lockdown period is over. However, the timetable is not released by CBSE as of now.

At this point of time, everyone is advised to stay at home and follow all precautionary measures to combat the issue of COVID-19 pandemic.
Anurag Srivatsava took charge as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (Photo Credit: Twitter)

New Delhi:

Senior diplomat Anurag Srivastava on Monday took charge as the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs, succeeding Raveesh Kumar. Srivastava, a 1999-batch Indian Foreign Service officer, was serving as India's Ambassador to Ethiopia.

"Honoured and privileged to take over as the Official Spokesperson of @MEAIndia. I look forward to working closely with all to fulfil my responsibilities in this new role," he tweeted.

Before he was appointed as Indian envoy to Ethiopia, Srivastava was helming the Finance Division of the MEA which is tasked to administer it's annual budget of about USD 2 billion.

Srivastava served at the India's Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva where he dealt with work related to human rights, refugee issues and trade policy. He also served in the Pakistan-Afghanistan-Iran division of the ministry at its headquarters.

Srivastava has degrees in engineering and business management and had a brief stint in the corporate sector before joining the Indian Foreign Service. He also has a postgraduate diploma in Diplomatic Studies from the Oxford University.

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These doctors attend to 50 to 100 coronavirus patients in a day. (Photo Credit: IANS)

Mumbai:

Amid the coronavirus outbreak, resident doctors of the Government Medical College and Hospital in Maharashtra staged a protest demanding personal protective equipment and N95 surgical masks for their own safety.

Two patients and a staff member of the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH) have so far tested positive for coronavirus at the medical facility.

The resident doctors protested outside the office of the GMCH dean on Sunday and said the personal protective equipment (PPE) and N95 masks were essential for doctors deployed in emergency health services.

They submitted a memorandum to the dean, saying they would stay quarantined in their hostels if the safety equipment are not provided.

Even after some patients tested positive for coronavirus, the doctors treating them in emergency wards were not provided these safety equipment, Mahrashtra Association of Resident Doctors (MARD) Aurangabad unit president Dr Amir Tadvi told PTI.

These doctors attend to 50 to 100 patients in a day. It is now dangerous to treat patients without the protective equipment, he said.

We have put forth our demands as per guidelines of the Indian Council of Medical Research. We expect that these equipment would be supplied without any disruption. We have not stopped working, we have only demanded masks and PPE for our safety, MARD vice president Dr Sandeep Chauhan said.

After the peotest, the emergency ward doctors were provided PPE and N95 masks on Sunday, Tadvi said.

After a meeting with MARD officials, GMCH Dean Dr Kanan Yelikar issued a release, saying masks and PPE were available in adequate quantity.

Presently, the safety equipment are kept with the in- charge ward staff and will be made available to doctors if they demand, it added.
New Delhi:

The Police in Muzaffarnagar have booked 1,279 people for violation of lockdown norms since the countrywide restrictions were imposed on March 25, officials said on Sunday. Muzaffarnagar Senior Superintendent of Police Abhishek Yadav said as many as 247 cases were registered under section 188 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) naming 1,279 people till Saturday.

They were found violating the lockdown norms in the district, he said. He asked people to stay home and help hinder the spread of the coronavirus. The country was placed under a 21-day lockdown by Prime Minister Narendra Modi from March 25.

Australia's coronavirus death toll stands at 34, total cases cross 5,500-mark

Australia's coronavirus death toll stood at 34 on Sunday with 5,687 virus positive cases, officials said.

Health officials from New South Wales confirmed that there were 2,580 total infections now in the state and four people, including three passengers from Ruby Princess Cruise Ship, died on Saturday night.

During a virus update, NSW Health Minister Brad Hazzard said, "This is a very dangerous virus and it is still marching through our community. It has killed, at this stage in NSW, 16 people."

The four men who died include a 91-year-old from Port Macquarie, an 80-year-old and a 76-year-old who were both being treated at Westmead Hospital and a 61-year-old being treated at Hornsby Hospital.

A total of 10 passengers of the Ruby Princess Ship that arrived last month at NSW have died due to COVID-19 and it has been linked to 600 infected cases.

The Ruby Princess Ship is still docked in the waters off Sydney and 250 crew members are awaiting test results.

NSW Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said a criminal or coronial investigation will be necessary to determine whether the operators of the Ruby Princess were "transparent" about ill passengers on board.

He said the 10 deaths linked to the cruise ship so far were a "significant" number for one incident.

"From my perspective, there are many unanswered questions, and I certainly cant answer those for you today," Fuller said.

"There were thousands of witnesses out there who were passengers on the ship, who will have crucial information in relation to their health coming off of the ship," he said, noting records of the captain and doctors would also be investigated.

Fuller said he had received a letter from Carnival, which operates the Ruby Princess, ensuring him they would co-operate in anyway that is necessary.

Meanwhile, Queensland and Victoria each recorded smaller number of new cases while the chief medical officer Brendan murphy said more than 2,000 people have recovered.

However, he also reiterated social distancing instructions to keep community transmissions as low as possible.

"We're increasingly confident that if people continue to adhere to what weve been asking them to do we can prevent a situation like weve seen in many other countries of the world," he said.
Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts have been quarantined across the country. (Photo Credit: IANS)

New Delhi:

Eight Tablighi Jamaat members from Malaysia were intercepted at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi when they were about to board a special flight to Malaysia. 8 Tablighi Jamaat members from Malaysia intercepted by Delhis IGI immigration department today when they tried to board Malindo Air relief flight for Malaysia. They will be handed over to the authorities (Police), immigration sources were quoted as saying by ANI.

According to reports, the process to hand over them to Delhi Police is now underway. As per rules, all the members will now go through quarantine in India.

Meanwhile, nearly 22,000 Tablighi Jamaat members and their primary contacts have been quarantined across the country so far, a home ministry official said.

During the daily briefing, Punya Salila Srivastava, joint secretary in the Union Home Ministry, told reporters that the Union government undertook massive efforts in coordination with states to trace the Jamaat members and their contacts to contain the spread of COVID-19

All issues related to the ongoing lockdown are being monitored by a 24x7 control room of the Ministry of Home Affairs here, she said, adding that about 200 personnel from the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and Central Armed Police Forces are linked to it on the ground level

The officer said all measures to implement the three-week nationwide lockdown, set to end on April 14, have been effective till now and the supply of essential goods and services has been satisfactory.

With PTI Inputs
The 7th edition of the Knowledge Summit from March 14 will bring together speakers from an internationally renowned pool of elite experts, academics, and decision makers to examine the challenges to building a knowledge society.

The five-day summit, running under the theme Knowledge: Protecting Humanity and the Planet in the Pandemic will include live sessions on March 14 and 15 and virtual conferences from March 16 to 18.

The summit will focus on facilitating broad and detailed discussions on several issues of common global interest and impact. Another crucial aim is to formulate effective solutions and tools that would enable countries to achieve their development plans within the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the summit will be held at the Expo 2020 Dubai. The Summit will be organised by the Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Knowledge Foundation (MBRF) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

The launch of the Knowledge Summit is in line with the UAEs ambition to facilitate the dissemination of knowledge. It will also highlight the opportunities and challenges involved in the building of knowledge societies in light of the changes brought about the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Expo 2020 has been chosen due to its international audience and global reach that would allow for an intersectional perspective on various topics. It will serve as the ideal platform to engage in constructive debates and discussions on the knowledge industry and its role in addressing current and future challenges, while also exploring human intelligence and achievement.

The main sessions address broad themes, most notably Knowledge Drives the Future, Web Education 3.0 - The Metaversity, The Role & Impact of Media During Crisis: Covid-19 (as an example), Pandemics and Their Impact on Climate: A Double-Edged Sword, Food Security: Between Sustainable Supply Chains & Self-Sufficiency, Creative thinking: Working Towards poverty free societies, Mental Health and Pandemics, Young Entrepreneurship, Epidemiology & Public Health: A Profound Impact on How We Live Our Lives, and How Covid-19 Is Reshaping the Legal Landscape?

Parallel sessions under the Knowledge Space banner will also discuss several topics such as Scaling up resilience in times of uncertainty, A New Model for Education, Disseminating knowledge in non-traditional ways: The Researchers experience, Fostering collaboration and innovation mechanisms to manage risks, Promoting science and policy dialogues: Sciencepolicy interfaces, Growing the knowledge economy in an age of intangibles, and Data availability and access: The key to resilience.

The sessions will also display the results of the Arab States in the Global Knowledge Index 2021, and the results of the Social Progress Index, which measures the level of social progress in the countries. The report is based on several criteria aimed at measuring well-being, opportunities, and basic human needs. It is considered the most comprehensive measure of social and environmental performance.

In addition, the summit will also witness the launch of the third edition of the Future of Knowledge Foresight Report. This report will review the future knowledge landscape and analyse differences in the transformative capacities of various countries in the face of major global risks. Created utilising large data over two years, this report will also provide new insights into countries' readiness to face future risks.

For the first time, the Knowledge Summit events will also continue virtually, through conferences on the website platform from 16 to 18 March. These sessions will examine various topics such as Effective Leadership During Crisis: Transforming Cultures & Driving Innovation, Reinventing Jobs and Employment, Resilient Infrastructure: A Long-Term Profitable Investment, Water Security: A Cornerstone for Economic, Social and Environmental Development, SDG-Based Learning: Qualifying Young Changemakers, Knowledge Management and Big Data in Business: An Industry 4.0 Perspective, and Co-Existence and Synergies in the Marine Space.

The MBRFs key priority is to promote knowledge among societies of the region and the world that will aid empowerment. The foundation strives to implement a plan of action that will create faster and more accurate solutions to health, environmental, economic, and social challenges, and aims to provide a better future with a clear path to sustainable development.-- TradeArabia News Service
New Delhi:

Kendriya Vidyalayas are going to teach students through online classes due to the outbreak of Coronavirus. Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan (KVS) has taken the decision to conduct online classes for students amid lockdown period to bring continuity in their study routines. The online classes are intended to help students in a proper way and utilize their time at home judiciously. KVS is going to conduct the online lessons and sessions on the Swayam Prabha Portal from April 7, 2020. The live sessions and recorded sessions of NIOS for Class 10 and class 12 also available on the portal.

KVS Online Classes Details

Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has also informed parents, students and teachers through online mediums such as WhatsApp, eMails and SMS about the online classes that are going to be held. Meanwhile, the Sangathan has also designed a proper methodology for the online classes that will be conducted by respective teachers.

Also Read: Delhi Board Class 9, 11 Result 2020 To Be Released Within Three Days After Lockdown Ends, Says Education Director

The Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan has also appointed teachers for live session that will be conducted by NIOS at SwayamPrabha Portal. The teachers will be address the questions and queries of the students through mediums such as Live Web Chat and Skype. In addition, NCERT and NIOS are also delivering online classes that are broadcasted on TV, MOOCs and Kishoremanch for Class 9 to Class 12 Students.

At this point of time, the country is going through lockdown period due to Coronavirus outbreak and everyone is advised to stay at home and follow all precautionary measures. Therefore, students must utilize their time at home by attending online classes for learning purpose.
New Delhi:

The doubling rate of the coronavirus cases in India now stands at 4.1. However, if the Tablighi Jamaat incident had not happened, the rate would have been 7.4, the Union Health Ministry said on Sunday. It is to be noted that as many as 472 new cases of novel coronavirus (COVID-19) were reported in the last 24 hours, taking the total count to 3,374.

In a press briefing, Joint Secretary for Health, Lav Aggarwal said, A total of 3,374 people have been infected with the virus, since it first emerged in India on Jan 30. The country recorded 79 deaths till Sunday. He also stated that out of 736 districts in India, 274 have so far reported positive cases.

"Our doubling rate (in how many days the number of COVID-19 cases gets double) at present is 4.1 days. But if additional cases reported due to the Tablighi Jamaat event, had not taken place, then the doubling rate would have been 7.4 days," Lav Aggarwal said. He also highlighted that nearly 30 per cent of the overall cases recorded till Sunday were those of adherents of Tablighi Jamaat.

Union Home Ministrys joint secretary Punya Salila Srivastava stated that 27,661 shelter camps have been set up across the country to handle the inflow of coronavirus patients. Of the total, 23,924 relief camps had been established by the authorities, while the remaining 3,374 camps were set-up by nonprofits, she added. Approximately 12.5 lakh people were taking shelter in the camps at the time, Punya Srivastava said.

Also Read: Coronavirus Pandemic: PM Modi Dials Sonia Gandhi, Manmohan Singh, Other Leaders To Discuss COVID-19 Situation

It is worth mentioning here that the novel coronavirus, which originated in China, has claimed thousands of lives across the world. Over 9.5 lakh people have been infected with the coronavirus across the globe, with the global death toll crossing 46,000. With no known cure so far for the coronavirus, the deadly disease has become a major issue for the entire world.

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Spain saw its third consecutive daily decline in deaths from the virus (Photo Credit: Image for representation/Reuters)

Paris:

More than 1.2 million cases, including 65,272 deaths due to the novel coronavirus, have been reported in 190 countries and territories around the world since the virus first emerged in China in December, according to an AFP tally based on official sources. Italy has the highest official death toll with 15,362 fatalities. Spain follows with 12,418, the United States is on 8,503, France 7,560 and Britain 4,313. Spain saw its third consecutive daily decline in deaths from the virus, recording another 674 fatalities on Sunday. A day earlier, Italy cheered after seeing its number of intensive care cases drop for the first time - from 4,068 on Friday to 3,994.

New York state, epicentre of the COVID-19 outbreak in the United States, reports 630 new deaths in one day, its largest 24-hour spike. New York City mayor Bill de Blasio issues an emergency plea for volunteers, estimating the city will need 45,000 more medical personnel to fight the pandemic through April and May.

President Donald Trump warned Americans to brace for a "very horrendous" number of coronavirus deaths in coming days.

Queen Elizabeth II will give a rare address on Sunday aimed at rallying Britain, where the government warns of tougher measures on social distancing to try to curb surging infections.

Pope Francis called for courage in the face of the pandemic as he delivered the Palm Sunday mass by livestream instead of before Saint Peter's Square crowds. Egypt's Coptic Orthodox church will suspend prayers preceding Easter celebrations later this month.

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New Delhi:

India partially lifted the export ban on crucial drugs to combat the coronavirus pandemic on Tuesday. The announcement came after US President Donald Trump issued a veiled threat to India over the anti-malarial drug during a regular White House briefing in Washington. In a statement released on Tuesday morning, the Ministry of External Affairs said, ' In view of the humanitarian aspects of COVID-19 pandemic, it has been decided that India would licence paracetamol and Hydroxychloroquine in appropriate quantities to all our neighbouring countries who are dependent on our capabilities.' Without naming the US, the Ministry of External Affairs said that 'We will also be supplying these essential drugs to some nations who have been particularly badly affected by the pandemic. We would, therefore, discourage any speculation in this regard or any attempts to politicise the matter.' Last month in the first week of March, India had restricted the export of dozens of drugs including paracetamol and various antibiotics. One of the worlds largest producers and exporters of drugs, India had restricted the exports of drugs include paracetamol, antibiotics such as tinidazole and erythromycin, the hormone progesterone, which is used in the contraceptive pill, and vitamins B12, B1 and B6. (Coronavirus Live Updates)

India's decision came after Trump's stern remarks on drug export. Last week Trump said that he has sought help from Prime Minister Narendra Modi to allow the sale of Hydroxychloroquine tablets ordered by the US to treat the growing number of coronavirus patients in his country, hours after India banned the export of the anti-malarial drug. "I would be surprised if he would, you know, because India does very well with the United States," Trump told reporters during a press briefing at the White House on Monday. "I spoke to him Sunday morning, called him, and I said we'd appreciate your allowing our supply to come out. If he doesn't allow it to come out, that would be okay, but of course there may be retaliation. Why wouldn't there be," Trump had said.

Meanwhile, the death count due to novel coronavirus rose to 114 and the number of cases in the country climbed to 4,421 on Tuesday, according to the Union Health Ministry. While the number of active COVID-19 cases stood at 3,981, as many as 325 people were cured and discharged, and one had migrated, it stated. The total number of cases include 66 foreign nationals. According to the ministry's data updated at 9 am, three new deaths were reported from Rajasthan, while Tripura recorded its first coronavirus case. Maharashtra has reported the most coronavirus deaths at 45, followed by Gujarat at 12, Madhya Pradesh nine, Telangana and Delhi seven each, Punjab six and Tamil Nadu five fatalities. Karnataka registered four deaths, while West Bengal, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan have recorded three fatalities each. Two deaths each have been reported from Jammu and Kashmir and Kerala. Bihar, Himachal Pradesh and Haryana have reported one fatality each, according to the health ministry data.

(With PTI Inputs)

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The step was taken after 12 people in the area were tested positive. (Photo Credit: IANS)

New Delhi:

Cantonment area of Lucknow has been sealed for 48 hours as 12 people who attended the Tablighi Jamaat event in the Nizamuddin area of Delhi tested positive for coronavirus. According to reports, only Quick Response Teams and medical teams will be allowed to enter into the area during this period. The curfew came into force from Saturday midnight.

Meanwhile, the total number of COVID-19 positive cases in Uttar Pradesh has increased to 257, with 75 more cases being reported in the past 24 hours.

ALSO READ: After 'Thali, Taali Bajao' Appeal, Nation All Set To Turn Off Lights At 9 PM On PM Modi's Solidarity Call

The overall district-wise tally since the coronavirus crisis began is - Gautam Buddha Nagar (58), Agra (44), Meerut (25), Ghaziabad (14), Saharanpur (13), Lucknow (10), Kanpur (7), Bareilly, Shamli and Maharajganj (6 each), Basti, Varanasi (5 each), Firozabad and Hathras (4 each), Azamgarh, Jaunpur, Ghazipur, Bulandshahr, Pratapgarh (3 each), Pilibhit, Mirzapur, Baghpat (2 each), Shahjahanpur Hardoi, Hapur, Moradabad, Lakhimpur Kheri and Banda (1 each).

Earlier, twelve Tablighi Jamaat members from Nepal who were quarantined at a mosque here were on Saturday booked for allegedly violating the lockdown orders imposed to combat the coronavirus threat, police said.

The twelve were quarantined at a local mosque under Kotwali police station area some day ago but were found violating the lockdown orders, they said.

A case under various sections of the IPC and the Epidemic Diseases Act was registered against them, police said.
New Delhi:

Coal India arm MCL will fund the Covid-19 hospital, having 500 beds and 25 intensive care units, in the capital city of Odisha. The hospital was inaugurated on Monday By Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik. Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and Coal and Mines Minister Pralhad Joshi also attended the programme coordinated through video conferencing.

The development comes at a time when concerns have been raised about weak healthcare infrastructure in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. "Government of Odisha started the countrys second largest COVID-19 hospital in Bhubaneswar on Monday. Coal Indias subsidiary company is funding the total operations of this hospital having 500 beds and 25 Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds with ventilators," an official said.

Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) will finance all expenses of the hospital including cost of treatment of patients for which MCL has already released Rs 7.31 crore as immediate advance. The hospital is a great medical asset for the people of Odisha, Joshi said.

MCL has also established isolation and quarantine centres with a total capacity of over 250 beds in Angul, Sambalpur, Jharsuguda and Sundargarh districts of Odisha.

The company has also pressed into service the state-of-the-art equipment "fog cannon" to sanitise peripheral areas, besides distributing masks and alcohol-based sanitisers among coal miners and people living in and around its operations. "The central government has already issued guidelines to allow state governments to utilise up to 30 per cent of the balance fund available with District Mineral Fund (DMF) to combat COVID-19. This will also help the mineral rich state like Odisha in fighting with the pandemic," Joshi said.

"I had personally directed the PSUs of coal and mines ministries to extend best possible support to the respective state governments to help fight COVID-19, which has engulfed most of the countries of the world. I am happy that these PSUs have risen to the occasion," he added. In response, Coal Indias subsidiaries have set up over 1,500 quarantine/ isolation beds in eight states.

Similarly, employees of Bhubaneswar- headquartered NALCO have pledged to contribute their one day salary amounting to Rs 2.5 crore to Odisha Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

NALCO has also given its consent to fund a dedicated COVID-19 hospital to be set up by the government of Odisha in Koraput district.

Coal India accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal output.
New Delhi:

The National Testing Agency (NTA) has postponed the DUET 2020 examination due to novel coronavirus outbreak. Earlier, the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examination (CISCE), New Delhi had asked all its affiliated schools to promote all its students up to class 8 to higher classes without conducting the final annual examination. The decision is seen as an effort by the council to contain the spread of novel coronavius, since the conduct of exams may lead to health and sanitation hazard in the current environment.

The UG/ PG/ M.Phil/ Ph.D courses registration dates are on hold till further orders. The Delhi University Entrance Test dates would be released by the Agency on the official site of NTA at nta.ac.in.

Here are some of the important facts of the examination:

The registration date for DUET was scheduled to begin on April 2 and end on April 30, 2020.

The admit card would be available to candidates from May 15 and the examination would be conducted from June 2 to June 9, 2020.

The result was scheduled to be announced on June 25, 2020.

The registration fees for undergraduate courses is Rs 250/- for candidates belonging to UR/OBC category and Rs 100/- for candidates belonging to SC/ST/PwD/EWS category.

The registration fees for postgraduate courses if Rs 750/- if belonging to UR, OBC and other categories and Rs 300/- if belonging to SC, ST, PwD and EWS category.

DUET is conducted in 18 cities across the country.

Earlier this week, the HRD minister Ramesh Pokhriyal advised all CBSE schools to promote all students from classes 1 to 8 to their higher grade due to the nationwide lockdown which resulted to all educational institutes being shut.
Data showed a decline of 23 per cent from the 681 deaths reported on Saturday. (Photo Credit: PTI)

Rome:

Italian officials said Sunday they may soon have to consider easing restrictions after seeing the daily coronavirus death toll plunge to its lowest in over two weeks.

The 525 official COVID-19 fatalities reported by the civil protection service were the Mediterranean country's lowest since 427 deaths were registered on March 19. They also represented a decline of 23 percent from the 681 deaths reported on Saturday.

"The curve has started its descent and the number of deaths has started to drop," Italy's ISS national health institute director Silvio Brusaferro told reporters.

"If these data are confirmed (in the coming days), we will have to start thinking about phase two," he said in reference to an easing of a month-long national lockdown.

Also Read: Coronavirus: Death Count Crosses 65,000 Worldwide, More Than 1.2 Million COVID-19 Cases

Italy's second phase of the battle against a virus that has now officially killed 15,887 may be trickier than the first.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte decided to address Italy's biggest crisis in generations by sacrificing the economy for the benefit of public health.

The nation of 60 million became the first Western democracy to voluntarily shut down almost all businesses and ban public gatherings -- including simple walks in the park -- on March 12.

His gamble appears to be paying off. Officials reported the first decline Sunday in the number of non-critical COVID-19 patients receiving hospital care across the country's 22 regions.

That number fell from 29,010 on Saturday to 28,949 on Sunday. The number of patients in critical condition edged down from 3,994 on Saturday to 3,977 on Sunday -- the second successive drop.

But the hit to the Italian economy will be enormous. The country's big business lobby Confindustria estimates that this year's production will shrink by six percent if the lockdown remains in place until the end of May.

Confindustria believes that any additional week after that will chop another 0.75 per cent off Italy's total output -- the European Union's third-largest last year.

Conte's government is expected Monday to announce new emergency support measures for small businesses and families that expand on a 25 billion euro ($27 billion) programme unveiled last month.

The coming easing in Italy has not been tried by any other Western nation since the virus spread from China to Europe in February.

Italian health officials remain extremely cautious because they know that the death toll is falling almost certainly because most people are self-isolating.

Civil protection service chief Angelo Borrelli called Sunday's drop in reported deaths "good news". "But we should not let our guard down," he warned.

Italian media on Sunday said Conte's government was preparing a five-point plan that would open up businesses in stages while keeping many social distancing measures in place for some time.

The Corriere della Sera daily said Italians would be asked to go to work with facemasks and required to stay two metres (six feet) apart in public at all times.

"Masks are important because they prevent the spread of infections," Borrelli said Sunday.

Anyone who shows the slightest COVID-19 symptoms must be immediately reported to the health authorities and isolated for two weeks.

Conte's government also intends to secure tens of thousands of certified blood test kits to see how many people have developed antibodies for the disease.

Those with the antibodies might have immunity and be allowed to work. But Italy does not have any certified kits at the moment and when these will be available remains unknown.

It is also unclear whether people with antibodies can still spread the disease. Italy is also reportedly planning to build more coronavirus-specific hospitals across the country.

The government's final proposal involves using phone apps to "strengthen contact tracing" -- a controversial measure opposed by privacy advocates that has been tried in countries such as South Korea and Israel.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
State department urged Americans to return to their home country as soon as possible. (Photo Credit: Image for representation)

Washington:

The United States is working aggressively to airlift around 22,000 Americans stranded overseas, many of them in India, due to the coronavirus pandemic, a senior official has said. The US has so far repatriated around 37,000 Americans stranded overseas due to the pandemic and is planning to bring another 22,000 of its citizens, many of whom are in South Asia, especially India, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Consular Affairs Ian Brownlee told reporters during a conference call on Friday.

"We have repatriated roughly 37,000 US citizens from over 60 countries on more than 400 flights. It includes over 20,000 Americans repatriated in the past week alone," Brownlee said.

He said the US State Department has approximately 70 flights scheduled in the coming days which should bring back several thousand more US citizens.

"South Asia now has the most US citizens wishing to return. So far the US has brought home almost 1,000 Americans from South Asia and are working aggressively to assist thousands more who have expressed an interest in returning," Brownlee said.

"The total number we're looking at overseas at this point is about 22,000. The greatest number of those certainly the plurality of those are in South and Central Asia, many of them in India, he added.

Brownlee urged Americans to return to their home country as soon as possible.

"For the US citizens contemplating whether or not to come home, the time to act is now. Flights will not continue indefinitely, but we want to do all we can to assist you while we are still able to do so, he said.

More than 60,000 people have died from coronavirus since it was first detected late last year in China.

With more than three lakh confirmed cases of coronavirus infection and over 8,000 fatalities, the US has emerged as the global epicentre of the deadly coronavirus disease to which there has been no cure.

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Rasuwagadhi, March 13

The quantity of Chinese goods imported through the Rasuwagadhi border point in Rasuwa is going to increase soon.

An agreement was reached to increase the volume of Chinese goods imported into Nepal from the trade point during virtual talks between the border officials of Rasuwa and the Jilung province in Kerung, according to the District Administration Office.

Efforts made by Rasuwa Chief District Officer Nawaraj Jaisi to meet the demand of the Nepali market to increase imports, which has been reduced since the Covid pandemic. Jaisi says the meeting has been fruitful.

He says it has been agreed to bring 14 containers to Rasuwagadhi daily, increasing it from the existing nine, starting later this month.

Entrepreneurs have said that 28 Nepali containers are expected to get mobilised after 14 large Chinese containers start arriving at the border point daily.
Saudi Arabia's job market is booming with 79% of employers feeling positive about the outlook for business this year and the majority planning to increase headcount in the next 12 months. Thats according to Hays Saudi Arabia Salary Guide 2022, released by the recruiting experts.

Candidates most in-demand in Saudi Arabia include those with industry qualifications, years of like-for-like experience in both local and international markets, and strong commercial skills for making informed business decisions.

When it comes to skill availability, Technology and Managerial/Leadership skills were the two areas employers said they expected to face the greatest shortage of candidates in 2022, and perhaps it is not surprising then that salaries listed for these roles are relatively high versus others detailed in the report.

Findings from the report show a record 80% of employers intend to increase their workforce numbers in 2022, up on 43% who did so in 2021 and 29% in 2020.

Two years on from the pandemic, the job market in Saudi Arabia has certainly bounced back, says Aaron Fletcher, Business Manager at Hays Saudi Arabia.

New and ongoing initiatives surrounding Vision 2030 and the PIF mega projects are driving growing opportunities in the job market, as well as multiple start-ups and MNCs establishing headquarters in region.

As an emerging economy, many companies are entering the market now to secure their place and establish a market share ahead of the anticipated boom. As a result, we are seeing opportunities pick up across all sectors, Fletcher adds.

As such, we have seen demand to be highest for senior-level professionals, who are equipped with the relevant years of experience and who have the leadership capabilities to drive commercial success and deliver projects on budget and to time.

Job roles most in-demand include Business Development Directors, who can contribute to the organisations bottom line from day one of being in role; Digital Transformation specialists, who have the skills and expertise to implement streamlined, automated business processes; Design and Pre Construction professionals, owing to the launching and ongoing developments of so many construction and real estate projects; Senior Legal professionals, with demand coming largely from mega projects where there are a significant number of business transactions taking place; and Talent acquisition specialists, since the hiring of talent across all sectors is in a phase of growth, adds Fletcher.

Competition amongst employers for the most highly skilled professionals is fierce and salary, of course, is a big factor when looking to attract the top talent. That being said, flexible working options, career development opportunities and efficient onboarding processes all have significant impacts on talent attraction and must be considered by employers, concludes Fletcher.-- TradeArabia News Service
The British pound has broken below the 50 Week EMA initially during the course of the week but then turned around a break above the 152.50 level. That is an area that should continue to be of interest, but I think at this point in time you have to look at the larger range overall, with the 150 level underneath is massive support, that extends down to the 149 level. On the upside, the 155 level is significant resistance, and I think we could see quite a bit of selling pressure there.

GBP/JPY Video 14.03.22

Quite frankly, the market is likely to see a lot of volatility due to the massive amounts of problems out there. Keep in mind that the market is highly sensitive to risk appetite, so that is something that should be paid close attention to. I believe that this is a market that will continue to bounce around in an overall consolidation area as laid out previously, so more often than not longer-term traders are going to be focusing on daily charts, not weekly ones.

Pay close attention to stock markets around the world because they may give you a little bit of a heads up as to where we are going. If risk assets continue to strengthen, that would help this pair go higher, just as the exact opposite would be true. Regardless, this is a very volatile market that we are in right now, and therefore you need to be very cautious about your position sizing. This is especially true in this market, as it does tend to be a bit more volatile than most currency pairs anyway.

For a look at all of todays economic events, check out our economic calendar.

This article was originally posted on FX Empire

More From FXEMPIRE:
Animal Rescue Kharkiv

As Russian bombs rain down on Kharkiv, Ukraines second largest city, volunteers dart through the city, dodging artillery on a mission to save lives. Panicked family members who have fled the city call the operators at Animal Rescue Kharkiv with desperate messages: Our dog is still home, our cat is trapped inside our apartment.

Many residents of Kharkiv have already left, risking the journey in hopes of finding a break from the constant bombardment. But even before Russian forces attacked the city, Animal Rescue Kharkiv decided to stay. Russian bombs have struck the groups adoption center, killing five dogs and leaving another five to escape into the woods.

Our team decided before the war started that we will stay here and we will do the work and we wont leave our city. Well continue working and helping the animals, Olga Ilyunina, one of the groups founders, told The Daily Beast.

The aftermath of a Russian attack on Animal Rescue Kharkivs adoption center. Volunteers say five dogs were killed in the attack and another five fled into the wilderness. Animal Rescue Kharkiv

As the war smashes cities and uproots lives, taking care of the legions of cats, dogs, gerbils, parrots, and other furry remnants of normal life is a challenge. But just as relief efforts are taking care of Ukraines besieged civilians, a parallel network of volunteers, activists, and rescue staff have pulled together to try and shield the countrys pets from the effects of the Russian war machine.

The risk for volunteers is extreme. Kharkiv is under constant shelling by artillery and bombardment by the Russian air force. One bomb fell minutes before Ilyunina managed to get on the phone, she said last week during a patchy call on Telegram. And the groups facilities have already come under attack.

One bomb fell in our adoption center and it destroyed five enclosures and five dogs were killed. Some of them ran away and we are trying to find them, says Ilyunin. The girl who was there [at the time]she didnt know what was happening and she was afraid to go out when it hit.

This pugs owners left him behind in a neighbors apartment when they fled the city. Animal Rescue Kharkiv volunteers had to arrange foster care after a bomb struck the building. Animal Rescue Kharkiv

Since the war started, Facebook groups in Ukraine have overflowed with posts about left-behind and lost pets in need. Users post pictures of their beloved pups and cats with desperate pleas to anyone who can check on them, take them in, or at least leave some food. Other posts show images of frightened and confused pets, with collars and coats that speak to a more comfortable pre-war life, found in bombed-out apartment buildings or wandering the streets.

Story continues

Bayraktar, a big white bear of a dog, has become Animal Rescue Kharkivs new mascot. Staff found him roaming the streets as a wounded stray after he apparently was hit by a car. They got him to a veterinarian and named him after the Turkish-made drones now used by the Ukrainian military.

Hes our hero, Ilyunina says.

Volunteers say Bayraktar, a dog they named after the Turkish drone now used by the Ukrainian military, is their hero. They believe he was hit by a car and he is now receiving medical care and is in need of a family to take him in. Animal Rescue Kharkiv

The group tries to improvise solutions for the animals however they can. Two drivers dart through the streets of Kharkiv to the homes of abandoned animals and try to place them with friends, neighbors, or anyone feeling merciful.

If no one responds, if no one can help the animal, we take it to our center or our volunteers and workers take them to their homes. Most of our workers have about 20 animals now, Ilyunina jokes.

Disaster relief and animal rescue experts say its important to factor in the care of pets when developing any evacuation plan.

I saw it for the 10 years I was working with Red Paw Relief. People won't leave their houses without their pets or they'll risk our lives. And some people will die trying to save their pets. says Jen Leary, a firefighter and animal rescue expert. Learys group traveled to the scene of house fires to find lost pets and provided temporary housing for animals until their owners could get on their feet.

Volunteers try to coax a wounded dog after the rescue groups adoption center was struck by the Russian military. Animal Rescue Kharkiv

Its not just pet owners who are putting themselves at risk; so is the network of volunteers trying to keep supply lines open to them. Family members say Russian troops shot and killed Anastasiia Yalanskaya, a Ukrainian animal rescue volunteer, as she tried to deliver food to a dog shelter near Kyiv.

Staff at shelters in Russian-occupied parts of Ukraine say the troops show little regard for the needs of people or animals.

Before the war, Sirius was the largest animal shelter in Ukraine and home to more than 3,000 dogs and over 200 cats at its main facility north of Kyiv. Now, the shelter is in territory seized by Russian troops laying siege to Ukraines capital. Sirius founder, Alexandra Mezinov, is still at the facility with only scattered access to the internet, but one of the groups executives, Iryna Lozova, spoke to The Daily Beast with help from a translator.

The situation in the shelter is, to be clear, very bad. The shelter and settlements around the shelter are occupied by Russian troops, Mezinov says. Russian troops have not allowed for a humanitarian corridor in the area to allow supplies and people to move in or out of the area, much less one for the animals under Sirius care.

Sirius staff make do with what they can scrounge, but the situation is dire. They have very few stocks of food left, Mezinov says. Water is also in short supply. Theyre trying to take water from a pond nearby.

Busya the cats owners wanted to leave the city but ended up staying when Busya ran up a tree. Animal Rescue Kharkiv volunteers managed to get the cat down. Animal Rescue Kharkiv

The conflict has forced shelters and rescue groups across Ukraine to rethink how they can continue working.

We've cut all of our programs except for feeding dogs, says Olga Spektor of Happy Paw. Spektor founded the animal charity 12 years ago and has used the fund to provide care for stray animals and educate Ukrainian school children about the importance of humane treatment of animals.

Spektor says the biggest problem her group facesaside from the constant Russian attacksis transportation.

Some big shelters are on territory occupied by Russian soldiers. They don't wont make it possible to transport food, water, and people, she says. I can't understand why Russian soldiers, who are also human, can't make it possible to feed civilians and animals. They've done nothing wrong.

Read more at The Daily Beast.

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Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on March 13 that negotiations with the Taliban on operating the Kabul airport were still ongoing, while a Taliban minister said an agreement was near.

Cavusoglu made the comments a day after he met with the Talibans acting foreign minister, Amir Khan Muttaqi, in southern Turkey.

Turkey managed and protected Kabuls Hamid Karzai international airport for six years until U.S. and other NATO forces left Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover in August 2021.

Turkey has long expressed a willingness to continue to run the airport jointly with Qatar, but only if their security demands are met.

Turkey is a close ally of Qatar, which has long been a key player in mediating talks with the Taliban and hosted the hard-line groups office long before it took power in Kabul.

Meanwhile, the Talibans acting minister of information and culture, Khairullah Khairkhwa, told Turkeys Daily Sabah that an agreement with Doha and Ankara was close.

Turkey and Qatar and the Afghan government have been nearing an agreement, so hopefully it will be finalized in the near future, he said.

It was reported in November that the United Arab Emirates had held talks with the Taliban-led government to run the airport.

Khairkhwa, however, said that the priority and the preference is Turkey and Qatar to jointly operate the airport.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Tolonews
TRINIDAD  In the late summer of 2016, Neal Paul was on his way to work in the Denver suburbs when he heard the news on the radio.

Temple Aaron, one of the oldest synagogues in the Rocky Mountain West and the oldest in Colorado, was for sale.

It was just before the High Holidays. After almost 130 years, no services would be held in the old mining outpost on the states southern edge. Temple Aaron would be closed  that magnificent, towering, hilltop edifice of brick, stone and stained glass.

It was just a kick in the gut, Paul recalls. How could we allow that? How could that be?

The answer, he found, was kind of a long story. It was a simple matter of money, yes. But it was also a complicated matter of faith, duty and perseverance that was all finally met by desperation.

In a town where the number of Jewish residents could be counted on one or two hands throughout this century, how to explain Temple Aarons survival up to that point in 2016?

The faiths local population is believed to have hovered around 250 in 1917. It sharply declined from there with decades of economic downturn locally. The last full-time rabbi left in 1916. Considering the dozen or so congregants seen in pews in the 50s and 60s, one might say Temple Aaron lasting up to that point was a miracle.

The miracle continues.

Thats thanks to Paul and a small group of other outsiders who have spent the past five years finding the money and building a nonprofit to save the synagogue. Now, Temple Aaron is being considered for National Historic Landmark designation  a move that advocates say would bring even more attention and support to the house of worship on these western fringes that has managed to captivate souls farther afield.

About 60 have formed a virtual congregation. From Albuquerque to Santa Fe to Colorado Springs to Denver and states beyond, people tune into twice-a-month sessions on Zoom led by Rabbi Rob Lennick, CEO of the Jewish Federation of New Mexico.

At rabbinical school back in the 80s in Cincinnati, Lennicks mentor happened to talk about Temple Aaron.

He used to describe it as a small, saving remnant that God loves above all, Lennick says. And that feeling comes back. Were just this tiny, little Jewish pilot light out there, and it still flames up into a strong, bright beacon of Judaism. Even from this tiny, little pinpoint of the world in Trinidad. Its pretty amazing.

Its thanks as well to the ones whove been here all along.

Era almost ends

Thats brothers Ron and Randy Rubin, who grew up in the next town over, Raton. They were boys in the 50s and 60s, two of that dozen or so in the pews of Temple Aaron. They dont remember many other kids around.

We grew up with wonderful, old Jewish people, Ron Rubin says. We were in their homes and at the synagogue, and they were our very, very best friends.

And then everyone sort of left or died. My family was the only one who stayed.

The Rubins had been in Raton since the early 1900s, since Rons and Randys grandfather fled persecution in Russia. It was the boys mother, Kathryn, who fueled their faith. She married their father in 1946, on the heels of the war and atrocities of the Holocaust.

Kathryns devotion shined after 1987, when she took oversight of the fund that had long kept up the synagogue. She kept up holiday services and paid the bills and maintenance from what was left of the original $250,000 foundation established by Alfred Freudenthal four decades prior.

Freudenthal was among a line of influential Jews who took root in Trinidad in the 1860s. They followed a pioneer trail to an emerging city of promise, one that would boom with coal and the railroad.

An early store on Main Street was opened by Jews. The citys first mayor, in 1876, was Sam Jaffa, whose father was Temple Aarons namesake. Sam and his brothers also built Trinidads opera house. That was in 1882, a year before the congregation formally organized and raised funds for the temples construction in 1889.

A later member was Dr. Stanley Biber, who became Americas most prominent sex change surgeon. He died in 2006 and was buried in Trinidads Jewish cemetery.

Alfred Freudenthal was the son of the temples first rabbi. Its a name at least partly responsible for the local college and health care system  and a name almost entirely responsible for Temple Aarons longevity.

For generations, managers kept a tight budget with that endowment, the last being the Rubins.

That sustained everything up until about 2010 or 11, says Randy Rubin. Things got pretty dire then.

It got to where he, Ron and their mother were paying costs out of their own pockets. Gas, water and electricity added up, while the big bite was insuring the building, Randy says. That was many thousands.

Local Jews werent around to help. We just didnt have the money. We didnt know what to do, Randy says. We decided it has to be sold. There was no way to maintain it.

It was an emotional time then in 2016. Kathryn Rubin was into her 90s. It seemed the synagogue would end on her watch.

Heart-wrenching, Ron says, fighting back tears at the thought now. Then we had an angel of sorts.

Carrying the beacon

Like Neal Paul, a real estate broker in Denver, a Jewish attorney in Boulder, David London, got word of the temple selling. The two arranged to meet the Rubins at the temple, where they pitched the family on an idea to work their networks and come up with cash. They pleaded for the for sale sign to be removed.

Driving down three hours in the middle of nowhere, Paul recalls, and then eventually coming into this little town and seeing this special building on top of this hill. ... It just put a lump in my throat.

The Rubins agreed to the strangers pitch. That launched conversations and developments, perhaps most significantly the $50,000-plus that was raised in a grant-matching challenge by Larry Mizel, the well-known Jewish philanthropist in Denver. That was in 2018, the year Kathryn Rubin died.

My mother would be so happy, Ron says. She would think, Oh my God, my sons saved the temple. Of course, its the board thats really made it happen.

The Rubin brothers sit on the nonprofits five-person board, which includes Paul. He says the temple raised more than $100,000 last year, continuing an upward trend that gives long-term hope for paying bills and eventually replacing the roof, expected to be a massive undertaking.

Just as Temple Aarons few worshippers saw a future against the odds, so Rabbi Lennick does today.

How did it still continue? Lennick asks. I think because theres a tenacity in Jewish life, especially when we find ourselves holding the beacon. Being Jewish, it cant be taken for granted, so people try harder. Its like with Judaism, if we dont pay attention to it, no one will. Theres a sense of pride and desire to keep that light bright and burning.

Paul sees the future depending on people, remote congregants and others. Strangers willing to step up, both in terms of funding and leading. Strangers like him.

Paul struggles to pinpoint what it was that struck him about that news from the radio in 2016, or that lump he felt in his throat upon seeing the temple.

Growing up, he never considered himself particularly religious. Its hard to explain, he says. Judaism was never out of me. It was never not a part of me.

It occupied a place of hurt. A place of not-so-distant tragedy.

His parents were teenage prisoners of concentration camps. They survived, while most of their family was murdered.

It was a hard history for Paul to carry. Especially hard at moments in his life where he faced antisemitism.

I kinda keep it hidden away, Paul says. But I think thats part of the reason Im probably involved in this. Because we have lost so much, and if I can have some control in saving one thing into the future ... yeah, I think Id be pleased about that.

Ron Rubin thinks his childhood friends would be pleased. Those wonderful, old Jewish people now buried at the cemetery in Trinidad.

I go occasionally to talk to them, he says. See how theyre doing.
RTHK: Russia sees 'progress' at conflict talks with Ukraine

Russia said on Sunday that negotiators were making headway at talks to resolve fighting in Ukraine, more than two weeks after President Vladimir Putin ordered his army over the borders of its pro-Western neighbour.

Leonid Slutsky, a senior member of Russia's negotiating team, told the state-run television network RT that "significant progress" was made following several rounds of talks hosted on the border of neighbouring Belarus.

"If we compare the positions of both delegations at the start of the talks and now, we see significant progress," he told the network according to Russian news agencies.

"My own expectations are that this progress could develop over the next few days into a unified position held by both delegations in documents to be signed," agencies cited him as saying.

Negotiators from Moscow and Kyiv have held several rounds of talks since Putin sent in troops to the country. Turkey this week hosted a first meeting between the Russian and Ukrainian foreign ministers.

Earlier on Sunday, a senior Ukraine advisor and presidential aide, Mikhailo Podolyak, wrote on Twitter that Russia had stopped issuing "ultimatums" and instead "carefully listens to our positions".

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday that Russia had adopted a "fundamentally different approach" in the talks.

Meanwhile Russian President Vladimir Putin this week said there had been "some positive shifts" in the dialogue and that negotiations were being held almost daily. (AFP)

This story has been published on: 2022-03-13. To contact the author, please use the contact details within the article.
Beacon Red, an EDGE Group entity and an advanced defence solutions provider that tackles complex national security threats, will be showcasing its technologies and capabilities designed for law enforcement at the upcoming World Police Summit in Dubai.

World Police Summit is the global meeting place for senior international police and law enforcement officials and professionals to connect with governments, policy makers, and sector experts to source the latest technologies, debate key trends and address the latest challenges and priorities for public safety and security.

It provides Beacon Red the opportunity to feature their latest disruptive solutions and capabilities, positioning themselves on the leading edge of tomorrow.

At the event, running from March 14 to 17 at the Dubai Exhibition Centre, Beacon Red will showcase its unique law enforcement services and training course offerings, as well as cyber-defence related products, said the organisers.

It will also announce a new strategic business collaboration, as well as underscore their innovative solutions intended to aid future law enforcement training initiatives, they added.

On their participation, Beacon Red CEO Mauricio De Almeida said: "We recognise the importance of providing a platform for the international police community to source the latest innovations and technologies in the national security landscape. That is why we are proud to participate in the World Police Summit, entering key conversations and showcasing our abilities as a leading provider of the people, processes and technologies that support and enhance international law enforcement."

"We look forward to highlighting how Beacon Red can improve crime prevention, training innovation and cyber forensics," he stated.

Beacon Red is part of the Electronic Warfare & Intelligence cluster of EDGE, an advanced technology group that ranks among the top 25 military suppliers in the world.

With scope to develop and instruct within innumerable national security and intelligence disciplines, Beacon Red provides advanced solutions to national security threats through transformative people, processes and technology, he added..-TradeArabia News Service
Two so-called road improvement projects for Colorado Springs are causing concern in the citys older close-to-downtown neighborhoods.

One proposal calls for high-speed, high-capacity buses to roll along North Weber Street from downtown through the Near North End and the Old North End, eventually terminating at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (UCCS).

The other proposal would extend westbound Constitution Avenue, which now ends at Paseo Road, along the old Rock Island railroad tracks past the Bonnyville and Roswell neighborhoods and by Monument Valley Park to Interstate 25.

Both projects were pronounced as high-priority city roadway improvements at a meeting early this month of CTAB, the Citizens Transportation Advisory Committee, which studies and makes recommendations for street and road changes in Colorado Springs.

The North Weber Street proposal involves BRT, or Bus Rapid Transit.

Large transit buses, sometimes operating in connected pairs, would provide rapid service with limited stops up North Weber Street to the area around the old Rock Island railroad tracks and East Fillmore Street.

At that point the BRT right-of-way would shift from North Weber Street to North Nevada Avenue and run through a mainly commercial and light industrial area to the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs campus.

In its most highly developed form, BRT includes frequent service, with buses scheduled to depart the main terminals every five minutes. Because buses would be running in both directions, there could be a big fast bus (or double bus) passing a home or business along the route every two-and-a-half minutes.

Bus Rapid Transit is a good idea for the North Nevada Avenue stretch of the proposal. That area is mainly commercial/industrial, and the city hopes the presence of the BRT will stimulate major redevelopment in the form of new apartment buildings, office buildings and shopping areas.

But Bus Rapid Transit is not ideal for the North Weber Street section. From East Boulder Street downtown to East Jackson Street (near Penrose Hospital and Bon Shopping Center), North Weber Street is primarily single-family and two-family residential.

That section of North Weber Street includes some of the oldest and most historic houses in Colorado Springs. The 15-block portion from downtown to East Del Norte Street (Steele Elementary School) is in the North Weber Street/North Wahsatch Avenue National Historic District.

Big buses moving along at the speed limit going by every two-and-a-half minutes are not appropriate for a historic residential street populated mainly by families. The two neighborhood associations involved, the Near North End and the Old North End, are asking the city to not put BRT on North Weber Street.

The two neighborhoods support BRT, but on major highways, such as I-25, where it is more appropriate and fits in.

The other proposal  extending Constitution Avenue westward past Bonnyville and Roswell to I-25  has been proposed before and rejected.

In the late 1990s, a so-called East-West Expressway was to run along the old Rock Island railroad right-of-way, past the northern boundary of the Old North End, across Monument Creek, and then turn south past Monument Valley Park to a connection with West Fontanero Street and Interstate 25.

The highway noise and the additional traffic generated by the proposed Constitution Avenue expressway posed real threats to residents in nearby neighborhoods. Neighborhood associations, such as the Old North End, took a firm stand that the old Rock Island right-of-way should be used only for a biker-hiker trail.

On Jan. 9, 1996, Colorado Springs City Council settled the issue. There would be no East-West expressway. Council permanently designated the Rock Island railroad corridor as a trail. The railroad had been, for the most part, abandoned. City staff was directed not to bring this road issue before City Council again.

But now the old Rock Island highway, or East-West Expressway, or Constitution Avenue extension, or whatever you want to call it, has been resurrected. It faces two major problems.

One is that Horace Mann Junior High School is in the way. Either the school building will have to be removed, or the school will have a major four-lane highway jammed in right next to it.

A bigger problem is going through or close to Monument Valley Park. When Gen. William Palmer, the founder of Colorado Springs, gave the park to the city, he specified it can only be used for park purposes. The League of Women Voters went to court and won a judgment that General Palmers parkland gifts to the city must be used for parks and nothing else.

The Bus Rapid Transit proposal for North Weber Street is innocuously named the North Nevada Enhanced Transit Project  Phase 1. The Constitution Avenue proposal is simply called the Constitution Feasibility Study.

These projects involve, for many nearby residents, undesirable collateral side effects and likely unanticipated consequences. City leaders should drop these questionable projects from their highway priority lists.

Tom Cronin and Bob Loevy write on national and Colorado political issues.
Jon Caldara is president of the Independence Institute in Denver and hosts The Devils Advocate with Jon Caldara on Colorado Public Television Channel 12.
Samail Industrial City, administered by the Public Establishment for Industrial Estates (Madayn), has signed an agreement with Fatfat and Yaghi Construction to set up a project for the manufacturing and installation of metal products.



The project will be established on an area of 11,225 sq m with an investment value touching RO350,000 ($906,780). This brings the total number of the signed investment pacts in Samail Industrial City in 2022 to six pacts in various sectors.



Samail Industrial City received 27 investment applications in 2021 representing industrial, service and commercial projects. Of these applications, 19 projects were localised in the industrial city and are expected to provide 300 new job opportunities. Samail Industrial City, in cooperation with the competent bodies, aim at increasing employment opportunities for the national cadres in the industrial city.



In 2021, the investment volume in Samail Industrial City increased from RO85 million to RO115 million, and is expected to touch RO120 million upon the completion of the new projects this year.



Moreover, the existing projects in the industrial city seek to expand and introduce new production lines. It should be noted that the Omani investors in the industrial city account for 75% of the total investing projects in Samail Industrial City.  TradeArabia News Service
Why shoot the messenger?

What is going on in Mesa County? The county clerk raised concerns over election security and integrity, but instead of investigating and auditing the system and results, the secretary of state raided the Mesa County Clerk offices, erased the machines audit and election logs and data, and then went after the county clerk using the full resources of the state. Todays Gazette reports that she is charged with 10 felonies! So much for being a whistleblower. I have a better suggestion than making the state look like a banana republic where you jail your opponents. How about the secretary of state actually address and investigate the allegations and assure us through deeds and not words that Colorados elections are secure?

Why shoot the messenger? Just answer some basic questions? Specifically:

Is it true Secretary Jena Griswolds and her agents erased the results of the 2022 election results, which are required under penalty of state and federal law to be maintained for 22 months?

If the access logs and election results were erased, who has been indicted for this crime?

Were the Mesa County voting machines accessible to the internet after certification by the Colorado Secretary of State offices prior to the election, as is alleged? Can they produce the audit logs for third party verification to show that no internet access occurred?

Do the voting machines have wireless access enabled as alleged?

How did the states certification allow unauthorized and uncertified installations Microsoft SQL server on our voting machines as alleged by the whistleblower? Who installed these powerful programs? To what end?

Why is the bail set at $500,000 for a white-collar crime unless it is to intimidate an elected official?

This is not a Democrat or Republican issue. This is about the sanctity of our election system. Why the legitimate concerns of the Mesa County clerk were not addressed, and instead she is now jailed on process charges, is profoundly troubling to me. More troubling is that the audit and election data was illegally erased, which can only fuel wacko conspiracy theories and makes Secretary Jena Griswolds office look like they have something to hide. Something is not right, and we need an independent arbiter to step into this mess.

Vic Malone

Colorado Springs

Outrageous medical charges

I read with interest a recent front page Gazette article about a hospital bill that went from a little over $1,300 to well over $200,000. I found it amazing that the hospital felt justified in charging this absurd amount.

Hospitals bill whatever they feel like because they can. There is no overseeing of outrageous medical charges. One would think, wouldnt one, that health insurance companies, who often pay those bills, would try to keep medical costs down. If they have, theyve done a bad job of doing so.

The United States is just about the only advanced country that doesnt have government-provided medical care. Call it socialized medicine if you want. If thats what it takes to get hospital costs down to a reasonable level, bring it on.

Certainly medical providers deserve a fair compensation for their lifesaving work. The amount thats being charged is hardly fair.

David J. Baker

Colorado Springs

Use a horse to get around

About a year ago, I paid $1.99 a gallon to fill up my diesel truck. Today, our local Conoco in Monument is selling diesel for $4.99 a gallon, a 150% increase! Dont know about you, but I find that unacceptable.

If the left hadnt stopped ANWAR and Keystone, we would be energy independent, and President Joe Biden wouldnt be begging for oil from other countries. I know, I know, even if Jennifer Psaki admits we should start drilling ASAP, we wont soon see a price drop.

So what about the future when we find ourselves again beholding to other countries? Oh, never mind, maybe Ill buy a horse to get around; they only poop about 50 pounds a day!

Bill Crow

Larkspur

This is not Kentucky

City Council: I am concerned about the water issues here in Colorado Springs in particular and the west in general. We live in a desert, blue grass was never native here. This is not Kentucky.

Wasting precious water on yards so kids can play barefoot is ridiculous. The drought we are now experiencing could be just the beginning. I am not in favor of a policy encouraging more growth and more water usage. This city will grow whether we like it or not. Where will the water come from? I like my morning shower and glass of water to drink. Wasting water on green spaces is not an environmentally sound practice.

Xeriscaping can be done in a beautiful way. Artificial turf can be laid. There are lots of alternatives. The current codes and policies regarding water requirements, residentially and commercially, should be looked at from a water conservation perspective and rewritten to reflect the new issues facing our future. Please do not bury your heads in the water-consuming grass.

Daryl Kuiper

Colorado Springs

Unborn childrens gifts lost

As I watch the horror happening in Ukraine, the senseless suffering and loss of life, Im reminded of the many children in our country whose lives have ended in the womb.

Sadly, we cant stop whats happening thousands of miles away, but we can make a difference in our own country. Consider how our unborn childrens gifts and talents could make a difference in a world thats being deprived of so much.

Think about it and see if it makes sense to you!

Carol Johnson

Colorado Springs
After over 34 years, Pies and More is closing.

April 9 will be the last day community members can walk past the Were Open! sign at the storefront, and sit inside the white metal encasing the small diner in the Willowbrook Mall.

Gene Simon, a Navy veteran whos been running Pies and More for 16 years, said it was time.

(Business) has been good until the pandemic hit. That just killed us, Simon said. Between rent, utilities and other bills, Pies and More had lost $70,000 in three months. We went from full to empty  we still have good days, we have a lot of good days Simon added, but those good days wont be enough to stay open.

The pies will stay stocked and the breakfast will keep running for another month, and specials are planned for Pi Day and St. Patrick's Day as well.

Simon remembers taking over Pies and More 16 years ago. His wife was working there, and it was a friend of his who owned it. He got roped into working there for a short while, and then Simon was asked to buy it. After some persuasion, he did.

Business was good for most of the following years, until the pandemic hit. Pies and More was one of the hardest affected, as their customer base was often part of the vulnerable population.

Simon is ready to let go of Pies and More, saying one of the first things hell do is go to Bristol, Tennessee to watch NASCAR. He also has eight grandchildren to see and camping to do throughout Iowa.

His favorite part of Pies and More will always be the people.

Pies and More has been a staple for pies, breakfast and lunch. Sitting in the small diner, littered with people sipping coffee and eating biscuits and gravy, Theresa, an employee at Pies and More, is sad to see it go.

I am very sad to see it go, I dont want it to Theresa said with tears in her eyes. A lot of people come through here, and new people keep coming.

Theresa has worked at Pies and More for 14 years, and has enjoyed working for Gene Simon. I wouldnt have stayed here that long if it wouldnt have been (a good place to work) she said.

The business is for sale, and will include the banquet room across the hall, which has been used by churches, card players, and birthday parties for years.

Gene Simon, with his gray walrus mustache and Navy veterans cap, will be working until he closes up shop one last time.

Rae Burnette is a GA and Crime & Courts Reporter at the Globe Gazette. You can reach her by phone at 641.421.0523 or at Rae.Burnette@GlobeGazette.com

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Editor's Note: This is part three of a multiple-part series on Mason City's first "Trial of the Century."

Trial of the Century-Chapter III

Mason City was aboil on the morning of September 3, 1901. People in the streets, restaurants, coffee shops and in their homes at the kitchen table were all cogitating over that day's start of the preliminary hearing of Lena Linhoff for Murder in the First Degree.

The waiting line at the new Cerro Gordo Courthouse wound out the door with those desiring to witness the testimony, which had churned up and divided the town in a manner of that day beyond politics, beyond wealth, and beyond religion.

The gallery was seated and before them sat the Linhoff legal Dream Team and their client, dressed in conservative and appropriate all-black, while at the adjacent table sat the county attorney wearing a confident, yet inappropriate smile. The court reporter and bailiff were in place as the sun entered the courtroom through the early fall leaves of Central Park.

With the bang of the gavel, 30-year-old Cerro Gordo County District Court Judge Clifford Pabody Smith brought the courtroom to order and the preliminary hearing was underway, yet the final outcome of the fate of Lena Linhoff would not be known for another three years.

After nearly two days, Cerro Gordo County Attorney D.W. Telford concluded the prosecution's submission of evidence and rested his case.

The witness testimony had been contradictory and inconsistent in specifics, yet in the broad stroke, someone shot and killed Edwin Bromley, it happened during a neighbor skirmish between the adult members of the Linhoff and Bromley families and either Lena Linhoff or her husband August pulled the trigger for the fatal shot. Those facts could not be disputed.

The defense team never cross-examined one prosecution witness nor introduced one of their own.

Upon Judge Smith's call for the defense to begin, lead counsel John D. Glass stood before him and rested their case.

Can you imagine six lawyers sitting silent for two days during a First Degree Murder preliminary hearing and then resting their defense case without uttering a word?

If it hadn't happened, you'd never believe it possible.

The gallery sat in stunned silence for a moment and then erupted in chatter, in the distinct varieties of the native tongues they had brought to Mason City. The scene and affect were equal to the biblical Tower of Babel.

Prosecutor Telford thought he smelled blood in the water and began to have plea-bargaining sugarplums dance in his head.

Reporters from the news wire services of the time and even local newspaper reporters representing markets from communities near and far began posting their stories to editors for print the next day.

Only a fly on the wall could have noticed the most important reaction of all in the maelstrom of that room; Judge Clifford Smith sat motionless arms folded, gavel in hand for about a half-a-minute, then deliberately yet slowly arose from his chair and disappeared into his chambers.

Judge Smith would claim to deliberate for over two days before rendering his decision regarding the fate of Mrs. Linhoff. His decision, known only to him and James E. Blythe, defense co-counsel, was pre-arranged as was the script that played out for the trials and appeal over the next three years.

Lena Linhoff remained free on bail and was ushered from the courthouse quietly and quickly to the safe haven of the home of Grace Smith Blythe.

Mrs. Blythe's home was located at what is today the Fullerton Patterson James Funeral Home, one of the most elegant personal homes of that time.

You see Grace Smith Blythe was the wife of James E. Blythe. She was also the first cousin to Judge Clifford Pabody Smith.

When Judge Smith was appointed to the District Court in 1900 by Iowa Governor Leslie M. Shaw, it was not the first time he had lived in Mason City.

As was the practice for new attorneys of that time, a lawyer would "Study Law" or intern if you will in an established law firm before they would go out on their own.

Judge Smith interned at the Mason City law firm of James E. Blythe.

At the behest of Grace Blythe, Clifford Smith studied the law and was groomed in his profession at the firm of Blythe and Markley.

If you think Clifford Smith may have been beholden to James E. Blythe for his good fortune and profession, I don't think you would be alone, nor would you be wrong.

In the context of our 2022 world, one hand still washes the other.

Next: Trial of the Century-Chapter IV-Trials and Punishment

JW Sayles is a Mason City resident and maybe Iowas own Samuel Clemens in the making? You be the judge. Opinions are his own.
The pandemics early struggles  swirling confusion, scarce testing supplies and a national shortage of personal protecting equipment  provided a crash course for Dan River Region health leaders on being prepared for such an emergency.

And its not a question of if another pandemic-style disruption will emerge. The real question is when will it happen again.

The Virginia Department of Health always stands ready to assist with a variety of situations from the flu to a hurricane, according to McKenna Luzynski, an epidemiologist with the Southside Health District.

The health department will be looking ahead, Chris H. Garrett, local health emergency coordinator with the Pittsylvania-Danville Health District, told the Register & Bee.

The lessons learned over the last two years will be molded into emergency operations plans for the district.

Planning consists of when it will happen again, not if, he said.

As for the community, they have been through a lot, Garrett explained. They have been stretched thin mentally and emotionally, with time they will bounce back.

Hes hopeful the education and experiences from COVID-19 will aid residents in being ready for whatever the future may hold.

At Sovah Health-Danville, the early stages were made especially difficult making sure they had enough PPE  an acronym that quickly became part of mainstream vocabulary  and other tools to care for the community, said Dr. Sheranda Gunn-Nolan, Market Chief Medical Officer.

Our top priority has always been protecting the health and safety of our patients and staff, so we implemented protocols to ensure we could provide high-quality care throughout all stages of the pandemic, she told the Register & Bee.

Gunn-Nolan said Sovah Health was at the forefront of the ever-evolving pandemic.

Our response and actions shaped how many other hospitals and communities prepared for and responded to the virus, she wrote in a statement to the Register & Bee. From early on, we understood the importance of a timely diagnosis to prevent further spread of the virus, so we worked closely with our partners to increase access to testing and treatment options to improve outcomes for our patients.

Although COVID-19 was a novel illness, responding to infectious diseases isnt new to Sovah Health.

We have tested processes and plans in place to respond to situations involving infectious disease year-round, Gunn-Nolan said.

Over at the local health department, theres a full-time local emergency coordinator along with workers for nursing, environmental health, epidemiology and population health, Luzynski explained.

We have a robust volunteer medical reserve corps, and we have all been trained to respond to events using the Incident Command System, a standardized approach to managing emergencies, she said.

We aim to continue building relationships within our communities to ensure we have support and trust in all that we do, Linda Scarborough, a health department spokesperson, told the Register & Bee.

Ultimately, when the Federal Drug Administration paved the way for the first vaccines  via emergency-use authorizations  health department workers finally believed they were at the turning point, Luzynski.

Sovah Health also knew vaccines were the road out of the dark days.

Early on, we knew the way out of this was a vaccine  I prayed for it, Gunn-Nolan said. Vaccines stop pandemics and save lives.

But along that road, many obstacles popped up. The leading blockage was vaccine hesitancy, an issue that continues to plague rural areas.

With low vaccination rates in our community, the difficulty continued as more patients lost their lives, and those will always be moments our staff will never forget, Gunn-Nolan explained.

Dr. Scott Spillmann, director of the local health district, has often analogized the pandemic to a battle.

If something like this were to happen again  an unknown disease suddenly striking  given what weve learned, we know that you cant go to war with only shields through masking and quarantine, he told the Register & Bee. You have to be equipped with swords, which we now have with the vaccines.

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EDEN  A callous doctor delivered frightening news to Gwen Riddick when she was in 11th grade, leaving her vulnerable but with a resolve that defines her own medical practice today.

She was a freshman in college and a Pap smear to test her cervical cells for cancer had come back with some precancerous cellular abnormalities. She would need a colposcopy, an inpatient procedure during which a doctor closely examines the cervix, vagina and vulva and sometimes collects a tissue sample for biopsy to rule out cancer.

I didnt know what that was at all, said Riddick, an OB-GYN, who joined UNC Womens Health here in October. The care that I received was horrible care. There was no compassion. I was told that I had a very high risk of cervical cancer.

She asked the doctor to explain. The doctor was very blunt with me.: You dont know what this means? I just received very bad care, Riddick said recently from her office where she invites patients questions and provides careful explanations of diagnoses and care plans.

And I just always knew that when I got into a position where I would be able to care for other people as a physician  that education would be something that would be very important to me, because I know how it feels to have a negative report and a doctor not have compassion for you nor give you that information with good bedside manner.

Excelling despite adversity

Her warm tone is evident in Riddicks office, where she chats with staff in blue scrubs and snakeskin-print Crocs. Shes won her lifes race so far with tenacity and a refusal to see obstacles.

Born in Gates County in the northeastern part of the state, Riddick grew up the middle child of six in a home where money was scarce, but achievement was celebrated and support from her parents was abundant.

I always knew that I wanted to be a doctor, said Riddick. You know when you ask little kids what they wanna be in life? Thats what I always said because I wanted to help people. I didnt know what kind of doctor. Ive always been inspired to help others. Its just something Ive always had in my heart.

Growing up with two sisters and three brothers, money was tight when it came to the familys own medical care.

My family were financially disadvantaged, so we didnt have a lot of luxuries when it came to having our own doctor, per se. So, a lot of our health care was actually at the health department, Riddick said.

Classroom excellence

School was a place where Riddick found she could define herself and plan for a life that would lift her family economically, she said.

Since I was a little girl, Ive always wanted to achieve academically, she said. I remember in the second and third grade I wanted to make really good grades because my family  they were in poverty. I wanted to do really well academically so I could get a good job and earn enough money to be able to take care of my family.

But Ive always been more of the silent type of person, so youre really not going to know much about how Im doing academically because Im gonna monitor my grades myself. Im more humble about just doing well in any aspect of life, especially when were talking about academically.''

So, during her 11th grade year it did come as a surprise that I was the top person in my class. No one saw that coming, she said with a chuckle.

But with this grand news came another big announcement that would complicate Riddick s young life.

I was at the top of my class, but at the same time  thats when I became pregnant, she said.

Because I was always that quiet person, it really took my parents by surprise. Because I did so well academically, they really didnt see, I guess, me also engaging in sexual activity, Riddick said.

But the Gates County High School valedictorian had major scholarship offers and my parents were very supportive of me, she said. They wanted to help me with my daughter so that I could go on and do what I wanted to do in life as far as going to college, Riddick said. They pushed me to stay in school and to do well.''

Her baby arrives

On Nov. 11, 2000, Riddicks daughter, Aniya, was born.

I only took a three week maternity leave from high school because I wanted to keep up with my grades, she said. I really was inspired because I really wanted not to become a statistic. I wanted to achieve success academically. that was at the forefront of my mind and being a mother, too.''

My parents were able to help me raise my daughter while I went to college, said Riddick, who began studies on a full scholarship to UNC Chapel Hill but transferred ultimately to East Carolina University in Greenville so that she could more easily commute home every weekend to be with her little girl.

Today, Aniya is following in her moms steps as a pre-med biology major at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Va., where she is a senior. And Aniya has a new baby brother, John Michael, 1, the son of Dr. Riddick and her partner John Powell of Eden.

Always the overachiever, Riddick graduated early from ECU in Dec. 2004, and after a brief look into podiatry at a New York college, she found a better fit and settled into medical school at Virginia College of Osteopathic Medicine in Blacksburg, Va.

I was able to take my daughter with me there because its a very rural area, Riddick said, adding that her strong church community there gave her tremendous support in raising Aniya, who was seven at the time.

I really feel like God has been ordering my steps, Riddick said. "I really was able to establish community there, so my church family really helped me a lot when it came to caring for my daughter at times when I did need to study for an exam or needed to go back on campus. It really does take a village to raise a child.

Money was tight during medical school for the single mom, too, she said. And by her second year, she received a National Health Service Corps scholarship that financed her final two years of study.

Her first position after graduation was at a Chesapeake, Va., practice, which she chose partly because she wanted her daughter to benefit from the citys highly ranked high school.

I was the sole female provider there for awhile, she said of the clinic.

In Chesapeake, she went into private practice for four years and was able to learn the business side of medicine there, Riddick said.

And as a condition of her NHSC scholarship, she also had to work double duty at the nearby Southeastern Virginia Health System, a medically underserved clinic. The NHSC requires that its scholars give back to communities in need in return for their financial support.

Riddick would go on to do her residency at Riverside Regional Medical Center in Newport News, Va., before moving in 2019 to South Boston, Va.

She said she chose the tiny rural town where she could challenge herself and build her skills as a country doctor.

Working in Chesapeake had been a bit easy, Riddick felt, because there she had been able to call on senior physicians for assistance anytime she needed help.

I felt like I needed to develop myself, she said. I really wanted to learn to react ... in uncomfortable situations, whether in the OR or managing a patient.

In South Boston, just as her daughter began college, Riddick joined two other doctors and I was able to really become an even better laparoscopic surgeon  it forced me to grow, she said. It was not very easy. I couldnt just call someone in to help me or assist me with my surgeries. I wanted that challenge. Life in Chesapeake was very comfortable. I wanted to get out of my comfort zone.

The move to Eden

Riddicks next move would be to Eden after a friend from residency recommended the UNC Womens Health practice and the small Rockingham County city as ideal for Riddick.

I wanted to be in a place where I could give back to the community, said Riddick, who sees around 25 patients daily here and delivers around 10 babies per month.

I want to be involved with teenagers when it comes to mentoring on a level outside of the office, Riddick said. So, that is what attracted me to Eden.

Developing a mentoring program is one of her main future plans, Riddick said. Being able to provide counseling to an underserved and disadvantaged population is very important to me  and I feel like I would be able to empower young women here.

The Eden clinic and its practitioners have welcomed me with open arms here, Riddick said. I enjoy working with Dr. (Nigel) Buist and Dr. (Dionne) Galloway, as well. And I enjoy working with the staff here. Theyve been very warm.

For now, her most critical focus is making good on her personal promise to give patients the comfort of unconditional acceptance and compassion, along with a big dose of patient education.

My patients are very thankful to me that I relay information to them in a manner which they understand, Riddick said. I think thats why Ive always had a large following with patient care because I want for my patients to understand exactly whats going on with their health.''

"Her commitment to her patients and helping those in the community facing challenges is truly inspiring,'' said UNC Rockingham Health Care President and CEO Steven E. Eblin.

Prevention of HPV

Riddick wants her patients of all ages to take ownership of their health and she wants to get important messages to her youngest patients to save them from health problems in the future.

A major focus: cervical cancer prevention through Gardasil vaccinations that prevent infection with the human papillomavirus, known as HPV.

It is estimated that HPV vaccines, such as Gardasil, may prevent 70% of cervical cancers, 80% of anal cancers, 60% of vaginal cancers, 40% of vulvar cancers and more than 90% of HPV-related oropharyngeal cancers, studies show.

I counseling my young patients about the importance of birth control, taking preventive measures so they wont get cervical cancer  getting the Gardasil vaccine, using condoms to keep them from getting sexually-transmitted infections, the importance of routine STD screening if they are involved with any partner.

Girls and their parents need to talk about getting Gardasil at age 11-12, ideally, Riddick said, though the vaccine has now been approved for use up to age 45.

I think some parents really have a hard time seeing their child is going to grow up and become sexually active, Riddick said. You have to remember how you were at that age. I think its really hard for parents to really see that.

Taking ownership of your health

Riddick stresses the importance of taking real ownership of their own health and not really looking down on patients or making them feel bad about their decisions in life, she said.

Fear of being judged can be a huge barrier for patients and it can keep them from coming in for doctor visits, Riddick said.

Her joy is bonding with patients

Creating a comfort zone in her office is the aspect of her practice that brings Riddick the most reward, she said.

I like establishing that relationship in the office in the patient room and allowing the patient to be vulnerable with me  very open and honest about whats going on with them  what brought them to their visit, Riddick said.

Theres no judgement. I remind my nurses, too, no judgement. If a patient wants an STD check and theyve just been here a month ago, no judgement, Riddick said. We all have been there, made bade decisions, bad choices, so thats very important to me.

She wants to offer help even beyond the sphere of healthcare, Riddick said.

I really enjoy educating my patients, telling them how I can help them, whether by doing an STD screening or by me giving them encouragement, or advice about their relationship, or talking to them about if they want to go to college  talking about anything in their life, Riddick said.

I think by me being transparent with my patients  letting them know about my story, letting them know I have compassion, that they can be honest with me ... helps. Ive been there. Ive done all of that, so theres no judgement. I just like to be a good model of what would Christ do, what would he say?

Contact Susie C. Spear at sspear@rockinghamnow.com, (336) 349-4331, ext. 6140 and follow @SpearSusie_RCN on Twitter.

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EDEN Beginning March 10, UNC Rockingham Health Care returned to normal, pre-pandemic visiting hours for most of its clinical areas, the hospital announced in a news release.

Visitors will still be required, however, to go through COVID-19 screening upon entry and wear a hospital-issued mask at all times.

Under the standard visitation guidelines, visitors may attend from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m., with the exception of the ICCU and the Birthing Center.

Family members may speak to a nurse in those areas to get the most up-to-date information on visiting. UNC Nursing & Rehabilitation Center will continue to operate under its current COVID-19 visitor restrictions and guidelines.

Children 12 and younger are discouraged from visiting due to the risk of infection and safety.
Indias Union Minister of Steel, Ram Chandra Prasad Singh, today (March 13) urged companies to take advantage of the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between India and the

UAE and find ways to set foot in the MENA region using UAE as the base.

The Indian minister was in the UAE to inaugurate the `Steel Week at the India pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai. The five-days event, which started today and concludes on March 17, is being held to showcase the Indian steel sector, boost trade relations with the UAE and build a portfolio of opportunities for Indias steel sector, a statement said.

As part of the Steel Week, one-to-one meetings were held with the leading players in steel production and logistics industries based in the UAE. The flagship scheme of the Indian government viz, Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) to boost manufacturing of specialty steel, its features and focus areas were highlighted during the meetings.

The objective of the meetingsheld with leading companies in the UAE-- was to encourage investment in India and explore potential for increasing bilateral trade in steel.

An interactive session on Steel Usage in UAE & Collaboration Opportunities for Indian Steel Sector was held between key steel producing companies from India and steel user companies of the UAE.

Singh assured full support by the Government of India and mentioned that steel, as a base for much of infrastructure projects, will be crucial to fulfilling the Prime Ministers Gatishakti Master Plan and other key projects.

Indian steel majors including SAIL, JSW Steel, AM/NS, Tata Steel and JSPL presented their views on steel manufacturing, product portfolio, production capacities, sector coverage, and key areas of expertise.

The delegation visited steel processing facilities of M/s Conares Steel and met representatives from key steel consumers and logistics companies of the UAE.

Steel Week will host a session on steel fabrication industry exploring collaboration opportunities for Indian steel producers with the local UAE fabricators.--TradeArabia News Service
RALEIGH  Theres always a cost to protecting property rights. No rational person has ever suggested otherwise. In free societies that place a high value on the individual right to own and control private property, its more expensive for governments to build roads or public facilities. Its harder to piece together parcels of land for redevelopment. And what your neighbors choose to do with their property may annoy you.

These costs are well worth paying, however, because the alternative is a more stagnant and stultifying society. If youre unsure whether some future politician or bureaucrat might confiscate your property, or diminish its value through capricious regulation, youre less likely to invest significant resources it. Youre less likely to take chances. Youre less free to live as you choose. These are significant costs, as well.

An underappreciated accomplishment over the past decade is that North Carolinas protection of property rights has gotten a lot stronger. Still, each leap forward drew passionate critics.

When in 2012 the General Assembly essentially did away with forced annexation, critics predicted dire economic and financial consequences for cities and towns. When the North Carolina Supreme Court struck down the states nearly 30-year-old Map Act in 2016, critics predicted that having to compensate people in the path of future roads for government restrictions on the use of their land would make road-building inefficient and unwieldy.

Neither objection held water, in my view. North Carolinas annexation and road-corridor regulations were wildly out of step with those of most other states, where somehow municipalities and highway departments managed to deliver their services without relying on unjust laws.

Our latest leap forward in property-rights protections came in December. But neither state lawmakers nor state judges are responsible. It came from a federal court, in response to a case involving a homeless shelter in North Wilkesboro.

The Catherine H. Barber Memorial Shelter opened its doors in the Wilkes County town more than three decades ago. When board members expressed a need for a larger space to accommodate the growing needs of the shelter, a local dentist and his wife stepped up to donate the two-story office building that had previously housed his practice.

Barber Shelter officials were delighted  until the local zoning board denied its application for a conditional-use permit, citing a potential loss of property value among neighboring parcels as well as an alleged threat to public health because of the shelters location on a busy highway.

Rather than take the rejection on the chin, the Barber Shelter took the zoning board to court. Represented by the Institute for Justices Diana Simpson, the shelter argued that other, similarly situated businesses would have received permits to operate in the same location. U.S. District Court Judge Kenneth Bell agreed, writing in his order that the board apparently believes  incorrectly  that it can say the magic words traffic and safety and this Court will rubber stamp the classification no matter the facts.

Examining those facts, Bell concluded that North Wilkesboro intentionally treated the Shelter differently from other similarly situated uses, and there is no rational basis for the difference in treatment. While there are certainly circumstances in which courts should defer to the informed judgment of administrative agencies, he wrote, such deference cannot be an excuse for the Court to abdicate its duty to protect the constitutional rights of all people.

To their credit, the town manager and North Wilkesboro Board of Commissioners decided not to appeal and will pay $180,000 in attorney fees. Indeed, Mayor Marc Hauser went out of his way to be supportive. The Catherine Barber shelter provides a much-needed service for the less fortunate, he said. Personally, I would like to see them expand their hours and offer more services. Heres wishing them all the best in their new facility.

So the Barber Shelter is relocating as planned. And local officials in North Carolina and beyond got a clear message: infringing on property rights may be costly  for you.

John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member and author.
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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Its time to prepare for another British invasion of The Beatles.

Unfortunately, the original Fab Four wont be performing like they did in 1964, but the tribute band Liverpool Legends promises to give a complete Beatles experience.

Courtney Dodson with the Danville Concert Association speaks enthusiastically about the concert coming to Danville on Saturday.

Their body language, voices and precise attention to musical detail are incredibly compelling as they take us on a magical, mystery tour, she said.

Louise Harrison, sister of the late George Harrison of the Beatles, elaborated.

Each member of the group is so close to the originals that I often feel like Im transported back in time with the lads, she said.

Harrison handpicked the four highly talented musicians and actors who make up Liverpool Legends.

These are exactly the kind of fun-loving quality musicians that my brother, George, would have loved to hang out with, she said.

Liverpool Legends is the only tribute band with a direct family link to the quartet who made an indelible mark on American pop culture.

Jean Carol Vernon, president of the concert association explains why Liverpool Legends was chosen to perform.

The DCA is attempting something new and authentic with this group, Vernon said. Our purpose is to invite a larger, more diverse group to our concerts.

Liverpool Legends have toured the United States and internationally. Theyve played to sold-out venues in India and Ecuador, 24,000 people in Mexico City and four times at the prestigious Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, performing for more than 160,000 people.

For their work on the Fab Four Memories album, Liverpool Legends received a Grammy nomination.

If you were not among the 3,000 screaming fans who greeted John, Paul, George and Ringo on their first American tour decades ago, this is the second chance you never thought youd have to enjoy the complete Beatles experience.

Liverpool Legends will perform on Saturday at the George Washington High School auditorium located at 701 Broad St. in Danville. Doors open at 7p.m., and the concert begins at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets are available at online at eventbrite.com and danvilleconcert.org or by calling 434-770-8625. An adult ticket is $30, and student tickets are $15. The cox office will sell cash-only tickets on performance night.

To learn more, visit www.liverpoollegends.com.
Question: What members of a presidents family receive Secret Service protection? How long does the protection continue after the president leaves office?

J.L.

Answer: From the Secret Service website: In 1965, Congress authorized the Secret Service (Public Law 89-186) to protect a former president and his/her spouse during their lifetime, unless they decline protection.

By law, the Secret Service is authorized to protect: The president, the vice president, (or other individuals next in order of succession to the Office of the President), the president-elect and vice president-elect; the immediate families of the above individuals; former presidents, their spouses, except when the spouse re-marries; children of former presidents until age 16.

In 1994 Congress, in order to save money, limited the protection the president and spouse got from lifetime to 10 years after they leave office. In 2013, they changed it back to lifetime, citing terrorism, among other reasons.

Q: Each month we receive in the mail a Home Energy Report from Duke Energy. Is this mandated by law? It seems awfully expensive to send this out: paper, print ink, envelopes, postage. How much does this cost Duke Energy? It could be a savings not to receive this.

S.S.

A: Jimmy Flythe, the central region director of government and community relations for Duke Energy NC, said that the report is meant as a way of helping customers save on their energy bills.

As a Duke Energy customer, you have access to an array of exclusive products and services that can help you save energy, protect your budget and make better energy decisions every day.

Your Home Energy Report will show you how your home uses energy and where to save. When customers reduce their energy needs, it reduces how much it costs to provide energy.

It can also reduce the need to build more power plants in the future. Ultimately, it lowers bills for everyone.

Participants of the program will receive a report in the mail up to 8 times per year. Participants may opt out of paper reports by emailing homeenergyreport@duke-energy.com or calling 877-680-5606.

Q: Is there an update on the work at the Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Kernersville Fitness Center?

L.P.

A: Eryn Johnson, a spokeswoman for Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist, said work is continuing at the fitness club.

Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptists Fitness Center at Kernersville continues to work on updates to its facility. We apologize for any inconvenience this delay has caused and hope to have a reopening date to share soon.

Q: A friend told me I should get a credit report to make sure everything is correct. How do I get one and how much do they cost? Do I contact one of the credit reporting companies or is there another way to get a report?

F.C.

A: According to the Federal Trade Commission, credit reports are free and can be requested through the website annualcreditreport.com.

If you prefer, you can call 877-322-8228 to request a report.

The FTC advises people not to contact the three nationwide credit-reporting companies directly.

The companies provide the free reports through the website or toll-free phone number.

Q: I want to renew my drivers license online. What are the steps I have to take?

R.S.

A: To get to the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles online drivers license renewal page, go to www.ncdot.gov/dmv and click on Renew License or ID.

When the new page pops up, click on Get Started and the system will walk you through the process.

If you renewed your license online at your last renewal, you will need to go in-person to a drivers license office to renew your license.

There is an additional $3 fee from PayIt, the vendor that runs the online service. That money goes directly to PayIt.

 Melissa Hall

Winston-Salem Journal

Email your questions to mike.kernels@greensboro.com. Include Ask a Reporter in the subject field.

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Lanisha Bratcher Jones didnt mean to do something wrong. She just didnt know.

In 2019, Jones was one of four Hoke County residents charged with felony voter fraud from the 2016 election after ballots were cross-referenced with criminal records. Jones had served time in prison for a felony and was out on probation. Under North Carolina law, she wasnt allowed to vote.

No one told her that when she registered.

I know what I did was for a good cause, Jones said over the phone this week, getting choked up explaining why she wanted to vote. You want to see that change, especially in your neighborhood.

Jones story resurfaced this week after The New Yorker reported that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows voted with the address of a mobile home in Macon County where he never lived. He also registered to vote in Virginia right before the states high profile gubernatorial race, resulting in him being registered in two states.

The State Board of Elections has not said whether theyd be handing the case over to prosecutors, who could charge Meadows with voter fraud. Meadows hasnt spoken publicly about the story and allegations, but he has consistently pushed the conspiracy theory of mass voter fraud against the former president in the 2020 election.

Jones made a mistake. Meadows, it appears, did not. And Jones, for her part, wants to see Meadows go through the same legal process she dealt with for two years, the same legal process that has continuously prosecuted Black North Carolinians.

He should not be above the law, she says, because I was not.

The law used to try Jones and others on probation was written after Reconstruction as a blatant way of disenfranchising Black voters. Jones and other Black people made up close to 70% of the people suspected of voting on probation in 2016.

In speaking to the court, Jones lawyer, John Carella, addressed the undercurrent of racism. He says that when he did this, the prosecutor tried to charge Jones under other election violations. After two years of legal battles, she ended up entering a plea for a misdemeanor crime, and served six months of unsupervised probation.

Carella doesnt necessarily share Jones desire to see Meadows prosecuted.

For me, thats not the point, he says. Whether he gets prosecuted or not, whats happening here reveals the injustice of all this.

He sees it as proof that the felony voting law that condemned Jones needs to be completely reevaluated. Almost half of states never revoke someones right to vote or only do so while the person is serving time in prison. North Carolina could follow along. The state already allows voting for people on probation for misdemeanors.

Jones is doing better now that her brush with the law is behind her. She does her homework before voting now, and doesnt mind speaking about her mistake and the aftermath of it. To her, its the way to affect change.

Now I see that because I voted, I still have a voice, she says. They tried to shut me up, but Im still here.
A false story that actor Leonardo DiCaprio made a $10 million donation to Ukraine was repeated this week by media outlets around the world and shared by tens of thousands of people on social media.

Articles and social media posts claimed that DiCaprio is connected to Ukraine because his late maternal grandmother was born in the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Some of the articles claimed that DiCaprio's $10 million donation was announced by an organization called the International Visegrad Fund.

Facts First: DiCaprio did not make a $10 million donation to Ukraine and does not have a family member from Odessa or anywhere else in Ukraine, a source close to the actor told CNN on Wednesday. The source said that DiCaprio "stands with Ukraine" and has made Ukraine-related humanitarian donations to CARE, the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children and the UN's refugee agency  but that the reported $10 million sum is false, that claims of DiCaprio giving money to the Ukrainian government or to the Ukrainian military are also false, and that claims that DiCaprio has any "family ties" to Ukraine are false too.

The International Visegrad Fund told CNN on Wednesday that, contrary to the news reports, it did not announce a $10 million DiCaprio donation to Ukraine and has no related information.

So how did this false story spread so far?

The saga of the nonexistent $10 million donation is a case study in how bad information can bubble up from the online fringes to mainstream media outlets  with outlet after outlet, big and small alike, simply repeating the story without independently verifying it.

A poorly sourced story

On Saturday, an obscure website called GSA News, which focuses on news about the South American country of Guyana, posted a short article claiming that "sources inside Ukraine" said that DiCaprio "has transferred ten million US dollars to the Ukrainian government." It added that DiCaprio "has Ukrainian roots through his maternal grandmother."

GSA News founder Patrick Carpen stood behind the article on Wednesday afternoon, even after he was informed that the source close to DiCaprio had told CNN that its contents were false. Carpen said in an email to CNN, "I really trust my source inside Ukraine."

On Wednesday night, though, Carpen called CNN to say "I apologize profoundly" for the false story, that he "had no bad intentions in publishing that article," and that he was going to post a retraction, which he later did.

Carpen explained that his primary source for DiCaprio's supposed $10 million donation had been a Facebook post from a Ukrainian woman whose posts about the war with Russia have generally been accurate. Carpen said he had also seen other Ukrainians on Facebook posting about the supposed donation.

Since his Guyana website has a small readership, Carpen said, he thought that if he published an article repeating the DiCaprio story and it turned out to be wrong, he could quietly delete the article within days.

"I thought that it wouldn't have a lot of consequences if it was false," he said.

Instead, he said he watched with surprise and dismay as the story "snowballed into everybody's news publications, some of them with millions of followers. And that kinds of worries me ... that people would just take something at face value and just publish it."

He acknowledged, however, that he had himself taken a claim from Facebook posters at face value.

To Twitter, then another obscure website, then major outlets

Whether because of the GSA News article, because of Ukrainians' posts on Facebook or for some other reason, the story about DiCaprio started spreading more widely on Sunday.

A Twitter account called Visegrad 24, which tweets news updates focused on the Visegrad Group countries of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to more than 196,000 followers, posted a tweet  citing no sources  that claimed "Leonardo DiCaprio has donated 10 million USD to Ukraine. His maternal grandmother was a native of Odessa, Ukraine!"

Claims that DiCaprio's maternal grandmother Helene Indenbirken was born in Ukraine in general or Odessa in particular have circulated online for years. However, these claims have never been attached to a solid source. Indenbirken died in 2008 in Germany, where she lived; it wasn't clear on Thursday where she was actually born, and the source close to DiCaprio wouldn't say.

More than 10,000 retweets

Regardless, the Visegrad 24 tweet was retweeted more than 10,000 times. It was deleted on Wednesday afternoon after CNN informed the account that the story about the $10 million donation was false.

"It seems we fell prey to a fake story ourselves. Happens to the best of us!" a representative for the account said in a message to CNN on Wednesday.

So where did the account get its information? "We saw the story tweeted by several small news accounts, citing an anonymous source," the representative said.

Major outlets pick up the story

On Monday, the day after the Visegrad 24 tweet was posted, the story really took off.

An article on another obscure website, "Polish News," reported that DiCaprio "allocated as much as USD 10 million to support Ukraine and did not plan to announce it to the whole world"  but that, on Sunday, the donation had been announced by the International Visegrad Fund, which is an international donor organization created by the governments of the Visegrad Group countries.

Again, not true. The public relations manager for the fund, Lucia Becova, said in a Wednesday email to CNN that the fund had made no such announcement.

It's possible that Polish News mixed up the International Visegrad Fund with the Visegrad 24 Twitter account. By Wednesday, the Polish News article had been edited to remove the reference to the International Visegrad Fund  and the site did not express strong confidence in the rest of the story. A Polish News representative, Artur Salamonczyk, said in a Wednesday email that if CNN is aware that DiCaprio didn't make the $10 million donation, "we are happy to remove the content."

By Thursday, it had deleted the article and published another article saying that reports about a $10 million donation from DiCaprio were incorrect. By then, though, the horse was out of the barn.

News outlet after news outlet had cited Polish News as the primary source behind their stories that DiCaprio made a $10 million donation to Ukraine.

CNN began looking into the supposed $10 million donation after Jane Lytvynenko, a senior research fellow at Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, raised questions about the accuracy of the viral story on Twitter on Wednesday.

___
Qatar Airways will resume its service to the Namibian capital, Windhoek from June25, 2022 as part of its largest ever African schedule.



With more than 200 weekly flights to 31 gateways across Africa following this launch, the Windhoek route will offer seamless connectivity for passengers to almost 150 destinations in the airlines extensive global network, including gateways in Europe, such as Germany, France, Spain, the U.K. and India.



The national carrier of Qatar will operate three weekly non-stop flights to and from Windhoek via Hamad International Airport (HIA), flown by the state-of-the-art Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner offering 22 seats in Business Class and 232 seats in Economy Class.



Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive Akbar Al Baker, said: This resumption demonstrates the strong ties between Doha and Namibia, with Qatar Airways enjoying an increasingly robust presence across the African continent, supporting economies and the ongoing recovery of the travel industry in the region.



Reinstating flights from Windhoek to Doha will not only ensure Qatar Airways is best-placed to meet the increasing demand for travel in Southern Africa, it will also enable an even greater number of our valued passengers in Africa to experience our signature five-star service on board.



From the sand seas of the Namib Desert where the tallest dunes in the world reside, to the awe-inspiring Fish River Canyon, Namibia holds an array of gravel plains, rolling hills and diamond-rich coastal deserts. The country is also known for its stunning landscapes offering passengers the chance to explore some of the most impressive geographical features in Africa, including the Skeleton Coast which is one of Namibia's largest national parks.



Qatar Airways flight QR1373, will depart from Hamad International Airport at 01:45, arriving at 09:50 to Hosea Kutako International Airport. Qatar Airways flight QR1374, will depart from Hosea Kutako International Airport at 13:20, and arrive to Hamad International Airport at 23:00.  TradeArabia News Service
The author is a freelance writer who lives in Brookings, S.D. She was raised on a cattle ranch near Spearfish, S.D., and earned an agricultural communications degree from South Dakota State University.

Sydney Meyer

Realizing a need for small square bales caused Curtis McGuigan to shift gears on more than just his tractor, and as a result, business is booming. McGuigan was making big square bales and shipping them to Texas until he decided to try something new and started making small square bales that he packaged in bundles of 21.

Now he is selling most of the hay bundles in his community as fast as he can make them.

McGuigan is the fifth generation working on his familys farm located just outside of Spearfish, S.D., where he and his dad, Mike, operate around 2,000 acres of owned and leased land. About half of the land is hay ground where they grow a mix of alfalfa, orchardgrass, and timothy that is made into small square bales. The remaining acres are rented out as pasture.

Hay demand boomed

The farm was homesteaded in 1909 and the family milked dairy cattle until selling the herd in 2001. McGuigan and his dad then raised beef cattle for several years until converting to hay production in 2012.

In 2011, I bought a big square baler because I foresaw a high demand for hay in Texas due to the drought, McGuigan said. I shipped a lot of alfalfa to Texas that year. Then we decided to sell the beef herd the next year and went strictly into hay production because the demand for hay really took off.

After sending his hay to Texas for several years, he decided it was time to try something new. In 2016, he purchased a Massey Ferguson 1840 small square baler and a Bale Baron bundler. He started making 50 to 60-pound alfalfa small square bales and packaging them in bundles of 21 that he shipped to racehorse owners in Kentucky. Within the last couple years, the demand for small square bales in his own community grew drastically, and he started selling more and more bundles locally as well.



Now, the local demand for our hay is so high that we sell most of it around here rather than shipping it across the country, McGuigan said. When I have the supply, I will send hay to Kentucky, Texas, and Florida, but the local demand has been growing so much that I just dont typically have enough to send to other states.

Shift with the market

Most hay producers in his area make round bales, so he found a niche that has become a profitable enterprise. He has found success using a business Facebook page to market his hay and grow a strong customer base. Most of the hay is sold to local hobby farmers and horse owners who get one or two bundles about every other week.

When I brought home the bundler, I think many of our neighbors thought I was crazy, but I like to keep people laughing at me because Im always trying something new and doing something different than everyone else, McGuigan said. Being willing to adapt and try new things has really paid off for us.

According to McGuigan, his local customers prefer grass hay over alfalfa. As a result, he is in the process of transitioning fields to grass by interseeding timothy and orchardgrass into existing alfalfa stands. The goal is to extend the productive stand life by interseeding the grass. Prior to beginning this transition, the fields were on a six-year rotation with corn or wheat.

About 300 hay acres are irrigated using both a pivot and pipe irrigation. Due to drought last year, he only harvested hay from his irrigated acres, which cut his normal annual production by about 25%. Typically, he gets four cuttings from his hayfields. The first cutting is made in the first week of June, and the latest the hay is cut in the fall is the first week of September. A neighbor cuts the hay for him, but McGuigan does the raking, baling, and bundling.



His ideal baling time is between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. I strive to bale at 16% moisture, McGuigan said. I check the stems, and when those feel right, I have several moisture probes that I use to check the bales.

He sends in samples of the hay to be tested and aims for a relative feed value (RFV) of 180 on the second and third cuttings. If the hay becomes too bleached or is too dry, he will make it into big square and round bales and sell them in the beef cattle market.

Fertilizer is applied in the spring, and McGuigan takes soil samples each fall to determine what is needed the following year. The primary pest issue is alfalfa weevil, so he makes the first cutting early in June with the goal of getting the forage off before damage becomes too severe. If needed, he sprays to control any pest or weed pressure.



McGuigan converted his familys old dairy barn to hay storage when he started making small square bales. The shed will hold about 1,000 bundles, and I try to fill it each year, McGuigan said. Having shed space for storing the bales is key to the success of our operation.

One of his biggest challenges is making hay that his customers want. Everyones opinion on good hay is different, McGuigan said. Growing up in the dairy business and making hay for ourselves, I always knew the quality of our hay based off the test results. The tests tell you the right answer about quality. However, for our customers to buy our hay, it also needs to be visually appealing.



Farm campfires and more

Sydney Meyer

The family recently added a new enterprise to their operation that is focused on helping consumers learn more about agriculture. This spring, the family started an educational agricultural experience on the farm, called the McGuigan Farm Experience.

There are a lot of people who are now several generations removed from the farm, so we are trying to give people a first-hand look at where their food comes from, McGuigan said.

They kicked off the new venture by hosting four campfires on their farm throughout the summer, which included educational talks by local producers. The campfire talks covered beekeeping, the farm-to-table process, the irrigation system in the valley, and canning and preserving food. They also have a farmyard with a variety of animals for visitors to interact with.

Farm tours are another experience they offer. People ride around the farm on a bus and get a firsthand look at what is being done in the field, whether it is irrigating, cutting, baling, or some other activity. They also offer the opportunity for people to spend the day working alongside the farm team to get a hands-on experience of whats involved in making hay.



McGuigan continues to demonstrate that being willing to change and adapt to markets is a characteristic needed for long-term farming survival. When others were trading in their small square balers for larger package units, the McGuigans saw an opportunity to do the opposite. That decision has paid them bundles of dividends.

This article appeared in the March 2022 issue of Hay & Forage Grower on pages 20 and 21.

Not a subscriber? Click to get the print magazine.
Charles S. Chuck Johnson, a journalist who covered Montana politics for more than four decades, will receive an honorary doctorate in humane letters from Montana State University during the spring commencement, MSU officials said Friday.

Johnson, during his nearly 45-year career, reported on 22 Montana legislative sessions, seven governors, nine U.S. senators and 10 U.S. representatives, in addition to countless state legislators, elections, conventions and policies. Johnson also reported for the Associated Press on Montanas 1972 Constitutional Convention. He is believed to be the longest-serving statehouse reporter in Montana.

If we have any understanding of Montanas government and how it has impacted Montanas citizens over the course of nearly a half-century, it is largely thanks to Chuck, who felt a profound sense of duty to keep the public informed and to be a watchdog," MSU President Waded Cruzado said. "We are deeply indebted to him for his service.

Johnson  who was born in Great Falls and raised in Helena  began reporting in 1974 for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau in Helena, then at the Great Falls Tribune Capitol Bureau in Helena, and served as bureau chief from 1984-1992.

From 1992-2015, he was bureau chief for the Lee Newspapers State Bureau, writing for Lee newspapers across Montana, including the Billings Gazette, Montana Standard, Helena Independent Record, Missoulian and Ravalli Republic.

Johnson retired in 2015. He came out of retirement to cover the 2017 session of the Montana Legislature for the Bozeman Daily Chronicle.

His reporting was widely regarded as clear, fair and balanced, according to his honorary doctorate nomination materials. Johnson was clearly recognized by other journalists, by legislative staff, by legislators themselves and members of the executive branch  as a walking institution of fairness who doggedly sought to inform the citizens of Montana about how their democracy was working, wrote Tracy Ellig, who covered the Montana Legislature in 1997 as a journalist and now works as MSUs vice president for communications, in a letter supporting Johnsons nomination.

Two more supporting nominators, John S. Adams and Brad Tyer with Montana Free Press, wrote that Johnsons reporting was always factual, fair and infused with a sense of history and institutional knowledge that gave readers a broad perspective on the most significant issues of the day.

They also noted that Johnson  who was sometimes called the dean of the capitol press corps  mentored countless journalists.

Sarah Vowell, an author and MSU alumna who also provided a letter in support of Johnsons nomination, included details about Johnsons meticulous coverage of Montanas 1972 Constitutional Convention, gleaned from the archive of Johnsons personal correspondence with his then-editor at the AP.

There is an amusing  and telling  exchange of letters between Chuck and his editor in which the editor admonishes Chuck to stop doing such a scrupulous job of covering the convention, which often stretched late into the night, and just file more stories already, Vowell wrote. Chuck pledges to crank out more copy but offers this excuse: I am really the only reporter in the debates all the time. During what was arguably the most important historical event in the history of Montana since Little Bighorn, Chuck Johnson was its most reliable  and sometimes the only  witness.

Johnson has a bachelors degree in journalism and a masters degree in history, both from the University of Montana.

He lives in Helena with his wife, Pat. He serves as board president of Montana Free Press, a nonprofit online news publication. He also served on the Montana Historical Society board from 2015-2020, and, from 1990-2016, on the board of the Montana Freedom of Information Hotline, a nonprofit that retains a lawyer to help citizens, including the media, gain access to government documents and meetings.

Commencement ceremonies are scheduled for May 13.

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Workers, renters and young families are getting priced out of Montanas premier cities in an affordability crisis that reached new heights last year. But its not just competition over scarce housing from pandemic buyers that is driving up home prices. Strict local zoning regulations exclude low and middle-income residents and worsen Montanas housing shortage.

The new Montana Zoning Atlas report from Frontier Institute reveals just how hard it is to build affordable housing in Montana. As a result of exclusionary zoning regulations like Single-Family Zoning and Minimum Lot Areas, the atlas finds 70% of primary residential areas in Montanas most in-demand cities either outright prohibit or penalize affordable multi-family housing development.

Its time for Montana leaders to end these exclusionary zoning practices. Our leaders can adopt pro-housing reforms that give landowners the freedom to build new homes where they are needed most. The best part? These reforms can be implemented at no cost to taxpayers.

Exclusionary zoning practices restrict the types of homes allowed in a particular neighborhood, often separating single-family homes from multi-family homes like duplexes and triplexes, which are more affordable by design.

Exclusionary Single-Family Zoning can either outright prohibit multi-family homes or penalize them by conditioning approval on public hearings, special requirements or a long and costly discretionary permit process.

Similarly, Minimum Lot Areas require a certain size of property for different types of homes. Minimum Lot Areas effectively prohibit multi-family development when the lot area required exceeds the dimensions of existing lots, creating de facto Single-Family Zoning. Minimum Lot Areas can also penalize multi-family housing by requiring larger and more expensive lots for each additional unit added to a building.

Together, Exclusionary Single-Family Zoning and Minimum Lot Areas effectively serve as invisible billboards at the gates of growing Montana neighborhoods which read: low and middle income residents are not welcome here".

It's not surprising to learn that cities at the epicenter of Montanas housing shortage are the least welcoming to affordable types of housing. More than half the primary residential areas in Bozeman and over three quarters of residential land in Missoula prohibit multi-family housing using a combination of Exclusionary Single-Family Zoning and Minimum Lot Areas. Whitefish is a close second with 63% of residential areas that prohibit multi-family development. Its no wonder why median home prices in these communities exceed $450,000.

Among all the cities assessed in the Montana Zoning Atlas report, two-family housing is welcomed without regulatory penalties on just 29% of primary residential land, while three-family housing is welcomed on only 8%.

While regulations certainly arent the only factor driving the cost of housing, the Montana Zoning Atlas demonstrates a clear need for cities to reduce or eliminate exclusionary Single-Family Zoning practices and Minimum Lot Areas.

Montana officials should start with restoring landowners right to build two-to-four family housing in zones which currently only permit single-family homes. Next, officials should eliminate Minimum Lot Area penalties on multi-family homes or follow the City of Helenas lead by eliminating Minimum Lot Areas entirely.

State lawmakers should consider prohibiting Minimum Lot Areas greater than 1/8 of an acre (approximately 5500 square feet) and Minimum Lot Widths greater than 40 ft. in municipal areas already connected to water and sewer.

Everyone will benefit from a more welcoming Montana. Building more homes is the only way to ensure that our communities can grow while remaining vibrant, entrepreneurial, and affordable for low and middle-income Montanans.

Kendall Cotton is president and CEO of the Frontier Institute, a think tank dedicated to breaking down government barriers so all Montanans can thrive.

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CHICAGO - A Chicago police sergeant has died by apparent suicide on the South Side, the department announced Saturday afternoon.

Early this morning, the member was discovered inside a residence located in the 22nd police district, police Superintendent David Brown said in a statement.

The sergeants name was not released.

The cause and manner of death will be determined by the medical examiner but at this time the death appears to be an apparent suicide, the statement said.

With a "heavy heart" an investigation was being conducted, according to the statement, which added: The loss of an officer is a stark reminder of the many sacrifices and demands members of law enforcement face each and every day. This tragic situation underscores the importance of prioritizing our mental and emotional health and wellbeing.

If the medical examiners office rules the sergeant's death a suicide, it would be at least the fourth Chicago police officer to take their own life since since 2021 and at least the 13th since 2018.

On July 14, 2021, Officer Christian Furczon was discovered in the parking of an elementary school in the 6100 block of South Melvina Avenue, according to the Cook County medical examiners office. Furczon, 24, was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:35 a.m., according to the Cook County medical examiners office, which said Furczon died by suicide.

On March 5, 2021, Jeffrey T. Troglia, 38, died after shooting himself inside his home in the citys Mount Greenwood neighborhood on the Far Southwest Side, authorities said. He had about 15 years on the job and was assigned to a gang team.

Four days earlier on March 1, Town Hall District Officer James Daly, 47, shot himself to death in a locker room inside the districts police station, 850 W. Addison St., on the North Side. A 21-year Chicago police veteran, Daly worked the overnight shift and was expected to retire that week, sources have said.

Dalys and Troglias deaths came about seven months after a high-ranking Chicago police official, Dion Boyd, was found shot to death by suicide in his office in the Homan Square police facility on the West Side.

The Chicago Police Departments problem with officer suicides was highlighted in a 2017 report by the U.S. Justice Department regarding the citys policing practices. At that time, one Chicago police official told the Justice Department that CPDs suicide rate was higher than the national average among police.

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CHICAGO - Mayor Lori Lightfoot will put Chicago police officers and other city workers who dont get their first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine by Sunday on nondisciplinary no-pay status, her administration said late Friday.

The city will also consider disciplining workers, though it will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis as the Lightfoot administration balances its public health policies with staffing problems in the Police Department.

All city employees, including Chicago police officers, who fail to comply may also face disciplinary action, up to and including termination. These decisions will be addressed at an individual and department level, and are being undertaken in a manner that will not impact public safety or the continuity of everyday government operations, her office said in a statement.

Lightfoots latest pronouncement comes after the city won another round in court this week in its legal battle with the Chicago Fraternal Order of Police over the vaccine mandate. But she faces pressure not just from the police union  which has appealed the latest legal ruling and claims the mandate will results in an exodus of officers  but also from a group of aldermen still seeking to undo the rule.

The lawsuit filed last year by Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 and other police unions against the city resulted in a February arbitrator ruling that upheld the requirement for city employees to be vaccinated, and set this Sunday as the deadline to get the first shot.

A judges decision this week to deny the unions request to reconsider, and to lift a previous order pausing the vaccine policy, were additional setbacks for the local FOP, whose president, John Catanzara, has for months insisted the mandate violated union collective bargaining agreements.

The FOP has appealed that ruling, but Catanzara acknowledged to his membership in an online video Friday that unvaccinated officers could be placed on no-pay status Monday. However, he said the arbitrator indicated Friday that officers who have pending vaccine exemption requests will be excused from the rule until they receive a determination, and that those denied exemptions will get a six-week reprieve. Catanzara said hundreds of officers could fall into that category.

Those statements could not immediately be confirmed by a City Hall representative.

On Wednesday, when announcing the appeal, Catanzara said: I dont know what happens over the next 72 hours. All I can tell you is we are not going to stop punching. This easily can be all averted before this cliff becomes a reality.

The cliff was a reference to the just-under 2,800 Chicago police officers who remain unvaccinated  and, according to Catanzara, may walk off the force soon unless they get religious or medical exemptions to the vaccination policy.

Catanzara in recent weeks has sounded the alarm over what he said will be a bloodbath in Chicago if his predictions of a mass resignation come true. He did not immediately respond to questions Friday on why he thinks a substantial share of those 2,800 officers will quit.

As of March 3, 30 members of the Police Department and 21 Fire Department employees were on no-pay status, according to a city spokesperson. Some city employees have lost pay over failing to comply with an earlier deadline to report their vaccine status or to submit to weekly COVID-19 testing.

The arbitrators ruling noted that 6,621 Chicago police officers applied for religious exemptions as of December, about 58% of whom were still waiting for approval or denial. Only 1.5% of requests had been granted.

Citywide, 11% of all accommodations have been granted, while 52% are pending, according to the ruling.

Catanzara in February urged union members who have been denied exemptions to keep submitting requests and to even file a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging health care discrimination. This is all to pave a way for a future legal fight over the exemption process itself, he said.

Also Friday, 12 aldermen sent a letter to Lightfoot announcing they would call a special City Council meeting if she did not respond to their concerns over the vaccination mandate. The council members flagged a clear and present danger to public safety should first responders be disciplined. The aldermen also pointed to natural immunity of workers who have been infected with COVID-19  which public health experts do not recommend as a substitute for vaccination  and condemned what they said were lopsided numbers for exemptions across city departments.

We cannot afford to lose one more police officer, firefighter, paramedic and city worker at this critical time, the aldermen wrote.

Under Lightfoots directive, all city employees had until Oct. 15 to report their vaccination status but could choose to undergo regular COVID-19 testing, rather than get shots, through the end of the year. After police unions challenged the vaccine mandate in court, though, a judge suspended the Dec. 31 date for members to be fully inoculated, saying that needed to go through arbitration.

Other unions representing city workers, including firefighters, sought to do the same but failed when an arbitrator sided with the city in December. In February, the same arbitrator also handed a defeat to the police unions.

As the citys newest deadline for the first shot nears, Lightfoot faces tough choices about enforcing the mandate. Police Department staffing is significantly down since 2019 and the city has struggled to recruit replacements for cops who have left the job. Chicago is also in the midst of a major crime spike that began in early 2020.

Cook County Judge Raymond Mitchell, in denying the FOPs bid to toss the arbitration result Wednesday, made a plea for the two sides to come together despite the contentious road they have gone down. While nodding to his belief that Chicago needs its police and that extraordinary and unrelenting challenges plagued both city leadership and police, the judge said it wasnt too late to sit down one more time.

These have been tough times. Relationships may have frayed, Mitchell wrote. But even now, the parties to this case still have it within their power to  negotiate a compromise.

That same day, Catanzara in a YouTube video castigated Lightfoot and police Superintendent David Brown as having absolutely stupid leadership.

Chicago Tribunes John Byrne contributed.

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As a semi-respected small-town newspaper editor, regionally known humor columnist and former cigar-chomping, hooch-swilling, skirt-chasing, cholesterol-lowering-medication-taking, underpaid and overworked bureau chief of the fictional yet highly respected Monkey Action News Team, I dont use my journalistic status, real or imagined, to promote goods or services.

I stopped after I gave a thumbs-up to Cousin Juniors plumbing business, and shortly thereafter he flooded the basement of the VFW hall, ruining 48 miniature American flags and a life-size cutout of Gen. George S. Patton.

But, in the real world, I do make exceptions from time to time. Phil Lee, the rocking troubadour, the self-proclaimed Mighty King of Love, has a new album out, and it is a dandy. Its called Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites. I recommend buying it with cold hard cash, a credit card or a handful of that cryptocurrency everyone is talking about.

I can hear some of the skeptics now: Hes only promoting Phil Lees new album in hopes of accessing the backstage debauchery and plethora of gorgeous groupies that are a staple of any Phil Lee show.

And my answer is, in the words of the late, great Hank Williams, mind your own business.

Phil, a North Carolina boy, has been crisscrossing this great nation for decades, sometimes driving a truck, sometimes unleashing his wickedly clever songs on audiences large and small.

He moved to the West Coast a few years ago. Instead of falling into the areas psychedelia or smooth Eagles-like output as some of us feared, he went back to his roots for the new one, back when he was part of the opening act for the farm report on WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

Ill let Phil explain it:

In 1968 (to the best of my recollection, your honor) my Grandma Flossie wangled me a job on television playing drums for a guy who became a huge influence on my whole approach to show business  Homer A. Briarhopper. His suits and his Howdy, neighbors wave and the big smile, just the way he engaged the audience and his style of playing to the audience, stuck with me.

Every show was a couple of toe-tappers, a few country favorites, a rocker or two for the kids and always one for the sick and the shut-ins.

He was always inclusive, everybody was welcome, and there was literally something for everyone. Fun for the whole family! Unfortunately, I got away from all that for about 60 years, but I wanted to do an album for my mama before she kicked the bucket. Honestly, though, it looks like theres a race for the finish at this point that I may win.

My old-time favorites on Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites include I Like Women, a reworking of an earlier gem called Daddys Jail, and the gospel standard Just A Closer Walk With Thee, the song Harry Dean Stanton sings in the film Cool Hand Luke.

Back to Phil:

There are a couple of co-writes and a couple of traditional songs Ive always wanted to do. ... It was just songs I had written, songs that my mother was particularly fond of like Daddys Jail or Wheres the Family Today?, a co-write with my old friend James Brown, may God rest his soul. These are mostly songs Id always meant to do, but they were never right for the arty records I was doing. Its one of those records with no secret devil-worshipping messages, no FUs, just an album of tunes my mama and I like.

There you have it. I say pick up a copy or digital download of Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites. I guarantee its better than Cousin Juniors plumbing skills.

Get Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites at https://philleeone.bandcamp.com.

Scott Hollifield is editor of The McDowell News in Marion, North Carolina, and humor columnist. Contact him at rhollifield@mcdowellnews.com.
The portrait is beautiful but drab.

Once vivid and vibrant, the colors have become fugitive pigments  gone, lost, having left the canvas through exposure over decades. Now you can only imagine the jeweled tones of the subjects gown, the richness of her hair, the glint in her eye, but you cant see them. As in the new novel Scarlet in Blue by Jennifer Murphy, it feels as though something important is missing forever.

When her mother had said it was time to go, 15-year-old Blue didnt bother to argue. This race was the same as the last escape was the same as the run before, but she didnt expect to land in snow country. It was cold in South Haven, Michigan.

Every time, every move, she hoped things would be different. Maybe her mother would settle down and let Blue make friends, fall in love, have a dog like a normal teenager. Maybe her mother wouldnt see HIM, an invisible man who was part of her mothers illness. Maybe they could live in the real world for once.

Scarlet never walked; she twirled when she moved, hands above her head. People might have thought she was eccentric  she painted in the dark and destroyed her own canvases, and her palette came from natural sources  but they bought her works anyway, didnt they? After all, she was a world-renowned painter with a gallery and shows in New York City, and she had famous friends! Moving around wasnt her first choice, either, but she had to protect Blue from HIM.

This trip to South Haven, and the revenge shed find ... that would fix all the problems.

When his wife Lily died, Dr. Henry Williams knew hed never love anyone the same way again, and so his attraction to his new patient, Scarlet, made no sense. Yes, she was intriguing and mysterious, but she was also in need of psychoanalyzation. He was obsessed with her, but he couldnt figure out why. Why did she choose him to be her doctor?

Layer by layer: thats how the Masters created their paintings. Its how author Jennifer Murphy presents her Scarlet in Blue.

The first layer will put you on edge: Murphy starts her tale with tension and the admission that theres been a murder  but decades ago, and theres no mystery in that. Uniquely, readers arent particularly urged to solve anything. Instead, were pulled sideways, tucked into Blues life and her growing fears and frustrations, while we watch Scarlet dive out of control. And here comes another layer: Her relationship with Henry has a distinctive feel of an old-time movie with clever distractions to make you sometimes forget that murder.

No worries: Murphy blends it in at just the right times, making it bleed into the rest of the story until the picture comes clear.

Set in the early 1960s, this is a noir movie lovers book. Its for fans who dont quite want a mystery to read. Just put Scarlet in Blue in your lap, and color yourself sunny yellow.
WISE, Va.  Three University of Virginias College at Wise students playing a jug, washboard bass and kazoo brought home third place in the Minneapolis Battle of the Jug Bands.

First timers at the festival, the Crowe Hollerers, comprised of UVa-Wise students  brothers Luke and Blane Sage of Marion, Virginia, and Ashlyn Mullins, of Wise  took on 14 other jug bands Sunday, Feb. 20, in the annual contest, which has been going on for about 40 years. The band was the youngest group at the event held at The Cabooze.

It was an amazing experience, Mullins said. The atmosphere didnt feel competitive and everyone was interacting with each other and complimenting each others instruments and performances.

The band routinely performs in North Carolina, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia.

It was an out-of-world experience. I couldnt believe we were playing in a major city in front of hundreds of people, Luke Sage said. It was super fun.

The trip to Minnesota was the furthest any of them had ever traveled, he said.

We applied for the contest, not realizing it was in Minneapolis, but when we got chosen as one of 15 bands to compete, we knew we had to find a way to make it up there, Mullins said. The groups came from all different backgrounds. They were all also located no more than about an hour away from the competition, so they were impressed that we came from so far away.

Bands had to perform with a jug and at least one homemade instrument. The Crowe Hollerers selected a washtub bass.

Each band had a 20-minute slot to set up, take down and play.

We played a couple of traditional jug band songs and jugged up a Johnny Cash song, Luke Sage said.

They had time to play six songs. Their winning set list included New River Blues (Memphis Jug Band), Raise a Ruckus (Old Crow Medicine Show), Mothers Other Son (an original song), Jackson (Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash), K.C. Blues (Charlie Parker) and Wytheville Blues (original song on their upcoming album).

During the jug band contest, Mullins, a junior theater and music performance double major, played upright bass and sang vocals. Freshman Blane Sage played guitar and sang vocals. Luke Sage, a junior theater major, who Mullins says can play basically any instrument you can think of and cant think of, sang vocals and played kazoo, guitar, jug, washboard, harmonica and drums.

The group is well-known for their Crowe Hollerers Medicine Show, which is fashioned after old-time medicine shows where snake-oil salesmen pitched patent medicine with a healthy side dose of singing, dancing and performing.

All three members are also part of the UVa-Wise Papa Joe Smiddy Bluegrass Band, founded by UVa-Wise Band Director Richard Galyean and directed by UVa-Wise guitar ensemble director and instructor Chris Rose.

The competition on Sunday was so much fun. The venue was for 1,000-plus people, and it was pretty packed. It felt like a giant gig, Mullins said. We all loved every second of it, and if we had to drive 30 hours to do it again, we would.
ABINGDON, Va.  Alena Dubavaya, 31, remembers how every summer, her parents would drive her and her sister Hanna, from her native Belarus, where they worked, to Kyiv so she could spend time with her aunt Olga Mudra and the rest of her family in Ukraine.

I would visit Kyiv pretty much once a year because both of my parents studied there in the early 80s, the current Abingdon resident said. It would be our connection point between my father dropping us off in Kyiv, and my aunt picking us up for summer to be in Ukraine.

Both of Alenas parents were born in Ukraine. However, after completing their studies in Kyiv, they were relocated by the USSR to Belarus to work at a meat plant. When she went to visit Ukraine, despite the subtle cultural differences, she always felt welcome.

I grew up in Belarus. I was born in Belarus, and I have always spoken Russian. When I came there (to Ukraine), I always felt welcome and safe, and nobody ever told me like, Oh, were not going to serve you or talk to you here in Russian.

Alena would not stay in Kyiv. She would visit her paternal grandparents in Luhansk and her maternal grandparents in the Dnipro region of Ukraine. There she remembers swimming in the water reservoir by the Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, which has been in the news recently because it is under siege by Russian troops.

We could see the nuclear power plant from their window, and we would come there, to that water reservoir to swim and to sunbathe. Ive spent every summer there. I have really deep, deep roots and appreciation for the land, she said.

In 2015, around the time Alena met John Fowlkes, 40, who was born and raised in Abingdon, Virginia, at a techno festival that he was playing at in Detroit, Michigan, her aunt Olga, her cousin Viktoriya Mudra and her husband Oleksandr Herasimov and their daughter Eileen relocated from the Dnipro region to Kyiv.

Alenas family opened a hair salon in Kyiv and saved up money to buy an apartment in the east side of the city, which was going through a renaissance.

It (Kyiv) just, you know, had a feel of freedom and like the spirit of newness that was lacking, I would say, in Minsk or Moscow, she said.

Alena and John have visited her aunt and family in Ukraine over the years, most recently this past summer, when they spent time in Kyiv, Odesa, and Lviv hanging out with their friends, going out to restaurants, bars and nightclubs.

One of the things John points out from their visits is that for many Ukrainians, the war with Russia has been going on since 2014, and recalled entering a bar in Lviv that had a wall with pictures of soldiers.

First off, the door guy was a big barrel-chested guy with a beret and an assault rifle with bullets loaded around his chest like straight out of a Rambo movie, John said. When you go in, you have to say the password, Slava Ukraina, which means all glory to Ukraine. They had pictures of the people who are fighting on the front line on their wall.

On the morning of Feb. 24, the lives of Olga, Viktoria, Oleksandr and Eileen, as well as the lives of countless other Ukrainians in Kyiv were turned upside down as they were woken up by the sounds of explosions hitting their city.

At the time when the first Russian rockets hit Kyiv, Viktoria was separated from their family on the other side of the Kyiv with a friend of hers, which is only crossable by a bridge that connects both sides of Kyiv.

The only way to cross is by bridge, and it wasnt working. So they stayed together and were hiding, pretty much spending every night in an underground parking garage sleeping in a car, Alena said.

Alena said over the course of the first few days, Olga, Viktoria, and Oleksandr had discussions about what they should do.

Do we leave? Do we stay? Well, I dont want to leave because I dont want to leave my business behind. What if there are looters? Alena said of the deliberations of her family.

Olga did not want to go. She wanted to stay in her apartment, which she had only just bought.

She was very resistant, but finally, they talked her into it, Alena said.

She recounted the first part of her familys difficult journey from Kyiv to Lviv. It took her family 16 hours on an icy, cold road to reach Ternopil, where they were received by friends of friends who told them they could stay as long as they needed. She said her cousin felt uncomfortable imposing on total strangers and decided to reach out to family in western Ukraine instead, where they have been since.

So theyre with a relative. Luckily she has rooms for everyone, and they are going to stay (in Ukraine) because my cousin did not want to leave without her husband [because all men between the ages of 18 to 60 in Ukraine are required to stay in Ukraine], Alena explained.

Alena and John are expecting a baby, and in order to reduce stress, they have decided to limit their news intake and keep conversations about the conflict to a minimum. Of course, Alena, John and her sister Hanna, who lives in Maryland, have been in continuous contact with their family every day through the use of messaging apps.

For now, Lviv is safe. There is a curfew and searches. However, in the case the situation changes, John and Alena have been looking at what they can do.

Weve got the tiny house. If they need to come, we will bring them here, John said. My dads got a place on Jonesborough Road. But right now, theyre holding on.

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Even though the timing and final format of Virginias upcoming biennial budget is uncertain, one thing is for sure; there will be a historic investment in public education.

House and Senate leadership, along with former Gov. Ralph Northam and current Gov. Glenn Youngkin, should all be applauded for their part in this record setting budget.

However, breaking records should not be the main goal for Virginias elected officials as the current budget process is completed. Instead relevance, fairness, and impact should be the focus as this plan for the future is finalized.

At the end of the day (or the end of the session in this instance) a budget is simply a manifestation of our core values. If having the best system of public education in the nation is one of our core values, here are three suggestions for budget conferees to consider as they complete this vitally important document.

 First, Virginias crumbling schools have been a topic of conversation for several years, dating back to the McDonnell administration. As a matter of fact, the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia highlighted a crumbling school in every region of the commonwealth this summer as just a small sampling of the much greater problem.

Based on the House and Senate budget recommendations, we know that at least $500 million will be available from the commonwealth for school divisions to use on facilities once the budget is approved. While the Senate version pumps one-time grants into local school divisions, the House version, which is supported both by Del. Israel OQuinn from Southwest Virginia and Delegate Barry Knight from Virginia Beach, creates a recurring fund that focuses on high poverty schools and struggling localities. This plan will have both immediate impact and future opportunity for schools by incentivizing improvements through rebates and assistance with interest. What makes the House version historic is that it will leverage $2 billion worth of school construction in this biennium and even more in the future. Since a one-size-fits-all approach does not work to address the diverse needs we experience in different regions of Virginia, and options like increasing local sales tax are not available, I recommend that a compromise be reached that ensures all school divisions receive a one-time grant for school infrastructure while still providing localities, especially those with limited resources, an incentive to build a new school for the first time in generations.

This can be done simply by applying $250 million of the recommended $500 million toward both the Senate and House plans for addressing school infrastructure. This will ensure that every school division receives some help now and that many distressed localities can actually begin to plan to make improvements in the future because a recurring fund has been established.

This is a win for all localities/divisions, the Senate and the House, Republicans and Democrats, and the previous and current governor.

Lets make this happen because it benefits Virginians from the mountains to the metro.

 Next, it is imperative to raise teacher pay in Virginia as much as possible. The Senate version of the budget provides a 5% raise in each year of the biennium with a one-time $1,000 bonus, while the house offers a respectable 4% raise in both years, with a 1% bonus each year.

As generous as both recommendations sound, they will not push Virginia above the current national average for teacher salaries. A 10% raise over the next two years will push Virginia above the FY 2020 national average, but by the end of the biennium we will be in FY 2024 and our ranking will fall once again. This is unacceptable for a state that ranks in the top 10 in many financial statistics.

Virginias final budget must provide a 5% raise in both years of the biennium.

 Finally, the At-Risk Add On (ARAO) is the most equitable funding formula that Virginia uses to fund public education. The ARAO takes into account the number and percentage of high-poverty students each division has and distributes funding proportionally.

This is vital because a consensus of educational research shows it costs more to educate a child who lives in poverty due to the additional barriers to learning they face. When you consider Tazewell County spends $8,521 per pupil in state and local dollars on education while Falls Church spends $18,614 per pupil, and that the average salary for a family Dickenson County is $29,000 while the average income for a family in Loudoun County is $142,000, it is easy to see why the At-Risk Add On is so important to rural and other high poverty school divisions.

As a result, it is imperative that the final budget include the Senates recommendation for increasing the At-Risk Add On, which was nearly $210 million higher than what the House proposed. To do otherwise, will only exacerbate the already unconscionable funding gap between high poverty and affluent school divisions.

The current General Assembly is set to break records for education funding. As we recently saw in the Winter Olympics, records are broken every day.

Instead of aiming to set a new record, I implore the General Assembly, and budget conferees specifically, to aim even higher. Rural school divisions, and other high poverty school divisions, have been overlooked for far too long in Virginia.

By providing both grants and rebates for school infrastructure, increasing teacher pay by 10%, and lessening the funding gap between affluent and high poverty schools through investing in the At-Risk Add On, this General Assembly will not only break records but they will leave a lasting legacy that will be remembered for decades to come.

In addition to serving as the Superintendent of Bristol Virginia Schools, Perrigan is the president of the Coalition of Small and Rural Schools of Virginia and a member of the Commission on School Construction and Modernization.
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Three consecutive chopped-up school years have had the expected effect on student learning.

New research shows that growing numbers of kids are falling behind in reading, with Black and Hispanic as well as low-income and disabled children suffering the most.

American public schools were no great shakes at literacy instruction before COVID. Now were in a full-blown educational emergency.

Among dozens of studies saying essentially the same thing: A new report by Amplify, a private curriculum and assessment company, says that the percentage of kindergarten students at highest risk for not learning to read rose from 29% in the middle of the 2019-20 school year to 37% two years later.

According to a Virginia study, early reading skills hit a 20-year low last fall.

Last summer, consulting firm McKinsey & Company estimated that U.S. students had lost the equivalent of almost a half a school year in reading instruction. And in every case, kids who started out disadvantaged experienced the steepest slide.

We dont know exactly how bad things are here in New York City because very few students took state assessment tests during the pandemic. But if we wait for a definitive diagnosis before intervening aggressively, itll be too late.

Fortunately, the crisis coincides with the early days of a new mayoral administration committed to improving on Bill de Blasios woefully unrealized promise to get all kids on track to be proficient in reading by the end of second grade. Chancellor David Banks, correctly decrying the en vogue balanced literacy approach that failed far too many kids over far too many years  nearly two-thirds of Black and Hispanic New York City public school kids are proficient in reading  is wisely pushing phonics-based instruction in the early years.

Banks should crunch the data and identify the schools, whether district-run or charter, that have had the most success in getting kids of all backgrounds reading, and reading well as early as possible. Share their techniques. Replicate them.

As somebody once said, leave no child behind.
Investing in bipartisan good governance bills? Sadly, not this year.

Weve just had the most expensive election in the history of the commonwealth. This heightened Virginians strong disapproval of our feeble campaign finance laws.

In a recent Wason Center poll, nearly 80% of Virginia voters, across party lines, agreed that the influence of deep-pocketed donors needs to be curtailed. Eighy-eight percent of Virginians want full transparency of who funds our candidates, while 73% think loopholes allowing politicians to use campaign funds for personal expenses must be closed.

Virginia is one of only two states where candidates can legally use this money for private vacations, mortgages, or yachts.

The chair of the Virginia House subcommittee on campaign finance, Del. Israel OQuinn (5th District), may have made history this year, killing 14 campaign finance bills, many of which were bipartisan. Without much discussion, and encouraged by the chair, the subcommittee tabled the bills, essentially killing them. In last years legislative session, a bill restricting personal use of campaign funds passed the House 100-0 before dying in the Senate. This year bills met a speedy demise in the House. Del. OQuinn justified his votes with, Sometimes things that pass dont, and sometimes things that never passed all of the sudden do. Huh?

Virginians are weary of partisan wrangling and baffling votes contrary to the will of the people. The House of Delegates has a responsibility to seriously review proposed legislation to bring Virginias campaign finance laws on par with other states.

Del. OQuinn, congratulations on your chairmanship of the important Campaign Finance Subcommittee. Were disappointed that you havent committed to good governance bills. Virginia citizens deserve far better.
HICKORY  Edward Jones financial adviser Steve Reese of Hickory recently qualified for the firm's Managing Partner's Conference, which celebrates the contributions and achievements of the top 400 of the firm's nearly 19,000 financial advisers. The conference will be held in Scottsdale, Arizona, on April 26-27.

During the two-day conference, attendees will have the opportunity to interact with and learn from firm leaders, confer on timely topics and share best practices for serving clients.

"These financial advisers have demonstrated an exceptional level of care in helping clients to set, prioritize and reach the financial goals that make a difference in their lives. We're proud of the work they do and the significant impact they make for their clients and in their communities," said Chuck Orban, an Edward Jones principal responsible for the firm's recognition events. "As we move into our second 100 years as a firm, we will continue to focus on ways to live out our purpose: to partner for positive impact to improve the wellbeing of our clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society."

This is the first time Reese has been invited to this event.

"It's an honor to qualify for this conference," said Reese. "This level of success could never have happened without the trust clients have put in our branch and the teamwork with my branch team, Marsha Edwards and Mandi Parham. This opportunity to collaborate with the leaders of the firm and with my peers is an invaluable resource for me to continue providing value for the clients we serve."

Reese's office is located at 1379 N Center St., Hickory.

Edward Jones, a Fortune 500 company headquartered in St. Louis, provides financial services in the United States and, through its affiliate, in Canada. Every aspect of the firm's business, from the investments its financial advisers offer to the location of branch offices, caters to individual investors and businesses. The firm's nearly 19,000 financial advisers serve more than 7 million clients with a total of $1.8 trillion in assets under care. Visit edwardjones.com or the recruiting website at careers.edwardjones.com. Member SIPC.
A large group of family and friends gathered at Wilkies Grove Baptist Church in Hickory on March 5 to celebrate the 100th birthday of Walter Howard Brittain.

Brittain was born, raised and lives in that church community, as have at least five previous generations.

Born March 5, 1922, and as a member of the first class to attend all years and graduate from the old George Hildebrand School, Brittain and his class went on a senior trip to the opening of the Worlds Fair in New York City in 1940, where they saw many marvels from around the world, including a demonstration of a new invention called television. The trip also included a visit to Washington, D.C.

Brittain worked in textiles in Valdese while he courted and then married Lavada Kiser. But the second World War took him from his bride and new daughter and they would be separated for three years while he served overseas.

He served in the 5th Army infantry in North Africa and Italy, earning a Purple Heart and a Medal of Valor. After witnessing victory in Europe, he helped with prisoners and refugees until finally getting his honorable discharge in late 1945.

After reuniting with his wife and daughter, Brittain resumed his work in the textile industry while he and Lavada added to the family, which grew to include eight children, 15 grandchildren, 19 great-grandchildren (and one on the way), and three great-great-grandchildren. He was active in his church, in the Ruritan Club and helped establish the George Hildebrand Volunteer Fire Department. He and Lavada enjoyed traveling after retirement, visiting 49 states before Lavadas death in 2016 after 73 years of marriage.

Brittain still lives at his homeplace, with assistance from his family and caregivers and retains a sharp memory for things past. He considers himself blessed and gives all credit to God.
Jane Ann Hovis and James Jimmy Deese. Theirs was a love story like thousands of others in the 60s during the Vietnam War.

They flirted their senior year at Hickory High School back in 1965. She thought he had such beautiful blue eyes. He thought she was fun and spunky. When he finally asked her out the summer after graduation, she, of course, said yes. She was a freshman at Gardner-Webb. He was working at a sand mining and distribution company in the Brookford area of Hickory.

When he asked her to marry him, he told her that he knew he was going to be drafted into the military but promised to love her and to make sure she finished her degree in Hickory at Lenoir-Rhyne. They were married and lived in a small house on Center Street for about 11 months when he received his draft notice and reported to the Military Induction Center in Charlotte to enter the Army.

He shipped off for basic training in August 1967 as she continued her college studies. After his advanced individual training as a combat engineer, he returned to Hickory on a pass in December. That was just before he shipped off, with orders to Vietnam. This war-torn country so far away was about to experience the most intense fighting yet with the Tet Offensive in early 1968. He was assigned to the 1st Cavalry Division in Thua Thien, Vietnam.

They wrote letters almost daily, their true love showing through each and every word and line. Although they were half a world apart, they wrote about their dreams for after he returned to the United States and resumed life in Hickory with his new bride.

Early on the morning of March 1, 1968, Jane received a visit at her workplace at Kaiser-Roth Hosiery Mill that so many received during that time  an officer notifying her that her beloved Jimmy, Cpl. James Deese, had given his life for his country on Feb. 26 in Vietnam. She was devastated and in shock.

Over the next few weeks while Jimmys remains were being returned to her, letters she had written to him came back with the word DECEASED stamped on the front. Words of love to him that he would never read.

Having just turned 21, Jane was overwhelmed with the preparations for Jimmys funeral, which she planned with the help of the Army and Jimmys parents. She obtained two grave sites in the Catawba Memorial Park between Hickory and Conover, with plans to someday be buried together. Jimmy was interred there in early March 1968, where he remains today.

Being a young lady with her whole life ahead of her, while she never forgot Jimmy, Jane transferred to Western Carolina University, where she met and fell in love with the man who would become the father of their children, Fred Layton. They are still married today.

About a year ago, Jane, who is now dealing daily with an aggressive form of metastatic cancer, and I were having a conversation about Jimmy having been buried in Catawba County. Jane mentioned to me that since she would now be buried with her husband Fred and their family, that she wished Jimmy had been buried all those years ago with his comrades in Arlington National Cemetery. She shared that the Army had never mentioned Arlington as an option.

As the founder of the St Michaels All Airborne Chapter whose mission is to help veterans, paratroopers, and their families in western North Carolina who are in need, this seemed like something we could assist with. As such, I offered to investigate whether Jimmy could be moved to that hallowed ground.

After working through Army channels, we were told it was possible to inter him at Arlington if Jimmy met all the criteria. All costs of disinterment, casket replacement (if necessary), preparation, and transportation to Arlington would be at the expense of the family. After some investigation, we determined those expenses would exceed $7,000.

While working through the Army for approval, and obtaining all the necessary documentation, I also contacted the nationwide firm of Dignity Memorial, which is the largest funeral, cremation, and cemetery provider in the United States, and owns Catawba Memorial Park. After telling the story to an executive at Dignity, they offered to pay all expenses to disinter and move Cpl. Deese to hallowed ground at Arlington.

After five months of working with the Army and Arlington, we received the official approval for Cpl. Deese to be interred with full military honors at Arlington, with an interment date of April 19, 2022.

Cpl. Deeses body will be disinterred, prepared, and moved to Arlington in accordance with proper military tradition by Willis-Reynolds Funeral Home in Newton, which is also part of Dignity Memorial. Ironically, the general manager of Willis-Reynolds, Duane Alexander, is a veteran and former paratrooper. He has volunteered to see this mission through, from disinterment, preparation, and personally driving the body of Cpl. Deese to Arlington for his military burial. He plans to remain for the funeral until the mission is complete.

Jane Ann Hovis Layton, her husband Fred, their kids, grandkids, Jimmys twin sister Judy, as well as my wife Tracye and I, several classmates from Hickory High, and other friends will attend the solemn ceremony at Arlington in April to pay our final respects to an American hero.

Troy Gil Gilleland is a Hickory native who spent 34 years in uniform in the Army, retiring as a colonel, then another five years as a member of the Senior Executive Service for the Defense Department. He and his wife Tracye returned to Catawba County to retire after being away for 43 years. In 2015, he founded the St Michaels All Airborne Inc., a 5013 organization, to help veterans, paratroopers, and their families in western North Carolina.
A new internet company locating in Hickory has begun building out its fiber network in the city.

MetroNet announced Thursday they are starting the process of installing their fiber optic cables in the Kenworth neighborhood.

John Autry, MetroNets marketing manager for North Carolina, said it likely will not be until this fall that the first customers in Hickory will be able to get the service.

In addition to Hickory, the company will also be adding its services in parts of Mountain View and Newton. The company anticipates taking two to two and a half years to build out their network and Autry said construction may be going on in different places at the same time.

MetroNet boasts of the reliability of its fiber network, the lack of data caps and the symmetrical data stream that always users to upload and download at the same speed.

Autry said the companys current plans range from $40 a month for its 100 megabit plan to $70 for its gigabit plan.

The company has not set up a retail shop in Hickory yet though they are considering the possibility.

Even without a retail shop, Autry said the company intends involve itself in the community by showing up to events like local fairs and participating in charitable activities such as blood drives.

Its very important to us to be part of the fabric of the communities that we serve, Autry said.

He said the company is also committed to being engaged as construction moves on by providing updates through the mail to residents in places where construction is set to begin and through yard signs.

Autry said residents can also ask questions or submit comments through the Ask Questions link under the Construction tab on the companys website.

For more information on MetroNet and its services, visit metronetinc.com.

Kevin Griffin is the City of Hickory reporter at the Hickory Daily Record.

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On March 12, at a 10:30 a.m. Eagle Scout Court of Honor ceremony at First United Methodist Church in Newton, 15-year-old Peter Simpson of Conover, along with his family, celebrated Peters having earned the highest rank in Scouts BSA.

I did a little checking at www.scouting.org and found the requirements to become an Eagle Scout. Theres a progression of ranks; a long list of merit badges; serving six months in a position of responsibility; and [planning, developing, and giving] leadership to others in a service project helpful to any religious institution, any school, or their community.

There are other conditions as well, such as successfully completing a board of review.

In Peters case, I was most interested in his service project as described in an email by his mother Amanda Hetzel: Peters Eagle project was to restore a [tank] car from [the 1890s]  for the Southeastern Narrow Gauge & Shortline Museum  He did so with the help of many volunteers but most notably with his 84-year-old grandfather, who was out there with him every day.

It was a 140-hour undertaking that required working from April to August 2021, the hot sun pouring down on Peter and his granddad, Reid Ikerd of Newton, as they went about the job of returning the old tank cars exterior to its original appearance.

Ive always been passionate about trains and railroading and the history of it, said Peter, a sophomore at Discovery High School in Newton. So it seemed a natural fit for my Eagle project.

If there was a train, weve been there, said Amanda about taking Peter to see trains over the years.

His favorite trip was with Reid and his wife Judy, Peters grandmother. They traveled to Durango, Colorado, to ride the Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad train, an experience purported at www.durangotrain.com to be a taste of authentic railroading history. Peter said it took four hours to travel from Durango to Silverton. I had a look at some of the websites photos, and my acrophobia and I will be satisfied to take Peters word for it.

Peter volunteers at the Newton Depot, which houses the Southeastern Narrow Gauge & Shortline Museum, jointly operated by the Newton Depot Authority and the Alexander Chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. The depot sits on four acres. Theres also a pavilion that protects various old railroad cars. Peter cleans the pavilion. He also gives tours and works on the largest model in the depots model railroad center.

Other cars reside on various parts of the depots property, some in great shape; others, not so much. It was one of the not-so-much cars that ultimately became Peters Eagle project. I wanted to do something for the depot as my project, Peter explained. He said hed considered working on a locomotive cab, but when some Newton Depot Authority members suggested he work on one of the unrestored pieces, he liked the idea and decided to cosmetically restore the unsightly tank, which had been on the depots property 13 or 14 years. Peter said the Newton Depot Authority wanted it completed before the National Narrow Gauge Convention took place over Labor Day weekend 2021.

Peter and Reid learned the tank cars basic history from the information inscribed on it, including its casting date, 1894, its serial number, and where it had been built: Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Peter conferred with railroad historian and Newton Depot Authority board member Matt Bumgarner of Hickory. We believe its the oldest intact tank car in the United States, said Peter, maybe the world. It held oil in 1894. We believe it traveled between Newton and Chester, South Carolina, on the Carolina Northwestern Railroad.

Newton Depot Authority members encouraged Peter to choose specific materials and colors for the restoration, so the result would be as authentic as possible. Matt made several recommendations. He knew the products to use to create authenticity, said Peter. The color had to be right.

Before work commenced, Peter secured approval for the project from the Eagle Scout Council, the Piedmont Council based in Gastonia. And he asked Reid to help. Reid, a retired facilities manager for Newton-Conover City Schools, had experience in painting and restoring.

Peter coordinated workdays with four scout volunteers and some family and museum folks who wanted to help  the distribution of work, said Peter, who explained that social media was vital to get the word out about work dates and needed supplies and to inform the depot about the progress on the car.

Getting some of the supplies was challenging, particularly the specific rust-retardant primer they needed. But for the most part, Peters responsibility for raising money to complete the project wasnt necessary. Instead he was able to acquire donations of materials. Lowes in Viewmont was particularly generous, and the depot provided some items. Ultimately, we got everything donated, said Peter.

Finally, work commenced. Using no power tools, step one was scraping off old paint and sanding the exterior. Step two was the application of the primer. Step three was applying the white paint  again, a rust-inhibiting product. Step four included painting the ends and dome with what Reid called safety red.

Then came stenciling, probably the toughest part of the job, said Reid. When it stuck, it stuck, making it difficult to attach the stencils at just the right places so Union Tank Line would be correctly displayed on both sides of the car.

The grandson-grandfather duo added 1954 on both ends of the car in memory of the late Mickey McGrady, whod found the car in Lenoir and was instrumental in the Newton Depot getting it.

In the fall of 2021, Peter passed the Eagle board, which included being quizzed and interviewed.

At the Eagle Scout Court of Honor, Peter received his badge and some pins. He acknowledged whod been his mentor, whod helped the most. He recognized his parents, Amanda Hetzel and Nathaniel Simpson, and they received Eagle pins.

Additionally, Catawba County Commissioner Sherry Butler presented a framed United States flag to Peter, along with a letter from U.S. Congressman Patrick McHenry. The city of Conover had worked with Congressman McHenrys office to secure the flag, which had flown over the U.S. Capitol in Peters honor.

My final question to Peter was, What do you want to be when you grow up? He didnt hesitate a second when he answered that he was interested in city planning and economic development.

Some city is going to be mighty lucky someday.

If youd like to see the restored 1894 tank car, head to the grounds of the Newton Depot (1123 N. Main Ave., Newton) and look just north of the pavilion.

Share story ideas with Mary at marycanrobert@charter.net.
On Aug. 2, 1990, Iraqi military forces invaded Kuwait under the leadership of Iraqs dictator Saddam Hussein. A coalition led by the United States assembled in response. On Jan. 16, 1991, after passage of a Security Council resolution authorizing the use of force, allied forces went to war against Iraq. Saddams military was expelled and Kuwait regained its independence.

Iraqs invasion of Kuwait was a clear violation of international norms and law, contrary to widely held beliefs and treaties concerning state sovereignty. As such, a broad coalition assembled to oppose the invasion. Though it may seem obvious that the international community would react in such a way, we should not take for granted that such a response occurred.

Had Iraqs invasion of Kuwait occurred earlier in history, it may have been viewed as part and parcel of international politics. Wars of conquest were relatively common. States acquired power through the acquisition of territory. Victors of war would divide the territorial spoils amongst themselves. Territorial changes were viewed as being a natural feature of interstate competition.

Things began to change, however, around the time of World War I. Competition over territory and the expectation of territorial gains for the victors played an important role in shaping the war. But views on the use of force to acquire territory began to shift, as was reflected in declarations and treaties after the war. The last of Woodrow Wilsons Fourteen Points was a call for the creation of an international organization to guarantee the political independence and territorial integrity of all states. Article 10 of the League of Nations, which formed the following year, stipulated that member states would protect one anothers territorial integrity and existing political independence. The Kellogg-Briand Pact of 1927 sought to outlaw war except in self-defense. And the Stimson Doctrine, named after U.S. Secretary of State James Stimson, held that the United States would not recognize acts of territorial conquest.

It is perhaps easy to be dismissive of such efforts to limit war. Despite proclamations, agreements, and treaties in the interwar period, another world war soon occurred. And there have been numerous wars since. The statements nonetheless reflect the beginning of the development of an international norm against the use of force for territorial revision.

If it had not already been apparent from the First World War, World War II further demonstrated the need for a territorial integrity norm. Leading up to and during the war, Germany and Japan ruthlessly pursued territorial gains. Such blatant disregard for state sovereignty, and the destruction that it led to, was clearly wrong. Something needed to change.

The United Nations, created in the wake of World War II, stipulated in its founding treaty that member states should refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. Acts of force, other than in self-defense or in accordance with Security Council authorization, would contravene the terms of the UN Charter. Such a view was further reinforced by the Geneva Conventions, which do not allow for annexation by occupying powers.

As the international territorial integrity norm solidified and was increasingly codified in international law, wars of conquest became less common. In 1975, South Vietnam fell to North Vietnam, Indonesia invaded Timor-Leste, and Morocco annexed the Spanish Sahara. But in the more than 40 years since then, there has not been a single case of one state successfully gaining complete control over another. Saddam Hussein attempted to absorb Kuwait, but ultimately failed when Iraqi forces were kicked out during the Persian Gulf War.

Land grabs today are illegal under international law. Territorial changes that come as a result of the use of force are not recognized by the international community and can come with consequences such as diplomatic isolation and economic sanctions (even in limited territorial acquisitions, such as when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014).

It is important to note that violations of a norm do not disprove its existence. Russias invasion of Ukraine does not demonstrate that there is not, in fact, a territorial integrity norm. When someone breaks the law domestically, it does not mean that there is not a norm against the act that the perpetrator committed, nor does it invalidate the law. Norms are practices that are generally adhered to. There will always be norm violators and those who break the law.

The reaction to a norm violation can demonstrate that the norm is still operative. Widespread condemnation of Russias invasion is reflective of general acceptance of the territorial integrity norm. Norm violations, rather than invalidating a norm, can serve to reinforce the norm by provoking a response that demonstrates that a norm has been violated.

With that said, if norm violations are persistent and become common, and are not punished, a norm can deteriorate to the point of no longer being effective, and a new norm may begin to develop. There is much at stake in the current war in Ukraine. Most importantly, and immediate for the Ukrainian people, is that they preserve their independence. But broadly, the territorial integrity norm is at stake as well. Aiding the Ukrainians in their fight against Russia not only benefits the Ukrainian people and is morally just  it also demonstrates a willingness to enforce the territorial integrity norm.

The world without such a norm would be a dangerous one to live in. Other states that have territorial ambitions (such as China in relation to Taiwan) would be less restrained. Opposing Russias invasion of Ukraine sends the message that those who violate the territorial integrity norm will be punished.

Vladimir Putin yearns for an earlier time when Russia was a super power with a broad sphere of influence that extended over eastern and parts of central Europe. He perhaps also wishes that he was in power prior to the establishment of the territorial integrity norm.

Times have changed. And its now time for the international community to demonstrate that transgressions of international norms have consequences. Putin may have gotten away with a lot so far. But he cannot escape history.

David R. Dreyer is a political science professor at Lenoir-Rhyne University. Write to him at David.Dreyer@lr.edu
" " The Bradford pear seemed perfect for suburban America: a nice, neat canopy shape; not too big; seemingly hardy and showy colors in spring and fall. But its invasiveness and smell has made it a tough one to love. PhotoviewPlus/Getty Images

If the Bradford pear tree were a celebrity, it would no doubt be looking for a new publicist.

It's pretty to look at, with its springtime blooms of puffy white flowers contrasted by crimson fall colors. And it was once the darling of subdivision planners across America. But it turns out the tree has a whole canopy of flaws (some of them sexual in nature) that are driving its reputation  sorry for the extra metaphor here  straight into the ground.

Among them: its brittle build, its selfish ways, its poor self-care and  let's be honest here  the fact that it's awfully promiscuous. Also, and this is a flora-specific flaw: It's not even from here!

According to The Washington Post, the tree is a "nightmare," "an environmental time bomb," and "an ecological marauder destined to continue its spread for decades." The New York Times simply calls it, "the most despised tree."

And that's not even talking about the tree's smell, which most people in the world (except for, admittedly, this writer) find offensive. Haters, trolls and straight-up journalists say it smells like, like, like, "semen and rotting flesh," according to The Times. Or, like, "the private booths at an adult theater," according to someone on Reddit.

Or, like, "slightly rotted fish." The last description is courtesy of Alex Beasley, the donor and public relations manager for Trees Atlanta, a nonprofit in the Georgia capital city with a mission to "protect and improve Atlanta's urban forest."

Even he doesn't like the Bradford pear.

"I have never personally heard anybody mention this tree scent as pleasant," Beasley says. "I think it's awful."

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Wait, Aren't Trees Good?

OK, OK, so the tree smells. But it's a tree. It gives us oxygen. In this dire world of obvious climate change  extreme storms, drought and countless associated maladies  don't we need all the trees we can get? Don't we need more tree huggers, and fewer tree haters?

Well, yes, say Beasley (who is also a landscape architect) and countless other arborists and environmentalists. But the issues with the Bradford pear are motley and manifold.

Its top offenses, aside from the smell, are that it's invasive to the United States. A version of it, the Callery pear, was brought over from Chinato the Northwest U.S. in the early 20th century, in an effort led in part by botanist David Fairchild, who is known as "the guy who helped bring the Japanese cherry blossoms" to Washington, D.C.

The Callery was thought to be resistant to fire blight, a serious bacterial disease that affects other pear trees. The idea was to use the Callery "as a rootstock onto which varieties of the European pear could be grafted."

Fast-forward to 1960: Tree scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture in Glenn Dale, Maryland, released the Bradford pear  a cultivar of the Callery  to the public. It didn't matter that it was pear-less, despite its name. "People went bonkers," in a good way, The New York Times noted.

The tree seemed perfect for suburban America: a nice, neat canopy shape; not too big; seemingly hardy and showy colors in spring and fall. It became commonplace in the U.S., from north to south, east to west.

"Much like a crape myrtle is today, for a time this was the hot tree for contractors and home builders to plant," says Beasley. "It was easily sourced, fast-growing ... and virtually indestructible." All was well in the world.

And then it was not.

" " The Bradford pear (Pyrus calleryana) is a beautiful, but invasive and highly destructive species, first introduced into the American landscape by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1960. Arthur Tilley/Getty Images

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Here to Stay?

Through the years and decades, problems with this pear tree emerged. The smell was one thing. But upon maturity, Bradford pears and their V-crotch of branches become structurally weak. "We've been cleaning up its storm damage" ever since, Beasley says.

Once the tree put down its roots in North America, however, it wasn't going anywhere  in part, because it so easily propagates. Six months after blooming, the Bradford offers clusters of seedy berries to birds, who then fly away, poop out the seeds and spread the tree to new forests.

Further, the Bradford pears are greedy, tree experts say. Their roots soak up water so well, they have been known to negatively affect plants and trees around them.

"If only people knew that when they plant one of these trees, they've possibly planted a hundred others, which have the power to ravage a forest's trees, which countless numbers of wildlife depend on," Beasley says.

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Is It Too Late to Complain?

The tree's invasive qualities certainly stand out, it cannot be denied. But, for a devil's advocate perspective, let's consider a counterpoint: The world is now filled with invasive species, thanks largely to what some argue is the most invasive species of all: us, Homo sapiens. As we have conquered the globe, we have helped spread untold numbers of plant and animal life, which have decimated untold numbers of previously "native" species around the world.

With that in mind, does there come a time when "invasiveness" just becomes "reality"?

Beasley answers unequivocally: The fight is still on.

"Never replant with an invasive species," he says. "This is about as bad as intentionally planting English ivy in your yard. You're dooming your neighbors for generations.

"When there is an opportunity to replant to help mend past damages to our urban forest, why not take it?" he asks. "Trade out crape myrtle for a native hornbeam. Trade out Leyland cypress for eastern red cedar. Trade out a Bradford pear for an oak.

"I just do not know how it's legal to sell plants that we know are invasive," he continues. "[Ban them] for the same reason you can no longer smoke on airplanes  it adversely affects others. How can we buy a plant that is so destructive to our forests and causes millions (if not billions) in tax dollar remediation?"

Until then, what to do?

It's spring. The Bradford pears are blooming. The next time you pass one, take a deep breath. If you don't like the smell, hold your nose, and perhaps complain about it online. And daydream.

"If I only had a DeLorean," Beasley says, referencing the time-traveling automobile in the "Back to the Future" movie franchise. "Yes, I'd wipe this tree from the American landscape."

Strong words. But not out of line with popular opinion. While it was briefly a celebrated member of the U.S. flora landscape, to be a Bradford pear tree these days really stinks.

Now That's Interesting The native dogwood tree, like the Bradford pear, blooms white flowers in spring. But it's celebrated  literally. Every year, a number of cities and towns hold festivals in its honor.

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Originally Published: Mar 21, 2019
Colorado Springs, Colo.-

NU is back in Colorado Springs for a second appearance this season at Air Force Academy for a triangular between Army and Air Force where they secured the win to land in first place against the two academies, and earned their highest team score of the 2022 season.

Nebraska worked diligently to claim an impressive total of 6 event titles for the triangular this afternoon, including the all-around.

Charlie Giles showed out in a big way for the Big Red, earning a total of three event titles. Giles took the titles on vault, pommel horse, and floor with a score of 14.95, 14.25, and a career-high 14.65 on floor. Seniorshowed out in a big way for the Big Red, earning a total of three event titles. Giles took the titles on vault, pommel horse, and floor with a score of 14.95, 14.25, and a career-high 14.65 on floor.

Sam Phillips put up a 14.00 to earn the high bar title and a 82.350 for the all-around title. Captain Dillan King notched a solid 14.25, snagging the parallel bars title. put up a 14.00 to earn the high bar title and a 82.350 for the all-around title. Captainnotched a solid 14.25, snagging the parallel bars title.

Rotation One

Dylan LeClair who notched a 13.65 for the Big Red. Following, freshman Joey Pepe posted a 12.15, and junior Liam Doherty-Herwitz put up a 13.25. Junior Dylan Young scored a 13.75, while all-around competitor Sam Phillips anchored the rotation with a career-high 13.10. To jumpstart the meet, the Huskers were led on rings by seniorwho notched a 13.65 for the Big Red. Following, freshmanposted a 12.15, and juniorput up a 13.25. Juniorscored a 13.75, while all-around competitoranchored the rotation with a career-high 13.10.

NU moved into the second rotation in second place behind Air Force with a score of 65.900-70.250. Army scored a 56.050 in the first rotation.

Rotation Two

Charlie Giles steering NU in the right direction, after setting a career-high score of 14.65, good for the event title. Maintaining the momentum, Chris Hiser followed with a career-high 14.25 and Taylor Christopulos with a 14.20. Jake Bonnay impressed with a 14.50 for Nebraska. Sam Phillips rounded off the rotation by collecting a solid score of 14.05. Nebraska dominated on floor for the second rotation withsteering NU in the right direction, after setting a career-high score of 14.65, good for the event title. Maintaining the momentum,followed with a career-high 14.25 andwith a 14.20.impressed with a 14.50 for Nebraska.rounded off the rotation by collecting a solid score of 14.05.

Nebraska scored a 137.550, taking the first-place position after the second rotation. Air Force and Army followed with a score of 133.050 and 121.850 respectively.

Rotation Three

Travis Wong and senior Khalil Jackson both impressed with strength after earning a 13.55, a career-high for Wong. Charlie Giles posted a 14.25 for the squad, taking the pommel title. Taylor Christopulos and Donte McKinney earned a score of 13.25 and 12.10 respectively. Barreling into the third rotation on pommel horse, freshmanand seniorboth impressed with strength after earning a 13.55, a career-high for Wong.posted a 14.25 for the squad, taking the pommel title.andearned a score of 13.25 and 12.10 respectively.

The Huskers head into the fourth rotation to maintain first-place with a team score of 204.900. Air Force follows in second-place with a 198.800, and Army in third with a 190.900.

Rotation Four

Donte McKinney registered a 13.50. Not far behind, Taylor Christopulos earned a 13.45. Joey Pepe notched a 11.85 while Dillan King collected a 13.20. Sam Phillips put up a 14.00 to anchor the rotation and earn the event title. Nebraska transitioned to high bar for the fourth rotation tallying a team score of 66.000.registered a 13.50. Not far behind,earned a 13.45.notched a 11.85 whilecollected a 13.20.put up a 14.00 to anchor the rotation and earn the event title.

Neck in neck, NU leads the triangular with a 270.900. Air Force and Army trail with 270.150 and 255.100 respectively.

Rotation Five

Charlie Giles makes way for NU with a 14.95, claiming the event title. Not far behind, Christopulos tallied a 14.85 and McKinney earned a 14.70. Joey Pepe set a career high score with a score of 14.10. Phillips concluded the rotation, putting up a 14.40 for the Huskers. Big Red showed vault for rotation five. Yet again, seniormakes way for NU with a 14.95, claiming the event title. Not far behind, Christopulos tallied a 14.85 and McKinney earned a 14.70.set a career high score with a score of 14.10. Phillips concluded the rotation, putting up a 14.40 for the Huskers.

NU tallies a 344.650 moving into the last rotation. Air Force hold the second-place position with 335.700 and Army in third with

Rotation Six

Dillan King registered a career-high 14.25, snagging the parallel bars title. Right behind, Sam Phillips scored a 14.05 and Dylan LeClair notched a 13.45. Joey Pepe and Liam Doherty-Herwitz scored 12.40 and 12.80 respectively. In the final rotation of the afternoon, the Huskers competed on parallel bars. Nebraska team captainregistered a career-high 14.25, snagging the parallel bars title. Right behind,scored a 14.05 andnotched a 13.45.andscored 12.40 and 12.80 respectively.

The Nebraska Huskers concluded the tri-meet with a first-place finish and a season-high team score of 411.600. Air Force claimed second-place with a 398.800 and Army in third with a score of 387.500.

Up Next

The Huskers are scheduled to face Ohio State next weekend for their final regular-season meet in Columbus, Ohio on Sunday, March 20 at 12:00 p.m. CT. The meet will be streamed on the Big Ten Network.
As Tetyana Konon recalled her homeland of Ukraine recently, she mentioned the beautiful countryside and the friendly people. Tetyana, who is now a U.S. citizen, spent her first 14 years in Lviv, in western Ukraine near the border with Poland. Whenever her family made the six-hour drive from Lviv to Kyiv, she was especially struck by the capital city now being threatened by Russian troops. Although she has spent half of her life in the U.S., images of her birth country and its people are etched in her mind.

Ive been there a lot of times, in Kyiv, she recalled during a 30-minute telephone interview from her home near Gaffney, South Carolina, where she and her husband, Sviatoslav, have lived since 2021. It is so beautiful there. In Kyiv, there is a lot of architecture there, beautiful buildings. Its a big city, so big, so busy, and people there are so nice. They have a lot of parks and things to do there.

Tetyana was a freshman in high school when her family came to the United States in December of 2008, joining her aunt in Tucson, Arizona. They sought a better life after becoming disenchanted with Ukrainian leadership during the presidential election of 2004, leading to what became known as the Orange Revolution during a period of civil unrest. Thats when we first got our reference to come here as refugees, she recalled. The people voted for one person and they put another person in office. From that time, it was not a good time, a lot of crimes, and my family decided to come here. My family thought there was more safety to move here. Her fathers sister had moved to Arizona in 1994.

Sviatoslavs family still lives in Lviv, where his father operates a small grocery store. An older brother joined thousands of Ukrainians who escaped to Poland in recent weeks, taking his wife and two children to the relative safety of that country. Sviatoslavs 10-year-old brother stayed in Lviv with his parents.

According to a Reuters news release, Lviv is just 40 miles from the border with Poland, and the small city has become a transit point for Ukrainians fleeing the conflict from the eastern, southern and central parts of the country.

You never know what might happen, Tetyana told me regarding the conflict, now centered in the western half of Ukraine. Its kind of scary and we are all praying for protection. When they go to sleep, they dont know if theyll wake up hearing bombs.

Tetyana, who will turn 28 this summer, and Sviatoslav, 31, became acquainted when they attended the same Pentecostal church in Lviv as teenagers. They were married in 2012, two years before he came to the U.S., and they have three children, a son eight years old, and two daughters, ages six and four. The children are learning to speak Ukrainian, Russian, and English.

Tetyana and Sviatoslav lived in California as newlyweds but returned to their native country for brief visits in 2015 and again in 2017. Sviatoslavs family is content to stay in Ukraine, for now.

They have good jobs and a beautiful house, but with this situation they may start thinking of moving here, Tetyana said.

Sviatoslav worked for a flooring company when he first arrived in the U.S. and now works as a long-distance truck driver, criss-crossing the country. Tetyana said they speak with his family on a daily basis. We just called them today (Wednesday), and they are ok, she said.

Tetyana has two female friends from high school who are involved in the conflict near Kyiv. One works providing first aide to troops while the other cooks for those involved in the war.

Media reports during mid-week indicated that U.S. lawmakers have allocated $13.6 billion for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine and surrounding countries. The assistance drew strong support from both Democrats and Republicans. This came as Ukrainian resistance to Russian troops held strong outside Kyiv, with Russian troops attempting to move in from the east and south. Economic sanctions imposed by the West reportedly were negatively impacting Russias war effort.

Additionally, according to a New York Times report, more than 13,000 Russians have been arrested for protesting the war. Russian president Vladimir Putin has also reportedly cracked down on free speech by shutting down access to social media.

Ukrainians, according to Tetyana, have had hard feelings against Putin for years. All Ukrainians dislike him, she said. Recent media reports indicated that Putins troops have targeted civilians, including a maternity hospital in Mariupol.

Nonetheless, Tetyanas faith was evident throughout the conversation as she spoke of the situation in Ukraine.

Its kind of hard to watch everything going on there, she said. We want to help, to send money because money is the only way we can help, that and prayers.

She ended our conversation with this: My hope for the country is only peace, so were praying for them. We pray for families to come back to a normal life and kids are not dying. Just a normal life, thats what we really want.

Larry Cothren has worked as a writer and editor for more than three decades. He teaches at Hickory Ridge High School and can be reached at lgcothren@aol.com.
As a semi-respected small-town newspaper editor, regionally known humor columnist and former cigar-chomping, hooch-swilling, skirt-chasing, cholesterol-lowering-medication-taking, underpaid and overworked bureau chief of the fictional yet highly respected Monkey Action News Team, I dont use my journalistic status, real or imagined, to promote goods or services.

I stopped after I gave a thumbs up to Cousin Juniors plumbing business, and shortly thereafter he flooded the basement of the VFW hall, ruining 48 miniature American flags and a life-size cutout of Gen. George S. Patton.

But, in the real world, I do make exceptions from time to time. Phil Lee, the rocking troubadour, the self-proclaimed Mighty King of Love, has a new album out, and it is a dandy. Its called Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites. I recommend buying it with cold hard cash, a credit card or a handful of that cryptocurrency everyone is talking about.

I can hear some of the skeptics now: Hes only promoting Phil Lees new album in hopes of accessing the backstage debauchery and plethora of gorgeous groupies that are a staple of any Phil Lee show.

My answer is, in the words of the late, great Hank Williams, mind your own business.

Phil, a North Carolina boy, has been crisscrossing this great nation for decades, sometimes driving a truck, sometimes unleashing his wickedly clever songs on audiences large and small.

He moved to the West Coast a few years ago. Instead of falling into the areas psychedelia or smooth Eagles-like output as some of us feared, he went back to his roots for the new one, back when he was part of the opening act for the farm report on WRAL-TV in Raleigh.

Ill let Phil explain it:

In 1968 (to the best of my recollection, your honor) my Grandma Flossie wangled me a job on television playing drums for a guy who became a huge influence on my whole approach to show business  Homer A. Briarhopper. His suits and his Howdy, neighbors wave and the big smile, just the way he engaged the audience and his style of playing to the audience, stuck with me.

Every show was a couple of toe tappers, a few country favorites, a rocker or two for the kids, and always one for the sick and the shut-ins.

He was always inclusive; everybody was welcome, and there was literally something for everyone. Fun for the whole family! Unfortunately, I got away from all that for about 60 years, but I wanted to do an album for my mama before she kicked the bucket. Honestly though, it looks like theres a race for the finish at this point that I may win.

My old time favorites on Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites include I Like Women, a reworking of an earlier gem called Daddys Jail and the gospel standard Just A Closer Walk With Thee, the song Harry Dean Stanton sings in the film Cool Hand Luke.

Back to Phil:

There are a couple of co-writes and a couple of traditional songs Ive always wanted to do ... It was just songs I had written, songs that my mother was particularly fond of like Daddys Jail or Wheres the Family Today? a co-write with my old friend James Brown, may God rest his soul. These are mostly songs Id always meant to do but they were never right for the arty records I was doing. Its one of those records with no secret devil-worshipping messages, no FUs, just an album of tunes my mama and I like.

There you have it. I say pick up a copy or digital download of Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites. I guarantee its better than Cousin Juniors plumbing skills.

Get Phil Lee & Other Old Time Favorites at philleeone.bandcamp.com . Scott Hollifield is editor of The McDowell News in Marion and a humor columnist. Email him at rhollifield@mcdowellnews.com .
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky has said that Russia is a greater evil for the whole world than North Korea.

"The evil that deliberately bombs peaceful cities... The evil that even shells ambulances and blows up hospitals... It will not be able to stop in one country. If it has the strength to go further," Zelensky said in a video message on Sunday night.

The head of state noted that now Ukraine has the greatest support for aspirations and independence from the whole world than ever in its history.

"And Russia is not just among the enemies. It is even more of an enemy, more evil than North Korea. This is exactly what the Americans think, for example. Ordinary people in all states. Like ordinary people in all European countries. And I am grateful to them for the extraordinary support. Grateful for understanding our struggle. As we are united by one dream  to live freely on our land. And we have the right to what everyone has in the free world. To a safe sky, as well as to our own land," he stressed.

Zelensky also added that on every occasion he repeats to friends and partners that they must do more for Ukraine. "Because it's not only for Ukraine. It's for everyone in Europe," the president said.
A Dundalk woman who admitted to arranging her husband's murder two years ago was sentenced Monday to 60 years in prison.



Prosecutors say Jaclyn Martin gave her brother money to buy the gun with which he shot Lee Martin outside his Dundalk bar early on May 22, 2010.



Jaclyn Martin and her brother, Robert Garner, both pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the scheme. Garner had previously been sentenced to 60 years in prison.



Prosecutors say Jaclyn Martin called her husband at the Hops Inn on Railway Avenue just before he stepped out of the bar. They say Garner, with the help of two others, ambushed and shot Lee Martin as he was walking to his house next to the bar.



Brandon Roth, who drove the getaway car, pleaded guilty to first-degree assault and was sentenced to 20 years with all but seven suspended. Sturm Davis pleaded guilty to armed robbery and use of a handgun in the commission of a violent crime and was sentenced to 30 years with all but 10 suspended.



matthew.brown@baltsun.com



twitter.com/matthewhaybrown




100 years ago,

March 13, 1922

HILLSBORO  Without warning and without provocation, one of two men Saturday night shot and seriously wounded Grover C. Hybarger of Mattoon, special agent for the Big Four Railroad, as he stepped from a merchandise train in East Hillsboro. Soon after the wounded man was found by William Keese, yard detective, a widespread hunt for the pair was started. Hybarger had just arrived in Hillsboro on the merchandise train and was stepping toward another train, which he was to ride to Mattoon. As he stepped from the caboose, two men, alighting from the same train, approached. Without a word of warning, one of them pulled a revolver and fired at Hybarger. The two then ran off. Attending physicians believe Hybarger will survive CHARLESTON  Frank L. Harwood, well-known farmer residing near Janesville, filed a bill in Coles County Circuit Court for the return of a farm of 70 acres of fine black land west of Janesville, valued at $14,000, which, it is alleged, was traded to Clarence Ernst for 752 shares of stock in the Central and Coast Oil Co. of Delaware, with offices in Chicago. Harwood says that Ernst on July 6, 1920, caused him to purchase the stock, exchanging his farm and $700 in cash. Harwoods attorneys allege that the oil company had not been granted approval by the Illinois secretary of state to sell stock in this state and had been, it is reported, refused authorization by the state after investigation was made by state officials.

50 years ago, 1972

MATTOON  The Central Illinois Bridge Association Mattoon Sectional was held at the Mattoon Holiday Inn this weekend. Co-chairmen were Earl Bennett and Ron Wolf. Mrs. Tom Grace was hospitality chairman. Partnership chairmen were Mrs. Mel Anderson and Mrs. Clifford Metzger. Publicity chairman was Mrs. Warren Taylor. There were 109 pairs of players entered in five categories. Local winners included Mr. and Mrs. Tom Grace, first in the side game division among nine pairs; and Mr. and Mrs. Grace and Mr. and Mrs. George Tolle of Mattoon, first in the Swiss team of four division MATTOON  Thousands of dollars of damage was apparently inflicted in vandalism incidents involving gunshots Friday night in Mattoon. Damage was estimated in only one of at least 13 incidents. The police report said holes were shot in the side of a boat at Bob Peters Boats, 1500 Lake Land Blvd. Damage was placed at $785. At KC Summers Buick, 117 S. 19th, windows of 13 cars were damaged by gunshots. Other incidents occurred at Waters Motor Sales, Miller and Son, Grobelny Motor Co., Wilb Walker Supermarket, Thompson Motor Sales, Bob Peters Ford, Leo Scott Yamaha, Top Boy Drive-In, building at 204 S. 21st used by Lake Land, Kent Lumber Co. and Coca Cola bottling plant KANSAS  Estimates of the damage in a fire at Kansas in Edgar County early Saturday morning topped the $100,000 mark. The fire destroyed the Acord Grain Co. and a garage at a nearby house. A truck parked inside the elevator also was destroyed.

25 years ago, 1997

CHARLESTON  An organization focused on improving the sensitivity to and understanding of cultural differences in Charleston is still taking its first steps, but it already knows which path it will follow. This is a path that others have been down a hundred times before, said Ira Barrett of the Task Force organization. This is not a new battle, just a continuation of work. The Task Force was created as a follow-up to the Not in Our Town forum conducted in November at Eastern Illinois University. Barrett said the organization is still working on a mission statement, but wants to promote education, understanding and awareness of cultural diversity. Barrett said its the idea of the Golden Rule, treating others with the respect each of us want to be treated CHARLESTON  Because the effects of alcohol tend to creep up on people, Charleston police officer Brian Ingram said the most common DUI violator is someone who thought he was OK. Its difficult convincing someone they are intoxicated, but when they start doing the field tests they begin to realize they dont have the coordination they thought they did, Ingram said. He was one of 13 officers in Illinois this year recognized by state agencies for their work in enforcing DUI laws. Ingram has made more than 670 DUI-related arrests over the past six years.

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CHARLESTON  A cat died in a fire that displaced the resident Sunday morning in Charleston.

According to a news release from the Charleston Fire Department, firefighters were called to a report of a structure fire at 1222 Division St. at 10:40 a.m.

Upon their arrival, crews found fire on the back side of the house. The fire was on the exterior of the home and worked its way into the kitchen. Crews were able to quickly put the fire out.

The resident was home at the time of the fire and was able to escape, but one cat did perish, the news release said. There were no other injuries.

Fire officials said it appears the fire started on the exterior of the home, which sustained enough damage that required the resident to find alternative housing.

Crews were on scene until around noon.

The Charleston Fire Department was assisted by, Charleston Police Department, Mattoon Fire Department, Coles-Moultrie County 911, Ameren Illinois and the American Red Cross.

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SPRINGFIELD  Nick Offerman, the actor widely known for his character Ron Swanson on the television sitcom Parks and Recreation, will deliver the keynote address for this years Illinois Conservation Foundation Gala on April 6.

I am delighted that Nick accepted our invitation to be the keynote speaker at this years ICF gala, said Colleen Callahan, director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, which receives support from the Illinois Conservation Foundation for outdoors programming. Nick is a great ambassador for nature and the outdoors, and we are thrilled that hell be able to share his message about the importance of conservation back here in his home state of Illinois.

In addition to acting, Offerman is an author, woodworker and avid outdoorsman. He was born in Joliet and graduated from the College of Fine and Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The Illinois Conservation Foundation Gala will take place virtually from 6:30-8 p.m. Registration is free, but advance registration is required at www.ilconservation.org/gala.

Since 1995, the Illinois Conservation Foundation has raised and given away more than $41 million for conservation efforts in Illinois. The annual gala is the foundations largest annual fundraising event.

For more information, contact the foundation at 217-785-2003 or email steve.ettinger@illinois.gov.

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Daylight Saving Time started at 2 a.m. Sunday. It will give us an extra hour of sunlight in the evenings, but it also means that sunrise will be an hour later. The sun rose at 6:35 a.m. yesterday and set at 6:27 p.m. Today it rose at 7:34 a.m. and will set at 7:27 p.m.

The beginning of DST, according to an article on NationalGeographic.com, dates back to 1895 when George Hudson, an entomologist in New Zealand, proposed a two-hour daylight saving time to provide two additional hours of sunlight in the evenings to go bug hunting. Despite the early push, New Zealand didnt begin observing DST until 1927.

Meanwhile, the idea of Daylight Saving Time was gaining steam across the globe. In 1902, William Willett, a British builder, suggested to Parliament that the country observe DST so daylight wouldnt be wasted. They refused, but he continued to push for it until he died in 1915. Among the people who supported the measure were Winston Churchill and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

In 1916 Germany was looking for ways to save energy during World War I. The German government implemented Willetts idea. After that, all the countries fighting in the war started observing DST.

During World War I, the United States began observing DST on March 9, 1918. The legislation authorizing DST also authorized the Standard Time Act which created the time zones in the United States. The U.S. went off DST about 18 months after the end of World War I, Nov. 11, 1918.

During World War II, the U.S. went on year-round DST, which was called war time, in February 1942. Even the time zones got in on the act, becoming Eastern War Time, Central War Time, and so on. The law was repealed in 1945, less than a month after the end of the war.

Over the years, according to an article on History.com, DST became a confusing array of some places switching to it and others not.

In 1965, there were 23 different pairs of start and end dates in Iowa alone, and St. Paul, Minn., even began daylight saving two weeks before its twin city, Minneapolis. Passengers on a 35-mile bus ride from Steubenville, Ohio, to Moundsville, W.Va., passed through seven time changes.

In 1966, tiring of confusion in time and broadcasting, Congress got in on the act, again. It passed the Uniform Time Act, setting a national standard. It set DST to start on the last Sunday in April and end on the last Sunday in October.

In 1973, during the OPEC oil embargo against the United State, President Richard Nixon signed the Emergency Daylight Saving Time Energy Conservation Act of 1973, which made DST year round, to help conserve energy, one of the early reasons for switching to it during the war years. Year-round DST started in January 1974 and ended in April 1975.

The start and end dates have changed a couple of times over the years. In 1987, the start date was moved to the first Sunday in April and it continued to end on the last Sunday in October. It changed again, 20 years later in 2007, when the start date was moved to the second Sunday in March and the end date moved to the first Sunday in November.

Tree Removal To Close Cascade Avenue

The 200 block of Cascade Avenue is scheduled to be closed at 8 a.m. Tuesday to remove a large tree. Work is expected to be completed and the block reopened by 3 p.m. Thursday, weather permitting. A detour will be posted.

Email: AskSAM@wsjournal.com Write: Ask SAM, 418 N. Marshall St., Winston-Salem, NC 27101

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WASHINGTON  Heres a look at how area members of Congress voted over the previous week.

Along with roll call votes this week, the House also passed the Extension of Continuing Appropriations Act (H.J. Res. 75), making further continuing appropriations for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2022.

House votes

HOMELAND SECURITY OVERSIGHT: The House has passed the DHS Basic Training Accreditation Improvement Act (H.R. 5616), sponsored by Rep. Val Butler Demings, D-Fla., to require the Homeland Security Department to send accreditation status reports on its training programs to Congressional oversight committees. Demings said stricter accreditation standards for new Homeland Security officers would position them to effectively safeguard the American people, our homeland, and institutions. The vote, on March 7, was 390 yeas to 33 nays.

YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th)

CYBERSECURITY PARTNERSHIPS: The House has passed the National Cybersecurity Preparedness Consortium Act (S. 658), sponsored by Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, to authorize the Homeland Security Department to partner with private nonprofit groups on cybersecurity training efforts. A supporter, Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., said the bill will help provide training, exercises, technical assistance, and other important resources to state and local governments, critical infrastructure, and industry partners. The vote, on March 7, was 403 yeas to 19 nays.

YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th)

TRIBAL BORDER AGENTS: The House has passed the Shadow Wolves Enhancement Act (H.R. 5681), sponsored by Rep. John Katko, R-N.Y., to reclassify a special unit of Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers (known as shadow wolves) working on Tohono Oodham Nation land in southern Arizona as special agents. Katko said the reclassification would improve pay for the shadow wolves and enable recruitment of new tribal members into the special unit. The vote, on March 8, was 387 yeas to 33 nays.

NOT VOTING: McHenry R-NC (10th)

YEAS: Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th)

BLACK COLLEGES: The House has passed a resolution (H. Con. Res. 70), sponsored by Rep. Alma S. Adams, D-N.C., condemning violence against historically black colleges and universities. Adams called the resolution a needed response to the recent despicable, cowardly bomb threats to more than 30 historically black colleges and universities. The vote, on March 8, was unanimous with 418 yeas.

NOT VOTING: McHenry R-NC (10th)

YEAS: Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th)

MILITARY, SECURITY SPENDING: The House has passed an amendment to a bill (H.R. 2471), sponsored by Rep. Hakeem S. Jeffries, D-N.Y., to fund the Defense Department, Homeland Security Department, and associated military and national security programs in fiscal 2022. A supporter, Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said the spending provides our military and our troops with the resources they desperately need, and also ensures the safety and security of the American people by increasing overall funding for Homeland Security by 11 percent. The vote, on March 9, was 361 yeas to 69 nays.

YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th)

DOMESTIC SPENDING: The House has passed an amendment to a bill (H.R. 2471), sponsored by Rep. Hakeem S. Jeffries, D-N.Y., that would fund federal discretionary domestic programs in fiscal 2022, including an 11.8 percent increase in funding for the legislative branch and 6.7 percent overall increase in funding for nondefense programs. A supporter, Rep. Rosa L. DeLauro, D-N.Y., called the funding an effort to show just how government can work for working people once again and to achieve the betterment of humankind. An opponent, Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, said it increased irresponsible spending while failing to solve the problem of security at the border with Mexico. The vote, on March 9, was 260 yeas to 171 nays.

NAYS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th)

YEAS: Manning D-NC (6th)

IMPORTING RUSSIAN ENERGY: The House has passed the Suspending Energy Imports From Russia Act (H.R. 6968), sponsored by Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, to bar imports from Russia of natural gas, oil and petroleum products, and other energy resources. Doggett said: To take the energy out of Putins brutal assault, we place energy on our sanctions list. It may cost more to fill your tank, but we must work to stop Putins tanks from crushing families and freedom. An opponent, Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, said: There is no way I could vote to exchange getting oil from Putin for getting oil from some other tyrant who wants to destroy America. The vote, on March 9, was 414 yeas to 17 nays.

YEAS: McHenry R-NC (10th), Foxx R-NC (5th), Budd R-NC (13th), Manning D-NC (6th)

Senate votes

POSTAL SERVICE CHANGES: The Senate has passed the Postal Service Reform Act (H.R. 3076), sponsored by Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney, D-N.Y. The bill would establish a health benefits programs for Postal Service workers and retirees while ending a requirement that retirement health benefits be prepaid, and establish new budget and service reporting requirements for the Postal Service. A supporter, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, said the bill sought to give the Postal Service the tools that it needs to be successful and to fulfill its essential mission and to hold the USPS accountable for improved performance. An opponent, Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, said it failed to adequately improve the Postal Services finances while shifting the cost of providing retiree health benefits onto taxpayers. The vote, on March 8, was 79 yeas to 19 nays.

YEAS: Burr R-NC, Tillis R-NC

TRADE DIPLOMACY: The Senate has confirmed the nomination of Maria L. Pagan to be a Deputy U.S. Trade Representative.

Pagan, currently a legal official at the Trade Representative Office, has been a trade lawyer for the federal government since the 1990s. A supporter, Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., said Pagan is an expert on a host of issues from trade in services to government procurement, and she has litigated several disputes before the WTO. The vote, on March 10, was 80 yeas to 19 nays.

YEAS: Burr R-NC, Tillis R-NC

EARMARK SPENDING: The Senate has rejected an amendment sponsored by Sen. Mike Braun, R-Ind., to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2471), that would have barred funding for earmark spending on individual appropriations at the request of a member of Congress.

Braun said the drafting of the spending bill just before it was sent to Congress meant there had been no time for legislators to review proposed earmark spending. An amendment opponent, Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, D-Vt., said details about the earmark spending had been publicly available on the Internet since summer 2021. The vote, on March 10, was 35 yeas to 64 nays.

NAYS: Burr R-NC, Tillis R-NC

2022 SPENDING: The Senate has agreed to the House amendment to the Consolidated Appropriations Act (H.R. 2471), sponsored by Rep. Hakeem S. Jeffries, D-N.Y., that would fund federal military and discretionary domestic programs in fiscal 2022. A supporter, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., called the legislation the strongest, boldest, and most significant government funding package we have seen in a very long time. The vote, on March 10, was 68 yeas to 31 nays.

NAYS: Burr R-NC, Tillis R-NC

Targeted News Service

Targeted News Service
Brian Boyenger didnt intend to get emotional; tears dont come easily for the 33-year-old, a veteran of both the U.S. Army and the Ukrainian military.

Truth be told, Boyenger didnt really mean to sit for a long conversation about Ukraine, the war or friends hed made living and working in the central European nation for five years.

It was supposed to be a short meeting over a quick bite to eat. I do better seeing people in person, he said.

Perhaps it was speaking via Facetime to Nazy Kozyrieva, a former coworker he met while teaching English in Kharkhiv, and seeing her in the town where she recently moved to better support the fight against Russian invaders. Perhaps it was the thought of whats facing Ukrainian soldiers hed helped to train.

Or maybe it was a combination. But whatever the cause, Boyengers no-nonsense demeanor cracked slightly and a dam of emotion threatened to break.

The Ukrainian people  they need help, he said. No ifs, ands or buts about it.

Forming a connection

The path from an American veteran who fought in Iraq to serving in the Ukrainian army to teaching English is not, as one suspects, a straight line.

In fact, its a series of intensely personal, well-thought-out decisions. I dont want this to be about me, said Boyenger after sliding into a seat in a barbecue restaurant last week.

Still, as part of any attempt to learn something of a war thats threatening to engulf the whole world from a Winston-Salem man who has lived in Ukraine, its necessary to have some context.

Boyenger served in the U.S. Army from 2006-10 and was deployed to Iraq for 14 months. After his discharge, he came home to Winston-Salem and enrolled in college. When conflict broke out in Ukraine in 2014, it caught his attention.

Ukraine was trying to nurture its budding democracy while fighting Russian-backed separatists. Boyenger said he contacted the Ukrainian embassy in Washington and traveled there to meet with officials in-person. I dont take chances or do things halfway, he said. It had to be done right.

With his background, Boyenger wound up working in 2015 as an instructor to the Ukrainian military. After a year, he came home for a few months and returned to Ukraine in 2016 to enlist in its army.

After leaving active duty, Boyenger settled in 2017 Kharkiv, a city not too far from Ukraines border with Russia. He found work teaching English and stayed in the city until moving home in 2019.

It was there in Kharkiv where he got to know Kozyrieva.

Partly from a desire to catch up with his friend and partly looking to steer the conversation back to Ukraine, Boyenger pulled out his phone and dialed Kozyrieva.

She answered after a few rings. It was just after 10 p.m., and Kozyrieva was sitting near a window that had been covered with a heavy sheet.

What she had to say was equal parts illuminating, devastating and inspirational. Shed left her job in Kharkiv so that she, too, might contribute to her countrys fight.

Theres not much interest in taking English classes when Russians are coming across our border, she said.

Multiple times a day, she said, the people with whom she is staying hustle to take shelter when air raid sirens sound.

The first time we went down to the bomb shelter it was for an hour and a half, she said. The second time was for 30 minutes only. We have to go down to the bomb shelter two or three times a day. It could be midnight. It could be 6 (a.m.)

It is extremely, extremely challenging.

Life changed fast

In a way, if youve been paying any attention to war footage, taking a phone call from Winston-Salem to talk about her experience amounts to a way of fighting back for Kozyrieva.

The more Americans hear about life under siege, the better for Ukraine.

Direct communication from ordinary citizens who post and share videos to social media is a weapon of the 21st Century.

Ukrainians, Kozyrieva said, are mostly upbeat and trying to support each other through heartbreak.

People try and lift one another up through humor and kindness, she said. Preparing meals and other humanitarian work adds to a sense of shared sacrifice.

Kozyrieva was moved while describing a few scenes from the past few days involving neighbors. One, an elderly woman whom she said could barely walk, insisted on sharing what little food she had. And a second, a total stranger, who paid hard-to-come-by cash for macaroni that could be cooked for refugees sheltering in subways and train stations.

We have this mentality we are going to get through this, Kozyrieva said. You see it in the movies but not in real life.

To lighten the mood for just a second, I asked Kozyrieva where shed picked up a flat American accent instead of the clipped British accent learned by many non-native English speakers.

Idaho. I went there when I was 15 as an exchange student, Kozyrieva said.

By now, most Americans have seen (and heard) President Volodymr Zelenskyy on television. And so she was asked about the impact of his presence.

Extremely inspiring, she said. He was a comedian and an actor before (getting elected.) It is very inspiring to have a leader as strong and supportive as he is.

He does not hide. He gives us a lot of hope and helps us to unite.

As for life as it is now, Kozyrieva allowed for a moments introspection when asked how old she was and if she ever imagined events as they are now.

I am 27. I will be 28 in April, she said. I will make it to April. At 27, you could be doing something so much better, things you were doing two weeks ago. This is very sad and so disappointing that its happening in 2022.

Its not supposed to be happening here, in Europe. Its not supposed to be happening anywhere anymore.

Bound by honor

Near the end of the call, Boyenger stepped in to wrap things up by speaking a few words in Ukrainian to his friend.

She looked like she was going to cry, he said. That was hard to see.

After hearing a completely unexpected first-hand report from the war, a natural follow-up topic was exactly what ordinary Americans can do to support Ukrainians.

Some have taken to renting rooms through Airbnb to put money directly into peoples hands. Others are donating to international relief agencies.

For Boyenger, its more direct than that.

Call your senators and congressmen. Tell them to keep the pressure on Russia, he said. Let them know its something you care about. The U.S. government has a larger capacity to help than anyone.

I have a lot of friends there. I feel (helping) is the right thing to do. In 1994, we promised to help (Ukraine) if they gave up nuclear weapons, which they did. I feel were honorbound to help.

To underscore the need, Boyenger showed a text message sent by a friend serving in the Ukrainian army. Thank God for those trainings, the text read. Well needed.

By talking and sharing a real-time connection in Ukraine, Boyenger helped paint a picture of one life affected by war.

Still, he didnt let on how much it affected him  until the very end of the conversation.

The rest of us, when we see news from Ukraine, we think about an invasion and U.S. involvement. Boyenger thinks about his friends and ordinary residents just trying to survive.

People who might never interact on a normal day set aside differences to help each other out  Even though its so tragic, its a beautiful thing to see people from all walks of life, rich or poor, all doing what they can to help out.

His eyes welled up when recalling a story from his final days in the Ukrainian army. A fellow soldier waved him inside his hooch, offered to share food and drink sent from his home to thank Boyenger for being there.

Im from a country that has everything, Boyenger said. Were talking about a place where people dont have nearly as much and theyre still willing to share everything they have. Its humbling.

We should want to help people like that.

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A North Carolina firm and another just across the Virginia state line are joining a select coalition of environmentally conscious investors pushing federal officials to require that companies provide a complete picture of how their operations are contributing to climate change.

Asheville-based Earth Equity Advisors and the Sustainable Investment Alliance headquartered in Fancy Gap, Va., are among 75 organizations banking on their $4.7 trillion in combined assets to get the attention of U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission Chairman Gary Gensler.

In a letter to Gensler this week, the group calls for regulations that will force companies to report the full scope of their greenhouse gas emissions, not just what is released directly by their own operations.

In most cases, carbon emissions indirectly linked to companies dwarf what their facilities themselves release, the letter argues. These so-called Scope 3 emissions, as defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, are generated by a companys pre-production supply chain, through energy use during production, and when finished products are delivered and eventually used by consumers.

In short, they involve any activity related to a companys operations that happens away from its own facilities, including when employees drive to or from work, or take business trips.

Transition risk

A study of 25 major global companies released in February by the Germany-based New Climate Institute found that 87% of their greenhouse gas emissions were tied to such value chain aspects of their business and not on actual production.

Yet despite the fact that Scope 3 emissions often represent the largest portion of companies carbon footprints, they typically are not part of firms greenhouse gas emissions disclosures.

That lack of environmental transparency, the organizations argue in their letter to the SEC, leaves investors like them especially vulnerable.

Judson Meinhart, a Winston-Salem-based adviser with Parsec Financial Wealth Management, agreed.

Comprehensive emissions information would shed light on how well companies are positioned to manage and lessen climate change transition risk, he explained. Investors would be far better equipped to discern stronger companies from those with a need for improvement, and in turn better accomplishing the goals of an ESG (environmental, social and governance) investor.

Reuters recently reported that in 2021, a record $649 billion poured into ESG-focused funds worldwide through Nov. 30, up from the $542 billion in 2020 and $285 billion a year earlier.

ESG funds now account for an estimated 10% of worldwide fund assets.

Paris alignment

The signers of the SEC letter say such trends signal a tidal shift in how investors approach decision-making and leverage their influence.

Shareowners are increasingly concerned about climate change and the systemic and material risk it builds into the global economy, they say in their letter. Reporting of greenhouse gas emissions is the bedrock of sound investor decision-making on climate and transition risk. Investors need robust, complete, and comparable disclosure of emissions data to determine which companies are aligning their business activities with Paris (Agreement) targets, thereby minimizing transition risks  and which are failing to prepare for the rapidly accelerating and economy-wide transition.

The Paris Agreement is an international action plan, signed in 2015 by nearly 200 nations, to combat climate change.

Former President Donald Donald Trump pulled the U.S. from the pact in November 2020. President Joe Biden signed an executive order last month to reaffirm the U.S. commitment.

Earth Equity Fund CEO Peter Krull was not available for comment, a spokeswoman said. Sustainable Advisors Alliance founder and CEO Pamela Stamper-Brandt did not respond to requests for comment.

Full scope

The EPA considers emissions from the following sources as Scope 3:

Production, transport and delivery of goods and services from outside the company.

Transport and distribution of the companys own products.

Property and equipment.

Fuel and energy-related materials.

Waste generated in operations.

Employees commuting and business travel.

Property or equipment leased from outside sources.

Property or equipment leased to outside sources.

Use of products after theyre sold.

End-of-life disposal of products.

Franchises and investments.

John Deem covers climate change and the environment in the Triad and Northwest North Carolina. His work is funded by a grant from the 1Earth Fund and the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. 336-727-7204

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RALEIGH  A decadelong legal fight over whether retired government workers were wronged when North Carolina stopped offering them a more generous level of premium-free health insurance remained unsettled after Fridays ruling by the state Supreme Court.

A majority of justices did agree that the former state employees and teachers had a constitutionally protected vested right to remain in a government insurance plan in which the retirees paid 20% of their coinsurance while paying no premium  or a plan that was equivalent. That 80/20 premium-free option was no longer offered in September 2011, as state lawmakers and plan leaders looked to close spending shortfalls.

These retirees reasonably relied on the promise of this benefit in choosing to accept employment with the state. They are entitled to the benefit of their bargain, Associate Justice Anita Earls wrote in the majority opinion.

But Earls said its unclear whether that right has been impaired to the point that monetary damages are necessary for the former workers. And that could be counterbalanced by whether any harms served a legitimate public purpose, such as the legislature or State Health Plan seeking to rein in growing health care costs paid for with taxpayer dollars, she wrote.

The case will now be returned to a trial judge who had initially sided with a retiree legal class of 220,000 former state employees and teachers, but who the justices said went too far.

Earls acknowledged that the legal parties may now have to present complicated and competing health care and monetary calculations to the judge, who will collect facts to decide whether retirees were truly harmed and should receive compensation. That could include evaluating whether the options provided to retirees after 2011 were substantially more or less valuable than what the retirees could get when they qualified for health benefits, and if so by how much. The State Health Plan could win the case by proving plans offered now are more valuable.

Although retirees today must pay relatively small monthly premiums for individual coverage under the 80/20 plan, premium-free benefits remain under 30% coinsurance and Medicare Advantage plans. State Treasurer Dale Folwell, whose office oversees the State Health Plan, said in 2017 that that premium refunds of more than $100 million were possible if courts sided with the retirees.

The dispute raises issues of profound importance to the hundreds of thousands of dedicated public employees who devoted their lives to serving their fellow North Carolinians, often for less immediate remuneration than would have been available to them in the private sector, Earls wrote.

Three other justices sided with Earls in overturning parts of a 2019 ruling by a state Court of Appeals panel that found no contractual obligation existed to offer that level of premium-free benefits. The judges had contrasted them with public pension benefits, which courts have ruled are contractual. Although participation in the pension system is mandatory, the health insurance program is voluntary.

But rulings in other cases show that the treatment of a employee benefit as a contractual right doesnt depend on how closely it resembles a pension, Earls wrote. The General Assembly first authorized premium-free benefits in 1981. Evidence from the retirees, including plan booklets for workers, led them to believe they could rely on health insurance coverage in retirement for life, according to the majority opinion.

Associate Justice Tamara Barringer, writing a separate opinion also agreed to by Associate Justice Phil Berger Jr., said a trial judge also should have been directed to decide whether any contractual obligation to the retirees is present.

There is still work to be done in the trial court to conclude the case, but this is a major victory for the constitutional and contractual rights of state retirees, Michael Carpenter and Sam McGee, attorneys for the plaintiffs, said in a statement. Attorney General Josh Steins office, whose lawyers represent the state and state agencies in the case, had no response Friday on the ruling, a spokesperson said.

Retired employees led by retired Chief Justice Beverly Lake Jr. sued the State Health Plan and retirement plans in 2012. Lake died about six months after the Court of Appeals ruling.

Chief Justice Paul Newby participated in neither Fridays ruling nor oral arguments in October. No reason was given for why he was recused. But he was one of five justices listed in a January 2021 order as having living or deceased family members who were once state workers or teachers, leading to conflict of interest questions that were resolved months later.
In 1963, when the University of Alabama received the applications of Vivian Malone and James Hood, two Negro students who qualified for admittance, they were forwarded to Alabama Gov. George Wallace. Wallace sent instructions to his staff, stating, Do what yall did to Autherine Lucy.

Wallaces instructions were the precursor to his infamously standing in front of the schoolhouse door displaying his choreographed opposition to Malone and Hoods admittance. But who was Autherine Lucy?

Lucy, largely a footnote in history outside of Alabama, was the first Negro to attend the University of Alabama, in 1956. She recently passed away at age 92.

Born in Shiloh, Ala., Lucy obtained a two-year teaching certificate from Selma University in Alabama before completing her undergraduate work in English at Miles College, a private historically Black liberal arts college in Fairfield, Ala., in 1952.

She applied for a masters degree at the University of Alabama. She was accepted until university officials discovered that she was Negro and promptly told her that a mistake had been made and she would not be welcome.

So began a legal fight that culminated in 1956  nearly two years after the Supreme Court found segregation in public schools and colleges unconstitutional in the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision  when Lucy became the first Black student at the University of Alabama.

On the third day of classes, a hostile mob assembled to prevent Lucy from attending class. The police were called to secure her entry to her classrooms, but that evening, the university suspended Lucy on the grounds that it could not provide a safe environment. University officials also claimed that Lucy slandered the university, which gave them grounds for permanent expulsion.

As one of the tragic outcomes of the Lucy affair, the University of Alabama developed a systematic approach of discouraging Negro applicants. It included hiring private investigators to conduct an extensive background check that would indicate anything that might place the applicant in an unfavorable light.

Willie Painter and Ben Allen were private investigators assigned to conduct background checks on Malone and Hood. Painter and Allen were described as having a long background in investigating Negro applicants, yet their efforts to come up with anything that could be used against Malone and Hood were futile. Al Lingo, who had been appointed by Wallace to head the Alabama Highway Patrol, was assigned to investigate the Negro students. Though he had limited law enforcement experience, he did come with a reputation of being hell on (n-word).

Malones reason for applying to the University of Alabama is particularly noteworthy. Unlike James Meredith, she was not interested in proving any political point by challenging the status quo. She had enrolled at Alabama A&M, a historically Black university in Huntsville. But Alabama A&M did not offer an accredited accounting program, and the University of Alabama did. She had the grades to transfer. Were it not for the political and social whirlwinds surrounding her, Malones decision to transfer would have been the type of pragmatic decision any student in her situation would have been expected to make.

Painter and Allens failure to dig up any dirt on Malone and Hood called for Wallace to demand a more expansive investigation, but that effort also proved unsuccessful. Other than skin color, the universitys tradition and Wallaces racist populism, there was simply no reason to refuse Malone and Hood from entrance into the University of Alabama.

But attempts to intimidate Malone and Hood in 1963 were the established playbook created to prohibit Lucys admittance in 1956, orchestrated by a governor committed to making the state of Alabama the citadel of segregation.

In 1980, the University of Alabama overturned its horrendous ruling and Lucy returned to the Tuscaloosa campus in 1982, receiving the masters degree in elementary education that had been her original intention in 1956. In 2019, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the university

A building on university campus once named for a one-time governor who led the Ku Klux Klan was renamed Autherine Lucy Hall in February. During the ceremony to rename the building in her honor, Lucy was also proclaimed a master teacher.

At the ceremony Lucy said, If I am a master teacher, what I hope I am teaching you is that love will take care of everything in our world.

Lucys courageous love certainly helped to transform the University of Alabama.

The Rev. Byron Williams (byron@publicmorality.org), a writer and the host of The Public Morality on WSNC 90.5, lives in Winston-Salem.
RALEIGH  I promise Im no math geek. So why do my columns about North Carolina politics and public policy so often feature rankings, economic data or other statistics?

Because if youre going to write seriously about these topics, youve got to pay attention to numbers. While we tend to form our deepest political convictions in response to upbringing, relationships and emotionally compelling stories, we often decide what we think about a specific issue, and especially how pressing we think it is, in response to statistical claims made by political actors.

Are the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer? Do conservatively governed states grow faster than progressively governed states? Is North Carolina one of the stingiest places in the country when it comes to paying teachers? Is the UNC System floundering or improving?

These are clearly matters of intense public interest in our state. They are also empirical claims. They cant be evaluated based on anecdotes or political slogans.

Were all prone to cognitive biases, of course, including the tendency to select as valid the statistical evidence that confirms our prior beliefs while ignoring or denigrating any statistical evidence to the contrary. That we all feel this temptation is not, however, a good reason to revert to bumper-sticker nostrums and mutual contempt. Its a good reason to read widely, study carefully and engage constructively.

If you sincerely hope to persuade others that their factual claims are mistaken, you have to be open to the risk that your factual claims may turn out to be mistaken. No need to worry, though. You dont have to surrender your core beliefs to entertain this possibility  because, lets face it, your core beliefs probably werent formed by a statistical claim in the first place.

Consider the case of economic mobility. Virtually everyone believes it should be easier for people born into poverty to work their way out of it. Disagreements arise when we get more specific about the extent of the problem, its primary causes and the best ways to remedy them.

Eight years ago, the findings of a new academic study set off a firestorm in North Carolinas largest city. Researchers found that among the nations 50 most-populous metropolitan areas, Charlotte ranked precisely 50th in economic mobility. Shocked, local leaders responded with meetings and task forces and new initiatives. More broadly, as North Carolina took a rightward turn under a GOP-controlled General Assembly, critics often pointed to Charlottes dead-last ranking as evidence that too many folks in our state were still being left behind.

Well, the study was later updated and refined. Thanks to reporting on its findings by local radio station WFAE, we have a much-clearer sense of what the data really show about economic mobility  and why its measurement is so complicated. Mobility remains a real problem, of course. But Charlotte (and, by implication, North Carolina as a whole) should never have been labeled as last in the nation. By some measures, its closer to the average.

For example, when measuring income disparities or mobility or growth over time, should we focus on individual income or household income? The original mobility study focused on the latter. Its understandable  we all live in a household, after all, whether it be a single-person household or a married couple with many children.

Still, if you divide income by households rather than by persons and then track the figures over time, your measure wont just reflect changes in income received. It will also reflect changes in family structure. If a married couple is earning $50,000 and then divorces, you go from one $50,000 household to two households with average earnings of $25,000. A 50% drop in average income? Kinda, but such a claim is very easy to misinterpret.

When it comes to measuring complex realities, there will never be a single set of statistics that everyone accepts as gospel. Were going to keep arguing about them. I look forward to it.

John Hood is a John Locke Foundation board member. Follow Hood on Twitter @JohnHoodNC
To his bar patrons, Lee Martin was a gregarious man who liked to pal around with the regulars. Behind the walls of his home, though, life was anything but jovial.

Neighbors said they often heard Martin and his wife, Jaclyn, arguing. In December, she accused him of abusing her. He countered by saying she was having an affair with her drug dealer, and he was accused of punching the man in a courthouse lobby. A police document describes her as having been "stealing from her husband for quite some time" and said she has "a drug and alcohol problem."

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Before dawn on Wednesday, Jaclyn J. Martin, 29, stood accused of plotting her husband's death, with her brother as the triggerman, assisted by two teenagers. All four are charged with first-degree murder.

The 43-year-old victim died of multiple gunshot wounds early Saturday outside Hop's Inn, the bar he owned on Dundalk's Railway Avenue. He is survived by two teenage sons from a marriage that ended in 2005, and neighbors said he had adopted the young daughter Jaclyn Martin had in a previous relationship. She and Lee Martin had been married less than five years.

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Police said that Jaclyn Martin "conspired with her brother," Robert M. Garner, 26, to commit the killing, and charging documents identified him as the gunman. The documents say that Garner paid two teenagers to help him  Sturm R. Davis, 19, who police say confessed to helping ambush the victim as he left his bar for the night, and Brandon M. Roth, also 19, who told detectives he drove the getaway car.

During questioning, the two younger men also told police that Garner had paid them to do the job. Davis got $300 and Roth $100, according to Lt. Robert McCullough, a spokesman for the Baltimore County police. It was not clear whether Jaclyn Martin had given her brother any money.

Police Chief James W. Johnson emphasized during a news conference Wednesday at the department's headquarters in Towson that Jaclyn Martin "orchestrated and arranged the murder with her brother and other associates."

It was the second time in less than three months that a wife stood accused of plotting her husband's homicide in the county. On March 1, William R. Porter was slain at a gas station he owned on East Joppa Road. His wife and five others were charged with his murder and are awaiting trial.

The four defendants in the Martin case were being held at the county jail in Towson. A booking photograph taken Wednesday morning showed Jaclyn Martin  known to friends as Jae  wrapped in a gray blanket, her hair dyed a flaming red, her eyes downcast.

Lee Martin  his first name was Robert, but nobody seemed to use it  had just locked up his bar at approximately 2:20 a.m. Saturday and was headed to his home next door when he was shot. After interviewing witnesses, police said that two men had been seen running away. At least part of the crime was captured by the bar's surveillance cameras, McCullough said.

Davis, the first of the four accused to be questioned Tuesday about the homicide, "confessed to arriving at Hop's Inn for the purposes of helping Robert Garner beat up Robert Martin," a detective wrote in a charging document.

When Martin left the bar, Davis told the detective, Garner displayed a handgun and demanded the tavern owner's wallet. Martin gave the gunman some cash, and Garner shot him several times, the document says. Davis and Garner then ran to a car that Roth was driving and fled, according to the detective's account of the interview.

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Roth, the next to be questioned, admitted that he drove the two other men to the bar "so that Robert Garner could deal with someone." From the car, Roth said, he heard eight gunshots.

When police first questioned Jaclyn Martin, she said she had been asleep at the time of the shooting, but telephone records showed "that she was on her house phone during the minutes leading up to her husband's murder," the charging document says. "Jaclyn had several conversations with her brother, Robert Garner, who was hiding between her residence and the bar, waiting to shoot and kill the victim," it says.

The document says that just before the shooting Jaclyn Martin "called her husband and called her brother back."

Garner has a criminal record dating to the mid-2000s, with arrests for burglary, assault, destruction of property and auto theft. At one point, authorities in Florida issued a warrant for Garner that described him as a fugitive from justice. In 2005, he was convicted in Baltimore County Circuit Court of second-degree assault and sentenced to three years in prison, with all but 18 months suspended.

In September 2008, Garner was convicted of assault after an incident in which police said he cut a woman's hand with a knife during an argument in a friend's house, and pointed the weapon at another woman who was trying to defuse the situation. He was sentenced to two years in prison by Baltimore County Circuit Judge John G. Turnbull II.

In January 2009, Garner wrote a letter to the judge asking for a reconsideration of his sentence, and said he had been "actively participating" in substance-abuse classes and working as a trusty while in prison. "I have had a past with drugs and I realize it's not the way of life for me," Garner wrote in longhand. "I wish to better myself not just for me but for others as well."

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The defendant thanked the judge "in advance for your compassion and understanding." It was not clear Wednesday whether Turnbull reduced Garner's sentence or whether he was freed early under normal release guidelines.

Roth was arrested two weeks ago by a Baltimore County police officer and charged with marijuana possession. His trial date was scheduled for July 29.

A search of court records in Baltimore, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County shows no criminal record for Davis other than the new murder charge.

On Dec. 11, 2009, Jaclyn Martin was granted a temporary protective order under which her 260-pound husband was ordered not to abuse, threaten or harass her or to show up at her workplace, Top Notch Truck and Trailer Repair in Curtis Bay. He also was ordered to stay away from her daughter's school and child-care providers, and was told to surrender his firearms, which she claimed in her complaint consisted of six handguns and at least five hunting rifles or shotguns.

"He's telling me he's going to kill me and anyone who tries to help me, and that he's keeping my daughter," Jaclyn Martin wrote in her complaint. "He's been coming to property where I'm staying and taking pictures and setting off my car alarm all hours of nite."

She and her daughter had moved out of the couple's apartment next to Hop's Inn two weeks before filing the complaint and were living on Waldman Avenue in Edgemere, but apparently moved back to Lee Martin's home some time before he was killed. She said her husband's bank account contained $500,000 and that he owned other property worth at least $330,000.

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In her complaint, Jaclyn Martin also asked for protection for David A. Bailey, 31, whom she described as her "best friend."

When she failed to show in Baltimore County District Court in Essex a week later to argue for a permanent protective order, the case was dismissed.

But on the same day that she had filed her complaint, a judge in the same courthouse granted Lee Martin's request for an emergency evaluation of his wife, a process that determines whether a person is mentally competent. As he was leaving the courtroom, he saw his wife and Bailey entering the building.

"Martin charged Mr. Bailey and hit him with his fist and tackled Bailey to the ground," according to a report from a police officer who was summoned to the courthouse in response to call about a fight in the lobby. "Martin believes that Mr. Bailey is having an affair with his wife and supplying her illegal narcotics."

The officer arrested Martin and booked him on a charge of second-degree assault. On March 24, the charge was placed on the stet docket, meaning that if the defendant stayed out of trouble for a year the matter would be dropped.

After the news broke Wednesday that Martin's wife and her alleged accomplices had been charged with his murder, residents of the neighborhood in which he had lived for most of his life were asked for their thoughts.

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"Lucky the police got them before the bikers did," Henry Scott, clad in leather vest and fingerless gloves, said as he prepared for a trip to the Eastern Shore on his Harley-Davidson Electra Glide. Scott said he had known Martin for 25 years but knew his second wife only "very minimally."

Scott was dismissive of the paltry sum that police say enticed the two teenagers to get involved. "For $400," he said. "That goes to show you how much life is worth."

JoLynn Skelton, who owns the Railway Inn, a bar just up the street from where Martin was killed, said she was glad of the arrests. "The neighborhood can get back " she paused. "It's going to take time."

nick.madigan@baltsun.com

Baltimore Sun reporters Peter Hermann, Arthur Hirsch and Liz F. Kay contributed to this article.
God told her she would win.

I have conquered it already. It is mine. I am claiming the victory.

Thats what Bianca Gracia, a pro-Trump Republican, said a week after filing for the Texas state Senate, District 11, earlier this year.

If you do not show up, then you will be held accountable, because I have been appointed and assigned for this position, and God is testing you all, she warned a group of local pastors.

But despite the endorsement of the Almighty, she received only 7.5% of the vote, losing to the candidate who received 62.6%, The (Texas) Independent reported last week.

Of course, she didnt really lose. Not legitimately. She now believes that local Republicans cheated her  cheated God  out of her victory. Which is something youd think God could prevent. Being God.

This is kind of a rare story, but it isnt unique; from time to time, candidates believe they hear Gods voice whispering in their ear, only to later realize it was the wind.

Sometimes, the candidate who claims Gods favor does win. Ive never found a reliable method, though, to discern between legitimate claims of Gods endorsement and illegitimate.

Is it a matter of winning? That proves Gods favor?

Some observers would choke before admitting Gods selection of President Joe Biden or House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

I thought about this while continuing to ponder the topic I wrote about last week: the allegiance that some conservative Christians have come to express for Russia and Russian President Vladimir Putin over their own nation and president, even as Russia murderously pillages Ukraine. As I wrote, I believe it springs from many channels, especially their bitter disappointment that gay people have increasingly been awarded equality in American society.

But beyond that, it occurs to me that its probably true that Russia, with Putins claim to lead a Christian nation, checks more boxes for them than a country that is built on principles of equality, freedom and democracy.

When you think about it, despite all the insistent rhetoric about ours being a Christian nation, the ties between Christianity and the United States are tenuous, more an accidental, rarely examined synthesis of competing loyalties than anything. Theres no democracy in the Bible  none at all. Theres no Bill of Rights. Theres no freedom of religion or freedom of speech. Essentially theres belief and obedience or eternal punishment. So says the fundamentalist view.

And theres no Bible or Jesus in the U.S. Constitution, or in the Federalist Papers that explain the Constitutions reasoning. Most of the Ten Commandments are constitutionally unenforceable.

In the Old Testament, Gods prophets anointed kings, who then sat on the throne with access to the nations wealth  not to mention thousands of concubines  and ruled by dictate.

I cant help wondering if that standard played a role in how the evangelical community was so willing to overlook former President Trumps vast moral defects, as best exemplified by his serial adultery. The king does as the king pleases.

In the New Testament, though not exactly a governing body, Judas replacement in the apostolic ranks was chosen by lottery. Paul appointed himself to that august board by force of his own will.

Voting for those offices would be tantamount to overriding Gods will.

I think some conservative Christians have come to realize that America is not set up to favor them indefinitely  not when others have the same rights and privileges. It just took them a little while to get there.

And thats where I find author Mark Levin, an intelligent man and a compelling speaker, who at CPAC two weeks ago condemned populism and nationalism along with democracy, claiming that constitutional principles should take precedent over mob rule.

Theres some merit to what he says, but I have to break with him, and other Republicans, when they claim that our rights come not from the Constitution per se, but that theyre God-given.

Thats problematic for several reasons, among them that the authors of the Constitution never claimed to be speaking for God.

But what frightens me the most about the claim is that if conservative Christians were allowed to enumerate those rights  and who else would they allow to define them?  they would just happen to coincide with the rights conservatives like. The constitutional principles of freedom and equality, especially for gay people and minorities, would suffer (not to mention freedom of the press).

Their insistence on the right to carry personal arsenals and deploy them aggressively would be even more stringently enforced, despite the lack of AR-15s in the Bible and the biblical injunction, if a man strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other, also.

Whatever your denomination, if you think the Bible provides the government with a mandate to force children to bow their heads in prayer, but not to feed the poor, youre doing it wrong.

But since their theocratic vision meets so much resistance in the civilized West, they look to the East and see Putin; ruthless, confident and in harmony with their Gods heavy hand.

Or, as Stuart Stevens, a former Republican political operative, put it in a recent tweet, They see him as a white Christian nationalist strongman against the corruption of modern society. In Putins Russia there are no gays, no women in power, corrupted wealth is just reward for ruling class and no dissent is allowed. Its exactly the world Trump & many in @GOP want.

Its a country, incidentally, with no separation of church and state. The Russian Orthodox Church has supported Putins invasion of Ukraine, with Patriarch Kirill, its leader, referring to the conflict as a metaphysical struggle against a godless international order, as a struggle to keep liberal foreigners from holding gay parades in Moscow.

Or, as we call it, democracy.

Incidentally, Russia has the highest abortion rate in the world.

I realize that many conservative Christians think they would prefer living in a theocracy. In fact, thats the problem in a nutshell.

They should be careful for what they wish. History is replete with biblical arbiters who have, in the name of their various sects, treated their fellow believers harshly. Torturously, even.

But as the demographics continue to shift against them, I believe we can expect more attempts to suppress voting, more censorship of oppositional ideas and more complaints about democracy, still couched in terms of returning America to its Christian heritage as they attempt to bend the system to meet their theocratic desires. Until suddenly it will stop.

Some fear that if Republicans regain Congress and the presidency, well never have another free election. Theyll change the law, Russian-style, to stay in power.

I might think that was hyperbole except for the degree to which theyre already bad-mouthing democracy and justifying gerrymandering  and except for their promotion of the Big Lie that Democrats habitually win elections by cheating. They insist this is true, despite their inability to prove, in one single court case, that widespread cheating has occurred  and despite the fact that not one single audit or recount has changed the result of a states tally.

Its become a literal article of faith for many Republicans, who need no evidence  they just need Gods voice whispering in their ear.

But it doesnt have to be like that. Despite their dissatisfaction, I think conservative Christians should still see the U.S. as a welcoming home worthy of loyalty and patriotism. They should embrace democracy as the best of all the flawed political systems  especially when compared to Russias  and even when they lose.

In the Gospel of Mark, when the Pharisees approached Jesus with a gotcha question about taxes, he replied, Render unto Caesar what is Caesars and unto God what is Gods.

Jesus presented these as two separate realms. Despite the desire of some for him to rise up and throw off the yoke of the Roman oppressor and rebuild Israels glory, he had other things in mind. He spoke of a kingdom that had no ties to nation or party; one that transcended those human constructs.

Dont take my word for it. Read the Gospels.

In America, the adherents of his way are free to worship and speak as they please, just like everyone else. They can share in the nations bounty, just like everyone else. They just cant rule.

Why isnt that enough?
Of all the many, many, many reasons we could find to legitimately criticize North Carolinas gift to Crazytown, Rep. Madison Cawthorn  his stolen-valor lie about being accepted to the U.S. Naval Academy; the 160 women who claim to have witnessed his sexually predatorial behavior at the Virginia Christian college he briefly attended; his racist dog-whistles; his support for the Jan. 6 insurrectionists; his endorsement of political violence; the naked ambition that has led him to seek election in whichever district might provide him the most success; the blind eye hes turned to his constituents; and what did that tree ever do to you?  its perhaps his latest exploit that has us truly seeing red.

Appearing at a town hall meeting in Asheville on March 5, Cawthorn told a group of supporters, Remember that Zelenskyy is a thug.

Zelenskyy? Maybe he meant Cal Zelenskyy, who delivers pizza in Old Fort.

But no; he continued: Remember that the Ukrainian government is incredibly corrupt and is incredibly evil and has been pushing woke ideologies.

Woke ideologies being todays politically correct, a catch-all term for anything conservatives dislike.

No, this is Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Cawthorn was bad-mouthing, who has been leading his nation against a foreign invasion conducted by an unhinged dictator. This is the Zelenskyy who has defied an invasion force probably a hundred times mightier than Ukraine  one that has committed atrocities and war crimes by destroying hospitals and schools and homes, sending at least 2.5 million refugees to other countries.

This was the Zelenskyy who answered an offer of asylum with the words, The fight is here; I need ammunition, not a ride.

This is the Zelenskyy who cleverly withstood pressure from former President Trump to open a bogus investigation  is that whats stuck in Cawthorns craw?  of the Biden family.

Zelenskyys not running. Hes not blathering. With all odds against him, hes fighting.

This is a David and Goliath story  and Cawthorn thinks Goliath got a bad rap.

Many leaders in his own party spoke up quickly to contain the damage and distance themselves from Cawthorn. They include our own Sen. Thom Tillis, who tweeted that the notion that Zelenskyy is a thug or the Ukrainian government is evil is part of the deranged propaganda that the Russian government has been spreading across the world.

Thankfully, the vast majority of Americans and nearly every single member of Congress are united in support of Ukraines fight for freedom, Tillis wrote.

Cawthorn is an outlier ... in the largest sense possible on our side, S.C. Sen. Lindsey Graham said.

Cawthorn was even called out in a Wall Street Journal op-ed by Republican operative Karl Rove, who said that his comments dont reflect Republican opinion.

Cawthorns comments might easily be written off as part of a misunderstood, nuanced evaluation of the situation if not for the degree of aid and comfort being offered Putin by other conservatives  including Fox News hosts Tucker Carlson and Sean Hannity, who last week promoted Russian disinformation about U.S.-funded bioweapons labs in Ukraine. And if not for Sen. Marco Rubio slipping up earlier in the week by live-broadcasting information that could have compromised Zelenskyys safety. And if not for the repeated praise offered the Russian dictator by former President Trump. All of that leads to questions about what Rep. Liz Cheney calls the Putin wing of the Republican Party.

Cawthorn himself eventually tried to walk his comments back, condemning Russias invasion and saying hes praying for Ukrainians.

Last week was noteworthy in Washington for some meaningful and beneficial legislation passed in bipartisan fashion by serious lawmakers who are working hard for the American people. They include a bill to modernize and strengthen the U.S. Postal Service and a $1.5 trillion spending bill that will avert a government shutdown and provide much-needed aid for Ukraine.

Cawthorn has contributed nothing to that work.

The communities in our states 11th Congressional District have their share of problems, including the opioid crisis that has affected every other segment of society, underfunded educational resources and the challenge of drawing economic opportunities to help them thrive. They would do better to elect a representative who addresses those issues rather than one who repeats Russian talking points and distracts them with culture wars.
Our needs here

It is disturbing to see how the U.S. and Samaritans Purse always have humanitarian money and resources available to hand out to every country in need and turn a blind eye to our needs right here at home. We have veterans here at home who are living under cardboard boxes with no home to go to and no food except for food kitchens.

Please dont think that I am not compassionate with their situation because no one should have to live under that kind of stress, but I do believe that more could be done here at home for our veterans who have fought for this country.

Joyce Smitherman

King

An inconvenient truth

Several letter writers have astutely pointed out that the invasion of Ukraine by Russian forces has occurred during President Bidens presidency. They insist that had former President Trump won reelection, Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom Trump continues to slavishly praise  most recently as a smart man  would never have attacked Ukraine. The question that is not asked, however, is why.

The supporters of the former president miss the fact that as long as Trump acted as Putins stooge, there was no need to invade Ukraine. Without the support of his American puppet, Putin was left with no recourse. For he had counted on Trumps stated plan in his second term of withdrawing from NATO. During his presidency, Trump led the GOP in withholding military support of Ukraine, opting instead for a backroom deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, asking him to do us a favor, though.

Both in and out of office, Trump remains a useful idiot for his Russian comrades in Putins inner circle of cronies. Remember the photo of his meeting in the Oval Office with Russias Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov  oh, the good times.

What is true is that in Biden, Putin has found someone who refuses to do his bidding. Unlike Trump and the GOP, which has yet to condemn the former presidents fawning over his Russian colleague, Biden supports democracy, has strengthened the NATO alliance and champions a free and independent Ukraine. So, yes, Virginia, facts really do matter.

Colleen and Jeff Lerner

Winston-Salem

Better off

Under President Biden, gas prices have reached a historic high.

Under former President Trump, hospitals had to use refrigerated trailers as morgues and nurses had to wear garbage bags to protect themselves from a pandemic.

But please do go on about how we were better off with the foul-mouthed business manager/reality TV star than with the intelligent man who has a conscience and was able to rally NATO.

Leon Albertson

Winston-Salem

Shell shock

Shell shock  at the gas stations. While it seemed a shock that prices at the gas stations should increase so dramatically after the invasion of Ukraine and sanctions against Russian aggression, my biggest shock was the graffiti that was handwritten in black ink on the fuel tank pump where I get gas, with the word Biden written on the pump button, pointing blame at President Biden for the sticker shock of price increases for gas. That was my shock, as we are moving toward preventing war  nuclear war! Imagine the PTSD and shell shock that comes from nuclear war  or any war!

This graffiti was used to get an emotional response rather than a rational response to gas price increases.

The use of economic sanctions is a powerful tool of strength over the violent tactics and aggressions used by Russian President Vladimir Putin, as the civilized approach for humanity on the brink of war. Looking at the press and news footage of Ukraine, imagine the shell shock and PTSD fallout of war on innocent civilians, children and soldiers. Imagining this may make the shell shock at the gas station seem a bit less dramatic.

Diplomacy and sacrifice for the common good of all Americans, not violence, is what makes America great!

Barbara Robless

Pfafftown

Trumps suggestion

Former President Trump recently suggested that to defeat Russia, all we have to do is paint our fighter jets with Chinese logos, then attack Russia. That would surely fool those stupid Russians! Theyd go to war with China and wed win!

But why even go to that much effort? Better yet, the Ukrainians could paint what looks like the entrances to tunnels on solid walls. When Russian tanks try to enter them  bam!

And he says hes a genius.

Rodney Page

Winston-Salem
Multiple sources within the Federal Aviation Administration, Boeing and Congress say the jetmaker may not get the largest 737 Max variant, the Max 10, through FAA certification in time to hit a crucial deadline that if missed would trigger a new tighter safety requirement  from which Boeing wants an exemption.

Missing the year-end deadline could mean having to substantially revamp the Max 10 cockpit systems, a redesign of the aging 737 flight deck that the company previously declared impractical.

While Boeing's lobbyists have not yet officially asked for congressional action, they will likely request a legislative amendment that extends the deadline past Dec. 31, according to a company insider.

That would allow the Max 10, like previous Max models, to be certified without meeting the latest safety standard that governs the design of cockpit crew alerts that warn pilots of some system malfunction during flight.

Boeing has been lobbying Congress, expressing concern about the schedule for the FAA's certification of Max 10, which is the process of clearing it as safe to fly passengers.

In the meantime, an FAA safety engineer said the agency is "pulling people from other projects to come help" on Max 10 certification and ensure the FAA isn't blamed for delaying the process.

"They are scrambling," said the FAA engineer, who asked for anonymity to protect his job.

Boeing has informed some airlines of the pending problem, including Max 10 launch customer United Airlines, which has more than 250 Max 10s on order.

If Boeing missed the deadline and was compelled to upgrade the Max 10 flight deck, its crew alerting system would operate differently from that of the Max 8 and 9 models. Assuming that can be done, it would necessitate separate pilot training for the Max 10, an expense the airlines don't want.

In an interview, U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., who chairs the Senate committee that helped draft the FAA reform law, indicated that  provided the FAA approves it  she's inclined to grant an extension for Boeing.

"If they would like more time, this is an FAA decision," Cantwell said. "If the FAA says yes, we need another six months, give them six months. If everybody was in agreement, I would change the date."

She said the FAA should complete a full system safety assessment, including weighing whether making the Max 10 cockpit different from the other Max models might increase the risk for airlines with mixed fleets.

"Safety first. We're not going to hurry. We're not going to be rushed," Cantwell said. "I need the FAA to lead. I want to hear from them that that's what they think is the safest way to go."

The FAA in an emailed statement said it cannot discuss specific details about the Max 10's certification.

"Nor will we speculate about any actions the applicant (Boeing) might take with respect to a timeline for completing the project," the FAA said.

In a statement Tuesday, Boeing said "we continue to work transparently with the FAA to provide the information they need, and we are committed to meeting their expectations to achieve 737-10 certification."

"Safety remains the driving factor in this effort," Boeing added.

Initial Max models already exempted

Thursday is the three-year anniversary of the Max crash in Ethiopia, the second of two Max crashes that killed 346 passengers and crew.

Those accidents and the failures of oversight of the Max spurred Congress to pass the Aircraft Safety and Certification Reform Act in late 2020 to reform the FAA oversight process.

That law requires any airplane certified after Dec. 31 this year to comply with the latest FAA crew alerting regulation. The 737 is the only Boeing jet that doesn't meet the standard.

Every other current Boeing airplane has what's called an Engine Indicating and Crew Alerting System, or EICAS, that complies with the FAA regulation.

This is a centralized cockpit warning system that helps the pilots differentiate, prioritize and respond to aural and visual warnings, cautions and alerts that activate during flight.

As required in the regulation, it allows pilots to suppress erroneous warnings that can cause excessive distraction.

And it designates a hierarchy of alerts depending on the seriousness of the problem, with the most urgent alerts grabbing the crew's attention through two different senses in a combination of aural, visual and tactile cues.

Boeing's EICAS system not only tells pilots what is wrong but typically instructs the pilot what to do to get out of the situation.

But because the 737's cockpit inherited many systems from the original 1960s-era design, it's difficult to update the airplane to comply with this regulation.

In 2014, Boeing convinced the FAA to relax this specific safety standard for the Max.

Boeing relied on a special FAA rule to successfully argue that full compliance with the latest federal requirements would be "impractical" for the Max and would cost too much.

Documents obtained by The Seattle Times laying out the argument Boeing made then to the FAA show that its case rested largely on the 737's long service history, which by then had accumulated more than 300 million hours in the air on mostly routine, safe flights.

Boeing separately argued that it had corrected each of the distinct crew alerting problems that may have confused the pilots in three fatal 737 crashes during the previous decade  the 2005 Helios Airways crash in Greece that killed 121 people; the 2008 Aeroflot-Nord crash in Russia, in which 88 died; and the 2009 Turkish Airlines crash in Holland with nine fatalities.

Boeing's submission to the FAA cited an estimate of the cost of full compliance for the Max at "more than $10 billion." That was enough for the FAA to agree to grant the exemption.

A deadline looms

The two initial models of the new jet family, the Max 8 and the Max 9, were certified accordingly. The new, smaller Max 7 model is currently undergoing flight tests and is expected to be certified later this year.

The Max 10 began flight tests last summer. But its certification is more complicated than the previous Max models.

After the two fatal Max crashes the European Union Aviation Safety Agency insisted that by the time this final Max plane enters service it must have an upgraded Angle of Attack sensor system that provides triple redundancy rather than the double redundancy on previous models.

The Angle of Attack is the angle between the jet's wing and the oncoming air. An incorrect measurement of this from one faulty sensor on each of the two crash flights triggered a new, poorly designed flight control system on the Max to force the planes down.

Boeing's Max 10 upgrade includes new software in the flight control computer that provides a separate calculation of the Angle of Attack using various other data readings independent of the two physical Angle of Attack sensors on the jet's fuselage.

The Boeing insider, who requested anonymity to keep his job, said there's "no way" the company will certify the Max 10 by the deadline.

"They still don't have certification on the Max 7, and it's virtually the same plane as the Max 8 and Max 9," the insider said. "Boeing is stuck. They need the law changed or the FAA to agree to an exemption for more time."

Could extending the deadline be safer?

A separate Boeing insider said that to get that change. Boeing lobbyists on Capitol Hill have been "educating congressional members and staff about potential impacts" of missing the looming deadline, including potential job losses in Washington state should the Max 10 not go forward.

The 2020 FAA reform legislation mandates that any airplane certified two years after its enactment must have a fully compliant EICAS-style, state-of-the-art crew alerting system.

That requirement was spurred by the two crash scenarios, when both crews were subjected to multiple distracting erroneous alerts that likely contributed to the pilots' loss of control.

A person who was involved in drafting the 2020 FAA reform law said that the intent was to ensure that all future airplane designs complied with the crew alerting standard but, given the FAA's original exemption, to let the Max pass.

"The expectation was that the Max 10 would be certified before the two-year deadline," said the person, who asked not to be identified to continue his work on FAA reform in Congress.

"It wouldn't require major legislation," this person said, only an amendment to the date in the law.

The FAA safety engineer said "there may be a good case for granting the extension" for the Max 10.

For one thing, he said, the Max 10's new triple-redundant Angle of Attack system means the risk of the multiple erroneous crew alerts that caused so much confusion in the crash scenarios is now much reduced.

In this respect, the Max 10 should be safer than the previous generation 737 models with their solid safety record, the engineer said.

In addition, he said, changing the Max 10 crew alerts would make the jet's cockpit instrument system different from that of the Max 8 and 9, introducing potential confusion among pilots for airlines like Alaska Airlines that have all three models on order.

A pilot might fly a Max 9 one day and a Max 10 the next. Confusion over the differing styles of alerts might create higher risk than not upgrading the system and keeping a common cockpit.

"If FAA pilots are convinced that erroneous warnings are dealt with by the Max 10 design, from a technical standpoint, I'd be content," the engineer said.

"But it should be done through a formal public process," he added, "Not by lobbying behind the scenes."

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Rembolt Ludtke LLP is pleased to announce Sarah A. Meier has joined the firm as an associate attorney.

Sarah brings an impressive range of experience that will allow her to make an immediate impact in helping our clients to be successful, said Chief Executive Officer Tara L. Paulson. Meier will work closely with Rembolt Ludtke partner Ann K. Post on real estate development and land use issues.

Meier graduated with distinction from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Law and received her undergraduate degree from the University of Wyoming. In addition to her experience advising business clients and entrepreneurs, Meier previously worked in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate in Washington, D.C., including work as a legislative aide to Rep. Adrian Smith, a member of the tax-writing House Ways & Means Committee.

With her experience in tax law, business and real estate transactions, Sarah is uniquely qualified to advise clients on all business and corporate matters, said Tim Moll, the firms chief financial officer and an adjunct professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of law teaching tax law. Sarah will be a tremendous asset to our Firm and our clients, said Moll.

Founded over 50 years ago, Rembolt Ludtke LLP is a full-service business law firm representing a wide-spectrum of companies, public entities and individuals throughout Nebraska and the Great Plains region. Visit remboltlawfirm.com to view our practice areas and attorneys, and follow @RemboltLaw on Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn
Lincoln, Neb. (March 12, 2022)  Swanson Russell recently promoted seven in its Lincoln and Omaha offices: Allen Forkner, Lynette Von Minden, Almir Levic, Abby Jurgens, RJ Shrimpton, Millie Worthington and Jordan Snader.

Forkner was promoted to vice president/director of public relations. Since joining Swanson Russell in 2010, Forkner has served in numerous roles, including as a public relations counsel, senior public relations counsel and most recently as public relations manager. Over his tenure, the Rapid City, South Dakota, native has worked on a variety of clients, including Leupold, SIG Sauer, Badlands, Bushnell and onX Hunt.

Von Minden was promoted to public relations manager. Since joining the agency in 2007, the Talmage, Nebraska, native has served as both a public relations counsel and senior public relations counsel working on clients such as Rain Bird, Takeuchi, Vista Professional Outdoor Lighting, DEUTZ, Cattlemens Beef Board, Texas Beef Council, Scotts Professional and JCB.

Levic was promoted to media services manager. Levic joined Swanson Russell in 2007, and during his tenure served in numerous roles, including as a media planner, media strategist, and most recently as a senior media strategist. The Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina, native has worked on a number of clients, including Minn Kota, Humminbird, Cannon Downriggers, E-Z-GO Consumer, Reinke, NEST 529 and Jacobsen.

Jurgens was promoted to associate database marketing manager. The Lincoln, Nebraska, native joined Swanson Russell in 2021 as an email marketing and automation coordinator and has worked on clients such as JLG, Arctic Cat, E-Z-GO, Textron Aviation, Walls Outdoor Goods, Liberty, Propane Education & Research Council, Humminbird, AMVAC, Nebraska Game & Parks, Takeuchi, Hoegemeyer and Jacobsen.

Shrimpton was promoted to associate art director. Joining Swanson Russell in 2019 as a graphic designer and going on to serve as a senior designer, the Omaha, Nebraska, native has worked on clients such as Kimber, JLG, Unilock, Fix It Sticks and Cattlemens Beef Board.

Worthington was promoted to associate art director. Joining Swanson Russell in 2018 as a designer and going on to serve as a senior designer, the Honolulu, Hawaii, native has worked on numerous clients including Cattlemens Beef Board, Hoegemeyer and Visit Omaha.

Snader was promoted to writer/producer. Coming on board in 2021 as an associate writer/producer, Snader has worked on clients such as Silencer Central, Union Bank & Trust, NEST 529, Blackhawk and Gerber. A native of Oakland, Nebraska, Snader is a vice president of communications for the American Marketing Association, Lincoln chapter.

Swanson Russell is a nationally recognized full-service branding, advertising and public relations agency in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska. The agency partners with clients across many industries while specializing in agriculture, construction, landscape/turf, outdoor recreation and healthcare. To learn how Swanson Russell builds a Real Connection between brands and audiences, visit swansonrussell.com.
A Lincoln urgent care center alleges in a lawsuit that a data breach at the company that handled its billing led to the discovery of a number of claims that went unpaid over several years.

In the suit filed last month in U.S. District Court, Urgent Care Clinic of Lincoln P.C. says that after a ransomware attack on PracticeMax last year, it discovered "a significant number of claims that were either not handled properly, not processed at all or otherwise neglected."

PracticeMax, which is based in Arizona, provides billing, IT, practice management and other services to health care offices. It has a regional office in Lincoln.

The company says in a notice on its website that in May of last year it discovered that ransomware had been installed on some of its systems and that an investigation determined there may have been unauthorized access to its systems between April 17 and May 5.

According to media reports, PracticeMax sent letters to more than 165,000 people whose personal information may have been compromised in the breach. It's not clear whether any of those people are in Nebraska.

The Urgent Care Clinic of Lincoln lawsuit does not link the unpaid claims directly to the ransomware attack. In fact, it says in the lawsuit that some of the claims date as far back as 2019 and could even go back farther than that.

The suit alleges negligence, breach of contract and unjust enrichment by PracticeMax. Though Urgent Care Clinic of Lincoln did not specify an amount of damages it's seeking, it said its losses are "well in excess" of the $75,000 minimum for the case to qualify to be filed in federal court.

Michael Johnson, CEO of PracticeMax, said the company has "successfully processed tens of thousands of claims" for Urgent Care Clinic of Lincoln over a number of years.

"In the case they are claiming issue with a couple of hundred claims, which will have to be evaluated through due process," he said.

Reach the writer at 402-473-2647 or molberding@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LincolnBizBuzz.

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A Florida-based inmate advocacy group has sued Scott Frakes, accusing the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services he leads of censorship.

In the lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in Lincoln, Human Rights Defense Center said the Nebraska prison system on at least six occasions has prevented it from sending books to state prisoners under its approved vendor policy.

The books were self-help litigation manuals for inmates.

The lawsuit asks a federal judge to block Frakes from enforcing the policy corrections has had since May 2021, which prohibits mailed books unless they are sent from Edward R. Hamilton, a Connecticut-based wholesaler of books.

Paul Wright, executive director of the nonprofit organization that advocates on behalf of people held in U.S. detention facilities, said in September the group mailed several legal books to prisoners that were "censored" by prison officials.

Some were sent back with "return to sender" or "refused" with no explanation.

The group's general counsel, Dan Marshall, said that Frakes, who worked at the Washington State Department of Corrections before coming to Nebraska, was named in a lawsuit there challenging the constitutionality of similar restrictions.

In 2003, a federal court in Seattle issued injunctions against Frakes and other state prison officials in a decision later affirmed on appeal.

Marshall said the state of Washington ultimately paid $100,000 in damages to Human Rights Defense Center and $442,000 in attorneys fees for violating the center's constitutional rights.

The new lawsuit alleges Nebraska's policy unconstitutionally restricts the group's First Amendment right to free speech and its right to due process because it wasn't allowed to appeal the decision.

"HRDCs books and magazines inform prisoners about educational opportunities, their constitutional rights, and means for self-improvement while incarcerated, Marshall said in a news release. "Banning these publications from reaching those who are in prison is an affront to the First Amendment, as well as counterproductive to the goals of security and rehabilitation.

The state hasn't yet filed a response to the lawsuit.

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

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Don Walton Political reporter/columnist Don Walton covers politics and the Legislature along with writing a weekly column. Follow Don Walton 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

That was a big win for Sen. Tom Brewer -- and I wonder if any other member of the Legislature could have achieved it.

Brewer has earned the respect of his colleagues, not only with his life story of military valor, but also with his hard work in the Legislature, which he pursues while combating health challenges that would have grounded most of us long ago.

Brewer, Nebraska's only Native senator, is a warrior.

He battles for his constituents in District 43, which encompasses a dozen counties in north-central Nebraska along with a slice of another.

Heck, he even climbs mountains.

All of that showed last week when he guided his "constitutional carry" gun rights bill that would allow Nebraskans to carry a concealed handgun without the need to acquire a $100 state permit through a filibuster and on a path to potential enactment.

It was a closer call than the final vote indicates: Three senators changed their votes to yes on a motion to invoke cloture and end a filibuster after the number of affirmative votes reached the required number of 33.

The bill was then advanced on a 35-9 tally.

That battle may not be over yet, with opponents raising the volume on concerns that the bill, without further amendment, could allow individuals to carry concealed handguns without any need to acquire a permit, even if it's cost-free, or receive gun safety training.

* * *

Ahead this week in the Legislature at the two-thirds mark with 20 legislative days to go:

* Monday: Debate on Sen. Tom Briese's bill to move Nebraska to year-round daylight saving time just a day after this year's time change occurs.

* Tuesday: The beginning of what looks like a long and consequential debate on the state budget.

* Wednesday: Debate on Sen. Justin Wayne's bill to create the North Omaha Recovery Act, an ambitious proposal to designate $450 million in federal pandemic recovery funds for housing and community recovery.

Big issues piling up now as the Legislature approaches its end game.

* * *

A political and human drama unfolds this week as Rep. Jeff Fortenberry goes on trial in Los Angeles on federal charges accusing him of making false statements to FBI agents in connection with illegal foreign contributions to his 2016 re-election campaign.

There's a ton on the line for Fortenberry, including his seat in Congress, his political future, perhaps his congressional pension and, of course, the personal burden borne by his wife and five daughters.

Fortenberry is facing a dangerous Republican primary election challenge from Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk, who has the endorsement of Gov. Pete Ricketts, the leader of the Republican Party in Nebraska, and former Gov. Dave Heineman.

This is both a personal and political story.

And it is unfolding 1,500 miles away less than two months before Nebraska's May 10 primary election.

Finishing up

* War is brutal, but the Russian assault on Ukraine and its people is barbaric.

* Aren't higher gas prices a really small payment for us to make while others are paying for this war of aggression with their lives, their families, their homes and their future?

* Although Sen. Anna Wishart of Lincoln was recorded as not voting on a motion to advance so-called STARWARS legislation that includes construction of a new lake between Lincoln and Omaha, she does support the bill.

* Who fills the role of driving continued legislative support for STARWARS water development projects next year when Speaker Mike Hilgers of Lincoln is likely to be the state's new attorney general? Probably Sen. Mike McDonnell of Omaha, who designated the legislation as his priority this session, although the next Speaker would also play a leadership role.

* The long legislative debate over "constitutional carry" or "concealed carry" gun rights once again demonstrated the sharp divide between the Lincoln-Omaha metropolitan complex and the rest of Nebraska. And it has shown up dramatically in recent election results.

* It shouldn't take an infusion of federal funds to make us begin to think big.

* Wonder what Mikhail Gorbachev, now 91, is quietly thinking as Russia regresses farther and farther away from the opening he forged three decades ago.

It's much safer for Gorbachev to remain silent now, and that's a reminder of the joke he told during an appearance at the Lied Center in Lincoln about the angry guy who went to the Kremlin to kill Gorbachev, but returned without success because the line was too long.

* Spring lies a scant week ahead.

Play ball!

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

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OMAHA  In a novel approach to address racial inequity and inspire interest in mathematics for Black Omaha high school students, a Chicago-based entrepreneur will pay them to pass a calculus test.

Known as the Alpha Mission Calculus Awards, the program is open to Black students at Omaha high schools in grades 10, 11 and 12. Participants sign up to learn calculus, take a test and earn $1,000 if they pass. The money is not a scholarship  students can spend it any way they wish.

Philanthropists, nonprofits and politicians have spent decades attempting to address Omahas long history of racial inequity. Entrepreneur Robert Blackwell Jr. thinks that empowering young people to put effort into a subject as difficult as calculus could be part of the solution.

Blackwell, who is Black, is the CEO of IT consulting firm EKI Digital and the founder of Alpha Mission, an organization working to strengthen Black business communities through partnerships and mentoring.

Ive benefited from a lot of great mentorship, Blackwell said. I think all of us owe it to those who came before us to do something for those who are going to come after us.

Omaha was selected for the initiative because of the citys history of inequity, and because of what Blackwell sees as a potential for real progress. Blackwell befriended Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts at a Republican Governors Association meeting and the two discussed ways to strengthen the states relationship with the Black community.

I told him that the way to mend that relationship is to focus on economics, Blackwell said. Omaha is big enough and small enough to be impactful in this area, and there are a lot of people with good will.

Economic inequality is stark in Omaha. A recent report from the Omaha Economic Development Corp. indicates that Black Omahans experience significantly higher rates of poverty than any other group: nearly 44% of Black households have incomes at or below $24,999.

Blackwell got the calculus competition idea from a young man he met at a university speaking engagement. When the student asked for a meeting, Blackwell obliged. While talking, he learned that the student had spent a summer teaching himself calculus after a subpar math teacher left him confused.

I remember thinking that anybody who has the desire  who is willing to put in the work  to teach themselves calculus is going to be somebody, Blackwell said.

Inspired by the story, Blackwell gave the student an analytics project and promised him $1,000 if he liked what he saw. He did, and the man ended up working for Blackwell for years.

After that success, Blackwell sought to find a way to bring the same opportunity to Black students in similar situations.

One such student is Arianna Hill, 16, a junior at Omaha North High School. Hill is looking toward a future in health care, and she was immediately interested in the contest.

I think its really important to have opportunities like this, Hill said. Its an easy and inclusive way to get people in our community to realize how important STEM and math subjects are. And the thousand dollars draws people in.

Hill is currently taking precalculus but is ready to challenge herself to learn calculus on top of that. She and the other students will attend monthly tutoring sessions until October, but will be able to take the test earlier if they feel ready. If Hill succeeds, she said she will save the money.

Blackwell said this will be the first of many annual calculus competitions. He sees it not only as a way to get Black students interested in math, but also as a way to build a community.

The most important thing for these kids is to find out that somebody loves and cares for them outside of their mother and father, he said. Thats what a community is about: knowing that people are there who care about you and your outcomes.

Eight students are currently registered to participate, and registration closes Tuesday. Interested students can register by submitting their information on the Contact Us page on the Alpha Mission website.

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As Carroll County plans to allow housing developments on two parcels of land at Ridge Road in Marriottsville, collectively referred to as the Zabel property, and on a large property in Eldersburg called the Beatty property, residents currently living in the area were given a chance to meet with county officials this week and share their concerns and questions.

Residents look at a map during a presentation on the Zabel property site plan, part of a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at the South Carroll Senior and Community Center in Eldersburg . (Dylan Slagle / Carroll County Times)

The Carroll County Planning and Zoning Commission in 2021 began discussing a change in zoning on the Zabel property from mostly R-40,000, which allows one home per acre, to R-20,000, allowing two homes per acre, doubling the number of new homes allowed to be built in the area. Commissioners ultimately voted to keep the property zoned R-40,000 and conservation after residents submitted a petition expressing concern about increased traffic, overcrowded schools and an overloaded fire and EMS system.

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On Wednesday, during a District 5 town hall meeting hosted by Commissioner President Ed Rothstein, a representative of Elm Street Development said the group is moving forward with development of the property, with plans to build 143 homes, with 12 of the units in the conservation area.

Although the plan maintains current zoning on the property, area residents said they were still concerned about how the development would impact their neighborhoods.

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The property is residential, and it was defined at one point to be a higher density, Rothstein told the audience at the town hall. We got a lot of emails, and I went through a lot of discussions and town halls to determine to go with a lower density, from about 300 homes to 140 homes. We did exactly what you wanted.

Rothstein said the developer would not build any homes unless infrastructure, such as schools and fire and emergency medical services were adequate to accommodate the development.

Theres a checklist of what needs to happen before homes are built, he said.

Carroll County Commissioner Ed Rothstein holds a copy of the Freedom Community Comprehensive Plan as he joins Jason Van Kirk, left, of Elm Street Development to answer questions from the audience during a presentation on the Zabel propertyy development, part of a Town Hall Meeting on Wednesday, March 9, 2022 at the South Carroll Senior and Community Center in Eldersburg . (Dylan Slagle / Carroll County Times)

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Carroll County Planning Director Lynda Eisenberg said a formal proposal has not yet been submitted or reviewed by the county.

For the Zabel property nothing has changed, she said. There was a request to bring it in line with the Freedom Master Plan and that request didnt move forward.

Kristen Morinelli, a resident of Forest Hills who is also an environmental engineer, said the 12 houses planned for the conservation area would be built in her neighborhood. According to the current concept plan, several of these houses would be built in front of Morinellis home.

At the meeting she listed several concerns she said were shared by others in her neighborhood, the most significant being increased traffic on already extremely busy roadways.

Im not happy  There are no sidewalks in my neighborhood, there are hills, dips and 90-degree turns, she said. Adding 12 homes would increase road use by 25%, she added.

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I dont plan to move from here and its not fair to transform the neighborhood, Morinelli said. Our kids who play outside should be safe.

St. Johns Properties is planning to develop the Beatty Property at 1701 Bennett Road in Sykesville. The 120-acre parcel would be processed in four pieces: a northern residential district with seven single-family homes; a retirement village district with 149 units and a community center building; a business district with one-story flex buildings; and a southern residential district with a cluster development consisting of 34 homes. St. Johns Properties will go in front of the countys planning commission March 30 to present its proposed plans.
OMAHA  The president and vice president of the Nebraska State Board of Education said Friday theyre in no rush to revive the controversial health education standards the board put on ice last September.

Board president Patsy Koch Johns and vice president Robin Stevens said the board has no plans at this time to revive the standards. They said the board must address concerns about the standards-writing process before considering a restart.

We at this time have not discussed any plans about bringing it back, said Koch Johns of Lincoln.

The two leaders commented in a news release aimed at clarifying the boards recent actions regarding academic standards.

In it, they pushed back on the perception that the boards recent actions regarding standards were bringing it closer to reviving the standards.

In February, a majority of board members voted down a motion by recently appointed board member Kirk Penner to permanently scrap the health standards.

This month, the majority voted to draft a policy expressing the boards intent to develop academic standards in all subject matter areas, including health. That policy has yet to be adopted.

In the release, Stevens said the board will need a specific vote to restart the health education standards process, and this is not currently an item under consideration by the Board.

To be clear, he said, the conversations, around ensuring the proper policies and processes are in place, are necessary before even considering future draft health education standards.

Stevens, of Gothenburg, is facing two challengers in the race to retain his District 7 seat on the board. Three other board spots are on the ballot this year, including Penner's seat representing District 4.

In an interview Friday, Nebraska Commissioner of Education Matt Blomstedt told the Omaha World-Herald that its unlikely the standards would be revived this year.

Reviewing the process the department uses to develop standards, and potentially making changes, will take time, he said.

I think Im pretty confident in saying its not 2022, and I would find it highly unlikely its 2023, he said.

For more than a year, the state has wrestled with the idea of writing health standards for Nebraska schools. Local school districts currently write their own. The state standards would be recommended but not required for districts.

The initial draft of the standards proposed a year ago was praised by advocates of LGBTQ children as inclusive. The standards contained language recognizing diverse family structures, gender identities and sexual orientations. After complaints the material was not appropriate for children and reflected a political agenda, most of those references were stripped in a second draft. But that draft still was criticized by Gov. Pete Ricketts, who said it promoted gender ideology.

The board postponed the standards indefinitely Sept. 3.

Subsequently, then-board president Maureen Nickels appointed an ad hoc board committee to troubleshoot what went wrong with the process.

On March 4, the board adopted six recommendations from the committee. One was to draft a policy expressing the boards intent to develop academic standards in all areas.

Penner, who voted against the recommendations, said he disagrees with the boards position that it can write standards beyond the core academic areas authorized by the Legislature.

He said the reason the standards failed has nothing to do with process.

The issue isnt the process, its the content of the health standards, he said.

Another recommendation adopted by the board at its March 4 meeting calls for writing a policy to define the boards role in the standards-writing process.

Board members also voted to have the Nebraska Department of Education hire a consultant to review the standards process and suggest improvements.

Blomstedt said Friday that he probably wouldnt get a consultant on board until summer.

I would probably aim for a June time frame, thats usually when we have some chance to dive into those things, he said.

The intent is to examine the process, including looking at how other states do it, before attempting a redo of health standards, he said.

Meantime, critics have been unsuccessful in stopping the health standards with legislative action.

A bill in the Legislature this session would have made clear that the board can write standards only in core academic areas. With 20 days left in the session, that bill proposed by Sen. Joni Albrecht remained in the Education Committee.

In his budget request to state lawmakers, Ricketts included language that would have barred the education department from using any of its appropriation to research, adopt or implement state sex education standards for schools.

Members of the Appropriations Committee last week advanced the budget to the full body without the language, but an amendment has been offered to add it in.

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Their publisher required more than 200 postcards that showed  and told  the story of a younger Lincoln.

They had to be free of copyright restrictions and crisp enough to carry the pages of an upcoming illustrated history book.

None of that posed a problem to Jim McKee and Ed Zimmer.

The citys senior historians had the postcards  thousands between the two of them. McKee had started collecting as a teenager growing up in Lincoln in the 50s; Zimmer in the 80s, when he arrived as the citys new historic preservation planner.

They selected a preliminary stack of about 400 candidates  buildings, businesses, parades, parks, historic homes  and spent part of last April and May narrowing them.

McKee was impressed with the selection, that he had postcards Zimmers collection was missing, and Zimmer had postcards he hadnt seen.

But they also had duplicates, so they picked the clearer of the two.

We had a formula we had to follow with the publisher, McKee said. We just kept culling out the bad ones until we had the number they required that we thought pretty much told the history of Lincoln and its suburbs.

But then what? How would they arrange their 211 postcards, which mostly covered 1907 through the 1930s? Similar books by their publisher had leaned on a chronological structure, or topical  such as businesses, industry, schools.

That wouldnt work for them. They wanted some kind of narrative thread, Zimmer said.

I didnt want a book of 200 photos with captions under them, but something that gave you orientation as you went through.

So they settled on geography. Chapter 1: The Capitol and its neighbors. Later: O Street. Haymarket. Downtown. City Campus. Nearby neighborhoods and farther-flung suburbs.

With that done, they got to work writing the descriptions, facing an early November deadline.

And this is where their combined knowledge  about an underground bowling alley and a Ku Klux Klan lodge, an early plane crash and why Peanut Hill is called Peanut Hill  became as important to the book as their postcard collection.

* * *

They begin their book, Postcard History Series: Lincoln, with a brief history of postcards.

When postcards were introduced at the 1893 Chicago Worlds Fair, postage was a penny. But when privately issued postcards were allowed a few years later, the cost had doubled. Until 1907, only the stamp and address were allowed on the back; no messages. They were wildly popular in the years before World War I, when nearly a billion were sent annually.

But the authors also included a disclaimer. A history depicted solely by postcards is a limited history, because of the limits of postcards. They cant show Lincolns earliest history, because they didnt yet exist.

They didnt often show women, or immigrants or people of color, so Lincolns African American community or its Germans from Russia arent well-represented.

And almost all of the postcards in the book date from the first few decades of the 20th century, for several reasons: They tend to be free of copyrights; that was an era when many were produced; and thats what made up much of McKees and Zimmers combined collection.

For the two of us, we dont tend to collect modern drugstore postcards, Zimmer said last week. We have other sources for pictures of things that are here now. Its the earlier ones that attract us.

Theyre getting easier to find. Early Lincoln postcards used to be difficult to buy in Lincoln, because theyd been mailed off to other places. Antiques stores had old postcards for sale, but they depicted other places.

The internet changed that. Search Lincoln, Nebraska, postcard on eBay  where Zimmer does most of his postcard shopping  and you get more than 3,500 results.

Many are duplicates, and some are ghoulish and expensive  like one that purports to show a prisoner strapped to the penitentiarys electric chair, for $125  but Zimmer is still finding historical postcards he hadnt seen before.

Postcards arent as prevalent as they were at the beginning of the last century; a few years ago, the website MarketWatch declared that millennials and their selfies had pushed them to the verge of extinction.

But they still exist, though McKee suspects theyre mostly bought to commemorate memories. Now its just a souvenir youre going to take home and put in a scrapbook, not one youre going to mail to Aunt Mildred.

* * *

In 1913, a university student sent his father in Wahoo a postcard of Lincolns Catholic cathedral.

Dear Dad, James Way wrote. Have a typewriter now, an Underwood, certainly a dandy. Have not got a chance to use it much yet, need practice.

Nearly 110 years later, McKee and Zimmer chose it as the 10th postcard in their book. But they corrected a mistake: Two years before Way mailed the postcard, the church had been dedicated as the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception, not St. Theresas, as the postcard was labeled.

They also added information. The father, E.E. Way, was a prominent doctor. The son went on to serve overseas in the U.S. Armys 91st Aero Squadron in World War I, and spent decades back in Lincoln as a railroad engineer.

And they did that throughout the book, providing context and little-known facts, making it more than a just stack of reproduced postcards.

Page 28: The Press Building at 13th and N streets  the first purpose-built building by the YMCA  had a bowling alley beneath the sidewalk in the early 1900s.

Page 29: Burroughs Cafe at 132 S. 13th Street served Wyoming elk for Thanksgiving in 1916, and moved to O Street four years later.

Page 80: UNLs 84-foot Mueller Tower  just east of Memorial Stadium and Bessey Hall  was funded by Ralph Mueller, an 1898 graduate who invented the spring-loaded and serrated alligator clip, still used on items such as jumper cables and dental bibs.

Page 83: While researching a 1912 postcard showing an early, French-designed aeroplane above the State Fair, Zimmer discovered a Wright Brothers plane had flown  and crashed  at the fair in 1910, and that the fair had used a photo of the crumpled machine to advertise its 1911 event.

Page 88: The former Lincoln Country Club at Seventh and Washington streets later became the Ku Klux Klan lodge.

Page 115: Trolley riders used to visit Peanut Hill, near what is now 48th Street and Prescott Avenue, on Sundays, because the Seventh-day Adventist town was open when the rest of Lincoln wasnt, and boys sold peanuts and pop.

The book will be released March 28, and the two are donating their royalties to the Preservation Association of Lincoln.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7254 or psalter@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSPeterSalter

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In her first six months, Lincolns new police chief has created a portal for officers to report discrimination concerns anonymously, assigned an officer in internal affairs to investigate equal opportunity complaints and reorganized the department to provide more supervision.

In an interview with the Journal Star, Chief Teresa Ewins, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird and Assistant Chief Michon Morrow cast those changes largely as an effort to move the department forward more broadly, not specifically in response to allegations of sexual harassment by several former and current officers.

But the mayor said one of the things thats impressed her about Ewins leadership is how shes approached dealing with discipline issues that predated her arrival.

Thats one of the reasons Im so impressed with her leadership, Gaylor Baird said. She does the right thing, even when it's hard.

In December 2020  about eight months before Ewins was hired  Officer Sarah Williams, who resigned from the police department the previous year, sued the city alleging a toxic workplace for women. Since then, six other officers have either made similar allegations, or supported those officers.

During Ewins' tenure, three of those officers were fired, one has been suspended for 30 days and one resigned. Three of the women have filed lawsuits. The city and Williams settled her lawsuit for $65,000.

LPD has said one officer was fired for issues related to workers compensation and two others for violating policies regarding evidence in a criminal case. Ewins noted that officers who were terminated have not appealed the decisions to the personnel board, an option to contest the findings.

Most of the allegations in the lawsuits go back several years and predate Ewins, and she has said previously the personnel actions taken against the officers are unrelated to those allegations. She reiterated that in an interview with the Journal Star.

Absolutely not, she said. No one has been retaliated against.

Ewins said all the investigations regarding violations of policy involving the officers who were disciplined or fired were investigated thoroughly.

Being accused of retaliation so soon after arriving has been difficult, she said.

I promised this community, as well as (employees) internally that people will be treated fairly and transparently. And I feel that thats what Ive done ... I did what I felt was right based on the evidence that was presented.

Ewins said she believes in being fair across the board, no matter rank or position or if officers  three of the Lincoln officers involved worked in public information roles  are well-known. That fairness didnt always happen in San Francisco, she said.

I always swore that if I ever became chief that I would do exactly that  fair across the board, she said. You weigh the evidence, you hear both sides, and then you make a decision."

Since shes been here, she said, she reviewed the investigations conducted before her arrival based on the female officers allegations and concluded they were handled appropriately.

She took the job because she was impressed with how progressive LPD is, she said. When she started, Ewins said she reviewed all its policies to make sure they were gender-neutral and added some, such as those to reduce bias in police work.

She created a portal so employees can anonymously report discrimination complaints and increased the opportunity for officers to discuss the outcome of an investigation if they disagree, she said.

I want the officers to come and tell me if they disagree with the findings of their investigation, she said. I want them to sit and talk me through it. Have I completely heard every single person and weighed the evidence and made a decision? I think thats the fair thing.

Reducing the number of geographic police teams from five to four allowed for more supervision, especially so newer officers could get help if needed, she said.

Another change, she said, is that equal opportunity claims, which allege discrimination in the workplace, used to be investigated by the personnel department, but she created a new position in internal affairs to investigate such complaints.

Another step just made public by city officials is an anonymous survey of employees by a national organization called 21st Century Policing Solutions.

The survey is part of a broader assessment by the company, which Gaylor Baird decided to do more than a year ago  in February 2021  after human resources officials looking into the complaints suggested it.

Also, a national initiative the city has joined to increase the number of female recruits  initiated by female officers that Gaylor Baird said she supported  encourages the use of surveys.

This is not the first assessment that the city of Lincoln has ever done in its history, the mayor said. And I thought, you know, this could be an opportunity for us.

She gave the go-ahead to start looking for possible firms, and by the time officials narrowed down the selection, Gaylor Baird said the city was close to interviewing police chief candidates and she thought it made sense to wait until that person was chosen to lead the process.

Since then, 21st Century Policing Solutions has been collecting data and city policies to help develop the survey. The assessment will also include talking with employee focus groups.

Ewins said she wants the lawsuits to go to court so people can hear all the evidence and decide for themselves.

"I believe in this department, I believe in how they've conducted themselves as far as the investigation and where we need to go from here," she said.

Morrow said her goal as an assistant chief is to make sure the department is accountable to both the community and its employees, and part of that is constantly assessing and reassessing the job it's doing.

When we believe theres nothing more that we can do to improve its probably time to step aside.

While questions about the department have focused on issues raised by the allegations, Morrow said, the changes being made are much broader and designed to make the department more effective in a profession thats changed dramatically in recent years.

We know that's a necessary component and we want to bring attention there, Morrow said. But our evolution now is with new leadership, a new set of eyes and we are really looking into the future and how we can continue to evolve and serve our community and those that we lead internally.

Reach the writer at 402-473-7226 or mreist@journalstar.com. On Twitter @LJSreist

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The state said the killing was first-degree murder. That Barnes kicked his way into the house, just as he'd threatened to do in texts later deleted, after she told him their relationship was over and not to come home.
RACINE  You have a right to an attorney. That may seem to be guaranteed to Americans, but its not always.

The Sixth Amendment establishes the right to legal counsel in criminal proceedings. But in civil court, youre on your own.

If you want a lawyer to fight an eviction, to get a restraining order against an abusive ex, or are dealing with debt collectors, most of the time youre going to need to pay for representation in court.

If youre homeless or at risk of it, youre less likely to be able to afford a lawyer. But now, through a new set of state grants, two attorneys will be working directly with the most vulnerable members of Racines population.

Two Equitable Recovery Program grants from the state, announced last month by Gov. Tony Evers administration and funded through the federal $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, will allow for two attorneys to be stationed at HALO, Inc., Racine Countys primary homeless shelter, 2000 DeKoven Ave.

The grants went to HALO itself and Legal Action of Wisconsin, the states largest nonprofit provider of free legal civil services. Legal Action of Wisconsin, 245 Main St., is always free for its clients, the majority of whom have incomes at 200% of the poverty level and below.

In Racine County, 200% of poverty wages is $12.26 per hour, assuming the individual is an adult working 40 hours a week and has no children.

A single eviction or one lost job are rarely the sole causes for someone becoming homeless. People in, and on the edge of, poverty  theres complex issues that lead to that poverty, said Rachel Fox Armstrong, Legal Actions development and communications manager.

The legal services that would be provided at HALO, Executive Director Holly Anderle said in a text to a reporter, might include assistance with legal situations surrounding such things as child support, traffic violations, evictions, municipal tickets, etc. Were very excited to be able to partner with LAW to help our clients resolve some of their barriers to housing as they work towards self-sufficiency and housing stability.

With these new grants, Legal Action is focusing on  things that are a barrier to ones economic security, Fox Armstrong said.

That was the goal of the Equitable Recovery Program, which is disbursing $82,075,531.91 total in grants within Wisconsin.

According to the state Department of Administration: The purpose of the Equitable Recovery Program is to assist community-based organizations providing services or programming aimed at increasing equity and eliminating disparities in health, early childhood development, education, economic support, housing, and environmental justice in qualified census tracts or communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The attorneys who will work at HALO have not been selected. Fox Armstrong said Legal Action of Wisconsin hopes to have them in place in the next couple months.

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This list is not comprehensive. Municipalities are listed as they appear on the criminal complaint. Suspects are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. To see mugshots of the accused, visit journaltimes.com/gallery. Additional information about the complaints can be found at: journaltimes.com/news/local/crime-and-courts.

Donte J. Aych, 1300 block of Biscayne Avenue, Racine, possession of THC.

Darius L. Belle, 3400 block of Sixth Avenue, Racine, felony bail jumping.

Kenneth M. Blackman, 1000 block of Delamere Avenue, Racine, substantial battery, misdemeanor battery, disorderly conduct, felony bail jumping.

Perry H. Brooks, 900 block of College Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor theft, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments).

Michael L. Burdick, 13100 block of Bell Road, Caledonia, threat to law enforcement officer, obstructing an officer, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct.

Ramone A. Campbell Jr., 400 block of Lake Avenue, Racine, resisting an officer, disorderly conduct, attempting to flee or elude an officer.

Stephon Martaeveon Chapman, 2000 block of LaSalle Street, Racine, disorderly conduct (use of a dangerous weapon).

Magdalena Ciechanowski, 600 block of College Avenue, Racine, criminal damage to property, disorderly conduct.

Armonte T. Cook, 1300 block of Marquette Street, Racine, drive or operate a vehicle without owners consent, felony bail jumping, carrying a concealed weapon.

Robert L. DuClos, Whitewater, Wisconsin, felony bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping, possession of drug paraphernalia.

Jewel Teeria Gohangon, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, failure to install ignition interlock device, operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Henry J. Gryer III, 1400 block of Superior Street, Racine, operating a motor vehicle without owners consent, burglary of a building or dwelling, criminal damage to property, criminal trespass.

Michael W. Hernandez, 2000 block of Charles Street, Racine, robbery with use of force (domestic abuse assessments), felony intimidation of a victim (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), misdemeanor bail jumping.

Ronell Hibbler, 1000 block of Park Avenue, Racine, possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture THC (less than or equal to 200 grams), carrying a concealed weapon.

Nathaniel M. King, 6700 block of 24th Avenue, Kenosha, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), obstructing an officer, felony bail jumping.

Jordan C. Knutson, 2000 block of Grove Avenue, Racine, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (4th offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), possession of drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct.

Darquis M. Lampkin, 1500 block of 5 Mile Road, Racine, drive or operate without owners consent, receiving stolen property (between $5,000-$10,000), carrying a concealed weapon.

James Odis Lee Jr., 4700 block of North Green Bay Road, Racine, possession of THC, felony bail jumping, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Phoenix R. Londre, 2500 block of 19th Street, Racine, obstructing an officer, disorderly conduct.

Shawn E. Londre, 2000 block of De Koven Avenue, Racine, threat to a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct, misdemeanor bail jumping.

Emil L. Lundeen, Mukwonago, Wisconsin, operating a motor vehicle while under the influence (3rd offense, general alcohol concentration enhancer), operate motor vehicle while revoked.

Jalon S. Malone, 1000 block of College Avenue, Racine, possession with intent to deliver cocaine (less than 40 grams, use of a dangerous weapon, firearm mandatory minimum enhancer), possession with intent to deliver/distribute/manufacture THC (between 200-1,000 grams, use of a dangerous weapon, firearm mandatory minimum enhancer), possession of a firearm by a felon (firearm mandatory minimum enhancer), alter identity marks (manufacturer property), maintaining a drug trafficking place (use of a dangerous weapon, firearm mandatory minimum enhancer), neglecting a child (specified harm did not occur and child under 6 years of age), possession of drug paraphernalia, disorderly conduct, attempting to flee or elude an officer, second degree recklessly endangering safety, obstructing an officer, possession of a controlled substance.

Denaley A. Martin, 2000 block of Carmel Avenue, Racine, possession of THC, carrying a concealed weapon.

Joseph L. McLaurin, 800 block of Park Avenue, Racine, attempt robbery with use of force, battery (great bodily harm), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments).

Matthew D. Middleton, 3100 block of Shore Drive, Burlington, disorderly conduct, felony bail jumping.

Gabriel Murguia, 2000 block of Case Avenue, Racine, felony bail jumping, attempting to flee or elude an officer.

Carlos M. Ospina, 21000 block of Durand Avenue, Union Grove, physical abuse of child (intentionally cause bodily harm), disorderly conduct.

Jordan D. Parker, 33600 block Contour Drive, Burlington, possession of THC, carrying a concealed weapon.

Deonte L. Person, 1600 block of Superior Street, Racine, possession of a firearm by a felon (firearm mandatory minimum enhancer), possession of THC, felony bail jumping.

Corey C. Porter, 1300 block of Jones Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor retail theft (intentionally take less than or equal to $500), misdemeanor bail jumping.

Jair Salgado, Chicago, Illinois, felony retail theft (intentionally take less than $10,000).

John E. Sieraski, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, possession of THC.

Antonio M. Smith, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, burglary of a building or dwelling, operating a motor vehicle without owners consent.

Matthew N. Spiegelhoff, 1800 block of Summerset Drive, Mount Pleasant, possession with intent to deliver/distribute/deliver THC (between 200-1,000 grams), felony bail jumping.

Caleb L. Stulo, 700 block Silent Sunday Court, Racine, stalking, disorderly conduct, felony bail jumping.

Durome (aka Rome) C. Verse, 900 block of Park Avenue, Racine, disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments, felony domestic abuse repeater).

Gerald J. Watson, 900 block of Washington Avenue, Racine, misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), criminal damage to property, delivery of amphetamine (possession with intent to deliver/distribute a controlled substance on or near a school).

Shana L. Wells, Oak Creek, Wisconsin, possession of narcotic drugs, possession of a controlled substance, possession of THC.

Howard L. White Jr., 200 block of Howland Avenue, Racine, physical abuse of child (intentionally cause bodily harm), misdemeanor battery (domestic abuse assessments), disorderly conduct (domestic abuse assessments), felony bail jumping.

Hayley T. Wilkerson, 700 block of Imperial Drive, Racine, felony personal ID theft (financial gain), felony bail jumping.

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RACINE  Jurors in the homicide trial underway in Racine County Circuit Court heard from the defendant on Friday via recordings made during the course of the investigation.

Linda LaRoche, 67, is charged with first-degree intentional homicide in the 1999 death of Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder, 23.

The defendant was also accused of driving from her home in McHenry, Illinois, to rural Racine County to dump the womans body in a Raymond cornfield, for which she is charged with hiding a corpse.

LaRoche pleaded not guilty to the charges and has denied having a hand in the womans death.

History

The Racine County Sheriffs Office was dispatched to Raymond on July 21, 1999, after a Department of Public Works employee found a young womans body in the first row of a cornfield.

The woman was badly beaten, malnourished, and evidence suggested she had probably been tortured. She also had an infection her weak body could not fight.

The young woman had never been arrested, so her fingerprints did not turn up an identification.

She was buried in a Jane Doe grave and went nameless for 20 years until modern methods of DNA testing turned up an identification.

Once she was identified, investigators learned that Schroeders father had abandoned his family when she was young and her mother was deceased. She was described in court as cognitively slow.

She met LaRoche at a free clinic where the older woman was working as a nurse. LaRoche offered the young woman a job helping at her house with housework and her six children, according to testimony.

When Schroeder moved into LaRoches home, she brought almost nothing with her, just a two-person tent.

Investigator

Lt. Brian Van Scyoc, the lead investigator, took the stand on Friday and outlined the years that went by while the Sheriffs Office worked to identify Racine County Jane Doe.

He decided to continue working on the case even after he was promoted.

I felt strongly about the case, Van Scyoc told the jurors. I felt there was serious injustice done here, and I wanted to see it through.

He outlined the steps investigators took to identify Racine County Jane Doe, which included exhuming her body to make another attempt at DNA identification.

In 2019, investigators decided to attempt a new process for identification: forensic genealogy, the process of identifying people through their relatives.

Through that process, investigators learned that Racine County Jane Doe was Peggy Lynn Johnson-Schroeder; however, in roughly the same time period, they received a tip through the RCSO Facebook page they had launched to spread the word about the young, unidentified woman.

The tip allowed investigators to focus on McHenry, Illinois, and the family the young woman was living with in July 1999. The tipster advised that LaRoches oldest child, H.K., would be cooperative.

After that, they interviewed LaRoche and her children simultaneously, so they wouldnt have time to communicate with each other, which could taint the investigation. Portions of the interview with the defendant were played for the jury.

Tapes

LaRoche told investigators she took Schroeder in because she identified with her situation. The defendant, too, had lost her mother while she was still quite young.

I had a troubled childhood, LaRoche told the investigators. I didnt have anyone, either.

Later, she added: I felt bad for her because I knew she didnt have anywhere to go.

I loved Peggy, she told investigators. I gave Peggy lots of chances.

However, LaRoche sought to characterize Schroeder as a problem in the house and someone she could not trust.

She alleged there were times when she would come home and find men on the property visiting Schroeder, that she was mentally unstable  especially after the suicide of her younger brother  and was too cognitively slow to be trusted to take care of the children.

LaRoche told investigators there came a point when she just could not have Schroeder in her house any longer.

She said she came home and one of her children said Schroeder had been in the crawl space under the house where LaRoche kept the medications she used for her private business, contracting with detention centers to provide medical care to inmates.

On the day in question, LaRoche said she found Schroeder at the kitchen sink with a handful of medications, which she then dropped into the sink.

The medications, LaRoche told investigators, were not scheduled or controlled substances. Rather, they were more like heart medications.

She said after dropping the medication into the sink, Schroeder fainted and was out for about 15 minutes. LaRoche said she took her outside to get some air.

When Robert Johnson  then LaRoches husband, now her ex-husband  came home, she told him to take the kids to town for ice cream because she wanted them out of that situation.

Johnson confirmed from the stand that when he came home the first time, Schroeder was on the lawn, and when he came home the second time she was in the car.

He described her at various times as unconscious and lifeless.

LaRoche said she drove Schroeder to a gas station, where she contacted her grandmother, they met at a restaurant, and LaRoche left Schroeder with her grandmother.

LaRoche never saw Schroeder again, she said.

Patterns

The case against LaRoche is largely circumstantial. There is no DNA evidence, fingerprints, or anyone who can place the defendant in Racine County in 1999.

The DAs Office has used witness testimony to illustrate a pattern of violence inflicted on the victim by the defendant.

The interview tapes also show a pattern, one of deception.

On the tapes, jurors hear investigators confront LaRoche about the stories she has told her family over the years.

She claimed that two years after Schroeder left, the young woman contacted their business and asked to come back and live with the family.

However, as Schroeder had been dead for two years, this could not possibly be true.

LaRoche also claimed to have heard from Schroeders grandmother, who relayed the message that Schroeder moved to Nevada to live with her father.

In 2018, LaRoche sent out a text message claiming Schroder had friended her on Facebook, she was doing well in Nevada, and she had forgiven them.

Evidence was presented that the defendant sent a photo that was purportedly Schroeder, happy in her new life; though, her children previously testified that they knew the person in the photo was not Schroeder.

So why lie to her family?

LaRoche claimed she was trying to get some peace on the issue. She had one son, in particular, who would not let the matter rest.

He brought it up over and over, taunting her, she said, and added she just wanted it to go away.

In fact, during one interview at Schroeders house  she was then living in Florida  her son walked in and encouraged her to just tell the truth.

Her ex-husband also threatened to go to the police about Schroeder.

Previous testimony

LaRoches allegations about the young housekeeper were refuted by her children, who said they did not see men come to visit.

While the defendant described the acrimony in the house as though it were mutual, as though she and Schroeder had fights, the children described their mother using violence against the young woman and abusing her emotionally.

They never saw Schroeder attack anyone or defend herself.

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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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Archaeologists have uncovered strong evidence that the Trojan War described by the poet Homer in the "Iliad," one of the first and most important books in Western literature, actually occurred.

The research also shows that Troy and its successors had a unique strategic importance in the ancient world because they dominated a major trade route through the Dardanelles and thereby obtained unprecedented wealth and power.

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The findings indicate that ancient Troy was much larger than previously believed and may have been the largest city of its era, which stretched from 1700 B.C. to about 1250 B.C.

The new evidence, from the first excavations at the fabled city of Troy in nearly 50 years, is to be described this week at separate symposiums in Washington, New York and Troy, Ohio.

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The researchers discovered remains of ancient fortifications and buildings outside the much smaller citadel, which was previously all that was known to be left of Troy. The new evidence suggests for the first time that the city was large enough to withstand the 10-year siege and to mount the types of battles described in the literary classic.

Troy's power and strategic importance -- and not the kidnapping of Helen, wife of King Menelaus of Sparta, by the Trojan Prince Paris -- probably were the ultimate cause of the epic war described by Homer, experts say. The importance of the Dardanelles -- which provide access to the Danube, Don, and Dnieper river basins -- has also been the cause of a series of other major battles that have continued through the current era, culminating in the Battle of Gallipoli in 1915, in which 130,000 allied and Turkish soldiers perished.

The new excavations have, in fact, revealed 15 separate fortifications. "It [Troy] was always important and always had to be protected," said archaeologist Manfred Korfmann of the University of Tubingen in Germany. "We shouldn't talk about 'The Trojan War,' but about a whole series of Trojan wars."

The research also has revealed new insights into the links between Troy, which was in what is now western Turkey, and Rome at the time of the emperor Augustus Caesar, who reigned from 31 B.C. to A.D. 14. Historians have long known that Augustus and his successors emphasized their patriarchal ties to the warrior Aeneas, the son of Aphrodite who escaped Troy after its fall, as a way of legitimizing their own descent from the gods.

But the Romans did more than celebrate Troy, said archaeologist C. Brian Rose of the University of Cincinnati. The new excavations show that the Romans rebuilt Troy as a cultural and religious shrine, a mecca for Romans celebrating their illustrious origins and a tourist trap for the affluent.

At Troy, Mr. Rose already has discovered what he has identified as a Roman council house, temple, glass factory and a theater that may well have featured performances of Aeschylus' "The Trojan Women." They also have discovered a religious sanctuary that dates from the eighth century B.C. and might thus have been visited by Homer or one of his informants.

"We have really had no idea what the city was like during the period of classical antiquity that witnesses the foundation of Western civilization," Mr. Rose said. "We're trying to find out what kind of city it was and what happened to the site after it [the 'Iliad'] was written. These are questions that no one has really tried to answer before."

The international team that is carrying out the excavation has produced some "very exciting information," said archaeologist Getzel Cohen of the University of Cincinnati, who helped organize the expedition, but did not participate. What they are learning about the city is "really very gratifying," he said.
KEARNEY  Fellowship applications for Nebraska Leadership Education/Action Development Group 41 are now available for men and women involved in production agriculture or agribusiness.

The Nebraska LEAD Program prepares the spokespersons, problem-solvers and decision makers for Nebraska and its agricultural industry.

Up to 30 men and women with demonstrated leadership potential will be selected from five geographic districts across the state. The safety of LEAD participants and all who are associated with the program will be first and foremost during this global pandemic, Terry Hejny, Nebraska LEAD Program director, said.

Nebraska LEAD Fellows participate in three-day seminars each month from mid-September through early April. They also participate in a 10-day national study/travel seminar and a two-week international study/travel seminar.

Seminar themes include leadership assessment and potential, natural resources and energy, agricultural policy, leadership through communication, Nebraskas political process, global perspectives, nuclear energy, social issues, understanding and developing leadership skills, agribusiness and marketing, advances in health care and the resources and people of Nebraskas Panhandle.

Now in its 38th year, the program is operated by the Nebraska Agricultural Leadership Council, a nonprofit organization, in collaboration with the University of Nebraskas Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources and in cooperation with Nebraska colleges and universities, business and industry, and individuals.

Applications are due by June 15. They are available at leadprogram@unl.edu. They can also be requested in writing at 104 ACB, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68583-0940; or by calling (402) 472-6810. To learn about the selection process, visit www.lead.unl.edu
McIntosh Memorial Library of Viroqua will be hosting a presentation about womens suffragist Lucy Stone. Join Veronica Kleiber from the Vernon County Historical Society, Friday, March 25 at 10:30 a.m. in the library lobby for the in-person program. Visit the Viroqua Library Facebook page or the library website for a Zoom link to join the program virtually.

A leading suffragist and abolitionist, Stone dedicated her life to battling inequality on all fronts. She was the first Massachusetts woman to earn a college degree and she defied gender norms when she famously wrote marriage vows to reflect her egalitarian beliefs and refused to take her husbands last name. Stones organizational activities for the cause of womens rights yielded tangible gains in the difficult political environment of the 19th century.

The program is being held during the month of March which is recognized as Womens History Month.

For more information about this event, contact the library at 606-637-7151. Like the Viroqua Library page on Facebook or visit www.mcintoshmemoriallibrary.org.

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It began with a basic news you can use feature from National Public Radio. Titled 5 ways to cope with the stressful news cycle, producer Andee Tagles piece, published in late February, offered tips on how to cope with anxiety caused by news consumption in tense times.

Among Tagles tips: Do something that feels good for your body and helps you get out of your head. Also: The kitchen is a safe space for a lot of us. Maybe this is the weekend that you finally re-create Grandpas famous lasagna  or maybe just lose yourself in some kitchen organization.

Tagles simple self-help counsel quickly ignited social media scorn, seemingly touching a nerve among numerous commentators.

National Reviews Dan McLaughlin tweeted that the piece indicated that NPR employees really do not envision their audience as grown adults.

Im all for mental health awareness and therapeutic care, tweeted Daily Beast editor Anthony Fisher, before ultimately dismissing Tagles article as a lifestyle guide for narcissists.

The piece and its condemnation raise issues involving research about the mental and psychological toll of everyday news consumption thats gone largely unnoticed by the public over the last few years. Recent surveys and research on the subject have only occasionally been publicized in the general press. The COVID-19 global pandemic  and the doomsday news reports it sparked  attracted a bit more attention to this research.

Yet the mental and psychological toll of news consumption remains largely unknown to the general news consumer. Even if the research isnt widely known, the emotions felt by what one Northwestern University Medical School article called headline stress disorder probably exist for an certain unknown proportion of news consumers. After all, if these feelings didnt exist for at least some of their listening audience, NPR would never have published that piece. Nor would Fox News have published a similar article to help its viewers cope.

The news can wreak a mental and psychological toll on some people. DjelicS via Getty Images

News threatens mental stability

The idea that more news, delivered faster through new and addicting technologies, can cause psychological and medical harm has a long history in the United States.

Media scholars like Daniel Czitrom and Jeffrey Sconce have noted how contemporaneous research linked the emergence and prevalence of neurasthenia to the rapid proliferation of telegraphic news in the late 19th century. Neurasthenia is defined by Merriam-Webster as a condition that is characterized especially by physical and mental exhaustion usually with accompanying symptoms (such as headache and irritability). Early 19th-century scientific exploration in neurology and psychiatry suggested that too much news consumption might lead to nervous exhaustion and other maladies.

In my own research into social psychology and radio listening, I noticed the same medical descriptions recurring in the 1920s, once radio became widespread. News reports chronicled how radio listening and radio news consumption seemed to threaten some peoples mental stability.

One front-page New York Times article in 1923 noted that a woman in Minnesota was divorcing her husband on the then-novel grounds that he suffered from radio mania. The wife felt her husband paid more attention to his radio apparatus than to her or their home, which had apparently alienated his affection from her.

Similar reports of addiction, mania and psychological entanglement spawned by new media emerged again as television proliferated in the American home in the 1950s, and again with the proliferation of the internet.

The public discussion of psychological addiction and mental harm caused by new technologies, and the ensuing moral panics they spawn, appears periodically as new communication technologies emerge. But, historically, adjustment and integration of new media occurs over time, and disorders such as neurasthenia and radio mania are largely forgotten.

A story from the Dec. 2, 1923, New York Times front page. New York Times archive

Anxious about frightening news

Headline stress disorder might sound ridiculous to some, but research does show that reading the news can make certain subsets of news consumers develop measurable emotional effects.

There are numerous studies looking into this phenomenon. In general, they find some people, under certain conditions, can be vulnerable to potentially harmful and diagnosable levels of anxiety if exposed to certain types of news reports.

The problem for researchers is isolating the exact subset of news consumers this happens to, and describing precisely the effect that occurs in response to specific identified news subjects and methods of news consumption.

It is not only probable, but even likely, that many people are made more anxious by the widespread distribution of frightening news. And if a news consumer has a diagnosed anxiety disorder, depression, or other identified mental health challenge, the likelihood that obviously distressing news reports would amplify and inflame such underlying issues seems almost certain.

Just because popular culture manages to pathologize much of everyday behavior doesnt mean identified problems arent real, as those skewering the NPR story implied.

We all eat; but some of us eat far too much. When that occurs, everyday behavior is transformed into actions that can threaten health and survival. Likewise, most of us strive to stay informed, but its likely that in certain situations, for certain people, staying informed when the news is particularly frightening can threaten their mental health.

[Over 150,000 readers rely on The Conversations newsletters to understand the world. Sign up today.]

Therefore, the question is not whether the problem is real, but how research might quantify and describe its true prevalence, and how to address the problem.

And thats precisely why the NPR article caused such a stir. Many people who consume news without problem couldnt fathom why others might benefit from learning how to cope with headline stress disorder.

In reality, the criticism aimed at NPR says nothing about those who find our current run of bad news particularly anxiety provoking. It does say a lot about the lack of empathy from those who would scoff at the idea.

Michael J. Socolow does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.

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Watch out for Russia-Ukraine conflict impacts, Vietnam businesses told

Vietnamese enterprises should prepare to deal with ramifications of the ongoing Russia-Ukraine conflict like rising oil prices and long-term impacts of sanctions on Russia, experts say.













Vietnamese firms were advised to brace for impacts of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, several of which were detailed at a conference held in HCM City last Friday. VNS Photo Bo Xuan Hiep



Diversification of both export and import markets would be a key aspect of the preparation, they add.



Speaking at a conference on the impacts of the crisis on Vietnamese firms last Friday, Dr Tran Quoc Hung, director of the US-based Institute of International Finance, said the crisis and the sanctions on Russia would disrupt the supply chain in the Western and world markets.



The likely disruptions to agricultural activities of two major exporters of staple commodities could seriously escalate food insecurity globally, he said.



Russia and Ukraine are the largest and fifth-largest wheat exporters, respectively. Together they account for almost 30 per cent of international annual sales, Hung said.



Russia is also a world leader in fertiliser exports.



If the crisis continues, the supply of wheat to the world market could decrease by up to 30 per cent. The resulting supply gap could push up international food and feed prices by 8 to 22 per cent above their already elevated levels, it has been estimated.



According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, international food and feed prices could rise by up to 20 per cent as a result of the conflict.



Around 50 countries, including many of the least developed nations, depend on Russia and Ukraine for at least 30 per cent of their wheat supplies, leaving them especially vulnerable, it said.



Meanwhile, Vietnam ranks second in rice exports at over 6.5 million tonnes per year; after India with 18.7 million tonnes per year.



Vietnam should take the opportunity to boost export of rice and other farm produce to the EU market, which imports $160 billion worth of food and farm produce annually, Hung said.



The EU market is also in need of an alternative supply source for agricultural products and food it gets from Russia and Ukraine, he noted.



Meanwhile, Vietnam should import wheat from the US as an alternative to Russia, he added.



No major impact



Nguyen uc Thanh, director of the Vietnam Centre for Economic and Strategic Studies, said the crisis was unlikely to cause a significant direct impact on Vietnamese businesses.



As Russia isnt among their key markets, Vietnamese firms will not be severely affected, he said. Those affected can still find ways to do transactions via a third-party bank, though this would be slower and more costly.



As Russia and Ukraine account for less than two per cent of the global economy, the ongoing conflict is not likely to hurt the worlds economic recovery in a significant manner, Thanh said.



Vietnams exports to Russia (mostly computers, components, phones, textiles, coffee and electrical products) was around $3.2 billion in 2021, while its imports reached $2.3 billion.



As for Ukraine, while its annual trade turnover with Vietnam is less than $1 billion, it has been a long-standing traditional commercial partner. In 2021, trade turnover between the two countries reached $720.5 million, up 51 per cent year-on-year. Main exports to Ukraine are computers and footwear.



The rise in global oil prices, however, would hurt Vietnams efforts to ramp up its economic activities, Thanh said.



Former Ambassador to the US Pham Quang Vinh, also former deputy minister of Foreign Affairs, said Vietnamese enterprises should be aware of the risks posed by the sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and EU, particularly in trade and payment.



The trade sanctions would be a challenge for Vietnamese exporters transacting directly with Russian importers already cut off from global payments networks, he said.



Other problems facing exporters include shipment delays and higher shipping costs.



Le Duy Toan, director of Duy Anh Food Import and Export Co., Ltd, said that his company exports five containers of goods to the Russian and Ukrainian markets a month.



When the conflict broke out, shipments to Russia were delayed or stuck. The company plans to diversify its export markets to Eastern European markets with the same quality standards, he said.



Vu Kim Hanh, chairwoman of the Association of High-Quality Vietnamese Goods Enterprises, said to diversify export markets, Vietnamese exporters must improve the quality of products especially to choosier markets.
Baltimore Police investigate a shooting on Gwynn Oak Avenue Saturday night that killed three and injured one. (Emily Opilo)

Baltimore Police are investigating a shooting that killed three men and injured a fourth in Northwest Baltimore on Saturday night.

At approximately 8:20 p.m., police were called to the intersection of Gwynn Oak Avenue and Liberty Heights Avenue in Howard Park.

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When officers arrived, they saw four men inside a vehicle, all suffering from gunshot wounds. Three of the men were unresponsive and pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. All three were 25 or 26 years old. The fourth man, who is 73, was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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Nearly two dozen evidence -markers dotted the sidewalk across the street from a Shop Rite grocery store. An SUV, still running and with its doors slung open, sat in the middle of Gwynn Oak Avenue.

About an hour later, police say, a man was shot in the 2200 block of West Patapsco Avenue in Lakeland. It followed a 4 p.m. shooting in the 2500 block. At about 10 p.m., police were called to a hospital, where the 34-year-old victim sought treatment.

That shooting brought the total number of people shot in Baltimore on Saturday to 10. A fourth man was killed in an early morning shooting in Little Italy.

Christopher Ervin, chairman of the Howard Park Civic Association, was in the parking lot of the Shop Rite when shots rang out. He described the volley as a good barrage.

Because of the volume, people didnt know where they were coming from, he said. Folks were running in every direction including back into ShopRite. Cars were peeling out on Gwynn Oak and racing back through the ShopRite parking lot.

Ervin said he discussed the corner where the shooting happened earlier this week with the Baltimore Police district commander for the area. The area has a long history of violence, and he was concerned about the spring ahead, he said.

Neighborhood leaders have been particularly concerned about crime outside 4Gs Liquors. (Emily Opilo)

Neighborhood leaders have been particularly concerned about crime outside 4Gs Liquors, which sits just yards away from the site of Saturdays shooting, Ervin said. With their urging, lawmakers approved restricted hours for the store following a 2016 spate of violence that left three dead in the span of 72 hours in Howard Park.

Ervin said he testified in Annapolis in support of the restricted hours; however, problems remain. The Howard Park Civic Association will hold an emergency meeting this week in light of the shooting, he said.

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The owner of 4Gs Liquors could not be reached for comment Sunday.

State Sen. Jill P. Carter, who represents the Howard Park area, said the corner involved in the shooting has attracted problems for years. She supported the legislation spearheaded by the Howard Park community to force the liquor store to limit its hours.

[ Baltimore homicides interactive map ]

Im so sad about the homicide tonight, she said. Its a strong, beautiful, Black community that deserves greater reinvestment and better than the city has given it. Rebuilding and revitalization efforts, such as the Ambassador Theater, are in the works.

Councilman Kristerfer Burnett, who also represents Howard Park, appeared at the shooting scene Saturday. He said he thought the limited hours at the liquor store had improved the corner.

At approximately 8:20 p.m., police were called to the intersection of Gwynn Oak Avenue and Liberty Heights Avenue in Howard Park.

It did remove a lot of the activity, he said, noting that he hasnt been summoned to the area for criminal activity in some time. This is pretty shocking.

Anyone with information is urged to contact investigators at 410-396-2488. Those who wish to remain anonymous can use the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCK-UP.

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Baltimore Sun reporter Christine Condon contributed to this article.
The controversial decision by the city to purchase Maple Grove Motel to house the unsheltered is being revisited, not due to resident objections but rather the findings of a property inspection.

The La Crosse Common Council is scheduled to meet at 5 p.m. Monday at the South Side Neighborhood Center, after a resolution from Mayor Mitch Reynolds invoking inspection contingency.

According to the resolution, first shared on News8000, the sale was dependent on an inspection showing the property was in condition acceptable to the city. However, the inspection uncovered significant issues with the building.

The resolution concludes that the city no longer wishes to purchase the property, and city staff are directed to take any and all steps necessary to effectuate this resolution.

The council in February approved $1.5 million to buy Maple Grove Motel, using American Rescue Plan funding, with the intent to use it as temporary housing for the homeless population. The building can accommodate 32 persons. Currently, the city is utilizing the Econo Lodge for the unsheltered through the end of April.

Some residents in the neighborhood of the Maple Grove Motel have expressed displeasure with the plan to provide shelter at the location, with a petition circulating by Citizens for Sensible Homelessness Solutions. The group believes using the motel for the homeless will strain police resources, offer only enough space for less than a third of La Crosses unsheltered persons, and will require those currently using the motel to leave. Over 500 signatures were obtained as of Saturday morning.

The Salvation Army, in a March 9 letter to City Council members, stated their own concerns about Maple Grove Motel, including a lack of transparency in the process, no operational plan and traffic dangers. The Salvation Army noted it was also not in favor of the use of Econo Lodge, preferring a scattered site model.

However police chief Shawn Kudron earlier this month said that Due to just the many, many factors that are involved with our unsheltered population its desirable for the police department that there is a centralized population.

Parks, Recreation & Forestry Department director Jay Odegaard, who presented the initial proposal to the council, said at the time, At the end of the day it is all of our goals to reduce the number of unsheltered people in the community.

Emily Pyrek can be reached at emily.pyrek@lee.net.

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Eight percent of law enforcement agencies in Wisconsin  including the La Crosse Police Department  have received full accreditation by a statewide law enforcement organization aimed at improving policing.

Some of the largest departments accredited include Milwaukee, Janesville and Wausau.

Accreditation is a process that makes policing more consistent, professional and accountable, said Glendale Police Chief Mark Ferguson, who also serves as the president of The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, which issues the certification. Many universities undertake a similar process each year to review if programs meet defined standards of quality.

The Wisconsin Law Enforcement Accreditation Group, or WILEAG, was created by the Wisconsin Chiefs of Police Association in 1995 as a cheaper alternative to the national organization The Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies. CALEA charges nearly $20,000 to join, with another $5,700 in annual membership fees.

WILEAG offers full accreditation for a $300 initiation fee and a $650 annual fee. It offers partial accreditation for a $100 initiation fee and a $350 annual fee. WILEAG does not offer accreditation for communication centers like CALEA.

About 5% of all law enforcement agencies in the country  nearly 1,000  have been accredited by CALEA with about 200 awaiting the certification, according to the organization. Three Wisconsin agencies have CALEA accreditation  the Oshkosh Police Department, the UW-Madison Police Department and the Rock County Communications Center  with the UW-Whitewater department in the process.

About 8% of agencies of the 560 in Wisconsin that are eligible are fully accredited by WILEAG. Another 19 agencies are partially accredited.

La Crosse County has one fully accredited agency, the La Crosse Police Department, and no agencies partially accredited

A number of factors can lead to a department choosing not to be accredited by the state group, despite the discounted price, Ferguson said. The process can be extremely lengthy and time-consuming, often requiring departments to rewrite entire sections of policy.

Still, Ferguson said, I really wish every department would be on board. Think about it this way: Who would you rather do business with? A business that skates by on the bare minimum, or one that is willing to go above and beyond whats required?

WILEAG and its governing board  made up of law enforcement professionals, district attorneys, insurance attorneys, victim rights activists and professors  have identified more than 240 standards deemed best practice for officers to follow in a variety of situations.

Included are policies like maintaining records of disciplinary action against officers, prohibiting chokeholds except in life-threatening situations or in self-defense, and a policy that requires an officer to intervene and stop another officer from using force if it doesnt meet standards.

Last summer, bills signed by the governor limited chokeholds by police, created statewide standards for when an officer may use deadly force, mandated officers to intervene when other officers use illegal force and created whistleblower protections for officers who report misconduct.

Patrick Solar, a UW-Platteville criminal justice professor, who served in Illinois as the Genoa police chief in the 2000s, is a firm believer in accreditation. He also serves on the reviewing council for the Illinois Law Enforcement Accreditation Program.

Theres too much variation in what you see in policy from department to department about something as basic as use of force, Solar said. All 18,000 police departments nationwide should be required to develop [best practice] policies.

New chiefs are often hired to bring about change, which is the perfect time to jump into an accreditation program, he said.

Building a foundation under an agency with these policy developments means youre not constantly running around putting out fires, Solar continued. You eliminate a lot of problems by being able to ask the question, did we follow correct procedures.

The Green Bay Police Department is not an accredited agency, in part because of the time it takes, and the extra wages that would have to be paid, said Captain Ben Allen.

Some agencies staff a full-time position to work on these types of projects, and we have not had personnel dedicated to a position like this for various reasons, Allen said. In my 20-plus years with GBPD, I have not had a chief that wanted to [become accredited].

Instead of accreditation, the Green Bay Police Department is part of the Lexipol Policy program, a system that provides updates to policy based on best practices, updates to federal, state and local laws and ordinances, and allows for customization of policy in order to meet the needs of a community, Allen said.

The police departments in Madison and Appleton, two of the largest law enforcement agencies in the state who are not accredited, did not respond to requests for comment.

One requirement for WILEAG accreditation is yearly evaluations of officers, an issue close to Solars heart. During his policing career, Solar required evaluations for years, but said the practice fell out of favor with many departments.

I can point to a risk management specialist who will tell police supervisors and managers to stop doing performance appraisal records, Solar said. If you have records stored someplace off-site, theyll want them burned to the ground.

Evaluations can take into account things like the officers appearance, ability to follow instructions, compliance with agency policies and number or quality of arrests.When you have an agency thats been accredited, youre going to find that they have a much more in-depth evaluation manual, Ferguson said. Theyll tend to do a lot more things that other agencies might not.

The Janesville Police Department has been accredited through WILEAG since 2000, with a recent re-accreditation in 2020. Chief David Moore says his department has long required yearly evaluations of officers  but that they work better in high-trust organizations, which can take years to create.

[Trust] is not something you can turn on or off, Moore said. Its something that you earn over the decades. Weve talked so much about earning our communities trust, but earning our communities trust starts with earning our employees trust. Because if were not treating our employees fairly, then why would we expect them to go into our communities and treat them fairly?

Evaluations are valuable if they are accurate, fair and set reachable goals, Moore said. Police unions often oppose evaluations because it could end up harming an employee down the road, he added.

The Wisconsin Professional Police Association, the largest police union in Wisconsin, did not respond to requests for comment.

I believe to a great degree these evaluations can be objective with proper training, good supervisors and honest dialogue with our employees, Moore said. Put yourself in the position of the employee  wouldnt you want to know [your performance] in your organizations eyes?

The Badger Project is a nonpartisan, citizen-supported journalism nonprofit in Wisconsin. This story was funded in part by a grant from the La Crosse Community Foundation. For more visit thebadgerproject.org.

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MADISON  The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) has announced the six top candidates for the 75th Alice in Dairyland position. They are Amber Cafferty, Amelia Hayden, Courtney Moser, Taylor Schaefer, Samantha Schuessler and Charitee Seebecker.

Prior to being selected as top candidates, applicants completed an application and preliminary interview. Over the next eight weeks, the six top candidates will prepare for the three-day Alice in Dairyland Finals, scheduled for May 19-21 in Dane County. The three-day process includes agribusiness tours, media interviews, an impromptu question and answer session, individual interviews, and candidate presentations.

The selection of the 75th Alice in Dairyland will be announced live during the program at the conclusion of the finals on May 21.

The 75th Alice in Dairyland will begin her term on July 5. The Alice in Dairyland selection process takes your communication, interpersonal, and public speaking skills to the next level, said 74th Alice in Dairyland Julia Nunes of Chippewa Falls. This process helps the top candidates refine their communications skills that will not only be pivotal in their journey to the 75th Alice in Dairyland Finals, but also in their future careers.

Meet the finalists

Charitee Seebecker of Mauston learned first-hand the work ethic and dedication of Wisconsin farmers. Growing up on her familys registered Holstein dairy farm, feeding calves and milking were just a couple of things that helped keep her busy. After a farm setback and having to transition away from the farm, she turned to FFA and 4-H to continue igniting her passion for agriculture. Wanting to share agricultures story and the impact that growing up on a farm had on her, Seebecker obtained a bachelors degree in agriculture business with an emphasis in communications and marketing from the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. In 2016, she shared her knowledge of agriculture while serving as the Juneau County Fairest of the Fair. Throughout college, she was very active in the Pioneer Dairy Club, Agriculture Business Club, Ceres Womens Agricultural Fraternity, and served as co-president of the National Agri-Marketing Association. Upon graduation in May 2018, Seebecker served as an Ameri-Corps Farm to School Specialist for Juneau County. She currently works at the Wisconsin Holstein Association as the director of sales and membership and as a news broadcaster at Hometown Life News in Tomah.

About Alice in DairylandAlice in Dairyland is a full-time communications professional for the Wisconsin Department of agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP).

The Alice program is supported by several partner organizations including Dairy Farmers of Wisconsin, Kettle Moraine Mink Breeders Association, Wisconsin Corn Promotion Board, and Midwest Jewelers Association. For more information about the Alice in Dairyland program, visit https://www.aliceindairyland.com/ and follow Alice online on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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Annie Dodge Wauneka (1910-1997) was born in a Navajo hogan to Henry and Keehabah Dodge. She was raised by her father, who was the first chair of the Navajo Tribal Council and a wealthy rancher.

Wauneka attended a government-run school in Fort Defiance, Ariz., when the 1918 Spanish influenza hit. She recovered from a mild case and helped care for other patients. This led to her interest in public health. She continued her education at an Indian school in Albuquerque, NM, where she met and then married George Wauneka.

Wauneka recognized the way to improve the health of her nation was through their government. In 1951, she ran and was elected as the second woman to the Tribal Council where she served as chair of the Health and Welfare Committee. She received a degree in public health from the University of Arizona and was an activist on issues like tuberculosis, infant mortality and alcoholism.

She also served on advisory boards to the U.S. surgeon general and the Public Health Service, and the NM Committee on Aging. She received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and the Navajo Nations Medal of Honor. Wauneka dedicated her life to helping Navajos utilize modern medicine without sacrificing traditional values.

Sponsored by AAUW La Crosse; researched by Pam Thiel.

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Jewel Plummer Cobb (1924-2017) saw and instigated many changes in her life. Born on January 17, 1924, in Chicago to a physician father (the first African-American to earn an M.D. from Cornell University) and a mother (the daughter of a freed slave) who taught high school phy-ed and owned a dance studio, she was always encouraged to learn more!

Fundamental to encouraging more women to consider careers in the sciences is the eradication of the notion that proficiency in mathematics is a gender-linked characteristic, she wrote. She earned a B.A. in biology in 1944 at Talladega College in Talladega, Ala., after two years at the University of Michigan where she endured racism.

In 1947, she earned a M.S. and, in 1950, a Ph.D. in cell physiology, both at New York University. In 1952, she founded the first tissue culture facility at the University of Illinois Medical School. In the 1960s, she was a biology professor at Sarah Lawrence College, and in 1969, she became the dean of zoology at Connecticut College.

Her research into melanin pigmentation and how it protects us from UV radiation continued, and later, she and Jane Wright, with innovative collaboration, proved the efficacy of methotrexate in treating many types of cancers, including childhood leukemia.

She accepted the president position at California State University-Fullerton in 1982 and retired in 1990. In 1993, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Academy of Sciences. She died on Jan. 1, 2017, at age 92, survived by one son and a granddaughter.

Sponsored by AAUW La Crosse; researched by Annie Allen-Wyman.

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The New York Times recently published a story about how more couples are opting for weekday weddings. More weddings are expected to take place in 2022 than in any year since 1984, the article states, and that increase in demand for venues and vendors has created intense competition in booking weekend dates.

While its a recent trend for English  or non-Amish  couples to get married on weekdays, Amish communities have been celebrating marriages on weekdays for centuries. Its a tradition that has stayed strong throughout 2021.

Traditionally, Lancaster Amish weddings are held on Tuesdays or Thursdays, a tradition rooted in specifics of the Amish church life, says Steven Nolt, professor of history and Anabaptist studies at Elizabethtown College and interim director for the schools Young Center for Anabaptist and Pietist Studies.

Nolt provided information, and context to understand it, on 2021 Amish weddings for LNP | LancasterOnline. Nolt shared information from the Lancaster Gemeinde Brief, a biweekly newsletter serving the Lancaster/Chester Amish settlement and its daughter settlements like Hopkinsville, Kentucky; Parke County, Indiana; and Fennimore, Wisconsin, where some Lancaster Amish families have relocated.

According to the Lancaster Gemeinde Brief, there were 446 weddings in 2021, six of which did not provide a wedding date. Of those 440 weddings with dates, the vast majority were in the Lancaster/Chester Amish settlement.

The Tuesday/Thursday wedding tradition remained strong: 56% of those 440 weddings were held on Tuesdays, and 44% were on Thursdays. Only three of those 440 weddings were on a day of the week that was not Tuesday or Thursday.

In 2021, the most popular dates were:

 Tuesdays Nov. 9 and Nov. 16: 44 weddings each day.

 Thursday, Nov. 11: 39 weddings.

 Thursday, Nov. 18: 38 weddings.

 Additionally, 20 couples married on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 25.

The tradition of November weddings is an old, rural custom; the end of harvest season is a convenient time to take a break from farm work, Nolt says. That tradition remained as well, but scholars have noted that the Amish wedding season has extended to accommodate more weddings in recent years. Below is a breakdown of 2021 months and the number of Amish weddings that occurred in each month:

 January: 4

 February: 14

 March: 22

 April: 1

 May: 6

 June: 0

 July: 0

 August: 1

 September: 4

 October: 35

 November: 314

 December: 39
This story contains links that will take you to our archives site on newspapers.com. This content is free for LancasterOnline subscribers who are logged in. Click here for more information about how to subscribe.

Excerpts and summaries of news stories from the former Intelligencer Journal, Lancaster New Era and Sunday News that focus on the events in the countys past that are noteworthy, newsworthy or just strange.

25 years ago

A mid-morning fire gutted a business complex on March 13, 1997, including a daycare center from which 60 children had to be evacuated.

More than 70 firefighters from 10 local departments battled the blaze, which caused $750,000 worth of damage to the Crooked Oak Business Center along Eden Road. The fire was attributed to an electrical problem in the Com-Tech Electrical Services building, which then spread through the roof to adjacent businesses, including the Magic Years Child Care Learning Center.

An automatic fire alarm triggered at 10:13 a.m., at which point all of the children and staff of the day care center were evacuated safely, as were employees of all other affected businesses.

In the headlines:

Clinton road plan would allow tolls on interstates

Rosa Parks honored by transit authority

Student's controversial artwork about JonBenet is ripped down twice

Check out the March 13, 1997, Intelligencer Journal here.

50 years ago

In March 1972, a Lancaster native was making a splash as a student director of a water pageant at West Virginia University.

At the age of 6, Louise Dorwart began appearing in water pageants directed by her mother at Millersville State College. By age 21, she was a junior at WVU, a school she chose in part because of its synchronized swimming, and was directing the school's annual synchronized swimming production, or water pageant.

The members of the synchronized swimming club voted on a theme for their musical pageant, selecting "Extra Wet News," a show with each number representing a different page or aspect of the newspaper - from horoscopes to comics; from crime to society pages. The final piece would be conceived around the concept of a clock ticking down the second until deadline.

Once she was finished with school, Dorwart intended to become a physical education teacher, possibly even teaching synchronized swimming.

In the headlines:

Three die in massive Sunbury train wreck

Helicopters rescue 70 from Swiss cable car

Housing tracts of year 2000 could save space and cut expenses

Check out the March 13, 1972, Intelligencer Journal here.

75 years ago

With multiple airlines expressing an interest in flights to and from Lancaster - and the Lancaster Municipal Airport being utterly unequipped to serve them - upgrades to the facility were being planned in 1947.

Examiners from the federal Civil Aeronautics Board recommended that requests by eight airlines to begin serving Lancaster be denied by the board unless the airport was improved and expanded.

By way of response, the Lancaster Airport Commission stressed the fact that plans were already underway to expand the airport, with work expected to begin in the spring. The expansion was expected to cost upwards of $1.3 million, with some state and local funds already secured, but the majority yet to be raised.

In the headlines:

Tense Congress debates Truman's call to fight world communism

Rebel troops under siege by Paraguay regulars, aircraft

Truman flys to rest in Florida

Check out the March 13, 1947, Intelligencer Journal here.

100 years ago

Daylight Saving Time, first introduced during World War I, was repealed at the federal level after the war, leaving it up to individual municipalities to decide whether to use the alternate time system.

This made it difficult to arrange things like railway schedules, as Lancaster found out in 1922.

At issue were the "milk train" runs, trains that served farmers in Lancaster County and elsewhere. Farmers were concerned about the inconvenience in having their schedules altered for the summer when Lancaster County would not be participating in Daylight Saving Time.

As of March, it seemed their concerns were unfounded - the Reading Railroad assured the Lancaster County Farm Bureau that the milk runs would likely be unaffected by any changes to the schedule. Indeed, as neither York nor Harrisburg would be adopting Daylight Saving Time for the summer months, it was possible no changes to any train schedules would occur.

In the headlines:

200 dead, 600 hurt in South Africa revolt

Gandhi accused of sedition and pleads guilty

Check out the March 13, 1922, Lancaster Intelligencer here.
Lancaster County schools districts are expected to receive a total of $211.56 million in federal pandemic relief funds. At least $19 million has been spent as of Dec. 1, according to reports by 14 districts.

The money has an expiration date. Federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief funds (ESSER) allocated in three waves  May 2020, January 2021 and March 2021  must be spent before Sept. 30, 2022, 2023 and 2024, respectively.

That leaves school districts busy deciding the best use for a large sum of funds.

We dont necessarily take one-time money and purchase something thats going to require recurrent costs once those funds go away, said Solanco Superintendent Brian Bliss. That was one of the challenges to make a wise purchase that doesnt challenge the district financially once those grant funds go away.

Funding is not doled out all in one amount, but instead on a monthly basis, said Andrew Armagost, director of advocacy and analytics for the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials. If the funds previously sent to a school district or charter school are not spent, then future monthly disbursements are temporarily suspended, he said. Anything leftover at the end of the spending period could return to the federal level.

A survey conducted by the association found that, of the 14 Lancaster County school districts surveyed, the districts spent only approximately 16% of approximately $123.58 million in ESSER funds as of Dec. 1.

More than 300 Pennsylvania schools were surveyed in the January report from the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials. So far, respondents indicated they spent ESSER funds on educational technology, programs targeted at learning loss, increased staffing levels and mental health services for students.

Cocalico School District is using its funds to pay for the salaries of nine of its mental health professionals, including counselors and psychologists, according to the districts assistant to the superintendent, Beth Haldeman.

Contrary to some other districts, those people will continue to remain our people, Haldeman said, adding that some schools might use their funds to hire additional, but temporary staff. Weve been very careful about how we allocate those funds because we want to ensure that theres sustainability.

The district began providing transportation to summer tutoring programs using the first round of ESSER funding, Haldeman said.

That was one of the things we did tell our parents was probably something we werent sure we could sustain, she said. But we have seen such a dramatic increase in the number of students attending that we will figure out a way to continue to offer the busing for the tutoring.

Haldeman said the district plans to use the remaining funding on hiring new teachers to reduce class sizes, paying for supplies to tutor children and other learning loss programming.

Community feedback

School districts using the ESSER funding were encouraged to collect community input before budgeting their money.

For Cocalico, students and community members alike asked that the school continue to take care of the kids, Haldeman said.

Conestoga Valley School District organized a survey for community input. The survey yielded responses from parents, students, teachers, community members and administrators, according to a PowerPoint on the district website.

One-third of 226 respondents indicated a need for facilities improvements while approximately a quarter each wanted the district to focus on high quality academics and foster supportive learning environments.

In response, the district will allocate two-thirds of its ESSER funding ($10 million) toward facilities improvements and one-fifth to focusing on high quality academics.

Facilities improvements will include water bottle filter stations, HVAC upgrades, and renovations to the Huesken Middle School, according to the PowerPoint.

Bliss said the district organized ESSER committees to facilitate community engagement and determine best uses for the $23.19 million allocated to the district.

It was harmonious; it was collaborative, Bliss said. There wasnt really disagreement about it. It was just discussing and trying to brainstorm ways to do this effectively and responsibly.

The first round of funding went to personal protective equipment, technology for remote instruction and anything needed to safely reopen in fall 2021, Bliss said.

Its just trying to manage everything

For Solanco, a rural school district, Bliss said reopening was essential. While the school district accounts for 179 of Lancaster Countys 944 square miles, or 19%, with 32,932 residents, its home to only 6% of the countys population of 552,984.

Remote instruction was a unique challenge in rural areas just because of the lack of internet access, Bliss said.

While ESER funds could go to hot spots, hot spots wouldnt fix the problem in Solancos most rural areas that have no cellular signal. Instead, Solanco focused on establishing one to one technology (a laptop or technological device for each student) and expanding its Wi-Fi reach so students could do work from school parking lots.

Bliss said Solancos strategy for allocating funds was to make one-time purchases that wouldnt incur costs later.

And the grant deadlines could pose a challenge for infrastructure projects, Bliss said.

For example, Solanco is planning on upgrading a few of its HVAC systems with ESSER funds. However, Solanco isnt the only school with that plan and, Bliss said, contractors are becoming flooded with requests.

The timeline of getting these grants completed before the grant expiration will represent a challenge, Bliss said. But its something thats going to play out.

Armagost said the Pennsylvania Association of School Business Officials is advocating for extended deadlines to spend ESSER funding.

These are the type of funds that you just dont want to spend because you have to spend that by 2024, he said.

Originally, the proposal for ESSER funds extended the deadline out to 2028, Armagost said.

That would have enabled us as schools to essentially have longer planning periods, he said. Construction takes a while, and we're in a labor market and then in an economic and demographic situation where prices are going up

Taxpayers can expect to see some of this planning taking place as districts lay out their 2022-23 fiscal year budgets. Haldeman said district business managers have had a lot to work with.

Were grateful as a school district absolutely  its just trying to manage everything, Haldeman said.
Brent Renaud, an acclaimed filmmaker who traveled to some of the darkest and most dangerous corners of the world for documentaries that transported audiences to little-known places of suffering, died Sunday after Russian forces opened fire on his vehicle in Ukraine.

The 50-year-old Little Rock, Arkansas, native was gathering material for a report about refugees when his vehicle was hit at a checkpoint in Irpin, just outside the Ukrainian capital of Kyiv. Ukraines Interior Ministry said the area has sustained intense shelling by Russian forces in recent days.

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Renaud was one of the most respected independent producers of his era, said Christof Putzel, a filmmaker and close friend who had received a text from Renaud just three days before his death. Renaud and Putzel won a 2013 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University journalism award for Arming the Mexican Cartels, a documentary on how guns trafficked from the United States fueled rampant drug gang violence.

This guy was the absolute best, Putzel told The Associated Press via phone from New York City. He was just the absolute best war journalist that I know. This is a guy who literally went to every conflict zone.

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Brent Renaud attends the 74th Annual Peabody Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on May 31, 2015, in New York. Renaud, an American journalist, was killed in a suburb of Kyiv, Ukraine, on Sunday, March 13, 2022, while gathering material for a report about refugees. Ukrainian authorities said he died when Russian forces shelled the vehicle he was traveling in. (Charles Sykes/Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

The details of Renauds death were not made immediately clear by Ukrainian authorities, but American journalist Juan Arredondo said the two were traveling in a vehicle toward the Irpin checkpoint when they were both shot. Arredondo, speaking from a hospital in Kyiv, told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli that Renaud was hit in the neck. Camilli told the AP that Arredondo himself had been hit in the lower back.

We crossed the first bridge in Irpin, we were going to film other refugees leaving, and we got into a car, somebody offered to take us to the other bridge, we crossed the checkpoint, and they started shooting at us, Arredondo told Camilli in a video interview shared with the AP.

A statement from Kyiv regional police said that Russian troops opened fire on the car. Hours after the shooting of Renaud, Irpin mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said journalists would be denied entry to the city.

In this way, we want to save the lives of both them and our defenders, Markushyn said.

The U.S. State Department said it would not comment on Renauds death out of respect for his family members but that consular assistance was being offered to them.

The U.S. State Department condemned attacks on news professionals and others documenting the conflict.

We are horrified that journalists and filmmakersnoncombatantshave been killed and injured in Ukraine by Kremlin forces, the department said via Twitter. This is yet another gruesome example of the Kremlins indiscriminate actions.

The State Department also said it would not comment on Renauds death to respect his familys privacy but that consular assistance was being offered.

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Responding to news of Renauds death, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists called for an immediate halt to violence against journalists and civilians.

This kind of attack is totally unacceptable, and is a violation of international law, the committee said on Twitter.

Breaking News Alerts As it happens Be informed of breaking news as it happens and notified about other don't-miss content with our free news alerts. >

Along with his brother Craig, Renaud won a Peabody Award for Last Chance High, an HBO series about a school for at-risk youth on Chicagos West Side. The brothers litany of achievements include two duPont-Columbia journalism awards and acclaimed productions for HBO, NBC, Discovery, PBS, the New York Times, and VICE News.

Renaud was also a 2019 Nieman fellow at Harvard and served as visiting distinguished professor for the Center for Ethics in Journalism at University of Arkansas. He and his brother founded the Little Rock Film Festival.

Among other assignments, Renaud covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the devastating 2011 earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya and extremism in Africa.

Putzel, who worked with Renaud for 12 years, paid tribute to his courage and passion.

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Nowhere was too dangerous, Putzel said. It was his bravery but also because he deeply, deeply cared.

He is survived by his brother Craig, Craigs wife, Mami, and a nephew, 11-year-old Taiyo.

AP journalists Sylvia Hui in London and Maria Grazia Murru in Przemysl, Poland, contributed to this report.
Federal investigators obtained a search warrant targeting a Central Pennsylvania man who they believe may have evidence documenting how a far right group planned to stop Congress from certifying Joe Biden's presidential victory on Jan. 6, 2021.

A Justice Department court filing, made public on Tuesday, shows federal prosecutors obtained a search warrant for an unnamed individual living in Carlisle who is alleged to be an upper tier member of the Proud Boys, an all-male group whose members have a record of using violence and the threat of violence in support of former President Donald Trump and public demonstrations organized by conservative activists.

The document was filed as part of the governments prosecution of Henry Enrique Tarrio, the former leader of the group who was arrested on Tuesday and charged with conspiracy and obstructing an official proceeding, among other charges. It also revealed that two search warrants were sought in connection  one for a Carlisle, Pennsylvania, resident, and a second for a North Carolina man.

The government believes the Carlisle resident, referred to only as Person 3, contributed to an encrypted message group where Tarrio and other members discussed ways to interfere with the January 6 certification of Bidens win in the November 2020 election.

Person 3 is a Proud Boy who uses the alias Johnny Blackbeard, LNP |Lancaster Online was able to confirm. Information found online shows that the alias belongs to John Charles Stewart, a Carlisle resident who was first identified as a member of the Harrisburg Proud Boys chapter in a data leak last summer from the web hosting platform Epik.

LNP was able to connect Blackbeard to Stewart in a number of ways. First, former Lehigh Valley Proud Boys Vice President Richard Schwetz told LNP on Friday that Johnny Blackbeard is the Carlisle Proud Boy who was the subject of the federal search warrant.

He declined to provide Blackbeards real name, though he said he had known him for years.

Separately, LNP reviewed a Telegram channel used by Proud Boys members and discovered a December 24, 2020, post by a person using the name Johnny Blackbeard. In the post, he wrote that he was in the hospital for complications from a hernia and provided a link to a GiveSendGo fundraising page.

That page was created by a woman named Daniele Stewart, and she wrote on it that the money raised would be used to pay for her husband Johns medical expenses. Records show Daniele is married to John Charles Stewart, and the fundraising page she created recorded donations from multiple Proud Boys members.

According to Proud Boys members who spoke with LNP, Stewart was not in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 6.

Conspiracy investigation

The government may believe Person 3, aka Stewart, has records that could help prove the alleged conspiracy involving Tarrio and others.

"Given the evidence used in prior indictments it is likely they are looking for evidence of internal communications, planning, things you would necessarily be able to find in encrypted platforms and group chats that were more open to the public," said Samantha Kutner, an extremism researcher focused on the Proud Boys whose work has been published by the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism.

In the weeks leading up to January 6, the government alleges, Tarrio and other Proud Boy leaders used an encrypted messaging service to create a chat group titled Ministry of Self Defense and used it to assemble their plans for blocking Congress certification of Bidens win in the Electoral College.

Tarrio said Person 3 was in charge of the operations section of the January 6 plan, along with Philadelphia Proud Boy chapter president Zach Rehl, a named defendant in the indictment.

Investigators say that as efforts to plan for January 6 intensified, Person 3 sent a voice message on January 3 recommending that Proud Boys should focus their efforts on the U.S. House of Representatives, where Congress would be meeting in joint session to certify the election results.

So we can ignore the rest of these stages and all that (expletive) and plan the operations based around the front entrance to the Capitol building, Person 3 wrote, apparently dismissing the importance of other rallies and speeches planned to take place that day. Tarrio responded to the messaged by saying you want to storm the Capitol.

Asher Meza, an associate of Tarrios and a member of the Miami Proud Boys chapter, said he participated in the Ministry of Self Defense chat referenced in the Department of Justices indictment; he believes Blackbeard was an admin of the chat and removed him from it.

Meza said Blackbeard wasnt in Washington, D.C., on January 6 because he was in the hospital dealing with a medical problem. Schwetz said the same.

"I am 100% sure he was not there, Schwetz said, though he declined to answer how he is certain. He was not anywhere on January 6."

Meza also said that Blackbeard removed him from the Ministry chat, which is consistent with federal investigators allegation that Person 3, fearing the encrypted chat was compromised, removed everyone from (the first Ministry of Self Defense) group.

Search warrants

It is unclear if investigators executed the search warrant targeting Stewart. However, the news organization Raw Story reported the warrant targeting the North Carolina man, Jeremy Bertino, was executed on Tuesday.

On that same day, approximately 6-10 cars were seen outside of Stewarts Carlisle home, according to a person who saw them and requested anonymity out of concern for retaliation.

The Department of Justice did not respond to a request for comment.

A phone number for John Stewart could not be located. Reached by phone Saturday, Daniele Stewart said her husband wasnt available and then hung up.

"(Federal Prosecutors) are trying to prove premeditated, politically motivated, coordinated action to over-turn the election," Kutner said.

Both Schwetz and Meza maintain that the Proud Boys is a fraternal club and that the federal government is taking statements out of context to make it appear as if members were planning in advance to storm the Capitol.

Every Proud Boy was shocked to see what transpired, not that they were against it, but to think that the Proud Boys could organize that? Were a drinking club, were a fraternity, were not a militia, Meza said. We went to D.C. on January 6 to fight antifa. Same reason as November and December: to be there if antifa started attacking conservatives, to step in and retaliate.

Meza said that on January 6 he was providing security for a group called Latinos for Trump. He said that he has been subpoenaed by the House Select Committee investigating January 6 and is scheduled to testify next week.

So far, no Proud Boys have been tried for their role in January 6.

Editor's note: This article has been updated to clarify that Meza believed Blackbeard was an admin of the "Ministry of Self Defense" chat, but did not know with 100% certainty who any of the admins were.

This reporters work is funded by the Lancaster County Local Journalism Fund. For more information, or to make a contribution, please visit lanc.news/supportlocaljournalism.
When: Lampeter-Strasburg school board meeting, March 7, in person and audio streamed on YouTube.

What happened: The board approved raising the School Age Child Care tuition rate from $4.50 an hour to $5 an hour for the 2022-23 school year.

Why its important: Business Manager Keith Stolzfus explained the hourly rate is well below the average of similar programs in the area. He said the finance committee had discussed the increasing costs of staffing and running the program and that even with the increase, the rate remains below area averages.

Background: The districts School Age Child Care program is licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services to provide before and after school childcare for children in kindergarten through fifth grades. The SACC program currently operates at Lampeter and Hans Herr elementary schools.

Food service budget: The finance committee also had discussed the food service budget and historical losses that have accumulated over the past decade. The board approved moving $320,000 from the unassigned general fund balance to cover the deficit.

Quotable: Current year, with high levels of subsidies, increased participation and unfortunately very low staffing levels, we are doing very well financially this year, Stoltzfus said. This would be a transfer to clear that past due balance from the food service operation.

Professional development: The board approved a $52,250 contract for 2022-23 with Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 to provide professional development for teachers who will use hybrid learning in their classrooms.

Textbook approval: The board adopted a new statistics textbook for Advanced Placement classes at a cost of $10,703.10.

Two other items: The board set senior class graduation date for June 3; Superintendent Kevin Peart recognized Martin Meylin Middle School Principal Jamie Raum for his contribution to the district following board approval of his resignation. Raum will retire this year after 21 years in the district.
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Two years.

To many of us, the past two years have felt like they lasted a lifetime. March 2020 was a massive turning point for humankind and our lives were disrupted in ways many of us never thought would be possible. Some of us felt the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic more than others, but we all felt it.

Many people had to say goodbye in unconventional ways to loved ones who lost their battle with the virus. Some people had to adjust their lives in ways to make sure their children would participate in their virtual schooling. Many people were forced to close their businesses and figure out how to make ends meet. Teachers and school administrators had to become creative and find a way to make sure students did not fall behind in their education. The list goes on.

Those of us in health care caring for COVID-19 patients had to come to terms with seeing multiple people die each day, despite our best and most intense efforts to save them. We lived in fear each day we returned home from work, concerned that we might bring the virus home and infect our families. The daily feeling of loss, failure and exhaustion created a trauma so strong that many people chose to leave their jobs in health care to protect their own mental health.

In the beginning, health care workers were called heroes, a label that many of us were not comfortable with  most of us truly believed we were just doing our jobs. As the nightly cheers and banging of pots and pans celebrating health care workers faded, a different kind of noise grew. It was the noise of people telling us to quit complaining and just do our jobs since thats what we signed up for.

Suddenly a public health issue became political, and people were becoming more divided than ever. Pure hatred was spewed all over social media accusing health care workers of fearmongering. These accusations were followed by rhetoric from misinformed people telling those of us who were educated in medicine that we were spreading lies about the number of people dying and that we were exaggerating the importance of social distancing, masking and COVID-19 vaccination. So, many of us grew silent, and just continued to do our jobs.

But we felt it. We felt the betrayal on top of the pain and trauma we already were experiencing, because no amount of training or education can prepare you for working through a pandemic. No book or clinical experience can prepare you for witnessing that much death in such a short period of time. No textbook, mentor or colleague can prepare you for the hate heaped on you for doing your job and trying to educate patients and the community.

I pray that individuals who started their careers in health care during this pandemic will soon be able to see that what has transpired over the past two years is not the norm. It is not always chaos, the hospital is not always full, we do not normally zip multiple body bags in one day, and we are not always working short-staffed. I hope those new to health care can one day love their careers and feel appreciated.

I also pray that people who have lost loved ones over the past two years have found peace, or are on their way to finding it. I hope that we are at a point where enough people are vaccinated or have natural immunity that the cases of COVID-19 and the number of deaths will continue to decline. Most of all I hope that all those who have lost their lives to this virus did not do so in vain, and that we all realize we can, and we must, do better.

Reflecting on periods like this pandemic is important. It helps us to examine ourselves, our experiences and our perspectives. It allows us to gain insight about ways to move forward, heal and develop strategies to improve our actions for future crises.

We all have been affected by the circumstances of the past two years. And while our personal experiences during this pandemic are likely as unique as each of us, I believe we have learned a lot about ourselves as well as one another. I have come to recognize that we are resilient, we are capable of adapting, and most importantly, we must come together when times become challenging, instead of allowing adversity to divide us.

It is hard to find any good in a pandemic that to date has taken more than 6 million lives worldwide, and as we near 1 million deaths in the United States. If nothing else, I hope that this tragedy has taught us a few things. I hope we have learned the real importance of being good people, the importance of having respect for one another, and the importance of being thoughtful and considerate of others. I hope that we have learned to appreciate every single minute of every single day because life as we know it can be turned upside down in an instant. I hope that we realize that even small inconveniences can ignite change, and those inconveniences in no way affect a persons freedoms  because freedom without a life to enjoy it does not exist.

Above all, it is my greatest hope that this experience has helped each and every one of us to embrace and appreciate the positive impact of kindness. Because honestly, kindness is everything.

Nikkee Asashon is an intensive care unit nurse in Lancaster County who has earned her credentials as a nurse practitioner.
After bombs started falling in her hometown of Kharkiv, Annamaria Maslovska left her friends, her toys and her life in Ukraine.

She began on a trip with her mother toward safety. The mother and daughter crossed the Hungarian border by train along with hundreds of other Ukrainian refugees. The 10-year-old girl said she had begun to worry about her friends in Kharkiv after phone messages she sent to them went unanswered.

I really miss them because I cant contact them, they just read my messages and thats all. I really worry, because I dont know where they are, Annamaria said in English at the train station in the border town of Zahony.

Annamaria was raised alone by her mother. She is one of more than 1 million children who have fled Ukraine in the weeks since Russia first invaded the country. UNICEF spokesperson James Elder called it a dark historical first.

The estimates mean that children represent half of the more than 2 million people who have fled the war. The U.N. refugee agency calls it the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II. There have been cases of children having to make the trip out of Ukraine alone.

Most of those fleeing the war have entered countries on Ukraines western border, including Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and Moldova. The majority have gone into Poland. About 1.33 million refugees have crossed into that country, the Polish Border Guard agency says.

Moldova Prime Minister Natalia Gavrilita said on the American channel Cable News Network (CNN) that one in every eight children in her country is a refugee.

Young children may not understand that their lives have been changed. But, older ones know of their hardship. Those children risk suffering emotional trauma from the war and from their escape, experts say.

Margot is a one-year-old girl who traveled from Kyiv to the Siret border crossing in Romania. For her, the journey was like a little adventure, said her mother, Viktoria Filonchuk. But for other older children, she suspects they understand what they are going through.

Such little kids maybe dont understand this, but kids of about 3 or 4 years understand all the tragedy. I think it is very hard for them, Filonchuk said.

Daniel Gradinaru is a coordinator of Fight for Freedom, a Christian nongovernmental organization at the Romanian border. He said that older children could be marked for the rest of their lives by the experience of unexpectedly leaving their homes and traveling for days in the cold.

Nine-year-old Valeria Varenko traveled to Hungary with her mother Julia and her little brother. Bombings had forced them to shelter in the underground area of their apartment building in the Kyiv.

The family reached a temporary refugee reception center in Barabas, Hungary. Valeria said she wanted to tell children left behind in Ukraine to be careful, and not to touch any objects in the street. They could be bombs which can hurt them very much, Valeria said.

Her father stayed behind to help defend Kyiv from Russian troops nearing to the city. I would really like him to come, but unfortunately he isnt allowed, she said of her father.

Ukrainian men between the ages of 18 and 60 are currently not permitted to leave the country. That policy is aimed at keeping men available to fight against Russian forces.

Annamarias hometown of

, Ukraines second-largest city, has seen heavy bombardment by Russian forces. Neighborhoods in the city near the Russian border were shelled for several days before a missile strike hit a government building in the citys central Freedom Square last week. At least six people were killed in that attack.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the attack undisguised terror.

Although she is only 10, Annamaria already knows she wants to be an actress in the United States. She is proud that she can speak English at a high level.

I want to be an actress in USA and English is a very popular language, she said. A big percent of people in the world know it and its very easy to speak it in other countries.

Annamaria and her mother, Viktoria, planned to travel on to Hungarys capital, Budapest. But they do know where they would go after that. Annamaria said she hoped to visit Disneyland in France.

Once the war ends, she said, she wants to go back to Kharkiv and reconnect with her friends.

If war stops, I really want to go home because there are my friends, there are beautiful parks, supermarkets, centers, and playgrounds behind my house, she said. Kharkiv, its like a piece of your heart.

Im John Russell. And I'm Jill Robbins.

Justin Spike and Renata Brito reported this story for The Associated Press. Ashley Thompson adapted it for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

hardship n. something that causes pain, suffering, or loss

trauma n. a very difficult or unpleasant experience that causes someone to have mental or emotional problems usually for a long time

journey n. an act of traveling from one place to another; a trip

tragedy n. a very sad, unfortunate, or upsetting situation; something that causes strong feelings of sadness or regret; a tragic event

reception adj. related to receiving or welcoming people to a place that they do not know a lot about

allow v. to permit; to let something happen

undisguised adj. not hidden or secret
Rich Russians are trying to move some of their wealth from Europe to Dubai as a result of Western sanctions, financial and legal sources say.

The sanctions are a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Dubai, the Persian Gulf's financial and business center, has long been a point of interest for the very rich. And the United Arab Emirates' (UAE's) refusal to take sides between Western allies and Moscow has suggested to Russians that their money is safe there.

The UAE, which over the years has deepened its ties with Russia, has not agreed to observe sanctions put in place by Western nations. Its central bank has so far not issued guidance regarding Western sanctions.

In many cases, wealthy Russians are seeking to move money that is now in Switzerland or London, a senior banker at a large Swiss private bank and a lawyer familiar with the matter said.

The lawyer, who is based in Dubai, said his firm had received questions about how quickly it could move large amounts of money - hundreds of millions of dollars - to the Gulf Arab state.

The Dubai Media Office, UAE foreign ministry and central bank did not immediately respond to a question about the amount of Russian funds going into Dubai.

The senior private banker said in some cases, Russian clients with accounts at private banks were opening accounts with that same bank's UAE branch. Others were opening accounts with local banks, the banker added.

Russians are facing a weakened economy at home. They are also looking to put their money in investments, including real estate, and buying into funds that do not reveal ownership information, another financial source said.

Dubai has long been popular with Russians, who were among the top visitors to the emirate and purchasers of real estate even before the war.

Bankers said there was a risk of reputational harm to organizations receiving Russian funds as companies around the world cut ties with Moscow.

Some major UAE banks are taking a careful approach. Banks operating in the Gulf state have in the past been punished for not following rules about sanctions on countries including Iran and Sudan.

The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) is a worldwide organization that examines financial crimes. Last week, it put the UAE on a "grey list" of places subject to increased examination.

The Dubai Media Office, UAE foreign ministry and central bank did not immediately respond to questions about how banks and businesses should deal with sanctions on Russia.

Two sources familiar with the matter said businesses in the UAE would spend more time looking into the origins of their funds through a so-called Know-Your-Customer process.

A source at a Dubai bank said that funds from Russians are not being accepted for wealth management, though they could set up deposit accounts.

"They can do it," but the bank has high compliance hurdles to clear to accept Russian money, including evidence of where it came from, the source said.

The UAE's private wealth industry has not yet reached the size or complexity to fully take in wealth stored in Switzerland and other traditional money shelters, sources said.

"They might take some, but I find it hard to imagine that they would take it all," an investment management professional said. "It's not just the servicing element, but the investment management which most of these banks lack.

Im John Russell.

Yousef Saba, Sumeet Chatterjee, Hadeel Al Sayegh and Alexander Cornwell reported on this story for Reuters. John Russell adapted it for VOA Learning English.

____________________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

sanction  n. an action that is taken to force a country to obey international laws by limiting or stopping trade with that country  usually plural

client  n. a person who pays a professional person or organization for services

reputation  n. the way in which people think of someone or something

approach  n. a way of dealing with something : a way of doing or thinking about something

deposit  n. an amount of money that is put in a bank account

compliance  n. the act or process of doing what you have been asked or ordered to do : the act or process of complying

hurdle n. something that makes an achievement difficult

lack  v. to not have (something)
Baltimore City firefighters watch as an excavator removes debris at the scene of a vacant row house fire on S. Stricker Street in January. Four firefighters were trapped in a collapse while fighting the fire. Three of them died. (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun) (Jerry Jackson/Baltimore Sun)

Sixteen thousand  year after year, for more than two decades, thats been the official annual count of vacant houses in Baltimore City, give or take a thousand.

The figure has held strong through multiple mayoral administrations and tens of millions of dollars spent razing, rehabbing and reselling the unoccupied properties, which lower surrounding property values, attract crime and put lives in danger: Earlier this year, three firefighters were killed, and another seriously injured, when an empty house on South Stricker street caught fire, then collapsed while they were inside.

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Every mayor has had an ambitious plan to reduce the number, and every mayor has failed, with new buildings abandoned as fast as the old ones were dealt with. Now, Mayor Brandon Scott plans to spend $100 million of the citys $641 million American Rescue Plan funds on his housing initiative, which includes a vacants strategy.

Wed love to think this time will be different, but history suggests we should be skeptical.

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Vacants, and the ills associated with them, have been an intractable problem in Baltimore for nearly a century. The roots trace back to racist redlining policies of the 1930s, denying non-white residents access to home loans and thus homeownership; along with the loss of jobs and population in the city, and the growth of the surrounding suburbs.

In the early 1970s, Mayor William Donald Schaefers administration launched the popular Dollar House Program, a version of which todays City Council considered reviving. The short-lived initiative, in which residents could buy a house for a buck and a promise to fix it up, helped revive a handful of neighborhoods in downtown areas, but didnt stop the accumulation of new vacants in other communities.

In the late 1980s, the city estimated there were about 5,500 vacant properties in Baltimore when Mayor Kurt Schmoke took office. The number swelled to more than 8,500 in the 90s, despite Mayor Schmokes efforts to renovate or remove dilapidated buildings and to offer low interest loans to developers and first-time homeowners.

By the time Martin OMalley unveiled his Project 5000 plan during his State of the City address in 2002, the number of vacants was in the 16,000 ballpark. Under the plan, the city bought nearly 7,000 unoccupied properties  then got stuck with most of them, as officials struggled to find buyers.

In 2009, Mayor Sheila Dixon pushed forward a proposal for a nonprofit, quasi governmental land bank that would oversee the acquisition and disposition of vacants. But it was yanked from the drawing board within weeks of her resignation in January of 2010, following a gift card misuse scandal.

Next up was Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, who in November of 2010 announced a Vacants to Value plan meant to speed up sales of abandoned properties, in part by cutting red tape requirements. But she still wound up spending roughly $10 million per year to try to raze structures  four times as much as other mayors spent. The city tore down 1,700 properties between 2010 and 2016, but the project made no meaningful dent in the overall count.

Later that year, Catherine Pugh took office and implemented a demolition strategy that was adopted in part after her resignation by Mayor Jack Young, who added a rehabilitation component. Neither effort made headway.

During this time, from 2016 on, Gov. Larry Hogan got in the act, committing $75 million in state funds to teaching down properties under a joint state and city program called Project C.O.R.E. The number of vacants dropped, but not lower than 15,000.

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And that brings us to Mayor Scott. His plan, announced Friday, takes what he calls a holistic approach to dealing with vacants, by addressing not just abandoned buildings, but the issues that lead to them, including eviction and neighborhood decline.

He plans to commit $56 million to community and affordable housing development in strategic areas and $4 million to prevent displacement among low-income residents. About $40 million is slated for blight elimination and prevention, also known as vacants. The funds will be used to rehab properties and streamline the permitting process, as well as prevent more vacants from developing by increasing homeownership opportunities, helping seniors and others care for their homes.

Hes right that the ultimate solution will involve investment in communities, to make them places people want to live, and in residents, to give them the opportunity to own homes. But is Mayor Scotts plan bold enough? We hope so, but in many ways, it looks like more of the same.

Baltimore Sun editorial writers offer opinions and analysis on news and issues relevant to readers. They operate separately from the newsroom.
"I was snorkeling under that," said Travis Williams, the executive director of the nonprofit who was participating in the event in 2019. "That's disgusting," he told Mid-Valley Media at the time.

The 2019 overflow, according to Albany Director of Public Works Operations Chris Bailey, ended up resulting from a deteriorated plug in a long-abandoned pipe.

In a statement following the settlement announcement, Bailey described the event as isolated, one to which the city responded immediately. She said it is not representative of the city's wastewater collection plan, which it has updated regularly since 2015.

The needed permit
NAACP has picketed Fred Meyer, demanding the Portland-headquartered retailer apologize or face boycott for discrimination three women say they experienced when store employees allegedly followed them around the Corvallis store and refused to accept checks based on the color of their skin.

Linn Benton NAACP Branch president Jason Dorsette told a crowd on Saturday, March 12, the demands call what he said is one of the regions biggest corporations to publicly commit to a hard reset of its values as shoppers begin emerging from the coronavirus pandemic.

A hard reset that is inclusive. A hard reset that values all customers. All shoppers. All citizens. All undocumented folk. All allies. Everybody who spends money at your establishment, Dorsette said.

When pressed by that crowd outside the store, a company spokesman got close to saying sorry.

If anyone had a bad experience, I apologize, said company corporate affairs director Jeffery Temple.

About 110 people, mostly dressed in black, gathered at Franklin Square Park before they marched on the Kings Boulevard Fred Meyer. Chelle Williams, an activist coordinator with the branch, said shes found employees hovering behind her while grocery shopping or had cashiers decline to accept checks to pay for groceries.

Williams, a Black woman, said she hasnt seen the same reluctance when the same check is issued by her husband, who is white.

Im just tired, she said.

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The organizations Corvallis-based branch, Linn Benton NAACP, levied its demands Friday at the announcement of what its calling the Fred Meyer Anti-Discrimination Campaign. Branch president Jason Dorsette said in an interview a Fred Meyer regional director contacted him in hopes the human rights organization will sit down to discuss its demands.

But he wont meet with anyone, Dorsette said, until the company publicly acknowledges historic profiling.

The branch gave Fred Meyer until Wednesday, March 16, to publicly apologize and commit to serving customers without discrimination.

If the store cant be moved to action, NAACP will move its supporters to action, Dorsette said.

We will ignite a boycott, he said.

Demonstrators wielded signs calling on Fred Meyer and parent company Kroger to act.

Maggie Law, 15, a Corvallis high school student clasped shiny posterboard reading my money matters too.

Maggie said she and her 19-year-old sister Nevaeh Bray receive looks that make them uncomfortable in local stores, but said her sister who shops alone at local Fred Meyers stores especially appears to draw the attention of workers.

Its awkward. Its not right, she said.

Temple in an interview said hes read NAACPs demands and that Fred Meyer has launched an internal investigation into the allegations of discrimination. He didnt say whether the company would respond directly to NAACPs demands.

We look forward to listening deeply  demonstrating integrity and sincere concern, he said.

Dorsette said the demonstrations will have worked when shoppers, especially Black, indigenous and people of color feel like their business is valued the same as anyone else.

We will know that when we see a shift in the way Fred Meyer does business and hires BIPOC folks he said. Especially at the corporate level.

Alex Powers covers business, environment and healthcare for Mid-Valley Media. Contact him at 541-812-6116 or alex.powers@lee.net.

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If not for Jane Does courage, former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger, R-Lewiston,  a man who stands convicted of raping her and now faces spending the rest of his life in prison  would no doubt be on his way toward securing a second term representing this area in the Legislature.
Over the past two years, our state has been confronted with incredible challenges; all of us have been touched in some way by the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite the hardships and differing views about how to face them, Marylanders have demonstrated that strength is found when we remain unified. The pandemic has invited us to place our lives in service of others, and we have found ways to lift one another from the darkness of suffering to discover a renewed sense of hope in the goodness of others.

Unfortunately, that unity is once again being threatened by an issue that has polarized Americans for nearly 50 years. There is a disturbing proposal making its way through the legislative process in Annapolis that seeks to enshrine abortion in our states constitution. House Bill 1171 is an attempt to unnecessarily amend Marylands Constitution to expand an already extreme abortion landscape under the guise of reproductive liberty.

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Maryland is already one of the most abortion-permissive states in the nation. And even if the United States Supreme Court were to strike down the current federal standard for abortions, the laws in states like Maryland would remain in effect. From COVID to racist acts of violence to crime in our communities, our nation and our state have spoken with a united voice in calling for greater respect for human dignity and for human life. Yet, the legislature is wasting time and resources on an unnecessary, symbolic gesture to make it harder to protect life. Instead, shouldnt we, including churches, government agencies and others, be investing resources into helping those women who feel they have no option but to choose abortion by providing them and their babies with those basic necessities that will allow them to live justly and with dignity?

Maryland women, including women of color, immigrants and those living in poverty, want support that will allow them a true decision and the choice to be able to achieve their dreams and to raise their children. House Bill 1171 promotes unwanted abortion to women who are already marginalized. It underestimates the resiliency and abilities of women to parent and pursue their dreams at the same time. It is not more abortion that Maryland needs, but a clear understanding of the diverse demographics in our state in order to provide support and resources for growing families.

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As a state, we must find ways to overcome racial, economic, and emotional barriers that cause women to believe their only response to pregnancy is abortion. Women and their children need access to life affirming and affordable health care, housing, gainful employment, prenatal care, and child care. As the Catholic Church in Maryland, we remain committed to helping women and children in need not only throughout pregnancy but the whole life of the child. We have done this and will continue to do this through the support of pregnancy centers, as well as our network of schools, hospitals, parishes and the outstanding work of Catholic Charities.

Abortion is an issue that has divided our state and nation for decades. The passage of H.B. 1171 will further this deep divide by disrupting the laws already in place that safeguard life and freedom of conscience and prevent even modest laws to protect life from being enacted. Let us, instead, continue to push for ways of dignifying every life, of lifting up every woman and of promoting the dignity and value of every person.

William E. Lori is the archbishop of Baltimore.

Wilton Cardinal Gregory is the archbishop of Washington D.C.

William E. Koenig is bishop of the Diocese of Wilmington, Delaware.
I know that 4-H has helped me find my spark. Before I joined 4-H, I was afraid of public speaking and got jittery every time I presented. Now, even though those nerves remain, public speaking is something I love to do!
Dean Albro, who previously held the title of management services director with the city of Lompoc for the past three years, was appointed to his new role by the City Council in a 4-1 vote during its regular meeting on Dec. 7.
Debut author Kevin Kluesner jokes that the FBI character in his novel The Killer Sermon has certain similarities to him  only taller, better looking and in better shape.

Kluesner, who lives in the Milwaukee area and originally hails from Prairie du Chien, tackles the always controversial issue of reproductive rights in his novel, published Jan. 1. Hell be doing a book signing for The Killer Sermon at the East Towne Mall Barnes & Noble later this month.

Q: What is your writing and work background?

A: My undergraduate degree was in journalism. I thought I was going to be a writer ... (however), it was really difficult to find a job when I graduated in 1980. I talked my way into a PR job and later worked in public affairs at a hospital. (But during that time) I was also hired part-time as the outdoor writer for the La Crosse Tribune.

Q: You still work in the health care industry, correct?

A: Yes. I served as the administrator of St. Joseph Hospital in Milwaukee for the past nearly five years, and recently became the administrator of the mental health emergency center that is being built in the city. I feel blessed. Its incredibly rewarding work.

Q: How do you find time to write?

A: Its easier when you have a deadline. Ive always done something else (in addition to a full-time job). I used to teach. The millennials didnt invent the side hustle. I think its great when people are more than one-dimensional. Somebody like me, to be a debut author at 63, its a miracle.

Q: Did your writing The Killer Sermon benefit from the time you spent as an outdoor writer?

A: There are a lot of things I feel translated (to fiction writing). As an outdoor writer, one of the things you need to do well is you have to set the scene. Sometimes you hunt or fish and you dont get anything. People want to feel like they are there.

Q: How long have you been wanting to write The Killer Sermon?

A: This story ... its been gnawing at me for over 20 years. I would pull it out, start writing and something would come up. A couple of years ago I realized I had 45,000 words written. Id read Stephen Kings memoir on writing ... he basically says: professionals sit down and write. Amateurs wait to be inspired. I just started every Saturday and Sunday morning, I would say Im not getting up until I write 1,000 words. It took me four months to do the next 45,000 words. I pitched the series and I signed a three-book deal. I have to have the second book turned in by the end of June.

Q: The book centers on the issue of reproductive rights. Why did you pick that topic?

A: (Reproductive rights) is always there somewhere in the American consciousness. Sometimes its simmering on the back burner. Sometimes something happens and it bubbles over. Its always a hot issue. For me, this story really was about two protagonists  a male FBI agent and a female reporter  who are on very different sides of this divisive issue. They have to put aside their issues to catch a killer.

Q: Was there a message you wanted to get across with this book?

A: This novel will not change your view (on reproductive rights). If youre pro-choice, youll be pro-choice at the end. The underlying message is that as much as we disagree on these divisive issues ... we ought to be able to respect each other. I feel that weve kind of lost that as a society.

Q: You have a contract for two more books. Do you plan to bring back the same FBI agent and journalist?

A: Yes, both are recurring and they both play major roles. One of my secondary characters is an FBI analyst who will play a much larger role in the second book.

Q: Part of the novel takes place in Prairie du Chien. What made you want to set part of the mystery there?

A: I grew up in Prairie du Chien. Im a cradle Catholic born and raised. St. Gabriels church (in Prairie du Chien) is the oldest stone church in the state of Wisconsin. The town plays a meaningful role in the book (as the place) this small-town priest gives a fiery sermon on Christmas morning. What I want people to take away is that words matter. When you say something in a passionate, powerful way, sometimes they will take a direction and philosophy that you never intended.

I was a little nervous that people in my hometown (would think) I cant believe Prairie du Chien is being portrayed like this. (However), I did a book signing in Prairie du Chien and there were 100 people there. Ive gotten nothing but love from people there.

Q: What else did you draw on from your past while writing the book?

A: The main character has two degrees from Marquette, I have two degrees from Marquette. He was a wrestler, I was a wrestler. He grew up in Prairie du Chien (like me). People ask me, Is the character based on you? And I say, Yeah, other than the fact that hes taller, better looking and in better shape.

Q: What kind of research did you do to be able to write an FBI agent?

A: Youd be amazed by how much is online. I had a guy that I found, a retired federal agent, not with the FBI. He was kind enough to read the book and (identify) if anything was unbelievable or would not happen (the way it was written). My FBI agent was going to drive an Acura (like me). Now he drives a Dodge Charger. Im not as excited about it, but it was little stuff like that.

Q: What can you tell us about the next book in the series?

A: I have the ending chapter written. The working title is The Killer Speech. (The book centers around) the Democratic National Convention that was canceled because of the pandemic. In (FBI character) Cole Huebschs world, it takes place. A senator from the great state of Wisconsin gives a rousing speech at the convention and is shot down the next morning when hes out for a run. He survives.

Q: Anything else you want people to know about your book?

A: I think people might read the blurb on the back about reproductive rights and dont want to be bogged down (by a serious topic). And while it might deal with a divisive topic, its not meant to be a divisive book. If anything, hopefully it brings people together a little.
The briefly accepted offer of three months worth of free phone, internet and TV service left a Monroe woman without the landline shed depended on for 36 years and a pair of giant telecoms struggling to get it back on.

Patricia Gregory, 76, is connected again after the two-week outage that left her stressed and frustrated with TDS Telecom and Charter Communications brand Spectrum. Her story goes like this:

On Jan. 25, a door-to-door salesman convinced her to try a Spectrum bundle package, although I did not sign anything and I did not receive a pamphlet of information or anything.

The salesman said someone with the company would call in five days to schedule installation, but no one did, so she called Spectrum and told the company to cancel the order. Spectrum said it couldnt, and her efforts to appeal to a supervisor were rebuffed.

The next day, her existing TV-landline-internet provider, TDS, cut her off without informing me and without my permission or my PIN and then denied her request to have at least her landline reconnected.

I have since made numerous calls to TDS and to Spectrum, Gregory wrote SOS on Feb. 9. TDS says Spectrum needs to connect the phone so TDS can then port it. Spectrum says since they never installed the phone line, TDS is able to use it.

Gregory sought to cover all her bases by contacting SOS and filing a complaint with the Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection on Feb. 9, and both took action the next day, with DATCP forwarding the complaint to the state Public Service Commission.

Delays in getting Gregory reconnected were a result of the confluence of many factors, TDS associate communication manager Missy Kellor said in a Feb. 15 email to SOS.

In short, and in line with Federal Communications Commission guidance on changing phone carriers, TDS disconnected Gregorys service on Jan. 31 in response to a request from another telecom, Kellor said.

Although Ms. Gregory ultimately changed her mind about switching providers, her phone number had already moved, she said. Her number was designated as being serviced by her new carrier, but likely as a result of her cancellation, was also marked as inactive.

The PSC, meanwhile, reported that TDS told the agency that Gregory canceled her Spectrum order on the date Spectrum was to install her new services. But by then, a process involving the Number Portability Administration Center  the federally mandated clearinghouse for phone numbers that was created to ensure people could keep their numbers across different providers  had already been set in motion.

The process got a bit tangled with the ordering/canceling, TDS told the PSC, and when the order was canceled by Ms. Gregory, Spectrum did not snap back the number to TDS so that we could simply reactivate, according to case notes from the agency.

Charter senior director of regional communications Kim Haas said simply that there was a lot of back and forth in this process but that her companys people followed the proper protocols.

In the end, the number was ported  i.e., reactivated and assigned to Gregor  on Feb. 14, and Gregory was satisfied.

For an average person like me there was no way that I could get a direct line to anyone who was accountable or had the power or the desire to help, she said.

Send us an SOS Since September 2007, SOS has helped save Wisconsin State Journal readers more than $190,994.72 and solved hundreds of problems. You can send an SOS using any of these methods: Email: sos@madison.com Online form: http://go.madison.com/sendSOS Phone: 608-252-6198 Mail: SOS, Wisconsin State Journal, P.O. Box 8058, Madison, WI 53708

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One suspect was arrested early Saturday morning after shots were fired in Fitchburg, police said.

Fitchburg officers began searching the area of the 2600 block of Post Road after an officer heard gunshots around 12 a.m., according to the Fitchburg Police Department.

Several residents told police they either saw or heard gunshots. Officers also found evidence of gunfire in the area, the department said.

Based on the initial investigation, police said two men were walking in the area when one of them fired multiple rounds.

Officers located two suspects and arrested one of them on unrelated charges. The suspect was brought to the Dane County Jail.

Fitchburg police did not identify either of the two suspects.

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Q: With recent events I was wondering: what are the best actions to take when an officer pulls you over and youre carrying a firearm? I feel like the officers safety is on the line with every traffic stop, so Id like to get your opinion on how to best demonstrate compliance and alert the officer to the firearm so that everyone can get home safe. -Nicole

A: OK, before I get any more emails about how I might be wrong on my answer, I want to emphasize that the following answer is only based on my opinion and since this is not dealing with any laws you can take it for what its worth.

The first thing I would tell you to do is to tell the officer that you have a firearm in your vehicle and let them know where it is. Do not, and I repeat, do not move toward the area of where the gun is as the officer might end up showing you his or her firearm. The officer will usually tell you not to move toward that area anyway.

One thing I have done in the past with few stops like that has been to ask the driver if he or she minded if I took control of the firearm until the stop was over. The driver is under no obligation to do that, but I have never had a driver question why I would.

I have been asked why I did not have the driver just get out and put the gun in the trunk or in another area away from the drivers seat. The simplest answer I can give is that having a driver get out of their vehicle creates an unsafe situation for them as there could be traffic or another officer arriving and not knowing why a driver is getting out of a vehicle with a firearm.

The other option could be that if your firearm is not in a spot considered to be readily accessible you could just not tell the officer about it. I will say though that in Idaho most officers assume everybody has a firearm in their vehicle, especially around hunting season.

Officer down

Please put these officers, killed in the line of duty, and their families in your prayers. They fought the good fight, now may they rest in peace. God bless these heroes.

Detective Michael W. Godwin, New Hanover County Sheriff, North Carolina

Sergeant Joshua Caudell, Arkansas Department of Corrections

Lieutenant Scott Brandon Owens, Union City Police, Oklahoma

Senior Police Officer Robert Duran, Santa Fe Police, New Mexico

Trooper Tamar Bucci, Massachusetts State Police

K-9 Ciro, Humphreys County Sheriff, Tennessee

Have a question for Policeman Dan? Email your question(s) to askpolicemandan@gmail.com or look for Ask Policemandan on Facebook and click the like button.

Have a question for Policeman Dan? Email your question(s) to askpolicemandan@gmail.com or look for Ask Policemandan on Facebook and click the like button. Dan Bristol is a retired police officer and former chief of police.

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Baltimore Police investigate a shooting on Gwynn Oak Avenue Saturday night that killed three and injured one. (Emily Opilo)

Baltimore Police are investigating a shooting that killed three men and injured a fourth in Northwest Baltimore on Saturday night.

At approximately 8:20 p.m., police were called to the intersection of Gwynn Oak Avenue and Liberty Heights Avenue in Howard Park.

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When officers arrived, they saw four men inside a vehicle, all suffering from gunshot wounds. Three of the men were unresponsive and pronounced dead after arriving at the hospital. All three were 25 or 26 years old. The fourth man, who is 73, was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

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Nearly two dozen evidence -markers dotted the sidewalk across the street from a Shop Rite grocery store. An SUV, still running and with its doors slung open, sat in the middle of Gwynn Oak Avenue.

About an hour later, police say, a man was shot in the 2200 block of West Patapsco Avenue in Lakeland. It followed a 4 p.m. shooting in the 2500 block. At about 10 p.m., police were called to a hospital, where the 34-year-old victim sought treatment.

That shooting brought the total number of people shot in Baltimore on Saturday to 10. A fourth man was killed in an early morning shooting in Little Italy.

Christopher Ervin, chairman of the Howard Park Civic Association, was in the parking lot of the Shop Rite when shots rang out. He described the volley as a good barrage.

Because of the volume, people didnt know where they were coming from, he said. Folks were running in every direction including back into ShopRite. Cars were peeling out on Gwynn Oak and racing back through the ShopRite parking lot.

Ervin said he discussed the corner where the shooting happened earlier this week with the Baltimore Police district commander for the area. The area has a long history of violence, and he was concerned about the spring ahead, he said.

Neighborhood leaders have been particularly concerned about crime outside 4Gs Liquors. (Emily Opilo)

Neighborhood leaders have been particularly concerned about crime outside 4Gs Liquors, which sits just yards away from the site of Saturdays shooting, Ervin said. With their urging, lawmakers approved restricted hours for the store following a 2016 spate of violence that left three dead in the span of 72 hours in Howard Park.

Ervin said he testified in Annapolis in support of the restricted hours; however, problems remain. The Howard Park Civic Association will hold an emergency meeting this week in light of the shooting, he said.

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The owner of 4Gs Liquors could not be reached for comment Sunday.

State Sen. Jill P. Carter, who represents the Howard Park area, said the corner involved in the shooting has attracted problems for years. She supported the legislation spearheaded by the Howard Park community to force the liquor store to limit its hours.

[ Baltimore homicides interactive map ]

Im so sad about the homicide tonight, she said. Its a strong, beautiful, Black community that deserves greater reinvestment and better than the city has given it. Rebuilding and revitalization efforts, such as the Ambassador Theater, are in the works.

Councilman Kristerfer Burnett, who also represents Howard Park, appeared at the shooting scene Saturday. He said he thought the limited hours at the liquor store had improved the corner.

At approximately 8:20 p.m., police were called to the intersection of Gwynn Oak Avenue and Liberty Heights Avenue in Howard Park.

It did remove a lot of the activity, he said, noting that he hasnt been summoned to the area for criminal activity in some time. This is pretty shocking.

Anyone with information is urged to contact investigators at 410-396-2488. Those who wish to remain anonymous can use the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCK-UP.

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Baltimore Sun reporter Christine Condon contributed to this article.
For the first 20 years as a state wildlife biologist along the eastern front of the Beartooth Mountains, Shawn Stewart followed up on every report of a grizzly bear.

I could not verify a grizzly bear on the Beartooth Face, he said.

Stewart began working for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife & Parks in 1976  a year after grizzlies were listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act. At the time, it was estimated about 210 grizzlies occupied the 28,000 square miles of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.

During the 19th century, the big bears had been eliminated from 98% of their historic range in the Lower 48 States. This included the Beartooth Face  deep glacier-carved valleys and tundra-like mountaintops in south-central Montana that stretch from the Wyoming border about 85 miles northwest to Livingston.

Based in the community of Red Lodge, in the foothills of the Beartooths, Stewarts tenure as a biologist for the past 45 years has spanned a unique arc of the grizzly bears recovery, from its listing as a threatened species to its return to a landscape after a 100-year absence.

The first

It wasnt until May 8, 1997  21 years after starting his job  that Stewart finally saw his first grizzly bear west of Red Lodge. The bear, a 3-year-old male, had been shot and killed by a landowner after it attacked a horse.

Im not saying it was the first bear ever in the area, but it was the first one I could document, and I spent a lot of time trying, he said.

Within a week, another subadult was seen traveling in the nearby East Rosebud drainage. Over the course of the next month, grizzly bear tracks were confirmed in the upper West Fork Stillwater River and about 10 miles west of Red Lodge.

After being absent for a century, the big bruins were back along the Beartooth Front and making their presence known.

By 1998 the first grizzly bear killing of a sheep was documented along the Face in the Fishtail area. The 5-year-old male had been captured for a similar offense in Wyoming and was therefore euthanized.

In 2004, a grizzly cub born in the Bad Canyon area, northeast of Nye, was the first confirmation of reproduction.

Three years later, a 2-year-old male became the first bear captured near Red Lodge after it wandered into a subdivision south of town during the Thanksgiving holiday.

Then in 2011  after 35 years on the job  Stewart saw his first live grizzly bear in the wild. He was flying a survey, high up in the East Rosebud drainage, for bighorn sheep and mountain goats in mid-May when he saw the bear. It was practically to Granite Peak, Montanas highest mountain, he said.

That was a monumental thing for me, Stewart said. I thought, You know, Ive been doing this for a lot of years, and thats the first one Ive ever seen. I wonder how long it will be until I see another one on the Beartooth Face.

I believe it was within a week I was watching a female and a cub down on Line Creek. So it didnt take long to see the second one.

Now

Twenty-four years after Stewart saw his first grizzly bear along the Beartooth Face, the bruins are now a more common sight. Hes seen them while walking his dog near Red Lodge, which has a growing population of about 2,000 people  the largest community along the Front. Residents have photographed bears wandering suburban streets, and livestock depredations by grizzlies occur annually on nearby ranches.

With more bruins in nearby Yellowstone National Park, it was only a matter of time before they explored adjacent wildlands, including the Beartooth Mountains.

As the Yellowstone ecosystem filled it seemed that bears spilled out of the park to the east first, into some of that Wyoming country and some of that good bear habitat on the east border of Yellowstone, then maybe a little bit more to the southeast, Stewart said. They were a little slower to get into the Beartooths, for whatever reason. Part of that is that the Beartooths themselves, those high alpine plateaus, are not really that great a grizzly habitat. There are bears there occasionally, but Ive often wondered if  that large block of alpine habitat  was somewhat of an impediment to their movement.

Now on flights to count wildlife for FWP, Stewart sees half-a-dozen grizzlies a year. While hiking he spies their tracks in the mud and their hair caught on barbed wire fences. One Wyoming bear that was captured left its ear tag snagged on a Montana fence.

You quickly realize that there is really no place in the Beartooths, and I mean this literally, where you have no likelihood of running into a bear, Stewart said. At some time, during the course of the year, or course of a couple three years, there are bears in every drainage. There is no place that I can say there are not going to be bears, because weve got observations practically every place now.

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BOISE  Idahos average teacher-retention rate stayed above 90% for the second straight year in 2021, a sign that despite difficulties tied to the pandemic, the states K-12 teachers have largely stayed put.

The State Department of Educations latest 90.8% average retention rate falls in line with 2020s national average of 92% and the then-state average of 91%.

Idahos rate fell slightly from 90.3% in 2018 to 89% in 2019, before COVID-19 hit.

Teacher retention has been a focal point during the pandemic, as schools and educators approach two years of additional off-and-on challenges, from back-and-forths between remote and hybrid learning to workdays plagued by the illness.

So far during the health crisis, the states retention rate has held firm. But at least one sign suggests that things could change.

Idaho Education Association President Layne McInelly told KTVB last month that 51% of teachers his organization recently polled are either considering retiring early or leaving the profession altogether.

Time will tell if a broader exodus looms, but the current trend of teachers sticking it out transcends Idaho. Chalkbeat pointed Wednesday to data from five states and 19 large U.S. school districts, including New York City and Houston, showing that turnover rates in these areas are comparable to pre-pandemic rates.

Yet despite these broader trends, staffing teachers can be a tricky task in some isolated pockets of the state.

Small, rural (and) remote districts struggle, said Michael Jacobsen, superintendent of the Irwin-based Swan Valley Elementary district, which staffs just five teachers. The 75-student districts 2021 retention rate: 75%. Jacobsen also pointed to troubles filling positions, which increases the sting of teacher vacancies.

Other small or remote districts and charter schools wound up at the bottom of the 2021 list. Heres a list of the bottom five, along with their enrollments and 2021 retention rates:

Prairie Elementary (six students): 0%

Arbon Elementary (23 students): 50%

Kamiah Joint (402 students): 53:1%

Blackfoot Charter Community Learning Center (397 students): 58.3%

Monticello Montessori Charter School (149 students): 58.3%

But retention rates can obviously vary greatly in small districts and charters, where a single exodus or two can completely sink an average, or reduce it by double digits.

Still, several small and rural districts topped the states 2021 list. Of Idahos 11 districts and charters with a 100% retention in 2021, five enroll fewer than 200 students:

Salmon River (142 students)

Nezperce Joint (158 students)

Pleasant Valley Elementary (seven students)

Avery Elementary (22 students)

Three Creek Joint Elementary (three students)

Vision Charter School (729 students)

Idaho Virtual Education partners (255 students)

Legacy Public Charter (308 students)

North Idaho STEM Charter Academy (572 students)

Idaho College and Career Readiness Academy: (189 students)

Treasure Valley Classical Academy (489 students)

Meanwhile, the states largest districts fell in line with the state average. Heres what happened in Idahos five biggest districts:

West Ada (39,073 students): 90.4%

Boise (23,368 students): 90.8%

Nampa (13,668 students): 89.8%

Bonneville (13,483 students): 89.4%

Pocatello-Chubbuck (12,123

students): 88.6%

Click here to view 2021 retention rates in districts and charters across the state.

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MERIDIAN (AP)  Far-right activist Ammon Bundy, whos running for governor in Idaho, has been arrested after refusing to leave a hospital in connection with a child-welfare case, police said Saturday.

Bundy was arrested at about 1:15 a.m. on suspicion of misdemeanor trespassing at St. Lukes Meridian Medical Center in Meridian, west of Boise, the Idaho Statesman reported.

Bundy is well-known for participating in armed standoffs with law enforcement, notably at the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in Oregon in 2016, which left one man dead, and on federal land near his familys ranch in Nevada in 2014.

Hes also scheduled to stand trial this week on three charges from a previous trespassing case at the Idaho Capitol.

The arrest Saturday concerned a 10-month-old determined to be suffering from severe malnourishment and at risk of injury or death, the Meridian Police Department said in a news release. The babys parents had refused to let officers check on its welfare after the family canceled an appointment.

Bundy urged his followers to go to the hospital to support the family.

Bundy wrote on Twitter on Saturday that last night my very good friend Diegos grandson was medically kidnapped because a medical practitioner called (child protective services) for a missed doctor appointment. If this happened to them, it could happen to you.

One other person was arrested on suspicion of trespassing at the hospital, and two people were arrested earlier Friday in a related incident on suspicion of resisting or obstructing police.

Bundy, of Emmett, was charged in the Oregon and Nevada standoffs. He was acquitted in Oregon and the Nevada charges were dismissed after a mistrial.

He is set to go on trial Monday for two charges of misdemeanor trespassing and one charge of resisting or obstructing officers after he was arrested twice in one day at the Idaho Capitol in April 2021.

At the time he was subject to a one-year ban from the Statehouse due to previous trespassing, when he refused to leave an auditorium at the Idaho Statehouse in August 2020 during a protest of the Legislatures special session and was rolled out of the building by police in a chair.

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BOISE  Facing unprecedented growth, cities across Idaho are fighting each other for areas to expand.

A bill in the Idaho Legislature aims to end debates about which cities can annex which properties into their city limits. The bill would place the decision in the hands of property owners.

House Bill 635 would ease annexation restrictions on landowners, allowing them to be annexed by any neighboring city, not just whichever city has already made clear its intention to annex the land eventually by including it in that citys area of impact.

Areas of impact are defined by Idaho law as areas that cities anticipate annexing. They are designed to foster the efficient planning and economical delivery of urban services to growing areas.

Rep. Doug Okuniewicz, R-Hayden, sponsored House Bill 635 and said it came seeing North Idaho cities Hayden, Rathrum, Post Falls and Coeur dAlene fight over annexations.

But the bill would affect the Treasure Valley, too. Star and Middleton are fighting in court over which city gets to annex certain properties between them.

Areas of impact are legally defined areas where a city anticipates growing and extending services.

Cities can establish areas of impact through negotiations with their county.

Okuniewiczs bill would allow property owners to annex into any city they want regardless of a citys area of impact.

If you have two cities that are arguing over who gets to annex the ground ... the deciding factor should be the landowner, Okuniewicz said during a committee hearing.

Developers testify in favor of annexation ease

A handful of developers testified in favor of the bill during the Feb. 24 committee hearing.

Jim Hunter, owner of Boise Hunter Homes, said he was in favor of annexation regardless of city impact area, because it would allow property owners to annex into whatever city they want.

Travis Hunter, Jim Hunters son, who also works for Boise Hunter Homes, said the bill would allow property owners to annex where they are welcome.

The Hunters said if a property is in one citys area of impact but is blocked from that city by county land that is not yet annexed, the property owner would have to wait years for the properties next to it to be annexed before the owner could go through the annexation process too.

If that same property is next to a different city, without any county land in between, the property owner should be able to annex into that city instead, they said.

In a phone call after the committee meeting, Middleton Mayor Steve Rule told the Idaho Statesman that there was a way around the Hunters concerns  something called preannexation.

Middleton has a preannexation agreement, where properties inside the area of impact that want to be annexed into the city but are blocked by intervening land can connect to city services as part of the agreement.

They can get approval on annexations, even if it is not contiguous, if they build to Middleton city standards, Rule said by phone. Because (annexation) is imminent, those areas in between (the property and the city) will be contiguous in a year or two if not five to six.

Star Mayor Trevor Chadwick spoke in favor of the bill during the committee hearing, saying he was happy to support private property owners rights.

One mayor calls the bill unbridled annexation

Rule said the bill would result in inefficient planning and sprawl, problems that Idahos Local Land Use Act, the law that requires cities to maintain comprehensive plans and impact areas, was designed to combat.

If 635 is passed, at that point it is unbridled annexation and development driven by developers and landowners, Rule said. It literally takes away any impact areas by any city. I believe it is in contradiction to city and county comprehensive plans because you get a landowner that wants to annex into any city, and you go.

In a lawsuit filed in November, Middleton claimed Star illegally annexed a quarter square mile of property in Middletons area of impact. Middleton wants to stop any future annexations by Star in its area of impact.

It is a huge power play and land grab by the city of Star, Rule said. If it is signed, they will bully their way in any direction, toward Boise, toward Eagle and Nampa.

The Hunters told the legislative committee that they did not have a stake in the Middleton lawsuit against Star.

In a county commission meeting, Canyon County Commissioner Keri Smith encouraged county residents to call their representatives to oppose the bill.

The bill passed the House 64-4, with two representatives absent. It will go to the Senate Local Government and Taxation committee, headed by Sen. Jim Rice, R-Caldwell.

If we want any controlled growth, that legislative move would hurt us, Smith said. It would be a free-for-all for developers. If they are contiguous, they would be free to annex into anyones impact area. I would encourage any of us who care about some type of smart growth to reach out to your senators and ask Jim Rice not to let that bill make it to the floor.

During the committee meeting, no other mayors or city representatives spoke about the bill.

Rice, reached by phone Tuesday, said he has meetings scheduled with city and county representatives.

I want to take a good look at it before we are going to hear it, he said. I want to see if my committee have any thoughts before it comes before us.

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BOISE  Certain Idaho veterans with disabilities are eligible to have their property tax bill reduced by as much as $1,500 on their Idaho residence and up to one acre of land, according to a press release from the Idaho State Tax Commission.

To qualify, veterans must be recognized as a 100% service-connected disabled veteran or receive 100% compensation from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs for individual unemployability. Other qualifications include:

The veteran owns and lives in a home in Idaho that is their primary residence as of April 14, 2022. Mobile homes qualify as well.

The property has a current homeowners exemption.

There are no income limits, but an application must be submitted every year. Applications are available on the tax commissions website or through the county assessor. Applicants need a current letter from the VA confirming their 100% service-connected disability rating or their 100% compensation as of Jan. 1, 2022. The county assessor must receive the application by April 18.

Veterans with a disability might also qualify for more property tax relief based on their income. Read the Property Tax Reduction brochure for more information. For other questions, call the Idaho State Tax Commission at 208-334-7736, or toll free at 800-334-7756.

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BOISE  The Democratic National Committee is sending at least $100,000 to Idaho ahead of the 2022 general election as part of a strategy to bolster campaigns in states dominated by Republicans, a spokesperson told the Idaho Statesman.

Last year, the governing body of the Democratic Party promised to send $23 million to state parties before the 2022 midterm election. That includes a $2 million red state fund for states that meet two of the following criteria: The state must have no Democratic senator or governor, less than 25% Democrats among its congressional delegation, or a super-majority of Republicans in the state legislature.

Idaho meets all three. The Legislature is 82% Republican. The governor and Idahos four federal delegates are also Republicans.

The Democratic National Committee pledged a six-figure investment in Idaho, including direct investments in the state and grants for the local party.

This investment gives us what we need to organize in communities across the state early on, helping us build the critical infrastructure needed to lead Democrats to victory in 2022 and beyond, Idaho Democratic Party Executive Director Jared DeLoof said in an emailed statement to the Statesman this week.

Tom Luna, chairman of the Idaho Republican Party, said its not the first time out-of-state money will support local Democrats.

Theyre building the infrastructure, theyre playing the long game, and this is just more evidence of it, he told the Statesman.

Idaho GOP maintains dominance

The red state fund targets traditionally Republican states, the DNCs news release said. That includes states like Idaho and nearby Montana as well as Kansas, Indiana, South Carolina, Mississippi and others.

In an emailed statement, DNC Chairman Jaime Harrison  former Democratic Party leader in South Carolina  said the national organization is committed to providing unprecedented resources to empower state parties  to hold Republicans accountable for betting against Idahoans.

Idaho voters havent backed a Democratic president since Lyndon B. Johnson in 1964, and Republicans stake among voters has strengthened in recent years.

Data collected by the Idaho secretary of states office shows the share of Republicans among total voters has grown 21% since 2013. Democrats share of total voters climbed just 6% during the same period.

The Idaho Republican Partys growth coincided with its decision to close its primary elections in 2012. The change required unaffiliated voters to register as Republican to vote in the GOP primaries over the last decade. The number of unaffiliated voters in Idaho has significantly declined since 2013, despite population growth.

Luna told the Statesman that the party growth is a credit to the local GOPs efforts to reach out to new voters. A so-called political welcome wagon, led by a party member, should be the first time a new resident hears about Idaho Republicans, he said. That strategy is driven by fears that Democrats could flip Idaho as they did former Republican strongholds.

Were not waiting, like Colorado and Nevada and other states did, and let the Democrats reach out to them first, Luna said.

But the GOP chairman admits Idaho is already attracting right-leaning voters  welcoming committee or not.

Recent polling shows new Idaho residents are even more likely to be conservative than long-term residents. Boise State Universitys annual Idaho Public Policy Survey found that 53% of new Idaho residents identified as conservative, compared to 49% of people who have lived in the state for at least 10 years.

Democrat says party faces uphill battle

Among the goals of the red state fund is breaking the GOP supermajority in the Idaho Legislature. That would mean flipping 17 seats to Democrats.

House Minority Leader Ilana Rubel, D-Boise, acknowledged that Idaho Democrats face an uphill battle, but she said anywhere is flippable with the right candidate.

Idahoans actually align with local Democrats on many issues, such as Medicaid expansion, education funding, infrastructure investments, property tax relief, affordable housing and child care, Rubel told the Statesman by phone.

I think theres a lot of potential for the Democrats here, she said. We just need to snap people out of reflexive Republican voting.

Idaho might be poised for a shift in power as Republicans in the Legislature focus on divisive, social war issues like criminalizing librarians and banning operations and medications for transgender kids, Rubel said.

When you see those trends, thats when your average voters start looking for another option, and I think we can deliver that other option, she said.

A common theme among former GOP-dominant states was party infighting, Luna said, and hes pushing for unity as the minority party looks to make inroads.

We are in the Democrats cross hairs, he said. Theres too much infighting in the Republican Party.

As of Wednesday, only nine Democrats have filed to run for legislative seats currently held by Republicans.

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Editor's note: This story is part of the Lee Enterprises series "Grizzlies and Us." The project examines the many issues surrounding the uneasy coexistence of grizzly bears and humans in the Lower 48, which have come more into focus in recent years as the federally-protected animal pushes farther into human-occupied areas. The 10-part series, comprised of more than 20 stories, was produced by reporters and photojournalists across the Rocky Mountain West.

It was an unusual sight, about eight years ago, when 17 grizzly bears grazed on wild caraway plants in a field not far from Malou Anderson-Ramirezs ranch home.

When I was a child I only saw one grizzly bear my whole time being out with the sheep, she said.

The increase in grizzly activity has prompted new technology that may rattle old ranching traditions.

Since they were placed under federal Endangered Species Act protection in 1975, grizzly bears have been mostly a Yellowstone National Park feature in southwest Montana.

That changed about 10 years ago, coinciding with when large die-offs of whitebark pine trees were being recorded. Blister rust and pine beetles were killing the long-lived trees that grow at high elevations. The trees seeds have long provided a high-protein food source for grizzly bears in the fall. Being an adaptable species, capable of dining on a variety of foods, the grizzlies sought out other sources of nourishment and started showing up in Tom Miner Basin.

It was already pristine, perfect grizzly bear habitat, Anderson-Ramirez said.

The basin is located about 30 miles south of Livingston at the base of the Gallatin Mountains and just north of Yellowstone National Park. Wild country surrounds the high meadows and grasslands Anderson-Ramirezs family has ranched since her grandparents bought property there in the 1950s.

So many bears feeding in one place is unusual in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, with the exception of high elevation talus slopes where some grizzlies congregate to feed on cutworm moths.

Kerry Gunther, Yellowstone National Parks lead bear biologist, said seeing a dozen bears on a rocky slope was the most unique grizzly interaction hes had in his 39 years working in the park.

Seeing that many bears that close together with no conflicts, they had a hierarchy worked out, he said.

Likewise, the bears feeding in Tom Miner Basin seemed willing to share and be close to each other when feeding, defying human conceptions of the animals as solitary and defensive when it comes to food sources.

There are quite a few sows with cubs that live up here or come through here, Anderson-Ramirez said. Its just kind of a nice place to raise young.

Thats something she can relate to, raising two daughters with her husband, Andres, on the family ranch. In describing herself, Anderson-Ramirez said she is a mother first and foremost, in addition to being a rancher, business owner and community supporter.

I would say that its a gift to be able to be here and to raise children in such a wild place, she said. And its a good lesson in tolerance and understanding. We can learn a lot from the bears and other wildlife around the evolution of change and being able to be adaptable.

For her family and the cattle they raise, that has meant traveling across the landscape in a consistent and predictable pattern so wildlife adapt to their rhythms. That may mean moving irrigation pipes at the same time on the same days, or keeping cows out of densely wooded coulees and draws in the fall when bears are seeking berries or other foods to fatten up before winter. It also requires removing attractants from the landscape, like salt or molasses blocks provided as livestock supplements.

Anderson-Ramirezs sister started a range rider program to check on cattle and keep predators at bay. They also can quickly identify predator-killed livestock to document for reimbursement under the states livestock loss program, as well as remove the carcasses to ensure predators dont camp out at the site. Camera traps have taught them wildlife migratory paths through the area, as well as den sites, so they can alter where they graze livestock to avoid conflicts.

Theres a humility that comes with living in places like this where one really has to understand when a feeling isnt quite right, she said. Ive learned to really follow my gut. When I dont have a good feeling about something I dont push the envelope.

She compared it to a surfer assessing the ocean and deciding not to ride when conditions seem dangerous.

TEAL tags

Anderson-Ramirez is being proactive in another way, co-founding a technology company designed to help ranchers track cattle and monitor them from afar.

Called TEAL  which stands for Technology, Education, Agriculture and Landscape  the goal is to create a cost-effective tracer for livestock. Using cellphone technology, ranchers could monitor cattle by receiving a signal if theres a mortality, or even if the cows heart rate increased rapidly during a confrontation with a predator. The tags could also be used for geo-fencing, creating invisible fences to contain cattle to certain allotments, somewhat similar to an invisible dog fence.

Prototypes of the tags are still being tested, and it may be three years before they are ready to market at a projected cost of $5 to $15 each, she said.

The end result is to have a simple tool for producers to use to better manage their livestock in wild places, Anderson-Ramirez said.

Once developed, encouraging ranchers to try TEAL tags will be the next hurdle she will have to overcome. That could be a tough sell to a ranchers who have been stereotyped as self-reliant.

We are a sentimental and loyal group of people that are nostalgic and sentimental to our old value systems, Anderson-Ramirez said. But with the regenerative movement and looking more at the importance of profitability on ranches and keeping large landscapes intact  I think thats helping to change the language and the narrative around how important it is to diversify, to be open to change, to be adaptable.

The important thing is  honoring our struggle, everyones struggles, including the wildlife and the bears and the badgers and the people, she said. I really think thats what coexistence is for me. Just honoring the struggle that we all have as we try to live and conserve and protect these wild places.

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A false story that actor Leonardo DiCaprio made a $10 million donation to Ukraine was repeated this week by media outlets around the world and shared by tens of thousands of people on social media.

Articles and social media posts claimed that DiCaprio is connected to Ukraine because his late maternal grandmother was born in the Ukrainian city of Odessa. Some of the articles claimed that DiCaprio's $10 million donation was announced by an organization called the International Visegrad Fund.

Facts First: DiCaprio did not make a $10 million donation to Ukraine and does not have a family member from Odessa or anywhere else in Ukraine, a source close to the actor told CNN on Wednesday. The source said that DiCaprio "stands with Ukraine" and has made Ukraine-related humanitarian donations to CARE, the International Rescue Committee, Save the Children and the UN's refugee agency  but that the reported $10 million sum is false, that claims of DiCaprio giving money to the Ukrainian government or to the Ukrainian military are also false, and that claims that DiCaprio has any "family ties" to Ukraine are false too.

The International Visegrad Fund told CNN on Wednesday that, contrary to the news reports, it did not announce a $10 million DiCaprio donation to Ukraine and has no related information.

So how did this false story spread so far?

The saga of the nonexistent $10 million donation is a case study in how bad information can bubble up from the online fringes to mainstream media outlets  with outlet after outlet, big and small alike, simply repeating the story without independently verifying it.

A poorly sourced story

On Saturday, an obscure website called GSA News, which focuses on news about the South American country of Guyana, posted a short article claiming that "sources inside Ukraine" said that DiCaprio "has transferred ten million US dollars to the Ukrainian government." It added that DiCaprio "has Ukrainian roots through his maternal grandmother."

GSA News founder Patrick Carpen stood behind the article on Wednesday afternoon, even after he was informed that the source close to DiCaprio had told CNN that its contents were false. Carpen said in an email to CNN, "I really trust my source inside Ukraine."

On Wednesday night, though, Carpen called CNN to say "I apologize profoundly" for the false story, that he "had no bad intentions in publishing that article," and that he was going to post a retraction, which he later did.

Carpen explained that his primary source for DiCaprio's supposed $10 million donation had been a Facebook post from a Ukrainian woman whose posts about the war with Russia have generally been accurate. Carpen said he had also seen other Ukrainians on Facebook posting about the supposed donation.

Since his Guyana website has a small readership, Carpen said, he thought that if he published an article repeating the DiCaprio story and it turned out to be wrong, he could quietly delete the article within days.

"I thought that it wouldn't have a lot of consequences if it was false," he said.

Instead, he said he watched with surprise and dismay as the story "snowballed into everybody's news publications, some of them with millions of followers. And that kinds of worries me ... that people would just take something at face value and just publish it."

He acknowledged, however, that he had himself taken a claim from Facebook posters at face value.

To Twitter, then another obscure website, then major outlets

Whether because of the GSA News article, because of Ukrainians' posts on Facebook or for some other reason, the story about DiCaprio started spreading more widely on Sunday.

A Twitter account called Visegrad 24, which tweets news updates focused on the Visegrad Group countries of Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the Czech Republic to more than 196,000 followers, posted a tweet  citing no sources  that claimed "Leonardo DiCaprio has donated 10 million USD to Ukraine. His maternal grandmother was a native of Odessa, Ukraine!"

Claims that DiCaprio's maternal grandmother Helene Indenbirken was born in Ukraine in general or Odessa in particular have circulated online for years. However, these claims have never been attached to a solid source. Indenbirken died in 2008 in Germany, where she lived; it wasn't clear on Thursday where she was actually born, and the source close to DiCaprio wouldn't say.

More than 10,000 retweets

Regardless, the Visegrad 24 tweet was retweeted more than 10,000 times. It was deleted on Wednesday afternoon after CNN informed the account that the story about the $10 million donation was false.

"It seems we fell prey to a fake story ourselves. Happens to the best of us!" a representative for the account said in a message to CNN on Wednesday.

So where did the account get its information? "We saw the story tweeted by several small news accounts, citing an anonymous source," the representative said.

Major outlets pick up the story

On Monday, the day after the Visegrad 24 tweet was posted, the story really took off.

An article on another obscure website, "Polish News," reported that DiCaprio "allocated as much as USD 10 million to support Ukraine and did not plan to announce it to the whole world"  but that, on Sunday, the donation had been announced by the International Visegrad Fund, which is an international donor organization created by the governments of the Visegrad Group countries.

Again, not true. The public relations manager for the fund, Lucia Becova, said in a Wednesday email to CNN that the fund had made no such announcement.

It's possible that Polish News mixed up the International Visegrad Fund with the Visegrad 24 Twitter account. By Wednesday, the Polish News article had been edited to remove the reference to the International Visegrad Fund  and the site did not express strong confidence in the rest of the story. A Polish News representative, Artur Salamonczyk, said in a Wednesday email that if CNN is aware that DiCaprio didn't make the $10 million donation, "we are happy to remove the content."

By Thursday, it had deleted the article and published another article saying that reports about a $10 million donation from DiCaprio were incorrect. By then, though, the horse was out of the barn.

News outlet after news outlet had cited Polish News as the primary source behind their stories that DiCaprio made a $10 million donation to Ukraine.

CNN began looking into the supposed $10 million donation after Jane Lytvynenko, a senior research fellow at Harvard University's Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics and Public Policy, raised questions about the accuracy of the viral story on Twitter on Wednesday.

___

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President Joe Bidens announcement Tuesday banning Russian oil imports presents what may be the most difficult test yet of Americans willingness today to sacrifice for the nations greater good. Already-high gas prices are sure to spike further with the ban, frustrating drivers and giving Republicans an opportunity to further demagogue the issue. The GOP should resist that urge  and all Americans should remember sacrifices that earlier generations made in times of war.

Pain at the pumps is real, but it pales against the pain of sending American soldiers into armed conflict against another superpower. Yet allowing Russias invasion of Ukraine to go unanswered is also an unacceptable option. Whats left is for this divided country to come together and accept the approaching economic pain as the price of standing up to tyranny.

That principle  standing up to tyranny  is the answer to the short-sighted voices suggesting the U.S. has no national interest in defending Ukraine. If Ukraine or any other fledgling democracy can simply be brought under the thumb of a neighboring autocrat for no reason but that he decides he wants it, then democracy isnt safe anywhere. Americas special place as a beacon of democracy and freedom gives it a special responsibility to stand up to such unprovoked aggression.

But America must do so responsibly, and risking a shooting war between nuclear superpowers would be the height of irresponsibility. That effectively takes direct U.S. military action in Ukraine off the table. However, Americas economic might, and its ability to rally other economies of the free world, can be the most effective weapon short of war. That is the weapon that Biden deployed with unprecedented force on Tuesday.

Banning all oil, natural gas and coal imports from Russia wont be crippling to Americas economy  Russian energy is a modest portion of the U.S. supply  but it will be felt in the form of higher fuel and transportation prices. It will be, as Biden aptly called it, Putins price hike.

Unfortunately, some political voices in the U.S. have already been spreading misinformation that will complicate the issue. The often-heard Republican claim that Biden has diminished U.S. domestic oil production is simply false  lower production was the choice of oil companies because of a steep decline in demand during the pandemic. It takes time to ramp production back up. Given that these Republicans are among the critics who have been demanding that Biden get tough with Russia, this would be a good time for them to set aside this partisan opportunism and start pulling for the same team.

Regular Americans should take inspiration from the World War II generation, which lived through not only higher prices but rationed gasoline, butter, sugar, meat, dairy and other staples. They were doing their part to defend the world against tyranny. Now it needs defending again.

Reprinted from the St. Louis Post-Dispatch distributed by Creators.com

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A man was shot and killed in Little Italy in Southeast Baltimore early Saturday morning, Baltimore police said.

Officers arrived around 1:19 a.m. at the 800 block of Stiles Street for a reported shooting. Officers located an adult man suffering from gunshot wounds. Emergency medical services pronounced the man dead at the scene.

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Police have not yet identified the man or his age. Homicide detectives are investigating and ask anyone with information to call 410-396-2100. Anonymous callers can contact the Metro Crime Stoppers tip line at 1-866-7LOCK-UP or submit a text tip by visiting the MCS Maryland website.

Baltimore Police are investigating four other non-fatal shootings Saturday.

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Officers were called to West Baltimore around 2:20 a.m. to a local hospital in the Midtown-Edmondson area for a walk-in shooting victim. An adult man was shot in the hip in the 2800 block of Edmondson Avenue, police said.

Detectives are investigating the shooting on Edmondson Avenue and ask anyone with information to call investigators at 410-396-2477 or contact Metro Crime Stoppers.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

A separate shooting was reported in the Northwest District midday Saturday. Officers were called to the 3800 block of Hayward Avenue in Arlington shortly before noon where they found an adult man who had been shot.

The man was taken to a hospital in grave condition, police said. Due to the severity of his injuries, homicide investigators have been notified.

Anyone with information is asked to call police at 410-396-2466 or contact Metro Crime Stoppers.

Shortly before 4 p.m., Southern District officers were called to a reported shooting in the 2500 block of West Patapsco Avenue. There they found an adult man who had been shot.

The victim, who has not been identified, was transported to Shock Trauma. Anyone with information is asked to contact investigators at 410-396-2100 or call Metro Crime Stoppers.

Around 7 p.m. police were called to the 5000 block of Windsor Mill Road near Leakin Park for a report of a shooting. An adult male with several gunshot wounds was found when officers arrived. The man, who has not been identified, was taken to an area hospital.

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Southwest District detectives are investigating. Anyone with information is asked to call 410-396-2488.
WASHINGTON  The U.S. and China are sending top aides to Rome on Monday as tensions between the two countries mount over the Russia-Ukraine war and worries spread that the conflict will take even darker turns.

In advance of the talks, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan bluntly warned China to avoid helping Russia evade punishment from global sanctions that have hammered the Russian economy. We will not allow that to go forward, he said.

U.S. officials are also accusing China of spreading Russian disinformation that could be a pretext for chemical or biological weapons attacks launched by Vladimir Putins forces in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Russian missiles pounded a military base in western Ukraine on Sunday, killing 35 people in an attack on a facility that served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting its defense. The barrage marked an escalation of Moscows offensive and moved the fighting perilously close to the Polish border.

The attack so near a NATO member-country raised the specter that the alliance could be drawn into the fight and was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility, which has long been used to train Ukrainian soldiers, often with instructors from the U.S. and other countries in the Western alliance. Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscows threats to target those shipments.

Russias invasion of Ukraine has put China in a delicate spot with two of its biggest trading partners: the U.S. and European Union. China needs access to those markets, yet it also has made gestures supportive of Moscow, joining with Russia in declaring a friendship with no limits.

In his talks with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi, Sullivan will indeed be looking for limits in what Beijing will do for Moscow.

Im not going to sit here publicly and brandish threats, he told CNN in a round of Sunday news show interviews. But what I will tell you is we are communicating directly and privately to Beijing that there absolutely will be consequences if China helps Russia backfill its losses from the sanctions.

We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country anywhere in the world, he said.

The White House said the talks will focus on the direct impact of Russias war against Ukraine on regional and global security.

Biden administration officials say Beijing is spreading false Russian claims that Ukraine was running chemical and biological weapons labs with U.S. support. They say China is effectively providing cover if Russia moves ahead with a biological or chemical weapons attack on Ukrainians.

When Russia starts accusing other countries of preparing to launch biological or chemical attacks, Sullivan told NBCs Meet the Press, its a good tell that they may be on the cusp of doing it themselves.

Pentagon spokesman John Kirby, on ABCs This Week, said we havent seen anything that indicates some sort of imminent chemical or biological attack right now, but were watching this very, very closely.

The striking U.S. accusations about Russian disinformation and Chinese complicity came after Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova alleged with no evidence that the U.S. was financing Ukrainian chemical and biological weapons labs.

The Russian claim was echoed by Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, who claimed there were 26 bio-labs and related facilities in which the U.S. Department of Defense has absolute control. The United Nations has said it has received no information backing up such accusations.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki called the claims preposterous.

Now that Russia has made these false claims, and China has seemingly endorsed this propaganda, we should all be on the lookout for Russia to possibly use chemical or biological weapons in Ukraine, or to create a false flag operation using them, Psaki tweeted last week. Its a clear pattern.

Sullivan told Face the Nation on CBS that the Russian rhetoric on chemical and biological warfare is an indicator that, in fact, the Russians are getting ready to do it and try and pin the blame elsewhere and nobody should fall for that.

The international community for years has assessed that Russia has used chemical weapons in carrying out assassination attempts against Putin detractors such as Alexei Navalny and former spy Sergei Skripal. Russia also supports the Assad government in Syria, which has used chemical weapons against its people in a decade-long civil war.

Testifying before the Senate Intelligence Committee on Thursday, CIA Director William Burns also noted grave concern that Russia might be laying the groundwork for a chemical or biological attack of its own, which it would then blame on the U.S. or Ukraine in a false flag operation.

This is something, as all of you know very well, is very much a part of Russias playbook, he said. Theyve used these weapons against their own citizens, theyve at least encouraged the use in Syria and elsewhere, so its something we take very seriously.

China has been one of few countries to avoid criticizing the Russians for its invasion of Ukraine. Chinas Xi Jinping hosted Russian President Vladimir Putin for the opening of the Winter Olympics in Beijing, just weeks before Russia launched the Feb. 24 invasion.

During Putins visit to China last month, the two leaders issued a 5,000-word statement declaring limitless friendship.

The Chinese abstained on U.N. votes censuring Russia and has criticized economic sanctions against Moscow. It has expressed its support for peace talks and offered its services as a mediator, despite questions about its neutrality and scant experience mediating international conflict.

But questions remain over how far Beijing will go to alienate the alliance and put its own economy at risk. Sullivan said China and all countries are on notice that they cannot basically bail Russia out ... give Russia a workaround to the sanctions, with impunity.

Chinese officials have said Washington shouldnt be able to complain about Russias actions because the U.S. invaded Iraq under false pretenses. The U.S. claimed to have evidence Saddam Hussein was stockpiling weapons of mass destruction though none was ever found.

On CNN, Sullivan said the administration believes China knew that Putin was planning something before the invasion of Ukraine. But he said the Chinese government may not have understood the full extent of it because its very possible that Putin lied to them the same way that he lied to Europeans and others.

Sullivan and Yang last met for face-to-face talks in Switzerland, where Sullivan raised the Biden administrations concerns about Chinas military provocations against Taiwan, human rights abuses against ethnic minorities and efforts to squelch pro-democracy advocates in Hong Kong.

That meeting set the stage for a three-hour long virtual meeting in November between Biden and Xi.

Sullivan is also to meet Luigi Mattiolo, diplomatic adviser to Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi, while in Rome.
Morocco and the European Union (EU) signed this week in Rabat the document relating to the LINK UP AFRICA project, the first of its kind within the framework of the partnership between the Kingdom and the EU.

This project, signed by European Commissioner for Neighborhood and Enlargement, Oliver Varhelyi, and Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, is based on the priority given by the Kingdom and the EU to the development of cooperation with Africa, according to a triangular Morocco-EU cooperation approach for the benefit of African States, and a range of convergent actions carried out by different Moroccan stakeholders.

The project, which mainly involves the Moroccan Agency for International Cooperation (AMCI) and the Belgian Cooperation Agency ENABEL, designated as implementing partner, also gives priority to employment, socio-economic integration and citizenship of young people who have benefited from Moroccan know-how, as well as intra-African mobility and its contribution to the development of the Continent.

LINK UP AFRICA project, spread over a period of four years, revolves around two complementary projects with a budget of 4.15 million.

The first will benefit from the EU-Morocco bilateral budget financed by the European Neighborhood Instrument (dedicated only to the AMCI) of 3.15 million euros.

The second project, worth 1 million, complements a pre-existing EU program and aims to support the Caisse Centrale de Garantie (CCG) in favor of entrepreneurship and innovation in Morocco and in the countries of the African network of guarantee institutions.

LINK UP AFRICA projects main objective lies in strengthening technical cooperation, academic and economic ties between Morocco and other countries in Africa, with the participation of the EU, with focus on the development of economic opportunities for young Africans.

This objective is divided into two actions, namely the strengthening of the capacities of the AMCI for the implementation of its objectives of academic and technical cooperation, and the consolidation of employment opportunities and economic links for the African laureates of a Moroccan diploma (AMCI scholarship holders or not).

The said project will strengthen capacity building for the AMCI through action on its technical and academic cooperation offer, support the consolidation of the functioning and performance of the AMCI, improve support mechanisms for triangular cooperation, through their operationalization and accessibility, and establish mechanisms for selecting and referencing students with viable economic initiatives.

It will also offer a set of tools and services adapted to promote access to employment and/or business creation projects and support for innovative startups.
More than 750 civilians were killed between July and December 2021 in the Afar and Amhara regions of northern Ethiopia, which have been in the grip of armed conflict for 16 months, according to a report by the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC).

The government agency says it has verified that at least 403 civilians have died and 309 have been injured [] as a result of heavy artillery fire, air raids and drone attacks.

In addition, at least 346 civilians were victims of unlawful and extrajudicial killings by parties to the conflict  mainly by Tigray forces, the EHRC adds.

The EHRC also accuses Tigray rebels of widespread, cruel and systematic sexual and gender-based violence, including gang rape of women of different ages, including girls and elderly women, in parts of the Afar and Amhara regions under their control.

It states that they also engaged in abductions and enforced disappearances in a manner that constitutes war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This report follows a joint report by the EHRC and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) covering the period from November 3, 2020, to June 28, 2021, which already referred to violations, some of which could constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity.

The regional state of Tigray had been in conflict since November 2020 when the Ethiopian federal army led an offensive against TPLF dissidents after attacking the Ethiopian armys Northern Command and taking several senior officers hostage.

Last May, Ethiopias lower house approved by a majority the designation of the TPLF as a terrorist organization.

After an eight-month presence in Tigray, the federal government declared a unilateral and unconditional ceasefire at the end of June and decided to withdraw its troops from the region.

Since then, the Ethiopian government has been denouncing the atrocities and attacks committed by the TPLF rebels, particularly in the neighboring regional states of Tigray, Amhara and Afar.
Residents in a locked down community look out from a closed gate as a worker in protective gear monitors access on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

China's government responded Sunday to a spike in coronavirus infections by shutting down its southern business center of Shenzhen, a city of 17.5 million people, and restricted access to Shanghai by suspending bus service.

Everyone in Shenzhen, a finance and technology center that abuts Hong Kong, will undergo three rounds of testing after 60 new cases were reported Sunday. All businesses except those that supply food, fuel and other necessities were ordered to close or work from home.

Case numbers in China's latest infection surge are low compared with other countries and with Hong Kong, which reported more than 32,000 on Sunday. But mainland authorities are enforcing a "zero tolerance" strategy and have locked down entire cities to find and isolate every infected person.

Shenzhen is home to some of China's most prominent companies, including telecom equipment maker Huawei Technologies Ltd., electric car brand BYD Auto, Ping An Insurance Co. and Tencent Holding, operator of the popular WeChat message service.

On the mainland, the government reported 1,938 new cases, more than triple Saturday's total.

About three-quarters, or 1,412 cases, were in Jilin province in the northeast, where the industrial metropolis of Changchun was placed under lockdown on Friday and families were told to stay home after a spate of infections.

A worker in protective gear helps pass on a bag from a resident inside a locked down community on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

China, where the first coronavirus cases were detected in late 2019 in the central city of Wuhan, has reported a total of 4,636 deaths on the mainland out of 115,466 confirmed cases since the pandemic started.

In Shanghai, China's most populous city with 24 million people, the number of cases in the latest surge rose by 15 to 432.

The city government called on the public not to leave unless necessary. It said intercity bus service would be suspended starting on Sunday.

"Those who come or return to Shanghai must have a negative nucleic acid test report within 48 hours before arrival," said a city health agency statement.

In Hong Kong, a health official warned the public not to assume the territory's deadly coronavirus surge was under control as the government reported 190 new fatalities, most of them elderly people, and 32,430 new cases. That's down from above 50,000 after stringent travel and business curbs were imposed.

Workers collect deliveries for a lockdown community on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

Hong Kong, a crowded financial hub of 7.4 million, is trying to contain an outbreak that has killed 3,993 people, most of them in the latest surge driven by the omicron variant, and swamped hospitals.

"People should not get the wrong impression that the virus situation is now under control," said Dr. Albert Au, an expert with the government's Center for Health Protection. "Once we let our guard down, it's possible that (infections) will bounce back and rise again."

Construction crews sent from the mainland have built temporary isolation centers in Hong Kong for thousands of patients.

On the mainland, 831 new cases were reported Sunday in Changchun, 571 in the nearby provincial capital city of Jilin and 150 in the eastern port city of Qingdao.

Authorities in Jilin are stepping up anti-disease measures after concluding their earlier response was inadequate, according to Zhang Yan, deputy director of the provincial Health Commission.

Workers wait to collect deliveries for a lockdown community on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

Workers control access into a lockdown community on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

Workers disinfect each other after handling trash bags outside an office building that was closed off after a case of coronavirus was detected on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

A security guard helps a worker put on protective gear outside an office building that was closed off after a case of coronavirus was detected on Sunday, March 13, 2022, in Beijing. The number of new coronavirus cases in an outbreak in China's northeast tripled Sunday and authorities tightened control on access to Shanghai in the east, suspending bus service to the city of 24 million and requiring a virus test for anyone who wants to enter. Credit: AP Photo/Ng Han Guan

A photographer wearing a face mask takes a wedding photograph of a couple on a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

A child wearing a face mask walks a dog in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

A woman wearing a face mask carries produce across a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

People wearing face masks line up to buy lunch boxes for take-away orders at a shop in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

People wearing face masks walk along a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

People wearing face masks walk alone a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

An elderly woman wearing a face mask walks alone a street in Hong Kong, Sunday, March 13, 2022. The territory's leader, Chief Executive Carrie Lam, warned the peak of the latest surge in coronavirus infections might not have passed yet. Credit: AP Photo/Kin Cheung

"The emergency response mechanism in some areas is not sound enough," Zhang said at a news conference, according to a transcript released by the government.

Also Sunday, some residents of Cangzhou, south of Beijing, were told to stay home after nine cases were reported there, according to a government notice. It wasn't clear how many of its 7.3 million people were affected.

Explore further China tightens controls as more virus cases reported

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
If the past couple of years have taught us anything, it is that science matters, and we need elected leaders who get science now.

That is why we support Cora Neumann to be our next congresswoman from the newly created Western District in Montana. Please join us.

We have seen Coras work in support of public health firsthand and know her dedication and tenacity. She works hard and smart, with her knowledge of science, public health, and economics to help make this state a better place for all. Her experience both professionally and academically is impeccable. We have seen her ability to engage with new partners and to bring unlikely allies together for the common good.

If the endorsement of many local Montanans for Cora is not enough to win your support, consider this: Coras knowledge, training, and experience just won the endorsement of 314 Action, a group of scientists and researchers whose aim is to elect STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) professionals to the U.S. Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, state legislatures and governors offices. 314 Actions goal is to "promote the responsible use of data-driven, fact-based approaches in public policy.

When COVID hit, Cora founded We Are Montana to get personal protective equipment, life-saving information, financial aid, and vaccines out to Montanans so our economy could re-open as quickly and safely as possible. She worked with small business owners to help them keep the lights on, raised money to support rural county commissioners and health workers, and centered her work on delivering tangible results to rural counties. She also worked side by side with us to fight for good public health policy and local solutions during the 2021 Montana legislative session.

Just imagine if we started electing more leaders who will use their training as STEM professionals to influence policymaking at the state and federal levels. Evidence-based reasoning should be the foundation of legislation related to issues like climate change, public lands, economics, and public health policy. It means solid decision-making and leadership based upon rigor, analysis, and community engagement -- not self-interest or self-benefit.

For those who dont know her, Cora Neumann is a rural health and economic development leader with a track record of delivering results for underserved and rural communities, improving access to health care, and protecting our public lands. Shes running for Congress to make sure Montanans have access to good jobs and wages; that our small businesses can succeed; and that families whove lived here for years or generations can afford to stay.

Over the past 25 years, Cora has founded and led multiple non-profit organizations that help create jobs, improve child nutrition and mental health services, boost maternal health, and protect our public lands. She has done this work in Montana and across the country and world  working with local leaders, Republicans and Democrats alike, to solve problems that families and workers are facing.

We are proud to lend our voice in support of Cora. Please consider joining with the many Montanans stepping up to help win this important congressional seat.

C.B. Pearson from Missoula has been a public health, environmental and good government advocate in Montana for over 40 years holding a number of professional and volunteer positions. Emily Coyle is a public health consultant in Missoula.

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As part of The News Heralds 136th anniversary, were taking a look back at some of the memorable events that took place in or affected Burke County.

1567: Fort San Juan

established

Inhabited by Native Americans from the Catawba and Cherokee Indian tribes, Burke County was home to the largest Native American settlement in North Carolina, a town called Joara, situated in present-day Morganton. The towns history is believed to date back to 1,000 A.D., according to the countys website, burkenc.org.

Archaeologists began digging in the area, known as the Berry site, in the early 2000s, and found evidence that Spanish conquistadors, led by Juan Pardo, established the first European settlement in the interior of what is now the United States near Joara, in 1567, 20 years before the Roanoke colony and 40 years before the Jamestown colony, according to the Exploring Joara Foundation, the organization that manages the archaeological site.

The settlement, called Fort San Juan, did not last long. Pardo left 30 soldiers there while he went on further exploration. The fort was attacked the next year by the Native Americans of Joara and burned to the ground, killing most of the Spaniards.

1777: Burke County

established

In 1777, Burke County was formed from Rowan County, according to burkenc.org. It was named for Thomas Burke, who was serving as a delegate to the Continental Congress at the time (1777 to 1781). He was later elected as governor of North Carolina, serving from 1781 to 1782.

1780: Overmountain Men meet at Quaker Meadows

plantation

During the height of the Revolutionary War in 1780, British Major Patrick Ferguson threatened to lay waste the land if local colonists didnt support the crown, according to a previous News Herald article.

More than 1,400 Continental soldiers from Virginia, Tennessee and North Carolina joined forces to fight against the threat, stopping in Morganton Sept. 30 to Oct. 1, 1780 at Quaker Meadows plantation, owned by Charles McDowell, an officer in the Continental Army. The men would declare victory over the British a week later after the famous Battle of Kings Mountain, which was considered a key point that turned the tide of the war in Americas favor.

1784: Morganton

established

Burke Countys governmental seat was a frontier settlement originally known as Alder Springs, but in April of 1784, a state bill created the Morgan Judicial District, and renamed Alder Springs Morgansborough, designating it as the site of the county courthouse. The name, eventually shortened to Morganton, came from Capt. Daniel Morgan, a Revolutionary War hero whose regiment won the Battle of Cowpens.

1828-33: Brindletown gold

rush

People began digging for gold in the South Mountains district of Burke and McDowell counties about 1828, according to a research paper written by P. Albert Carpenter III and published by the North Carolina Geological Survey.

According to legend, gold was discovered there when a traveler stopped at a shoemakers home and spent the night, Carpenter wrote. The next day, the traveler, Sam Martin, noticed specks of gold in the mud that was used to fill the spaces between the logs of the house. This discovery led to mining along Brindles Creek, now known as Brindletown Creek. Soon placer mining spread to the First and Second Broad Rivers, Muddy Creek and Silver Creek. Mining in the South Mountains later spread to the hillsides, where both bench gravels and lodes were worked.

1831-33: The infamous case of Frankie

Silver

Maxine McCall, author of They Wont Hang a Woman, contended in a previous News Herald article that Frankie Silver, who lived in Burke County in the early 19th century, killed her husband, Charlie Silver, with an ax in self-defense on the night of Dec. 22, 1831.

The case stands out in local history because it was believed Frankie was the first woman hanged in North Carolina, although later research disproved that assertion.

Frankie was arrested for the crime after she reported her husbands disappearance to local law enforcement, and they found bones and grease in the fireplace at the Silver home, blood under the floorboards and body parts in a tree stump outside. Many today believe that Frankie and Charlie had a violent argument that night, and that Frankie feared for her life, causing her to take action to protect herself.

Although there were not enough remains recovered to positively identify them as belonging to Charlie, Frankie was charged with murder and found guilty in court. After the verdict came down, Frankies uncle helped her escape from jail, but she was caught eight days later.

Frankie was hanged on July 12, 1833, most likely in a yard off of present-day Valdese Avenue, near White Street in Morganton.

1858: Rutherford College

established

John Rutherford Jr. (1789-1880), the son of a local plantation owner, donated money to purchase 600 acres of land to establish Rutherford Academy, which eventually became Rutherford College. He was known as one of the richest men in Burke County, according to a history of the school published by the town of Rutherford College. The school was led from the 1850s to the 1890s by the Rev. R.L. Abernethy, a close friend of Rutherfords.

In 1891, the college burned at its original site (where the First Baptist Church now stands), but was rebuilt in 1893 at the present site of Valdese General Hospital, the history reads. In 1894, R.L. Abernethy died due to a fall from a horse. His son, Will, became the president until 1899, when the school was sold to the Western North Carolina Conference of the Methodist/Episcopalian ChurchSouth. The school operated until 1933, when the Methodist Conference was forced to consolidate its schools due to the Great Depression.

1865: Stonemans

Raid

Morganton was the site of Union occupation and destruction at the end of the Civil War in 1865.

After Confederate General Robert E. Lees surrender at Appomattox Courthouse on April 9, 1865, Union Gen. George Stoneman and his cavalry continued to wage war, reads a summary of Stonemans Raid published in a newsletter for the Burke County History Museum. On April 17, 1865, part of Stonemans force met some of the Confederate Home Guard on the Catawba River in Burke County in what some locals call the Rock Ford Engagement. The Union cavalry crossed the river about a quarter of a mile upstream from Rocky Ford (located across NC 18 from the Grace Ridge Retirement Community). This area is now part of the Catawba River Greenway. The force crossed the river and continued into downtown Morganton, plundering and pillaging along the way. The deeds of destruction included the seizing and burning of courthouse records.

This information was compiled mostly from previous News Herald articles, the North Carolina Room at the Burke County Public Library and various state historical records.w
In 1793, 10 years after America defeated the British to win independence, a group of dedicated Methodists organized the Gilboa congregation in Burke County. Today, 229 years later, another dedicated group is working to save their legacy.

Gilboas original two log church buildings have not survived, but the third, built in 1879 with clapboard siding and metal roof, still stands.

The church and its cemetery sit in a wooded area in the Salem community less than a mile from US 64. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Gilboa Methodist Church is the oldest framed church in the county.

The Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church owns the property, unused since the 1940s except for special events. The First United Methodist Church in Morganton has acted as the unofficial caretaker of Gilboa since the congregation closed its doors and has invested volunteer time and funds for maintenance over the years.

In the summer of 2020, Morganton resident Andrea Kiser, who has ancestors buried in the Gilboa cemetery, visited the property and found pine saplings as tall as she was taking over the graveyard. The access road was rutted, washed out and nearly undriveable, and the church building needed major repairs.

Twenty months later, Kiser and many of her friends and family have worked hard to restore the property. Both volunteers and hired helpers have landscaped and removed overgrown vegetation from the cemetery and cleaned the inside of the building. Run-down gates and locks were replaced; the road was scraped; a front-loader dug out the roadside ditches so water could drain, and three 20-foot pipes were put in. Fallen headstones and a sunken grave were reset. Where the church drive turns off US 64, 16 tons of asphalt was laid.

As a member of Quaker Meadows chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Kiser has inspired that organization to take a leadership role, and the group has been instrumental in the work.

Marsha Riddle, a lifelong Methodist and co-chair of Quaker Meadows DAR Historic Preservation Committee, has applied for and received grant funds to help with Gilboa restoration. First on the list is replacing the rusted metal roof. She recently drove me to the site where she and her committee gave me a tour.

Riddle is passionate about this project and said, Francis Asbury came through and preached here!

Asbury was one of the first Methodist Bishops in the U.S. and considered the Father of American Methodism. The formation of the Gilboa congregation was most likely an outgrowth of Bishop Asburys efforts, as he was influential in establishing the denomination in North Carolina.

Gilboa Methodist Church is the Mother Church of Methodism in Burke County and much of western N.C. according to Riddle. She said the DAR is working with the Methodists toward restoring the property.

Were exploring a nonprofit corporation to allow the Western N.C. Conference of the United Methodist Church to transfer ownership of Gilboa to a 501(3) nonprofit for preservation in perpetuity.

When legal and insurance issues are settled, work can begin on the church building, and wider community-based fundraising will start.

ARS Construction Services in Candler, which specializes in historic properties, recently assessed the condition of the churchs roof, estimating replacement cost at $38,200, plus $7 for each rotted joist that needs replacing. Riddle said some of the 40 to 50 joists will surely need replacing.

Kiser said, The metal roof is decaying and rusted but not leaking yet. She added, The wood around it is rotted and falling down.

A new roof would need to be approved by the North Carolina Historic Preservation office, and would be a tin or a metal one, according to Riddle.

Quaker Meadows DAR has created a special account to hold funds received for the Gilboa restoration. Support has been received from the following so far:

The Huffman-Cornwell Foundation in Charlotte gave $2,000. Huffman-Cornwell supports those who work to improve the lives of Burke County residents through arts, culture, education, health and human services and faith-based activities.

The J. Alex and Vivian G. Mull Foundation in Morganton, which supports charitable, religious, humanitarian and educational activities within North Carolina, gave $3,000 toward costs to restore the buildings foundation.

The Americana Corner in Richmond Hill, Georgia, gave $5,000. The purpose of Americana Corner is to tell the story of America from its founding era through its first century.

In addition to the above, a challenge grant from the Marion Stedman Covington Foundation in Greensboro has been received. If DAR can raise $20,000 in new funds, this foundation will give $10,000.

The old frame church in its wooded setting is a lovely and important piece of history that many want to save. Its something to appreciate in this springtime of rebirth and resurrection.

For more information, contact Marsha Riddle at 828-433-8244.

The NSDAR was founded in 1890 to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Its members are descended from patriots who won American independence during the Revolutionary War. For information about joining the Quaker Meadows chapter, contact Regent Janie Matthews at 828-448-0412.

Gwen Veazey is a member of the Morganton Writers Group and the Quaker Meadows chapter of the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Israel Cason, the founder of a successful addiction treatment program that stressed tough love and hard work, died of cancer Feb. 22 at his Howard Park home. He was 70.

Mr. Cason, who survived years of heroin addiction and street violence, created the program, I Cant We Can, for other recovering addicts. His efforts assisted thousands of people.

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He was gregarious and so funny, said his nephew, Saafir Raab. He was simultaneously spiritual and focused on saving peoples lives. He was no-nonsense.

Mr. Raab also said: He was magnanimous and magnetic. He had the ability to attract people and direct them to the means and purpose of their lives.

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The Rev. M. Dion Thompson, a priest at St. Annes Episcopal Church in Annapolis, said: He employed a lot of street psychology. He spoke the language. There was no addict who could B-S him.

He added: His story was remarkable in terms of what he had been through as a heroin addict and his subsequent turnaround. He was a deeply prayerful man who believed you can come out of the abyss.

Born in Baltimore and raised on Lafayette Avenue in Station North, he was the son of religious parents. His father, Presley Cason, worked in a brickyard while his wife Pearline was a seamstress.

He attended Clifton Park Junior High School and Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and later took courses at Baltimore City Community College. He worked briefly at Bethlehem Steel Corp.

He later told a Sun reporter he did marijuana as a teen, got arrested and was sent to a reformatory near Hagerstown. He also said he liked the glamor of life in the streets.

Israel Cason established his I Cant We Can program at the Park Heights Community Health Alliance. (Andre Chung)

He also joined the Fruit of Islam in the Nation of Islam and worked in its local bakery. But after the death of Elijah Muhammad, he resumed drug use.

That lifestyle extracted a price.

He once found himself lying face up on a northwest Baltimore sidewalk, five .32-caliber bullets in his gut. ... [A] cop bent down to draw a chalk line around his bleeding body,a 1999 Sun story said. The officer wouldnt mind seeing him go. Hed been nothing but trouble, a throwaway junkie.

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Mr. Cason spent five months recovering from the wounds.

After his mother, Pearline, died in 1992  a time when he was living in an abandoned car  he had enough of the way he was existing and sought treatment at the Stop and Surrender Program in North Philadelphia. He vowed to recover and to help others.

And because he did not die, Baltimore has eight more halfway houses, all set up by Cason without a dime from the government, all set up in the last year and a half, all performing daily the near-miracle of salvaging throwaway lives, the Suns story said.

Mr. Casons program was successful. In 1998, City Hall honored him on Aug. 29 which was declared I Cant We Can Day.

He established his I Cant We Can program at the Park Heights Community Health Alliance. A memorial street sign at Park Heights and Wylie avenues now carries his name: Israel Cason Way.

He was a real groundbreaker and a tireless advocate to reach the young people, said Kevin Cleary, a former deputy director in the Mayors Office of Neighborhoods. He strongly believed in helping people add discipline to their lives and in helping them reach sobriety.

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The 1999 story said he had 87 men and women in the program. They followed a rule, Change you must, or die you will.

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)

To keep recovering addicts occupied, he founded a bakery, barber shop, moving and hauling business, and a thrift shop, among other enterprises.

I got to know him through the Maryland Community Health Initiatives clinic in the Penn North neighborhood, which used acupuncture as part of the recovery therapy, said J. Stanley Heuisler, former Columbus Center director.

I saw him walk into a meeting with folks once and introduce himself as their new higher education counselor from Whats A. Matter U.? He had credibility because most everyone knew what hed done to survive and he testified with such faith and humor they had to listen, said Mr. Heuisler, who was a former Baltimore Magazines editor.

Mr. Cason spoke openly about his spirituality.

I know what it took to save my soul, he said. It wasnt people. It was divine intervention. See, Im supposed to have been dead. I been shot up, cut up, stabbed up. ODd over 20-something times  way over. I cant even count the times. I mean, I stayed in a ambulance.

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I just deal with total abstinence. Giving out needles, putting people on methadone. Thats not going to get it, he said. The people thats doing that, theyre playing the devils advocate.

Afternoon Update Weekdays Updating you on the day's biggest news before the evening commute. >

He also believed it was up to residents to try to control conduct and stop senseless killings.

We cant police our way out of this, Mr. Cason said in a 2007 Sun story. We need to stop looking at symptoms and start looking at us. No one is coming here to change us. Its up to us to change our own conduct. We got to educate our children. We need to teach them how to get jobs.

[ Rosemary C. Lazzati, matriarch whose annual Christmas card was a holiday tradition for decades, dies ]

He was nominated for a Ford Foundations Leadership in a Changing World Award. He also applied for a vacant City Council seat, but did not get the office.

In a 2014 Sun story, Mr. Cason said he felt the use of the life-saving drug, naloxone, is controversial. He also said that programs that distribute clean needles encourage heroin addicts to continue using by reducing the consequences.

It exacerbates the problem because people think they can overdose [and] someone can bring me around, " he said. Theyre only treating the symptoms. Theyre not dealing with the problem.

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Mr. Cason is survived by his wife of 11 years, Kathleen Greene; a daughter, Tyrica Cason of Baltimore; sons, Israel Wyatt of Moreno Valley, California; Karim Cason of Riegelwood, North Carolina, and Ishmael Cason of Baltimore; seven grandchildren; and a great-grandson.

A memorial service was held Mar. 4 at the Gala Center in Windsor Mill.
There are many dogs and cats are available for adoption at Burke County Animal Services.

Trinity Johnson, shelter technician at BCAS, wants all of the animals in the shelter to find a loving fur-ever home. These are the animals she chose to spotlight this week.

This weeks Dog of the Week is Marmalade.

Marmalade, a 5-year-old lab-hound mix, is a perfect dog, Johnson said. She is very laid back and would do well in just about any setting. Marmalade is dog friendly, and most likely cat friendly as she is just so laid back and well-mannered. She does great on a leash and is potty trained. Let Marmalade be the newest addition to your family!

All animals brought to animal services come from different backgrounds and are in different physical condition. The agencys staff works to ensure all animals are taken care of while theyre in the shelter and in preparation to be adopted into their forever homes.

This weeks Cat of the Week is Crunch.

Crunch is a 7-year-old, orange tabby male, Johnson said. He is a whole 13 pounds of love and absolutely loves to cuddle. Crunch had a Maine-coon brother who has already been adopted, but we believe Crunch to be a Maine-coon mix as well as hes just so big!

Crunch is cat friendly, and is very laid back. He would strive in a home where he can be around other cats and love on his humans. Come meet Crunch today.

In addition to this weeks pets of the week, there are many dogs and cats are available for adoption at Burke County Animal Services.

Animal services tries to take in as many animals as it can, and with the help of foster home volunteers it is able to care for more animals.

There are different fees for those interested in adopting a dog or a cat from animal services. The adoption fee for any adult dog or puppy is $125. The adoption fee for any adult cat or kitten is $90.

All animals come up-to-date on vaccines, flea control, and deworming, as well as being spayed and neutered.

The shelter also offers foster programs for members of the community to help the animals of the shelter without having to make a lifelong commitment. Fosters are only required to give a copy of a valid ID with address and phone number and to sign their foster agreement.

Fostering is free, and animal services provides all needed supplies, including litter boxes, litter and food and the same for dogs, the agencys policy says. Crates are provided, if available. Foster parents are just asked to transport the animal either to vet appointments or back to the shelter for updated vaccines and deworming.

For more information on Marmalade, Crunch or any other adoption or foster-related questions, call animal services at 828-764-9588 or visit its website at burkenc.org/animalservices. Visit its Facebook page at Burke County Animal Services for information on adoptable animals or upcoming adoption events.
Imagine for a moment that Russian President Vladimir Putin had used different tactics.

Imagine that Putin had just been a little less nakedly aggressive; if he had worked to undermine democracy and dismantle the post-Cold War architecture with a bit more subtlety; if he had stuck with the tactics he employed in Georgia and Crimea and in American and European elections.

He and Russia would not now be the international pariahs they have become. The Germans would still be planning the Nord Stream 2 pipeline to cement their dependence on Russian fossil fuels. Viktor Orban, Marine Le Pen, Matteo Salvini and Nigel Farage would still be lionizing him. Tucker Carlson would still be demanding to know what is so bad about the Russian president (Did he call me a racist?), and Donald Trump would still be planting wet kisses on his feet.

The fact is that Putin has done more than enough over the past two decades to earn the hostility and suspicion of free people. He has murdered his political opponents. He has crushed the free press. He committed war crimes against Chechnya, targeting civilians in Grozny and causing the deaths of up to 50,000. He invaded Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014, annexing Crimea. He sided with Bashar al-Assad in Syria, bombing civilian targets including hospitals in Aleppo and facilitating the use of chemical weapons. And through subterfuge he sowed division in Europe, the U.S. and around the globe, supporting extremists of the left and the right and undermining confidence in elections.

You can do all of that and more and get away with it. What you cannot do is roll tanks into another country. That, apparently, is the sort of act that finally reminds people of good and evil in this world.

Ukrainians deserve our gratitude. Their heroism in the face of this brutal attack has shocked people into hard-headed realism. Putin did the one thing that no one can misinterpret or explain away. No more illusions. Aggressors are real. Freedom is worth defending.

The shift in attitudes toward Russia has been vertigo-inducing, but it remains to be seen whether it will stick. The human tendency toward complacency and denial is very strong. One way well know if the democracies have truly grappled with the moment is what they do on energy.

Without energy revenue, Russia is defanged. Oil and gas account for nearly 40% of Russias federal revenue and 60% of exports. The old gibe that Russia is a gas station with nukes was only somewhat exaggerated. Europe currently relies on Russia for 40% of its energy needs. Unfortunately, the European Commission seems to be thinking very much inside the box, with an emphasis on renewables and energy efficiency.

Another path, better for the climate than liquified natural gas and more reliable than renewables, is in plain sight  nuclear power. The worlds demand for energy is not going to diminish, but only increase in the coming century. The U.S. Energy Information Administration estimates that world energy demand will increase 50% by 2050, led by growth in Asia. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development countries cannot in conscience deny development to the worlds poorer nations. Nor can we delude ourselves that renewables, at the current state of technology, can take up all the slack created by giving up fossil fuels.

Amazingly, there is an existing technology that can produce the energy the world needs without harming the climate. And yet we hesitate.

Nuclear power is the key to limiting climate change and hobbling some of the worlds worst aggressors.

If were serious about both problems, well clear the air of superstitions about nuclear power. Nuclear power plants cannot explode like nuclear bombs. They require much less land than solar or wind. Nuclear waste can be safely buried. The Navy has been powering ships with nuclear reactors since the late 1950s. According to the Naval Post: U.S. Nuclear Powered Warships (NPWs) have safely operated for more than 50 years without experiencing any reactor accident or any release of radioactivity that hurt human health or had an adverse effect on marine life.

Nothing is perfect. One death from radiation exposure at the Fukushima power plant has been noted by the Japanese government: a worker who died of lung cancer in 2018, seven years after the tsunami and meltdowns.

But if we are in a new hard-headed era, we will evaluate trade-offs like adults. Are we serious about choking off the source of Putins power or not? Are we serious about combating climate change without illusions that wind and solar will do the job? Nuclear power can be a major part of the solution to both challenges.

Mona Charen is policy editor of The Bulwark and host of the Beg to Differ podcast.
Anti-Irish Catholic sentiment was an ongoing problem across the United States  from the 19th century all the way through to the early 20th century. While not on such a grand scale, Buttes Irish immigrants faced ridicule as well.

As these men, women and children came in record numbers to the Mining City, residents affiliated with the American Protective Association, a nationally known Protestant organization, did not hide their disdain. They were not thrilled with Buttes newest residents, mostly because the A.P.A. had a deep hatred for Catholics, particularly Irish Catholics.

The A.P.A., a secret society, was founded in 1887 in Clinton, Iowa. Some years later, it had members in Butte, along with some sympathizers.

It was Independence Day 1894 when tensions soared. It didnt help that two Broadway Street saloons had prominent patriotic decorations displayed in their front windows, both of which spelled out A.P.A. Not exactly a subtle message.

The day was supposed to be celebratory  set aside for patriotic revelry. Instead, with the unsolicited help from the A.P.A., it became an all-day riot in Uptown Butte, which pitted Catholics and Protestants against each other.

Many would find themselves behind bars and by days end, the Helena militia had been called in. Even worse, one Butte police officer, Dennis H. Daly, was lying dead at the morgue. Samuel Dunn, a 44-year-old miner, would suffer the same fate.

Earlier in the day, to help squash the riot, Mayor Eugene O. Dugan called in members of the Butte Fire Department to not only put out existing fires, but turn the hoses on crowds, whether outside or inside two particular saloons located on West Broadway Street, the Columbia and the Sazarac.

It wasnt lost on Dugan that the owners of these two saloons, Columbia's Simon Hauswirth and J.J. Anderson and Virgil Keeton of the Sazarac, were instrumental in causing the riot. It wasnt lost on the fire department, either, with many of the firefighters recent Irish immigrants.

At Sazaracs, firemen sent a steady stream of water through the door of the saloon, soaking its occupants as well as destroying the interior. Patrons fired back, literally.

The occupants of the saloon resented the liquid refreshments offered, reported The Butte Inter Mountain, and returned the compliment by firing bullets filled with gun powder and lead back at the firemen.

By late afternoon, Hauswirth took Mayor Dugans advice and agreed to take down his A.P.A. decorations at the Columbia. His acquiesce didnt do much good, as a stick of dynamite was detonated outside his saloon window, causing some damage.

The Butte Inter Mountain reported that the explosion resulted in the shattering of the plate glass front into a million atoms. Later, for unknown reasons, firemen set their hoses on his establishment, as well.

Another casualty of that day was Jerry Connell, who was headed home the night of the riot. Slightly inebriated, Connell, walking with friends, was boisterously singing Irish tunes, which annoyed some unknown resident who demanded the Irishman shut up. Connell was in no mood to comply and paid with his life as he was shot by the unknown assailant and died days later.

Membership in the A.P.A. would multiply nationwide and by 1896, boasted 2.5 million members. As quickly as it grew, it quickly fell out of favor, and by 1911, it had disappeared.

Irish residents got more than irritable in December 1905. Thats when the Dreamland Burlesquers were to perform at the Grand Opera House at 50 W. Broadway St. The troupe barely hit the stage before they had to hit the road once again, thanks to public sentiment.

An estimated 600 of Buttes Irish citizens met on Dec. 17 to protest the troupes featured poster, At the Circus, which included a caricature of an Irishman as an ape.

James J. Lynch told the crowd it was time to put the foot down on such an insult to the Irish race. John J. OMeara concurred that it was time to take action.

Any man born in the old country or with a drop of Irish blood in his veins must feel like resenting such insults, said OMeara. I think enough has been said and that we should pass resolutions saying that the Irish people will not stand it any longer.

So, hundreds headed to the opera house to voice their displeasure, loud and clear. Their rallying cry worked and the curtain closed on this particular show.

The Irishman has been made the butt of cheap comedians long enough, reported The Butte Miner, and the lesson taught in this city will have a good effect in putting a stop to indecent libels upon the ordinarily sunny dispositioned sons of Erin.

Four years later, Mrs. C.L. Miller found herself in hot water when she placed the following advertisement in the April 11, 1909 Anaconda Standard:

Highest salary will be paid to thoroughly competent French, Swede or German girl for general housework in a family of two; Irish need not apply. 403 West Broadway, Butte.

Yeah, that didnt go over too well and members of the Buttes Gaelic League sat down for yet another meeting. Mr. Miller, a Butte businessman, was quick to explain and quick to apologize.

I assure you that an insult to the Irish race or people was the farthest possible from the thoughts of either Mrs. Miller or myself, he said in an Anaconda Standard interview.

Miller was quick to point out he had many friends among the Irish people and further explained that his wife had some recent difficulty with Irish servants. She had added Irish need not apply to her advertisement, he explained, to save the Irish girls the trip to her house on a fruitless errand.

He concluded the interview with an apology, saying, We are both exceedingly sorry if we have unwittingly hurt the feelings of any class of people.

The apology apparently was not accepted because days later, a committee, chaired by Anna M. Sullivan, was formed, which found that the old spirit of bigotry and race hatred is not, as we supposed, wholly dead, but still lives in a few narrow souls.

A harsh recommendation followed: We recommend all self-respecting Irish people and people of Irish blood to have no intercourse with such intolerant creatures, industrially, socially or financially; but leave them to live within the narrow circle which they themselves have drawn.

By the 1910s, anti-Irish Catholic sentiment in Butte had become, at least vocally, a thing of the past. That all changed in 1921, when the Ku Klux Klan came calling.

Although the white supremacist group did not form a chapter in Butte until 1923, rumors of their arrival filtered through two years prior. Adding fuel to the fire was a recruitment ad in The Butte Miner July 16, 1921.

It was more than a bit puzzling that this racist group would even consider coming to the Mining City, given their deep hatred for all Catholics, including the Irish. Butte had a large Catholic population. Within its city limits were 10 Catholic churches.

There was no love lost when it came to immigrants in general, either. A melting pot, immigrants from all over the world had made Butte their home.

Once the KKK ad was placed, Sheriff Larry Duggan, the son of Irish immigrants, felt the need to weigh in. The following day, in an interview published in The Butte Miner, he made his feelings perfectly clear and the threat he made was forceful and precise.

They are a body of men who take the law enforcement out of the hands of the authorities, said Duggan, and enforce their own notions and ideas.

That did not sit well with the local sheriff, who promised if the racist group started anything, they would be shot down like so many wolves.

Duggans threats were virtually ignored and the Kontinental Klan officially organized in Butte in 1923, with the help of one-time Butte educator and former Livingston mayor, Lewis Terwilliger.

Terwilliger, the Klans grand dragon in Montana, was not a Butte fan. He reportedly called Butte the worst place in the state of Montana, so far as alienism and Catholicism are concerned.

Not surprising, Duggan would become an enemy of Buttes KKK. In August 1924, the sheriff received a threatening letter, postmarked in Butte, with the groups emblem prominently displayed.

Look out for the Ku Klux Klan, for we are after you, was the written warning, and your deputy, Jack Duggan. The letter, signed by the KKK, came with some instructions as well, including an order to publish his response in The Butte Miner.

Whoever composed the letter also assured the sheriff that We always like to give a man a chance to expect us, with the added insult, Not that you come under the heading of a man.

According to The Butte Miner of Aug. 30, 1924, the sheriff was indifferent to the warning.

I notice the letter is in the nature of a warning and that they dont intend to surprise us, said the sheriff, who added an ominous message of his own. If they will give us just two seconds, he said, well guarantee there will be no question.

While the organization may have started out somewhat strong, the group quickly lost favor and by 1929, the writing was on the wall. The Kontinental Klan had to disband, with only a handful of members left.

As for the threat against Duggan, well, that was idle, at best. The one-time mortician would serve as Buttes sheriff for three terms. He was 65 years old when he died in 1939.

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WAPELLO  A plan of action will be needed before any water system can be expanded into Louisa County, but before any plan can be established, more talks will be needed, city of Wapello, regional planning and county officials agreed during a meeting of the Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday.

The supervisors called the meeting to discuss using either a port authority or water district track to develop the system, although Southeast Iowa Regional Planning Commission (SEIRPC) Executive Director Mike Norris suggested other options.

Although no water supplier was mentioned during the meeting, during past discussions, Louisa County Supervisor Brad Quigley has reported meeting with Muscatine Power and Water (MPW) officials on the proposal.

According to those reports, a supply line would extend into the county from MPW facilities and could potentially supply water to the cities of Letts, Grandview, Wapello and the Louisa-Muscatine (L&M) School District.

During previous board of supervisors meetings, Quigley said he had talked with officials from all four local governments about the proposal.

On Tuesday, Norris, who attended the meeting by Zoom, met with Quigley, supervisors Chris Ball and Randy Griffin; Wapello Mayor Shawn Maine and Wapello City Clerk Mike Delzell to discuss the water expansion options. Louisa Development Group (LDG) Executive Director Cole Smith also attended by Zoom.

Norris initially explained how a port authority could provide the legal framework for a water distribution system and also provide economic development functions such as rail spurs, warehousing and others.

A port authority could be established under Chapter 28J of the Iowa Code by two or more municipalities.

Another option for the water project could be to establish a special water district, Norris explained to the group.

Unlike a port authority, the water district would have only the single purpose of distributing water and its formation would require approval from property owners within the proposed district, he said.

That has a higher barrier, Norris warned the group, citing the property owners needed approval.

However, under an alternate water district formation method, a nonprofit entity could be established, apparently without a vote of the property owners, if it provided evidence that enough users existed to make the operation feasible.

A third option Norris presented was to establish a general purpose intergovernmental cooperative organization under a 28E agreement.

In a memo Norris and other SEIRPC staff prepared, a 28E agreement could be used by multiple public entities for water distribution but would likely be limited in providing other services unless there was a rational connection to its primary water distribution purpose.

A fourth option outlined in the memo and explained briefly by Norris would be for the county to establish its own water distribution department. In the memo, the SEIRPC staff suggested this option was unlikely for a variety of reasons, including the increased demand for staff, funding and other issues.

Its basically, what kind of group you want, Norris said after outlining the options.

Although Quigley indicated Letts and L&M appeared ready to join any group, Grandview was still a question mark. Maine said Wapello was also uncertain.

Im not saying no. I think there are a lot of things to discuss, he said.

Eventually, Quigley said he would meet with officials from Letts, Grandview and L&M; and Maine said he would talk with his City Council.

Quigley also indicated he would continue efforts to develop cost estimates.

In other action, the supervisors:

Approved a $1,870 vacation and accrued vacation payout to Mellisa Bandy, public health, who recently resigned.

Signed a resolution for elected officials Fiscal Year 2023 salaries.

Canvassed a special Wapello School District election.

Agreed to pay $16,023 to Schrock Lumber for windows and seek a new contractor to install them into the second floor of the courthouse.

Agreed to move forward with plans to digitize historic county records.

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WAPELLO  The Wapello School Districts Fiscal Year (FY) 2023 Budget still needs some fine tuning, but the school board agreed during its regular meeting Wednesday to move forward with a public hearing on the proposal at its next meeting on April 13.

According to a notice of public hearing that was included in the boards meeting packet, total expenditures and other uses is projected to be $10,758,241, while anticipated total revenue and other sources is $9,847,068.

The beginning fund balance of $3,851,287 is expected to fall to an ending balance $2,940,114.

District business manager Eric Small said one of the key elements of the budget, the schools proposed property tax rate, would not be affected by any modifications he would need to make with the spending and revenue plan.

According to Small, the proposed rate of just under $12.99 per $1,000 taxable valuation would be over 22 cents below the current rate. Part of the explanation for the levy drop is that the districts valuation has increased by around $3 million, he told the board.

In a related budget decision, the board approved a budget guarantee that will allow the district to levy $34,470 in property taxes. The budget guarantee mechanism can be implemented when supplemental state aid fails to keep up with a decrease in enrollment.

The guarantee also helps districts preserve spending authority.

We should always take advantage of opportunities to recapture spending authority, Superintendent Mike Peterson reminded the school board members before the vote.

The board also agreed to reenter into a 28E agreement with other school districts to establish the Education Energy Group Pool. The pool is used to purchase natural gas for its members, with the members able to use the school districts management fund to pay for the fuel instead of the general fund, which would impact spending authority.

The pool saved the Wapello School District around $190,000 in lower natural gas costs in its initial year.

A second 28E agreement, this one with the Iowa Star Schools Health Insurance Trust, was also approved by the board. Peterson reported the agreement would allow the school to shift from being self-funded to a larger group, which should lead to lower renewal rates and an increase number of available health plan options.

Wapello was one of several districts around the state invited to join the group, which requires a minimum three-year commitment.

Three actions were tabled by the board and will be reviewed at a later meeting. Two of the actions were related to the school districts possible use of ESSER (Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief ) funds to finance payments to certified and non-certified staff that had not been included in the Teacher Retention Program.

A special meeting will be held March 14 to consider the proposals.

The Wapello Education Associations (WEA) was also unable to present its initial bargaining proposal as planned, so that item was tabled.

The board also:

Agreed to a $5,330 proposal from FLR Sanders, Inc., Princeton, Minn., to refinish the practice floor gym. Peterson also suggested the company repaint the W on the floor.

Accepted a $163,500 bid from Odessa Mechanical, Wapello, for 16 elementary classroom Univents; and a $20,900 bid for five elementary hallway Univents.

Approved a three-year contract with Double Rafter D Enterprises, Chelsea, Okla., for scoreboard services for the Wapello Pro Rodeo.

Received a demonstration from the schools robotics team before state competition.

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Ukraines Zelenskyy is a true leader

I am writing in response to the actions that president Volodymyr Zelenskyy is taking in the midst of Russian president Vladimir Putins attack on Ukraine. Zelenskyy has shown great confidence and pride in protecting his country. Most presidents would flee their country and let their military take care if the war.

Zelenskyy has stayed and fought for his country along with the civilians and Ukraine military. The way he has responded to this attack on the country, he is responsible for shows he takes his job seriously. The love that he has for his country and his position as president really shows as he is in the action of the war, rather than running away from it. The way he is using his presidential position and fighting for his country shows that he truly has a passion for leading and he is pouring himself into what he is doing. Zelenskyy has showed that he was meant to be the president of Ukraine, almost like it is his gift to society.

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Deanna Sharps, Annapolis

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Zelenskyy must survive

In the coming days, the heroic President of Ukraine will be pressured to leave. The presidents ability to rally Ukrainians and many others has been lauded and provided the Ukrainians with the morale needed to resist the Russian takeover and is a lesson in crisis leadership. But as the noose around Kyiv tightens, pressure will come from leaders around the world for him to leave. It will happen for two reasons; first, if the Russians continue, Kyiv will fall. Zelenskyy will need to lead the opposition movement and continue in absentia to head up what might be a long brutal insurgency. Second, if President Zelenskyy dies, it will ratchet up the pressure on world leaders to do even more. The presidents demise is of concern as the goal is to bring down the temperature and not escalate the war. Putin has already dispatched hunter/killer groups who thus far have been unsuccessful but their efforts will continue. If Zelenskyy dies, he becomes a martyr, but who will take his place?

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As a former Secret Service agent assigned to protect the President of the United States, I know that President Zelenskys security detail is in a tough situation. On one hand they are inspired by the presidents resistance, and on the other, worried if they can keep him alive. Zelenskys detail has exfiltration plans in place, but as the noose tightens, the options become limited.

The president of the United States cannot refuse Secret Service protection. Our goal is to keep the president alive and that starts with having him in a safe environment. Kyiv is not that place. There is more at stake than just the life of one person. Keeping the president alive, keeps democracy alive. It keeps the rights of voters alive, who expect their duly elected president to fulfill their duties. It is bigger than one persons life. I dont know how it works in Ukraine, but I hope that his senior advisers and others can convince President Zelenskyy not to stay and fight to the end. I think this is Putins end, but Ukraine needs their president. Its time to execute an exfiltration plan.

Stephen Phillip Monteiro, Annapolis

Monteiro, a Navy veteran, spent over 20 years as a Special Agent with the U.S. Secret Service and is an expert in security, forensics, intelligence, and bioterrorism.

Putins actions recall WWII start

I am old enough to remember my family living with my grandparents while my father served in the South Pacific in the U.S. Navy during WWII: swapping cans of lard at the corner grocery for limited ration coupons, keeping window shades drawn at night, my grandfather being on neighborhood watch, and my father returning in his dress blues. As a petty officer in the U.S. Navy, my service was extended due to the raising of the Berlin Wall and I was recalled due to the Cuban missile crisis. In college I studied Napoleon Bonaparte and Adolf Hitlers marches through Europe, Presidents Woodrow Wilson and Franklin Roosevelts efforts to stay out of the respective European wars, the Soviet Unions post WWII dominance of Eastern Europe, and studied with a classmate from Ukraine, whose goal in life was to free Ukraine from Russian domination. And now I am watching Russian President Vladamir Putins full-blown invasion of democratic Ukraine as the United States and European Union provide limited support through sanctions and war materiel while otherwise staying out of their war  Its not our war.

Its not our war, until it is. Why do we ignore the historical significance of a dictator taking over a neighboring democracy by war? Why do we ignore Putins stated goal of Making Russia Great Again? Why are the elected officials of Europe and the United States wearing blinders when it comes to Putins blitzkrieg that started with Crimea and then Donetsk, and is now aimed in the whole of Ukraine? Why do the elected officials of Europe and the United States refuse to see Putins aggression in Ukraine as his first step to return Eastern Europe to its Soviet Union dominance? And so, it begins.

We need the European Union to accept Ukraines request for membership now. We need the United States and European Union to move NATO to accept Ukraine. We need NATO to stand up to Russia in Ukraine before it is too late, before Russia has moved into the Baltic states, with Poland and Romania.

John Robinson, Annapolis

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Military support for Ukraine

Like many of you I watch the news on the War in Ukraine. I am incensed by the atrocities, the shear cruelty fostered by Russian soldiers under the direction of the worlds alleged richest man infatuated with his power, his nuclear power. The courage of the Ukrainians humbles me and I wonder, after listening to US whining about gas prices, how we would act in the face of such injustice.

Russian President Vladamir Putin has vowed to win and guess what, we let him, we give him power (despite crippling economic sanctions) to destroy a nation while we quibble over sharing airplanes with Ukraine that could level the playing field against a coming nuclear attack on Kyiv. The irony is of course that if Ukraine had been a member of the surrounding nations of NATO four years ago, 30 additional nations would be on the ground fighting and strafing the invaders from the air. Imagine that, 31 nations in the air against one army marching on fake news.

Or conversely, would the NATO alliance to help one and all fail out of fear of nuclear attacks making it obsolete, to the applause of bully Putin. Do we want to cower to a bully President Putin to rule the world, if even for a short time, or do we want to defeat his goal on behalf of the 150 diverse nations speaking up on behalf of freedom? The choice seems clear. It doesnt seem in our interests to ignore the set up of a new world of multiple Mariupols massacres of women and children, bombing of hospitals and schools, and scorched earth towns by a bully. Whose next? Unfortunately we cannot afford to stand back militarily any longer. We need to support and make possible more air power And we need to do it NOW.

Ellen Moyer, Annapolis

Moyer is a former mayor of Annapolis

Ukraine has known genocide before

Between 1932 and 1933, about 3.9 million Ukrainians or about 13% of their population starved to death in a human-made famine known as Holodomor as a direct result of Soviet leader Josef Stalins policies toward the Ukrainian people. Information about Holodomor first came to light in the 1980s and by 2019, 16 countries including the United States and the Vatican have classified Holodomor as genocide by the Soviets against the Ukrainian people. As Americans we owe it to ourselves to learn about Holodomor to better understand why the Ukrainian people are fighting so valiantly against such overwhelming odds. Please research Holodomor!

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Jean Bennett, Millersville

Strengthen drunken driver law

Maryland SB 653 and HB 557 address the problem of loopholes in Noahs Law. A drunken driver hit and killed Montgomery County Police Officer Noah Leotta while he was working on a DUI task force and had pulled over a drunken driver. Noahs parents have worked tirelessly to get this bill passed. Noahs Law requires everyone convicted of drunken driving to have an ignition interlock installed on their vehicle.

Sen. Jeff Waldstreicher and Del. Vanessa Atterbeary have introduced SB 653 and HB 557 to close loopholes in Noahs Law. Please contact your legislator and urge them to pass these bills.

Unfortunately, some judges are allowing first time offenders probation before judget and letting them slip through the cracks without having this lifesaving device installed on their vehicles. In 2017 ignition interlocks on Maryland offenders cars stopped 7,300 attempts to drive drunk. In 2018 Marylands ignition interlock program prevented over 3,200 attempts to start a vehicle where the drivers blood alcohol content was 0.08 grams or higher of alcohol.

Why, am I so interested in getting these bills passed? Drunken driving affects everyone. Letting first time offenders go without using technology to save lives will lead to further bad behavior which endangers my life and yours on Maryland roads.

At 12 years old, a drunken driver hit my family as we were returning from a vacation. My Dad, a Vietnam veteran, and my brother were pinned in our car which had flipped and was on fire. My mom, flew through the windshield and hit the pavement. I was rescued by a Navy mechanic who was following us in his car with his wife. He saw immediately, but he couldnt help the rest of my family. We never had alcohol in our home yet their lives were cut short because of a mans choice to drink and drive

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Their lives cannot be saved by the passage of SB 653 and HB 557 but its not too late to save your life or your familys.

Please contact your legislators and urge them to support SB 653 and HB 557. Lets get this done for Noah, my family, and countless others who have lost their lives due to drunken driving.

Penelope Roa Murnane, Crofton

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EOH has announced that wholly-owned subsidiary EOH Mthombo (Pty) Ltd entered into a share purchase agreement to sell all its shares in its information services companies to Bachique 842 (Pty) Ltd.

The base purchase price is R417 million, based on an enterprise value of R445 million, and the deal is subject to EOH shareholder approval.

According to EOH, the sale is part of its strategic intent of improving liquidity and reducing debt.

Bachique 842 is a wholly-owned subsidiary of LR Africa Holdings Limited.

LR Africa Holdings Limited is advised by Lightrock, a global private equity platform whose stated aim is backing purpose-driven entrepreneurs tackling the worlds biggest challenges.

EOHs information services businesses provide credit checks, background screening and big data, analytics, and technology in South Africa.

It said the information services platform provides access to a rich pool of data across its business units, allowing it to provide unique insights to clients.

The divisions of its information services business comprise the following:

HTCSA: Data engineering and risk management

MIE: Background screening and vetting

XDS: Credit information bureau

Zenaptix: Software development covering various aspects of big data

This transaction is in line with our strategy of disposing of a targeted group of IP companies as part of the groups deleveraging processes and represents a significant milestone in the implementation of these processes, said EOH Group CEO Stephen van Coller.

The achievement of a more sustainable capital structure will allow the Group flexibility to execute on its long-term growth strategy.

Van Coller express his thanks to the information services business team, and wished them well in their future endeavours with Lightrock.

I believe that Lightrock is the right partner to unlock Information Services full potential, enabling both future growth and international expansion in its operations for the company and its people.
Four mini substations in Johannesburg blew up on Thursday when Eskom restored power after scheduled load-shedding, causing several areas to remain without power even after their rotational power cuts ended.

Infrastructure damage like this, caused by load-shedding, resulted in some areas of Gauteng remaining without power for extended periods, City Press reported.

The Association for Municipal Electricity Utilities (AMEU) told the paper that such damage could be an unseen disaster in the making and that, as it stands, municipalities already struggle to manage infrastructure repairs.

Ward 117 councillor Tim Truluck equated the extended power cuts to Stage 6 or 8 load-shedding, explaining that council workers could not keep up with repairs.

Eskom applied stage 4 load-shedding this week, but in Johannesburg, the impact was more like stage 6 or 8 because of the citys infrastructure, he said.

The power goes off again, and the metro councils workers struggled to keep up with repairs.

He explained that spikes in demand after supply is restored result in power surges that damage municipal infrastructure.

Tshwanes city power grid also suffered surges after load-shedding.

According to AMEU, municipalities struggle to restore power supply after scheduled load-shedding, which results in significant infrastructure damage.

This is because most municipalities are not sufficiently staffed to handle more than stage 2 load-shedding.

Its dangerous work, and the teams have to rest. In the end, theres constant switching on and off, and the resources are far too few, which slows down the whole process, Truluck explained.

Truluck added that heavy rains throughout South Africa aggravated issues last week.

Load-shedding is only expected to get worse in the future. According to energy analyst Mike Rossouw, Eskoms problems are much worse than they are saying.

Rossouw is CEO of Energy Thought Leaders and previously served five years as an independent director of the National Energy Regulator of South Africa.

He stated that Eskoms planned maintenance projects are impossible to complete with its current resources and that the best course of action would be for the utility to close its older power stations.

They are only equipped to deal with 10% breakdowns. The breakdowns must be nearly 20% at the moment, Rossouw said.

Rossouw explained that Eskoms core problem is committing to a work schedule far beyond its workforces reach.

He argued that Eskom would need to shut down its older power stations to cut down its maintenance workload to address this.

The power utility could then use the resources from these power stations and dedicate them to the bigger machine, Rossouw said.
Disagreements within South Africas government could delay the scrapping of the national state of disaster, as officials and ministers argue over how to manage the coronavirus in the future.

According to the Sunday Times, the National Coronavirus Command Council (NCCC) will meet on Monday, 14 March 2022, to discuss the regulations necessary to end the state of disaster. The meeting was initially scheduled for Sunday, 13 March 2022.

The NCCC meeting was delayed to allow more time for its members to work out the appropriate regulations.

Once officials have agreed upon the regulations, they will be gazetted and communicated to the nation via a presidential address.

Sources close to the matter told the Sunday Times that the disagreements stem from concerns over the amount of power the department of health will have once the state of disaster is lifted.

There is disagreement over what needs to be done. There is a feeling that the current proposals leave too many powers in the hands of the minister of health, said an anonymous source.

As a result, NCCC officials and ministers have had to draft regulations that place authority with the entire council rather than one specific department or minister.

Another insider told the Sunday Times that, following Mondays meeting, President Cyril Ramaphosa would likely announce an extension of the state of disaster if the relevant regulations have not been finalised.

Ramaphosa addressed the media on Saturday. He explained that he wanted to lift the state of disaster in the most logical way possible.

It will not be heavy-duty, it will be light duty so that we are able to manage this pandemic going forward, he said.

People should not stress too much about this, we are finding the best way possible of bringing a logical conclusion to this state of disaster.

We are looking into ending the State of National Disaster, but we must ensure that we have the necessary health measures in place to help us effectively manage the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/gNlh07VjpI  Cyril Ramaphosa  (@CyrilRamaphosa) March 12, 2022

According to a senior government official, there is a drive for the requirement of a PCR test to be dropped for travellers arriving in South Africa.

With hopes of boosting the tourism sector, the argument is that fully vaccinated travellers should not be required to submit PCR test results.

You cant say you want to resuscitate the economy but continue asking for PCR tests. It defeats the purpose, the official said.

South Africas tourism industry has pleaded with the government for months to remove the PCR test requirement.

Following several extensions to the national state of disaster, the Solidarity Movement launched legal action to bring it to an end.

The movement, which includes Solidarity and AfriForum, said there is no reason for the current state of disaster to remain in effect.

AfriForum has already taken on several of the governments outrageous measures, including the curfew regulations, state quarantine camps and the ban on religious gatherings, AfriForum campaign manager, Jacques Broodryk, said.

The time has come for the state of disaster to be lifted in its entirety.

Medical experts such as Wits vaccinology professor Shabir Madhi, and Groote Schuur hospital infectious diseases head Marc Mendelson, have agreed with some of Solidaritys statements.

Several experts have said that South Africa should end the state of disaster while keeping specific measures in place, such as requiring face masks in crowded indoor areas.

They would also like to see the government focus on rolling out vaccines and booster shots to the most at-risk groups.

The South African government began dismantling the national state of disaster in November 2021. To achieve this, Ramaphosa said governemnt has to incorporate epidemic public health measures into standard regulations under the National Health Act.

Health minister Joe Phaahla must make regulations under the National Health Act to regulate aspects including mask-wearing, social distancing, gatherings, and vaccinations.

We know that [vaccines] prevent severe disease and hospitalisation. We also know that the coronavirus will be with us for the long term, Ramaphosa stated during his address to the nation in November 2021.
Former South African communications minister Ayanda Dlodlo is expected to resign from President Cyril Ramaphosas cabinet and move to the US to work for the World Bank.

Citing an anonymous government insider, the Sunday Times reported, Dlodlo could move to her position as an executive director representing the three African countries on the World Bank board as soon as April 2022.

The insider explained that Dlodlo was introduced to the World Bank in 2021 and that she wouldnt make the move until the summit in April had concluded.

They added that certain hold-ups, such as the issue of rebuilding trust between employer and public sector unions, had to be addressed before Dlodlo could take up the position.

Department of public service and administration ministers and the National Treasury would discuss Dlodlos departure once these hold-ups had been resolved.

The position at the World Bank is rotational, and Kathu Todani is currently the South African alternate executive director.

South Africa occupies one of three seats for Africa on the World Bank board. Representatives from Nigeria and Angola occupy the others.

Each countrys representative serves as the executive director for Africa for two years, followed by another two as the alternate executive director.

South Africas Khathu Todani currently serves as the alternate executive director, while Angola holds the executive director position.

Mmamoloko Kubayi replaced Dlodlo as communications minister as part of Jacob Zumas cabinet reshuffle in October 2017.

She was appointed as the minister for home affairs during the reshuffle. Dlodlo served as the communications minister from 30 March 2017 to 17 October the same year.

From June 2019 to August 2021, Dlodlo was South Africas Minister for State Security.

Since August 2021, Dlodlo has served as South Africas Minister for Public Service and Administration. Her move to the World Bank would see her resign from the position.

Dlodlos appointment as public service and administration minister followed calls for President Cyril Ramaphosa to sack his security cluster ministers after failing to adequately respond to the looting and violence that gripped KwaZulu-Natal and Gauteng in July 2021.

While businesses were vandalised and burnt and people were dying, Dlodlo and her counterpart in the police ministry commended their departments for the excellent work to prevent and manage the looting and violence.
Dispatchers were informed of the blaze in the 500 block of Toyon Street at about 3 p.m., according to Napa County Fire spokesperson Erick Hernandez. A fire crew arrived to find two neighbors using hoses and water buckets to battle the blaze, which began on a deck and spread into one corner of the home, Hernandez said.
The splendor that is Mount Saint Helena in Napa County's northern reaches has a vast geologic, prehistoric and historic past, which includes its storied volcanic activity in the vicinity, Indigenous Wappo trade routes, its mining era and of course, Robert Louis Stevenson's historic stay in a rustic cabin.

Double-peaked Mount Saint Helena, well-loved for its hiking trails, has an elevation of 4,339 feet and extends across three counties, with Napa, Sonoma and Lake Counties sharing its rocky hills.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

Hikers who reach the mountain's peak via the five-mile hike up Robert Louis Stevenson State Park are rewarded with evergreen canyons, forests and chaparral and seasonal plant life such as trillium and buckeye flowers, along with myriad birdlife such as the northern flicker, golden eagles, a variety of woodpeckers and more. On clear days views of the San Francisco Bay Area or even Mt. Shasta are your reward.

Geologists tell us that an eruption over 3.4 million years ago occurred in around a one-mile radius of Mount Saint Helena resulting into the landform we know today; left-overs from intense volcanic activity, but not an actual volcano. Nearby Petrified Forest was left with its famed petrified trees due to that volcanic eruption. The volcanism was loaded with silica and contained magma chambers with unstable gases that eventually exploded with intense pyroclastic flows, blanketing the area with volcanic ash.

So, though not technically a volcano, Mount Saint Helena is set in the Mayacamas Mountains, which are largely volcanic in origin, unlike the rest of the Northern California Coast Ranges. Mount Saint Helena and its Pallisades contain rocks known as the Sonoma volcanics, and plays a large part in the rich soils that result in Napa Valley's quality wine grapes.

The mountain's shape, resembling a volcanic edifice is the reason many take it for a true volcano, but its shape is simply a coincidence. If you could peer inside this landform you would find volcanic breccia, interlayered tuff and other rock which is believed to have formed within a large depression known as a caldera, made when a volcano gives way due to erupted magma.

After the collapse of the caldera, there was a massive uplift of the area and this, combined with tectonic faulting, erosion and further uplift has all combined to create the silhouette we all know and love.

The mountain's State Park is named, of course, for writer Robert Louis Stevenson. Stevenson stayed at the then-abandoned Silverado mine site with his bride, Fanny Vandegrift Osbourne, during the summer of 1880.

One of several mine sites within the Calistoga mining district, silver and gold were extracted from veins of sparkly quartz inside the volcanic chamber's margins. These minerals formed when hot springs made their way through fractures in the volcanic walls.

During the Silverado mine's short operation, beginning in 1872, it attracted more than 1,500 miners, which in turn drew a few saloons and a hotel to its mountain mining camps. Then, there were two chief tunnels into the mountain, which were connected by a vertical shaft up the mountain. Miners toiled to depths of nearly 600 feet, until mining was no longer cost-effective.

Stevenson's book, "The Silverado Squatters" details his stay there. Since Stevenson suffered from ill health, he and his bride took advantage of the mountain air.

In "The Silverado Squatters." Stevenson wrote of the mountain, "Its naked peak stands nearly 4,500 feet above the sea; its sides are fringed with forest; and the soil, where it is bare, glows warm with cinnabar. Life in its shadow goes rustically forward.

Around the foot of that mountain, the silence of nature reigns in a great measure unbroken, and the people of hill and valley go sauntering about their business as in the days before the flood." Stevenson, who died in December of 1894 in Samoa, was only 44 years of age.

The indigenous people who lived nearby, the Wappo, still call the mountain Kana'mota or Human Mountain, and consider it a sacred site today, as they have for more than 12,000 years.

They did not live upon the mountain, but did utilize trade routes as well as hunting and gathering foods and medicines from the mountain. Their homes and villages were located in Knight's Valley with other groups living in Napa Valley and Coyote Valley.

Not long after pioneers arrived in the mountain's vicinity in the 1840s the vast tracts of elk, deer, grizzlies and salmon that graced the river disappeared or in the case of deer, dwindled. Sadly, the indigenous Wappo population was lost as well.

There have been many names given to the mountain over time, including Serra de los Mallacomes by the Spanish. During the time of the Gold Rush, it came to be known as Devil's Mount.

In 1839 Ilya G. Voznesensky, a Russian explorer and naturalist who was associated with the Russian Academy of Sciences and a member of the Russian Geographical Society, arrived in America via the Cape Horn route on a ship called Helena, to collect botanical specimens.

Voznesensky left Fort Ross in 1841 when he ascended the mountain, leaving an inscribed copper plate. Another Russian party is said to have climbed up its peaks in 1841 too, naming the mountain for Princess Helena de Gagarin who was the wife of Alexander G. Rotchev, Fort Ross' commanding officer.

From its summit, near the commencement of the Napa River headwaters, through the Robert Louis Stevenson State Park, established in 1949, more than 400 plant species grow in its grasslands, woodlands and evergreen forests grow on Mount Saint Helena.

The popular nature app, iNaturalist, along with Ken Stanton's excellent book "Mount St. Helena & R.L. Stevenson State Park," both cite prolific lists of mammals, reptiles and amphibians, too.

With the spring season soon upon us, you'll want to take the opportunity to appreciate everything this mountain has to offer.
The national League of Women Voters was formed six months before womens suffrage was passed in 1920. Today, more than 800 state and local leagues operate in all 50 states, including our Napa County League, which was formed in 2014. Our organization works on many aspects of voting, including registering people to vote and educating voters about elections, candidates and ballot measures.

While it is strictly nonpartisan, the League has always been a strong leader for social and environmental progress, relying on grassroots consensus policies at both state and national levels.

Quality journalism doesn't happen without your help. Subscribe today! Support local news coverage and the people who report it by subscribing to the Napa Valley Register.

Joyce Kingery, chairwoman of the Napa County Leagues Climate Committee, said, Protecting the health of our planet is a high priority for the League, which is why we educate about and advocate for laws and other actions that improve the well-being of our climate and environment. Partnering with coalitions and nonprofit groups like Napa Climate NOW! helps us all to work toward common goals.

If you follow the news, you know that various regions of the country have vastly different perceptions about how (or whether) to protect and improve their environment. The candidates who are elected to represent the voters are the ones who make community decisions. Before choosing new community leaders, it is important for voters to listen to what those candidates say and to dig deeply into what community actions they have previously taken. Understanding candidates goals, values, and passions will help you decide how to fill out your ballot.

Midterm elections matter

2022 is a midterm election year. The midterms are so named because there is no presidential election, but they still matter because many local and state elections take place during the primary and general election cycles. Ironically, voters tend to pay less attention to local elections when, in fact, the results may affect them the most.

In the June primary election, for example, voters in Napa County Districts 1 and 3 will choose who will represent them on the county Board of Supervisors for the next four years. Because incumbent officials are often re-elected, the winning candidates may affect board decisions for many years. Brad Wagenknect (District 1) is leaving after serving for 24 years; Diane Dillon (District 3) is retiring after serving for 20 years. The race for county sheriff-coroner is another important election being held because policing attitudes affect our entire community.

Your voice really is your vote

Our elected representatives regularly address major, ongoing and often related issues concerning how to improve and sustain our local environment. The representatives that we elect in 2022 will be making decisions about how Napa County deals with climate change for years to come. Consider, for example, decisions to mitigate:

 Deforestation, which can cause erosion, landslides, degraded air quality, destruction of wildlife habitat, and reduced carbon storage;

 Methane emissions from landfill and gas-burning vehicles, which contribute to air pollution and significantly worsen climate warming;

 Noise and air pollution from leaf blowers and traffic;

 Degradation of our watersheds, including eroded topsoil and damage to stream and riparian habitat;

 Pesticides, which contaminate our reservoirs, waterways, and groundwater; and

 The devastating effects of wildfires on our wildlands and environment.

Decisions made by our local officials today will affect our community and our planet far into the future. Residents can shout and scream in protest or take the long road of legal remedies, but in the end, our elected representatives are the ones who make decisions on our behalf.

Actions to get ready to vote

Here are some things to do to prepare to vote in the primary election:

 Make sure your voter information is correct by going to the Registrar of Voters website (www.countyofnapa.org) to check your registration status and update any information. Registering online will tie your signature to how you signed your drivers license (registertovote.ca.gov). Note: NO party affiliations are required to vote for local or state offices.

 Register or re-register by May 23 to receive your ballot in the mail. Ballots will be sent out and early voting begins on May 9. You have until June 7, Election Day, to vote. Otherwise, you can register and vote in person at any of the many vote centers located in our cities and towns or at the county Elections Division until 8 p.m. on Election Day.

 Check out Voters Edge California (votersedge.org/ca), a state League internet site that collects information supplied by candidates, as well as their top donors and supporters.

 Attend the Napa County Leagues three candidate forums for Napa County Board of Supervisors Districts 1 and 3 and the sheriff-coroners race. The forums will take place virtually in late April and will be simultaneously translated into Spanish. Watch for dates/times and registration details.

 Keep your eye on http://napa.350bayarea.org, where Napa Climate NOW! will be posting candidate responses to its Climate Priorities Survey.

 Read the ballot statements carefully, printed in both English and Spanish (Tagalog available on request).

Now, get ready, get set, vote!

Bernadette Brooks is president of the League of Women Voters of Napa County, a 501(c)3 nonprofit that is nonpartisan and advocates for social and environmental change. See www.lwvnapa.org. Napa Climate NOW! is a local non-profit citizens group advocating for smart climate solutions based on the latest climate science; it is part of 350 Bay Area. Like, comment, and share our daily Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter posts @napaclimatenow or visit us at: http://napa.350bayarea.org.
A plan to improve traffic safety in the city of Napa is in the works. The city is currently seeking community input to help develop its first comprehensive Local Roadway Safety Plan.

Public Works Director Julie Lucido said the plan  intended to enhance traffic safety in the city for all transportation modes  is being built with vehicle collision data from 2016 to 2020, community input and feedback from various stakeholder groups.

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Were using that data to develop projects and programs and strategies to essentially look at the areas where we have the highest numbers of collisions, Lucido said.

The main platform for community input is an interactive city map, found under the Report a Concern tab on a section of the citys website set up for the plan (https://www.cityofnapa.org/1113/Local-Roadway-Safety-Plan). Anyone whod like to participate can draw lines or pin locations on the map where they have traffic concerns, then write comments to describe those concerns.

That is the best, main way to participate, Lucido said. Folks can enter specifically, on a map, locations where they have concerns.

A map showing traffic collisions from 2016 to 2020 can also be found on the website. The map notes the severity of injuries from the collisions by using different-colored dots and includes specific data about each collision  such as the date the collision occurred, population density of the area, whether the collision happened at an intersection or not, what the weather was, what the primary factor of the collision was, and much more.

Lorien Clark, the citys transportation planner in charge of the project, said she thinks theres great local leadership to help develop the plan in the stakeholder groups, including the Downtown Napa Association, Slow Down Napa and the Napa County Bicycle Coalition. To meet the four Es of traffic safety  engineering, enforcement, education and emergency services  developing the plan will also involve engagement with the citys police and fire departments, she said.

Clark added that the project is being funded mostly by a $72,000 state of California grant, with the city contributing $8,000.

The safety plan, once completed later this year, will serve as a foundational traffic safety document, Lucido said. For one, it will help set up a framework for a Vision Zero Policy, which would attempt to set in place a plan to eliminate all traffic fatalities and severe injuries while increasing safe mobility for all.

And off the back of the safety plan, an update to the citys traffic calming guidelines will be coming later this year, Lucido said. Traffic calming generally describes engineering measures such as roundabouts and speed bumps that can help calm the flow of traffic. The citys current traffic calming guidelines were established back in 2005.

There have been a number of concerns from the community about traffic calming and comfort in walking in neighborhoods, Lucido said. Some of that will be picked up in the local roadway safety plan. The traffic calming update is additional work to make sure we fully capture some of those concerns.

That effort  funded by a $150,000 expenditure from the city  will include a substantial outreach effort of 15 public workshops later this year, covering five different areas of the Napa community, Lucido said.

You can reach Edward Booth at (707) 256-2213.

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The delectable peculiarities of Phantom Thread come from all over, from countless inspirations. Some are cinematic: Alfred Hitchcocks 1940 Gothic standard Rebecca, for one, and David Leans little-known and fascinating 1949 romantic triangle The Passionate Friends, for another.

Other inspirations are personal, presumably, since a movie this distinctive in its delicate perversity is likely saying something about the preoccupations and ambitions of its writer-director, Paul Thomas Anderson, and its star, Daniel Day-Lewis.

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The actor, whom Anderson says had a considerable, uncredited hand in the shaping of the material, claims this will be his final screen role. He has said also that he and Anderson laughed a great deal as they were preparing Phantom Thread. Shooting it, however, in cramped quarters on location in London and elsewhere, was a nightmare that left the famously obsessive actor feeling a bit crushed and more than a little sad.

Seeing the movie, you understand the mood swings. Anderson and his exquisitely, tactfully mobile camera explores a marriage in a constant state of dynamic, even sociopathic tension. More narrowly, the film is a portrait of a certain kind of male temperament thats just asking for a comeuppance. In that regard Phantom Thread connects to everything going on in the culture right now. And yet its about the least topical thing you can imagine: Its insular, spellbinding gorgeousness is the work of creative artists on their own wavelength.

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The setting of Phantom Thread is the high fashion world of 1950s London. Anderson treats his subject, and his shape-shifting story, to a series of luxe, swank images. The protagonist, Reynolds Jeremiah Woodcock, exerts every ounce of taste, focus and control he can muster to create gowns for a rarefied clientele of royalty and lesser mortals. Business is slipping; the House of Woodcock has its more modish competitors.

But Reynolds, whose mother issues lurk in the shadows, continues to devote his life to his work, carving out room only for his business partner sister, Cyril, played with sly authority by Lesley Manville, with an air of Rebecca and Mrs. Danvers about her. Early in the film we see Reynolds and Cyril at breakfast with Reynolds latest temporary muse, model and paramour. This interlopers usefulness to the House of Woodcock has run its course. Cyril, whom Reynolds calls my old so-and-so, suggests a change of scenery.

Alone, traveling to his cottage in the country, Reynolds meets a waitress at a seaside inn. She is Alma, of uncertain extraction. The actress who plays her, Vicky Krieps, is from Luxembourg, and she is excellent, at once emotionally open and a master concealer when the central relationship in the film demands it.

Phantom Thread jostles these two together, abruptly; this is not a Gothic romance much interested in the getting-to-know-you sequences. Too many other things are going on to compete with the ordinary expository business. Reynolds is visited in his dreams by the ghost of his mother; theres a metaphysical element to Andersons tale that remains frustratingly oblique. As Alma and Reynolds come to know each other, its a chaste depiction of love between strangely matched equals. Alma appreciates the finery shes a part of, but does Reynolds see her as anything more than a clothes rack with a beating heart? Probably, but one of the triumphs of Phantom Thread lies in Day-Lewis witty dissection of an aesthete who cannot abide the sound of his wife eating cereal in the morning. (Andersons shot of Day-Lewis unconsciously mimicking Krieps way of biting down on her spoon is one of a hundred wonderful details in the movie.)

Where this marriage goes, and what Alma does to course-correct her spouses less attractive traits, takes Phantom Thread into unexpected territory. Parts of the film, played up in the trailer, suggest an intoxicating, windswept romance laden with secrets; other parts go for wild tonal change-ups, on par with the raucous black-comic coda of There Will Be Blood (2007), Andersons previous collaboration with Day-Lewis. The movie feels both expansive and confining, depending on the story chapter. Andersons visual facility by now has become so intuitive, so fluid and effortlessly right, if youre at all susceptible to the allure of a moving camera youll fall headlong into Phantom Thread.

At one point Reynolds and Alma vacation in the Alps; back in London, theres an elaborate New Years Eve sequence, both scenes derived from Leans Passionate Friends. Bits of the character of Reynolds evoke real-life designer Norman Hartnell. The production design by Mark Tildesley, Mark Bridges costumes, the cinematography (uncredited; Anderson worked with several people): All these elements cohere into a beauty of a picture that grows weirder and more compelling as it goes.

It must be said, I suppose: Where Phantom Thread dares to tread may exasperate anyone looking for a disposable exercise in movie nostalgia. When Alma feels her happiness slipping away, her solution is at once alarming and effective. Id characterize Andersons film as a romantic comedy with an unusually complicated and profoundly destabilizing happy ending. If that sounds like your thing, then here you are. Oh, this, too: If theres a better piece of film music in theaters at the moment than Jonny Greenwoods astonishing House of Woodcock theme, I cant wait to hear it. Max Ophuls and Douglas Sirk only wish their movies featured such ironic-romantic grandeur on the soundtrack.

Michael Phillips is a Tribune critic.

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mjphillips@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @phillipstribune

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When I briefly lived in Berlin as a newlywed, it was a divided city, west and east, separated by a wall, barbed wire, manned machine-gun watchtowers, and wide, barren swaths of no-mans land. The grand avenue of Unter den Linden, the monumental Brandenberg Gate, and Museum Island, now a UNESCO site, were all behind the wall in East Berlin and off-limits.

I stayed close to my Wilmersdorf neighborhood in West Berlin, venturing by bus or U-banh to the KaDeWe department store on Kurfurstendamn, the wests big shopping street, and its nearby Kaiser Wilhelm Memorial Church, where the partially destroyed church stands as a reminder of the destructive bombing of the city during WW II. I shopped at my neighborhood bakeries and pastry shops. There was a local butcher I went to, and small grocery stores.

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Almost every corner had some sort of a pub, with local beer and sausages. My favorite, though, was the Currywurst mit Brochen from the upper floor at Ka-de-We, a delicious concoction of sausage slices topped with curry-flavored ketchup served with a bun alongside. Sometimes Id also get the Kartofflen Salat, a creamy mound of soft chunks of potatoes, mayonnaise and pickles.

Ive cherished my memories of my brief time in Berlin, and Id always wanted to go back, but it wasnt until a few months ago that I made the trip. My grown daughter was going with me. Wed stay in historic hotels, Id take her to the places I remembered in the west, and together wed discover todays Berlin, the one that once was behind the wall.

Part I Arrival and Memory Lane

Dusk was falling as our airport cab wove through the narrow streets of Kreutzberg, a formerly working-class district, bordered on three sides by the infamous wall. The neighborhood was also home to many of Berlins immigrants and today its famous for its edgy clubs and arts while slowly gentrifying.

We were staying at the Hotel Orania, housed in an Art Deco building, registered in 1995 as a historic monument. Built in 1913, it opened as the Oranienpalast Cabaret, a popular cafe and concert venue. For the next hundred years it experienced many owners and business iterations, from clothing store to food shop until, in 2017, after several years of renovation, it came back to life as the Hotel Orania, also with a stage for performances. As our cab pulled up to the entrance, soft lights glowed from the hotel lobby and the bars tall windows, beckoning us inside.

The next day, dawn broke across the leafy park by the hotel as we sat in our room, the light pouring in through the panoramic window, sipping our Nespresso from the in-room machine, contemplating the vista before heading downstairs to a traditional German breakfast of bread, meats, cheeses and fruits in the hotel restaurant room. From there, we had a good view of the comings and goings on the street readying ourselves to join them on our first outing, a revisit to KaDeWe.

My daughter and I stood in front of the 19th-century department store, allowing time for my memories, before heading straight up to the food floor, the sixth. Of course, much had changed. Now there are separate restaurants and wine bars interspersed with the butcher shops and fish mongers of old. Gone were the Persian lamb coats and tailored suits favored by Berlin women of yore, replaced by puffer coats and designer jeans, but everything still felt familiar.

We opted for a small restaurant separated from the food aisles by a velvet rope, where, perched on stools, we ordered steak tartare and a small bowl of bouillabaisse, along with a glass of Sancerre. The steak tartare came topped with a velvet-smooth puree of celery root, and sauteed porcini mushrooms decorated the plate. The bouillabaisse would have given any place on the French Rivera competition. It wasnt exactly the KaDeWe of my memory, but a modern version of it, and every bit as special.

A whole duck dinner

Back at our hotel that evening a treat awaited us. The Oranias restaurant has quickly become famous for its XBerg Duck Dinners, a four-course extravaganza that draws people from all over Berlin. We were lucky not only to get a reservation but a seat close enough to the open kitchen to watch the crispy parade of whole ducks coming from the high ovens to the waiting tables, where adept servers carved the fowls, first removing the skin in wide, mahogany ribbons.

These, it was explained to us when it was our turn, were to be tucked into the thin pancakes and garnished with the various accouterments that appeared on the table. Wed already had the first course of Duck Dashi with Duck Dumplings, and an aperitif of Rose Rye Spritz, so we were well prepared for this second course, our appetites fully awakened. The skin was perfection. We wrapped it in the pancakes and filled them with the condiments before adding the hoisin sauce.

I was sorry when the last bit of skin was gone, but the main course, perfectly rare Duck Breast with Marinated and Grilled Eggplant and Bok Choy, came soon behind, followed by a delicate dish of rice to finish. We barely had room for dessert, but we couldnt resist the Banana, Whiskey and Coffee concoction.

The heart of Berlin

The Adlon Kempinski Hotel stands on the crossroads of Berlins history where, from its very beginning, it drew the rich, famous and powerful of Europe. It was officially opened in 1907 by Kaiser Wilhelm II, who loved it so much he kept a private apartment there to be at his disposal. Politicians, royalty, industrialists, and movies stars could regularly be found there.

During Hitlers rule, it was the place for members of the Nazi party and military to go to see and be seen. Although it survived the war, in mid-1945 it was partially destroyed by fire. Nevertheless, it continued on as a luxury hotel and meeting place during the Cold War until the 1970s when it was destroyed by the socialist government. Rebuilt, in the exact same location and re-opened in 1997, the Adlon immediately took its place once again among the great hotels of Europe.

I could not have been more thrilled to stay at this historic hotel. Our room, a suite, overlooked the Brandenburg Gate, the Pariser Platz and the broad avenue of Unter den Linden. We arrived the same day as Queen Margarethe of Denmark, and we were treated to the extra spectacle of cavalcades of motorcycles and flag-bearing limousines of the queens entourage lining up in front of the entrance, all of which was in keeping with the stature of the hotel.

The seats in the Adlons large lobby lounge were occupied by serious-looking men and women in sober suits on the day we arrived, and that evening, we saw them dressed in gowns and tuxedos, waiting for their transportation to glamorous parties. Or so we learned from the morning papers as we breakfasted on caviar and scrambled eggs, an array of bread and cheeses selected from what is perhaps the best and largest, the most diverse, morning spread in the city, and a good way to begin a day of sightseeing.

We began right around the corner from the hotel with the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe, a vast space of upright black granite slabs, row upon row, almost maze-like. Though many people were weaving in and out, the silence was palpable. Emerging from the monument and walking across the road and into the depths of the Tiergarten park provided some respite from the chilling experience.

Further exploration near the Adlon took us to the Reichstag, Germanys parliament building, which was roped off to visitors that day, and a wander around the neighborhood before returning to Pariser Platz for currywurst. A Curry Wolfe kiosk, located on the Platz, promised not only the sausage and sauce made famous by Berliner Herta Heuwer in 1949, but a choice of Moet Champagne, individual or full-size bottle, hot wine, or beer. After all, it was time for lunch and time to revisit another memory of food.

There were a few outdoor tables with benches, and a cluster of standing tables. Our host insisted we have the Champagne, currywurst two ways, one with the skin, one without. They came in a white paper boat with French fries and loads of wurst and sauce. It was every bit as good as I remembered from the long-ago days at KaDeWe, and the Champagne was a great pairing, I thought, as we stood bundled up against the November cold, standing on historic Unter den Linden with Brandenberg Gate at our back.

Unter den Linden

Unter den Linden, shorn of its famous linden trees by Adolf Hitler to make way for Nazi flags, originated in the 16th century as a bridal path from the palace at one end to the royal hunting grounds, now the Tiergarten, at the other. By the late 1880s it had evolved into one of the most elegant boulevards in Europe, lined with a thousand linden trees and sought-after mansions, the Champs Elysee of Berlin.

Even though Hitler replanted the trees he had first ordered cut down, the saplings didnt survive WW II and its immediate aftermath. Replanted again in the 1950s, the avenue is once-again tree-lined, and many of the mansions have been restored to house embassies.

As my daughter and I walked along Unter den Linden, first for a day-long visit to the museums -- there are five of them on museum island -- and another time to visit the brand new Humboldt Forum, which is built upon the site of old palace grounds across the avenue from the museums, it was easy to understand what the loss of this historic heart of Berlin meant to those in the western section of the divided city and to divided Germany as a whole.

Museum Island and the Humboldt Forum

The museums, praised as the cultural heart of Berlin fell into decline first with their shutting to the general public in 1939. During the war years, most of the treasures were carted off to storage and the buildings were partially destroyed by Allied bombing and then later by neglect.

In 2009, with the opening of the restored Neues Museum, which houses the Egyptian collection, visitors were once again welcomed to all the museums, and it was the Neues we visited first. Like so many others, we went directly to Level 2 to the large, beautiful room to see the magnificent 3,300-year-old head of Queen Nefertiti, and then to wander among the vast collection of artifacts from ancient Egypt.

The Neues is next door to the Pergamon Museum, our next stop, which boasts a huge collection of Eastern Mediterranean archeological finds, several of which are of stunning monumental scale and take up entire, high-ceilinged rooms. Perhaps the most impressive of all is the famous Ishtar Gate of Babylon, in shimmering hues of blues and greens. More than 45 feet tall and 100 feet wide, it dwarfs the visitor, not only with its size but its beauty. In another room the visitor literally enters the Roman market square of Miletus, framed by a two-story high gate, surrounded by thick, towering stone pillars. The museum also houses an extensive collection of Islamic Art, but we had run out of time, so missed visiting it. If you can only visit one museum, make it the Pergamon.

Humboldt Forum, which we visited another day, opened in 2021, and combines the collections of the former Ethnological Museum and the Museum of Asian Art. The site and the building represent Berlins past and present. Formerly the site of the Berlin Palace, which was built in 1443 as a residence for Prussian kings and was later home to German Emperors, the palace itself was built on the ruins of a 12th-century village and 13th-century Dominican monastery.

The palace was badly damaged in WW II and, in 1950 it was demolished by the East German government. In its place, in modern block style, the Palace of the Republic, was built. Some 50-plus years later, under the unified German government, this building too was demolished and the Humboldt Forum, a new cultural center, which took nearly two decades to build, took its place.

In the basement, which is fascinating to visit, are the ruins of the first settlement in Berlin, dating back 800 years, plus ruins of the original palace kitchens. The Forum is intensely modern, with a rooftop terrace and a restaurant that provides a 360-degree view of the city. The Forums facade, however, is a replica of the old Berlin Palace. Many of the exhibits contain artifacts that came to Germany during its period of colonial empire-building in the late 1800s and early 1900s, mostly from Africa and Asia, which has caused some controversy for the new museum.

A final dinner at the Adlon

It was fitting to conclude our brief five-day stay in Berlin with dinner at the Adlons two-star Michelin restaurant, the Lorenz Adlon Esszimmer, whose oval dining room overlooks Unter den Linden and Brandenburg Gate. A fire was burning in the dining rooms fireplace, which made the candle-lit space even more gracious and old-world. As you would expect, fresh floral displays were placed discreetly around the room, the tables were draped in white linen and topped with waiting wine glasses. We opted for the six-course tasting menu, along with wine pairings.

With the first sip of our first glass, Bonnet-Ponson extra-brut rose Champagne, accompanied by six bite-size amuse, each with complex flavors and varied textures, we knew we were in for an extraordinary evening.

Salmon from the Faroe Islands came first, followed by Langoustines in Crustacean Broth. Next was a Saddle of Tuna, then a dish of Pork Belly with tiny dim sum, and the main course featured one of my favorite fowls, Guinea Hen.

Each wine pairing enhanced the flavors of the dish it accompanied, as did the final pairing, a glass of 1989 Domaine du Mas Blanc Banyuls to go with the Shiso Plum ice cream  and the myriad tiny apres desserts that came delicately poised and presented on a twisted grapevine. The evening was a striking and memorable end to my Berlin visit and trip through memories, in fact creating more, these now shared with my daughter.
Pikeville, KY (41501)

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Many teenagers in New Zealand are illiterate

AFP: EU proposes to impose sanctions on Patriarch Kirill

Beijing closes over 60 subway stations due to COVID-19 outbreak

Armenia FM meets with US National Democratic Institute president

Armenia ruling force MP: Opposition will not achieve its goal

Armenia 2nd president Robert Kocharyans son blocking road with citizens in Yerevan

Oklahoma bans almost all abortions

Number of children in Japan falls to record low

Karabakh President meets with of Free Homeland-UCA parliamentary faction members

Armenian judge waves Artsakh flag at Ironman Triathlon (PHOTOS)

There is still lot to do in 'October 27' case, says Armenia Prosecutor General

Ambassador Wiktorin to finance minister: EU ready to continue providing assistance to Armenia government

Armenia Prosecutor General admits there are difficulties in investigation of 'March 1' criminal case

Copper price is stable

3 COVID-19 new cases confirmed in Armenia

American Armenian youth hold protest rally outside Armenia embassy in Washington

Japan protests against North Korean missile

Gold is getting cheaper

U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue issues joint statement

Newspaper: Armenia Patrol Guard Service head to be summoned to Investigative Committee to give explanation

Armenia parliament regular sittings continue

Newspaper: Armenia opposition members falling into National Security Service trap by opening links

Civil disobedience protests resume in Yerevan

Earthquake shakes Armenia-Georgia border zone

Mark Milley: Potential for significant international conflict between great powers is increasing

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

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Armenia 2nd-President Kocharyan, ex-deputy PM and now lawmaker Gevorgyan trial to resume

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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

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President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that all approved humanitarian corridors in Ukraine worked on Saturday, RIA Novosti reported.

All the humanitarian corridors that were agreed upon have worked. 12,729 people managed to be taken out today. The humanitarian cargo for Mariupol should be delivered tomorrow afternoon, due to the complexity of the route, we had to spend the night in Berdyansk, Zelenskyy said.

On March 12, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian armed forces would guarantee a silence regime for the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that he had decided to conduct a military special operation to protect the Donbass in response to a request for help from the heads of the LPR and DPR.

Ukraine severed diplomatic relations with Russia. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has submitted a draft law on general mobilization to the Verkhovna Rada.
The head of EU diplomacy believes that the introduction of a no-fly zone over Ukraine could be the beginning of a third world war.

Earlier, this opinion was repeatedly expressed in NATO, while Kyiv insists on this measure and has repeatedly called on Western countries to introduce it, Kommersant reports.

When someone asks for a no-fly zone, it implies the ability and willingness to shoot down Russian aircraft that violate it. This would mean the expansion of the conflict to the third world war, and it is obvious that we do not want to do this, Mr. Borrell told El Peridico.

He also nored that the European Union is providing all possible military assistance to Ukraine, avoiding a confrontation that could escalate into a nuclear confrontation.

Western countries have repeatedly stated that the establishment of an unmanned zone over Ukraine, which Kyiv constantly asks for, will mean a direct confrontation between Russia and NATO.
NATO General Jens Stoltenberg, in an interview with the German newspaper Welt am Sonntag, said that Russia's false statement about the storage of biological weapons by Ukraine can be used by the Kremlin as a pretext for chemical attacks.

According to him, it would be tantamount to a war crime.

Now that these false claims have been made, we must remain vigilant because it is possible that Russia itself may be planning chemical weapons operations under this fabricated lie, Stoltenberg said.

He added that the Kremlin is inventing false pretexts, trying to justify something that cannot be justified, Politico reports.

Earlier, the US State Department said that the US does not own or operate any chemical or biological laboratories in Ukraine.

Meanwhile, Stoltenberg once again rejected the idea of creating a no-fly zone in Ukrainian airspace, as that would mean that Russian forces would have to be attacked, and this is fraught with direct confrontation and uncontrolled escalation.
Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, though hes feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative.

Ive had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise, Obama said on Twitter. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.

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Obama encouraged more Americans to get vaccinated against the coronavirus, despite the declining infection rate in the U.S. There were roughly 35,000 infections on average over the past week, down sharply from mid-January when that average was closer to 800,000.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that 75.2% of U.S. adults are fully vaccinated and 47.7% of the fully vaccinated have received a booster shot. The CDC relaxed its guidelines for indoor masking in late February, taking a more holistic approach that meant the vast majority of Americans live in areas without the recommendation for indoor masking in public.
What the Azerbaijani authorities are doing with Artsakh is a deliberate policy, said ex-Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan.

"Since March 8, the gas pipeline has been deliberately damaged and repairs are being prevented," he noted. "More than 100 thousand civilians, hospitals, schools, kindergartens, children and the elderly were deliberately deprived of gas, heating and hot water; all this led to a humanitarian catastrophe and massive violations of human rights.

"Heavy military equipment, including tanks, was accumulated near the villages. At the same time, they do it defiantly.

"From the positions of their armed forces, they threaten the civilian population in Armenian with loudspeakers. They threaten to use force and force them to leave their homeland, native villages.

"All these are not separate actions, but parts of a common policy, a single chain: a policy of hatred against Armenians and enmity based on ethnic and religious grounds.

"How else can there be a policy of genocide and ethnic cleansing? Typical international criminal behavior.

"Moreover, these reports of mine are sent to international organizations, including with these accents, Arman Tatoyan said in a statement.
Tens of thousands march for the climate in France

Demonstrators urge French politicians to make protecting the planet a priority. Photo: AFP

Tens of thousands of people protested across France on Saturday to call for more attention to the climate crisis in the runup to presidential polls next month.



"Look up," read one message in giant orange letters demonstrators held up in Paris, urging politicians to make protecting the planet a priority.



The sign was a nod to Netflix hit "Don't Look Up", in which astronomers who discover a comet will wipe out the earth try in vain to get politicians to take the threat seriously.



"When are we going to talk about it?" read another sign.



The climate crisis took up only 1.5 percent of talking points in media coverage of the election campaign from February 28 to March 6, a recent survey by climate justice NGOs has found.



Organisers said 80,000 protesters took part across the country, including 32,000 people in Paris. The interior ministry however said just around 40,000 demonstrated, of whom 11,000 in the capital.



In the northern city of Lille, Lydie Lampin Bernand described the climate crisis as "worse than critical.



"I'm only 34 years old, and even I've seen the planet slapped in the face with a shovel," she said.



"We have to protect the land we'll leave to our children," she added, but politicians had not so far shown they were up to tackling the challenge. (AFP)
Millions locked down in Shenzhen to tackle outbreak

The National Health Commission announced on Friday that it would make rapid antigen tests available for citizens to buy online or from clinics for "self-testing". Photo: AFP

China placed all 17 million residents in one of its biggest cities under lockdown on Sunday, as virus cases doubled nationwide to nearly 3,400 and anxiety mounted over the resilience of its 'zero-Covid' approach in the face of the worst outbreak in two years.



The southern tech hub of Shenzhen told all residents to stay at home as the city struggles to eradicate an Omicron flare-up linked to neighbouring Hong Kong.



The lockdown and a suspension of public transport will last until March 20, a city government notice said, adding that it would launch three rounds of mass testing.



The move extends an earlier lockdown imposed on the city's central business district.



Shenzhen reported 66 new infections on Sunday - a fraction of the 32,430 confirmed the same day in Hong Kong.



"If prevention and control is not strengthened in a timely and decisive manner, it could easily become large-scale community transmission," Shenzhen health official Lin Hancheng said at a briefing.



The surge in infections across China has also prompted authorities to close schools in Shanghai and lock down multiple northeastern cities, as 18 provinces battle clusters of the Omicron and Delta variants.



China, where the virus was first detected in late 2019, has maintained a strict 'zero-Covid' policy enforced with swift lockdowns, travel restrictions and mass testing when clusters have emerged.



But the latest flare-up, driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant and a spike in asymptomatic cases, is testing that approach.



Shanghai has so far been spared a citywide order to stay home, but individual housing compounds were being locked down as the megacity ramped up efforts to contain infections and test suspected close contacts.



Jilin - the city at the centre of the outbreak in the northeast - was partially locked down on Saturday, while residents of Yanji, an urban area of nearly 700,000 bordering North Korea, were also confined to their homes on Sunday.



Zhang Yan, a Jilin health commission official, said the response from local authorities had been lacking.



"There is insufficient understanding of the characteristics of the Omicron variant... and judgment has been inaccurate," he said at a Sunday press briefing.



The neighbouring city of Changchun - an industrial base of nine million people - was locked down on Friday, while at least three other small cities have been locked down since March 1.



The mayor of Jilin and the head of the Changchun health commission were dismissed from their jobs on Saturday, state media reported, in a sign of the pressure placed on local authorities to contain virus clusters.



But the strain is showing, with officials increasingly urging softer and more targeted measures, while economists warn tough clampdowns are hurting the economy.



Some people in Shanghai housing compounds that have been locked down were told by authorities that the restrictions will last two days. Some schools, businesses, restaurants and malls have also been closed over close-contact fears.



Authorities also said on Sunday that people cannot leave or enter Shanghai without a negative test taken in the past 48 hours.



"I have friends who I hung out with a few days ago but were suddenly quarantined recently," said Shanghai resident Serena Li.



Long lines were seen outside hospitals as people rushed to get tested.



"There's no other way. We definitely have to do what the government has arranged," said a data analytics worker surnamed Zhang.



"It's the worst since 2020," another resident surnamed Zhang said.



"The closures are too sudden, my friend woke up in the morning to find her building was sealed overnight without warning. Her boss had to mail her laptop to her."



As cases rise, China's National Health Commission announced on Friday that it would make rapid antigen tests available for citizens to buy online or from clinics for "self-testing". (AFP)
Russian warplanes are flying about 20 times more missions than their Ukrainian counterparts, though many never enter Ukrainian territory and simply lob long-range missiles from inside Russian airspace, an US official said, Defense One reported. Russia's roughly 200 daily Ukraine-connected sorties compare to about five to 10 a day by Ukraine, which is down to about 56 operational warplanes, the official told reporters at the Pentagon. There are several reasons for the conservative use of airpower over Ukraine on both sides, the official said. First, Russia has surface-to-air missiles, or SAMs, in enough locations that it can shoot down Ukrainian jets in almost all parts of the country, and Ukrainians have held their jets back. But the Russians are also being cautions, keeping their own aircraft outside of Ukraine and launching long-range missiles from fighter jets and bombers outside of Ukraine's borders instead, Defense One reported. Russia has also shown "a general risk aversion and a cautiousness in the air", the official said, despite their country-wide SAM coverage. The Ukrainians have their own SAMs and shoulder-fired missiles, the official said. On Friday, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense claimed that it has shot down a total of 57 Russian aircraft and seven Russian drones. That number could not be independently verified. The Ukrainians have relied on drones, especially to attack Russian convoys. "They have made effective use of drones, which are cheap," the official said, adding: "They can fly below radar coverage by the Russians... They're using them with terrific effect, particularly against Russian ground movements." --IANS san/arm ( 271 Words) 2022-03-12-22:14:02 (IANS)
Ukraine banned the export of wheat and other vital food commodities on Wednesday, triggering global fears for food security of millions of people this year. Now the Pentagon has been urged to study how the disrupted food supply driven by Russia's invasion of Ukraine will impact security around the world.

Global leaders from China to the United Nations have warned that millions could suffer from Russia's war as some food prices have already soared and supplies are disrupted or cut off completely for months or years to come. Some warn that the suffering could spark violence in locations key to US security concerns, Defense One reported.

"Conflict and hunger are closely intertwined -- when one escalates, the other usually follows," Gilbert F. Houngbo, President of the UN's International Fund for Agricultural Development, or IFAD, said in a statement last week.

Dwindling supplies and spiking prices, he said, "could jeopardise global food security and heighten geopolitical tensions".

The Middle East and Africa receive 40 per cent of Ukraine's wheat and corn exports, he added.

--IANS san/arm

( 218 Words)

2022-03-12-22:20:05 (IANS)
Russia's attack on Ukraine on February 24 marked the beginning of World War III, George Soros, an American financier and founder of the Renaissance Foundation, stated this in an article, which was published by Project Syndicate. According to Soros, this war has the potential to "destroy our civilisation". The article says that before the invasion, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping released a large document declaring a close partnership between the two countries, UNIAN reported. "I was surprised that Xi is clearly giving Putin carte blanche to invade and start a war against Ukraine," Soros said. "Putin, with Xi's backing, has gone about pursuing his lifelong dream with incredible brutality. Putin will soon be 70 years old and he feels that if he wants to make a mark on Russian history, he must act now or never," Soros wrote. According to Soros, Putin intends to become a tsar for Russia, and "having come up with the idea of a fix, Putin has clearly lost touch with reality". "I don't know Putin personally, but I watch his rise very carefully and I know that he is ruthless. He turned the Chechen capital Grozny into ruins, and now he is threatening to do the same with the Ukrainian capital Kiev," the financier wrote. According to Soros, Putin expected Russian-speaking Ukrainians to welcome Russian soldiers with open arms, but he was wrong. "He [Putin] decided to punish Ukraine for resisting, and began to act without any brakes. He threw the entire Russian army into battle and ignores any rules of war," Soros said. --IANS san/arm ( 285 Words) 2022-03-12-22:40:04 (IANS)
Hollywood star Mila Kunis recently opened up about her newfound love for her Ukrainian heritage during an interview. According to USA Today, while speaking to Maria Shriver as part of her interview series 'Conversations Above the Noise', Kunis said she "always felt like an American," despite being born in Chernivtsi, Ukraine, and immigrating to the U.S. with her family around age 8. "People were like, 'Oh, you're so Eastern European.' I was like, 'I'm so LA, what do you mean?' Like, my whole life I was like, 'I am LA through and through,'" Kunis said while reflecting on her peers' perception of her growing up. She went on to say that her Ukrainian roots were so "irrelevant to me" when she was younger that she would tell people she was Russian. "I've always been like, 'I'm from Russia' for a multitude of reasons. One of them being when I came to the States and I would tell people I'm from Ukraine, the first question I would get is, 'Where is Ukraine?'" Kunis said. She added, "And then I'd have to explain Ukraine and where it is on the map, and I was like, 'Ugh, that's exhausting.' But if I was like, 'I'm from Russia,' people were like, 'Oh, we know that country.' ... So I was like, 'Great, I'll just tell people I'm from Russia.'" However, Kunis told Shriver that Russia's recent military operation of Ukraine was a jarring revelation for her. "I can't express or explain what came over me, but all of a sudden I genuinely was like, 'Oh my God, I feel like a part of my heart just got ripped out'. It was the weirdest feeling," Kunis said of witnessing the military operation. As per USA Today, Kunis further said she now has a renewed sense of pride for her Ukrainian heritage, which is something she wants to pass on to her own children: daughter Wyatt and son Dimitri. (ANI)
Radhika Madaan took to her Instagram handle to mark this special day, sharing various pictures from the film.

Sharing the film's poster, Radhika wrote, "will always be special."

She also posted a picture from her first day of the shoot, dressed in a school uniform.

Tagging the film's director Homi Adajania in the next snap, she penned, "Always guiding me towards light."

The final picture featured her with her on-screen father, Irrfan, and she added a heart emoticon.

Madan has time and again expressed her gratitude to be able to work with the late actor and learn from him.

Irrfan Khan succumbed to a case of colon infection on April 29, 2020, after he was diagnosed with neuroendocrine cancer in 2018. (ANI)
Norwegian NGO continues support for Quang Tri in mine action

The Peoples Committee of Quang Tri has approved a Norwegian-funded project on capacity building for this central provinces mine action centre during 2022 - 2025.



The project is financed with over USD1.3 million in non-refundable aid by the Norwegian Peoples Aid (NPA).

Sappers handle an unexploded bomb. (Illustrative photo: VNA)





It aims to successfully and effectively implement the plans and programmes related to the settlement of war aftermath, minimise unexploded ordnance (UXO) accidents, and create a safe environment for local economic activities.



The NPA is a non-governmental organisation operating in mine action, disarmament, development, and humanitarian assistance. Working in Vietnam since 2007, it has helped clean tens of millions of square metres of UXO-contaminated land in Quang Tri. It has also supported Vietnam to provide training in UXO destruction and other fields.



Quang Tri is the most UXO-contaminated locality in Vietnam, with 82 percent of its area affected. Wartime bombs and landmines have killed more than 3,430 people and injured 5,100 others here.



In recent years, the province has cleaned 25,000ha of UXO-contaminated land; discovered and safely handled over 765,000 bombs, landmines, and explosive materials; assisted thousands of UXO victims; and improved most of the local populations awareness of UXO threats.



It is striving to become the first province in Vietnam to be free of wartime UXOs after 2025.
Elena Yurchuk saw families with children blown up and the hospital she worked in reduced to rubble during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

I dont know if I have a home or not, said the 44-year-old nurse from the northern Ukrainian town of Chernihiv. Our city is under siege and we barely escaped.

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Yurchuk has arrived to safety in the Romanian border town of Suceava, which has welcomed thousands of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the past days. Chernihiv, she said, now resembles a ghost town.

People in cars are blown up by mines, a car with children and a young family was blown up  literally behind us, Yarchuk said.

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While the number of people arriving in neighboring countries from Ukraine appears to have eased in the past week, the refugees harrowing accounts of destruction and death are evidence of the continued suffering of civilians in Ukrainian cities besieged by Russian forces.

At the train station in Przemysl, Poland, refugees described traveling in packed trains and people sleeping on each other during their journeys to safety. Some heard explosions as they passed through a western region of Ukraine near Lviv in the area where Russian missiles pounded a military training base, killing at least 35 people.

When I went through Lviv there was an explosion. They bombed two military bases, said Elizaveta Zmievskaya, 25, from Dnipro. The sky became red.

More than 1.5 million refugees have arrived in Poland since the start of Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24  out of a total of around 2.7 million people that the United Nations say have fled so far.

But Polish border guard spokeswoman Anna Michalska said that the numbers of refugees arriving have eased in the past week with about 79,800 arriving on Saturday, compared to 142,000 a week earlier. In Romania, 29,636 refugees arrived on March 7, with the number dropping to 16,676 on Saturday.

Still, the refugees said their escape to safety was as hard as ever.

Roman Titov Chuguyev, 16, traveled with his brother for more than 10 hours in a crowded train before meeting their mother who was already in Poland.

We had to travel by ourselves, he said. It was very crowded, lots of people sleeping on each other. In the cabin for six people there were eight to 10 people inside. It was just very hard.

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His mother Svetlana Titova said she was relieved that her two sons have finally arrived.

I had no connection with them, she said. I was worried, but I was here with others who were waiting.

For Natalia, a 55-year-old Ukrainian refugee from Zaporizhizhia, this was her second time fleeing, after leaving the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, when Russia annexed it.

It was scary, she said. We did not wait for them (Russians) and this is not our first experience. But it was scary.

Most of the refugees fleeing Ukraine have been women and children, because men from 18-60 have stayed behind to fight and are forbidden from leaving the country. Many already have moved to other countries in Europe, mostly to stay with friends and family there.

At dawn on Sunday, a bus carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned on a major highway in northern Italy, killing one person, Italian firefighters said.

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In Britain, the government announced it will pay a monetary reward to people who offer their homes as a refuge to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Officials said Sunday the Homes for Ukraine program, to be introduced this week, will see sponsors receive a government payment of $456 per month.

But refugees like Svitlana Prihodnia, a 55-year-old from Dnipro, just wish they never had to leave at all.

Everybody dreams that they will go back home soon, she said.
British Queen Elizabeth II will not be able to meet Prince Harry's nine-month-old daughter Lilibet anytime soon, as the prince will not be attending the March 29 memorial services for his grandfather, Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh. As per Page Six, Prince Harry, who has been pushing for security to be provided for his family during any visit to the UK, cited safety concerns as the reason they would skip the memorial. "The Duke (of Sussex) will not be returning to the UK in late March, but hopes to visit his grandmother as soon as possible," the Prince said in the statement. Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and their two children live in California. Meghan and Harry's second child, Lilibet, was born June 4, 2021. The prince's refusal to travel overseas means that chances are now slim the Queen, 95, will meet her great-granddaughter. "He has snubbed the Duke of Edinburgh but really he is snubbing the Queen," said 'Harry' biographer Angela Levin. "He'll probably use this same excuse to try to get out of the Platinum Jubilee celebrations." (ANI)
On Sunday, Tahira took to her Instagram handle and posted a Reel in which Ayushmann and their friends can be seen singing the hit song.

She captioned her post, "The tigers were spotting us. #ranthambore #friendslikefamily #notsotrendingreels"

The post accumulated several comments from other celebrities and fans.

Sanya Malhotra wrote, "Caption" with laughing emoticons.

Bhumi Pednekar commented, "So cute."

"Jungle me jingle," Rochak Kohli added.

Meanwhile, on the work front, Tahira is all set to come up with her debut directorial venture 'Sharmaji Ki Beti'.

Talking about Ayushmann's work front, he will be seen in Anubhav Sinha's political thriller 'Anek', which will release on May 13, 2022.

Recently, he wrapped up the London schedule of his upcoming film, 'An Action Hero'. (ANI)
Director Jane Campion did not hold back when asked for her response to criticism that veteran actor Sam Elliott recently made about her film 'The Power of the Dog'. As per Deadline, on Marc Maron's 'WTF' podcast recently, Elliott complained that Campion's Western was "a piece of s--t," with "allusions of homosexuality," comparing the cowboy characters to Chippendales dancers that "wear bow ties and not much else" and who are "running around in chaps and no shirts." He also tore into New Zealander Campion for making an American story, saying, "What the f--k does this woman from down there know about the American West?" Speaking to Deadline on the DGA Awards red carpet, Campion said of Elliott: "I think it's really unfortunate and sad for him because he's really hit the trifecta of misogyny and xenophobia and homophobia. I don't like that. I think he was being a little bit of a b--ch. Plus he's not a cowboy, he's an actor." Campion joked that the only way to settle this was in true Western style: with a shootout -- with none other than 'The Power of the Dog' star Benedict Cumberbatch by her side. "When Elliott gets out of hair and makeup, I'll meet him down at the OK Corral on the set with 'Doctor Strange', and we will shoot it out." She added, "Look, the West is a mythic space and there's plenty of room on the range." At the DGA Awards, Campion seized the Best Directing of a Feature Film Award for 'The Power of the Dog'. At a BAFTA event last week, Cumberbatch called Elliott's comments "very odd", while on Friday night at the premiere of his new film, 'Windfall', Jesse Plemons said Elliott's comments had made him laugh. (ANI)
The Delhi High Court on Saturday granted permission to Non-Resident businessman Jayant Nanda to travel to UAE and Thailand with conditions that include that his wife shall not leave the country till his return. Nanda is facing an investigation in the Black Money Act. He had sought permission to travel abroad in March-April 2022 for business purposes. Justice V Kameswar Rao allowed the application moved by Jayant Nanda directing him to furnish security by way of an unencumbered property of a value of Rs 10 crores or more and a liquid security for a sum of Rs 1 crore, either in the form of a bank guarantee or in the form of a fixed deposit or any other liquid form. The bench directed Nanda to submit an undertaking that he shall return to India on or before April 06, 2022. His sister Dr Jyotsna Suri shall also stand as a surety and shall execute a surety bond for him guaranteeing his return to the country on or before April 06, 2022. The High Court directed Jayant Nanda to furnish a full itinerary of his stay in UAE and Thailand, including the places where he would be staying with a functional phone number including his personal mobile number. The Court also directed that till the petitioner returns to the country on or before April 06, 2022, his wife shall not leave the country. The Deputy Director (Investigation) shall inform the Immigration Bureau once the aforesaid conditions are met. Advocate RK Handoo, the counsel for the petitioner Jayant Nanda, submitted that Nanda intends to travel to UAE from New Delhi on March 04, 2022; from UAE to Thailand on March 14 and staying there till March 27 or 28 and again shall fly to UAE and return back to New Delhi on April 06, 2022. The Counsel also submitted that the petitioner intends to travel to UAE as he is a Non-Resident since 1989 and his place of residence is in Dubai from where he carries his business. He is travelling to Thailand to restart the construction of a hotel or resort on the land owned by his company which was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Earlier he was allowed to travel to UAE and UK by this court. On the other hand, Advocate Vibhooti Malhotra, Senior Standing Counsel for the Income Tax Department argued that the request for permission to travel to UAE and Thailand does not deserve any consideration, in as much as the petitioner is under investigation for the commission of an offence punishable under the Black Money (Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets) and Imposition of Tax Act 2015. Investigation revealed that the petitioner made huge investments outside India in companies owned or controlled by Dr Jyotsna Suri and her family. (ANI)
The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted conditional bail to nine former officials involved in Vyapam scam. Those who have been granted conditional bail are accused of cheating, forgery among other offences related to pre-medical test PMT-2013 for admissions to MBBS courses. A division bench hearing the plea said the accused would be released on furnishing a personal bond amount of Rs 1 lakh. The bench headed by Justices S. Nagu and M.S. Bhatti also imposed certain conditions on the accused persons, including that they will not seek unnecessary adjournments during the trial. Those have been granted conditional bail are -- S.N. Vijaywargiya, the former chairman of Peoples College of Medical Science and Research Centre in Bhopal; Dr Ajay Goenka, the then secretary of Chirayu Charitable Foundation Bhopal; and Suresh Singh Bhadoria, the then chairman of Mayank Welfare Society, Indore. Others granted bail are former members of Chirayu Medical College and Hospital's admission committee Dr Ravi Saxena, S.N. Saxena and Dr V.H. Bhavsar, former dean of Peoples College of Medical Science and Research Centre Dr Vijay Kumar Pandya, Arun Kumar Arora, a former employee of Index Medical College, Indore and former dean of Chirayu Medical College and Hospital Dr Virendra Mohan. In its order the court said the petitioners can't leave the country without permission of the trial court and can't indulge in extending inducement, threat or promise to any person acquainted with the facts of the case. The applicants took the ground that the CBI, which is probing the admission and recruitment scam, had filed the charge sheet in the case on February 17 before a special court at Bhopal stating that the interrogation is complete, said advocate Ajay Gupta who appeared for the petitioners. The scam in Vyapam or Madhya Pradesh Professional Examination Board, now renamed MP Karmachari Chayan Aayog, broke out in 2013, wherein candidates had bribed officials and rigged exams by deploying impostors to write their answer sheets. The CBI had taken over the investigation following the Supreme Court order in 2015. --IANS pd/skp/ ( 351 Words) 2022-03-12-20:44:02 (IANS)
East Jaintia Hills district police of Meghalaya in a special operation on Saturday, apprehended five criminals and recovered one AK-47 rifle, AK series ammunition, machetes and several other incriminating materials from them. A senior official from the Meghalaya police said, "A special operation on the intervening night of March 11-12 led to the arrest of five hardcore criminals and we have recovered one AK-47 rifle, AK series ammunition, machetes and several other incriminating materials." The accused were arrested from Guwahati with the help of Guwahati police, added the official. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Two women, including an Anganwadi worker, were killed, while another was injured in Bihar's Gaya district on Saturday after they protested against a man from the village who allegedly molested the niece of one of the deceased. The deceased have identified as Sushila Devi (45) and Kuman Devi (35), both residents of Akauni village under Khiraj Sarai police station. The police said that they had protested against a person named Mukesh Paswan, who allegedly molested Sushila's niece on Saturday. "Sushila's niece had gone to the field for some work when she was intercepted by Paswan. The accused molested her and also tried to rape her. However, she managed to escape from the spot and narrated her ordeal to her aunt. Sushila along with Kuman Devi then went to Paswan's house," said Gaya Paswan, Sushila's husband. "But Paswan and his brothers attacked Sushila and Kuman with sharp-edged weapons. Before we came to their rescue, they were stabbed multiple times. My brother also sustained injuries in the process," Gaya Paswan said. "We took them to the primary health centre in Khiraj Sarai where the doctors referred them to the Magadh Medical College in Gaya. Both succumbed to their injuries on their way to Gaya," he said. "We have registered an FIR based on the statement of the victim's husband. An investigation is underway to nab the accused, who are absconding. The situation in the village is extremely tense. We have deployed adequate police force to bring the situation under control," said investigating officer S.K. Mandal. --IANS ajk/arm ( 267 Words) 2022-03-12-21:46:04 (IANS)
Two teenagers ended their life by jumping before a running train in Kamptee about 20 km from here, Police said on Saturday. Both are residents of the old city area in Kamptee and were missing for two days. Girl's mother had lodged a missing complaint with Kamptee Police two days ago. On Saturday morning, police were informed that two bodies are lying on the railway track near Kanhan river bridge. Both have allegedly committed suicide by jumping before Howrah-Ahmedabad Express train, Police Inspector of Kamptee Santosh Wairagade said, adding parents of both the deceased were against their love affair and proposed marriage. The boy was 18 years old and the girl was 17 years old. Her parents vehemently opposed the marriage and she had narrated her ordeal to the boy. Both had run away from their respective homes six days ago, police said, adding that the missing complaint was lodged only two days ago. --IANS rao/skp/ ( 169 Words) 2022-03-12-21:50:04 (IANS)
Ludhiana police has seized over two quintals of Ganja from four smugglers and busted an interstate drug smuggling gang on Saturday. Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, Ludhiana police commissioner said, "We have arrested 4 smugglers and recovered over 2 quintals of ganja, 3 kg poppy husk and half kg of opium from two trucks." Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
According to a study from the University of Rochester, the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on mental health concerns on Twitter in the US, and certain groups of people, such as males and white, were more likely to express such concerns. This study was published in 'Health Data Science, a science partner journal'. "Mental health concerns have substantially increased during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US. Using Twitter data, we aimed to understand the mental health concerns in the US during the pandemic through identifying major topics discussed and examining the potential differences in demographic groups regarding mental health concerns through advanced deep learning algorithms," said co-author Dongmei Li, associate professor with the University of Rochester Medical Center. The investigators collected COVID-19 related tweets between Marth 5, 2020, and January 31, 2021. The eligible tweets were compared with the US daily COVID-19 case counts to reveal a potential correlation. Further, common topics among these tweets were identified and the demographic patterns, such as age, gender, race, and location, of the twitter users were elucidated using algorithms. "We observed a positive correlation between the number of tweets mentioning mental health concerns and the number of COVID-19 cases in the US. Social distance, travel restrictions, and uncertainty about the length of the COVID-19 pandemic seem to be the major contributions to the mental health concerns during the pandemic in the US. All these indicated a significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health concerns in the US, and this impact is observed more in males and White Twitter users." Li shared as she explained the research results. In the US, the proportion of people using Twitter decreases as the age increases. However, the majority of people posting mental health-related tweets during the study period were middle-aged and senior people. In addition, among all age groups above 18 years, males were more likely to express mental health concerns except in the 18-29 age group. These results provide more details to the demographic profile of Twitter users having mental health concerns during the pandemic. Prior works have shown that the COVID-19 pandemic has a significant impact on the mental health of the public. What's more, the volume of tweets on mental health had been relatively constant before it soared during the COVID-19 outbreak. This study went a step further as it has manifested a positive correlation between the COVID-19 pandemic and mental health concerns on Twitter in the US. Interestingly, a grain of hope is present with a downward trend of the mental health-related tweets at the end of 2020 against high COVID-19 cases, which might indicate confidence associated with the success of vaccine development and vaccination program rollout. "The next step is to put more effort into reassuring the confidence in the public about fighting the COVID-19 pandemic and providing more mental health support to the more vulnerable population." Li commented as she looks into efforts in the next phase. "With the development of effective COVID-19 vaccines and the increasing prevalence of vaccination in the US and globally, we hope the mental health concerns will be reduced in the US and other counties. Our ultimate goal is to inform the public about mental health concerns during the pandemic through social media data mining, which might help reduce the burden of mental health issues," Li said. (ANI)
A man accused of smashing his way into a Ukrainian church in the Humboldt Park neighborhood was found in possession of a gold cross that had been displayed inside, prosecutors told a Cook County judge Sunday.

Torribio Mora, 20, of the University Village/Little Italy neighborhood, faces felony burglary to a place of worship and criminal damage to property charges, as well as a misdemeanor charge of criminal trespass to property. A judge ordered him held on $20,000 bond, meaning he will have to post $2,000 for release.

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Mora was inside the Holy Protection Parish of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the 900 block of North Washtenaw Avenue when police arrived early Saturday, prosecutors said during a bail hearing broadcast on YouTube.

A yellow coat believed to have been worn by Mora was found on the sill of broken church windows, prosecutors said in court. Inside, police found Mora in possession of a gold cross that had been displayed at the church, authorities said.

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Police were called to the church after a nearby resident heard breaking glass in the direction of the church and saw a man in a yellow coat breaking church windows with bricks, authorities said. Church surveillance also captured Mora inside the church in the area where the cross was displayed.

Moras attorney, Courtney Smallwood, had sought a personal recognizance bond because of the nonviolent nature of the crime and citing his lack of a criminal background, but Judge Kelly Marie McCarthy ordered bail and barred Mora from returning to the church or contacting witnesses. He is scheduled to return to court next week.

Chicago Tribunes William Lee contributed.

tatturner@chicagotribune.com
The working president of Congress Sonia Gandhi has called a meeting of the party's Parliamentary strategy group at 10.30 am at 10 Janpath on Sunday ahead of the second part of the Budget session of Parliament beginning from Monday. The meeting holds significance in the backdrop of the poll verdict in five states, which came as a rude shock to Congress, which was hoping to do well to revive its prospects for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and also fend off the emerging challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress (TMC) to replace the party as the fulcrum of anti-BJP politics in the country. The meeting is likely to deliberate on the strategy of the party in two Houses of Parliament. Moreover, this meeting comes just a day ahead of the resumption of the second half of the Budget session of Parliament. The second half of the Budget session will conclude on April 8. The first half of the Budget session began on January 31 and concluded on February 11. Earlier on Friday, Congress G23 met at senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad's residence in the national capital. Congress leaders Bhupender Singh Hooda, Manish Tewari, Kapil Sibal and Anand Sharma, Akhilesh Prasad Singh attended the meeting. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won four out of five states, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Goa, in recently concluded Assembly polls. In Uttar Pradesh, the BJP and its allies won 255 seats out of 403 Assembly constituencies. In Uttarakhand, the party secured 47 out of 70 seats. In Goa, the BJP won 20 seats, out of 40, and got the support of independent candidates. The BJP led coalition in Manipur bagged 31 seats out of 60 seats. (ANI)
A suspected Naxalite was injured in a clash between police and Naxals in the Gondia district of Maharashtra, informed police on Saturday. Police arrested the accused and airlifted him to Nagpur for treatment. "A group of suspected Naxalites opened fire on the police team that went for patrolling in the area. We arrested them and rushed the injured to Deori hospital for first aid but his condition was critical. Now he has been admitted to Orange City Hospital in Nagpur and is undergoing treatment," said Vishwa Pansare, SP Gondia. Police said that the identity of the suspected Naxalite team has not been ascertained yet. Further investigation is underway. (ANI)
Forest department officials on Saturday conducted raids at various places in Trichy, Tamil Nadu in a crackdown against the illegal trade of exotic birds. The officials informed that more than 600 green parrots and 100 starling birds were kept in cages for illegal trade in Trichy city. "More than 600 green parrots and 100 starling birds were kept in cages for sale. All the birds will be released in the forest areas. The accused who were engaged in the illegal trade of the exotic birds will be fined under the Wildlife Protection Act," said Assistant Forest Ranger, Forest Conservation Force. (ANI)
Lauding humanitarian assistance to other countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, Union Minister of State for Culture Meenakashi Lekhi said India has extended unconditional support to other nations in time of need. Lekhi, who is also a Minister of state for external affairs, also spoke about India extending help and evacuating citizens of Nepal and Bangaldesh from war-torn Ukraine under 'Operation Ganga'. "India has done only good for the world at large, and always extended unconditional support to other nations in the hour of need," said Lekhi on Saturday while addressing an event to commemorate the one-year celebrations of 'Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav'. As per Health Ministry, India has supplied COVID-19 related medical and other assistance, including vaccines, to over 150 countries since the outbreak of the global pandemic. Confident about India taking the central stage and emerging as the world leader in the coming years, she said, "Amrit Mahotsav is a celebration of India's culture, its democratic traditions, achievements, and is a harbinger of Amrit Kaal over the next 25 years which will make India a world leader in days to come." Further bashing the misconception of the world with regards to Indian women, Lekhi said, "India is a country where women play a major role in politics and other fields, whether it is contributing to Vedas, or being a ruler, priestess or a teacher." 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav', an initiative by the Government of India completed its one year of festive celebrations on Saturday. 'Mahotsav' was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 12, 2021, from Sabarmati Ashram in Gujarat to commemorate 75 Years of India's Independence. Since then, over 16,000 events and programs spread across 28 States, 8 Union Territories and over 150 countries have been conducted under the banner of 'Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav'. (ANI)
Singh, who is an MLA from Mahagama in Uttarakhand, expressed her gratitude to Congress' high command for giving the opportunity to serve the party.

"Taking responsibility for the defeats in Uttarakhand assembly elections, I have resigned as national secretary,co-incharge of Uttarakhand. I thank the leadership for giving me the opportunity to serve the party at the national level. @INCIndia @RahulGandhi @kcvenugopalmp @devendrayadvinc," Singh said in a tweet.

Congress, which was hoping to return to power in Uttarakhand, managed to win only 19 seats while Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power for the second consecutive term in the state with 47 seats. (ANI)
Telangana IT Minister and TRS working president KTR Rao on Saturday warned to "cut water and power supply" to the military authorities (Cantonment limits), if there be the need, stating that it is "not fair to close the roads whenever they (military) want". Rao was speaking during the Question Hour on Saturday in the state Assembly on the implementation of the 'Strategic Nala Development Programme' in Hyderabad. Addressing the state Legislative Assembly, Rao said, "We will cut power and water supply if needed to military authorities (Cantonment limits) because it is not fair to close the roads whenever they want." He was referring to the alleged inconvenience caused to residents of Safilguda, Cantonment, a road adjacent to Secunderabad club in Hyderabad, due to 'restrictions' such as the closure of roads. Notably, Rao in 2021 had termed the closure of road by the Army "highly objectionable and illegal". Soon after the statement, the Opposition BJP came down heavily on the Minister, accusing him of threatening the military and trying to remove the military base from Hyderabad. "It is a really shocking comment from Telangana municipal minister KTR, who is well educated. He doesn't even have respect for our Indian Army. This really shows the Telangana government's stand on how they treat Army. Today, they are threatening military authorities, with statements to disconnect electricity and water supply. Are they trying to remove the military base from Hyderabad?" asked party spokesperson NV Subhash. The spokesperson further termed it "dangerous" for TRS to threaten the government authorities. "If these people come back to power in the state, it will be very dangerous for everyone as they threaten the government authorities," he said. (ANI)
Days after the BJP retained power for the second consecutive term in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is scheduled to visit Delhi on Sunday to discuss the new cabinet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. National President JP Nadda, Amit Shah and BL Santosh in Delhi will be present at the meeting. The swearing-in ceremony date will also be discussed during the meeting. As per sources, the BJP is also considering several new faces in the Cabinet along with the new Deputy Chief Minister. State President Swatantrata Dev Singh, BJP leader Sunil Bansal, state in-charge Radha Mohan Singh will also accompany Adityanath to Delhi on Sunday. It is being speculated that the BJP leadership has prepared a basic list of probable Deputy Chief Ministers and Ministers on the basis of qualification, caste and regional equations because BJP gives place to every caste in its cabinet. The Central leadership will have the final say on the list. For the post of Deputy Chief Minister, the names of Swatantra Dev Singh, Baby Rani Maurya, Brijesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya are in talks. Swatantra Dev Singh was the Transport Minister, apart from this he was the BJP state president. Keshav Prasad Maurya has definitely lost from Sirathu seat in the elections this time but he is the face of OBC. As Deputy Chief Minister, he has governed the state well, so once again he can be made the Deputy Chief Minister. Baby Rani Maurya has been the Governor of Uttarakhand and is a well-known face of Jatav society in Uttar Pradesh. Brijesh Pathak, of the Brahmin community, has been a law minister in the Uttar Pradesh government. UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, who is also a Kurmi leader, was one of the prominent faces behind BJP's big win in Uttar Pradesh. Law Minister Brijesh Pathak, who won from Lucknow Cantonment seat, may get the role of Deputy Chief Minister in the Yogi government to maintain the Brahmin equation.In Yogi Sarkar 2, the leadership is also considering the inclusion of two former police officers in the new cabinet- Rajeshwar Singh and Asim Arun. The newly-elected MLA from Sarojini Nagar seat of Lucknow, Dr Rajeshwar Singh was an officer of Uttar Pradesh Police. BJP MLA Aseem Arun has won from Kannauj (Sadar) seat. Asim Arun was an officer of the rank of ADG. Before being the first police commissioner of Kanpur, Asim Arun's father late Ram Arun was twice the DGP of Uttar Pradesh. Many Bharatiya Janata Party leaders have won by a huge margin of votes. In this, the candidate from the Noida Assembly seat and Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh's son Pankaj Singh has won by a margin of 1,81,513 votes. The BJP senior leaders are also discussing Pankaj Singh getting a place in the Yogi cabinet. Till now, no one from Noida had got a place in the Yogi cabinet, so it is expected that this time Pankaj Singh, who has performed brilliantly in 2017 and now in 2022 too, can be made a minister in the Yogi government. Shalabh Mani Tripathi, a Brahmin young face close to Yogi and an experienced journalist, can be made a minister in the Yogi cabinet. Shalabh has also been in ABVP earlier.Allies Apna Dal and Nishad Party would also get a place in the Cabinet-MLC Ashish Patel and Sanjay Nishad can get important roles to play. Besides the new faces, old leaders like Suresh Khanna, who won with a landslide victory from the Shahjahanpur seat for the ninth consecutive time, can also be made a minister.Brijesh Pathak and Keshav Prasad Maurya can also be part of the cabinet again. The swearing-in of the Yogi government is likely to be held on March 15 or 21. Adityanath on Friday tendered his resignation to Governor Anandiben Patel at the Raj Bhavan in Lucknow. Following the massive victory in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, Adityanath on Friday held a meeting with his ministerial colleagues at the party office in Lucknow. Adityanath, a monk-turned-politician, won his first-ever Assembly election by a margin of 1,03,390 from Gorakhpur Urban constituency, defeating the Samajwadi Party candidate Subhawati Upendra Dutt Shukla, who secured 62,109 votes in the recently-concluded UP Assembly elections. Adityanath will be the first Chief Minister in the last 37 years to return to power after completing a full term in the state. (ANI)
"People around here are very happy from the election result and are excited to meet the new Chief Minister," said Manish Gupta, Tourist.

Another tourist praised the beautification and cleanliness of the area.

"The place is so clean and is looking so good. This place has an important history attached to it and I am happy visiting here," said Sujata Gupta.

Another tourist Ghanshyam Goyal who looked excited and expecting to meet the two AAP leaders.

"Delhi CM and Punjab CM are visiting here, I am excited to meet them," he said.

The Punjab Chief Ministerial face of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said that the party supremo Arvind Kejriwal is visiting Amritsar today to take part in a roadshow to express gratitude to the people for giving the popular mandate with two-third majority in the state in the recently concluded Assembly elections.

Speaking to the reporters before leaving for Amritsar, Mann said, "We will take the blessings of Guru Sahib to fulfil the promises we made to the people of Punjab. Our national convenor Arvind Kejriwal is coming to Amritsar (for roadshow) today to thank the people."

The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh.

The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly. (ANI)
"The process to bring back the mortal remains of Naveen Shekharappa, an MBBS student who died during shelling in Ukraine, will be resumed soon after shelling stops there," said Bommai.

Bommai had earlier informed that Naveen's body has been embalmed and kept in a mortuary in Ukraine.

Naveen Shekharappa Gyanagoudar, the deceased student, was a resident of Karnataka's Haveri district. The 21-year-old student of Kharkiv National Medical University was reportedly standing in a queue to buy food when he was killed in Russian shelling.

As per satellite images issued on Saturday by US company Maxar, Russian forces are getting ready for a massive offensive in the Ukrainian capital city of Kyiv.

On February 24, Russia began a military operation in Ukraine, responding to calls for help from the breakaway republics Donetsk and Luhansk in countering the aggression of Ukrainian troops. The Russian Defence Ministry had said the operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only. (ANI)
After stripping 122 former MPs and MLAs of security cover yesterday, Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann on Sunday said that as many as 403 police personnel have returned to police stations. Addressing a roadshow in Amritsar, Mann said, "We will utilise police for what they are meant to do (work for common people); we will not bother them (with security duties of VIPs)" "We have decreased the security of 122 people and due to that 403 police personnel and 27 police vehicles have returned to the police stations," he informed. Notably, the Additional Director General of Police (security) had ordered the withdrawal of security cover of 122 former MPs and MLAs in Punjab. The order was issued dated March 11, soon after Bhagwant Mann met the Director-General of Police (DGP) and the Chief Secretary after the Legislator party meeting. The list includes names of senior Congress leaders, who got security cover under the previous government along with the names of Congress MLAs who won the Assembly elections this time from their seats but would no longer be the cabinet ministers. Apart from senior leaders of BJP, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), former AAP MLAs, former cabinet ministers and former Assembly Speakers were also on the list. The order reads, the withdrawn police personnel will report to their parent units. It further said that the personnel deployed on specific orders of Courts will not be withdrawn. Further, the CM-designate reiterated that no government offices will have Chief Minister's photos, "but will have pictures of Shaheed Bhagat Singh and Babasaheb Ambedkar." Thanking the people of the state for entrusting AAP with a sweeping majority, Mann took a dig at Congress and SAD and said, "You have defeated those who have ruled Punjab for 70 years interchangeably, by over 50,000 votes." "While other parties were planning with whom to form an alliance with after the results to secure the government in the state, we knew that the people of Punjab will unite to vote them out of power," he added. Ahead of the roadshow, Kejriwal along with Mann visited Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple and Jallianwala Bagh memorial. The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly. (ANI)
A lot of people just look at the crime itself and they never ask themselves, How did this young person wind up at this place in his life? said Adolfo Davis. Davis was sentenced to life in prison for a double murder he committed at age 14 only to be released in 2020 after a resentencing. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

The realistic painting in vivid colors by Adolfo Davis shows two sides of the same street, one bathed in sunlight with a college and an art center and the word choices written along the curb. On the other, a prison, a Chicago police surveillance camera, crime scene tape, a memorial and protest signs reading Stop the violence and Enough.

Smack dab in the middle of the painting  Choices, which hangs in one of the reporting centers for court-involved youths in Cook County  is a young person straddling both a place of promise and one of despair.

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This high-stakes intersection that Chicagos youths find themselves in has been brought into sharp relief in recent months in a series of troubling crimes: a 16-year-old already serving a probation sentence for three carjackings accused of fatally shooting 8-year-old Melissa Ortega; another 16-year-old on electronic monitoring for two gun cases charged with killing a 15-year-old by shooting him first in the head, then nine times as he lay on the sidewalk; and an 11-year-old cited in six different carjacking incidents, including some that involved armed robbery.

About 900 youths are currently under the jurisdiction of the Cook County juvenile probation office, sentenced to either probation or supervision or awaiting trial. A portion of them are on electronic monitoring. Just 78 are housed in juvenile detention.

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Children have not been spared in the recent surge in gun violence, with an increase in shootings, both fatal and nonfatal, for youths 17 and younger over the past two years. Still, the number of young people being monitored by the probation office has been declining in recent years, along with arrests in the city of Chicago.

The recent surge in gun violence, including carjackings, has led to increased calls for a more punitive response for offenders in general.

But those working in the system strongly caution that juveniles need to remain a special consideration in the criminal justice system, stressing that brain research does not support a return to punitive responses, which were deployed years ago to address violence. They also point to the challenges young offenders face, saying before they were a shooter or a carjacker, they were likely some combination of hungry and poor and traumatized by the violence happening on the blocks where they are supposed to thrive.

And this was before the pandemic produced more challenges, including limiting in-person schooling and other chances for social interaction and guidance.

Juvenile court files, interviews and public records of some recent cases reviewed by the Tribune show the cases to be complicated by underlying challenges and trauma for the young people involved. They have lost parents to incarceration and to violence. Some were coping with the loss of loved ones before they were arrested. One appeared in court virtually on the very day he committed a new offense, with prosecutors noting he was shirtless; a judge instructed him to dress properly.

Davis, the artist who painted Choices, was initially sentenced to life in prison for a double murder he committed at age 14, only to be released in 2020 after a resentencing. He said he knows all of this firsthand because he lived it.

A lot of people just look at the crime itself and they never ask themselves, How did this young person wind up at this place in his life? said Davis, now 45. Like myself, I come from an unstable home. I had went to the streets to take care of myself. I didnt start off in a gang. Being in the street, and being used by other people, yall become friends. And it leads to one thing to another.

Community-based intervention

The concept of a juvenile court was originated in Chicago more than 100 years ago, when activists pushed for a separate system that helps children and their families while protecting the public.

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In the wake of both the two-year surge in violence and increased concerns about the role of youth, the Cook County juvenile probation office is now directing all young people on electronic monitoring to report to one of five community-based social service agencies that are contracted by the county. And Chicago Public Schools officials are about to launch a new project to target students who are failing to turn up at school with intense outreach.

The courts and juvenile justice system are directed by state statute to try to avoid detention or incarceration of juveniles and to instead exhaust all community-based options for rehabilitation.

When young people are severely penalized for committing a crime, they are more likely to recidivate, meaning harsher penalties apparently do not reduce juvenile crime, explained Stephanie Tabashneck, senior fellow in law and applied neuroscience at the Center for Law, Brain and Behavior and the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard University.

One of the challenges is that most children get out of prison and they dont stay there, Tabashneck said. And so then we release kids who are far more traumatized and are ill equipped to manage the real world because they have been in highly restrictive environments that do not mirror the real world.

On the flip side is the potential to reach children in trouble with interventions, she said. Children need mentorship and opportunities to engage in social activities in their community, Tabashneck said.

Developments in neuroscience and behavioral research have really been groundbreaking in terms of how we understand youth criminal behavior, Tabashneck said. We know that children are teachable, their brains are wired for learning and they have a tremendous capacity for change.

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Today the management of cases for young offenders falls to the office of Juvenile Probation & Court Services, which has about 200 officers available to manage cases.

At the end of February there were just over 900 youths who were either serving a sentence, of probation or supervision, or had a pending case. The office also was monitoring 250 youths on electronic monitoring.

Miquel Lewis, acting director of Cook County Juvenile Probation & Court Services, speaks to a group of probation officers during a tour of Bishop Shepard Little Memorial Center, which operates partially as a TASC Reporting Center, on Feb. 23, 2022. (Chris Sweda / Chicago Tribune)

The mission of the department has not changed in the more than two decades since Miquel Lewis, the acting director of juvenile probation services, was first hired to work as a probation officer, he told the Tribune recently during a tour of one of the departments reporting centers.

Officers assigned to the cases are tasked with establishing a relationship with every child and family in their caseload, determining what is driving the criminal conduct and finding social services close to their homes.

This means constantly finding and vetting local community organizations in neighborhoods, which has been a challenge, Lewis said, given the inherent instability in funding for such organizations.

County probation officers averaged 13 cases in 2020, but Lewis also acknowledged that some officers can carry caseloads as high as 20. And while he has recently filled 10 positions, some of his budgeted positions remain unfilled, Lewis said without giving a number.

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Lewis said the recent surge in violence has ramped up the pressure on a system that was already lacking what adults need to help most children readjust their behavior: time.

A key (thing), which is not always on probations side is time. Because every young person requires some time to receive the message, the support, and then for them to have the moment when it will all make sense, he said. And of course when we are talking about public safety, communities want their communities to be safe now. ... And of course residents of our communities dont care about the process. They want to see the outcome.

Lewis has directed his probation officers to refer all their youth on EM to also report to one of five supervised day and evening programs for court-involved youth that are run by city social service agencies.

But it can take just one tragic case, an example of a youth who defies the orders of a judge and doesnt totally accept the help offered in the community, to challenge the mission, said Matt DeMateo, executive director of New Life Centers, which works with both victims and offenders in the Little Village neighborhood.

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Love, grace and mercy

DeMateos organization was counseling teenager Emilio Corripio when he was accused in the January shooting of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega. And his staff has since also helped Melissas family cope.

This is a space where I would say love, grace and mercy  they are the only things big enough to take in both sides of a gun, DeMateo said. Its only the grace of God and boundless love and compassion, and that we try to lead with that can take in all sides of a community and all sides of an argument.

The shooting death of 8-year-old Melissa happened in broad daylight on Jan. 22 on a bustling Little Village street.

Authorities say Corripio, who was 16 at the time, opened fire on gang rivals. Prosecutors said he struck one on the street and also sprayed a car, forcing a father inside to take cover with his young daughter, and also fatally hit Melissa, who was walking nearby with her mother.

In charging Corripio as an adult, prosecutors announced he had been cited in three armed carjackings in juvenile court, where just a month earlier hed been sentenced to intensive probation.

Public opinion quickly swayed against Corripio, as social media rippled with posts about how he should have been locked up in the wake of the carjackings.

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A person walks past a memorial in honor of 8-year-old Melissa Ortega who was shot and killed while walking her mother in Little Village in January. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Meanwhile, Melissas mother issued an extraordinary public statement in which she called for the justice system to proceed, but also forgave Corripio.

To the aggressor. I forgive you. You were a victim too. As a 16-year-old, the community failed you, just like it failed my precious baby, her mother said.

Corripios sentence to three years of probation came with requirements that he cut gang ties and continue with mentoring and counseling.

Several observers familiar with juvenile court told the Tribune that it is not surprising that Corripio was sentenced to probation, based on the current directives to exhaust all efforts to rehabilitate a youth close to home, rather than in custody of the Illinois Department of Juvenile Justice.

Those who work with youths say its challenging work, given youth brain development, temptation on the street and the sheer scope of the problem now in the city.

We are trying our best to slow the bleeding, to heal the families, said New Lifes DeMateo, whose team continues to support Corripio today. But  weve buried over 140 young people in the past 25 years.

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On March 4 Corripio appeared in court, having just turned 17 and wearing thick glasses and a face mask as he sat at a table in juvenile detention center listening to the adults discuss his case. His attorney, Edith Rios, entered a plea of not guilty for him.

Corripios family declined to comment through Rios. The attorney said that at the time Corripio was accused of committing the carjackings, he was struggling with the loss of his best friend from a shooting he witnessed, she said.

It caused him to stop even trying, she said.

Rios said his family is also hardworking, but struggles financially. In the first two weeks Corripio was locked up, his eyeglasses were broken  and the family was struggling to find money to fix them, she said.

Im dealing with a child, Rios said of her client. We are going to have to start taking into consideration that they are kids, and their brains are not developed and not just throw them away.

Peer pressure and teens

Tabashneck, the psychologist and lawyer, noted that adolescent brains are indeed wired differently, and that fact affects their understanding of split-second decisions. Their brains are present-focused and seek stimulation, which renders reckless behavior and poor decision making neurological, she added. That means youth grow out of these characteristics as they enter adulthood, she said.

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The majority of adolescents who commit crimes including serious crimes, like assault and homicide, do not go on to commit future crimes as adults, Tabashneck said. They desist from criminal behavior.

Research also shows that the mere presence of a peer can cause youth to act more recklessly, she added.

Chicago police officials recently described an 11-year-old charged in a series of violent carjackings as prolific and a strong participant, but in most cases he was among a group of teens, critical to understanding a young offenders ability to regulate their actions.

Its not even necessarily peer pressure, or, you know, peer coercion. Its just peer presence, Tabashneck said. And weve seen this in things like driving studies, where adolescents will behave more recklessly, even when a peer is just watching them.

That peer presence effect goes away in a persons early to mid-20s as a shift happens in their brain, Tabashneck said.

So peer presence is really key, she said. I mean, in my work, it is very rare that Ive seen crime involving a minor that did not involve peers. So these crimes tend to happen in groups. And thats because peer presence increases risk taking behaviors and impulsivity.

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Adam Toledo's image appears on a memorial for him, April 15, 2021, near the alley where he was fatally shot by police in the Little Village neighborhood. (E. Jason Wambsgans / Chicago Tribune)

Influence of adults

In Corripios case, the pressure might have been even greater. According to the charges against him, he was with a 27-year-old when authorities say he opened fire on a street.

The same dynamic was present in the case of Adam Toledo, 13, who was shot and killed by Chicago police during a foot chase in which the teen was allegedly carrying a gun that had just been fired by a 21-year-old he was with on a Little Village street.

In Corripios case, the 27-year-old, an off-duty cabdriver, allegedly drove the teen to rival gang territory, where Corripio got out and opened fire.

Rob Castaneda, co-founder and executive director of Beyond the Ball, a sports-based youth and community development organization in Little Village and on Chicagos West Side, said its sometimes difficult for young people, especially those experiencing social or educational challenges, to distance themselves from older gang members who are sometimes their family or their only social circle.

Castaneda said hes noticed a lot of the young men in these situations have a learning or cognitive disability.

They are a lot of times young people who dont maybe necessarily see themselves as being successful in school or in traditional society, he said. And theyre able to get attention from older guys in the streets that theyre not getting in other traditional places.

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Castaneda said theres opportunity for community organizers to intervene at earlier stages, instead of once a child is already involved in street life.

I think its important for us to have like street intervention programs that are building relationships with people who are out there, Castaneda said. But I also think its important to have more supports for them. Supports that arent dependent on them being involved in the street, but them just being people. People with high level of needs.

Last week Chicago Public School officials told the Tribune they were finalizing contracts with two of the citys larger social service agencies for intervention. Outreach workers will be tasked with finding students who are enrolled in school but not turning up.

This year, about 1,500 students failed to appear for classes, and school officials were able to track down information on all but about 300.

Its this group of ultra high needs students that will be the focus of the new pilot. For now, 100 students have been targeted and will be the subject of the outreach, which will include caseworkers first looking for the youth and then trying to steer them back to school and offer other supports, including employment or therapy. The estimated cost to run the program is between $14,000 and $16,000 per student, officials said.

The project has been in planning stages for some time, but Jadine Chou, the chief of safety and security for CPS, said last week that the devastation of the pandemic has increased the pressure on everyone to start delivering more intervention.

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The stakes feel higher than ever before, said Chou. Everything that has happened with the pandemic has just made challenges harder for everyone, but especially for our students from high-risk situations.

They gonna release all that anger

The road to Adolfo Davis life sentence at age 14 started when he was 9 years old and hungry, he told the Tribune.

Looking to make cash, Davis, the artist whose work hangs in the reporting center, was trying to muscle his way in at a local gas station, where hed offer to pump gas for customers. This, and hustling outside grocery stores to carry shoppers bags for them, was how he compensated for a family that was not able to take care of him, he said.

Adolfo Davis at Precious Blood Ministries in Chicago on March 10, 2022. Davis was mentored at Precious Blood Ministries while serving a 30-year-sentence for a murder he committed at age 14. (Jose M. Osorio / Chicago Tribune)

His efforts to find a spot at the gas station led to a confrontation with other youths working there, and after he defended himself with an empty whiskey bottle, they invited him to join their group. Those kids had older brothers who were selling drugs, and it was only a matter of time before Davis was more deeply involved in the street life, he said.

In the past year or so since his release, Davis worked at Precious Blood Ministry in the Back of the Yards neighborhood, a program that works directly with court-involved young people  and one that helped him survive incarceration when he was locked up 30 years ago.

As he reflected on his case and the youths he has mentored, Davis lamented that those kids today are still struggling for basic needs like food and to feel loved, and they are also now turning to drugs to self-medicate through their pain. And hes not persuaded incarceration is any better an option today than it was for him.

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When they get released, they gonna release all that anger on society, Davis said. And who gonna get it the most? The people close to them, the people in their communities.

asweeney@chicagotribune.com

scasanova@chicagotribune.com
The independent MLA met Kejriwal and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia at Delhi airport ahead of their departure for Amritsar.

Roy said that it was an informal meeting and he will be again arriving in the national capital for a formal meeting with them.

"It was an informal meeting, I will go to Delhi to hold a formal meeting. AAP does not have any personal agenda. People are liking their way of politics, AAP emerged as an option. Let's see what will happen in Gujarat and Himachal Assembly elections," he told ANI.

Roy said that he congratulated them for their victory in the Punjab Assembly elections.

"I met Arvind Kejriwal. I congratulate him on Punjab's win," he said.

During the meeting, he said they talked about Jharkhand as well.

"We also talked about Jharkhand. However, our state has different issues. Only being a good person is not enough to win a state like Jharkhand, a change of mentality in youth is important," the independent MLA said.

Roy, a former BJP member and Cabinet minister in the Jharkhand government, had defeated former CM Raghubar Das in the 2019 Assembly elections. (ANI)
Addressing a press briefing on Sunday, Dattatreya informed that over 1200 members of the RSS attended the annual "All India Representatives Meet" which commenced on March 11.

"Today is the last day of the All India Representatives Meet. We have come to your city. The people of Gujarat have given full support to the work of the Sangh for decades. On behalf of the Sangh, we thank the people of Gujarat."

He said that the centenary year of the RSS is approaching so it is going to be organizing various programmes marking the 100th anniversary.

All India Representatives Meet was held at Nishkalanki Narayan Tirthdham at Pirana, Ahmedabad. RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat among others was present on the last day of the 'All India Representatives Meet' on Sunday. (ANI)
Delhi Chief Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday said that the party's landslide win in Punjab is a big revolution and assured that all the promises made to the people of Punjab will be fulfilled. "The world cannot believe that such a big (inquilab) has come inside Punjab. The whole world knew that Punjabis bring revolution, but still could not believe that such an incredible 'inqilab' could sweep...saare haar gaye.....Sukhbir ji, Parkash Singh Badal jee, Manpreet Badal got defeated....Channi defeated on both the seats, Majithia jee.....Navjot Singh Sidhu Jee tasted defeat.....only Punjabis could bring this 'bahot bada inqilab' (big revolution)," he said during the roadshow in Amritsar. "AAP's landslide win in Punjab is a big revolution (inquilab) and I am happy that for the first time after so many years, Punjab has now got an honest Chief Minister," he added. He further said that now all the government money will be spent on the people of Punjab. "My younger brother Bhagwant Mann is 'Kattar imandaar' (honest man). The honest government will be formed in Punjab if any of our own ministers or any MLA ever dare to do something fishy, then they will not be spared, they will be sent to jail. Loot of Punjab will stop. Government money will be spent on the people of Punjab. We will fulfill all our promises, some will take time, some will be done immediately," said Kejriwal. The AAP national convenor further asked the people of Punjab to join Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann during the oath ceremony in Khatkar Kalan. "Mann will take oath as Chief Minister on March 16, not only he, each and every Punjabi would be the Chief Minister. Everyone has to come to Khatkar Kalan and have to take the oath with him. Now, only development will happen in Punjab and will make "Rangla" (vibrant or prosperous) and happy Punjab," added Kejriwal. Kejriwal along with Punjab Chief Minister-designate Bhagwant Mann hold a roadshow on Sunday in Amritsar to thank the people of the state for entrusting AAP with a sweeping majority. Ahead of the roadshow, the two leaders visited Golden Temple, Durgiana Temple and Jallianwala Bagh memorial. The swearing-in ceremony of the new government will be held on March 16 at Khatkar Kalan, the native village of legendary freedom fighter Bhagat Singh. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) registered a landslide victory in the Punjab polls with 92 seats, pushing most of its rivals to the margins. Congress won 18 seats in the 117-member Assembly. (ANI)
India is developing a new air-launched version of the BrahMos supersonic cruise missile which would be able to strike at enemy targets at more than 800 kilometers. The missile earlier had the capability of hitting targets at around 300 kilometers after being released from a Su-30MKI combat aircraft. "The range of the BrahMos missile has been increased already and with the advantage of being airborne at high altitudes, the missile can travel a longer distance and can hit targets at 800 kms and beyond," sources told ANI. The BrahMos missile was recently in the limelight after one of it was misfired due to a technical malfunction from an Indian Air Force unit during a Command Air Staff Inspection (CASI) there. The missile landed in Pakistani territory causing very less damage to the property and equipment there and no damage to lives there. After the incident, India sent a letter to the Pakistani authorities deeply regretting the incident and also issued a statement in this regard. Pakistan is trying to rake up the issue of the misfiring of the BrahMos and trying to question the safety of India's missile arsenal at the international level but sources said the BrahMos was just a tactical missile. India has enhanced the range of the tactical missile recently and it can go beyond 500 kilometers with just an upgrade in its software. The Indian Air Force has equipped around 40 of its Su-30 combat aircraft with the BrahMos cruise missiles which can cause heavy destruction in enemy camps. The Indian Air Force (IAF) had brought these planes to the northern sector from their home base in Thanjavur during the peak of conflict with China. The IAF also operates a surface to the surface squadron of planes to carry out pin-point attack against enemy vital installations and bases. (ANI)
Earlier in the day, Adityanath met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at the latter's residence here.

The Chief Minister is on a two-day visit to the national capital and is scheduled to meet the top brass of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh, to discuss the government formation in the state.

He is also slated to meet the BJP chief JP Nadda and party's national general secretary (organisation) BL Santhosh later this evening. Discussion on the names of probable faces in the new state Cabinet is likely to be on the top agenda during the deliberations of Adityanath with the top leaders of the BJP.

Notably, this is Adityanath's first visit to the national capital after winning the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
Amid the row over the transfer-posting case, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil on Sunday said the Opposition is doing politics on this matter. "Opposition is doing politics on this case. Till now, 5-6 notices have been sent to Devendra Fadnavis. A case has been registered against five unknown persons. Statements of 24 people have been recorded so far and more will be recorded in the future," Patil told mediapersons. "Devendra Fadnavis was not summoned but was sent a set of questions to answer. Today, a police team went to his residence as he did not answer those questions sent to him regarding the case," he added. Earlier on Sunday, a team of Mumbai Cyber Police reached the residence of the Maharashtra Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis to record his statement in the transfer-posting case. "A police team recorded my statement in the transfer-posting case. I answered all questions. Maharashtra government had been brushing aside the case for the past six months. I am a whistleblower of this case. I submitted the documents regarding State's transfer case to Union Home Secretary," Fadnavis told mediapersons. Earlier on Saturday, Fadnavis said he had received a notice in which the Mumbai Police summoned him on Sunday in connection with the case. On February 26 this year, Maharashtra Home Minister Dilip Walse Patil claimed that former Pune Police Commissioner Rashmi Shukla had tapped phones of political leaders like Nana Patole, Bachchu Kadu, Sanjay Kakade and Ashish Deshmukh. In March 2021, Fadnavis raised questions about the transfer posting of the police department during a press conference. On the same day, Fadnavis met the Union Home Secretary of the Central Government and handed over some secret documents related to police transfer to the Union Home Secretary. At present, the CBI is investigating this case. So far, former Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh and former Mumbai Police Commissioner Paramvir Singh have been questioned in this case. Now the statement of Devendra Fadnavis has also been recorded. (ANI)
Former defence minister AK Antony skipped the meeting as he tested positive for COVID-19 today.

The other leaders who did not attend the Congress Working Committee (CWC) meeting include party MP A Chella Kumar, former Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam, Tariq Hameed Karra and G Sanjeeva Reddy.

A meeting of the CWC is underway to discuss the party's crushing defeat in Assembly elections in five states.

The results of five assembly polls came as a shock to the Congress which was hoping to do well to revive its prospects for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and to fend off the emerging challenge from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Trinamool Congress to replace it as the fulcrum of anti-BJP politics in the country. (ANI)
Indian Medical student who was evacuated from Ukraine following the ongoing Russia-Ukraine tension, urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Central government to help them pursue their studies in India. "I don't wish to go back to Ukraine. The thought of returning back to the war-torn country scares us. I request PM Narendra Modi to accommodate us in Indian colleges so that we can finish our studies", said Rishabh Roy, a medical student who came back to India from Ukraine. Rishav, who sat for NEET in 2021, couldn't fetch himself a medical seat due to the cutthroat competition here. He is a first-year medical student at Ukraine's Uzhhorod National University. Further speaking about his studies, Rishav said, "The university has started online classes. But online education won't work for medical students as it requires clinical experience. Therefore, I urge the government to think about students like me who have returned from Ukraine." Explaining the reasons behind Indian students opting to study in Ukraine, he said, "The cost of expenses for the same medical course in India is much higher compared to Ukraine's. We can fetch an MBBS degree in Ukraine at a lesser cost." "It takes about one crore for an MBBS degree in India while in Ukraine it is much less", added Rishabh. Rishabh's parents also do not want to send him back to Ukraine. Speaking to ANI, Rishabh's mother Antara Roy said, "I beg PM Narendra Modi to help the students who have returned from Ukraine and let them finish their education in India. I want my son to stay in the country." An emotional Antara Roy lauded PM Modi's efforts in bringing back the students from Ukraine safely. "PM Modi took good care of our children. He brought them home safely. I, being a mother, can't thank him enough for this." Rishabh flew back to India from Budapest on February 28 and returned home to Kolkata on March 1. (ANI)
Adityanath met PM Modi at the latter's residence in the national capital today.

"Today I met Yogi Adityanath. Congratulated him on the historic victory in the Uttar Pradesh elections. In the last 5 years, he has worked tirelessly to fulfill the aspirations of the people. I am sure that in the years to come, he will take the state to greater heights of development," PM Modi tweeted.

The Chief Minister thanked the Prime Minister for proving time and guidance.

"The world's most popular politician, the architect of 'self-reliant India', the dreamer of 'Ek Bharat-Shreshtha Bharat', had a warm meeting with the respected Prime Minister in New Delhi today. Heartfelt thanks to the Prime Minister for providing time and guidance from his hectic routine!" Adityanath said in a tweet.

Adityanath also met party president JP Nadda at the latter's residence in Delhi.

Earlier in the day, Adityanath met Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu at the latter's residence here.

The Chief Minister is on a two-day visit to the national capital. Notably, this is Adityanath's first visit to the national capital after the BJP won the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. (ANI)
Anupam Dutta, the TMC councillor of ward number eight of Panihati Municipality in North 24 Parganas district was shot dead by miscreants on the bike, CP Manoj Kumar Verma, Barrackpore Police Commitionarate said.

There were four miscreants on the bike. A bullet has hit the victim's head, the police said.

Dutta was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. The doctor on duty declared him brought dead, the police added. (ANI)
With painted faces, green beads and cream-colored Aran jumpers, thousands of Chicagoans gathered on sunny sidewalks for the Northwest Side Irish Parade on Sunday afternoon.

Organizations from Girl Scouts to Irish dancers to the Libertarian Party of Chicago marched along the route, which started at William J. Onahan Elementary School in the Norwood Park East neighborhood. Some attendees wore coats over green sweatshirts or flannels, but many celebrated the over-40-degree temperatures with fewer layers.

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Its just an inspiration to see everybody come together on a day like this. Suns out, having a good time, said Ryan Waltz, a Portage Park resident who watched the parade with more than a dozen family members from the yard of his uncles house.

Coming from an Irish family, Waltz said he used to be very involved with Irish culture in the Chicago area, including cultural dancing. He said he marched in the St. Patricks Day Parade downtown as a child, so Sundays activities were very reminiscent of the things we used to do.

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I wouldnt be surprised if one of us jumps in and starts doing an Irish jig with one of the groups that goes by, Waltz said.

The parade route extended south down North Neola Avenue to North Northwest Highway, then went north to Harlem Avenue.

Chicagoans gather for the Northwest Side Irish Parade in Norwood Park East. Thousands of attendees celebrated Irish heritage under blue skies Sunday, as marchers handed out candy, beads and Irish flags. (Olivia Olander / Chicago Tribune)

Like other parades around the city, it was canceled in 2020 and 2021. Several families recalled attending the festivities in 2019 or earlier, a tradition interrupted by the pandemic.

Especially after all the time inside homes, I think its nice seeing everybody out and celebrating for their traditions, said Olga Ramirez, a Norwood Park resident who watched the parade Sunday with her 15-year-old son.

Eric DeGrechie and his son, Gavin, both had their faces painted with green face paint, which DeGrechie said was one of the last available accessories at Party City.

We had so much fun last time, DeGrechie said of the parade in 2019, standing next to his wife, Natalie DeGrechie. Eric DeGrechie said he and his wife felt safe being outdoors and are just trying to get back to normal again.

Logan Park resident Mischa Ream first attended the parade with her children  two 11-year-olds and a 14-year-old  when the youngest were 4 or 5, she said.

It feels really nice to be back out after COVID, and no more masks, Ream said. Everyones just happy. A nice way to celebrate Chicago.
Ganesh Chandra Chauhan, a sanitation worker, who contested on the BJP's ticket in Uttar Pradesh Assembly election from the Dhanghata assembly constituency of Sant Kabir Nagar district and won the seat, has set an example for the society. Chauhan said that the people of Dhanghata and the Bharatiya Janata Party gave this message to the society that caste, religion, financial status doesn't matter and today a common man can also reach heights. When asked about his journey from sanitation worker to a politician, Chauhan whose father is also a sanitation worker said, "The people of Uttar Pradesh have a big heart. They have proved this by voting for me." "Once the son of a daily labourer has been elected to the Uttar Pradesh assembly, through this the people of Uttar Pradesh have shown their way of thinking. Through this, it is evident that Uttar Pradesh has changed for good with the five years of BJP rule. The people have rejected dynasty politics and casteism", added the Dhanghata MLA. Elaborating PM Narendra Modi's respect for even the smallest people in society, he said, "In Prayagraj (Allahabad), Modi ji gave immense respect to the cleaning staff. He touched the feet of sanitation workers and gave out a message that if a person is cleaning the dirt of society, he is not a small person." "The way the Prime Minister has given respect to the sanitation workers and gave election ticket, every small employee should feel that they can attain heights." "I only want to serve the people. I used to carry 'poori sabzi' in my cart and used to feed the rickshaw pullers during the COVID-19 pandemic as they did not have any means of earning at that time," said Ganesh Chandra. He added, "There are many rickshaw pullers from UP and Bihar living in Sant Kabir Nagar. When I got an election ticket from BJP, everyone's had tears of joy. These people have worked hard for my victory." "The day I won from Dhanghata assembly, people were hugging each other. The rickshaw pullers were shouting and telling everyone that I fed them for three months during lockdown when nobody cared for them. So, this is possible only in Bharatiya Janata Party and national ideology." In the Dhanghata assembly seat of Uttar Pradesh's Sant Kabir Nagar, BJP candidate Ganesh Chandra won by thousands of votes defeated his nearest rival by a huge margin of 10,553 votes. (ANI)
Former president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Sarat Patnaik on Sunday said that Congress cannot survive in India without the Gandhi family, adding that the party will form government at the Centre after the 2024 general elections. "Congress has seen a lot of ups and downs in India... It doesn't really matter if we have lost. We are still heading the second position and fight is still underway," Patnaik told ANI. He further said, "There is a vote bank of the Gandhi family in India. I believe it as I have been a part of this party since Youth Congress. We lost in 1977. Then in 1980, Indira Gandhi came into power and again in 1990, we lost. These winning and losing are temporary things." Meanwhile, a meeting of the Congress Working Committee (CWC) is underway to discuss the party's crushing defeat in Assembly elections in five states. "In Odisha, there is a vote bank here which is in name of the Gandhi family. We will always support the Gandhi family and we all have faith that in the 2024 general elections, Congress will again be back in Centre," he added. Earlier this week, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that Congress has lost its credibility and the Opposition parties cannot bank on Congress to fight Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2024 general elections. (ANI)
Petro Kotin, the head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear company Energoatom said that Russians have asked the staff at Ukraine's Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant to follow the orders of the Russian state atomis energy corporation Rosatom. The Kyiv Independent, Ukraine's media outlet in a tweet on Saturday said, "Russia brings 11 engineers to Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. Petro Kotin, the head of Ukraine's state-run nuclear company Energoatom, said that Russian occupiers told the plant's staff that they must follow the orders of the Russian state atomis energy corporation Rosatom." The Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant (NPP), located in southern Ukraine, has reported a fire on its territory on March 4. The nuclear power plant is located in the Zaporizhzhia region and is the biggest nuclear power plant in Europe. In a separate tweet, the Ukrainian media outlet informed that Belarus will rotate its troops on Ukraine's border. "Belarus Defense Ministry said it was sending 5 battalion tactical groups to replace five others that had been on the border to prevent "nationalist formations, illegal weapons and explosives" from getting into Belarus," reported The Kyiv Independent. Moreover, Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its Twitter handle shared contact information for those wishing to provide humanitarian assistance to the Ukrainian population or support the Ukrainian military and territorial defence fighters. People who are in Ukraine and those who are from other countries can both provide help to Ukrainians in these times of dire need. On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, Zelenskyy wrote, "Continued dialogue with Israel PM @naftalibennett. We talked about Russian aggression and the prospects for peace talks. We must stop repressions against civilians: asked to assist in the release of the captive mayor of Melitopol and local public figures."

Earlier, Zelenskyy also spoke with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz and the French president Emmanuel Macron for their help in the release of Melitopol mayor, Ivan Fedorov.

"I spoke with @OlafScholz, @EmmanuelMacron. We discussed countering the aggressor, RF crimes against civilians. I ask my partners to help in releasing the captive mayor of Melitopol. Prospects for peace talks were also discussed. We must stop the aggressor together," Zelenskyy tweeted.

On Saturday, Zelenskyy said that a total of 1,300 soldiers were killed by Russia. This is the first time he President mentioned Ukraine's estimated military casualties, The Kyiv Independent reported.

Notably, Ukraine's armed forces estimate Russian casualties to be over 12,000.

Meanwhile, western countries have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in defending themselves.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
The acting Foreign Minister of the Taliban regime, Amir Khan Muttaqi, on Saturday stressed that a foreign version of government must not be imposed on Afghanistan, said a media report. During the 'Antalya Diplomacy Forum' in Turkey, the Taliban minister said that Afghans are capable of forming their own government and efforts are underway to make the Kabul administration more inclusive, Tolo News reported. "Foreign versions (of the government) and foreign ideology must not be imposed on Afghans. The former version of the (government) was tried but it did not succeed," the media quoted Muttaqi as saying. A weak Afghan government would not benefit anyone, he said, adding that the efforts to undermine the current government must stop. Stressing that the Taliban has been working to prevent economic collapse in Afghanistan, he said that the current government has made progress in several areas, the media outlet reported. Muttaqi further added that the Islamic Emirate has met all conditions for international recognition. Meanwhile, Fatima Gailani, former head of the Afghan Red Crescent Society, said that the lack of recognition of the Afghan government is not something that is punishing just the Taliban's government but the whole of Afghanistan, according to the Afghan news agency. Speaking at the conference, the Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Abdulaziz Kamilov said that the situation in Afghanistan has a direct impact on the region and thus they want stability and security in Afghanistan. Notably, the Taliban established an interim government headed by Mohammad Hassan Akhund in early September, but this government has not been internationally recognized. However, some organizations and countries expressed readiness to continue providing humanitarian aid to Afghanistan. (ANI)
The gathering, held to celebrate the international week dedicated to women, witnessed participants taking to the streets, urging the Taliban to establish a commission for addressing the challenges faced by the women in the country, Tolo News reported.

"We call on the Islamic Emirate to support us and let us go to work," the media outlet quoted Zarifa Yaqobi, a member of the MoCAP, as saying.

"The Afghan women are restricted today. Without permission of the Islamic Emirate, the Afghan women are not allowed to go to universities and work," said Sara Karimi, another member of MoCAP.

The demonstrators also issued a resolution expressing their concerns regarding arbitrary detentions by the Taliban, according to the Afghan news agency.

Notably, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in August last year has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions.

Expressing concern over the situation of Afghan women, many humanitarian and women's rights watchdogs observed that the women in Afghanistan have been facing challenges since the fall of the former government, Tolo News reported. (ANI)
Washington [US], March 13 (ANI/Sputnik): Former US President Donald Trump says the Ukraine conflict continues and could escalate even further because, under the administration of US President Joe Biden, the US does not have "anybody to talk to" Russian President Vladimir Putin. "Despite all of Biden's weakness, cowardice and incompetence, there is still a path for him to end this tragedy in Ukraine, without getting Americans snared in a gruesome and very bloody war. By the way, this could lead to world war three," Trump told his supporters at a Saturday rally in Florence, South Carolina. Trump suggested that Washington should threaten Moscow with "blistering consequences," such as permanently eliminating Western dependence on Russian energy. "We don't have anybody to talk to him [Putin]. You had somebody to talk to him with me," Trump said, emphasizing that "my personality is what kept us out of war." In the early hours of February 24, Russia launched what it called a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) allegedly appealed for help in defending themselves against the Kyiv forces. Russia said that the aim of its special operation is to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine and that only military infrastructure is being targeted. Moscow has repeatedly stressed that it has no plans to occupy Ukraine. According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the goal is to protect the people of Donbas, "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years." In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow, which includes airspace closures and restrictive measures targeting numerous Russian officials and entities, media, and financial institutions. (ANI/Sputnik)
A former police officer from Kabul, Abdul Sadeq has been in Taliban custody for the last three weeks with family members having no knowledge of his whereabouts, Tolo News reported on Saturday. "They get into his car and took him with them. We had no information for five days about him. We were in sorrow. One evening he called and said he was (arrested) but he didn't say his location," Sadeq's mother was quoted by the report. Sadeq was the only breadwinner for the family, the report said. "I haven't seen my father for the past 25 days. I miss him. Every time I see his picture I get sad," said Sadeq's son. This comes at a time when the Human Rights Watch (HRW) has raised concerns about the house searches being conducted by the Taliban in a number of provinces in Afghanistan in recent weeks. Earlier on March 2, a Sunni Hazara, who was a former employee of the previous Afghan Government on Tuesday was shot dead by the Taliban. "Everyone is worried about Taliban's house-to-house search in Kabul," New York Times reporter Sharif Hassan tweeted. "Anyone I know has some sort of documents at home which link them to foreign NGOs [nongovernmental organizations] or former government. Some have books Taliban may not like or music instruments. Some destroying documents/books, others trying to hide them," he added. "They (Islamic Emirate) announced a general amnesty. Then, what is happening now? I don't know anything about my husband's status," Sadeq's Wife was quoted by Tolo News. (ANI)
According to police, militants targeted a police van through a roadside improvised explosive device (IED) blast in a suburban area of Tank, leaving a policeman injured, ARY News reported.

The police van of Sadar police station was on routine patrol when the said attack took place.

Notably, since the beginning of this year, several terror incidents rocked Pakistan as major cities including Islamabad and Lahore were targeted. An Islamabad-based think tank, the Pakistan Institute for Peace Studies, recently published a report endorsing the fear that Pakistan has been slowly sliding into chaos and instability for the last couple of years.

Earlier on March 8, at least five security personnel were killed and 19 others injured in a bomb blast in Sibi city of Balochistan on March 8. (ANI)
With political tensions in Pakistan heating up ahead of a no-confidence motion against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Marriyum Aurangzeb lambasted Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying a democratic negotiation can't be held with "thugs and hooligans". Marriyum Aurangzeb, who is also the information secretary of PML-N, was responding to Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry's tweet, saying that politics should be based on consensus. "Democracy is not a system of extreme divisions. It is based on a system of consensus. I don't think there should be so much division for any reason. It is not difficult to fight when it becomes difficult. However, reconciliation is difficult," Chaudhry said in a tweet. In a series of tweets in response to the Information Minister's message, Aurangzeb asked Chaudhry to explain to Imran Khan the things which have filled the politics of the country with enmity, saying further that talks can be held with politicians and not "abusive thugs and hooligans like Imran Khan". "Explain to Imran Sahib the things which have created enmity in politics. Talks can be had with politicians, not abusive thugs and hooligans. It is Imran Khan who has created division, chaos and disorder in the society," Aurangzeb tweeted. The Opposition leader further attacked Imran Khan and Fawad Chaudhry over the ruling party's behaviour towards the Opposition parties. "Insult and threaten political opponents, put them to death, throw daughters and sisters in jails, make baseless allegations, then give (moral) lectures? Does Fawad Chaudhry think that people are insane?" Aurangzeb further said. She further accused Imran Khan of introducing dirt and filth in Pakistan's politics. Hinting at the upcoming no-confidence motion, she said that by cleaning up the "filth and filthiness" (of Imran Khan), the Opposition will get rid of stench and suffocation in the country. The heated remarks among the leaders of the political parties came in the backdrop of Prime Minister Imran Khan's profanity-laced speech against Pakistan's Opposition parties, calling them names. The abusive speech from the country's Prime Minister drew severe criticism from Opposition leaders and the civil society alike. (ANI)
A not-guilty verdict in the trial of Jasperin Melendez came late Thursday evening for the Waukegan man who was 19 when he shot Fabian Cortez-Milan, 30, of Zion, to death four years ago.

The murder trial, which had been delayed due to the pandemic, began Tuesday with a witness describing how the fatal shooting outside a Grayslake-area Halloween party on Oct. 21, 2017 was sparked by a previous incident at another social gathering.

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After the verdict, Steve Spagnolo, chief of governmental relations and external affairs for the Lake County states attorneys office, said while the office respects the jurys verdict, it disagrees that this was a case of self-defense.

There has been a long-standing feud between the families in this case, he said. Fabian went to a party to confront the defendant, who was armed. The defendant shot and killed Fabian as Fabian was yelling at him.

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This terrible tragedy started in 2017, and this office has stood with Fabians family since that time, Spagnolo said. We must think strategically and act urgently to end gun violence.

During the trial, jurors heard how Cortez-Milan had gone to the party to confront Melendez, who had weeks before exchanged words with Cortez-Milans younger sister at another party.

Attorneys for both parties said the two men had known each other for a number of years.

Melendez and Cortez-Milan had been arguing loudly prior to the fatal shooting outside the party. Jurors were shown phone video of the incident.

During the trial, Cortez-Milans attorney had argued that in the video, people could be heard telling Melendez to, put your poles (guns) down, because Cortez-Milan was not armed.

Melendezs attorney told the jury Cortez-Milan had been reaching toward his waistband when Melendez shot him, and that Melendez knew Cortez-Milan regularly carried a gun.
Amid negotiations with the allies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the Opposition parties in Pakistan have predicted that the ruling coalition will collapse within days, reported local media. A senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, who is part of the talks with the allies of PTI, claimed that the ruling coalition partners have decided to part ways with Imran Khan, but "certain modalities" were being worked out, reported the Dawn newspaper. "Our parleys with government allies, especially the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), have entered the final phase. It is just a matter of days, if not hours, that they quit the coalition and join us," the media outlet quoted him as saying. Referring to the Imran Khan government's bizarre interpretation of the floor-crossing clause, the PML-N leader said that the allies have become more relevant for the Opposition after the government openly declared that the votes of dissident PTI MNAs will not be counted during the no-trust vote. Notably, all is not well within the coalition government and the cracks of internal tussle were apparent after Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday took a veiled dig at the PML-Q, accusing it of "blackmailing" the government in return for support during the Opposition's no-trust move against the premier. However, the allies are keen to have some "reliable guarantors" in their dealings with the joint Opposition, the media outlet reported, citing an insider in the Opposition. The Opposition parties in Pakistan are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the National Assembly secretariat on Tuesday. However, the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion. (ANI)
Pakistan's military partnership with Myanmar is changing post-military coup in the Southeast Asian nation that poses a serious regional security threat. According to sources, the Myanmar military is planning to purchase 60 and 81 mm mortars, M-79 grenade launchers and heavy machine guns from Pakistan. India's eastern neighbour is also eyeing to purchase air to surface missiles from Pakistan. In 2018, Myanmar`s armed forces bought 16 JF-17 Thunder multi-role aircraft from Pakistan for USD 560 million. The aircraft is co-developed by the Pakistan Aeronautical Complex and the Chinese Chengdu Aerospace Corporation. According to the sources, the deal was facilitated by Dr Naing Htut Aung, a major arms supplier representing the International Gateways Group of Companies which has strong ties with the military including current Army Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. Subsequently, in September last year, the un-announced high-level Pakistan Defence Ministry's 10-member delegation led by a Brigadier met Myanmar Defence Minister and reportedly discussed the sale of upgraded JF-17 (Block III) aircraft and Air to Surface missiles. Talks were also held on advanced ordinance technology, aircraft repair and naval munitions. In the backdrop of the Pakistan-China alliance, the perception of China using Pakistan to conduct maintenance of Chinese origin equipment and also facilitating Pakistan's Defence Industry to become an avenue for Chinese defence sales is gaining traction. According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), its report indicated that during 2019-20 the total share of Chinese arms exports declined from 5.5 to 5.2 per cent. However, there is a strong view that Chinese exports are being re-routed or underreported. A specific example is when a Chinese ship bound for Pakistan was detained in 2020 by Indian authorities for carrying an autoclave, a dual-use technology, as an "industrial dryer". While Beijing has kept an active dialogue with the Myanmar junta, it has also indicated not being involved in the coup of Feb. 21 to bolster its international image. Using Pakistan to act as an intermediary without directly implicating itself and minimizing the surge of anti-China sentiments in a post-pandemic scenario, would enable China not only to export its military hardware unnoticed but also gain access to markets that could possibly be averse to China itself. (ANI)
US State Department's special representative for Afghan women, Rina Amiri, has said that the Taliban must protect women's rights if it wants recognition by the international community, local media reported. The Taliban should respect the rights of women, girls, minorities, and all the people living in the country, Khaama Press quoted Amiri as saying during an interview with Voice of America. The envoy added that Afghan women should not only work in the health and education sector but in all sectors of public life. "Afghan women should be allowed to participate in all peaceful demonstrations. The women should have the freedom of expression, freedom of travel, and all those freedoms that Islam has given to women and Afghanistan are bound to," the media outlet quoted her as saying. Notably, the Taliban regime which took over Kabul in August last year has curtailed women's rights and freedoms, with women largely excluded from the workforce due to the economic crisis and restrictions. However, the Taliban has accused the previous Afghan government backed by the International Community of providing sham rights to women and depriving them of the real rights of women, according to the media outlet. (ANI)
Washington [US], March 13 (ANI/Sputnik): A woman in the US state of Nevada is charged with attempted murder after she stabbed her date in revenge for the assassination of Iranian top military official Qasem Soleimani, who was killed by a US drone attack in 2020, the police of the US city of Henderson said on Sunday. According to the police, the suspect is 21-year-old Nika Nikoubin. She met the man on the dating site Plenty of Fish. The couple agreed to have a romantic date in a hotel room on March 5. While at the hotel, Nikoubin blindfolded the man with a bandage and turned off the light. A few minutes later the man "felt a pain on the side of his neck", the police said, as quoted by KLAS-TV broadcaster. The victim managed to push the woman away and ran out of the room to call the emergency services. According to a police report, quoted by the media, Nikoubin attacked the man "for revenge against US troops for the killing of Qassem Soleimani in 2020." The woman herself also came out of the room after the attempted murder and told the hotel staff that she had injured the man. Nikoubin told law enforcers that she had "wanted revenge." The woman also said that she had been inspired by a song called "Grave Digger." In addition to attempted murder, the woman is also charged with causing physical injury with a deadly weapon and robbery. Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards' elite Quds Force, was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad on January 3, 2020. Tehran imposed sanctions against a number of US citizens over their involvement in the assassination. (ANI/Sputnik)
Amid the uncertainty surrounding the future of Afghanistan, UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet has lauded the "spirit and tenacity" shown by the Afghans to protect their rights. Bachelet heaped praise on Afghans during her short visit to Kabul, during which she held meetings with representatives of the de facto authorities and civil society representatives. "The spirit, tenacity and unquenchable desire of Afghans for their human rights to be protected - and for their children to inherit a peaceful law-abiding land - is palpable. Afghans will decide their future and it is for us in the United Nations and for the international community to support all efforts to promote all human rights for all the people of Afghanistan," she said. Since August last year, following the Taliban's takeover, there have been some drastic changes in the country, with the decline in hostilities afterwards the conflict-related casualties have reduced dramatically. But Bachelet fears that the humanitarian and economic crises may claim far more lives. "Today, one in three people in Afghanistan face an emergency or crisis levels of food security and there is limited access to cash, high levels of unemployment and displacement. Furthermore, there remains an unfortunately high risk of attacks by the ISKP and others," she said. In a statement on Thursday, Bachelet had stressed that Afghan women must be given the space to lead if the country is to find peace and progress. Speaking from Kabul, Bachelet said Afghan women have been threatened and attacked for speaking up, and excluded from positions of power. The High Commissioner for Human Rights stressed that girls should be able to go to schools and universities and be empowered to contribute robustly to the future of their country. Earlier in the week, Deborah Lyons, the Head of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) emphasized that women's denial of rights to free movement, work, participation in public life and education, is limiting greater economic development for the country. "More needs to be done to promote equality of opportunity for women and girls in all areas of their lives," she stressed. (ANI)
With the United States sidetracked by the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, China may find an "opportunity" to increase its influence in the Middle East through its 'Belt and Road Initiative (BRI)', said a media report citing analysts. According to the analysts, Beijing's meeting with members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) - Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman and Bahrain - in January demonstrates growing economic cooperation and strategic partnership between China and the Gulf countries. Notably, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a series of talks with Gulf nations on economic cooperation and regional issues, such as the Iran nuclear deal in January. Moreover, Syria, which is seeking post-war reconstruction, also signed a memorandum of understanding on the BRI in January. Now, with the US amassing allies to impose sanctions on Russia for its invasion of Ukraine, China's ambitions to expand its influence in the Middle East could finally bear fruit as it may use this opportunity to further its objectives in the region, according to a Chinese media report. According to experts, the Middle East is relevant for China to promote its global military presence both in terms of arms sales and potential access points. Analysts believe that a complicated political landscape in the Middle East had slowed Beijing's progress in the region. However, China may fasten its pace now with the opportunity presented by the Ukraine crisis. Also, Beijing's intentions to consolidate its position as a trade hub for the Middle East have been clear through its increasing bonhomie with the UAE, according to a media report. According to The Hong Kong Post, Beijing intends to exploit the geographic and strategic position of the UAE, which could provide an essential link in China's grand economic strategy under the BRI consolidating its position as a trade hub for the Middle East and gateway to Africa. (ANI)
The student has been identified by Pakistan's Consulate General in Melbourne as Hassan Ahmad.

Police believe that the passengers stole his Mazda 3 car before abandoning it shortly up the road following the alleged attack. The pair remains on the run, The Age, a local newspaper reported.

The driver, a student from Pakistan, managed to go into a service station on Johnston Street, in Melbourne's inner north, and call emergency services at about 3:40 am, the report further said.

The student was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital with serious injuries. Following treatment, his situation has now been described as stable according to the Consulate General of Pakistan.

"We are following up the unfortunate incident involving stabbing of a Pakistani national, Mr Hassan Ahmad. Our Consul visited Royal Melbourne Hospital today where Mr Hassan is admitted. Doctors have described his condition as stable," said Consulate General of Pakistan, Melbourne in a tweet.

"The Consulate General will remain in touch with Mr Hassan, his friends and family and provide every possible assistance," the Consulate General added.

Hate crimes against people from South Asia, particularly students has been witnessed in the past in Australia.

In 2009-10, a series of racially motivated attacks on Indian students in Melbourne had forced the Australian government to apologise, reported The Conversation, an Australian news portal, adding that those of Indian heritage living in Australia reported experiencing high levels of "subtle racism" in their everyday lives. (ANI)
In the meeting, Imran Khan, along with notable federal ministers, will chalk out a strategy to thwart the no-trust moved against him by the Opposition, Samaa TV reported.

Notably, the premier is also expected to meet Chaudhry Pervaiz Ilahi, a leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), one of the government's allies, today.

Ahead of the vote on the no-confidence motion, Imran Khan has not only issued warnings of dire consequences against the Opposition leaders once the motion fails but has also warned the dissident PTI members that legal action would be taken against those who betrayed the party.

Meanwhile, the Opposition parties, which have been indulging in negotiation with PTI allies, have predicted that the ruling coalition will collapse within days, the Dawn newspaper reported.

However, the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion. (ANI)
"Russian forces are attempting to envelop Ukrainian forces in the east of the country as they advance from the direction of Kharkiv in the north and Mariupol in the south," the UK Defense Ministry tweeted. "Russia is paying a high price for each advance as the Ukrainian Armed Forces continues to offer staunch resistance across the country."

Earlier today, explosions were heard in Ukraine's western city of Lviv. The blast occurred near the northwestern city of Lviv, according to the press office of the Lviv regional government.

Ukraine's Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov condemned Russia's airstrike on the International Peacekeeping and Security Center (IPSC). He termed this as a "terrorist attack" on peace and security.

"This is new terrorist attack on peace and security near the EU-NATO border," Reznikov tweeted Sunday, adding that "action must be taken to stop this." (ANI)
With the political tensions soaring up in Pakistan amidst the looming no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government, the Opposition parties in Pakistan have drafted separate motions to oust the current speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, media reports said on Sunday. The draft of the no-trust motions against the NA speaker and deputy speaker, signed by over 100 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), has been sent to the Opposition's leadership, The News International reported citing sources. As per the draft of the no-trust move, the NA speaker and his deputy have been accused of being biased. It said that the duo has violated the rules as they have not yet resigned from their party's posts, the media report said. The draft also accused the speaker and deputy speaker duo of "attending the party meetings held with Prime Minister Imran Khan." The NA speaker Qaiser had recently drawn heavy criticism from the Opposition, which alleged that Qaiser had become controversial following his remark that the No-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government will fail and that the motion is a "global conspiracy". "Who is carrying out this global conspiracy? Where is the evidence?" former NA speaker and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq was quoted by The Dawn. Pakistan people's Party (PPP) Parliamentary leader in Senate Sherry Rehman had said that his act by itself renders himself unfit to preside over any such session, and by saying that the vote of no-confidence was a foreign conspiracy, he was suggesting that the PTI government was only in place due to foreign support. The fate of the duo is expected to be decided in a meeting of the heads of the Opposition parties scheduled for Monday, The News International further said citing sources. The report comes at a time when cracks have started to emerge in the ruling PTI coalition with Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader and Federal Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Moonis Elahi trading jibes. A senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, who is part of the talks with the allies of PTI, claimed that the ruling coalition partners have decided to part ways with Imran Khan, but "certain modalities" were being worked out, reported the Dawn newspaper. (ANI)
An abusive Gary man was convicted early Friday of murdering his girlfriend and setting her ablaze in her own car, a prosecutors spokeswoman said.

Hugh Scott Jr., now 37, was charged July 30 and later convicted on all counts: murder, aggravated battery, battery resulting in serious bodily injury and arson. Prosecutors also added a habitual offender enhancement that could add another 5-20 years to his sentence.

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Gary Fire was called at 11 p.m. on June 16, 2018, to the 2400 block of Noble Street for a 1998 Pontiac Grand Prix in flames, charges state. Hours later at 1:30 p.m. the next day, someone called Gary Police saying there was a charred body in the back seat.

The woman was identified as Davita Ward, 39, according to the Lake County Coroners Office.

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Ward worked in the laundry department at Sebos Nursing Home in Hobart and was a licensed cosmetologist who loved braiding hair, according to her obituary. She had been shot in the head, then placed in the car before it was doused with gasoline, charges allege.

Lake County Sheriffs Department Criminal Investigation Division Cmdr. Michael Stewart wrote he began reviewing a case file started by another detective on June 13, subpoenaing Wards Facebook account.

At the time of her death, Ward had been in a volatile and abusive relationship with Scott, charges allege. At one point, she wrote in Facebook messages to Scott she was afraid of him and he was crazy.

A co-worker told investigators Ward said the man she was dating physically abused her and she couldnt escape from the relationship, charges allege. The woman didnt know the mans name, but said Ward asked for a dentist recommendation after he knocked her tooth out, according to the affidavit.

Another time, the woman said Ward told her he choked her until she blacked out. She personally saw choke marks on Wards neck, charges state.

Im gonna have to kill you, Ward recalled he told her. You gonna tell the police what I did. I dont want to go to jail, so Im gonna have to kill you.

Ward filed a May 25, 2018, police report that Scott was stalking her and broke out windows where she lived, investigators said.

Ward left her house around 3 p.m. on June 16, 2018, to go to a second party, her father said. He lived with her and reported her missing the next day.

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Around that time, she and Scott were Facebook messaging and she agreed to go see him, charges allege. She called Scott twice before 3 p.m., records show.

The last call  unanswered  she got from another number was just before 8:30 p.m.

Scott stopped contacting her just before 2:30 p.m. to nearly 11 p.m., which was uncharacteristic, according to the affidavit.

Bae u done doin hair ... I made it home ... luv u, he wrote at 10:48 p.m.

A passerby reported the car fire at 11 p.m., which was just over a half-mile from where Scott lived with his grandmother, charges state. Cellphone records showed Scott and Ward were together in the hours leading up to her death.

Earlier that day, at a friends anniversary party, Ward was getting messages from her stalker boyfriend, a woman said. Ward appeared to be texting a man and looked scared, left the party without saying goodbye, witnesses said.

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Days later, Scott messaged his brother on Facebook, showing severe burns on his legs, the affidavit alleges. Subpoenaed records from Community Hospital showed he was treated in the emergency room for severe second-degree burns on June 18, 2018, before being transferred to Loyola Medical Centers Burn Unit in Chicago. His legs were heavily wrapped in bandages.

Scott claimed to doctors that fireworks were shot at him four days earlier, it states.

Later in a police interview, Scott told investigators he burned his legs during a cookout on Memorial Day, which was contradicted by pictures in his Facebook Messenger and hospital records.
Russia has abducted Yevhen Matveyev, Mayor of Dniprorudne in Vasylivka district, Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, said the Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. Kuleba called on the international community to come for support and stop the Russian 'terror'. Russian invaders are not getting the support of locals in Ukraine and thus they are resorting to instilling terror, said the Ukrainian FM. Kuleba in a tweet wrote, "Today, Russian war criminals abducted another democratically elected Ukrainian mayor, head of Dniprorudne Yevhen Matveyev. Getting zero local support, invaders turn to terror. I call on all states & international organizations to stop Russian terror against Ukraine and democracy." The abduction of Dniprorudne Mayor is the second incident as earlier, Melitopol mayor Ivan Fedorov was seen on video being led away from a government building in the city by armed men. But after some time, the Russian-backed Luhansk regional prosecutor came forward to defend the mayor's detention and claimed that Fedorov had committed terrorism offenses and was under investigation. The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry has posted a hard-hitting statement on its Facebook account that calls the detention of the Melitopol mayor a "war crime." On Facebook, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry called Fedorov's detention an "abduction," and posted that this aggression is accompanied by "gross violations of norms and principles of international law, including international humanitarian law, war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as other human rights violations by the Russian military." The Foreign Ministry said that the abduction of the mayor is classified as a war crime under the Geneva Convention and its Additional Protocols that prohibit civilian hostages like Fedorov from being taken. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy discussed the war situation in Ukraine with Israel Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and sought his help for the release of the Melitopol mayor. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in 'defending themselves.' The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
Torkham border connects Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) with Afghanistan's Nangarhar province.

The local authorities had initially imposed an immediate ban on cross-border movement on the basis of the Afghan NICs, Dawn newspaper reported.

"All have been informed that there is a complete ban on returning to Afghanistan on the basis of Afghan ID cards. So don't come to Torkham to travel to Afghanistan," stated a banner put up at the border by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa authorities in Pashto and Urdu languages, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

According to the Pakistani newspaper, the relaxation was made after the Afghan embassy raised the issue with Pakistani authorities, according to a statement posted on the embassy's Twitter in Pashto.

The embassy informed Afghan citizens stuck at Torkham, as well as the Chaman border in Balochistan, that they could return to Afghanistan on the basis of only identity cards for the next three days. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, Zelesnkyy wrote, "Held talks with President @AndrzejDuda and Prime Minister @KirilPetkov. Informed on the course of Ukraine's defence, the crimes of the Russian aggressor. We appreciate the assistance provided and the support of for Ukraine's integration."

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in 'defending themselves.'

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. The West, however, denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
Pakistan's Sindh Governor Imran Ismail warns Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) that if they vote against the Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan in the no-confidence motion then action will be taken against them, reported ARY News. As per sources, it has been recommended to the Speaker to summon the assembly session any day before March 22. The Opposition parties in Pakistan are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the National Assembly secretariat on Tuesday. However, the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion. The governor said that he has conveyed the special message of PM Khan to Aleem Khan, an estranged PTI leader. The ruling PTI's disgruntled leader Aleem Khan had left for London on Wednesday to meet another ailing disgruntled PTI leader Jahangir Tareen and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. On Saturday he touched down in Lahore, the Dawn reported. Disgruntled Jahangir Tareen group members on Saturday reached out to Aleem Khan in a bid to remove misunderstanding between them, a day after the latter met PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in London. The meeting between the two groups took place in the backdrop of Aleem Khan returning from London without meeting an 'ailing' Jahangir Tareen and his group members' remarks that they will not accept Aleem Khan as a candidate for the Punjab chief minister's slot. Aleem Khan was very active before leaving to London and he had met over 40 Punjab Members of the Provincial Assembly (MPAs), of them, 10 are provincial ministers, within a span of 30 days. The Sindh governor expressed hopes that Aleem Khan and Jahangir Tareen would not go against the PTI. In a development today, PM Imran Khan has given an important task to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders to finalise preparations for a power show in Islamabad ahead of voting on the no-trust move. Earlier in the day, it was learnt that PM Khan will spend the next two days in meetings with members of the National Assembly (MNAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ahead of a no-trust move against him. (ANI)
Syed Salman Haider Rizvi, general secretary of the Pasban-e-Aza and former president of the Masjid Khair-ul-Amal, was shot dead in target killing in the Ancholi area, The News International reported.

The incident took place outside Rizvi's residence near the Masjid Khair-ul-Amal in Ancholi Society within the jurisdiction of the Samanabad police station.

Rizvi, 43, was the son of the late SM Haider, prominent Shia leader and founder of the Pasban-e-Aza, the Pakistani newspaper reported.

After the firing, he was seriously injured and taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital where doctors pronounced him dead.

Police quoted the initial investigation and said Rizvi was shot at least three times by at least two armed men on a motorcycle, The News International reported.

Meanwhile, the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) condemned the incident and issued a statement.

In a statement, the MWM spokesperson said that the killing was part of the conspiracy to disturb the law and order of the city.

The MWM spokesperson also criticized the law enforcement agencies saying that the killing showed their unsatisfactory performance, The News International reported. (ANI)
With the help of Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the allies of the ruling Imran Khan's government, Pakistan's Opposition Parties are eyeing to remove Sadiq Sanjrani, Chairman of Senate, through a no-trust move. Cracks seem to be appearing in Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the two parties, The Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) are ready to quit the ruling PTI government alliance. BAP in the aftermath is willing to extend cooperation towards opposition parties, reported ARY News. "As soon as the two main allies announce to support opposition parties, the no-trust move against the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani will be tabled in the Upper House," the sources familiar to the matter said. Moreover, it has further emerged that a new setup will be brought in the Balochistan province with JUI, BNP-Mengal, ANP and Yar Muhammad Rind forming the new government. "A majority of BAP lawmakers in Balochistan have assured support for Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)," they said. According to the BAP sources, the party has decided to further consult the anti-government PDM on the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan, reported the news channel. The Opposition parties in Pakistan are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the National Assembly secretariat on Tuesday. However, the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion. As per sources, it has been recommended to the Speaker to summon the assembly session any day before March 22. Earlier in the day, it was learnt that PM Khan will spend the next two days in meetings with members of the National Assembly (MNAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) ahead of a no-trust move against him. (ANI)
A video journalist from the US, best known for producing humanitarian stories from conflict zones, has reportedly been killed in Irpin outside the city of Kyiv in Ukraine according to Kyiv police official Andriy Nebytov. The police official shared images of the journalist's body, as well as his press ID and US passport. The press ID showed the reporter as an employee of the New York Times, but the prestigious US daily said that the man was not working for them at the moment of his death, reported DW. The journalist is a Peabody and DuPont Award-winning filmmaker, best known for producing humanitarian stories from conflict zones. He has been a journalist for over two decades. Moreover, an unverified video appeared to show his journalist colleague being treated in a hospital with wounds. He said that he was shot at while in a car. On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in 'defending themselves.' The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
Nepal's largest expo on architecture, buildings, construction, design and engineering, the Nepal Buildcon International Expo has concluded on Sunday in the capital Kathmandu, Nepal. The international level and Nepal's largest expo on Architecture, Buildings, Construction, Design and Engineering the Buildcon Expo has been held after a gap of two years due to the pandemic. It is the 7th edition which saw outpouring participation of Indian companies. "This exhibition is very helpful to explore our business in Nepal. I see lots of opportunities here, a lot of thermo plastic vendors have been coming here to inquire as it is a developing nation and works of road marking is underway here. We can further expand our business here due to the works undergoing here. We have a lot of materials that can be used and delivered (to clients) here in Nepal," Rakhi, one of the exhibitors told ANI. Through this exhibition we have seen our business to expand further and customers have flooded in inquiring whether we can deliver them with the products, we have found a lot of customers here," Rakhi added. The International Exhibition is supported by the Nepal Engineering Association (NEA), Federation of Contractors Association of Nepal (FCAN), Society of Nepalese Architects (SONA), Heavy Equipment Parts Association and Confederation of Indian Industry (CII). Alongside the 7th Nepal Buildcon International Expo, the event was also hosted Nepal Construction Machinery and Heavy Equipment International Expo as the concurrent event which showcased construction equipment and heavy equipment of companies from Nepal and abroad. The Theme of the expo was to promote shared responsibilities, reiterates industry role and responsibility in National Development. As per the organizers, the focus is on five key enablers: Facilitating Growth, Competitiveness, Promoting Infrastructure Investments, Developing Human Capital and Encouraging Social Development. "It is good time for that(expand business) we are undertaking all the semi-government and Nepal government works as well and the scenario of business has changed totally with ease in business when it comes to India and Nepal," Ajay Bhardwaj, another exhibitor from India told ANI. This year the expo focused on showcasing advanced construction technologies, inspiring innovative products and services for maximum exposure and greatest reach in Nepal's growing construction sector. The highlight of the exhibition were Construction materials, Construction Machinery, Construction Heavy Equipment, Pre fab structures, UPVC Windows Machinery, UPVC Profile, Doors and Windows, Architectural Hardware, Bathroom Fittings, Pipes, Tiles and Sanitary ware, Roofing, Pre Engineering Building, Power Tools, Windows, Concrete Block Machinery Manufacturers, Earth Moving Equipment's, Material Handling Equipment's, Aluminium Composite Panels amongst others. (ANI)
Week after forming the impeachment recommendation committee, the Nepal parliament has advanced ahead by tabling the motion against suspended Chief Justice Cholendra Shumsher Rana on Sunday. Chief Whip of the Communist Party of Nepal (CPN, Maoist Center) Dev Gurung presented the impeachment motion in the House of Representatives despite the continued obstruction by the opposition Communist Party of Nepal Unified Marxist-Leninist (CPN-UML). "The Constitution of Nepal- 2072's Section 136 mentions jurisdiction of Chief Justice, he (Cholendra Shumsher Rana) couldn't fulfil them. He not only wasn't able to fulfil it, the constitution, law, rules, judicial recognition also was violated in course of time which resulted in his inability to exercise the duties and responsibilities, absence in sense of conduct and behaviours which goes against the constitution and legal frameworks. Being a member of the Judicial Council and the Constitutional Council, he searched for his role in Constitutional Council as well as the executive. Impartiality that always needed to be maintained by the judiciary couldn't be maintained and the impact of it was reflected during the administration of justice," Dev Gurung, the chief whip of ruling CPN-Maoist Center said addressing the parliament as he presented the impeachment proposal. The impeachment motion was tabled against Ranaat Parliament Secretariat on February 13 with the support of 95 lawmakers and the whips of the Nepali Congress (NC), the CPN (Maoist Center) and the CPN (Unified Socialist). Maoist Center Chief whip Dev Gurung, NC chief whip Pushpa Bhusal and Unified Socialist whip Jeevan Ram Shreshta tabled the impeachment motion as per Article 101 (2) of the Constitution of Nepal and Rule 161 (1) of the Rules of Procedure of the House of Representatives, 2018. According to Speaker Agni Prasad Sapkota, the March 16 (Wednesday) meeting of the House of Representatives will begin a discussion on the impeachment motion. As per parliamentary mathematics, there are a total of 271 members (including the house speaker) in parliament. Opposition CPN- UML has the highest 98 lawmakers followed by Nepali Congress with 63, Maoist Center with 48, CPN- Socialist with 23, JSP with 21 and LSP with 13 seats. The Janata Samajbadi Party (JSP) who are part of the ruling coalition has expressed their surprise over the impeachment motion filed by the ruling coalition and claimed it to be tabled without consultation. Provided the mathematics in the parliament, the House Speaker cannot exercise electoral power while 4 lawmakers from the ruling alliance have been relieved from their duty which cuts short 5 votes of the ruling coalition. It needs at least two-thirds 181 votes to ratify the impeachment motion. It has been a Hercules task for the ruling alliance as it still will fall short of 12 votes despite the parties on board the government voting in favour of the impeachment. This leaves the alliance to look out for defection from opposition lawmakers to pass on the motion. Earlier in the years, Chief Justice Rana had landed into criticism for attending the meeting of the Constitutional Council held after the issuance of an ordinance by the then Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli. An ordinance issued back on the time had reduced the requirement of opposition leader and house speaker in the meeting reducing the majority required to make the appointments. The agitating advocates and justices also have accused Chief Justice Rana of "bench shopping" meaning hearings were held for purpose of making a favourable decision for one of the parties. There are also allegations that the court has failed to do any work of reform. Overall, there are allegations of anomalies, irregularities and corruption in the judiciary. Chief Justice for the last time landed in controversy after his brother-in-law Gajendra Bahadur Hamal was appointed as a non-parliamentary minister to confirm the allegation that he was seeking a share. Chief Justice Rana has maintained that he will not resign and that he is ready to face impeachment by parliament which is the constitutional process to remove the chief justice. (ANI)
Journalists have been forbidden from entering Irpin, a town in Ukraine after an American journalist was killed, said Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn on Sunday. A video journalist from the US, Brent Renaud, best known for producing humanitarian stories from conflict zones, was killed in Irpin outside the city of Kyiv in Ukraine, according to Kyiv police official Andriy Nebytov. "Journalists forbidden from entering Irpin after Russians kill US reporter on March 13. Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn said the measure was put in place to protect journalists and Ukrainian soldiers alike. Irpin is a satellite town near Kyiv, and a site of fighting," The Kyiv Independent tweeted. The police official shared images of the journalist's body, as well as his press ID and US passport. The press ID showed the reporter as an employee of the New York Times, but the prestigious US daily said that the man was not working for them at the moment of his death, reported DW. Meanwhile, The New York Times issued a statement saying, "We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renaud's death. Brent was a talented photographer and filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years." "Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago," the statement added. (ANI)
On March 10, 2022, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a virtual meeting with French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian at the latter's request. The two sides mainly exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine.

Wang Yi said, the day before yesterday, the leaders of China, France and Germany held a successful virtual summit, during which they had an in-depth exchange of views on the Ukraine issue and promoting the development of China-European Union relations. We should work together to implement the important consensus reached by the leaders of the three countries.

Wang Yi said, China's position on the Ukraine issue is consistent and clear. We hold that the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all countries, including Ukraine, must be respected, disputes between states should be resolved according to the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, and the legitimate security concerns of all countries should be taken seriously and addressed. We are willing to see an early ceasefire and cessation of war, which is also the common aspiration of the international community.

Wang Yi pointed out, Russia and Ukraine have conducted three rounds of talks. Although there are still obvious differences between the two sides, with each round of negotiations conducted, the differences have narrowed a bit, the hope for peace has increased a bit, and the goal of ceasefire and cessation of war will be a step forward. China hopes that the international community will continue to encourage and support the talks between Russia and Ukraine and create the necessary environment and conditions to this end.

Wang Yi stressed, China closely follows the humanitarian situation in Ukraine and has not only made great efforts to evacuate Chinese nationals but also played an active role in evacuating citizens of other countries, especially students. Having proposed a six-point initiative to prevent a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, China stands ready to step up communication with France, so as to push the UN Security Council to reach consensus in this regard and send a common message.

Wang Yi said, China always advocates prudent use of sanctions and opposes unilateral sanctions and long-arm jurisdiction that have no basis in international law. All the countries in the world are in an indivisible community. Amid a shaky global economic recovery, sanctions without limitation will undermine the stability of the international industrial and supply chains, aggravate the food and energy crises and harm people's wellbeing in all countries. All parties should stay cool-headed and do more to ease the situation and prevent escalation of the tensions.

Le Drian expounded on France's position on the Ukraine issue, saying that the conflict in Ukraine will have a negative impact not only on European security but also on the global order and world market. All parties should join hands to realize a ceasefire as soon as possible, take measures to avoid a humanitarian crisis in Ukraine, and push for a diplomatic solution to the issue. France supports efforts to promote peace and hopes that the talks between Russia and Ukraine will continue. France is ready to continue cooperation with China at the UN Security Council and contribute to preventing humanitarian crises and promoting diplomatic settlement.

The two sides also exchanged views on the Iranian nuclear issue and agreed to make joint efforts to advance the negotiations on resuming compliance with the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), which has entered the home stretch, so as to ensure the early resumption and effective implementation of the JCPOA, uphold the nuclear non-proliferation regime and safeguard peace in the Middle East.
Officials in the besieged city said, it has suffered 22 bombing attacks in the last 24 hours (to 10 a.m. ET), according to CNN.

"To date, 2,187 Mariupol residents have died from attacks by Russia," the city council of besieged Mariupol said.

"The situation in Mariupol continues to be very difficult. The city has no electricity, water, heat, almost no mobile communication, is running out of food and water," CNN quoted officials as saying.

On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves.

The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
Taking to Twitter, Kuleba wrote, "Call with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of the State of Qatar @MBA_AlThani_.We discussed ways to end Russia's barbaric aggression against Ukraine. Grateful to Qatar for stepping up humanitarian assistance to the people of Ukraine."

Calling the Russian war in Ukraine 'brutal' and 'unprovoked', earlier in the day, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with the Qatari FM over the deteriorating situation in Ukraine.

"Spoke with Qatar's Minister of Foreign Affairs @MBA_AlThani_ yesterday about the urgent need for Russia to end its brutal and unprovoked war on Ukraine. I also thanked Qatar for continued assistance with Afghanistan diplomacy," Blinken wrote in a tweet.

On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republic requested help in 'defending themselves.' The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger.

The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
As Russia's war in Ukraine entered its 18th day, a video journalist from the US, best known for producing humanitarian stories from conflict zones, has been killed in Irpin outside the city of Kyiv in Ukraine. The Kyiv police official shared images of the journalist's body, as well as his press ID and US passport. The press ID showed the reporter as an employee of the New York Times, but the prestigious US daily said that the man was not working for them at the moment of his death. Russian troops inch closer to Kyiv. The bulk of Russian ground forces is about 15.5 miles (25 kilometres) from the centre of the Ukrainian capital. Over 2,100 residents of Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol have been killed since the Russian started its invasion. Officials in the besieged city said, it has suffered 22 bombing attacks in the last 24 hours (to 10 a.m. ET), according to CNN. Russia has abducted Yevhen Matveyev, Mayor of Dniprorudne in Vasylivka district, Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called on the international community to come for support and stop the Russian 'terror'. Russian invaders are not getting the support of locals in Ukraine and thus they are resorting to instilling terror, said the Ukrainian FM. Kuleba held talks with Qatar's Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani and expressed his gratitude to the leadership for providing humanitarian assistance to Ukraine in this dire time of need. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held talks with the Polish President Andrzej Duda and the Prime Minister of Bulgaria Kiril Petkov where he discussed the current situation in Ukraine calling Russia an "aggressor" committing crimes against the country. Taking to Twitter, Zelesnkyy wrote, "Held talks with President @AndrzejDuda and Prime Minister @KirilPetkov. Informed on the course of Ukraine's defence, the crimes of the Russian aggressor. We appreciate the assistance provided and the support of for Ukraine's integration." As Russia tries to gain a stronghold in Ukraine, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy meets with the wounded military personnel in a hospital. "The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited the wounded defenders of Ukraine in the hospital," the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense wrote in a tweet. Moreover, Russian forces strike at a school in Mykolaiv Oblast. Pope Francis condemned the "massacre" in Ukraine and said the "unacceptable armed aggression" must stop. Speaking to thousands of people in St. Peter's Square for his Sunday blessing, Francis also said the bombing of hospitals and other civilian targets was "barbaric" and with "no valid strategic reason." NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, responding to allegations that the United States sponsored biological laboratories in Ukraine, has said that Russia may be the one planning chemical attacks. Stoltenberg told German newspaper Welt that the accusations are false and stressed that the alliance must be vigilant, since Russia itself may be planning operations with chemical weapons. He added that this would be a war crime. US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and several officials from State Department will meet Chinese Communist Party Political Bureau Member and Director of the Office of the Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi in Rome to discuss the impact of Russia's war against Ukraine on regional and global security. Considering the deteriorating security situation in Ukraine, including attacks in the western parts of the country, the Indian Embassy in Kyiv, will be temporarily relocated to Poland. The Ministry of External Affairs said that it is keeping an eye on the developments in Ukraine and the situation will be reassessed as per that. On February 24, Russia began a special military operation in Ukraine after the Donetsk and Luhansk people's republics requested help in defending themselves. The Russian Defense Ministry said the special operation is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. The West however denies these claims by the Russians and in response, Western nations have imposed comprehensive sanctions on Moscow. In addition, they introduced sanctions on Belarus for supporting Russia's operation in Ukraine. (ANI)
As Russian troops continue to slowly move closer to Kyiv, while cities in the southern and western parts of the country sustain ongoing attacks as well, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Sunday met the wounded military personnel in a hospital. "The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyi visited the wounded defenders of Ukraine in the hospital," the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense wrote in a tweet. Moreover, Russian forces strike at a school in Mykolaiv Oblast on Sunday. Lifesavers are countering the fire and rescuing people who appeared to be under the debris of concrete due to the shelling, said Mykolaiv Oblast Governor Vitaliy Kim. According to the Ukrainian media outlet, no casualties have been reported yet. Furthermore, as per the Mariupol city council, the death toll of civilians rose to 2,187. Russia bombed Mariupol, a besieged city in Donetsk Oblast, 22 times in the last 24 hours, according to the city council. About 400,000 residents are stuck in the city, as Russia continues to block evacuation, reported The Kyiv Independent. Ukrainian Foreign minister urged foreign nationals to not join hands with Russian invasion forces. "Russia is waging a war of aggression against Ukraine. I warn foreign nationals who might be agitated to join Russian invasion forces: don't. We have already launched cases in international courts. Even if you survive, you will be a war criminal. Not worth money or anything else," he tweeted. Ukraine on February 24, which it claimed was a response to calls from the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk for protection against attacks by Ukrainian troops.The Russian Defense Ministry continues to maintain that the "special operation" is targeting Ukrainian military infrastructure only and the civilian population is not in danger. However, the West has refuted these claims and has imposed sanctions on Russia.A number of countries including the US, Canada, and Australia have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Russia, prompting many international businesses to leave the Russian market. (ANI)
According to the sources, Warraich will make a formal announcement with the Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari soon, The News International reported.

The publication also reported that there are four other members of PTI from Punjab province who may join hands with PPP.

The Opposition parties in Pakistan are jettisoning mutual hatred to oust Imran Khan as they submitted the no-trust motion in the National Assembly secretariat on Tuesday. However, the Imran Khan government has exuded confidence to defeat the no-trust motion.

As per ARY News sources, it has been recommended to the Speaker to summon the assembly session any day before March 22.

The News International reported that a total of 86 lawmakers from the Opposition parties signed the no-confidence motion.

At present, the government has a 17-member lead over the Opposition but the latter has claimed that it has enough support to prove that PM Imran Khan no more commands the people's trust. (ANI)
Marybeth Stevens

This week marked National Consumer Protection Week, an initiative launched by the Federal Trade Commission 24 years ago to bring together community organizations to protect consumers. Partnerships are the foundation of our communitys strength and resilience, and El Paso Electric and the Better Business Bureau Paso Del Norte are working together to spotlight the importance of scam awareness.

In an age where convenience is determined by technology, and connection is virtually everywhere, the tools that make this possible  cell phones, social media, emails and the internet  often the very ones that make us vulnerable and subject to scams.

Cheryl Mele

Remember when scams were largely limited to the occasional nameless phone call at home, with an automated message and simply hanging up was enough? As scams evolved, so did our ability to avoid them  caller ID, do-not-call lists, and call-blocking. Nevertheless, scams continue to become more sophisticated, aggressive and daring in the ways they take advantage of consumers. Scammers now "spoof" numbers to look like they are coming from a legitimate source like EPE; they are trying to get your personal information as well as your money; and they take advantage of every opportunity to con consumers  whether it be a puppy scam or new tools like cryptocurrency.

We ask that you guard yourself with these fundamental consumer protection tips:

When someone you have not met asks you to send them money, especially by wire transfer, prepaid debit card or gift card, dont do it.

Never click on links or attachments in unsolicited emails or texts. Thats how crooks put malware on your devices.

Dont trust the legitimacy of something by its looks. Emails and websites are easy to fake with copied logos and graphics.

Dont trust your Caller ID. It can be faked to read any way a crook wants it to read.

Buy online only from legitimate sources with a website address that has the s in https. Look for the lock icon in the address bar as well.

Look up any company youre unfamiliar with at BBB.org.

Treat your personal identification information like gold. Dont give it away to anyone who contacts you out of the blue. Your banking, Social Security, and insurance numbers should be closely guarded.

Anyone pressuring you to act quickly could be a scammer who doesnt want you to have time to seriously consider the offer.

Get details in writing and read them thoroughly.

Dont overshare on social media. Con artists can collect your information from such sources and use it to make you think they know you.

Keep your travel plans to yourself and only share them after the fact.

Shred junk mail, old documents, bills, and medical paperwork.

Monitor your accounts and check out any unknown transactions, even for tiny amounts (crooks start with small amounts to see if you pay attention).

Use strong passwords and keep software and virus protections updated constantly.

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National Consumer Protection Week reminds us that working together we are stronger. While scam attempts are inevitable and will continue to evolve, it is important to unite across industries for the sake of protecting consumers. EPE and BBB will continue year-round messaging on scam awareness. We ask you to stay vigilant and, if you are the victim of a scam or spot one, please report it to us  you are helping both our law enforcement partners and your community.

For information on how to spot and avoid scams and to report a potential scam, visit: EPEs www.epelectric.com/reportscams and BBBs www.bbb.org/scamtracker.

Marybeth Stevens is president and CEO of Better Business Bureau Paso Del Norte and Cheryl Mele is vice president of customer care and corporate communications at El Paso Electric.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: In an age of convenience, scams continue to evolve
The 2022 Bafta Film Awards were a sparkling return to form, with the starriest names in cinema walking the red carpet and attending the ceremony in person for the first time since the start of the pandemic.

Comedian Rebel Wilson hosted proceedings, on a night where Denis Villeneuves sci-fi epic Dune led the pack with 11 nominations, closely followed by Jane Campions western The Power of the Dog, which amassed a total of eight.

Here are the biggest talking points of the night, from the best jokes to the biggest winners and the most graceful losers...

Dune and The Power of the Dog were the biggest winners of the night

Jane Campions gothic western The Power of the Dog, starring Benedict Cumberbatch as a repressed rancher, took the top two prizes at this years Baftas: Best Film and Best Director. But it was Dune that won the most awards. The sci-fi movie triumphed in five categories: Best Cinematography, Best Special Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Score, and Best Production Design. Read the full winners list here.

Benedict Cumberbatch lost  gracefully

The Power of the Dog star lost out on the Best Actor award to King Richard actor Will Smith. Later in the night, when accepting an award for director Jane Campion, Cumberbatch pretended to accidentally start reading his own prepared winning speech. Hold on a second, he said. Bafta, Id like to  Damn it, thats my speech, whoops. He added: You dont lose to Will Smith, you win being in his company.

Emma Watson at the Baftas (Guy Levy/Shutterstock for BAFTA)

JK Rowling got a few digs

Not only did the host, Wilson, make a joke at the Harry Potter authors expense, but Emma Watson  who starred in the film adaptations  also appeared to throw shade at Rowling with a remark about being here for all the witches. Get the context and what Twitter had to say about it all, here. She wasnt the only one to be the butt of a joke, though, with Leonardo DiCaprio also getting roasted by Wilson.

Support for Ukraine

The ongoing conflict in Ukraine was at the forefront of many peoples minds during the ceremony. On the red carpet before the awards began, Cumberbatch said he hopes to take some Ukrainian refugees into his own home. Wilson, meanwhile, delighted the audience with a derogatory joke about Vladimir Putin.

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Singing from Shirley Bassey and Emilia Jones

Emilia Jones performing at the Baftas (Guy Levy/Shutterstock for BAFTA)

The awards speeches were broken up by beautiful performances from Shirley Bassey, who sang James Bond theme Diamonds are Forever, and CODA star Emilia Jones, who performed the films track Both Sides Now. It was a great night for CODA, with the film about a child of deaf adults winning Best Adapted Screenplay and a Best Supporting Actor award for Troy Kotsur.
You are here: Business

Assets under the management of public offering funds in China topped 25.87 trillion yuan (about 4.1 trillion U.S. dollars) by the end of January, data from the Asset Management Association of China shows.

This marks an increase of 310 billion yuan compared to the end of 2021.

Of the total, the volume of money market funds and bond funds posted growth, while the volume of equity funds dropped 6.8 percent from the end of last year.

At the end of January, a total of 9,428 public offering funds were operated by 151 fund management entities in the country, according to the association.
Baftas 2022 host Rebel Wilson drew cheers and applause from the audience on Sunday night (13 March) for a joke she made about Russian president Vladimir Putin.

Introducing Emilia Jones  the star of CODA, a film about a child of deaf adults  she explained that there were two interpreters on stage: one for American sign language and another for British.

She then put up her middle finger and said: Luckily, though, in all sign languages, this is the gesture for Putin.

The joke went down very well with the crowd, many of whom made statements of solidarity with Ukraine amid the Russian invasion of the country as they spoke to press and accepted awards.

Benedict Cumberbatch said on the red carpet that he hopes to take part in a government scheme to offer Ukrainian refugees a place to live.

Everyone needs to do as much as they can, he said. Theres been a record number of people volunteering to take people into their homes, I hope to be part of that myself.

At this years Baftas  which took place at the Royal Albert Hall in London  Denis Villeneuves sci-fi epic Dune led the pack with 11 nominations, closely followed by Jane Campions western The Power of the Dog, which amassed a total of eight.

Rebel Wilson hosting the Baftas (Guy Levy/Shutterstock for BAFTA)

See the full winners list here.

You can follow along with updates on the Russia-Ukraine crisis at The Independents live-blog here.

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.
Former President Barack Obama has tested positive for COVID-19. (Photo: REUTERS/Yves Herman)

Barack Obama has tested positive for COVID-19, the former U.S. president announced in a tweet on Sunday afternoon.

According to the 60-year-old, who is vaccinated and boosted, he is "feeling fine" aside from what he described as a "scratchy throat." He added that former First Lady Michelle Obama has tested negative for the virus.

I just tested positive for COVID. Ive had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted, and she has tested negative.



Its a reminder to get vaccinated if you havent already, even as cases go down.  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) March 13, 2022

In his statement, Obama said his diagnosis is a "reminder to get vaccinated if you haven't already, even as cases go down." He noted that he and Michelle are "grateful" to be fully vaccinated.

Obama's diagnosis comes almost exactly one year after he shared that he and the former FLOTUS had received their first COVID-19 vaccinations.

Michelle and I got vaccinated against COVID-19 because we know its the best way to beat this pandemic, protect one another, and get the country back up and running again, he tweeted on March 11, 2021.

So I hope youll get the vaccine as soon as its available to you. It could save your life, he continued.

Obama also appeared alongside fellow former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and George W. Bush and their wives in a video encouraging Americans to get vaccinated.
(Reuters) -Bermuda's aviation regulator said it is suspending certification of all Russian-operated airplanes registered in the British overseas territory due to international sanctions over the war in Ukraine, in a move expected to affect more than 700 planes.

The regulator said it was unable to confidently approve the planes as airworthy due to the impact of sanctions on its ability to conduct safety oversight. Manufacturers are no longer providing parts to Russian airlines as part of the sanctions.

The decision by Bermuda's Civil Aviation Authority announced on its website late on Saturday would normally lead to the planes being grounded as of its deadline of 2359 GMT on Saturday.

No plane is permitted to fly without a certificate of airworthiness, which is issued by the civil aviation authority in the country where the plane is registered.

In this case, however, flight tracking website FlightRadar24 showed a few dozen Bermuda-registered planes were flying over Russia's airspace as of 1550 GMT on Sunday.

Of the nearly 1,000 planes in the Russian fleet, 745 were registered in Bermuda, aviation consulting firm IBA said on March 1. Of those, 713 were leased and 32 owned.

Russia's government said on Thursday it had proposed allowing foreign planes leased by Russian airlines to be registered as the airlines' property, and for them to be given Russian airworthiness certificates.

The move followed Russia's state aviation authority recommending that Russian airlines with foreign-leased aircraft suspend flights of passengers and cargo abroad, making it harder for lessors to repossess the planes.

Global leasing companies staring at an imminent deadline to repossess more than 400 jets worth almost $10 billion from Russian airlines have received mostly radio silence as experts warn of legal wrangling that could last a decade.

Mutual air closures by the European Union and Moscow over the war in Ukraine have left Russian aviation in near isolation.

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Sanctions imposed by the EU in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine give leasing firms until March 28 to free themselves from deals with Russian airlines.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its neighbour's military capabilities and "de-Nazify" the country.

(Reporting by Akriti Sharma in Bengaluru and Jamie Freed in Sydney; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise, Cynthia Osterman and Daniel Wallis)
Bernie Rabik

Just read that a Russian bomb hit a maternity and childrens hospital in Ukraine, killing staff and babies. Is Putins assassination the answer to this atrocity and others like it? What is the ethics of targeted killings and assassinations?

South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Grahams apparent call for Putin to be assassinated has drawn backlash. Grahams suggestion that Russians should assassinate President Vladimir Putin has drawn the ire of Republicans and Democrats concerned over the war in Ukraine.

Is there a Brutus in Russia? the South Carolina Republican asked in a tweet.

Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated by Brutus and others in the Rome Senate on the Ides of March. Graham was also referring to German Lt. Claus von Stauffenberg, who tried to kill Adolf Hitler in the summer of 1944.

The only way this ends is for somebody in Russia to take this guy out. You would be doing your country  and the world  a great service, Graham said.

According to Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, People are watching these images, alright, theyre seeing whats happening there, and people being murdered and suffering, and it makes you angry, and you want something to happen. And you reach the conclusion, oh wouldnt it be great if someone internally just took this guy and eliminated him?

Thats not the official policy, obviously, of the United States, no ones talking about the U.S. doing it, he later added.

Assassinations during military conflict are specifically forbidden by the Lieber Code which President Abraham Lincoln issued as a general order for the U.S. forces in 1863.

Section IX of the code states that the laws of war forbid declaring a member of a hostile force or citizen or subject of a hostile government to be an outlaw who may be slain without trial.

Civilized nations look with horror upon offers of rewards for the assassination of enemies as relapses into barbarism, according to the Lieber Code, which underpins international conventions on warfare.

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Contrary to Putins lies, Ukraine did not start this war. A runt does not pick on a 300-pound bully.

Modern weaponry expedites the ability of actors in technologically advanced nations to eliminate real as well as perceived adversaries. Improved accuracy of unmanned aircraft (e.g., drones) reduces the risk of offensive action to active personnel and perhaps can lead to further acceptance of the assassination or targeted killing options. The killing of Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in 2020 as well as prior targeted killings refreshes an eternal debate relating to rules of engagement between adversaries in conflict.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church at 2268 holds that Unintentional killing is not morally imputable. But one is not exonerated from grave offense if, without proportionate reasons, he has acted in a way that brings about someones death, even without the intention to do so.

In sum, are Putins atrocious actions, resulting in the loss of innocent human lives, proportionate reasons for his assassination?

Bernard J. Rabik, a Hopewell Township attorney, is an opinion columnist for The Times.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Rabik: Is Putins assassination the answer?
A proposed rule that could effectively amount to a ban on the leading cryptocurrency bitcoin (BTC) will be voted on by European Union (EU) parliamentarians Monday with the outcome very much undecided.

The parliaments economic and monetary affairs committee is set to vote on a draft of the proposed Markets in Crypto Assets (MiCA) framework, the EUs sweeping legislative package for governing digital assets.

The draft contains a late addition that looks to limit the use of cryptocurrencies powered by an energy-intensive computing process known as proof-of-work. Although the vote is still a close call, a small majority of committee members may vote against the measure, according to people familiar with the matter.

CoinDesk reported yesterday that the provision in question requires all crypto assets to be subject to the EUs minimum environmental sustainability standards with respect to their consensus mechanism used for validating transactions, before being issued, offered or admitted to trading in the Union."

For cryptocurrencies like bitcoin and ether (ETH), that are already being traded in the EU, the rule proposes a phase-out plan to shift their consensus mechanism from proof-of-work to other methods that use less energy, like proof-of-stake.

Although there are plans to move ethereum to a proof-of-stake consensus mechanism, its unclear whether the same option is available for bitcoin.

The provision was met with swift backlash from the crypto community worldwide.

Extremely high stakes vote in the EU. That such a proposal made it this far is extraordinarily concerning and unlikely to stand up to practical reality, said Jeremy Allaire, founder of Circle Pay, on Twitter.

A number of EU parliamentarians have been pushing to ban proof-of-work cryptocurrencies over energy concerns, even if the energy in question were to be renewable. They fear that renewable energy could be channeled into proof-of-work computing rather than the national grid destined for public use.

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A previous version of the provision proposed the prohibition of proof-of-work crypto in the EU starting in January 2025. The provision was later dropped following criticism from crypto advocates, before the modified version made it back into the latest draft.

Stefan Berger, the EU parliamentarian charged with overseeing the content and progress of the MiCA framework, has been trying to reach a compromise over restricting proof-of-work.

The Greens and Socialists, as you can imagine, are criticizing the proof-of-work concept and criticizing the energy use, saying that bitcoin needs more energy than the Netherlands, Berger said in an interview with CoinDesk in February, referring to the political parties pushing the energy argument.

Berger also said at the time that he does not feel MiCA is the place for settling technological or energy-related rules because the frameworks goal is to regulate crypto as assets.

Once parliament decides on the draft, it will move on to a trilogue, which is a formal round of negotiations between the European commission, council and parliament.

UPDATE (March 14, 08:30 UTC): Changes "Tomorrow's" to "Monday's" in headline.
"Saving the Wild South" by Georgann Eubanks

Wild times

North Carolina environmental writer Georgann Eubanks discusses her latest work Saving the Wild South: The Fight for Native Plants on the Brink of Extinction, 10:30 a.m. Monday at The Literary Guild of St. Simons Islands Meet the Author event at the Casino, 550 Beachview Drive, St. Simons, Ga. (free for members, $10 for guests) and at 3 p.m. Monday at Story & Song Bookstore, 1430 Park Ave., Fernandina Beach.

Curious trek

Author Richard Reeder discusses his novel The Curious Odyssey of Rudolph Bloom 4 p.m. Friday, Story & Song Bookstore, 1430 Park Ave., Fernandina Beach.

Historical work

North Carolina author Donna Everhart presents her Depression-era historical novel The Saints of Swallow Hill, 4 p.m. Friday, San Marco Books and More, 1971 San Marco Blvd.

More spies

Best-selling middle-grade novelist James Ponti introduces City Spies: Forbidden City, the third installment in his City Spies series, 6 p.m. Friday, The BookMark, 220 First St., Neptune Beach.

For kids

Storytime with Ms. Dearsha, 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Story & Song Bookstore, 1430 Park Ave., Fernandina Beach.

Virtual

Author Clare Mackintosh discusses her mystery Hostage, 3 p.m. Monday, Barnes & Noble online, bnclaremackintosh.eventbrite.com to register.

Retired CIA agent Ric Prado introduces his memoir Black Ops: The Life of a CIA Shadow Warrior, 6 p.m. Monday, the BookMark online, crowdcast.io/e/an-evening-with-ric Sci-Fi fantasy author John Scalzi introduces The Kaiju Preservation Society, 7 p.m. Monday, Barnes & Noble online, ticketed, bnjohnscalzi.eventbrite.com.

Best-selling mystery writer Harlan Coben discusses The Match, 3 p.m. Tuesday, Barnes & Noble online, ticketed, bnharlancoben.eventbrite.com.

Authors Dolly Parton and James Patterson discuss Run, Rose, Run, 6 p.m. Wednesday, Barnes & Noble online, ticketed, bnrunroserun.eventbrite.com.

Send Bookmarks information to brandysbookmarks1@outlook.com (dont forget the 1). Announcements must arrive seven days before the Sunday of publication. Events free and open to all unless stated and always subject to change

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Bookmarks: Author events and virtual events
She carried what she could when she fled Kyiv.

What she had to leave behind is almost more than she can bear.

Ruth Karnowski, a 71-year-old schoolteacher from Little Falls, Minn., packed a bag and grabbed her iPad. Classes would continue once her 6-year-old students reached safety. If they reached safety.

Miss K, as her students call her, has been teaching at the Kyiv International School for around 12 years. Even through an iPad screen, her lessons are a tether to someplace safe and normal for the children who have been scattered across the map by the Russian invasion.

When class is in session, there are stories to read and songs to sing. The children don't need to know if their teacher is sad, or scared, or that the only classroom space available along her escape route one day was a drafty hallway in a brewpub in Lviv.

"It doesn't matter how I feel. When those little faces light up on my screen, I smile and I say 'Today we're going to read a story,'" said Karnowski, speaking by Zoom from a temporary apartment in Kosice, Slovakia, where classes continue. "We talk about math. We're studying what's in the sky for science. We just have fun together."

"You're my little potato, you're my little potato," her students sing along in English. It's the class' favorite song this year. "You're my little potato, they dug you up. You come from underground."

"The world is big," the song tells us. "So big, so very big." These little ones have seen too much of this big world already.

"Miss K, Miss K," a little girl called out in class one day, looking straight into the camera. "They're going to destroy my beautiful city."

The other children fell silent, listening.

"I said, 'Let's talk in a bit. But right now you're safe,'" Karnowski said. "'You're safe and I love you.'"

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She didn't see that little girl again for two weeks.

"Just Monday, I turned on my Zoom and I was getting my tea and I heard, 'Good morning, Miss K!'" Karnowski said. The little girl and her family had made it to the relative safety of western Ukraine. "Thank God."

Another student was traveling in a convoy toward the Hungarian border when the shelling started.

"Mom, don't worry," he said. It was a story his mother would later share with his teacher. "Don't worry, Spider Man will save us."

Then, just to be sure, he pretended to be Spider Man, trying to save everyone from the tanks.

When the lessons end and the little faces blink off the screen, one by one, Karnowski stays online to search for news of her friends back home. A thumbs-up on Facebook serves as proof of life these days.

Her boss checked in after hiking 27 hours in the freezing cold with her dog to reach the Polish border.

A friend  a fellow Minnesotan who married a Ukrainian  posts pictures of the spring lambs she's still tending on the family farm outside Kyiv. She watches the dirt road that leads to her home, expecting to see Russian tanks any day.

For days, Karnowski waited for word from a friend who was trying desperately to get her grandmother, her parents, and her two children to safety after their home was destroyed. Her husband had joined the defense forces, her car had broken down, and the family was sleeping in basements and subway tunnels, trying stay safe from Russian mortars.

"If you have made a Ukrainian friend, you have made a friend for life," Karnowski said. "They are the kindest, most generous people you will ever meet."

The father of one of her former students, an American citizen, has been driving back and forth between Poland and Ukraine for four straight weeks. He brings in carloads of food and medicine and drives out people who need a lift to safety.

Andrea, another friend, launched a grassroots drive that funnels donations directly where they're needed. Her Facebook group, Helping Ukrainians with Andrea, raised the money for car repairs that helped the stranded family evacuate to safety, Karnowski said.

Karnowski is haunted by what she left behind. Her home. The children she taught 12 years ago, who are old enough now to put on a uniform and join the defense forces. Her beloved French bulldog, Coco, who was too fragile to travel and stayed behind with friends. Coco is safe. As safe an anyone is in Ukraine.

The news out of Ukraine is hard to hear. The photos and videos are painful to watch. Karnowski has just one request for her fellow Minnesotans.

"Don't look away," she said.

If Ukrainians can bear this sorrow, the least we can do is bear witness.

And when this is over, Ruth Karnowski is going back to Kyiv to help rebuild everything Putin tried to destroy.

"I will do what I can, and that's what I ask other people to do," she said. "Use the talents you have, even if it's just putting up a flier or calling your congressman."




A bus full of roughly 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned in Italy on Sunday.

At least one person was killed and several others were injured in the incident, The Associated Press reported, citing Italian state radio. The accident occurred on the A14 autostrada close to Forli, which is in the Emilia-Romagna region in Italy.

The bus overturned on the highway between Cesena and Rimini, according to Reuters. It landed on a grassy area that is just past a highway guardrail and a short distance from a farm field, the AP reported.

Firefighters utilized two cranes to bring the bus back to an upright position then remove it, according to the AP.

The cause of the bus incident is under investigation, the AP reported.

The bus had left Ukraine and was en route to Pescara, a city in Italy that is located on the Adriatic coast, the AP reported, citing Italy's Interior Ministry. Authorities said the individuals on the bus were brought to police barracks nearby for more help, and would later continue their trip.

Roughly 2.698 million refugees have fled Ukraine since Russia's invasion began as of Sunday, according to the United Nations Refugee Agency's operational data portal. About 35,000 have relocated to Italy, according to the AP.
The third community isolation facility (CIF) in Hong Kong constructed with the support from the mainland has been put into operation immediately after it was handed over to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government on Saturday.



John Lee, chief secretary for administration of the HKSAR government, visited the newly-built CIF on the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities Island of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which provides over 400 rooms with around 1,200 beds for emergency isolation.

The facility, which covers an area of about 24,000 square meters, is composed of modular cubicles, with each room equipped with basic furniture and bedding, air conditioner and smoke sensor, among others.

Designed and built by China State Construction International Holdings Ltd., the construction of the facility was completed in less than 20 days.

Lee said the completion of this isolation facility represents the central government's full support for the HKSAR's fight against COVID-19 as well as the effective coordination of the Liaison Office of the Central People's Government in the HKSAR to press ahead with the construction. It also represents the achievements after overcoming difficulties with the tireless efforts of the construction personnel.

"As more community isolation and treatment facilities are completed with the support of the central government and handed over to the HKSAR government for operation, we will make the best use of the facilities to isolate infected persons as early as possible to cut the transmission chains, safeguard lives and health, and stabilize the epidemic situation," Lee said.

Among the mainland-aided CIFs, the ones in Tsing Yi and San Tin have started operation, and their room occupancy rate have reached around 80 percent. The other projects in Ma Sik Road of Fanling, Hung Shui Kiu and Tam Mei of Yuen Long, will be handed over to the HKSAR government this month.

The six facilities will provide about 20,000 additional beds for emergency isolation, according to Lee.

On Saturday, Hong Kong registered 15,789 new COVID-19 cases, official data showed. An online platform for the submission of positive rapid antigen test (RAT) results received 11,858 more effective self-reports on Friday.
Mar. 13THE TYPICAL INVESTOR in a tech startup is a middle-aged white guy. York IE, a Manchester-based investment group, aims to change that.

The percentage of women in tech companies has made gains in recent years, averaging about 25 percent of the workforce, but the investment side remains dominated by men.

Through TechWomen Invest LLC, York IE plans to increase the number of women investors and create more opportunities.

"Kyle (York) started this company with the co-founders a couple of years ago and has gotten great investment participation, great portfolio companies," Janelle Gorman, the company's chief financial officer, said in a recent talk over Zoom. "As it's been building, we realized we need to have more women around the table as well."

That could help increase the chance women-led startups get funded.

Last year, female founders secured only 2% of the $330 billion venture capital investments in the U.S., Bloomberg reported in January, the smallest share since 2016.

"There's not only an issue on the investing side and how that capital is deployed but just having a seat at the table," said Holly Neiweem, chief operating and financial officer of Quantum XChange, a cybersecurity firm based in Bethesda, Md.

Neiweem, who works remotely from Durham, is among about a dozen women who have signed on to participate in TechWomen Invest. Before joining Quantum Xchange, Neiweem spent 15 years in the investment industry, including managing a portfolio for Morgan Stanley.

"I think it's a great way for more women to have access to not only investing in an asset class that's pretty hard to crack into but also leadership opportunities whether it be on boards or in the C-suite," she said.

Through TechWomen Invest, accredited investors will be able to participate in York IE's investment partner syndicate, which is an "evergreen" syndicate and not a traditional fund. The annual minimum commitment is $25,000 a year.

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That's a much lower entry point than for the fund's individual investors, who commit at least $100,000 a year for five years.

"It's a big number. You have to be pretty deep in the pockets," said York, a former executive at Dyn and Oracle. "You need to be pretty wealthy to say I'm going to put $100,000 into tech startups, which of course, are high risk, high reward."

TechWomen Invest lowers that minimum by reaching the core minimum in the aggregate of the smaller investments.

York IE has a capital base of about $15 million a year, through which it invests in 15 to 20 startups.

"That capital board is made up of 35 to 40 individual tech investors, high-net work individuals, family offices, multifamily offices and our own capital," York said. "When we talk about the base of investors, that is very male-heavy."

Making connections

As part of the launch, York IE established a partnership with the New Hampshire Tech Alliance's TechWomen/TechGirls program.

"We put our heads together and thought this could be a great way to get more investors in the company and offer more women an easier opportunity to be on boards of directors and advisory boards, be investors, and connect with female entrepreneurs and founders," Gorman said.

The group gets a position in every York IE deal, similar to the individual investors.

"To do early stage investing well, you need a spread of investments," York said. "You can't just do it for a couple of years and hope it becomes the next big thing, a Dyn or a Newforma or a PillPack."

Investors in early stage companies need to expect hits and misses.

"Some will be nice wins. Some might not make it. Some might get huge and go public or sell to Oracle," York said, alluding to Manchester-based Dyn's 2016 sale to the Silicon Valley giant for more than $600 million. "But you need to have a spread of investments, and that's what makes the early stage risk-reward all very much worth it."

Kara Banosian and her husband have invested in York IE companies, but she's eager to participate with TechWomen Invest.

"I love the idea of it being focused on women, empowering women," said Banosian, chief marketing officer of Stavvy, a Boston-based company that digitizes banking and real estate transactions.

"We are already involved in York, but I'm not as involved as I wanted to be because of a family dynamic," she said. "So it's an opportunity for me to do something on my own."

She's especially interested in the potential to collaborate with other women.

"The idea that we can empower one another, network with one another," Banosian said. "There's a whole other angle and door that's going to open connections and support. I'm really excited to see where that goes."

Mike Cote is senior editor for news and business. Contact him at mcote@unionleader.com or (603) 206-7724.

The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author. They do not represent the views and opinions of the sponsor, its members and affiliates.
As the Biden Administration recently banned all Russian imports of gas, oil, and energy, gas prices could continue to rise here in the states. Even though Russian oil accounts for only 3% of U.S. crude oil imports, demand for Russian oil in other countries is also driving up prices in the U.S.

See: How Much Does the President Control Gas Prices?

A History of Gas Prices: Do You Remember How Little You Once Paid?

As gas prices reach record highs of $4.3 per gallon, according to Reuters, Americans may be looking for cheaper ways to fill up. If you are a member of a warehouse club like Costco, you may be tempted to take advantage of their lower-than-average fuel prices. But is the price too good to be true?

This week in Santa Clara, California  where gas prices sit well above the national average at $5.45 per gallon  Costco is charging club members $4.82 per gallon, according to SiliconValley.com.

How can retailers like Costco and Walmart offer such low prices for gas? Simple: Warehouse clubs have the volume and financial prowess to sell gas at rock-bottom prices (and razor-thin margins) as a way of luring customers in to buy other merchandise.

Whats more, membership sales make up 75% of the stores profit. Costco, for instance, is banks on customers signing up for a membership card to get cheap gas. Then, once consumers have the membership, they are likely to look for ways to save money on everything from groceries to electronics.

Explore: Newsom Proposes California Gas Rebate to Combat Rising Prices at the Pump

Learn: Could Surging Gas Prices Lead to Higher EV Sales? Heres What You Should Know

Most gas stations are independently owned, meaning they arent big enough to order huge volumes at discounts the way wholesale clubs like Costco, BJs and Sams Club can. The wholesale clubs arent making much profit off gas. But they are betting that consumers will seek out their low gas prices, then enter their stores and spend money on other things.

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Thats a pretty good bet when gas prices are as high as they are now.

More From GOBankingRates

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com: Cheap Gas: Why Does Costco Have Lower Prices Than Other Stations?
Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) speaks during a Jan. 6 Select Committee vote to hold Jeffery Clark in contempt of Congress on Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021.





Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on Sunday made it known that she agreed with a fellow GOP member of Congress who called former President Trump a "would-be tyrant."

Rep. Tom Rice (R-S.C.) on Saturday condemned Trump following a rally in South Carolina, calling him a "disaster" and a "would-be tyrant." Rice accused Trump of being "consumed by spite."

Sharing a copy of The Hill's article on Rice's remarks on Twitter, Cheney wrote, "@RepTomRice is right. Most of our Republican colleagues know this. Their silence enables the danger."

"Our country needs Republicans to be sane, responsible, and speak the truth," wrote Cheney.

Both Rice and Cheney were among the 10 GOP House members who voted to impeach Trump after the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol attack.

Trump has endorsed Republican primary challengers against both Cheney and Rice in their reelection races this year, seeking retribution against the lawmakers in his party who have spoken out against him.

State Rep. Russell Fry (R), Rice's primary challenger, spoke at Trump's rally in South Carolina on Saturday night. Rice criticized Fry, accusing him of supporting a "would-be tyrant over the Constitution."

"If you want a Congressman who supports political violence in Ukraine or in the United States Capitol, who supports party over country, who supports a would-be tyrant over the Constitution, and who makes decisions based solely on re-election, then Russell Fry is your candidate," said Rice.
CHICAGO  A tradition originating over six decades ago was welcomed back to downtown Chicago Saturday after the citys St. Patricks Day parade was canceled the past two years because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Thousands of Chicagoans and guests of the city dusted off their best green attire and accessories and layered up to brave the cold to watch as parade cars, floats and more filed on by down Columbus Drive Saturday afternoon.

Earlier Saturday, crowds gathered around the Chicago River between Orleans Street and Columbus Drive  almost three-quarters of a mile, a much wider area than years past  to see it turn its signature brilliant green in celebration of the holiday.

In keeping with tradition, the dyeing and parade take place the Saturday before St. Patricks Day, which falls on Thursday this year, unless the holiday itself falls on Saturday.

Several of the areas politicians were in attendance, including U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., Gov. J. B. Pritzker, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle.

The river dyeing tradition celebrated its 60th anniversary this year, but last years dyeing was also significant as residents and visitors of the city were surprised when the river glowed green after the parade was once again canceled. Both the river dyeing and the parade, which is in its 65th year, didnt happen in 2020 after Lightfoot canceled the events.

Mia Sanchez, 12, and Solimar Rivera, 12, are both in sixth grade at St. Gall School. The girls walked in the parade with family on behalf of the local nonprofit Big Shoulders Fund. It was Sanchezs first time in the parade this year, while Rivera said shes been participating in the parade since she was 5 or 6.

Sanchez said last year was actually the first year she really wanted to take part in the parade, but it was canceled for the second year in a row. She said she usually celebrates St. Patricks Day but was even more so excited to celebrate this year with everyone at the parade.

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Being a part of this community and marching with everyone, I love it, Sanchez said.

Rivera said she was really upset when the parades of the last two years were canceled because being in the parade has become a tradition for her and her family. In lieu of the parades, Rivera and her family would still dress up in green and celebrate in front of their house by wishing people and giving out candy to passersby.

Sanchez and Rivera said they are definitely looking forward to coming back next year.

Cousins Rhea Allen, of Stonington, Illinois, and Shannon Lewis, of Tennessee, said theyve got the Irish in us, are spending the weekend in the city and saw the river dyeing and parade for the first time. Allen said it was spectacular watching the river turn that bright green color, while Lewis added, It was cold, but it was fun.

Lewis said its her first time visiting Chicago and wants to plan a trip back when its warmer because she feels she hasnt even touched the tip of the iceberg on everything to go around here.

Life is back to normal, Lewis said. It feels good to see everyone out and celebrating.

Brothers David Rocas and Manuel Rocas along with their friend Gorje Dacosta are visiting Chicago from Luxembourg. The group, who said they are all Portuguese, said their first time celebrating St. Patricks Day in Chicago was so far a success starting with the river dyeing in the morning and continuing with the parade.

David Rocas said he was in Chicago two years ago for St. Patricks Day when the event ended up getting canceled due to the pandemic, and he had to fly back all of a sudden because Trump was closing down the airports.

Fast forward to Saturday, David Rocas along with his brother and friend finally got to see Chicagos St. Patricks Day festivities for the first time.

Ive been in Dublin before also for the holiday, David Rocas said. Its really big. This does compare. Its fun.

They said before Chicago, they were in New Orleans celebrating Mardi Gras. The trio all said they would return to the city for St. Patricks Day in the future with pleasure.

Its cool to see people having fun after two years of COVID, Dacosta said. Its great to see people celebrate this day.

Its great to see everybody smiling on the streets, David Rocas added. Everybodys having fun.


(This March 13 story corrects size of Morowali industrial park in paragraph 20, and to show production data is for whole company, not only for its Sulawesi facilities, in paragraph 21)

By Praveen Menon, Min Zhang and Fransiska Nangoy

(Reuters) - Chinese tycoon Xiang Guangda has to find a way to bail his Tsingshan Holding Group out of a crisis after its bet on nickel prices backfired, fuelling more volatility in a metal essential for the electric vehicles industry. One of the world's top nickel producers faces massive losses on its short positions after prices soared over $100,000 per tonne last week and forced the London Metal Exchange to halt nickel trading.

Tsingshan has to either pay off the outstanding short positions, which could be as high as $8 billion, or prove it has sufficient deliverable nickel to repay in kind.

Beijing could step in to rescue Tsingshan, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters. China could swap some of its high grade nickel reserves for low grade nickel pig iron (NPI) that Tsingshan produces to help it meet LME quality standards. China is estimated to hold around 100,000 tonnes of nickel in state stocks, two analysts said.

Tsingshan and China's state reserves administration did not respond to requests for comment.

Tsingshan has figured in market swings before.

Last year, it triggered a price drop with surprise news that it would provide nickel matte to battery materials makers, potentially solving a key bottleneck for electric vehicles by boosting battery-grade supply in a cheaper way.

Betting prices would fall, Tsingshan started building a short position last year. The bet backfired partly as Russia's invasion of Ukraine sent metals prices soaring, putting pressure on holders of big short positions, including Tsingshan.

"Markets were sensing that (Tsingshan) were going to make a move, but they probably made it too early ... a quarter or so too early and nobody was anticipating what happened in Ukraine," said Angela Durrant, Wood Mackenzie's principal nickel analyst.

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Tsingshan has suggested foreign elements may be driving up nickel prices. "Foreigners do have some actions and we are actively coordinating [with related parties]," China Business News quoted Xiang as saying on March 8. The market gyrations have had no impact on Tsingshan's Indonesia operations, a corporate mining source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

For Indonesia, Tsingshan is a means to fulfill its ambition to become a one-stop shop for EV battery ingredients and the company has executed projects at lightning speed. Western firms often privately complained about the access and resources Tsingshan got in the country. "Government has ambition in Indonesia, they want to build the hub for battery for electrical car. That's why you see the policy to support the industry," the source said. "We are affected by COVID, but not affected by this (short exposure)." Tsingshan is also seen as a poster child in Southeast Asia for Chinas Belt and Road Initiative, President Xi Jinping's vast infrastructure programme.

In contrast to privately-held Tsingshan, several high profile projects led by Chinese state-backed firms have been mothballed amid overpricing, corruption and debt sustainability concerns. https://www.reuters.com/world/china/chinas-belt-road-plans-losing-momentum-opposition-debt-mount-study-2021-09-29

MARKET DISRUPTOR

Founded in 1988 in Wenzhou, Tsingshan started out in stainless steel production and making automobile windows and doors.

But its fortunes changed when Xiang, 64, started exploring Indonesian markets in 2009. Over the next decade, it shook the global nickel industry with low-cost nickel pig iron. It set up facilities in Indonesia, the world's largest nickel producer, with output ranging from nickel sulphate to nickel matte, an intermediate product that can be used in both stainless steel and batteries. Tsingshan is spearheading Indonesias two major nickel hubs, including the Morowali industrial park, which employs over 40,000 people and spans 2,000 hectares with an airport, mineral processing plants, a port and executive visitors hotel.

The company has said it aims to produce 850,000 tonnes of nickel equivalents this year and 1.1 million tonnes in 2023. "There was nothing there on that site in 2015 ... so they did something absolutely miraculous," Durrant said. "Getting away from higher Chinese power (costs), moving everything over to Indonesia was a masterstroke for them." The industry credits much of this success to Xiang. He became known as a market disruptor who could "take the world by storm", said Steven Brown, an independent nickel consultant in Canberra who spent two days touring Tsingshans production facilities with Xiang in 2014.

Xiang opposes high nickel prices and is fixed on being a low-cost producer of nickel and stainless steel, Brown said.

"I don't think this crisis will result in too much of a change in strategy from Tsingshan," he added.

Market sources said though Tsingshan has cut its exposure it is unlikely to have fully covered all its positions.

State-backed Chinese newspaper Securities Daily said on March 9 that Tsingshan had deployed "enough spot products" for delivery by swapping its nickel matte with nickel plates in the domestic market.

The LME allows delivery of nickel cathodes, including plate, and briquettes. "There isn't much spot nickel product in the market, it's not even likely that Tsingshan could get 100,000 tonnes," said a Guangdong-based analyst who declined to be named.

(Additional reporting by Ed Davies and Dominique Patton; Editing by Diane Craft)
Whether were talking India  or Indiana  its hard to be a girl anywhere in the world today.

So, at Rotary weve made Empowering Girls one of our four major initiatives for 2021-22, and I am proud to serve as Rotarys program ambassador for our seven-state zone.

Rotary International President Shekhar Mehta of India encourages our 1.3 million members in 35,000 clubs and in 200+ countries to prioritize projects that improve the health, well-being, education, and economic security of girls in our communities and around the world. Rotary asks us to develop a club-based initiative or grant that engages members of our community in a project that will protect and empower girls.

More from opinion: Book banning isn't about content; it's a fight for supremacy in culture wars

Girls and women face inequities in areas including health and education, and they experience significant violence and disproportionate poverty. Some facts to consider:

In many cultures there is a preference for sons and that sometimes leads to sex selection through abortion and infanticide

In countries with available data, girls ages 10-14 are more likely than boys to spend 21 hours each week on household chores

In recent years, the proportion of girls ages 5 to 19 who are overweight has grown from 9% to 17%

One in five girls throughout the world marry before 18, and complications during pregnancy and child birth are among the worlds leading cause of death in girls ages 15-19

60 million girls worldwide have no access to basic education and, of the 960 million who are illiterate worldwide, two-thirds are women

While its difficult to address these issues, theres one area thats relatively easy and inexpensive: The lack of period product supplies which leads to school absenteeism in Bloomington and throughout the world. A good education goes a long way toward giving us what we need to prepare for jobs that pay higher wages, helping us prevent an adult life of poverty.

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On Saturday, April 9, Rotarians from the 34 clubs throughout southern Indiana  including the three Bloomington-based clubs  will gather at the Indiana Memorial Union for our first in person district conference in three years. For our service project, we will assemble period positivity pouches for Girls Inc. of Monroe County.

To fill those pouches, we need pads, tampons, toothbrushes and notecards. And, of course, we welcome financial contributions that will enable us to buy these materials.

Join the conversation: How to submit a letter to the editor or guest column to The Herald-Times

Through Wednesday, April 6, Bloomington-area residents can drop off pads, tampons and other supplies at Teachers Warehouse, 524 N. Fairview, Street, Bloomington, on the following days and times: Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 3:30-6:00 and Saturday from 9:30-12:30.

If youd like to make a small tax-deductible contribution, send a check payable to Bloomington Rotary Foundation and write Girls on the memo line. The address:

Bloomington Rotary Foundation

P.O. Box 2026

Bloomington, IN 47402

In addition to packing the pouches, we will write affirming messages to be shared with the girls on the note cards.

To learn more about how Rotary is stepping up to address the challenges that girls face worldwide, you can watch a video of my recent talk at Bloomington Rotary: Celebration of Service - February 22, 2022 - YouTube.

Jessika Hane is past district governor (2020-21) of the Bloomington Sunrise Rotary and Empowering Girls ambassador for Rotary Zone 30.

This article originally appeared on The Herald-Times: Local Rotary clubs collecting period products to for Girls Inc
PARIS (Reuters) - Protestors in the northern Corsican town of Bastia attacked public buildings and threw projectiles at police on Sunday in the latest demonstration over an attack on a jailed nationalist at a mainland French prison.

A protest that gathered 7,000 people in mid-afternoon turned violent as around 300 hooded individuals used Molotov cocktails and other projectiles to target police and state institutions, setting fire to a public tax office, the local prefecture said in a statement.

There were 38 injured in the ongoing clashes, including 24 police officers, the prefecture said in an update at 8 p.m. local time (1900 GMT).

There have been a number of demonstrations on the island of Corsica in the past week, including some clashes with police, in outrage over the strangling of Yvan Colonna by a fellow inmate at a prison in southern France.

The attack left the Corsican militant in a coma and led to renewed calls for nationalist prisoners to be transferred from the French mainland to the island. [L5N2V62VV]

Colonna is serving a life sentence for the 1998 murder of Claude Erignac, who as prefect of Corsica embodied the power of the French state on an island with a history of separatist violence.

(Reporting by Gus Trompiz)
Leonard and Martha merely wanted what most young married couples yearn for: the chance to have and raise a family, the freedom to work hard and produce an improved future for themselves and their children, and the opportunity to freely worship God, all in their beloved homeland. Fortune did not smile on them. Bad neighbors killed their dreams

Raised on farms in Latvia, a Baltic country, one of the finger countries (Remember Latvia, Lithuania, and Estonia from junior high Geography?) Leonard and Martha met, married, and began their odyssey, one that turned out unimaginably. Leonard worked as a merchant marine in the commercial shipping industry of his country. Son John came along in 1935, Maris in 1937, and Aris in 1940. Also, along came the Soviet Union in 1939; Germany in 1941; and the Soviets again in 1944.

The occupiers ruled by abject force and fear. Tens of thousands of Latvians, mainly Jews by the Germans, but also non-Jews, lost their lives by murder, their locations by deportation, or their livings by order of the puppet government. The family stayed in place, but Leonard became a member of the new countrys police force, which in reality soon became a part of the army of the occupier of the moment.

By 1944 the Soviets were advancing from the east toward Riga, the capital city, in which Leonard, Martha, and the boys huddled in their humble home. Having been associated with the army of the German occupiers, Leonard knew that the invaders would waste no mercy on him and his family. He and his family needed to leaveNOW! He contracted for a horse and driver to transport them to the port, but he could not obtain permission to leave the country.

Maris, only seven years old at the time, still remembers seeing from the back porch of their home the red eastern sky on the evening of October 12, 1944. The Soviet Army was closing in with artillery flaring. In the nick of time, Leonard had received consent to escort his clan to Germany. He dug a giant hole in the backyard, buried in it anything of value the family possessed, grabbed the family bicycle to serve as pack animal, and somehow guided his family across the dark, dreadful city to a cargo ship docked where he once did his daily work. They glided out of the harbor, headed for a port in Poland. Hundreds of small boats filled the harbor. Russian bombs fell on many of those desperate emigrants, ending their hopes for escape.

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The Hammer and Sickle was rising; the Swastika was declining. Riga and Eastern Latvia fell to the re-invaders the next day. Leonard was never to return to the home he loved. Presumably , the modest family treasures rest yet under the precious soil of Leonard and Marthas homeland. Worse, the remains of scores of thousands of fellow Latvians who didnt make it out rest under the frozen tundra of Siberia and other Gulag camps.

The Jende Family ended their exodus here in Ross County, Ohio. Recounting the route of their escape could constitute a good movie script, but living it must have seemed like a horror flick with running time of more than four years. Painful passage to Poland on the cattle boat. Deposited on a refugee plantation in Monheim, Germany, a U.S. zone. Air raids. Bombers wall-to-wall in the skies. Living in a hay mow. Eventually, in 1949, under the auspices of The Lutheran World Federation, Calvary Lutheran Church of Chillicothe, still existing here on West Main Street, arranged for the Jendes and eleven other Latvian families to settle in Ross County.

George Borders, a farmer near Kingston, sponsored the family. The family took up residence in a small, plain tenant house on Sulphur Spring Road. From the moment the family stepped onto that ship in Riga until it settled into this shelter, it had had no opportunity to give any input as to their present or future plans. Leonard spent the rest of his working life as a farmhand on the Borders farm. Martha cared for her man and her boys. Overcoming, no doubt, significant amounts of prejudice in school and community, the sons have distinguished themselves as fine citizens: one an executive with Procter and Gamble, one a school teacher and administrator, and one, after attending West Point, a military and insurance man.

Today, nearly 80 years after the fall of Latvia, the Russian remnant of the Soviet Union conducts an invasion of another neighbor, Ukraine. Your humble correspondent certainly does not command knowledge or experience in history, warfare, government, cultures, or politics to prescribe what would be the perfect reaction of our nation to this bold, reckless onslaught by Russia. Given the potentially catastrophic effects of action or inaction, I doubt that anyone, whether globalist or isolationist, Republican or Democrat, militarist or pacifist, liberal or conservative, knows with certainty how to diffuse and resolve this tragedy. I can only agonize over the images of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainians burying their treasures somewhere in their homeland, leaving in haste, and carrying only uncertainty as to whether they will ever be able to return to reclaim their treasured lives.

And I can only pray.

Richard Delong is the author of Things That Matter: Reflections of a Country Lawyer.

This article originally appeared on Chillicothe Gazette: How Latvians settled in Ross County after fleeing Eastern Europe
Director Jane Campion has responded to Sam Elliotts disparaging comments about her Oscar-nominated film The Power of the Dog.

While attending the 2022 Directors Guild of America Awards in Beverly Hills, Calif. on Saturday night, Variety asked Campion if she was surprised by Sam Elliotts harsh critique of her movie.

Im sorry, he was being a little bit of a B-I-T-C-H, Campion replied in a clip from the interview shared on Twitter. Im sorry to say it, but hes not a cowboy; hes an actor.

She added, The West is a mythic space and theres a lot of room on the range. I think its a little bit sexist because when you think about the number of amazing Westerns that were made in Spain by (director) Sergio Leone.

Campion told Variety she is a creator and I think he thinks of me as a woman or something lesser first, and I dont appreciate that.

Earlier this month, Elliott was interviewed by Marc Maron on his WTF podcast. When Maron asked the 1883 star if he liked Campions psychological drama, Elliott responded, You want to talk about that piece of s--t?

He complimented Campion as a brilliant director before questioning, What ... does this woman from down there ... New Zealand, know about the American West?

Elliott continued, And why ... did she shoot this movie in New Zealand and call it Montana and say, This is the way it was? That rubbed me the wrong way, pal.

The A Star Is Born actor also compared the cowboys in The Power of the Dog to Chippendales dancers.

Theyre all running around in chaps and no shirts. Theres all these allusions to homosexuality throughout the f-----g movie, Elliott said.

The Power of the Dog tells the story of Benedict Cumberbatchs character, Phil Burbank, a closeted gay rancher living in Montana who struggles with his toxic masculinity.

Last week, Cumberbatch, who received a best actor nomination for his role in The Power of the Dog, brought up Elliotts remarks during a BAFTA Film Sessions interview.

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Image: 74th Annual Directors Guild Of America Awards - Press Room (Jesse Grant / Getty Images)

Im trying very hard not to say anything about a very odd reaction that happened the other day on a radio podcast over here, Cumberbatch said, although he did not mention Elliotts name. Someone really took offense to  I havent heard it so its unfair for me to really comment in detail on it  but really took offense to the West being portrayed in this way.

Cumberbatch, who actually learned ranching skills and lived in Montana in preparation for the role, also noted, 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, toward an acceptance of the other and any kind of difference.

Co-star Jesse Plemons also addressed Elliotts rant during the premiere of his new thriller Windfall Friday night in West Hollywood.

Plemons told Variety, I laughed when I heard. I dont know why.

Like Cumberbatch, Plemons also hasnt listened to the podcast, but explained that he was aware of what Elliott said.

I know theres some undertones to what he said, but I also feel like you dont have to like the movie and thats totally fine. Not everyone has to like it, Plemons concluded.

Despite Elliotts feelings about the film, The Power of the Dog has been having a successful awards season run.

After calling out Elliott on the red carpet, Campion made history at the DGA Awards by winning in the theatrical feature film category for her Netflix movie. She became the second consecutive woman and only third in history  to be awarded that top prize, according to Variety.

Her neo-Western also leads nominees at the upcoming 94th annual Academy Awards with 12 nominations.
 Flash

Russian President Vladimir Putin had a telephone conversation with French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz on Saturday, and urged them to influence the Kiev authorities to stop "criminal acts" of Ukrainian "nationalist battalions," according to the Kremlin.

Macron and Scholz urged an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine, the German government said in a statement, noting the 75-minute talk as part of the ongoing international efforts to end the conflict.

Putin gave a "detailed account of the series of talks held via videoconference by Russian and Ukrainian representatives over the past days," and the three leaders reviewed issues pertaining to the agreements being worked out concerning the implementation of the earlier Russian demands, the Kremlin said in a statement.

Putin informed Macron and Scholz of "the real situation on the ground" in response to the issues raised by them "regarding the humanitarian situation on the territory of the military operation to protect Donbass," the Kremlin said.

Putin cited "multiple facts of gross violations of the international humanitarian law by the Ukrainian army and police: extrajudicial killings of dissenters, hostage taking and the use of civilians as human shields, deployment of heavy weaponry in residential areas, in proximity to hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and so on," according to the Kremlin statement.

"Nationalist battalions regularly sabotage rescue operations and threaten civilians when they attempt to evacuate," the Kremlin said, adding that Putin urged Macron and Scholz to influence the Kiev authorities to stop such "criminal acts."

The three leaders agreed to continue contacts on Ukrainian issues, the Kremlin said.

Scholz spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday morning, and learned about Zelensky's assessment of the current situation. The two agreed to keep in touch, according to the German statement.
Every morning for the past few weeks, students and staff at St. George Academy in New York City start their day by checking to see if relatives and friends in Ukraine are still alive.

Were shell shocked, said Andrew Stasiw, principal of the tiny Ukrainian Catholic high school in the East Village. We have students breaking down and crying. Were trying to run school as normally as possible  but its impossible not to be thinking of Ukraine.

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And because it is impossible not to be thinking of Ukraine, life inside the high school that opened in 1947 in the citys Little Ukraine neighborhood has strayed far from class routines and schedules for its 80 students, their teachers and staff.

For many at St. George Academy, the country currently under attack by Russia is home  and the pull toward home remains strong.

A teacher is desperately trying to get her 11 grandchildren out of Ukraine. A guidance counselors job has shifted from discussions about college and career with students to discussions about life and death.

Students are fearful Russian spies are hacking their laptops. A students escape from Ukraine meant leaving his father and friends behind to fight. Now the teen is grappling with guilt and worry  and the lingering question of whether he too should have stayed.

I know at least four young men that are here  many of them who would go [to fight Russia]. Parents have reached out to me and said, Hey, try to talk to them, and let them know that they can do more good from here, Stasiw said, Parents have that knee jerk reaction to protect their children.

Before the news broke, guidance counselor Nicole Giovencos day revolved around reading college applications and enrolling students in AP exams. Now, students come knocking on her door asking her to listen to their fears about the war.

Some of them have brothers over there fighting, said Giovenco. They get that one phone call or WhatsApp message a day from them, if theyre lucky, and if they dont they have no idea what to think.

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There have been moments when Stasiw has broken down, tearing up about the crisis. Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the President of Ukraine, has inspired him to stay strong for his students.

Leadership has to lead, and in a microcosm, Im a leader of a very small school here, he said.

St. George Academy opened as a Ukrainian school in 1947 and at one point had 900 all Ukrainian students. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

Once, St. George Academy enrolled 900 Ukrainian students. Now just 40 percent are of Ukrainian heritage, though the school still emphasizes the countrys culture. Three Ukrainian refugee students have enrolled in recent days  and more are expected.

Maksym Kosar, who recently fled Ukraine, during his first day at St. George Academy. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

At the urging of his mother in New York who had wanted him to come live with her, Maksym Kosar, 17, packed an escape bag with dried food, water and his passport a week before his hometown, Ivano-Frankivsk, a city in western Ukraine, was invaded. The morning he heard bombs going off he fled on his own. He made his way out safely, but his father stayed behind to fight.

My dad is in Ukraine because he couldnt leave at the moment, said Maksym during his first day at the school. I will call him as soon as I get home.

School staff are also managing dire family affairs from afar: A Ukrainian teacher has taken days off, desperate to arrange the escape of her 11 grandchildren, who span 4 months to 11 years old.

Shes wrecked, was all Stasiw would say about the situation.

Irene Saviano, who teaches art and works in the office, was excited to start working on this years pysanky  Ukrainian Easter eggs  with her students, but the project has been put on hold because everyone at St. George Academy is focused on the war.

Painting pysanky, or Ukrainian Easter eggs, is a beloved tradition at St. George. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

Ukrainian culture, from learning about the eggs to singing traditional hymns, is woven into the school culture. Now, said Saviano, those traditions and lessons have taken on a new importance, giving students a renewed sense of pride.

Everybodys singing Ukrainian, Saviano said. They dont refuse it. They actually welcome it.

Irene Saviano shows off last years pysanky on display in her office. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

Principal Stasiws treasured items from Ukraine on display in his office. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

As Stasiw popped in and out of classrooms, students ran up to him eager to share updates. Many found it too painful and dangerous to speak about the war and, in Ukrainian, told their principal why.

Theyre afraid the interview will get them in trouble with Putin, Stasiw translated.

A student who arrived from Ukraine days ago poses with a bridge she made out of popsicle sticks for St. George Academys STEM day. Focusing on the STEM projects took kids minds off the war for a few hours, Stasiw said. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

Walking down a hallway adorned with blue and yellow posters, Stasiw was stopped by a student with another fear: He thought his laptops security had been compromised by Russian spies.

There are threats of cyber attacks happening in this neighborhood, he shared, telling the student he would take a look.

Stasiw said its been hard to know exactly what to do and say to students, so he prepared a presentation to explain to them whats going on, especially for the non-Ukrainian students.

I talked about how we have to be compassionate and how Ukrainians do not hate Russians, he said.

Principal Andrew Stasiw points to a photo of his students at the Ukrainian American Youth Association Camp in Ellenville, New York. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

Ukrainian flags hang in every hallway and classroom at St. George. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

For students like Janna, 17, who lived in Ukraine until she was nine-years-old and still has family there, discussing the war is helping her cope.

Janna, 17, still has family in Ukraine. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

It feels like a nightmare, she said. Raising awareness is good.

Sparking discussion and keeping his culture close, Oleh Holintayy, 15, like many other St. George students, has swapped out his uniform for a vyshyvanka, a traditional embroidered Ukrainian shirt.

Oleh Holintayy . (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

This vyshyvanka was made by my great-grandmother, whos still in Ukraine, said Holintayy. The teen, who emigrated from Ukraine when he was three, has slept little in recent weeks and become obsessed with checking his phone for updates.

Oleh Holinatyy and Nazariy Kozhuhko both have family in Ukraine. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

Just like other students at Saint George, seniors Sophia Klyuba and Vitalina Voitenko can only think about the safety of their loved ones in Ukraine.

Sophia Klyuba, left, and Vitalina Voitenko, seniors at St. George Academy, both have immediate family in Ukraine. (Meghan Gallagher / The 74)

My whole family except for my dad is in Ukraine. My mom, my grandma, sister, nephew, aunt and uncle, Sophia, 17. You cannot really focus on anything else and think about anything else You call your family to know that theyre still alive and well. I really want to be with them right now even though its very dangerous  I cannot imagine anything happening to them.

Meghan Gallagher / The 74

St. George students and staff have looked for ways to show support for their homeland  from singing the Ukrainian national anthem in front of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul at their church, to sending messages to soldiers. Stasiw told students they could also help by spreading the word about the charity St. George Academy partnered with, Razom for Ukraine, which raises funds to send over medical supplies.

Students sang the Ukrainian National Anthem at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church (Irene Saviano)

Together the students traveled to Washington D.C. to protest the war, toting the signs they assembled inside their small, proud-to-be Ukrainian high school.
Mar. 12Consider this simple question: Should a person's monetary wealth determine whether they remain incarcerated as they await the resolution of their case in court?

If you answered yes, there's no need to continue reading.

If you answered no, you have a good sense of one of the major problems with the criminal justice system in the United States.

The Legislature is trying to make it even worse in Indiana.

Powered by the Republican supermajority in both chambers, House Bill 1130 would handcuff nonprofit organizations that seek to post bail for cash-poor defendants.

The bill passed the General Assembly this week as the 2022 session wound down. Ninety-nine of 106 voting Republican legislators favored the bill. Thirty-five of 39 Democrats did not.

The bill now lands on Gov. Eric Holcomb's desk.

The measure strikes out at The Bail Project, which currently operates in just two counties in Indiana  Marion and Lake. The group provides bail to arrestees who otherwise couldn't afford it.

House Bill 1300, conversely, seeks to assure that many without the monetary resources to post bail stay behind bars. Others who have ample cash can walk free until they're beckoned back to court.

Specifically, the bill would do the following in relation to nonprofit bail organizations:

Forbid the posting of bail in violent felony cases or in cases where a defendant with a past conviction for a violent crime is charged with any new felony

Require organizations to register with the Department of Insurance (if posting bail for more than three people in a 180-day period)

The legislation would also prohibit groups receiving grant funding from the state and local governments from bailing indigent people out of jail

Last-minute modifications of the bill  eliminating a $2,000 cap on bail posting by nonprofits, for example  do create more space for nonprofit bail providers to operate. But this bill should have been gutted, not modified.

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The language of the bill also makes it applicable to houses of faith and other entities that might pool resources to post bail for indigent defendants.

House Bill 1300's author, Rep. Peggy Mayfield, R-Martinsville, argues the legislation "is just trying to bring parity" by regulating nonprofit bail organizations, just as profit-based bail companies are regulated by the state.

The legislation's supporters are undoubtedly more motivated by the idea of keeping the accused behind bars so that they don't commit additional crimes while they're awaiting trial.

Yet there's no evidence that those released from jail with the help of The Bail Project offend at higher rates than those released by posting bail through a for-profit provider.

The Bail Project boasts that 95% of its clients have kept their pledge to appear in court.

Essentially, that's the rub: Supporters of House Bill 1300 want indigent arrestees to stay behind bars; opponents of the bill want them to have an equal chance at freedom.

Gov. Holcomb should stand on the right side of this legislation and hit it with a hard veto. If he signs, he'll block an avenue of relief for those victimized by a patently unfair bail system.
Mar. 13The BDN Editorial Board operates independently from the newsroom, and does not set policies or contribute to reporting or editing aticles elsewhere in the newspaper or on bangordailynews.com.

Congress acted just in time this past week to avoid a government shutdown. If you feel like you read about this happening merely a few weeks ago, you're not imagining it. It is something of a trend in Washington.

First, some good news: Lawmakers avoided the unnecessary pain of a shutdown. The spending bill includes more than $200 million for projects in Maine. It includes $14 billion in aid for Ukraine. And unlike shorter-term funding measures passed in September, December and February, this $1.5 trillion "omnibus" package of different spending areas provides funding through this coming September.

In theory, that gives appropriators somewhat of a chance to get back on schedule in terms of passing the 12 individual appropriations bills before the start of the next fiscal year. Recent history doesn't inspire much confidence that this will actually happen. But it should.

Lawmakers have consistently struggled to pass the individual appropriations bills on time. And, yet, apparently, they and their staff were able to consider and vote on an omnibus bill of more than 2,700 pages in less than two days.

Asked about the process of passing such a large bill with such little time for review, Republican Sen. John Thune of South Dakota, said that it "stinks." To be fair, the entire process has stunk for quite some time.

Here's what we had to say in February, when last month's continuing resolution (CR) reminded us of the movie "Groundhog Day":

"Congress needs to stop jumping from one shutdown deadline to another. It's a process that makes about as much sense as relying on a rodent to predict the weather every February," the editorial board wrote. "Sure, it almost seems normal at this point. But that doesn't mean it works."

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We had almost exactly the same thing to say in 2019:

"The federal government may not be experiencing the same day over and over, but it does seem trapped in an unproductive, irresponsible cycle of short-term funding bills that just barely avert a government shutdown," we wrote.

And sadly, not much has changed since March of 2011:

"Before this week's recess, Congress passed another continuing resolution  a measure to fund the government in the short term. This is the sixth continuing resolution since December 2010. The resolution will keep the government funded and operational for three weeks, at which time lawmakers likely will adopt another CR because they will be nowhere near addressing real budget problems," the editorial board wrote at the time. "Both parties agree that serious talks about the future of federal spending and the deficit should begin after the resolution is passed. They disagree, however, on what spending realms should be a priority. This can't be allowed to sidetrack this overdue work."

There continue to be real consequences to this broken budgeting process. Whether you're a dove or a hawk, want to shrink the size of government or think Congress should be spending more money to address unmet needs, there is something for everyone to hate in how this unfolds time and again.

"Operating under a CR or the possibility of a shutdown, or both, creates uncertainty, complicates agency operations, and leads to inefficiencies," a 2018 report from the U.S. Government Accountability Office said.

"The short-term bills neutralize the government's significant buying power. Inconsistent and uncertain payments to agencies force them to purchase fewer items at a time, rather than paying in advance for bulk orders at lower prices," Sean Kennedy, the director of policy and research at non-profit group Citizens Against Government Waste wrote in a recent opinion piece for the Hill. "New programs cannot be initiated, and agencies cannot alter existing acquisition plans on the fly. CRs create delays and raise costs for multi-year projects and disrupt the onboarding of new employees."

Again, it is a good thing that Congress reached a deal on the omnibus package (not another CR) and funded the government through September. The alternative of a shutdown was no alternative at all. But that doesn't change the fact that the overall budget process has been a lousy one.

Congress has a way of buying itself more time without spending it wisely. Lawmakers need to get the federal budget process back on track and stop jumping from one last-minute deal to the next.
(AFP via Getty Images)

By the time Joe Root and Jason Holder shook hands on a draw, with just one over to go, most of those watching - and probably those involved - had given up on this first Test. A draw that had been in the offing since day two was confirmed late on day five with something of a whimper.

England, to their credit, did their best to breathe life into the final day, scoring some runs in a hurry and then declaring their second innings on 349 for six to give West Indies a target of 286 off 71 overs. At various points, an ambitious victory felt on, especially when West Indies found themselves 67 for four with more than half the remaining overs to go. But Holder (37 from 101 deliveries) and Nkrumah Bonner (38 from 138), still glowing from his resilient 123 in the first innings, held firm and saw out a quiet end to 147 for four.

With Mark Wood unavailable, struggling with what the team spokesperson described as acute pain in his right elbow after bowling in the nets before play, it was a bold call to offer the hosts a chase of just over four an over while a bowler light. Wood had been out of action since lunch on day three and his participation for the next two Tests seems doubtful.

Jack Leach and Ben Stokes picked up the slack admirably, taking the wickets between them. The lion share belonged to Leach, whose three for 57 built on earlier figures of two for 79. The left-arm spinner, along with Jonny Bairstow (who scored 140 in the first innings), are two notable positives at the start of this red ball reset.

Having been behind for most of the previous four days, the tourists arrived on Saturday with a lead of 153 and enough overs to have a dash, declare and force 10 wickets on a pitch that had only produced two on day four.

That dash began in earnest once Zak Crawley was worked by Jason Holder for 121. Dan Lawrence came to the crease and showed his white ball extravagance, with some fine strokes over cover, along with a beautiful straight six off Holder for 37 off 36 deliveries. At the other end, Root was at his busy best, ticking over Test century number 24, moving second in the all-time England list above Kevin Pietersen (23), with Sir Alastair Cook (33) still away pit in front.

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But Lawrences skew to gully to end the stand on 70 was the first of four wickets to fall in the space 23 balls. Three of those were to Alzarri Joseph, which also included bowling Root around his legs and Foakes (1) through the gate, while Kemar Roachs disguised off-break had Ben Stokes caught in the deep by Shamarh Brooks.

Six wickets down, with the best part of two-and-a-half sessions remaining in the match, Englands second innings lead of 250 would have been a very generous declaration. Jonny Bairstow (15 not out) and Chris Woakes (18*) played it steady from then, until Root sprung a surprise by pulling them out to leave West Indies with 286 to get, and plenty of time to get them.

It took right to the end of the eighth over for the first chance to come, when John Campbells hack off a Leach delivery skewed over Crawleys head at slip. The 24-year-old got there having turned and dived, only to lose control of the ball upon impact with the ground. The miss all the more frustrating given Leach was opening the bowling to target the rough with the new ball and its prouder seam.

As the afternoon session wore on, it looked like near-misses were all England could muster, whether aerial shots just out of reach or umpires calls tending towards the on-field not out decisions. Leach in particular was clearly beginning to wonder if he could do anything more.

Then, at the start of the 26th over, Stokes was given a generous LBW against Kraigg Brathwaite (33) that should have been reviewed for missing leg stump. Leach finally had Campbell (22) in the next over, as the left-hander lost his nerve and tried to clear Craig Overton - the tallest man on the field - at wide mid off. And with the final ball before tea, Leach had another as Shamarh Brooks played back to one that turned and edged low to Crawley, who took a smart catch.

At 65 for three, with 221 remaining, England went into the final 38 overs knowing they could focus solely on attack with a West Indies win out of the question. Theyd also need a bit of willing among the remaining seven wickets. Enter, Jermaine Blackwood.

(AFP via Getty Images)

Only he would know why, in the second over of the final session, he thought it appropriate to try and heave Leach over square leg. He missed, was struck in front and, this time, the umpire raised his finger for Leach. Blackwoods review only served to confirm the predicted impact into leg stump and the stupidity of the shot.

The next mistakes would be Englands. An LBW shout against Holder was turned down and, with just one review remaining, the on-field brains trust decided against sending it upstairs. A few moments later, word got out to the middle that replays were showing three reds that, had they reviewed, would have made it 89 for five.

Four overs later, that review was gone, wasted on a caught behind on the same batter off the same bowler. The desperation to make amends akin to a gambler chasing their losses. At that point, the energy (and interest) began to dissipate from this encounter.

There was a momentary jolt when umpire Joel Wilson gave Nkrumah Bonner out off LBW after Overton had got one to deck into him. The first innings centurion reviewed immediately, knowing he had got a healthy bit of bat on ball, and continued on, defending or leaving all the way up to  deliveries to go with his 355 across day two and three.

A ball change with eight overs remaining kept England going, though the sight of Stokes charging in at the end felt like the sillier side of brave. With the second Test beginning in Barbados on Wednesday, getting Stokes to bend his back for a lost cause hardly seemed like the smartest idea given the talk before this match was of managing his workload.

Stokes ended up bowling 41 overs across both innings and looked incredibly weary as he sat in at leg slip through to stumps. Both he, everyone else involved in this match and especially those watching will hope the pitches to come are a lot better.
Courtesy of Aerotiques

Aerotiques is an English design company that turns retired Boeing 747 planes into household items.

The company has a team of four that creates collectibles like clocks, a cocktail bar, and bag tags.

Aerotiques' cofounder Darren Lewington says he loves "hearing people's stories about their time on the jumbo."

The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the retirement of many beloved commercial aircraft, like the Airbus A380, the Boeing 747, and the Boeing 777.

The final Airbus A380 bound for Emirates. Airbus-Lutz Borck

Even more iconic planes are disappearing from the skies earlier than planned as the coronavirus continues to wreak airline havoc

The Boeing 747, in particular, is an iconic jet that revolutionized air travel by making long-haul flying affordable for the first time.

KLM Boeing 747. Angel Di Bilio via Getty Images

Boeing will stop making the 747 after more than 51 years of passenger flight. Here's the history of how the iconic plane changed the world.

Airlines could cut fares by packing over 300 passengers in the double-decker plane, which had the lowest seat-mile cost in the industry at the time. The world's first Queen of the Skies flew in 1970 with Pan Am.

First Pan Am 747 in London after its maiden flight. -/AFP via Getty Images

Source: Insider

However, the pandemic has forced carriers to send the jumbo to the junkyard. Among them: British Airways

British Airways Boeing 747. Jed Leicester/Shutterstock

The iconic Boeing 747 is disappearing from the British Airways fleet after 49 storied years as the pandemic thrashes the airline industry

Qantas

Qantas 747. REUTERS/Daniel Munoz

Qantas just retired the iconic Boeing 747 with a commemorative last flight flown by the airline's first female captain who drew a kangaroo in the sky

and Virgin Atlantic Airways.

Virgin Atlantic Airways 747. Virgin Atlantic Airways

Richard Branson's Virgin Atlantic will cut thousands of jobs, retire its most iconic planes, and close one of its biggest bases as it fights to survive the pandemic

Nevertheless, several companies have found unique ways to keep the plane's legacy alive.

Delta Flight Museum 747. Delta Air Lines

Check out these 6 retired Boeing 747 jumbo jets that have been converted into flightless tourist attractions and entertainment venues

In February, Cotswold Airport in England opened its "party plane," which is a converted British Airways 747 that costs 1,000 ($1,310) per hour to rent.

Story continues

Boeing 747 "party plane." Cotswold Airport

The flightless Queen of the Skies has been renovated into an event space, complete with a dance floor, DJ, galley bar, and strobe lights.

Boeing 747 "party plane." Cotswold Airport

Several other organizations have also repurposed the mammoth jet, like Dive Bahrain's sunken 747 for diving tourism

Boeing 747 sunken off the coast of Bahrain. Dive Bahrain

Countries around the world have sunk aircraft like the Boeing 747 to boost diving tourism  here are 6 intentionally submerged planes

and Sweden's Jumbo Stay hotel that features rooms in the engines and wheelhouse.

Jumbo Stay 747 cockpit room. Edwin Remsberg / VWPics/Universal Images Group via Getty Images

This Jumbo Jet Was Transformed Into A Beautiful Hotel  And You Can Even Sleep In The Cockpit

While many entities are keeping the planes intact, one company has gone in a different direction.

Aerotiques sculpture in front of a British Airways 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

English design company Aerotiques buys old 747 aircraft sections from British Airways and Virgin Atlantic and turns the metal into collectibles like clocks, tables, and cufflinks.

Aerotiques 747 window panel. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

According to cofounder Darren Lewington, the business was started with the propeller from a Beechcraft plane.

Cirrus SR20 propellers (not from the Beechcraft). Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

"I was eyeing the old propeller for a while thinking I could polish it up and hang it in the office, but a few months later the spinner was gone," he explained. "Turns out, one of our maintenance workers, who is also named Darren, had done what I wanted to do for years."

Aerotiques inventory. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

The propeller was the first piece of a now successful small business that ships unique 747 memorabilia to all corners of the globe.

Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

The company has a team of four that design and hand-build each piece, Lewington told Insider. The process includes sawing the needed parts, which typically come from the aft fuselage or first class sections, and sculpting them into what the customer wants.

Aerotiques designers. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

"We sometimes get specific requests," he explained. "Once, we had a client who asked for the window from row 64K from a 747 they flew to New York."

Stripping a British Airways 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

The clocks are one of the most popular products made by Aerotiques, which can be mounted on walls

Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

or stood upright.

Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

However, the company creates dozens of other aircraft memorabilia from the 747 and different airplane types, like wine bottle holders...

Wine rack made out of a Piper rudder. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

...coffee tables...

Table from a 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

...cocktail tables...

Table from a 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

window panels

Window panels from 747s. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

and a specially made conference table made from a Boeing Stearman plane.

Aerotiques Boeing Stearman table. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Source: Aerotiques

Nothing goes to waste, he said, so small pieces are turned into things like bag tags...

Bag tags from 747s. Courtesy of Aerotiques

...cufflinks...

Cufflinks from 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

...bracelets...

Bracelet from 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

...and keychains.

Keychain from 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

Lewington told Insider that he is most proud of the work his company does to create items that tell a story.

Aerotiques shop in England. Courtesy of Aerotiques

"It's been fascinating hearing people's stories about their time on the jumbo," he said. "There have been people who've been on the holiday of a lifetime, lots of honeymoon trips, last flights, and first flights."

Stripping a Virgin Atlantic 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

For example, a couple who met on a specific British Airways 747 flight now lives in Malta with their children and Lewington's company created a piece from the exact 747 for their home's study.

Aerotiques clock (not the couple's clock). Courtesy of Aerotiques

Since the pandemic, Lewington said the company's turnover has quadrupled, with customers coming from word-of-mouth.

Stripping a Boeing 747. Courtesy of Aerotiques

"I thought when the pandemic hit that we would have a tough time," he told Insider. "However, we found that people who had disposable income because they weren't going out to eat or going on holiday would instead used the money to buy a little piece of history."

Courtesy of Aerotiques

Read the original article on Business Insider
Soon after the 9/11 attacks two decades ago, the FBI quietly launched an investigation into a seemingly obscure Saudi Arabian government bureaucrat in Southern California.

The man claimed to be nothing more than a Saudi aviation official who innocently happened to befriend two Islamic jihadists in the months before they carried out the 9/11 attacks.

That story now appears to be false. The alleged aviation official was really a Saudi spy who reported directly to a Saudi prince who happened to be the kingdoms influential ambassador in Washington and a close friend of President George W. Bush and other top U.S. government officials.

The FBI concluded five years ago that there was a "50/50 chance" that this Saudi spy knew ahead of time that the two Islamists he befriended were about to join the plot to hijack commercial jetliners and crash them into buildings in what turned out to be America's deadliest terrorist attack. But the FBI refused to go public with its findings  until now.

The story of the spy and the ambassador-prince emerged in recent days as the centerpiece of a startling series of revelations in a newly declassified FBI report that could shed light on a perplexing mystery that has long shadowed the 9/11 investigation:

Did Saudi government officials play a role in Americas deadliest terror attack?

If so, what sort of role?

And who else was involved?

While heavily redacted, the report offers the most direct link yet between the Saudi government, its secretive royal family and the team of 19 operatives of Osama bin Ladens al-Qaeda terror network who hijacked four jetliners on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. The terrorists crashed two jetliners into New Yorks World Trade Center, another into the Pentagon in Northern Virginia and a fourth, which was reportedly headed to the U.S. Capitol, into a farm field in Pennsylvania.

Nearly 3,000 people died in that mass murder-suicide scheme. But for two decades, a major question has shadowed the inquiry into how a band of 19 Islamic extremists pulled it off: Did the Saudi government offer assistance to the terrorists?

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Mike Kelly: The FBI begins to open its files on Saudi links to 9/11. What do they show?

Saudi spy connections detailed

The September 11 Commemoration Ceremony marks the 20th Anniversary of the attacks that took place on 9/11. The ceremony took place on the 9/11 Memorial Plaza at the World Trade Center site in lower Manhattan, NY on Sept 11, 2021.

A 510-page secret FBI report, written in 2017 and declassified last week without any fanfare by the FBI or Justice Department, concludes that the California-based Saudi spy, Omar al Bayoumi, not only helped several 9/11 hijackers to find housing in San Diego, but that there was a 50/50 chance he had advanced knowledge of their deadly plans.

For years, top FBI leaders and Justice Department officials kept this potentially explosive information secret, refusing to tell Congressional investigators, the 9/11 Commission and the more than 10,000 American citizens who had signed on to a massive federal lawsuit that seeks to link Saudi officials to 9/11.

The findings in the FBI report are coming to light just as the Biden administration is reportedly reaching out to several oil producing nations  including Saudi Arabia  to increase production and help curtail rising gas prices across the United States. Whether the FBIs report will impact negotiations with Saudi oil officials remains to be seen. But for decades, critics have pointed to Saudi Arabias oil reserves and their importance to the economies of many western nations as a reason the U.S. has not pushed harder for more information on alleged Saudi links to 9/11 and other Islamist-based terrorist attacks.

Before the 9/11 attacks, the FBI report says, Bayoumi was on the payroll of Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan Al Saud, the kingdoms influential U.S. ambassador who was so close to the Bush administration and visited the White House so often that he was nicknamed Bandar Bush.

The FBI concluded that Bayoumi regularly passed intelligence findings to Bandar. But the report does not say whether Bayoumi told Bandar that he had met with two members of Osama bin Ladens al-Qaeda terror network who had flown to California in early 2000 to begin preparations for attacks on Sept. 11, 2001.

Related: 9/11 hijackers were 'hiding in plain sight' before the 2001 attacks. How did they do it?

Bayoumi helped the two find an apartment in San Diego. He also introduced them to several members of a Saudi-financed mosque in Los Angeles.

The two al-Qaeda operatives later made their way to northern New Jersey, where they met with other 9/11 conspirators, rented cars, opened bank accounts and postal boxes, exercised at a local gym and hung out at Macy's and other stores at the Willowbrook Mall in Wayne.

The FBI report does not say whether Bayoumi knew they left California  or, if he did, whether he offered them advice on how to travel to New Jersey. Nor does the report say whether Bayoumi ever told Prince Bandar whether he knew about the 9/11 attacks before they took place.

Compiled after years of outspoken concerns and criticism from 9/11 victims about a possible Saudi connection to the plot, the report and its findings were kept secret by FBI and Justice Department officials until late last week. The report was released as part of an ongoing executive order by President Joe Biden last September to declassify the FBIs trove of 9/11 investigative files.

In the days leading up to the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks last September, Biden had been under intense pressure by 9/11 victims and their relatives, along with several key members of Congress, to release the FBIs secret investigative files. Some victims and relatives even threatened to stage protests or boycotts at 9/11 anniversary ceremonies if Biden showed up without ordering the FBI to open its files.

Former FDNY Chief John Dunne was one of the first to formally propose that Mychal Judge be named a saint of the Catholic Church. Judge, the FDNY fire chaplain, was killed in the 9/11 attacks. His grave in Totowa has become an unofficial shrine. Dunne visited the grave for the first time with Father Chris Keenan who replaced Judge as the FDNY Chaplain and was a friend and colleague of Judge. They both visited the gravesite in Totowa, NJ on August 24, 2021.

Since Bidens executive order, the FBI has declassified a steady trickle of files. But few of the documents offered much insight into the long-rumored Saudi link to the 9/11 plot  until last week.

Clear evidence of a conspiracy between bin Ladens jihadists and Saudi officials has long been scarce. These latest revelations could change that, advocates say. And, if nothing else, this latest report offers one of the most startling glimpses yet into the shadow world of spies and terrorists -- and Saudi royalty.

Its exactly what weve been saying, said James Kreindler, one of the lead attorneys in a lawsuit by more than 10,000 9/11 victims and relatives against the Saudi government. Saudi government officials at a high level were integral to the 9/11 attacks.

The Saudi Arabian embassy in Washington  and their American attorneys in the lawsuit  did not respond to requests for comment. The White House did not respond either. The FBIs media office in Washington said in an email: We have no comment on the documents.

Prince Bander, 73 who is now retired after moving from his U.S. ambassadorship to the head of the Saudi intelligence service and the Saudi National Security Council, and Bayoumi, 63, both live in Saudi Arabia. They could not be reached for comment.

Victims' families, former agent angered

Former FBI agent Mark Rossini in front Congress Inn in South Hackensack, NJ where 9/11 hijackers Khalid al Mihdhar and Namaf al Hazmi checked in on July 13, 2001. Rossini says that when he was an FBI agent he and a colleague knew of a terrorist meeting in Malaysia but wasnt allowed to notify the CIA because sharing information between the agencies was illegal at that time.

The revelations about Bandar and Bayoumi drew an angry response, not just from 9/11 victims and their relatives, but from a former FBI agent who tried to sound an alarm during the summer of 2001 after he found evidence that al-Qaeda operatives had secretly entered the United States.

This latest report just shows what we have known all along, but disgustingly has taken 20 years to finally be disclosed, said Mark Rossini, an FBI counter-terror expert assigned in 2001 to the CIAs Alec Station team, which was tracking several al-Qaeda operatives but deliberately did not alert the FBI when a terrorist team entered the U.S.

Rossini, who was reached at his home in Spain where he has lived since leaving the FBI in 2008 after pleading guilty to illegally accessing files on a case unrelated to 9/11, claims he was ordered by CIA officials and threatened with federal charges if he bucked orders and told the FBI about the presence of al-Qaeda terrorists on U.S. soil.

Neither the CIA nor the FBI has ever explained why they did not cooperate on what now seems to be such a basic piece of an important counter-terror investigation  and, therefore, may have prevented the 9/11 attacks.

Brett Eagleson of Middletown, Connecticut, who lost his father in the collapse of the Trade Center's twin towers in lower Manhattan, said the new evidence is a major step forward in the long legal and public relations battle to not only draw attention to Saudi Arabias possible links to 9/11 but hold the kingdoms royal family and other officials accountable.

Column continues below gallery.

For 20 years weve seen a helluva lot of smoke, said Eagleson, who has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of Saudi Arabia among the 9/11 victims and relatives in their lawsuit against the kingdom. I think weve just found the fire.

Names of sources and other identifying details in the FBI report are blacked out. Many of the 510 pages consist mostly of lines drawn through entire sentences and even paragraphs. But enough information remains to outline the seemingly strange connection between the spy (Bayoumi), the prince (Bandar) and two rag-tag Saudi-born members of al-Qaedas terrorist network, Khalid al Mihdhar and Nawaf al Hazmi.

Mihdhar and Hazmi were well known al-Qaeda operatives long before they joined the team of 19 hijackers who carried out the 9/11 plot. In 2000, the CIA tracked Mihdhar and Hazmi from the Middle East to an apartment in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia where they met with other members of bin Ladens network.

What the CIA did not know at the time was that the initial plans were hatched in that meeting to hijack commercial jetliners in America and crash them into buildings  the essential ingredients of the massive attack on Sept. 11, 2001 that caught America by surprise and transformed U.S. foreign policy.

After leaving the Kuala Lumpur apartment gathering, Mihdhar and Hazmi flew to Bangkok, Thailand. With U.S. travel visas in hand, both caught a flight to Los Angeles  not knowing that CIA agents were tailing them.

After Mihdhar and Hazmi landed in Los Angeles, they were soon met by Bayoumi, who helped them find an apartment and introduced them to a handful of Saudis also living in Southern California.

The CIA had no legal authority to continue tracking the two terrorists inside the United States. By law, the CIA is strictly confined to overseas spy operations. Critics have long claimed the CIA should have called in the FBI and its domestic counter-terror squads. But the CIA remained silent and has never explained why it did not immediately summon the FBI.

During the summer of 2001, Mihdhar and Hazmi moved to northern New Jersey, settling into the Congress Inn motel on Route 46 in South Hackensack and other area motels and apartments. From there, they met with other 9/11 hijackers, including the ringleader, Mohamed Atta, who lived for various periods at motels in Wayne, New Jersey.

A few weeks before the 9/11 attacks, the CIA finally told the FBI that al-Qaeda operatives were on the loose inside America. By then, it was too late to stop them, however. Mihdhar and Hazmi had disappeared with other members of the 9/11 plot.

After the 9/11 attacks, FBI investigators focused attention on Bayoumi and other Saudis in Southern California. But none was ever arrested.

Bayoumi left the United States and returned to Saudi Arabia not long after the 9/11 attacks. While in America, he was described in the FBI report as a co-optee of the Saudi General Intelligence Presidency who was paid an undisclosed monthly stipend by Prince Bandar. The FBI report, however, does not say whether Bayoumi ever spoke directly with Prince Bandar or communicated by email.

But the report also offers this glimpse on Bayoumis role as a spy and his connection to Prince Bandar: The information AlBayoumi (sic) obtained on persons of interest in the Saudi community in Los Angeles and San Diego and other issues, which met certain GIP intelligence requirements, would be forwarded to Bandar. Bander would then inform GIP of items of interest to the GIP for further investigation/vetting or follow up.

The 9/11 Commission investigated Bayoumis links to Mihdhar and Hazmi before releasing its best-selling report 2004. But neither Saudi officials nor the FBI and the CIA ever spelled out to Commission investigators the extent of Bayoumis work as a spy or his connection to Prince Bandar.

Reached this week, the Commissions chairman, Tom Kean, the former New Jersey governor, said his investigators never learned that Bayoumi was a spy.

If thats true Id be upset by it, Kean said in a telephone interview, adding, The FBI said it wasnt withholding anything and we believed them.

But Kean also cautioned against jumping to conclusions about the extent of Saudi involvement in the 9/11 plot.

I think you have to take a look at the evidence, he said.

The FBI report also does not explain when it formally concluded that Bayoumi was, in fact, a spy. In the years after the 9/11 attacks, a number of media reports speculated that Bayoumi might have worked for the Saudi intelligence service. But there was no formal declaration of Bayoumis role until now.

This is scary, said Jerry S. Goldman, a New York-based attorney who represents 500 victims in the federal lawsuit against Saudi Arabia. According to the allegation in the FBI report, the Saudi ambassador is dealing with a guy who dealt with terrorists?

Tim Frolich, who grew up in Little Falls, New Jersey, and escaped from the 80th floor of the South Tower of the World Trade Center after it was struck by a hijacked jetliner, said the latest revelations confirmed long suspicions about Saudi links to terrorism. But Frolich, who worked as an accountant for Fuji Bank in the South Tower, also harshly criticized the FBI for withholding the details about Bayoumi for so many years.

This information obviously should have been out to the family members and to the American public long before now, said Frolich who lives in Brooklyn. Certainly the FBI knew a whole lot more than what they said.

Sharon Premoli, who moved to Vermont from her home in Jersey City after escaping from the 80th floor of the North Tower where she worked as a vice president for a financial marketing firm, said she has long suspected that the FBI knew much more than it was telling about the Saudi links to the 9/11 attacks.

Knowing what we already know, she said, how is it possible that we continue to nurture this relationship with Saudi Arabia?

As for the FBI and its decision to hold back for years what it knew about the spy and the prince and the terrorists, Premoli said: We feel abandoned.

Mike Kelly is an award-winning columnist for NorthJersey.com. To get unlimited access to his insightful thoughts on how we live life in New Jersey, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

Email: kellym@northjersey.com

Twitter: @mikekellycolumn

This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: 9/11: FBI links Saudi Arabia spy to attacks on Sept. 11
Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon Kennedy.

The political battle over redistricting in Ohio was at the forefront of comments made by elected officials during the annual Marion County Republican Party's Harding Day Dinner on Thursday evening in Waldo.

The Ohio Supreme Court has rejected two statehouse maps proposed by Republicans on the Ohio Redistricting Commission and one congressional map. The high court is currently reviewing the latest version of both maps.

Activist groups, including the National Redistricting Action Fund, led by former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, and the American Civil Liberties Union, have filed lawsuits against the maps.

Calling the issue "the fight of our life," Ohio Supreme Court Justice Sharon L. Kennedy delivered a stern message to her fellow GOP members on Thursday evening, stating that she believes that groups like the one led by Holder and ActBlue, a non-profit technology organization that assists with fundraising efforts for Democratic Party candidates and progressive groups, are attempting to unduly influence the process in Ohio.

"Every year I tell you how important it is to think about the judicial branch," Kennedy said. "The impact they have on your daily life. Many people don't see it and they still don't understand, but I'll use one state's name; Pennsylvania, where a secretary of state changed election day in violation of the constitution and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court rubber-stamped it, and said, 'Oh well. We're going to give you more days.'

"That is what's happening with ActBlue. That is what's happening with Eric Holder and that is what's happening right now in Ohio because they were fighting to put judges on the Ohio Supreme Court that would do what they're doing with redistricting."

Kennedy, who is running for chief justice on the court this year, has opposed striking down GOP-approved statehouse and congressional maps that have come before the court. The court, which has a Republican majority, has so far ruled that all the maps submitted have been unconstitutionally gerrymandered. Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor, a Republican who cannot seek reelection because of age, has sided with the court's three Democrats in each of those decisions.

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Kennedy is facing Democratic Justice Jennifer Brunner in November for the chief justice position. Republicans last fall called on Brunner to recuse herself from redistricting cases for speaking out on the issue during her campaign.

Brunner Campaign spokesman Chris Davey said Kennedy's comments were concerning.

When a candidate for Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court calls pending litigation about the constitutionality of Ohios districts the fight of our life, shes obviously conveying her views about the case," Davey said in a statement. "Criticizing the founder of one of the organizations bringing the action raises serious questions about whether Justice Kennedy can be impartial. She should recuse herself and do it now."

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose was the keynote speaker at the Marion County Republican Party's Harding Day Dinner on Thursday, March 10, 2022, in Waldo. LaRose expressed concerns about the current congressional redistricting process in Ohio.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose, who was the keynote speaker for the Marion County GOP event, said he believes that the Ohio Supreme Court has "waded into an inherently political matter" with its rulings on the state's congressional maps. He noted that the U.S. Supreme Court has, in his opinion, "been wise" in regard to the issue of redistricting when it has reached that court.

"Redistricting is an inherently political process," LaRose said. "The U.S. Supreme Court has been wise to steer clear of redistricting because there's no bright line test that you can look at in the law as it relates to this. ... In recent years, repeatedly, including just recently in a court case involving North Carolina, the U.S. Supreme Court has said, 'We are the apolitical branch of government. We don't do politics. We read black and white letter of the law and we interpret that, and that's what we do.'

LaRose is one of the seven members of the Ohio Redistricting Commission and voted in favor of the maps the court has rejected.

"I think, in hindsight, the Ohio Supreme Court has gotten a little too deep into a process that is an inherently political process, but again, there are individuals that are elected to the Ohio Supreme Court, I respect the rule of law, and they're empowered to be able to do what they do."

LaRose echoed Kennedy's concerns about the influence of left-leaning activist groups on the redistricting process in Ohio and other states.

"They go to the east coast and they go to the west coast and they raise a bunch of money on false claims about voter suppression and this kind of thing," he said. "Then they want to come into a state like Ohio and pour in a bunch of money to try and put a liberal activist in charge of elections, to be very candid. I don't think you want an activist secretary of state. I don't think you want an activist Republican; I don't think you want an activist Democrat."

State Rep. Riordan McClain, R-Upper Sandusky, said he believes that the Ohio Supreme Court is overstepping its authority in regard to congressional redistricting.

"I think that the Supreme Court has not interpreted the ballot initiative (passed by state voters in 2018) correctly and has really interjected itself into the process here," McClain said. "We have 10-year maps and then we have a fall back of a 4-year map if we can't get to that 10-year bipartisan agreement that we all hoped we would. I am concerned that we're going to have perpetual 4-year maps into the future seeing how this process played out.

"I think we need to take a look at it and how we can make it better, how we can improve this process to make sure that we get through it in a much more bipartisan, a much more clean process than what we saw this time, because it was certainly not what anybody intended."

State Rep. Tracy Richardson, R-Marysville, said she's concerned that the redistricting process has become "a circus" and that any potential delays will have an adverse effect on the integrity of the election process.

"I have to say, it really raises an eyebrow and makes me question the direction that we're going," Richardson said. "I know that the Redistricting Commission did the work they were asked to do and twice the (Ohio Supreme Court) has found it not to meet the standard as identified in the (Ohio) constitution. I would say this kind of delay does not serve the people of the state well, and I would genuinely urge (the Ohio Supreme Court) not only to rule, but to rule in favor of the recommendation of the Redistricting Commission."

This article originally appeared on Marion Star: Justice Kennedy expresses concerns about Ohio redistricting
STORY: A video uploaded on social media by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine on Sunday (March 13) shows crews battling the blaze and residents being taken out of the building down an external emergency ladder, one of them carried on a stretcher.

The location of the video was verified by buildings, including a new real estate development, which matched file images, street-view and satellite imagery.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops are trying to surround Ukrainian forces as they advance from the port of Mariupol in the south and the second city Kharkiv in the north, the UK Defence Ministry said on Sunday.

British intelligence also said Russian forces advancing from Crimea, which Russia annexed from Ukraine in 2014, were trying to circumvent Mykolaiv as they look to drive west towards Odessa.
Good morning. Heres whats happening:

Prices: Bitcoin, ether and other major cryptocurrencies had an off weekend as fighting in Ukraine intensified.

Insights: South Korean President-elect Yoon Suk-yeol promised a crypto-friendly administration. Now comes the hard part.

Technician's take: BTC upside could be limited with the potential for higher volatility next week.

Catch the latest episodes of CoinDesk TV for insightful interviews with crypto industry leaders and analysis. And sign up for First Mover, our daily newsletter putting the latest moves in crypto markets in context.

Prices

Bitcoin (BTC): $37,783 -3.3%

Ether (ETH): $2,512 -2.9%

Top Gainers

Asset Ticker Returns Sector Cardano ADA +0.8% Smart Contract Platform

Top Losers

Crypto spends a weekend in the red

Russia's invasion of Ukraine raged on over the weekend, and investors continued to watch events with trepidation .

At the time of publication, bitcoin was trading at about $37,800, off about 3% from where it started the weekend. Ether was trading at approximately $2,500, also down roughly 3% for the same period. Most other major altcoins were in the red.

Since Russia began its unprovoked attack, bitcon has risen and dipped within the $37,000 to $45,000 price range that it entered in late January. "It's been another range-bound, indecisive week for Bitcoin and the crypto markets where the market leader has failed to make any meaningful headway on the upside," wrote Joe DiPasquale, the CEO of fund manager BitBull Capital, in a text to CoinDesk. He added: "The current price action is typical during bearish phases, as was seen in May, June and July, and often precedes strong price bottoms."

Cryptos have largely followed the performance of equity markets, which have dropped significantly in recent months and turned particularly edgy as Ukraine turned into a tinderbox. The economic fallout has troubled a global economy that was already struggling to address logistical bottlenecks, workforce shortages for key positions, rising energy prices and wider inflationary concerns. A crypto executive order by the Biden Administration that sent bitcoin into the mid $40,000 range now seems way in the past.

Story continues

U.S. gas prices rose to $4.33 per gallon late in the week, smashing the previous record of $4.08 set in 2008 during the Great Recession and nearly $1.50 higher than the price a year ago, according to the American Automobile Association (AAA). On Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that U.S. inflation had accelerated in February to a fresh four-decade high of 7.9%. Investors fear that sanctions against Russia, a major global supplier of oil, could send prices even higher.

Crytpo's weekend performance followed another series of Ukraine horrors. Early Sunday, a Russian missile strike on a Ukraine military training center just 10 miles from the border to Poland killed 35 people, according to multiple reports, and threatened to spread the conflict beyond Ukraine borders. Earlier during the weekend, Russia said that it viewed efforts to supply Ukraine as "legitimate targets." A U.S. journalist was killed on Sunday while reporting from a Kyiv suburb.

Meanwhile, the U.S. and other countries that have condemned the invasion have continued to look for ways to ratchet up their sanctions, and a growing list of major global brands have said they will no longer do business in Russia.

"The teetering of crypto prices near a price point that led to lows over the last month is also related to uncertainty over the military actions between Russia and Ukraine," DiPasquale said. "Just as equities markets have been vacillating, crypto markets have largely done the same."

But DiPasquale said the U.S. central bank's Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) decision Tuesday on interest rates would be "very interesting for markets."

"Volatility is a certainty, but whether the market will rise or fall will depend on what the Fed comes out with," he said.

Markets

S&P 500: 4,204 -1.3%

DJIA: 32,944 -0.6%

Nasdaq: 12,843 -2.1 %

Gold: $1,985 -0.5%

Insights

Housing prices, economic inequality and feminism were issues at the core of South Koreas recent election  its closest in recent history  and so was crypto.

For both parties, crypto was an unusually noticeable policy plank in an election where arguably more important issues, such as the lack of affordable housing, was center stage in a country anxious about a slowing economy and rising inequality.

The Democratic Partys Lee Jae-myung pledged to offer a framework for security token offerings (STO) and a national tokenization project that would allow for some sort of social dividend paid out by real estate speculators. Lee also promised a digital asset management and supervision agency.

Yoon Suk-yeol, the conservative candidate who won the election, said he would take legal measures to confiscate crypto profits gained through illegitimate means and return them to the victims."

As the campaign wore on, some of these promises wore out.

Lees digital asset management and supervision agency was unspecific, particularly how responsibilities would differ and not overlap with the existing Financial Supervision Commission. Eventually, this was toned down in campaign literature to a monitoring agency.

For Yoons part, his digital asset promotion agency didn't have much specificity and was eventually dropped from campaign literature.

The question is, six months down the road when the Yoon presidency needs to introduce legislative motions, will crypto be a priority? Yoons campaign has been accused playing on the anxiety of the nation's chauvinistic men regarding South Koreas rocky economic changes and rising feminism in order to gain a few points at the polls. Whats to say the same cant be said about his crypto policy?

After all, the Biden administrations much-awaited executive order on crypto, which was expected to come down harshly on the digital assets industry (many prominent Democrats, such as Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, arent fans), wasnt much to worry about. In fact, it was a win for the industry.

The point is, when polls are close, politicians will use crypto as a way to score some points with the electorate. Crypto still isnt mainstream enough to affect the masses like housing prices. It still makes many voters eyes glaze over at the thought. It doesnt hit a nerve like housing prices or income inequality.

Although crypto was important during this contentious election, whether it makes it through to a bill and then legislation that is enacted is another question entirely. There are probably more pressing issues to worry about for lawmakers now that the election is over.

Technician's take

Bitcoin Weighed Down by Resistance; Support at $35K-$37K

ETH/BTC price ratio, weekly chart (Damanick Dantes/CoinDesk, TradingView)

Bitcoin (BTC) continues to struggle within a choppy trading range between $37,000 and $45,000. The cryptocurrency is roughly flat over the past week, although the loss of upside momentum could keep sellers active over the short term.

The downward sloping 100-day moving average, currently at $43,300, has weighed on price action over the past few months. That indicates a downtrend, evidenced by a series of lower price highs since November.

While the downtrend has stabilized within a tight trading range, a lower price high from March 2 indicates limited upside beyond $46,000.

Meanwhile, higher price lows from Jan. 23 have kept BTC anchored above $37,000 support in recent months. A series of higher price lows and strong overhead resistance, however, typically results in a breakout or breakdown in the direction of the prevailing trend. In this case, BTCs downtrend could resume with higher volatility.

On the other hand, downside exhaustion signals are starting to appear across global equities, especially in Europe and Asia. That could lead to a brief short-squeeze in speculative assets next week, albeit with limited upside.

Important events

South by Southwest (SXSX)

8 a.m. HKT/SGT(12 a.m. UTC): Spain retail sales (Jan. YoY)

8 a.m. HKT/SGT(12 a.m. UTC): Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) economic forecasts

3:30 p.m. HKT/SGT(7:30 a.m. UTC): U.S. 3- and 6-month bill auctions

CoinDesk TV

In case you missed it, here is the most recent episode of "First Mover" on CoinDesk TV:

Bitcoin Jumps to $40K as Putin Sees Positive Shift in Ukraine Talks, Russia Could Nationalize Western Businesses

Russian President Vladimir Putin sees "certain positive shifts" in talks with Ukraine. This comes as Ukraine continues to put up a strong resistance against Russia. Pavel Kravchenko, on the ground in Ukraine, a co-founder of crypto software firm Distributed Lab, joins "First Mover" to share the latest from that region. Timothy Massad, former CFTC chairman and Harvard University Kennedy School of Government Research Fellow, weighs in on the impact of the economic warfare on Russia and U.S. President Joe Biden's crypto executive order on digital assets. Plus, crypto markets analysis from David Gan of OP Crypto.

Headlines

Bitcoin-Banning Measure Seen Too Close to Call in Tomorrow's EU Parliament Vote: Still, people familiar with the matter said a slim majority of parliamentarians could defeat a controversial new MiCA provision that seeks to force proof-of-work cryptocurrencies to shift to more energy-friendly consensus mechanisms.

Ukraine Asks Tether to Halt All Transactions With Russians; Tether Demurs: The vice prime minister of the embattled country has made similar requests with a number of western companies as well as major crypto exchanges.

Bitcoin Miners February Production Fell on Shorter Month, Winter Storm: Mining power increased for most miners from the previous month as miners continue their growth plans.

After Doxxing Fracas, Bored Apes Team Starts Asking for Customer ID: About a month after Buzzfeed News revealed the identities of its founders, Yuga Labs has started requesting customers personal information for an unspecified new project.

Biden's Executive Order on Crypto Receives Bipartisan Praise: The White House unveiled a "whole-of-government" approach to digital assets earlier this week, the president's press secretary said.





Longer reads

Elizabeth Warren and the Mysticism of the Crypto-Skeptics: What Jean-Paul Sartre can teach doubters who continue to poo-poo this technology based on limited reasoning.

Today's crypto explainer: NFT Scams: How to Avoid Falling Victim

Other voices: Crypto firms under attack for sticking with Russia (Politico)

Said and heard

"A layer 1 blockchain called Juno is on the verge of doing something radical: taking away tens of millions of dollars worth of a holders tokens using an on-chain vote by other users." (CoinDesk columnist David Z. Morris) ... "We agree the executive order is an important milestone. But whether it promotes its stated objective of innovation that works for all Americans, protects our national security interests and contributes to our economic competitiveness and growth depends on the follow through." (Matthew Homer and Paul Watkins for CoinDesk) ... Though prices are getting attractive, and Im a buyer not a seller in times like these, it appears the biggest discounts are still ahead. (Placeholder venture capital partner and Cryptoassets co-author Chris Burniske) ... Nearly 78% of all vehicles sold last year were SUVs and trucks, a stark reversal from a decade ago when those types of vehicles accounted for about 55% of total U.S. industry sales, according to data analytics firm Wards Intelligence. Auto executives are bullish on boosting sales of EVs, but the selection on dealership lots is still limited. (The Wall Street Journal on a dearth of fuel efficient vehicles for purchase)
Sunday Morning Features host Maria Bartiromo drew fire on Twitter from a prominent MSNBC host and others after she claimed that some Americans were questioning whether President Joe Biden truly views Russias Vladimir Putin as an adversary.

Bartiromo made the comments on Fox and Friends, the networks flagship morning show, on Sunday while interviewing Sen Lindsey Graham. Mr Graham, a longtime loyalist of former President Donald Trump, has been a chief purveyor of the bizarre claim that Mr Trumps administration was somehow putting up a stronger resistance to Mr Putins whims than does the Biden White House.

I was on the phone all weekend with various people about this conflict right now. What I took away from all of my phone calls is the strategy of this administration has been underwhelming and not enough, she told Mr Graham.

The anchor added: Some people have told me over the weekend that they feel that at the end of the day this administration does not see Putin as the enemy, they see him as a partner on many issues.

That comment drew pushback on Twitter from a number of critics, including MSNBCs Stephanie Ruhle who launched into a personal criticism of Bartiromos career arc.

For every female business journalist watching this downward spiral, its like believing in Batman all your life & then one day realizing  hes actually The Joker, wrote the MSNBC host.

Others were equally disdainful in their criticism. A professor at the US Army War College, Steve Metz, wrote: Some people have told me that they feel that Maria Bartiromo is an idiot.

Former Rep Joe Walsh, a voice on the anti-Trump conservative right, tweeted at Bartiromo directly and accused her of feeding her audience lies.

The Fox hosts comments are illuminative as they are another example of the divide that exists on the US political right on the issue of Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine. Her remarks, which she did not attribute to her own views, nevertheless specifically fall into the same vein as criticism of the Biden administration that has been levelled by the likes of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and other establishment-aligned Republicans as well as some centrist Democrats who have outpaced the White House in calls for further action to be taken against Moscow and Russias economy. Mr Graham is another member of that camp, having joined the chorus of GOP lawmakers who have charged that an invasion of Ukraine by Russia would not have occurred under the presidency of Donald Trump.

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That wing of the party lies in direct opposition to the growing far-right of the GOP, whose prominent voices like Fox News host Tucker Carlson have taken a far more sympathetic tone towards Mr Putin. At a far-right alternative to the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) hosted by a white nationalist and attended by two members of Congress last month attendees were heard enthusiastically chanting Mr Putins name during a speech.

Mr Trump himself has continued following his long-held reluctance to criticise Mr Putin amid the invasion and referred to a deployment of Russian troops to separatist regions shortly before the war began as a genius move by the Russian leader.

Those comments and actions taken by Mr Trump throughout his presidency have detracted from the arguments of Mr Graham and other Republicans who strangely continue to insist that the president who famously took Mr Putins side against US intelligence agencies regarding the culprits behind election interference in 2016 would have prevented the invasion of Ukraine.
Canada launches anti-dumping probe into oil country tubular goods from Vietnam

The Canadian Border Services Agency (CBSA) has launched an anti-dumping probe and review into oil country tubular goods (OCTG) imported from India, Taiwan (China), Indonesia, the Republic of Korea, Thailand, Turkey, and Vietnam, according to the Trade Remedies Authority of Vietnam(TRAV).



The TRAV stated that the CBSA had imposed anti-dumping tax on OCTG imported from the Vietnamese market and a number of other countries since 2014, with tax rates of 37.4% being applied to Vietnam.




You are here: World

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France will start offering on Monday a fourth COVID-19 vaccination shot to people over 80 years old who have received their booster dose, French Prime Minister Jean Castex told daily Le Parisien in an interview published on Saturday.

The vaccination campaign will also be extended to people having an immunocompromised system who were not eligible for the vaccine until now, Le Parisien reported.

Of France's 4.1 million people over the age of 80, 3.1 million have already had the booster shot, it said.

France is witnessing a rebound of COVID-19 cases. The National Health Agency on Saturday reported 72,443 new cases.

France is to drop the vaccine pass requirement before entering public spaces and indoor mask mandate on Monday.

Despite the easing of restrictions, the prime minister said that he strongly recommended fragile people keep the mask on in indoor and crowded areas.
Brandon L. Wilson has been charged four times in St. Clair County with driving under the influence of alcohol in little more than 12 years.

The latest round of charges stems from a collision in Belleville that claimed the life of a 35-year-old mother of two. He was arrested three days later in his hospital room while already serving probation for one of his previous DUIs.

Two of Wilsons DUIs had been dismissed in St. Clair County court, either as part of a plea bargain or through his completion of court-ordered alcohol treatment and community service.

His fourth and most recent round of charges, however, is the first to include a count of reckless homicide in the death Ashley Dancy.

Police say Wilson, 36, of Freeburg, was driving his Honda Ridgeline eastbound on South 74th Street at 10:34 a.m. on Feb. 27 when he ran into a 2015 Nissan sedan driven by Dancy, who was stopped at a traffic light.

The force of the collision pushed Dancys car into the intersection with Illinois 15, where it was struck by a northbound Buick Envision. Dancy was transported to a Saint Louis University Hospital, where she was later pronounced dead.

Ashley Dancy, a 35-year-old mother and aspiring nurse, was killed in a collision in Belleville on Feb. 27.

Wilson was arrested on March 2 at St. Elizabeths Hospital in OFallon, where he had been recovering from his own injuries. He was charged with four counts of aggravated driving under the influence, one count of reckless homicide and one count of driving on a revoked license.

Wilsons attorney Brian Polinske declined to comment Thursday.

The first DUI

Wilsons history with alcohol-related charges dates back to November of 2009 when, St. Clair County court records show, he faced his first DUI charge.

The Illinois State Police trooper who arrested him in 2009 wrote in a sworn report that Wilson had been stopped on the side of the road in Lenzburg. It was around 4:30 a.m. The report states that Wilsons blood alcohol content was 0.137%. A driver with 0.08% or higher is considered legally impaired.

Wilson was placed on court supervision for two years and was required to pay a $1,000 fine, receive alcohol treatment and attend a Mothers Against Drunk Driving victim impact panel.

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He successfully completed alcohol treatment and was freed from court supervision with his DUI case dismissed. In Illinois, completion of court supervision means a person will not have a conviction on his or her driving record.

Above the legal limit

Wilsons second DUI charge came eight years later in August of 2017.

A Smithton police officer arrested Wilson in 2017 in Freeburg. The officers sworn report states Wilson had been driving northbound in the southbound lane of Illinois 159, ran off the right side of the road twice and crossed the center line. It was around 2:30 a.m. Wilsons blood alcohol content was 0.138%, according to the officers report.

In May of 2019, Wilson was charged with reckless driving, leaving the scene of an accident, failure to notify police of damage to an unattended vehicle, operating an uninsured motor vehicle and driving on a suspended license.

Dismissed with a plea deal

A third DUI charge was brought against him in September of 2020.

An Illinois State Police trooper arrested Wilson at 2:15 a.m. in Freeburg. The troopers report stated Wilson ran a red light and was swerving over the center line and that he had vomit on his shirt and pants and the interior and exterior of his truck.

But that DUI charge was dismissed as part of a plea agreement on the 2017 DUI and the 2019 reckless driving charges.

Under the agreement for the 2017 DUI, Wilson paid a $1,600 fine, was sent to alcohol treatment and another MADD victim impact panel and performed 240 hours of community service. He also received a conditional discharge, a type of probation that is supervised by the court instead of a probation officer, until June 28, 2022.

Wilson entered into that plea deal in June of 2021. The St. Clair County States Attorney levied three more counts of aggravated DUI against him less than nine months later, with the additional charge of reckless homicide in connection to Dancys death.

He is being held at the St. Clair County Jail on $500,000 bond. Polinske, his attorney, has asked the court to reduce Wilsons bond.
Cheyanne Kelly (center, in blue) speaks at a press conference calling for more transparency from LMPD in the death of Jordan Griffith. March 12, 2022

Friends and family members of Jordan Griffith, who died following a police pursuit earlier this month, are calling on Louisville Metro Police to be more transparent about the circumstances of his death.

At a press conference Saturday afternoon in downtown Louisville, Cheyanne Kelly, who shared a child with Griffith, asked anyone who may have video footage of the incident that led to his death to come forward.

She said LMPD hasn't passed along enough information about the incident to Griffith's family members and others who knew him.

"We haven't gotten to see every single detail," Kelly said. "...We know that there might be some more answers out there."

Griffith died at just after 2 p.m. on March 2 following a traffic stop LMPD said it initiated because of multiple active felony warrants. He "failed to yield to LMPD officers," according to a release that day from department spokeswoman Angela Ingram, and wrecked near the GE Appliance Park in the 1900 block of Buechel Bank Road.

Saturday headlines: Another person housed at Louisville Metro Corrections dies; seventh death since November

Death investigation

In LMPD's release, Ingram said he died by suicide at the scene as officers established a perimeter around his car. No officers were injured or fired their weapons, Ingram said at the time. LMPD's Public Integrity Unit is currently investigating the incident.

A release from the Jefferson County Coroner's Office on March 3 cited Griffith's cause of death as a self-inflicted gunshot wound, directing all further questions to LMPD.

In a statement provided Friday to The Courier Journal, LMPD said it was "aware of false information circulating on social media" regarding the circumstances and aftermath of the pursuit and said officers had met with Griffith's immediate family members following his death and shared body camera footage, which has not yet been made publicly available pending the PIU's investigation.

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The department did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday when asked when more information about the case could be released.

Griffith was a father with two children, speakers at Saturday's press conference said. His immediate family members are of Cuban descent and speak Spanish, multiple speakers added, which has caused communication issues with authorities investigating the case.

Several protests have taken place at the site of the crash along Buechel Bank Road in the days since his death.

The family has seen one clip of body camera footage from the incident, said family friend Tonara Bell, who described Griffith as a "giver." But Bell and others said several officers were on the scene and pushed for more footage to be provided, calling on nearby GE Appliance Park to provide any video it may have, as well.

Saturday's press conference took place the same day several other events were planned around Louisville to remember Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman shot and killed by police during an LMPD raid at her apartment two years ago. Several of those who spoke have frequently joined the protests that took place in the months following her death, including Antonio Brown.

"This really hits home for me," he said. "We really need answers."

Editorial: Louisville not finished seeking justice for Breonna Taylor. We won't let this go

If you or someone you know may be struggling with suicidal thoughts, you can call the U.S. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) any time day or night, or chat online.

Crisis Text Line also provides free, 24/7, confidential support via text message to people in crisis when they dial 741741.

Reporter Krista Johnson contributed. Lucas Aulbach can be reached at laulbach@courier-journal.com, 502-582-4649 or on Twitter @LucasAulbach.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Jordan Griffith friends, family want answers from Louisville police
STORY: A first step is that people come directly from Moldova to Germany and further steps must follow. I herewith call on the international community to support the countries bordering Ukraine, especially Moldova which is one of the smallest countries and took in an amazing amount of people in recent days, Baerbock said in Palanca, in sight of the border checkpoint where Ukrainians stood in line waiting to cross.

The number of refugees who have fled Ukraine since Russia launched its invasion on Feb. 24 now totals more than 2.5 million and some cities in eastern Europe are running out of accommodation.

More than 270,300 people have crossed into Moldova from Ukraine and around 105,000 of them have stayed.

In Germany, some 109,183 refugees have so far been registered, the interior ministry said on Friday and Germans have offered up to 300,000 private homes to house them.
WASHINGTON  Russia's war on Ukraine is testing former President Donald Trump's sway with Republican officials. Most of them are treating him the way he's treating Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin: seeking distance but refusing to condemn.

While Trump inched closer to criticizing Putin's invasion of Ukraine Saturday night, he continued to portray the Russian leader in a positive light. "It happens to be a man that is just driven, hes driven to put it together, Trump said at a political rally in South Carolina.

That followed a Thursday Fox News interview in which host Sean Hannity tried  and failed  to get Trump to offer anything but praise for Putin.

The war in Ukraine has created a rare break between Trump and many Republican elites who fell into lockstep with him during his presidency but now see moral and political imperatives in calling Putin out as a villain. Yet there are hard limits to how far they will go in crossing Trump.

"It suggests a lack of political fear that they previously would have had," former Florida Rep. David Jolly, who served in the House as a Republican but has since left the party, said. "Many will criticize Putin  not all  but they are not going to take the moment they have to turn around and criticize Donald Trump because they dont need to. It would be an unforced error."

Video: Trump transcripts told the world he saw Ukraine 'as a pawn'

When former Vice President Mike Pence said last week that there was "no room" in the GOP for "Putin apologists"  a thinly veiled swipe at Trump  he did so at a closed-door fundraiser. And he didn't use his political patron's name.

Even going that far is "an indication that Mike Pence is not the future of the GOP," Jolly said. "Any separation from Donald Trump is a political liability."

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., one of Trumps closest allies in Congress, has called for Putin to be assassinated and introduced a resolution this month accusing the Russian president of war crimes. But rather than reprimanding Trump for calling Putin "a genius," Graham cast the remark as "a mistake."

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The handle-with-care treatment of Trump comes as he has isolated himself from most Republicans and most Americans when it comes to Putin. Nearly 90 percent of Americans have a "very unfavorable" view of Putin after the invasion of Ukraine.

Michael Steele, a former chairman of the Republican National Committee who has been a leading Trump critic for years, said GOP lawmakers could not wait to take cues from the former president after the invasion began.

"Once those images started coming across American televisions and the American people were just mortified by what they were seeing and wanted something to be done," he said, Republican lawmakers were "not going to sit there and wait for the guy who is Putins right hand man to get on the right side of history."

But Steele predicted any split will be short-lived and will not drain influence from Trump within the party.

"Candidates arent going to back off of Donald Trump just because hes licking Putins boot," Steele said.

Rather than Trump suffering for his proximity to Putin, one former House Republican leadership aide said, there could be damage to the handful of GOP elected officials close to him who have articulated praise for Putin or criticism of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

"I think there is a real divide between virtually the entire Republican Party and those most slavish adherents to Donald Trump," said the former aide, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to avoid bringing unwanted controversy to his current employer.

Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., recently spoke to a white nationalist group that supports Putin, and Rep. Madison Cawthorn, R-N.C., called Zelenskyy "a thug."

There is a possibility that Trump's isolation on Ukraine could be part of a more serious political problem for him if it becomes part of a pattern.

"Taking a position that is soft on Putin is unexplainable to your typical red-blooded American Republican," said one former senior Senate Republican aide. "Maybe because he's taken a position on Putin that's so soft, maybe that reduces his influence over the party."

But the aide said Trump isn't going to lose any influence so long as the GOPs political base is squarely behind him.

"Little by little, the more he does things that are anathema to that base," the former aide said, "all of those little things together add up over time, and you could get to the point where you have Republican base voters who look at him and say 'that's not the guy I rooted for when he came down the golden escalator in 2015.'"

Steele said that won't happen.

"I would not even begin to buy into the idea that this is going to lead to some major tear inside the GOP," he said. "They are too tied to this man."
HONG KONG (Reuters) - Hong Kong health authorities reported 32,430 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, as the city's leader said her government was trying build capacity to deal with the crisis that has swept through care homes.

Although Chief Executive Carrie Lam said government efforts were improving, she said they had yet to reach everybody in isolation to see whether people needed help.

"With so many people put under isolation or quarantine, the government has been strengthening our capability to support them. However, we're still catching up," she told reporters.

Some 300,000 people were isolating at home, she said, as the Omicron variant sweeps across the heavily congested financial hub, overwhelming its health care system and sparking panic buying at some supermarkets.

Health authorities reported 32,430 new positive cases in Hong Kong on Sunday, versus 27,647 new infections on Saturday and 29,381 new infections on Friday. Authorities on Sunday also reported 248 new deaths.

Hong Kong has recorded nearly 700,000 COVID-19 infections and about 3,500 deaths since early 2020 - most of them in the past two weeks. Most of the fatalities are among unvaccainated senior citizens.

Hong Kong, like mainland China, is pursuing a "dynamic zero" strategy that seeks to curb infections with strict control measures, even as most other major cities learn to live with the virus.

China is now battling its own outbreak, with mainland Chinese authorities on Sunday reporting 1,807 new local symptomatic COVID-19 cases on Sunday, more than triple the caseload of the previous day, and the highest in about two years. [L2N2VG00Z]

Hong Kong registered the most deaths per million people globally in the week to March 9, according to data publication Our World in Data.

On Saturday, Lam said she could not comfortably say that virus numbers had peaked.

A senior Chinese official overseeing Hong Kong affairs, Xia Baolong, who has been helping coordinate Beijing's response to help Hong Kong contain the outbreak, was cited by the China News Agency on Saturday as saying the situation was still severe and told residents to prepare mentally for a "long-term war".

(Reporting By Greg Torode and Anne Marie Roantree; editing by Richard Pullin and Gerry Doyle)
DUBAI (Reuters) - Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday condemned Saudi Arabia's execution of 81 men the previous day as a "violation of basic human rights principles and international law," Iranian state media reported.

"This inhumane act was in violation of basic principles of human rights and international law, and contrary to human principles and accepted legal procedures," a ministry spokesperson said, according to state media.

Saudi Arabia denies accusations of human rights abuses and says it protects its national security through its laws.

Its state news agency, SPA, said on Saturday the men executed on Saturday had the right to an attorney and were guaranteed their full rights under Saudi law during the judicial process.

(Reporting by Dubai newsroom; Editing by Andrew Heavens)
I've been going to Disney essentially my whole life. Megan duBois

I've had a Disney World annual pass since I was 3, and now I visit the parks at least twice a month.

Mobile-ordering can save you time, and opting for a kid's meal can save you money on food.

I like to save a little by staying at the Swan and Dolphin, plus it's still close to the parks.

I try to mobile-order food and drinks as much as possible.

The green milk from Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. Megan duBois

Mobile-ordering my meals can save me a lot of time at the theme parks.

It's available at select dining locations through the My Disney Experience app, and it allows you to order your food in advance and pick it up at a set time.

One time-saving trick is to push the "I'm here, prepare my order" button when you're on the way so it's ready when you get there.

This also works for mobile-order to-go, which is only for table-service restaurants at the Disney hotels.

I always ask about discounts before buying anything.

I get a decent amount of discounts with my annual pass. Megan duBois

One easy way to save money is to ask about discounts for everything from food and drinks to merchandise and hotel rooms.

For food, drinks, and merchandise just ask the cashier if they take any discounts. The most common ones are for annual passholders, Disney Vacation Club memberships, D23 memberships, and Disney Visa cardholders. There are also some military discounts.

When it comes time to book your hotel room, check online for discounts through Disney. There's often an annual passholder and Florida-resident discount, or even package deals that can help you save some money.

I plan on riding big attractions during the extended hours for hotel guests.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is a newer ride. Megan duBois

Disney World is currently offering special extended park hours for hotel guests. Every day, the parks open 30 minutes early for those staying at a Disney resort (including the "Good Neighbor" and Disney Springs-area hotels).

The extra 30 minutes is great for hopping on some of the attractions that typically have longer wait times, like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Remy's Ratatouille Adventure at Epcot, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios, or Avatar Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom.

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If you chose to stay at one of the deluxe Disney hotels, like the Polynesian Resort or Wilderness Lodge, you're also privy to an additional two hours of park time on select nights at Epcot or Magic Kingdom.

When choosing a hotel, I tend to stick with the Swan and Dolphin.

You still get the perks of the purely Disney hotels. Megan duBois

Picking a hotel is one of the most important decisions about a trip. One of my favorite resort complexes is the Disney World Swan and Dolphin.

The three sister hotels  Swan, Dolphin, and Swan Reserve  are located between Epcot and Hollywood Studios, so it's easy to walk or take a boat to the parks. This saves a ton of time compared to taking a bus or driving and parking.

Although they're affiliated with Disney and you still get the perks of a Disney resort, the hotels are actually owned by Marriott. I can use or earn Marriott points every visit.

Taking the parking trams in the morning is a waste of time.

It's usually faster to just walk through the parking lots to the front of the park. Megan duBois

Many people are excited to see the parking trams return to Disney World after a hiatus during the coronavirus pandemic. But I think they're a waste of time, especially in the mornings.

It's not always sitting and waiting for you when you get out of your car. Plus, if you get on with a bunch of people, all of you are going to be getting in line at the front of the park at the same time.

I've found that it's actually faster to walk to the front of the park in the morning.

I'm constantly testing this theory with my mom, who always takes the tram. When I walk, I typically end up waiting a few minutes for her, which could end up being the difference between getting on an attraction with no wait or standing in a 30-minute line.

Kid meals at Disney are just as good as adult meals, and they're cheaper.

The kid's meals are still a good portion size. Megan duBois

Disney World resorts have some real gems on the kid's menus.

To save both time and money, I'll sometimes mobile-order off the kid's menu for lunch or dinner. And if the restaurant takes discounts, I can save even more.

One of my favorite resort kid's menus is at Kona Cafe at the Polynesian Resort. The kid's sushi entree comes with five different types of sushi  including two pieces of chicken-nugget sushi.

The meal also comes with a drink and two sides, which ends up being plenty for me.

I always take a break in the middle of the day.

I find I get more things done if I let myself take a break. Megan duBois

No matter what the weather or what I have going on, I always try to take a break from the parks in the middle of the day.

Sometimes that means going back to my hotel to take a nap or go to the pool, and other times that means just getting lunch at a restaurant outside of the parks.

It might seem counterintuitive to leave the parks in the middle of the day. But I've actually found that I can get the same amount or even more done by taking a break instead of standing in lines for hours in the middle of the day.

Keep in mind that the strategy really only works if you're staying at a nearby Disney hotel.

Take an Uber from the airport if you can, I promise it saves so much time.

The buses and shuttles eat up time. REUTERS/Eduardo Munoz

There are a few options to get to Disney World from the Orlando International Airport, but my favorite is to use rideshares like Uber.

There are cheaper services, like Mears Connect, but it often takes longer because the bus drivers are waiting for a certain number of people for each ride.

The time saved by paying a few extra dollars each way often outweighs the money saved  especially if I'm trying to get to a dining reservation or meet friends in the park for the day.

There are plenty of "free" things to do at the parks and resorts.

There are usually events with food or treats in the evenings. Megan duBois

One of my favorite free park activities is the Wilderness Explorers program at Animal Kingdom.

You can pick up a guide from any marked station around the park, where you'll be led in the oath from the Pixar movie "Up." Then you can find the other Wilderness Explorers spots, complete activities, and learn things about the animals around the park.

Free activities can also be found at the Disney hotels, including scavenger hunts you can do on your own time, nightly movies in outdoor common spaces, or even campfires complete with toasted marshmallows.

Read the original article on Insider
(SNL/NBC)

US President Joe Biden  as played by Saturday Night Live newcomer James Austin Johnson  met a host of TikTok creators in SNLs opening sketch on the latest edition of the long-running comedy.

Biden was joined by press secretary Jen Psaki  as played by Kate McKinnon  on the 12 March episode, which was hosted by actor Zoe Kravitz.

This week as the war in Ukraine intensified, access to Facebook and Instagram in the country was shut off, leaving only one source of information, TikTok, explained a voiceover. On Thursday, the White House responded by holding a national security briefing with some of the nations top TikTok creators. We take you now inside that historic meeting.

The skit was based on an actual Zoom call which took place this week, in which 30 influencers received key information about the war in Ukraine from the real Psaki.

Johnsons Biden then announced: People are saying this is the first war fought on TikTok, which is tough for me because Im the landline of presidents. Biden then met a number of parody creators, including a poet, a prankster from a TikTok house, an alt-right pre-teen, Jason Derulo and a shirtless man with a plunger stuck to his chest.

However, fans on Twitter branded the skit cringe.

I am begging snl to stop making cringe tiktok sketches for an audience who has no idea what theyre talking about, wrote one viewer on social media.

This sketch is about as cringey as the actual TikTok meeting sounds. And Im going to give them the credit that its how they wanted it to go, said another.

One viewers take was even more extreme, writing: Please dont do TikTok skits ever again.
LVIV, Ukraine  Kyiv Region police say a U.S. video journalist has died and another journalist was injured when they were attacked by Russian forces in Ukraine.

Director Brent Renaud attends The 74th Annual Peabody Awards Ceremony at Cipriani Wall Street in 2015 in New York City.

Live updates: Russia could be preparing for chemical weapons attack; US journalist Brent Renaud killed

The police force said Sunday on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on the car of Brent Renaud and another journalist in Irpin near the capital. It said the injured journalist was being taken to a hospital in Kyiv.

Renaud of Little Rock, was a former Distinguished Visiting Professor of Journalism Ethics at University of Arkansas, according to a University of Arkansas School of Journalism and Strategic Media post Sunday.

He also cofounded the Little Rock Film Festival with his brother Craig Renaud.

Brandon Chase Goldsmith, Executive Director of the Fort Smith International Film Festival, remembered Renaud Sunday. "During times of conflict, filmmakers risk their lives and livelihoods to show the world their stories," Goldsmith said. "We mourn the loss of Arkansas filmmaker Brent Renaud who demonstrated both compassion and bravery."

A New York Times spokesperson said Renaud, 50, was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years. It said he was not working for the publication at the time of his death.

The police force said: Of course, the profession of journalism carries risks. Nonetheless, U.S. citizen Brent Renaud paid with his life trying to highlight the deceit, cruelty and ruthlessness of the aggressor.

Asked about the reports, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News that the U.S. government would be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and would then execute appropriate consequences.

This is part and parcel of what has been a brazen aggression on the part of the Russians, where they have targeted civilians, they have targeted hospitals, they have targeted places of worship, and they have targeted journalists, Sullivan said.

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: Journalist, Arkansas filmmaker Brent Renaud killed in Ukraine
Kent police officers Kyle Auckland, left and Leonard Kunka, center, hold the Acts of Courage awards the American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley presented to them Thursday in recognition of their actions in rescuing two children from an armed intruder at an East Summit Street home in January 2021. At right is Tara Silva is a member of the board of directors for the Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley, and the chairperson of the Acts of Courage event.

At any time during his or her shift, a police officer can suddenly have their courage tested and that was true for Kent patrolmen Leonard Kunka and Kyle Auckland on a Saturday morning in January 2021.

More: Kent shooting suspect held on $1 million bond

"These men acted selflessly, rushing toward danger and putting themselves in harm's way to protect two innocent children from a gunman who had forced his way into a home," said Kent Police Lt. Mike Lewis. "Acts of courage like this embody what it means to be a hero."

And their actions have not gone unnoticed. Auckland and Kunka were among seven people in Portage, Summit and Medina counties that the American Red Cross of Greater Akron and the Mahoning Valley presented a 2022 Acts of Courage award to.

Both Kunka and Auckland did not want to talk about the incident that they were recognized for, but Kunka said he is honored by the recognition.

"It was a privilege to stand with my brother and receive recognition amongst the other recipients of this award," he said. "Their stories are beautiful accounts that show paying attention and caring for your fellow man can truly make a difference."

According to police, as well as court records, the officers responded to a burglary in progress at an East Summit Street duplex, near the Kent State University campus, at about 8 a.m. on Jan 16. A 14-year-old girl reported during a 911 call that while babysitting a younger child  who was reported to be either 1 or 2 at the time  she heard someone trying to get inside and hid in a bathroom with the child. She said that by that time, the intruder was in the house.

The man, Cleveland Heights resident Dante Darnell Dixon, 41, was armed with a handgun and there was a confrontation between him and the officers in the home. Kunka was shot in the hand, Auckland in the chest and Dixon in the abdomen, police said. Aucklands bullet-resistant vest is credited with saving his life.

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More: Kent police highlight bullet-resistant vest purchase following officer shooting

Dixon continued to resist and fight with police until Kunka, Auckland and other officers who had arrived subdued and handcuffed him. An investigation determined that Dixon shot both officers and himself, with neither officer firing his gun.

The girl and younger child were physically unharmed.

Kent paramedics treated and transported the two officers and Dixon to local hospitals for further treatment. All three were released that day and Dixon was admitted to Portage County Jail.

Kunka suffered multiple fractures to his left thumb that required subsequent surgery and extensive physical therapy. He was eventually able to return to duty.

"Kent police could not be more proud of Officer Lenny Kunka and Officer Kyle Auckland," Lewis said. "We are grateful for the recognition that the Red Cross and so many others have bestowed upon these officers for their heroic actions."

As part of a plea deal, Dixon pleaded guilty in Portage County Common Pleas Court in October to two counts of assault and a single count of aggravated burglary, all first-degree felonies, and third-degree felony carrying a concealed weapon. The two assault charges come with firearms specifications. Judge Laurie J. Pittman then sentenced Dixon to 38 to 42 years in prison. He is appealing the sentence in the 11thDistrict Court of Appeals.

Meanwhile, Dixon is currently incarcerated in the Grafton Correctional Institution, according to the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Corrections.

Reporter Jeff Saunders can be reached at jsaunders@recordpub.com.

This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Red Cross honors Kent police officers for saving children from 'gunman'
As we celebrate Irish culture on Saint Patrick's Day, we should also remember their darkest moment. Famine struck Ireland in the 1840's leading to mass starvation. Disease had ruined the potato crop in multiple years, and this spiraled Ireland into a disaster. Millions died or were displaced by the extreme food shortages.

Lambers

An 1847 article in the Baltimore Sun about Irelands plight read, "But now, a famishing nation appeals to our humanity; men that were late in robust health, and women with their waling children, are dying of starvation; multitudes are perishing by an unnatural death, and we must help to save them."

America sent food aid overseas to help Ireland. Our humanitarian tradition has many of its roots in the saving of lives in Ireland during this famine.

In subsequent decades Ireland would again contend with hunger emergencies and relief funds were established. In 1921 when Ireland was still suffering from post WWI hunger, President Warren Harding issued this appeal: The people of America will never be deaf to the call for relief on behalf of suffering humanity, and the knowledge of distress in Ireland makes quick and deep appeal to the more fortunate of our own land, where so many of our citizens track kinship to the Emerald Isle.

Today, Ireland has overcome that dark history of famine and is a leading donor to humanitarian aid. Their mission is to prevent famine from ever happening again. That is a mission we share with them but right now there is a very grave danger of famine resulting from the Ukraine war.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine has been brutal and women and children have suffered the most. Delphine Pinault of the charity CARE says Civilians, and especially women, pregnant women and those with new-born and small children bear the brunt of this horrifying escalation of violence. Russian bombs have even targeted hospitals.

Where there is war, there is also hunger. Russias invasion of Ukraine is also causing a hunger crisis which is threatening lives. There are millions who need food aid inside Ukraine but also refugees who have fled to neighboring countries.

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We must support relief agencies that are trying to feed these war victims. Sean Callahan, the president of Catholic Relief Services (CRS) says Our partners and staff inside Ukraine, and in Moldova and Poland, have spoken of the immense suffering they've seen. CRS is providing emergency food and other aid to the refugees.

The war in Ukraine has far reaching implications as the food supply chain has been disrupted.

The UN World Food Program (WFP) gets of lot of wheat from the Ukraine for its relief missions in Yemen and other countries in desperate need. Global food prices are now skyrocketing making it harder for WFP to obtain food.

WFP does not have enough funding to contend with current hunger emergencies. Even prior to the Ukraine war WFP had to reduce rations in Yemen for 8 million war victims because of low funding. There have been cuts in other countries too.. Now you add the Ukraine wheat supply disruption and higher food prices you have a perfect storm for famine in Yemen, Afghanistan, Ethiopia or the Sahel.

Like we responded to the Irish Famine we need to increase funding for our global food aid programs to tackle this crisis. We need to save Ukraine and the world from war and famine.

William Lambers is an author who partnered with the UN World Food Program on the book Ending World Hunger.

This article originally appeared on Lubbock Avalanche-Journal: William Lambers remembering the Irish famine, preventing future ones
Fox News host Tucker Carlson. Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A leaked Kremlin war memo told Russian state media to feature more Tucker Carlson, per Mother Jones.

The memo cited how the Fox News host "sharply criticizes" the actions of the US in the war in Ukraine.

On Thursday, an ABC correspondent accused Carlson of parroting Putin lines "almost word for word."

The Kremlin instructed Russian state media to feature Fox News host Tucker Carlson "as much as possible," according to Mother Jones.

A leaked 12-page war memo, titled "For Media and Commentators," told Russian media that it is "essential" to use more Carlson segments in their coverage because of his positions on the war in Ukraine, Mother Jones reported.

Carlson "sharply criticizes" the actions of the United States and NATO and their "negative role in unleashing the conflict in Ukraine," the memo said, per the media outlet.

He is also critical of the "defiantly provocative behavior from the leadership of the Western countries and NATO towards the Russian Federation and towards President Putin, personally," the memo continued.

The document was provided to Mother Jones by a Russian state media contributor who asked not to be identified. According to metadata reviewed by the media outlet, it was produced by a Russian government agency called the Department of Information and Telecommunications Support.

Mother Jones said that Carlson was the only Western journalist mentioned by name in the document.

Clips of Carlson are now commonplace on Russian TV, Newsweek reported, noting that he is portrayed as being pro-Russia and sympathetic to Russian President Vladimir Putin. In late February, his sympathetic coverage of Russia led to state TV re-broadcasting his show with Russian subtitles.

Insider's Mia Jankowicz reported that Carlson, before the Russian invasion of Ukraine, echoed many of Putin's talking points during a Fox News segment. In a now-infamous speech, he posed this question to viewers: "Why do Democrats want you to hate Putin?"

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After the invasion, he changed his tune, saying that Putin is to blame. But, on Wednesday, Carlson embraced Russian disinformation, repeating a line put out by the Russian foreign ministry, The Washington Post reported.

ABC News chief Washington correspondent on Thursday accused Carlson of "almost a plagiarism" of Putin, adding that the Fox News host copies him "almost word for word."

Deadline White House (@DeadlineWH) March 11, 2022

Insider contacted Fox News for comment on Sunday afternoon but did not immediately receive a response.

Read the original article on Business Insider
Money collected at a fundraiser/benefit concert will be donated to Ukrainian communities, and donated items are also being accepted at the event.
GREEN BAY, Wis.  Alona Vakal knows that a more forceful military response by the U.S. government against Russia  whose president, Vladimir Putin, has bloodily invaded Ukraine  risks causing an all-out world war.

But her concern isnt what will happen if Washington intervenes more aggressively. Her concern is what may happen if it doesn't.

Putin is not going to stop," said Vakal, who came to Green Bay in 2008 from Berdyansk, a port city in southeastern Ukraine. "If America doesnt do more to stop him, he won't stop. The longer we wait, the worse it will be."

Alona Vakal stands for a portrait as members of the community help organize and load a truck with medical and relief items to be sent to Ukraine at St. Matthew Orthodox Church on March 10, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisc. (Patrick McDermott for NBC News)

Vakal, whose mother and sister still live in Berdyansk, which is currently occupied by Russian forces, stopped short of saying shed want the United States or NATO to put troops on the ground in Ukraine. But she implored Washington and Europe to set up a no-fly zone, even if it risks drawing them into open war.

People worry about World War III. World War III is right now already, its here already. What more do you need to see? she said. Ukraine is just the first step for Putin.

Vakal spoke to NBC News at a small church in Green Bay  home to a tight-knit portion of Wisconsins 10,000 Ukrainian Americans  where dozens of members of a group called Wisconsin Ukrainians gathered Thursday night to help sort and box thousands of pounds of medical equipment, boots, clothing and food to be sent to soldiers and residents in Ukraine.

They expressed heartbreak, anguish, anger and devastation at the suffering Russia was inflicting on their homeland.

And while many demanded the West act more aggressively to help Ukraine, the extent to which the U.S. should intervene was a subject of debate. Some echoed Vakal's feeling that intervention now is necessary to prevent Putin from provoking a bigger and far more dangerous war, while others said they were conscious of the risks that escalatory steps, like a NATO-enforced no-fly zone over the county, could bring.

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Sooner or later, someone will have to step in," said Valentyn Tereshchenko, who came to Green Bay in 2001 from Sumy, a city in northeastern Ukraine that has come under intense attack by Russian forces. "And yes, I would like to see U.S. be more aggressive. The people in Ukraine need more guns, more planes, more tanks, more missiles, more weapons, to help close the skies.

Ukraine Relief at St. Matthew Orthodox Church (Patrick McDermott for NBC News)

Jonathan Pylypiv inside a truck loaded with medical and relief items to be sent to Ukraine at St. Matthew Orthodox Church on March 10, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisc. (Patrick McDermott for NBC News)

Jonathan Pylypiv, who came to the U.S. as an orphan in 1992 from Ternopil, in western Ukraine, said that when a humanitarian crisis like the one in Ukraine is broadcast on television and social media for the world to see, the U.S. and Europe should not be solely concerned with whether Ukraine is a member of NATO or the European Union as a factor in whether to intervene.

If we were watching World War II live-streamed the way we are watching the invasion of Ukraine right now, would people really say, Oh, those poor people being killed by the Nazis are suffering, but we shouldnt help them because they dont live in a NATO nation,' he said.

Pylypiv organized the Wisconsin Ukrainians group on Facebook in 2014 to cultivate a sense of community. But in recent months, he has used it to help organize vigils, rallies and coordinate with groups across the state to collect goods to ship to Ukraine. He is in the process of converting the group to nonprofit status.

At the center of these pleas is the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, a political pact under which Ukraine gave up its nuclear weapons, Russia agreed to not use military force against Ukraine, and the U.S. provided security assurances to Ukraine if its territory was ever threatened.

The U.S. has a moral duty to do everything possible to honor that," Pylypiv said. "Words arent strong enough to describe the feeling of abandonment and disappointment."

Ukraine Relief at St. Matthew Orthodox Church (Patrick McDermott for NBC News)

Jonathan Pylypiv helps load a truck with medical and relief items. (Patrick McDermott for NBC News)

While he and others said the severe sanctions levied on Putin and other Russian oligarchs by President Joe Biden  as well as the White House's ban on Russian oil imports  were crucial moves that will inflict real pain on the Russian government and economy, many said they wouldn't stop Putin or his war.

Theyre not going to stop the war, said Tereshchenko, whose parents and sister still live in Sumy. "I believe that Putin does not actually care about his own people. Whether 10,000 soldiers of his die, or 100,000, or whether 100,000 of his people starve, he is going to do what he wants to do, he said.

Added Vakal, Its not enough, Im sorry to say. They will not stop him. He has his plan.

But others acknowledged that the sanctions were, essentially, all the U.S. could do for now without starting a wider conflict  and expressed fear for the wider ramifications that increased U.S. intervention would likely bring.

I think those of us who were born and raised here, we might understand better the higher risk of another world war and the nuclear component that could occur if we put boots on the ground, or even if we tried to implement a no-fly zone, said Olga Liskiwskyi, the executive director of the Ukrainian American Archives and Museum in Detroit, where more than 26,000 Ukrainian Americans live.

She added: I think newer immigrants, who have a more direct connection to the country, are anxious and might not understand why the U.S. isnt doing more militarily.

Liskiwskyi, a member of the Ukrainian-American Crisis Response Committee of Michigan, was born in the U.S. to parents who fled Ukraine during World War II. She has family in Kyiv.

Ukraine Relief at St. Matthew Orthodox Church (Patrick McDermott for NBC News)

Svitlana and Mykhaylo Mykhaylyuk, of Green Bay, maintain that direct connection to Ukraine.

Svitlana, an accounting assistant, came to Green Bay from Vinnytsia, in central Ukraine, as an exchange student in 2006. She soon met Mykhaylo, who arrived in Green Bay in 2002 from Ternopil as a student and now works at a cheese factory here. They have two children, and together, they helped start the Ukrainian Cultural School of Green Bay. Both have close family members in Ukraine.

They pointed out that Ukraine is doing everything it can to fight Russia, and that additional help from the U.S. would be fully used.

My mother can hear rockets every day," Svitlana said. "I am so proud of my country. From 7 years old to 90 years old, they are protecting their country. How could it be that NATO is afraid to protect us, that the U.S. is afraid to close the sky, when there are children and old people in Ukraine rising up to protect their family and friends?"

Her husband added, Give us the planes and the anti-aircraft weapons. Well do it ourselves."
Mar. 13PORTLAND, Maine  The murder happened one summer night in 1725. Joseph Quasson and Jonathan Boler were seated around a campfire when a drunken argument broke out.

Nobody knows what the men were quarreling over but Quasson laid a loaded shotgun's barrel to Boler's groin and pulled the trigger.

Boler lingered, likely in agony, for several days before dying.

Quasson was arrested, convicted, sentenced to death and hanged the following year. It was Maine's second government-approved execution.

His guilt was never in doubt. Quasson openly admitted it  often. The big question on his own mind, and the subject of a contemporary, published account of his crime, was: Could God ever forgive him?

What we know of Quasson and his case comes mostly from a 40-page pamphlet written by York preacher and war veteran Rev. Samuel Moody, who visited the condemned man in prison. It was published in Boston in 1726.

Quasson was an American Indian, born on Cape Cod, March 28, 1698. When he was six years old, he was forced to leave his family.

"My father died five pounds in debt to Mr. Samuel Sturges of Yarmouth," Quasson told Moody. "I was bound out to him by my mother on that account."

Quasson spent the next 12 years indentured to Sturges, serving his family and at the man's business.

Along with the forced work, Quasson was taught to read and given Protestant religious instruction. He attended church regularly.

"My mistress used to tell me, I must never sin, for hell was a dreadful place," he said, "where the workers of iniquity must go."

When Quasson turned 18, Sturgis gave him a new set of clothes, a bit of money, a new bible and set him free. But, cut off from his family and Indigenous culture, it didn't go well for the liberated young man. Before long, he began to drink.

"I worked a little at first but grew idle, and took to spending," Quasson said, "and sold my clothes and other things and even my bible, to maintain my lusts."

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Without decent clothes to wear, humiliated, he stopped going to church. That was an offense in the eyes of the authorities at the time, punishable by a fine. To avoid this fate, he began attending an American Indian church but found he'd lost his indigenous language skills.

"I could understand nothing," he said.

With few options, Quasson then joined the English army and was sent to the Province of Maine to fight in Dummer's War sometime around 1722. He was about 24 years old.

The war, often called Father Rale's War in Maine, was a series of skirmishes and battles fought between British colonists and Native Americans allied with France. It was one in a series of wars now collectively known as the French and Indian Wars. The fighting took place mainly in New England and Nova Scotia.

On Aug. 20, 1725, Quasson was camped with a group of soldiers in what's now Arundel. That's when he killed Boler, who we know almost nothing about, except that he was also an Indigenous man from Cape Cod.

In his long conversation and confessions with Moody, Quasson describes his moral calcification over years of hard drinking, and said it's what led him to murder.

"My drunkenness hurt my conscience very much at first," he said. "But after a while, all was quiet. I could sin without remorse."

Quasson said his situation grew even worse after he came to Maine as a soldier.

"I was more and more settled, hardened and quiet in my sinful courses till the fact was committed, for which I must die," he said.

His unexamined lifestyle ended after he was arrested. Detained in August, the part-time Maine court didn't hear cases again until the following May. That gave Quasson a long fall and cold winter to ruminate upon his life  and his soul's ultimate destination.

In prison, not long before his execution, Quasson told Moody a lengthy, detailed and meandering tale of his spiritual ups and downs throughout his months of incarceration.

At first, Quasson prayed for forgiveness. But the more he thought about it, he reckoned that to be saved from hell, he must ask forgiveness for every sin he ever committed, one-at-a-time He wasn't convinced this was possible.

Also, Quasson could not bring himself to believe that he was truly remorseful for his actions, he said. What's more, even if he was truly sorry, he didn't know if he could recognize what that felt like.

All of these questions and uncertainties seemed to make him destined for eternal pits of damnation, he reckoned. These tangled, contradicting notions left Quasson in anguished despair, according to Moody.

"I am thoroughly convinced now, though I thought otherwise at first, that I am so far from having any power to change my heart, that I have no will to any thing that is good," Quasson said.

Moody spends a great deal of time in his pamphlet trying to convince the condemned man, and the reader, that salvation is always possible.

He also described the execution on May 12, 1726, saying the gallows were built in York, at the bottom of a valley. He estimated 3,000 people showed up to witness Quasson's death, noting it was the first local execution in over 70 years.

Moody walked with Quasson to the hangman's noose.

"I would have you all take warning by me," Quasson said, in a final public statement. "I am come here to die a shameful death and I acknowledge the justice of God in it. It is drunkenness that has brought me to it."

Then he died.

Moody finished his pamphlet with a sermon, using Quasson as an example of both the wages of sin and the promise of forgiveness.

We will never know if Quasson truly believed that himself.

This story is part of an occasional series examining Maine's historic use of the death penalty.
Mar. 12TURNER  Emotions were high Thursday night at Maine School Administrative District 52's board of directors meeting, where numerous parents and students pleaded with the board to do more to address bullying.

"I have a fourth-grader who has gone from loving school to hating school," said Ashley Vandiver of Turner. "Just two weeks ago, he said on the playground that he did not want to go to school anymore, and he wished he was dead."

"I think that's why so many parents are here, and I don't want to speak for anybody else; it's because we love our kids and we see where this can end," Vandiver said. "At 9 years old, when there is a child that no longer wants to go to school because of how horrible he feels about himself, because of a small group of bullies that continue to pick at the same children over and over and over, it's not OK."

Vandiver said administrators have followed up with each reported incident.

"This is an ongoing fundamental problem," she added.

Superintendent Kimberly Brandt and several school principals acknowledged the problem, stating that they've seen a rise in behavioral and mental health challenges this year. Many cited education disruptions and other difficulties caused by the pandemic as the primary cause.

"I don't think we can understate  or overstate, I should say  the impact of that interruption," Leavitt Area High School Principal Eben Shaw said.

The school board voted March 3 to send a survey to gather more information from students, staff and parents regarding the school climate.

Most commonly, staff are seeing problems arise from "understanding and following through on general expectations, whether that be in a classroom, the cafeteria, the hallways, or interactions between peers," Shaw said.

Some students more than others have born the brunt of their peers' poor behavior.

One woman, who did not share her name, told the school board that her ninth grade daughter has tried to kill herself twice because of bullying.

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"We've had to pull my kid out of this school and have her do remote learning and tutoring for her to stay alive, because if she continues to go to this school, she'll die," she said, close to tears. "A kid every day is telling her to kill herself and it's too bad she has not succeeded. That's just one of the incidents."

She said she's met with school administrators at least seven times regarding her daughter's situation.

"The policies that have been in play have not worked," she said.

Jackson Goddard, a fourth grade student at Turner Elementary School, stepped up to the podium to speak, wearing a shirt with the words "Be a buddy, not a bully."

"The bully made fun of my shirt, said I look ugly and that made me feel really sad," Goddard said. "He also tripped me, punched me in the eye, shoved me, making me fall on my knees and hands. I want bullying to end, forever and always."

"Children often say what teachers want to hear ... but then are cruel to others," Turner Elementary School student Ella Myers said. "The kindness thing? That's forced also and no one does it proper. Kids get all these reminders to be nice and don't bully, but people still do it, they still bully. There is so much toxic behavior, it makes school unbearable. I've heard the R-word and so many things related to it so many times."

Forcing students to write reflections doesn't work, she said. She believes students need to be held accountable for their poor behavior.

While the pandemic certainly intensified behavioral problems, bullying has long been a challenge for educators to address.

Some parents said they had lost trust in the district following meetings with administrators, which did not lead to improvements.

At the March 3 meeting, Jeff Marquis of Turner told the board one of his four children has been repeatedly bullied by the same student over the past three years. He again spoke at public comment Thursday.

Administrators promised to put the two children in different classes after the end of the school year, he said. They were separated before the pandemic, but were again put in the same class this year.

"I am beyond angry at this point," he said.

His son, he said, has stopped reporting problems to administrators because "nobody listens and nothing changes."

It's not always easy to come to a resolution in cases of bullying, Brandt said, adding that administrators and school staff are fully committed to supporting students, whether it takes one meeting or regular meetings to work through individual problems.

The most powerful tool the district has is collaboration between students, parents and administrators, Brandt said.

"It's not fighting, it's not posting stuff on social media," she said. "It's getting together and talking about what can we do to make it better for the children."

"Educators are in this line of work because they care about children," she added. "We exist for the students, that's the whole point. So people have been working ... really hard throughout the pandemic. And then to hear that some families feel that situations around behaviors are not being taken seriously ... it's hurtful."

Before the pandemic, the district conducted a school climate survey modeled after one from the Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports. Brandt is planning to send the same survey to parents, students and staff, who will each receive different versions.

The district includes Turner, Greene and Leeds.

School administrators will be able to compare the results of the survey before and after the onset of the pandemic to gauge changes in MSAD 52 schools, which Brandt said would be "invaluable."

Student behavior in the high school has been discussed at high school faculty meetings, as well as building leadership meetings, Shaw said. Several students have volunteered to help administrators brainstorm solutions to improve the school climate.

Shaw said students will be an "integral" part of addressing the problems.

School staff in other districts have similarly reported a rise in behavioral problems among students this year.

School administrators shared several programs and initiatives from the district meant to build positive relationships and support struggling students, in addition to the district's bullying policies.

At the elementary school level, guidance counselors coach students on positive communication and interactions, teaching skills to cope with stress and anxiety. Social workers and crisis services are also available for students with individual education plans.

Students start the day with morning meetings, which allow teachers to "gauge where students are when they're coming into the building and then providing them with supports if they need them," Turner Primary School Principal Ryan Patrie said.

Middle school students participate in activities for 30 minutes each day, intended to build teamwork and communication among students. The middle school also has support staff for student's mental well-being.

High school students have access to guidance counselors, social workers and a substance abuse counselor. However, Shaw noted that many of these staff members are at their limit.

"I think it's important to note in this particular case that those caseloads are, if not at capacity, very close to capacity," Shaw said, adding that the problem isn't unique to this year.

Brandt is aiming to hire social workers to support young students in general education next year using federal relief funds. A school psychologist was also included in Brandt's budget proposal.

School staff across departments will participate in mental health first aid training in March and April.
Lanisha Bratcher Jones didnt mean to do something wrong. She just didnt know.

In 2019, Jones was one of four Hoke County residents charged with felony voter fraud from the 2016 election after ballots were cross-referenced with criminal records. Jones had served time in prison for a felony and was out on probation. Under North Carolina law, she wasnt allowed to vote. No one told her that when she registered.

I know what I did was for a good cause, Jones told me over the phone this week, getting choked up explaining why she wanted to vote. You want to see that change, especially in your neighborhood.

Joness story resurfaced this week after The New Yorker reported that former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows voted with the address of a mobile home in Macon County that he had never set foot in, let alone lived in long-term or owned. He also registered to vote in Virginia right before the states high profile gubernatorial race, resulting in him being registered in two states.

Although the story was published Sunday, the N.C. Board of Elections officials have not said whether theyd be handing the case over to prosecutors, who could charge Meadows with voter fraud. Meadows hasnt spoken publicly about the story and allegations, but he has consistently pushed the Big Lie that there was mass voter fraud against the former president in the 2020 election

Jones made a mistake. Meadows, it appears, did not. And Jones, for her part, wants to see Meadows go through the same legal process she dealt with for two years, the same legal process that has continuously prosecuted Black North Carolinians.

He should not be above the law, she says, because I was not.

The law used to try Jones and the others on probation was written after Reconstruction as a blatant way of disenfranchising Black voters. Jones and other Black people made up close to 70 percent of the people suspected of voting on probation in 2016. Joness lawyer, John Carella, spoke to the court about the racism specifically. He says that when he did this, the prosecutor tried to charge Jones under other election violations, like knowingly signing a false statement and saying she voted in a different county than she was living in. After two years of legal battles, she ended up entering an Alford plea for a misdemeanor crime, and served six months unsupervised probation.

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When Meadows and other hardline conservatives repeat the Big Lie, theres often an underlying message: its not just that Democrats supposedly committed voter fraud, but that voters of color specifically did. Its clear when you think about the onslaught of voter suppression bills in state legislatures last year that would have put even more burden on voters of color, and specifically Black voters.

Race was also a factor in the Bladen County election fraud case. When there was a hearing in 2019, a Black political action committee was dragged into the public record when defendants made unfounded allegations about the group also committing election fraud. The defendants suggested that since Black residents were committing voter fraud (they werent), the defendants had to do the same.

Carella doesnt necessarily share Joness desire to see Meadows prosecuted.

For me, thats not the point, he says. Whether he gets prosecuted or not, whats happening here reveals the injustice of all this.

He sees it as proof that the felony voting law that condemned Jones needs to be completely reevaluated, something she wants to see too. Almost half of states never revoke someones right to vote, or only do so while the person is serving time in prison. North Carolina could follow along. The state already allows voting for people on probation for misdemeanors.

Jones is doing better in the aftermath of her voter fraud case. She says she does her homework before voting now, and she doesnt mind speaking about her mistake and the aftermath of it  to her, its the way to affect change.

Now I see that because I voted, I still have a voice, she says. They tried to shut me up, but Im still here.
Duchess of Sussex Meghan markle has used this beauty product for years. (Photo by ANGELA WEISS/AFP via Getty Images)

Yahoo Lifestyle Canada is committed to finding you the best products at the best prices. We may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change.

The beauty industry has evolved a lot since the days of full-coverage foundation, heavy eye makeup and matte lipstick. The fresh face is in  and we've found a small-but-mighty product that may just change your makeup game.

You might think concealer just has one job: concealing dark circles. But it's so much more than a tool to make you look more awake and youthful  it's also a skincare product, if you choose wisely. That's why we adore one of the most coveted concealers in the beauty world  the Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Radiant Under-Eye Concealer.

With it's incredible coverage, moisturizing properties, easy-to-use applicator and sleek design, it's no wonder big stars like Meghan Markle and Kaia Gerber have been longtime fans of the product.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Radiant Under-eye Concealer (Photo via Sephora)

$52 CAD/$38 USD at Sephora

The details

The Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Radiant Under-Eye Concealer has been around for three decades  it was first released by the brand in 1992. Of course, it's had a few upgrades here and there, but the general formula and use has stayed the same all this time. It's a tried-and-true product by celebrities and normies like us alike.

It's packed with skin-loving ingredients that will treat under-eye dryness while making you look refreshed. Hyaluronic acid, vitamin E and calendula extract gives that thin, delicate skin a dose of all-day moisture and protection, while the caffeine and ruscus extract addresses any puffiness and swelling.

This liquid formula provides a medium coverage, radiant finish that both conceals and visibly brightens dark circles, and is buildable and weightless so you don't feel like you're wearing too much and avoid the dreaded cakey ender-eyes.

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The simple packaging also makes this product super easy to use  just click the end, swipe on your under-eye, pat in with fingers or a brush  and go.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Radiant Under-eye Concealer (Photo via Sephora)

What shoppers are saying

With a 4.1-star rating and more than 38,000 "loves," Sephora shoppers are raving about the blendable nature of this under-eye concealer.

"Blends well and easily, gives great coverage and brightness  love the pen design," one shopper said.

"I was honestly shocked by this concealer in the best way," another reviewer wrote. "I have very dry skin under my eyes with lots of fine lines ... I tried this [concealer] and instantly fell in love."

According to shoppers, this concealer also doesn't settle in fine lines.

"This is my favourite concealer," one wrote. "It's lightweight and doesn't crease or settle into my fine lines. It provided the perfect amount of coverage for me."

Click here to sign up for Yahoo Canada's lifestyle newsletter.

Another plus is that you can easily use more product to build up coverage without going overboard.

"Stays on all day long," a fan wrote in their review. "I use one swipe along the darkest under-eye line then tap (not rub!) to blend ... If darkness under your eyes bothers you, try this out."

One shopper called this product a makeup miracle.

"Absolutely love it. It conceals what you want it to hide and highlights what you want it to show," the review read.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat High Cover Radiant Under-eye Concealer (Photo via Sephora)

Final verdict

The innovative packaging design seems to be this product's saviour and curse. Plenty of shoppers love the easy-to-use design, while others say it actually wastes product. One shopper recommended having patience with the clicker and waiting a few seconds before clicking it again to avoid calling up too much of the concealer.

Overall, this product seems like a major hit for people with aging skin, or for those worried about covering dark circles and brightening their under-eyes. While the coverage is medium, it's buildable without getting cakey, lasts all day and provides much-needed hydration to the most delicate part of your face.

However, if you're looking for a more full-coverage concealer or a product you plan to use frequently on bigger areas than just your under-eyes, you may want to pass.

Let us know what you think by commenting below and tweeting @YahooStyleCA! Follow us on Twitter and Instagram and sign up for our newsletter.
That Miami criminal defense attorney Jonathan Schwartz changed police lineup photos in a police lineup during a witness deposition wasnt in question. The disagreements came in what should be done about it.

After the Florida Bar prosecuted a complaint against Schwartz, the first referee said the Florida Bar hadnt proven the attorney violated any rules. A second referee advised a 90-day suspension followed by a year of probation.

The state Supreme Court made the suspension three years. Schwartz begins his suspension March 19.

Changing faces and hair

Armed robbery and carrying a concealed weapon charges hung over Schwartzs client, Virgil Woodson, when Schwartz went into a pretrial deposition with the alleged victim on Feb. 13, 2015.

As detailed in the state Supreme Courts opinion on the first referees decision, there were two photocopies of black-and-white police photo lineups. The victim had identified Woodson, photo No. 5, circled the photo and the number and signed her name. The police officer who conducted the photo lineup had done the same.

But Schwartz, the court said, changed one photo lineup by swapping out Woodsons picture with the picture of another suspect other witnesses identified as the guilty party. For the second exhibit, Schwartz changed Woodsons photo by imposing the alternate subjects hairstyle on the clients image.

Although the images in the exhibits were altered in this manner, they nonetheless retained the circle around subject No. 5 and the signatures of the victim and police officer below the photographs.

Actions during family fights among ethical violations of Miami to Palm Beach lawyers

A judge gives an opinion. The state Supreme Court disagrees

The first referee in this disciplinary case, 11th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Celeste H. Muir, found the Bar didnt prove that Schwartz (admitted in 1986) committed any professional misconduct.

In the referees report, Muir wrote that she found Schwartzs entire conduct was to conduct a legitimate and constitutionally allowable challenge to a questionable eyewitness identification, after having first brought favorable evidence and witnesses to the attention of the prosecutor handling his clients case, including evidence that identified another person as possibly the actual perpetrator.

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As for Schwartz himself, Muir found him forthright and honest in his testimony and conduct throughout the disciplinary trial. The judge felt his testimony showed her that he acted without any purpose or intention to deceive and his conduct was not dishonest or fraudulent.

The Bar appealed Muirs decision. The state Supreme Court issued an opinion that disapproved the referees findings of fact and the recommendation that Schwartz violated no Bar rules.

When addressing Muirs findings, the court said, notwithstanding the referees credibility findings and her finding that Schwartz did not subjectively intend to deceive the witness, this finding does not address that Schwartz knowingly and deliberately created the defense exhibits by altering photocopies of the police lineups and showing them to the victim at the deposition. 

The court also said, Our consideration of the defense-altered exhibits leads to the inevitable conclusion that they are deceptive on their face. The referee, without elaboration, concluded that the exhibits in and of themselves were not misleading,fraudulent, deceitful, or misrepresentations.

This conclusion is unsupported by the record and patently erroneous.

Did Miami mayors security detail help a PI tail him? Heres what Internal Affairs found

A judge gives an opinion. The state Supremes agree  to a point

In addition to rejecting Judge Muirs findings and recommendation into the 10th row, the state Supreme Court recommended review of the case by a new referee.

And, so the partial do-over fell to replacement referee Miami-Dade County Circuit Court Judge Lizzet Martinez.

Judge Martinez took the above facts, the state Supreme Court opinion, Schwartzs discipline history (three incidents of minor misconduct, two public reprimands and a 90-day suspension) and case law and recommended a 90-day suspension followed by one year of probation.

The state Supreme Courts second opinion said, Based upon the record before us, we conclude that in recommending a non-rehabilitative suspension the referee did not give Schwartzs prior misconduct proper consideration in light of existing case law. As the referee found, on three prior occasions...Schwartz violated numerous Bar rules, which in each instance included those rule violations that the Court has held are considered the most serious.

Schwartzs 90-day suspension came in 2012 after he filed affidavits knowing hed notarized them even though he hadnt actually seen his client sign them. Both public reprimands concerned some form of lying.

This cumulative misconduct by Schwartz, of the most egregious type (dishonesty) and where he has previously received the longest non-rehabilitative suspension permissible under the rules...surely necessitates an escalated sanction by this Court for that same repeated type of misconduct, the court stated in handing down its opinion on Martinezs suggestion.

The Bar wanted a three-year suspension. The state Supreme Court agreed with the Bar and suspended Schwartz for three years.

As for Woodson, online court and Florida Department of Corrections records say he got six years probation on March 25, 2015, violated probation in October 2016 and went to prison until Jan. 1, 2018.
JERUSALEM, March 13 (Xinhua) -- The University of Haifa (UH) in northern Israel has signed an academic collaboration agreement with the United Arab Emirates (UAE)'s National Library and Archives (NLA), the UH said on Sunday.

The collaboration will focus on exchanges of researchers and collections, access to library resources, and holding joint exhibitions and conferences, the UH said.

The NLA, established in 1968 and based in Abu Dhabi, has been collecting documents and information relating to the history and culture of the Arabian Peninsula in general and the UAE in particular.

"The current academic agreement symbolizes the breaking of research boundaries in the Middle East, with many materials that were blocked to the Israeli research community now being accessible," the UH noted.

"In addition, the Emirates find great interest in our library materials, digitization processes and innovative digital humanities tools developed at the university," it added.

Israel and the UAE signed a historic normalization deal in September 2020. 
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
A man shot and killed by Independence police Friday night following a disturbance has been identified, the Missouri State Highway Patrol announced Saturday afternoon.

Tyrea M. Pryor, 39, was fatally shot Friday night by Independence police officers when they saw him display an AR-style rifle following a police pursuit and crash, the Missouri State Highway Patrol said over social media.

Independence police responded to calls of a disturbance just before 8 p.m. on Friday, said Sgt. Bill Lowe, a patrol spokesman.

A woman said three people were banging on her door, according to Officer Jack Taylor, a spokesman for the Independence Police Department.

The woman did not know who they were and said the three people had arrived in a white vehicle.

Officers responding to the 800 block of East College Street saw a white sedan speeding away from the residence and began to pursue.

The police chase ended shortly after, Lowe said. But the suspect vehicle continued to flee and struck another vehicle near the intersection of U.S. 24 Highway and Noland Road, Lowe said.

Officers approached the suspect. He had a rifle in the vehicle. And at that point in time, the officers shot the suspect, Lowe said.

Two female passengers from the vehicle were interviewed by investigators and taken to an area hospital with injuries caused by the crash, Lowe said. The driver of the other vehicle was uninjured.

The officers that shot the suspect have been placed on administrative leave as a part of the departments policy, Taylor said in an email to The Star.

The investigation by the Missouri State Highway Patrol is ongoing.
US National Security advisor Jake Sullivan speaks during the daily press briefing on the situation in Afghanistan at the White House on August 17, 2021. ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images

The US is paying close attention to the potential of Russia using chemical weapons in Ukraine.

Russia falsely accused the US and Ukraine of using chemical weapons, the national security adviser said.

"That's a classic page out of the Russian playbook," Jake Sullivan said on CNN Sunday.

National security adviser Jake Sullivan on Sunday called Russia claiming that both the United States and Ukraine are employing chemical weapons "a tell."

"It is a very legitimate concern, fear that Russia would use chemical weapons in Ukraine," Sullivan said on CNN's "State of the Union" Sunday when asked about the possibility of Russia using chemical weapons in Ukraine.

"They're right now accusing the United States and Ukrainians of potentially using chemical and biological weapons which is a tell. It's a tell that they themselves may be preparing to do so, and then trying to pin the blame on someone else," Sullivan added.

"That's a classic page out of the Russian playbook," he said.

Threats and concerns of chemical and nuclear warfare have escalated since the war started in late February.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy earlier this week characterized Russian President Vladimir Putin's threat to use nuclear weapons in the Ukraine-Russia conflict as "a bluff."

"It's one thing to be a murderer. It's another to commit suicide," Zelenskyy said.

Days into the invasion, Putin placed Russia's nuclear deterrent forces on high alert, a move that attracted the NATO's attention. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the order is "dangerous rhetoric."

Sullivan on Sunday said Russia "would pay a severe price" if it were to use chemical weapons in Ukraine. He said the US is communicating with its NATO allies and partners "to reinforce that message."

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"We're watching this extremely closely. The escalation risk with a nuclear power is severe," he said. "The American president, Joe Biden, has to take that responsibility extremely seriously, even as we redouble our efforts to support the Ukrainians."

"Anytime you have a nuclear power fighting in a conflict zone in Europe near NATO territory, of course we have to focus on and be concerned about the possibility of escalation, the risk of escalation," he said.

"But," he added, "we have not seen anything that would require us to change our nuclear posture at this time."

On CBS's "Face the Nation," Sullivan said Putin is "resorting" to potentially using chemical weapons because "he's frustrated because his forces aren't advancing."

Read the original article on Business Insider
This conceptual image shows a liquid hydrogen production facility that Australia-based Woodside aims to build in the Westport Industrial Park in Ardmore.

Oklahoma is ready to demonstrate hydrogen's viability as a commercial fuel, and it's taking its effort regional through a partnership with two neighboring states.

Oklahoma, Arkansas and Louisiana announced this week they have created a regional hydrogen hub with hopes to land a billion dollars or more in federal funds to show off what the states can do.

There are lots of ways that effort could and already is happening across the three states, said Kenneth Wagner, Oklahoma's secretary of energy and environment.

More: As gas prices soar, Oklahoma remains among states with the cheapest average price

"A hub can mean a lot of things. In this case, it represents a cluster of end-use demonstrations we could do to prove the commercial viability of hydrogen in certain types of applications. No specifics have been nailed down yet, but by design, we could demonstrate its commercial value across the entire value chain within our three states," Wagner said.

"We are not suggesting this is the magic molecule. But it is another tool to create more stable energy markets through the introduction of lower-cost alternatives, continuing to provide the cleanest, most-affordable energy in the country," he said.

A task force Wagner led in 2021 researched Oklahoma's ability to manufacture, store and supply hydrogen as an environmentally friendly alternative fuel that could be used to both power vehicles and generate electricity.

With abundant natural gas production, wind-generated power and plenty of cheap water, potential sources to get the hydrogen are plentiful within Oklahoma.

In short, the task force predicted Oklahoma could add more than 6,000 jobs to its economy if the effort were pursued.

It also predicted hydrogen production could generate an additional annual impact on the state's economy of between $1.5 billion and $2.5 billion, provided demand for the fuel develop as hoped.

Oklahoma Corporation Commission adopts new electric vehicle charger requirements. Here's what we know.

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Indeed, Australia-based Woodside already announced its plan to build a project in Ardmore that aims to produce 90 liquid tons of "green hydrogen," or hydrogen produced from water using renewable energy sources such as wind and solar, on a daily basis by 2025.

This week, Wagner said Woodside is making a $700 million investment to build its Ardmore facility.

Arkansas, like Oklahoma, has abundant natural resources and nuclear power that could be tapped to generate electricity that could be used to harvest hydrogen.

And Air Products, a company that produces, distributes and sells hydrogen pulled from natural gas, announced in October it will spend $4.5 billion to build a new complex in Louisiana that will capture the fuel from natural gas using carbon capture and sequestration, where the produced carbon dioxide will be piped to underground salt domes to be stored.

Company officials said the complex will take three years to build, creating 2,000 construction jobs, and will permanently employ 170 workers with an annual payroll of $15.9 million once it opens in 2026.

More: Continental Resources announces $250 million investment in carbon capture plan

The complex is designed to produce more than 750 million cubic feet of "blue" hydrogen daily. Air Products also produces blue hydrogen from a complex it already operates in Port Arthur, Texas. Captured CO2 there is piped to oilfield operators that use it for enhanced oil recovery efforts, officials said.

As for demonstrating hydrogen's viability as a commercial fuel, Wagner said that could happen various ways  trains, planes, trucks, automobiles and barges and ships, are potential users of the fuel.

"When you think about it, you have a seaport that goes from Oklahoma through Arkansas to Louisiana's Gulf Coast. You have rail that's used to carry freight. You have existing pipeline that connects our state to the Gulf Coast. You have some of the most valuable interstates in the nation, and then finally, you have one of the most intense carbon corridors in the world along Louisiana's Gulf Coast.

"You can surmise that some demonstration projects will involve transportation. In Louisiana, we hope to show how hydrogen can be used to reduce CO2's footprint in major seaports."

More: Oklahoma has more than 17,000 unplugged wells. This legislative bill could help change that

Governors announced hub's creation

Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards and Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced the regional hub's creation in a release issued Thursday.

Wagner said each of the governors believes the production and development of all energy sources are in the nation's best interest.

Wagner, who will represent Oklahoma in the partnership with counterparts from the other states, said Friday that Oklahoma and its partners could acquire more than $1 billion to develop and execute their plans from $9.5 billion provided through the Infrastructure, Investment and Jobs Act of 2021.

"All the possibilities across these three states make this regional hub a natural choice to fund," Wagner said.

Business Writer Jack Money covers Oklahomas energy and agricultural beats for the newspaper and Oklahoman.com. Contact him at jmoney@oklahoman.com. Please support his work and that of other Oklahoman journalists by subscribing to The Oklahoman.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Oklahoma joins Arkansas, Louisiana to create regional hydrogen hub
A little over two weeks ago, Olympic medalist Stanislav Horuna was the captain of Ukraine's national karate team. Now, in his words, he's just an "ordinary soldier" fighting in a war against Russia.

"Everyday nonstop the night before the news, we are checking if our friends and family members are okay, if somebody needs something... So, no time to complain or time to reconsider your life," Horuna told CBS News from his hometown of Lviv. "That's just how it is. It's a critical moment."

Horuna, who won bronze in the Tokyo Games last summer, is among the many Ukrainian athletes who have dropped everything in their lives to fight off the Russian invasion.

Bronze medalist Stanislav Horuna of Team Ukraine poses with the bronze medal at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. / Credit: Harry How / Getty Images

Horuna said he received a call at 4 a.m. on the first day of the war and had a chance to leave the country, but he declined. "We'll do what is needed," he said.

Horuna said he never wanted to be a soldier because of the lack of freedom that comes with it, but he and his fellow Ukrainian citizens have felt a calling to fight in the ongoing conflict.

"We don't have proper military preparation trainings and fighting experience, but anyway, we are on our land, we are at home and we are ready to protect," he said.

"If it is needed, we will kill, of course. We will shoot. There is no other option for us," he added.

Horuna said the experience has been mentally and emotionally taxing, saying he feels "helpless" and "full of anger." When Russia on Wednesday was accused of launching a strike on a maternity hospital in Mariupol, Horuna, a father of one, said he asked his commanders to send him there. They shot down the idea because of his lack of military experience.

Stanislav Horuna won a bronze medal in the Tokyo Olympics months ago. Now, in his words, is an

He said they told him to "stay here and protect this territory. Because if enemy comes here, somebody needs somebody to fight."

Horuna told CBS News that he believes that if it were not for Ukraine's staunch defense, Putin would invade further into Europe.

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"Now, Putin is the symbol of terrorist aggression," he said. "Violence he ordered with no real reason. He ordered his soldiers to kill innocent people here in Ukraine. And if we didn't resist, it's just a matter of time when he would go further to Poland, Slovakia, Estonia, Finland and so on."

The 33-year-old marveled at the amount of people from "more than 50 countries" who have come to fight with Ukraine.

"They know that the whole world is now under the risk of the third World War," he said. "And that guy, Putin, has to be stopped."

Still, even in a moment of tragedy and turmoil, Horuna said he feels an immense sense of pride for the way Ukrainians have come together.

"Now, we are all as one as a real nation, we are all together, so, of course, it makes me proud of my people," he said.

This Olympian from Ukraine is prepared to fight against Russia

Pro-Trump former Minnesota GOP chair running for late husband's House seat

MoneyWatch: Wage increases fail to keep pace with inflation
ND National Guard support for COVID-19 operations to end of week

BISMARCK  As COVID-19 trends continue to improve and the second anniversary of the first recorded case in North Dakota approaches, Gov. Doug Burgum today announced that the State of North Dakota is preparing for a shift toward an endemic status in the future.

In North Dakota, we have used a common-sense, data-driven approach to protecting the vulnerable, preserving individual freedoms and saving lives and livelihoods throughout the pandemic. Weve provided information in innovative ways so that each individual has access to resources and education to make informed decisions about their health, Burgum said. As we prepare to shift into a new phase and learn to live with this virus, we have resources and tools that were not available two years ago. Research, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, antivirals and at-home test kits have changed what we know about the virus and how we respond in our communities.

After a peak of cases in late January due to the omicron variant, North Dakota has seen a steady and significant decrease in both active cases and hospitalizations. Compared with January, the number of new COVID-19 cases in February declined by 73%, hospital admissions decreased by 50% and deaths decreased by 11%.

With the continued decrease in active cases, hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 in North Dakota, we believe it is time to plan the transition toward an endemic phase with this virus, said State Health Officer, Dr. Nizar Wehbi. Endemic COVID-19 does not mean that the virus is gone. The virus is still in our communities, but we now have more tools and therapeutics to fight the virus and protect our vulnerable population and maintain hospital capacity.

The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic in 2020, and North Dakota confirmed its first case on March 11, 2020. A pandemic occurs when there is an increase in cases of a disease across the globe. An endemic occurs when the disease is present but there are no large shifts in case counts and the patterns of infection become more stable.

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As the state shifts toward endemic status, North Dakota National Guard support for COVID-19 operations in the state will end March 17, marking 736 consecutive days of response by the Guard. This will conclude the largest and longest state mobilization in the history of the North Dakota National Guard, with Soldiers and Airmen contributing over 133,000 personnel days to the pandemic response and supporting approximately 467,000 tests and over 100,000 vaccines.

Im extremely proud of the leadership, cooperation and professionalism of the men and women of the North Dakota National Guard and the Department of Emergency Services during this two-year effort combatting the COVID-19 pandemic, said Maj. Gen. Al Dohrmann, North Dakota adjutant general. Their commitment to the whole-of-government approach in supporting the citizens of our state during this emergency is nothing less than remarkable.

As we shift operations toward an endemic status, we thank the National Guard and the Department of Emergency Services for the incredible support they provided throughout the pandemic, Burgum said. From testing and vaccinations to providing additional capacity at the state lab, the work of the National Guard enhanced our response across the state, and we are grateful for their assistance, service and lifesaving work.

Over the last month, North Dakota has made at-home COVID-19 tests available for pick up at locations across the state. The availability of at-home tests empowers North Dakotans to make informed decisions about their health without having to go to a public testing site or clinic.

Wehbi said the state is maintaining its response capacity and capability to be prepared in case of another surge or new variant.

Just to remind all our citizens: If you are sick, stay home. People might consider adding a few at-home COVID-19 tests to the medicine cabinet, having them on hand to test if they have been exposed or have symptoms. Vaccination remains the first line of protective defense against the virus, and being up-to-date on immunizations is important, Wehbi said.

This article originally appeared on Devils Lake Journal: Pandemic response shifts toward endemic status as COVID trends improve
Silver carp jump out of the water during a survey by U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service personnel.

A wholesale fish dealer from Platteville has been convicted of illegally selling invasive carp in Wisconsin.

Ping Li, co-owner and sole operator of Li Fish Farm, LLC, was convicted in Grant and Dane county circuit courts of two misdemeanor crimes and 17 forfeiture violations under a plea deal.

Li was ordered to pay more than $13,000 in penalties, according to the Department of Natural Resources.

It was the state's first case involving illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp.

More: Smith: Fly tying helps anglers with more than catching fish

The 19 convictions included improper transport of Asian carp, violation of wholesale fish dealer vehicle ID requirements when transporting fish, possession of illegal fish with a value greater than $300 and failure to keep wholesale fish dealer records.

Acting on a tip in April 2018 from a concerned citizen, DNR conservation wardens began an investigation and observed Li selling the fish to Asian Midway Foods in Madison. Charges were filed against Li in September 2020.

The illegal activity, which included the sale of whole bighead, grass and silver carp that had been purchased in Illinois, was documented on at least five occasions in 2018 and 2019, according to a criminal complaint in the case.

However the illegal activities had been ongoing for several years before, according to the agency.

It is illegal to possess Asian carp in Wisconsin unless the fish have been gutted or the gills are severed.

David Rowe, DNR fisheries supervisor (left) and Alex Bentz, a fisheries technician, hold a bighead carp captured on the Wisconsin River in 2017.

Undercover work by DNR wardens found Li transporting hundreds of pounds of prohibited carp on most deliveries to the food store.

The bighead, grass and silver carp in this case are different from the carp known as German carp or common carp which have lived in Wisconsin since the mid-1800s.

While they are all considered invasive, bighead and silver carp, especially, have spread through the U.S. over the last several decades and resulted in significant damage to native ecosystems and fisheries.

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The species (are) top on the Least Wanted Aquatic Invasive Species List from the Great Lakes  St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers, said Lt. Robert Stroess, DNR warden administrator for Commercial Fishing and Aquatic Species in Trade Enforcement, in a statement.

The DNR listed the following threats from each species:

- The bighead carp is a feeder of plankton, which is a primary food for many native fish including walleye, yellow perch, lake whitefish and all juvenile fish. This specific carp is a major threat to the Great Lakes $7 billion fishing industry.

- The silver carp is another feeder on fish habitats attacked by the bighead. This species also is known to leap out of the water, which is a threat to boaters and the regions $16 billion boating industry.

- The grass carp eats aquatic habitats and is known to help cause algae blooms and damage to wetlands and waterfowl habitats.

The species' are found in the Mississippi River and certain inland waters of Wisconsin. Grass carp have been documented in Lake Michigan and its tributaries, but so far no bighead or silver carp have been found in the Wisconsin waters of Lake Michigan.

A silver carp captured on the Illinois River in central Illinois.

The laws around the Great Lakes states are in place to minimize the threat of these species finding their way into new waterways at the hands of humans, said Stroess. The laws serve as important protections for our native Wisconsin fish.

Nearly all the invasive carp Li sold and transported were completely intact and therefore illegal in Wisconsin. In 2018 alone, more than 9,000 pounds of Lis overall invasive carp sales were transported or sold illegally in the state.

Li also violated the law when he used an unmarked refrigerated van to transport and deliver most of the illegal carp, making it difficult to identify it as a wholesale fish dealer vehicle.

To learn more about invasive carp rules, regulations and preventive measures in Wisconsin, visit dnr.wi.gov.

Hunter education change: Beginning March 21, the DNR will once again require aspiring hunters under the age of 18 to attend an in-person hunter education test.

Due to COVID-19-related health concerns, the department had a temporary policy in place that allowed youth to obtain their certificate through an entirely on-line process.

Students under the age of 18 enrolled in the all-online course will have through March 20 to complete it. Those over age 18 may continue to utilize the online course.

The DNR has a list of hunter education classes and options on its website at dnr.wi.gov.

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: Case is first in Wisconsin for illegal sale of bighead, grass and silver carp
Steven McCarran was stabbed to death on Friday morning. (West Midlands Police)

A man has been arrested after a 51-year-old man was stabbed to death during an altercation in Birmingham.

West Midlands Police said Steven McCarran suffered multiple knife wounds during the disorder in Grazebook Croft, Bartley Green at 11.20am on Friday (11 March).

The 51-year-old, who lived locally, was pronounced dead at the scene, the force said.

In a statement announcing the victim's identity, police said a 20-year-old man had been arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning during an operation at a multi-occupancy property in Tyseley, Birmingham.

Detectives have been granted more time to question him and he remains in custody, the force said on Sunday.

Steve McCarron died after he was stabbed multiple times on Grazebrook Croft, Bartley Green, Birmingham. (Google Maps)

It said McCarran's loved ones were being supported by specialist Family Liaison Officers.

Detective Inspector Jim Mahon, from the force's Homicide Unit, said: "Our thoughts are with Mr McCarrans familyclearly they are shocked at whats happened and we are supporting them however we can."

Read more: Anorexic woman, 27, died after being allowed home from rehab unit for Christmas weighing just four stone

He added: "We are continuing to make good progress with the investigation: we have searched more premises for evidence and seized CCTV of vital importance.

"Were still appealing for information and Id urge anyone who believes they may be able to help our investigation to please get in touch."

Anyone with any information is urged to contact West Midlands Police or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

The force said anyone with information may be entitled to a reward, even if they choose to stay anonymous.
RABAT, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Moroccan national airline Royal Air Maroc (RAM) launched on Sunday its first ever direct flight from Casablanca to Israel's Tel Aviv.

The new route will be conducted with four frequencies per week.

"We are happy to inaugurate this direct route to Tel Aviv, the first in the history of the national carrier," Hamid Addou, CEO of the RAM, said in a statement.

A Moroccan delegation consisting of economic operators, artists and journalists took part in this inaugural flight, and they will have series of economic and cultural meetings with their Israeli counterparts, the statement added.

Morocco and Israel signed a normalization agreement in December 2020. 
Antiwar protesters depicting Vladimir Putin, Joe Biden and Volodymyr Zelenskyy rally in Berlin in February.

What one word best describes Vladimir Putin?

In a pair of exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University polls, we asked 500 U.S. residents of Ukrainian descent and 500 residents of Russian descent that question. The answers weren't pretty  and they weren't different.

The most frequent response from both groups was "dictator" or "tyrant." The second was "evil" or "monster." Near the top of both lists were also "crazy/insane" and a catchall that sounds something like the title of a famous children's book: "awful/horrible/despicable/terrible."

More: Not a distant war: US residents with ties to Russia and Ukraine unite against Putin

More: David Paleologos: Anger at Russian Americans misdirected since most also scorn Putin over Ukraine war

Just six of the 500 Ukrainian-Americans surveyed volunteered a positive or neutral word to describe the Russian president, like "intelligent." Among the 500 Russian-Americans, 59 chose positive or neutral words. The most common fell in the category "determined/stubborn/strong."

The polls of U.S. residents who identify with their Ukrainian heritage and those who identify with their Russian heritage were taken March 5-10 by landline and cell phone. They have a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points.

A placard featuring an image of Russian President Vladimir Putin and reading "We are with him for the sovereignty of Russia! And you?" is seen left in front of the Russian State Duma building in central Moscow.

More: A life on the world stage, but scant biographical details: What we know of the life of Vladimir Putin

Those choices of words may help explain why those surveyed didn't think the news media are being too harsh on Putin. Just 4% of the Ukrainian-Americans and 14% of the Russian-Americans thought he wasn't getting a fair shake in their coverage.

Putin's approval rating could hardly get lower: 6% in the Russian sample and 2% in the Ukrainian sample approved of the job he was doing as president of Russia.

OK, what about Biden v. Trump?

President Biden got higher grades than Putin, but his approval ratings on handling Ukraine were still mediocre, at 40% among Russian-Americans and 35% among Ukrainian-Americans.

Story continues

Those surveyed split almost evenly when asked whether they trusted Biden or former president Donald Trump more to handle the conflict in Ukraine. Russian-Americans divide 44% for Trump, 43% for Biden. Among Ukrainian-Americans, Trump edged Biden 40%-37%.

More: Biden says the Ukraine crisis shows why the U.S. must become energy independent. Is that possible?

The only leader to get glowing reviews was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. His approval ratings were 72% among Russian-Americans and a sky-high 88% among Ukrainian-Americans.

Speaking of trust, what about the news?

The news media in Russia, much of it under state control and distributing disinformation about the war in Ukraine, isn't seen as credible. Even among U.S. residents of Russian descent, just 12% say they are very or somewhat likely to trust their reports about the crisis.

More: Satellite images, surveillance footage, social media posts show the latest on the war in Ukraine

The U.S. news media fares well. Two-thirds of Russian-Americans (64%) and three-fourths of Ukrainian-Americans (75%) were very or somewhat likely to trust what they read and hear from American news sources.

Most trusted of all were reports from Ukrainian news sources: 65% of Russian-Americans and 86% of Ukrainian-Americans were very or somewhat likely to trust what they were reporting.

Heard on the street

Two-thirds of the Ukrainian-Americans said someone had reacted to them about the Russian invasion because they knew they were of Ukrainian descent, and 90% of the reactions were positive ones.

Among the Russian-Americans, four in 10 had someone react to them because they knew they were of Russian descent. Most of those, 56% were positive reactions, but almost three in 10, 29%, were negative.

The negative interactions some Russian-Americans have faced recently, including vandalism and boycotts of Russian restaurants and businesses, don't seem entirely fair. In the poll, 87% of the U.S. residents of Russian heritage opposed the invasion of Ukraine, and 73% of them said they hoped Ukraine would prevail in the war.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Poll: What word describes Putin? And Biden v. Trump on handling Ukraine
From the beginning of Russia's war on Ukraine, protesters have filled the streets around the world. But nowhere is protesting a more significant act than it is in Russia.

According to a Russian human rights group, the government arrested more than 13,000 protesters in the first two weeks of the war.

"Sometimes police officers take your phone, take your stuff, and you have nothing. Sometimes they beat people," said Eva Ivanova. Two weeks ago, the 18-year-old was among about 1,500 protesting in St. Petersburg. Hundreds were detained. Ivanova said she was held at a police station for 28 hours, and ordered to sign a statement of guilt.

Eva Ivanova was among the hundreds arrested at an anti-war protest in the center of St. Petersburg, February 26, 2022. / Credit: Valya Egorshin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

"And I said, 'I'm not signing it, because I don't think I'm guilty," she told correspondent David Pogue. "They got crazy. And they tried to scare me with, 'Yeah, 20 years of jail!'"

But that wasn't the worst part: "You know, they can change your mind. They say something, and you start to doubt: Maybe they are right. I saw people get broken."

Dmitri Gudkov was a Russian Parliament member from 2011 to 2016. He openly opposed Vladimir Putin's regime. "It's very risky to take to the street," he said. "If you participate in the protest for the first time, you can be sent to prison up to 15 days; the second time, 30 days; and third time, it will be criminal case, so it's five years of prison."

After receiving threats, Gudkov and his family left the country last June.

Police detain a demonstrator during a protest against Russia's attack on Ukraine, in St. Petersburg, March 2, 2022. / Credit: Dmitri Lovetsky/AP

"Putin decided to get rid of all opponents, of all politicians in the Parliament, because I think that he was planning this invasion in Ukraine," Gudkov said.

"Can a protest do anything under these conditions?" Pogue asked.

"It can achieve nothing by the protest; it's impossible," he replied. "It is still very risky, and it's not efficient at all."

Thousands of protesters arrested in Russia as sanctions take toll on country's economy ("CBS Mornings")Ukrainian woman in Russia says she fears protesting attack: "No one wants to be beaten in the streets"What Russians can see of their war against Ukraine ("Sunday Morning")

Story continues

Eva Ivanova knows that protesting won't stop the war. But that's not why she does it.

"I don't think that the protest can stop a 'special military operation,'" she said, using the government's legally required euphemism for the war. "But I believe that that's how we can show our protest and our respect to Ukrainian people. Furthermore, I want people from other countries to see that our government is not us. Russian people is not Russian government."

Participants of a rally against military actions in Ukraine, in St. Petersburg, Russia, February 27, 2022. / Credit: Valya Egorshin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Pogue asked, "Are you more afraid now to do another protest?"

"Yes, and I can get in big trouble, but it doesn't stop me," she replied. "You have to go and go and go, because you know that it's correct. You must support people. You must show your position."

"Are you at all worried about showing your face on television?"

"A little bit. But I want people to see that I'm a good person, that I have faith, I have voice, and I want that voice to be heard."

"Are you a very unusual, brave, courageous person? Or are there lots of people like you?"

"I don't think I'm an extraordinary girl. No, I'm just, I'm just a girl," Ivanova replied. "I'm sure that there are a lot of people like me in Russia. In protest, I can see that."

Participants of a rally in St. Petersburg protesting military actions against Ukraine, February 27, 2022. / Credit: Valya Egorshin/NurPhoto via Getty Images

Story produced by John Goodwin. Editor: Lauren Barnello.

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DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar's foreign minister will travel to Moscow on Sunday for discussions on the Iran nuclear talks and Russia's invasion of Ukraine, a source familiar with the visit said.

The source said Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, whose gas producing country is a U.S. ally, would meet with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov.

Eleven month-old talks in Vienna to revive the 2015 Iran nuclear deal face the prospect of collapse after a last-minute Russian demand forced world powers to pause negotiations despite having a largely completed text.

Russia wants guarantees that its trade with Iran will not be affected by sanctions imposed on Moscow over its invasion of Ukraine - a demand Western powers say is unacceptable and Washington has insisted it will not agree to.

Sheikh Mohammed on Saturday discussed the nuclear talks in separate phone calls with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, Qatar's ministry of foreign affairs said in a tweet.

The talks in Vienna seek to bring Iran back into compliance with the pact's restrictions on its rapidly advancing nuclear activities and bring the United States back into the accord it left in 2018 under former President Donald Trump.

On Thursday, Qatar's ruling emir met with Bektum Rostam, a special envoy for Ukraine's president, to discuss diplomatic efforts to end the war, Qatar's state news agency reported.

(Reporting by Andrew Mills; Editing by Mark Potter)
Rebel Wilson hosted the EE British Academy Film Awards 2022 on March 13. (Photo: David M. Benett/Dave Benett/Getty Images)

Host Rebel Wilson opened the U.K.'s BAFTA film awards by making jokes about her recent weight loss, James Bond, the coronavirus pandemic and J.K. Rowling's controversial statements about the transgender community.

The Australian film star took to the stage in a sparkly red gown and said: I might look a bit different from the last time you saw me here. That was me two years ago and since then Ive done quite a transformation  I hope J.K. Rowling still approves."

Wilson, who shed more than 70 pounds after kicking off her self-proclaimed "year of health" in 2020, joked that her slim-down would help her out in Hollywood.

Everyone is asking me, why did you lose weight? Clearly it was to get the attention of Robert Pattinson, she told attendees at the U.K. equivalent to the Oscars.

She continued: I didnt lose weight just to get a guy, I did it to get more acting roles.

Now I can play the non-funny love interest in an Adam Sandler film.

Wilson also joked that she would be taking over from Daniel Craig as the next James Bond, quipping that, "because of the gender pay gap I actually wont be 007, Ill be 004.5 

Video: Scenes from the 2022 BAFTA red carpet
TEHRAN, Iran (AP)  Iran has decided to temporarily suspend its secret Baghdad-brokered talks aimed at defusing yearslong tensions with regional rival Saudi Arabia, Iranian state-linked media reported Sunday, a day after Saudi Arabia carried out its largest known mass execution in its modern history.

The Iranian news website Nournews, considered close to the countrys Supreme National Security Council, reported the government had unilaterally paused the talks with Saudi Arabia that have been ongoing in Baghdad over the past year aimed at restoring diplomatic ties.

Iraq's foreign minister earlier had said the fifth round of talks between Saudi and Iranian representatives was due to resume on Wednesday.

The report did not give a reason for Iran's suspension, but it comes after Saudi Arabia put to death 81 people convicted of crimes ranging from killings to ties to militant groups, a group that activists believe included over three dozen Shiites.

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh sharply condemned the executions as a violation of basic principles of human rights and international law, state-run IRNA news agency reported.

Shiites, who live primarily in the kingdoms oil-rich east, have long complained of being treated as second-class citizens. Saudi Arabia's executions of Shiites have stirred regional unrest in the past.

Iran, the largest Shiite Muslim country in the world, and Sunni powerhouse Saudi Arabia severed diplomatic ties in 2016 after Saudi Arabia executed prominent Shiite cleric Nimr al-Nimr. Angry Iranians protesting the execution stormed two Saudi diplomatic missions in Iran, fueling years of animosity between the nations.

Late Saturday, sporadic protests erupted among Shiites in the nearby island kingdom of Bahrain over the mass executions.

The Baghdad-mediated talks between the regional foes began quietly in Iraq's capital last year as Saudi Arabia sought a way to end its disastrous war against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, a conflict that has spawned the world's worst humanitarian disaster and brought rebel drones and missiles raining down on Saudi airports and oil facilities.

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Iran-backed militias also have attacked Saudi targets and launched drones against the kingdom from Iraq.

The pause in diplomatic talks between the countries that have long competed for influence across the Middle East comes at a tense time for the region. On Sunday, Iran claimed responsibility for a missile strike landed in the vicinity of the U.S. consulate in Iraqs northern city of Irbil, describing the attack as retaliation for an Israeli strike in Syria that killed two members of its Revolutionary Guard.

Talks to revive Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers meanwhile broke off last week without an agreement, casting uncertainty over months of negotiations that had nearly reached a breakthrough.
Editor's note: This page recaps the news from Ukraine on Sunday, March 13. Follow here for the latest updates and news from Monday, March 14, as Russia's invasion continues.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy says he will continue negotiating with Russia and is waiting for a meeting with its leader, Vladimir Putin despite repeated escalated attacks by Russia in Ukraine.

So far, Zelenskyy's requests have gone unanswered by the Kremlin. During his nightly address to his nation, Zelenskyy said Sunday that his delegation has a clear task to do everything to ensure a meeting between the two presidents, the Associated Press reports.

Zelenskyy said there are daily discussions between the two countries via video conference. He said the talks are necessary to establish a cease-fire and more humanitarian corridors. He said those corridors have saved more than 130,000 people in six days.

The humanitarian convoy to the besieged city of Mariupol was blocked Sunday by Russian forces. Zelenskyy said they would try again Monday.

Dmitry Peskov, Russia's negotiator and President Vladimir Putin's press secretary, confirmed the daily talks, the BBC reports.

In a video posted on social media and in a subsequent tweet, Mykhailo Podolyak, Ukraine's negotiator and a Zelenskyy adviser, said Russia was beginning to engage constructively.

"Russia now much more adequately perceives the world around it," Podolyak said. "It is much more sensitive to the position of Ukraine, which has been proven in battlefields, and in Ukraine's actions in terms of protecting its interests."

'MASS CASUALTY SITUATION': Downtown Kyiv hospital braces for carnage doctors fear will come

'WORSE THAN HELL': Mariupol mother fears for her daughter as Russia lays siege to the Ukrainian city

Latest developments:

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan will meet with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday. China has called for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine but has rejected sanctions against Russia.

Story continues

Russia has opened 14 recruitment centers in Syria and will pay mercenaries up to $600 per month to fight in Ukraine, the Ukraine military said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to create pseudo-republics to break his country apart. He urged Ukraines regions not to follow the path of two eastern areas  Donetsk Peoples Republic and the Luhansk Peoples Republic  where pro-Russian separatists clashed with Ukrainian forces in 2014.

An estimated 1,300 Ukrainian troops have been killed since Russia began its invasion, according to Zelenskyy, who claims 12,000 Russian forces have been killed.

Kyiv is preparing for a possible blockade by stockpiling humanitarian supplies to support the city's residents, city officials said Sunday.

Almost 2.7 million Ukrainians have fled the country, the U.N. refugee agency said.

Tens of thousands Europeans protest Russia's invasion of Ukraine

Europe saw tens of thousands of people rallying Sunday in protest of Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

In Milan, Italys financial capital, protesters held bloodied cloth bundles to represent Ukrainian children killed in Russian attacks. Germans carried flags in the blue and yellow colors of Ukraine during protest in Berlin spurred by trade workers.

Anti-war protests were also staged in Warsaw, London and the German cities of Frankfurt, Hamburg and Stuttgart. Small vigils took place in Russia as well, despite a crackdown by authorities against demonstrations.

Russian protests against the war in Ukraine have been typically met with a heavy police response. Rights group OVD-Info said more than 668 people had been detained in 36 cities as of late afternoon Sunday Moscow time.

The number of Russians protesting nationwide appeared to have shrunk significantly from major protests a week ago when OVD-Info said over 5,000 people were detained.

Biden talks to Macron about the Russian invasion of Ukraine

President Joe Biden spoke to French President Emmanuel Macron Sunday about efforts to reach a ceasefire and ongoing negotiations with Russia.

In Biden's call Macron, the two talked about "reviewed recent diplomatic engagements and underscored their commitment to hold Russia accountable for its actions and to support the government and people of Ukraine," according to a White House readout of the call, CNN reports.

In a separate call, Macron also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a French source familiar with the chat said Macron "reviewed the situation with him. He expressed his full support and detailed the additional aid that the European Union decided to provide at the Versailles Summit. They exchanged views on the continuation of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine," CNN also reported.

The two leaders are expected to talk again later this week.

The talks come a day after he and German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin urging an immediate ceasefire and a diplomatic solution to the conflict in Ukraine.

'Russian TV channels' will begin broadcasting soon, says new mayor of Russian-occupied Ukrainian city

The newly installed mayor in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city Melitopol said "Russian TV channels" would be broadcasting in the region soon.

Galina Danilchenko said in a televised video Sunday claimed there was "a great deficit of trustworthy information being circulated," as the decision for the broadcasting, according to CNN.

Her televised address was later posted on social media by pro-Russian Telegram channels and by the Ukrainian-controlled Zaporozhye regional administration.

Danilchenko was installed as mayor after elected mayor Ivan Fedorov was detained by armed men on Friday. The prosecutor's office for the Russian-backed separatist region of Luhansk later accused Fedorov of terrorism offenses.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for Federov's immediate release, saying his "abduction" was a "crime against democracy."

US officials say Russia asked China for aid, US and China set to meet Monday

Russia asked China for economic and military aid for the war in Ukraine after President Putin began his invasion last month, U.S. officials told The New York Times and the Washington Post.

China has called for a peaceful settlement in Ukraine, but has rejected sanctions against Russia. The relationship between the two countries has grown over the past few decades, and both have opposed a further expansion of NATO.

The developments comes as Jake Sullivan, the White House national security adviser, is scheduled to meet on Monday with senior Chinese foreign policy adviser Yang Jiechi in Rome.

We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them, Sullivan told CNN on Sunday.

We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world, he added.

US journalist killed in Ukraine by Russian soldiers

American photojournalist Brent Renaud was killed Sunday in Ukraine when Russian soldiers opened fire on a car in Irpin, a town 30 miles outside the capital of Kyiv.

A second American journalist, Juan Arredondo was rushed to a hospital with shrapnel wounds, police said.

Arredondo, 46, told Italian journalist Annalisa Camilli in an interview from a hospital that the two men were filming refugees fleeing the area when their car rolled up to a checkpoint and the Russians began shooting. He said Renaud was shot in the neck.

Renaud, 50, and his brother Craig frequently collaborated on film and television projects. They covered wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the earthquake in Haiti, political turmoil in Egypt and Libya, extremism in Africa, cartel violence in Mexico, and the youth refugee crisis in Central America, according to their website.

Renaud was working on a project in Ukraine focused on the global refugee crisis for TIME Studios, the company said in a statement Sunday afternoon.

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CBS News that the U.S. government would consult with Ukraine to determine what happened and would then execute appropriate consequences.

Airstrike near Polish border kills at least 35

A Russian airstrike on a military training base in western Ukraine killed at least 35 people and wounded 134, a local official said. The assault brought the war to within 25 miles of the border with Poland after a senior Russian diplomat warned that Moscow considered foreign shipments of military equipment to Ukraine legitimate targets.

The United States and NATO have regularly sent instructors to the range, also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, to train Ukrainian military personnel. The facility has also hosted international NATO drills. Just weeks before the war began, Florida National Guard members trained there.

The base has become a crucial logistics hub and training center since Russias invasion began, The New York Times reported. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told ABC News that U.S. military personnel had left the training facility weeks ago and were not present during the airstrike. It was not immediately revealed whether any foreign fighters were at the center.

The governor of the Lviv region, Maksym Kozytskyi, said Russian forces fired more than 30 cruise missiles at the Yavoriv military range, located about 20 miles northwest of the city of Lviv.

Pope rails against 'barbarism' of Russian siege

Pope Francis urged Russia to stop the massacre in Ukraine by allowing safe passage out of cities under siege and making a serious effort to bring peace at the negotiating table. Mariupol in particular is being "martyred by the ruinous war" raged by Russia against Ukraine, he said. He implored leaders to "listen to the cry of those who suffer" and end the bombings.

"Faced with the barbarism of the killing of children, and of innocent and defenseless citizens, there are no strategic reasons that hold up," Francis said. "The only thing to be done is to cease the unacceptable armed aggression before the city is reduced to a cemetery."

Russia could be preparing to use chemical weapons

Russia could be preparing to use chemical weapons in Ukraine, an act that would draw a "severe price," White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan warned Sunday.

Sullivan told CBS News that Russian rhetoric is increasingly claiming the Ukrainians and Americans will potentially use chemical or biological weapons "and that's an indicator that, in fact, the Russians are getting ready to do it, and try and pin the blame elsewhere and nobody should fall for that."

Asked what consequences would result, he said he would not go beyond what President Joe Biden indicated on Friday: "They will pay a severe price."

"We have communicated that directly to the Russians," he said on NBC News' "Meet the Press."

Russian yachts being seized across Europe

Russian yacht owners are encountering rough seas around the world as nations sympathetic to Ukraine's plight press sanctions that include impounding assets of Russia's wealthy class. World leaders hope harsh economic sanctions that target Vladimir Putin's inner circle of oligarchs could apply pressure on the Russian president to end his brutal military assault on Ukraine. Italy announced Saturday that it had seized a $580 million superyacht linked to Russian energy and fertilizer magnate Andrey Igorevich Melnichenko. Several other yachts have been seized in recent weeks in Italy, Germany and Fance.

Sullivan: US nuclear posture hasn't changed

National security adviser Jake Sullivan said Sunday the U.S. has seen no reason to change its nuclear posture in light of Russian President Vladimir Putin's actions in Ukraine or threats involving nuclear weapons. In the opening days of the invasion of Ukraine, Putin indicated that if the U.S. and other NATO allies continued to impose heavy sanction against the Russian economy, or if they attempt to aid Ukrainian forces, the Kremlin would be ready to respond with nuclear weaponry.

"We are watching this extremely closely. And obviously the escalation risk with a nuclear power is severe, and it is a different kind of conflict and other conflicts the American people have seen over the years," Sullivan said. He noted that "as things stand today" the U.S. isn't making an adjustment to its nuclear posture, "but it is something that we monitor day by day, hour by hour."

USA TODAY/Suffolk polls: Russian Americans, Ukrainian Americans oppose war

U.S. residents who identify with Russian or Ukrainian heritage express strikingly similar views about the Kremlin's invasion of Ukraine, a pair of exclusive USA TODAY/Suffolk University polls finds. The two groups are united in their opposition to Russian President Vladimir Putin and the war being fiercely fought on his orders.

The invasion is opposed by nearly everyone in both groups: 87% of Russian-Americans and 94% of Ukrainian-Americans. Those of Russian descent have a more positive view of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (72%) than they do of Putin (6%). By nine-to-one, they say Putin should be removed from office.

"Somebody just needs to extract him," said Dina Sarkisova, 44, who owns a spa in San Diego and participated in the survey. Half-Russian and half-Azeri, she came to the United States as a refugee in 1990, fleeing conflict in Azerbaijan as the Soviet Union collapsed. "There's no reasoning with him."

Read more on the polling and the voices of those polled here.

Death toll in battered Mariupol surpasses 1,500, mayor says

In Mariupol, which has endured some of the worst punishment since Russia invaded, efforts to bring food, water and medicine into the port city of 430,000 and to evacuate civilians, were prevented by unceasing attacks. More than 1,500 people have died in Mariupol during the siege, according to the mayor's office, and the shelling has even interrupted efforts to bury the dead in mass graves. Russian forces shelled a mosque sheltering over 80 children and adults in Mariupol, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said Saturday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to break his country apart, as well as starting a new stage of terror with the alleged detention of a mayor from a city west of Mariupol.

Ukraine will stand this test. We need time and strength to break the war machine that has come to our land, Zelenskyy said during his nightly address to the nation Saturday.

Russian soldiers pillaged a humanitarian convoy that was trying to reach Mariupol and blocked another, Ukrainian officials say. Ukraines military said Russian forces captured Mariupols eastern outskirts, tightening their siege of the strategic port. Taking Mariupol and other ports on the Azov Sea could allow Russia to establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Ukraine government: 85 children killed by Russian attacks

Since Russian attacks on Ukraine began, 85 children have died, the Ukrainian government said Sunday morning. Ukrainian Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova gave the casualty number in a tweet, adding the toll the war has taken on schools.

"Deliberate and brutal shelling of civilians continues. 369 educational institutions were damaged, 57 of which were completely destroyed," she said.

Exodus from Ukraine, via Lviv, continues today. Early this morning Russian missiles struck a military training facility about 30 miles from here. 9 dead and 57 wounded, according to Lvivs regional governor pic.twitter.com/i4wLEx799g  Kim Hjelmgaard (@khjelmgaard) March 13, 2022

Bus with refugees overturns in Italy, 1 dead

Italian state radio says a bus carrying about 50 refugees from Ukraine has overturned on a major highway in northern Italy, killing a passenger and injuring several others, none of them seriously. RAI radio said one woman died and the rest of those aboard the bus were safely evacuated after the accident early Sunday near the town of Forli. It wasnt immediately clear where the bus was headed.

About 35,000 Ukrainians refugees who fled the war have entered Italy, most of them through its northeastern border with Slovenia. Forli is in the region of Emilia-Romagna, which borders the Adriatic Sea and which so far has taken in about 7,000 refugees.

The accident is under investigation.

A third Russian general has died in fighting, Ukraine officials say

A Russian general was killed in fighting at Ukraine's southern city Mariupol, Ukrainian officials said.

Maj. Gen. Andrei Kolesnikov would be the third Russian general to die since the invasion of Ukraine began, making an unusual loss of such a high-ranking military official during fighting. Kolesnikov was the commander of Russia's Eastern Military District, according to Ukraine's military.

Russia did not confirm Kolesnikov's death, and has not shared many details about its military losses during the invasion of Ukraine. Maj. Gen. Andrei Sukhovetsky, the commanding general of the Russian 7th Airborne Division, and Maj. Gen. Vitaly Gerasimov, who had fought with Russian forces in Syria and Chechnya, had previously been reported killed.

Ukraine: 7 dead, including one child, in attack on humanitarian corridor

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said Saturday that seven people, including one child, were killed Friday by Russian soldiers while traveling along a humanitarian corridor, calling the act a military crime.

The ministry claimed Russian soldiers shot at a group of civilians, consisting primarily of women and children, behind the agreed green corridor. The attack allegedly occurred during an evacuation attempt in the village of Peremoga, which is in the Baryshevskyi district of the Kyiv region. The number of non-fatal injuries from the shooting is unknown, the agency said.

The defense ministry additionally claimed that after the shooting, Russian soldiers would not allow other individuals to escape.

At present, it is practically impossible to contact them, as well as to provide humanitarian and medical care, the agency said.

 Ella Lee

Contributing: Kim Hjelmgaard, USA TODAY; The Associated Press

More Ukraine-Russia coverage

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ukraine president Zelenskyy in daily talks with Russia: March 13 recap
By Mark Trevelyan

LONDON (Reuters) - Russia said on Sunday that it was counting on China to help it withstand the blow to its economy from Western sanctions over the war in Ukraine, but the United States warned Beijing not to provide that lifeline.

Russian Finance Minister Anton Siluanov said sanctions had deprived Moscow of access to $300 billion of its $640 billion in gold and foreign exchange reserves, and added that there was pressure on Beijing to shut off more.

We have part of our gold and foreign exchange reserves in the Chinese currency, in yuan. And we see what pressure is being exerted by Western countries on China in order to limit mutual trade with China. Of course, there is pressure to limit access to those reserves," he said.

"But I think that our partnership with China will still allow us to maintain the cooperation that we have achieved, and not only maintain, but also increase it in an environment where Western markets are closing."

Western countries have imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia's corporate and financial system since it invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24 in what it calls a special military operation.

Siluanov's comments in a TV interview marked the clearest statement yet from Moscow that it will seek help from China to cushion the impact.

But U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said Washington was warning China not to provide it.

"We are communicating directly, privately to Beijing, that there will absolutely be consequences for large-scale sanctions, evasion efforts or support to Russia to backfill them," Sullivan told CNN.

"We will not allow that to go forward and allow there to be a lifeline to Russia from these economic sanctions from any country, anywhere in the world," added Sullivan, who is due to meet China's top diplomat Yang Jiechi in Rome on Monday.

Russia and China have tightened cooperation in recent times as both have come under strong Western pressure over human rights and a raft of other issues. Beijing has not condemned Russia's attack on Ukraine and does not call it an invasion, but it has urged a negotiated solution.

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Presidents Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping met in Beijing on Feb. 4 and announced a strategic partnership they said was aimed at countering the influence of the United States, describing it as a friendship with no limits.

China is Russia's top export market after the European Union. Russian exports to China were worth $79.3 billion in 2021, with oil and gas accounting for 56% of that, according to China's customs agency.

(Reporting by Mark Trevelyan; Editing by Hugh Lawson)
LVIV, Ukraine (AP)  Russian missiles pounded a military base in western Ukraine on Sunday, killing 35 people in an attack on a facility that served as a crucial hub for cooperation between Ukraine and the NATO countries supporting its defense. The barrage marked an escalation of Moscows offensive and moved the fighting perilously close to the Polish border.

The attack so near a NATO member-country raised the possibility that the alliance could be drawn into the fight, and was heavy with symbolism in a conflict that has revived old Cold War rivalries and threatened to rewrite the current global security order.

More than 30 Russian cruise missiles targeted the sprawling facility at Yavoriv, which has long been used to train Ukrainian soldiers, often with instructors from the United States and other countries in the Western alliance. Poland is also a transit route for Western military aid to Ukraine, and the strikes followed Moscow's threats to target those shipments.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called it a black day," and again urged NATO leaders to establish a no-fly zone over the country, a plea that the West has said could escalate the war to a nuclear confrontation.

If you do not close our sky, it is only a matter of time before Russian missiles fall on your territory. NATO territory. On the homes of citizens of NATO countries, Zelenskyy said.

In addition to the fatalities, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said that 134 people were wounded in the attack.

Ina Padi, a 40-year-old Ukrainian who crossed the border with her family, was taking shelter at a fire station in Wielkie Oczy, Poland, when she was awakened by blasts Sunday morning that made the glass in the windows shake.

I understood in that moment, even if we are free of it, (the war) is still coming after us, she said.

Since their invasion more than two weeks ago, Russian forces have struggled in their advance across Ukraine, in the face of stiffer than expected resistance, bolstered by Western weapons support. Instead, Russian forces have besieged several cities and pummeled them with strikes, hitting two dozen medical facilities and leading to a series of humanitarian crises.

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The U.N. has recorded at least 596 civilian deaths, though it believes the true toll is much higher, and Ukraines Prosecutor Generals office said that at least 85 children are among them. An American filmmaker and journalist was also killed Sunday. Millions more people have fled their homes amid the largest land conflict in Europe since World War II.

Talks for a broad cease-fire have so far failed, but the Kremlin's spokesman said another round would take place on Monday by videolink, according to Russian state news agency Tass. Meanwhile, U.S. President Joe Biden is sending his national security adviser to Rome to meet with a Chinese official. There are worries in Washington that Beijing is amplifying Russian disinformation and may help Moscow evade punishing Western economic sanctions.

Zelenskyy said he will continue negotiating with Russia and making requests for a meeting with Putin, which, so far, have gone unanswered by the Kremlin. Daily talks, Zelenskyy said, were necessary to establish a cease-fire and add more humanitarian corridors, which saved more than 130,000 people in six days.

The attacked training base near Yavoriv is less than 25 kilometers (15 miles) from the Polish border and appears to be the westernmost target struck during Russias 18-day invasion.

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken condemned the attack, tweeting: The brutality must stop.

The base has hosted NATO drills, and a senior official, Admiral Rob Bauer, previously hailed it as embodying the spirit of military cooperation" between Ukraine and international forces.

As such, the site is a potent symbol of Russia's longstanding concerns that the expansion in recent years of the 30-member Western military alliance to include former Soviet states threatens its security  something NATO denies. Still, the perceived threat from NATO is central to Moscow's justifications for the war, and it has demanded Ukraine drop its ambitions to join the alliance.

Russian fighters also fired at the airport in the western city of Ivano-Frankivsk, which is less than 150 kilometers (94 miles) north of Romania and 250 kilometers (155 miles) from Hungary, two other NATO allies.

NATO said Sunday that it currently does not have any personnel in Ukraine, though the United States has increased the number of U.S. troops deployed to Poland. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said the West would respond if Russia's strikes travel outside Ukraine and hit any NATO members, even accidentally.

The city of Lviv, in western Ukraine itself, so far has been spared the scale of destruction happening to its east and south. Its population of 721,000 has swelled during the war, with residents escaping bombarded cities and as a waystation for the nearly 2.6 million people who have fled the country.

Ukrainian and European leaders have pushed with limited success for Russia to grant safe passage to civilians trapped by fighting. Ukrainian authorities said more than 10 humanitarian corridors would open Sunday, with agreement from Russia, including from the besieged port city of Mariupol, where the city council said 2,187 people have been killed.

But such promises have repeatedly crumbled, and there was no word late Sunday on whether people were able to use the evacuation routes. Officials did say that a convoy carrying 100 tons of aid was expected to arrive in Mariupol on Monday.

The suffering in the port city is simply immense, the International Committee of the Red Cross said Sunday, noting that hundreds of thousands of its residents are facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.

Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell, the Geneva-based organization said in a statement. Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated.

The fight for Mariupol is crucial because its capture could help Russia establish a land corridor to Crimea, which it seized from Ukraine in 2014.

Meanwhile, continued fighting on multiple fronts caused more misery in Ukraine on Sunday and provoked renewed international outrage.

In the southern Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, near the Black Sea, authorities reported nine people killed in bombings. They said Russian airstrikes on a monastery and a childrens resort in the eastern Donetsk region hit spots where monks and others were sheltering, wounding 32 people.

Around the capital, Kyiv, a major political and strategic target for the invasion, fighting also intensified, with overnight shelling in the northwestern suburbs and a missile strike Sunday that destroyed a warehouse to the east.

Kyiv Region police said on its official website that Russian troops opened fire on a car carrying two American journalists. The U.S. State Department said Brent Renaud died. Juan Arredondo was wounded.

In the Kyiv suburb of Irpin, Ukrainian soldier Alexei Lipirdi, 46, said that the Russians want to intimidate us so that we will not be calm," but he and his unit remain defiant. As he spoke, smoke billowed from distant buildings and cars stood damaged or abandoned.

The citys mayor said only about 10,000 of its 60,000 residents remain. Many who stayed behind are the old or sick and those who are caring for them.

At a suburban hospital, doctors said 80% of their patients are civilians wounded by shelling. Patient Volodymr Adamkovych, his abdomen bandaged, said he was wounded when his home was hit. He spent the night in his basement before he could reach doctors.

___

Associated Press journalists from around the world contributed to this report.

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Follow the APs coverage of the Ukraine crisis at https://apnews.com/hub/russia-ukraine
CAIRO, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul-Gheit condemned on Sunday the recent ballistic missile attack on Iraq's northern Kurdish regional capital Erbil.

The Cairo-based pan-Arab body stressed in a statement the league's "full support for the Iraqi efforts in confronting such criminal acts that target Iraq's stability and security."

Aboul-Gheit also called for speedy discovery of the ones behind the attack which sought to destabilize Iraq ahead of its formation of a new government.

Meanwhile, Egypt strongly rejected the attack on Erbil, expressing support for Iraq's security and stability, said the Egyptian Foreign Ministry in a statement.

On Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) said that it has hit with the missiles an Israeli intelligence base in Iraq's Erbil.

Earlier on Sunday, 12 long-range ballistic missiles were fired from outside the Iraqi borders towards the new building of the U.S. consulate in Erbil and the surrounding residential areas, injuring one civilian, according to Erbil's official statements. 
A convoy of Russian armored vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Associated Press

Russian forces have abducted a second Ukrainian mayor, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine said.

Yevhen Matveyev, the mayor of Dniprorudne in southern Ukraine, was abducted, the minister said.

It comes after the Russians abducted Ivan Fedorov of the city of Melitopol and installed a new mayor.

Russian forces have abducted a second Ukrainian mayor, this time targeting the leader of the southern town of Dniprorudne, the Ukrainian Foreign Affairs Minister said.

The abduction comes after the Russians kidnapped mayor Ivan Fedorov of the city of Melitopol and installed an acting mayor in his stead.

"Today, Russian war criminals abducted another democratically elected Ukrainian mayor, head of Dniprorudne Yevhen Matveyev. Getting zero local support, invaders turn to terror," Foreign Affairs Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet.

Kuleba added a plea to "all states & international organizations to stop Russian terror against Ukraine and democracy."

Dniprorudne is about 85 km, or 52 mi, north of Melitopol. The Russian choice for Melitopol's mayor, Galina Danilchenko, was a former member of Melitopol's city council, according to Sky News. She was introduced as the city's acting mayor on local TV, CNN reported.

Josep Borrell Fontelles, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, condemned the two kidnappings in a tweet on Sunday.

"The EU strongly condemns the kidnapping of the mayors of Melitopol and Dniprorudne by Russian armed forces," Fontelles said. "It is yet another attack on democratic institutions in #Ukraine and an attempt to establish illegitimate alternative government structures in a sovereign country."

In an earlier statement, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Mayor Fedorov's abduction was "a war crime under the Geneva Conventions and the Additional Protocol that prohibit the taking of civilian hostages during the war."

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Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko told CNN on Sunday that the kidnappings make him worry that he will be a target of a similar abduction.

"Right now, it's every Ukrainian is target, every Ukrainian. And Russians told it's not the war against civilian. Every mayor," Klitschko said. "It's a war against whole population."

Read the original article on Business Insider
Airline pilots in an Airbus cockpit. Shutterstock.com

Flying over Russia has been a battle for international airlines due to airspace restrictions imposed by the country.

Russia has used its airspace as a geopolitical tool to get countries to do what it wants.

Prior to current bans, US carriers had "patchwork" agreements with Russia to allow them to fly over to countries in Asia.

Flying across foreign airspace has historically been an open right for airlines, with most countries in the world allowing international transit without restrictions.

American Airlines at JFK Wangkun Jia/Shutterstock

However, the Russian invasion of Ukraine has muddied the waters, forcing Russia, the European Union, and other Western nations to close their airspace in tit-for-tat sanctions.

Military drills in South Russia are nearing their conclusion with Russian tanks being loaded onto railway platforms and seemingly moved out of the region. Russian Defense Ministry Press Service

Why is Russia attacking Ukraine? Here are 5 reasons Putin and others have given for the invasion

While Russia's flight ban has forced carriers to add hours of extra time to certain routes, strictly controlled Russian airspace is nothing new. For decades, the country has only allowed certain global carriers to fly its skies.

British Airways adjusted flight path between New Delhi and London. Courtesy of FlightRadar24.com

Airlines are adding hours of extra flight time and taking on higher fuel and labor costs to avoid closed airspace

This is because Russia has refused to join the 1944 International Civil Aviation Organization's Transit Agreement, which allows any airline to fly in any participating country's airspace.

ICAO building. Inspired By Maps/Shutterstock

Source: ICAO

Instead, it has turned its skies into a political weapon. Here is the history of Russia's coveted Siberian Corridor.

The Kremlin Palace in Moscow, Russia. Jarung H/Shutterstock

During the Cold War, the Soviet Union would not allow anyone to fly over its airspace except for its own carriers. This created a huge barrier for travel, particularly for airlines shuttling people between Europe and Asia because they could not get from one to the other quickly or easily.

Sochi airport in the USSR circa 1985. Martynova Anna/Shutterstock

Source: Chicago Tribune

For example, UK-based British Overseas Airways Corporation, which would later become British Airways, spent 36 hours and 10,000 miles to get from London to Tokyo, two cities that were just 6,000 miles apart if the carrier flew over the closed Soviet Union airspace.

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Thiel/Express/Getty Images

Source: BAE Systems

However, that option was off the table. So, to make the journey, BOAC had to fly from London, and stop in eight cities across Europe and Asia before getting to Tokyo to circumvent Soviet airspace.

Jimmy Wilds/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Source: BAE Systems

Stops included places like Rome, Italy; Karachi, Pakistan; and Bangkok, Thailand.

MLADEN ANTONOV / Contributor / Getty Images

Source: Routes Online

The 36-hour journey used BOAC's comet jet, though the company also used smaller turbo planes which made the journey in a whopping 88 hours.

Bristol Britannia 312 G-AOVT of BOAC at Manchester Airport in 1962. RuthAS

Source: New Atlas

While this route worked, it was inefficient, expensive, and painfully long, but there was a better way.

SAS

Source: New Atlas

In 1957, Scandinavian Airlines started flying over the Arctic after developing the technology needed to ensure traditional magnetic compasses worked over the North Pole. From Denmark, it stopped in Kangerlussuaq, Greenland, and Winnipeg, Canada before landing in Los Angeles, cutting the journey time from 36 hours to just 22.

KLM flight over Greenland in July 2019. Taylor Rains/Insider

Source: SAS, Scandinavian Traveler

Soon after, SAS flew a DC-7 on a polar route from Copenhagen to Tokyo via Anchorage, avoiding the treacherous journey south of the Soviet Union and pioneering a new way of travel.

Scandinavian Airlines' inaugural polar route from Copenhagen to Tokyo. SAS

Source: SAS, Scandinavian Traveler

Leaving from London, BOAC also started flying north above the USSR, stopping in Anchorage, Alaska, before heading to Tokyo. What once took up to 88 hours was now just a 17 and a half hour journey.

Central Press/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

Source: SAS, British Airways

With the success of the polar route to Asia, almost every other major European carrier followed in BOAC's footsteps, creating a huge boom for Anchorage.

Anchorage airport. Jean-Erick PASQUIER/Getty Images

Source: Airways Magazine

During the 1970s, Anchorage was served by a number of major international carriers, like Lufthansa, Japan Airlines, and KLM making it one of the most connected cities in the world at the time.

Lufthansa aircraft. Dirk Daniel Mann/Shutterstock

However, not all airlines needed to stop in Anchorage.

Japan Airlines. Markus Mainka/Shutterstock

Source: New York Times

In 1966, Russia signed an agreement with Japan Airlines to allow JAP to fly over Russian airspace using aircraft and flight crews provided by the Soviet national carrier, Aeroflot. The cabin crews consisted of employees from both airlines.

Japan Airlines and Aeroflot planes at Moscow-Sheremetyevo International Airport Getty/SOPA Images/Contributor

Source: Japan Airlines

In 1967, the first-ever commercial flight using the Trans-Siberian Air Corridor took off from Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport to Tokyo. Tu-114 aircraft were used for the flights and the journey time was shortened to 11 hours because there was no need for a stop.

Japan Airlines/Aeroflot Tupolev 114. Aviation Photography of Miami

Source:Japan Airlines, The New York Times

The following summer, Air France, the British Overseas Airways Corporation, and KLM followed JAP with flights between Japan and European cities like Paris and Frankfurt.

A KLM Royal Dutch Airlines Embraer E195-E2 aircraft. Wirestock Creators / Shutterstock.com

Source: The New York Times

All flights had to make a mandatory stop in Moscow, forcing the airlines to pay hefty fees. However, the carriers found that it was still more economic to pay Moscow's fees than spend extra fuel and time circumventing Russia.

Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. Julia Kuznetsova/Shutterstock

Source: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal

Soon, stopping in Anchorage became less necessary. Not only were some airlines allowed to fly over Russian airspace, but others also started using modern, longer-range jets that could make the journey from Europe and Japan nonstop.

White trijet. fotoVoyager/Getty Images

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Finnair, for example, started flying widebody planes over the North Pole to Tokyo nonstop in 1983 by adding extra fuel tanks onboard.

A Finnair Airbus A330-300. Sudpoth Sirirattanasakul/Shutterstock.com

Source: Finnair

The flight cut the journey to 13 hours. While the trek would only take nine hours flying directly over the USSR, flying around Russia was still less time than stopping in Anchorage. At the time, Finnair was the only airline flying nonstop between Western Europe and Japan.

Finnair first airline to fly direct from Western Europe to Asia. Finnair

Source: Finnair

The Alaskan city also started seeing less traffic with the fall of the Soviet Union, which prompted Russia to open its airspace to more major European and Asian airlines beyond its special allowance for carriers like Japan Airlines and KLM.

A soldier waves a Russian flag from the top of his tank as armored units leave their positions in Moscow following the collapse of the military coup against president Gorbachev in 1991. -/Getty Images

Source: Anchorage Airport

With the newfound flyover rights, more carriers started flying directly over Siberia between Europe and Asia, leaving Anchorage's new international terminal barren. The airport has only recently started picking back up during the pandemic as e-commerce and cargo demand booms.

Anchorage International Airport. EQRoy/Shutterstock

Source: Anchorage Airport

Russia's relaxed airspace restrictions proved to be a major economic gain for the country because it could charge hefty fees to airlines who fly over. According to IATA, Siberian overflight fees could be up to $3,500, which were then handed down to the passenger.

Passengers in the Domodedovo airport in Moscow. Oleg Elkov/Shutterstock

Source: EU Business, The Wall Street Journal

According to the EU, Russia imposed "discriminatory charges" that amounted to nearly $400 million since the Soviet's fall. However, the country normalized its fees for airliners flying over its airspace after it joined the World Trade Organization in 2012.

World Trade Organization building in Geneva, Switzerland. EQRoy/Shutterstock

Source: EU Business, The Wall Street Journal

While the country does not impose excessively high fees anymore, it still has not signed the International Civil Organization's Transit Agreement, meaning it can still pick and choose which airlines fly through its airspace.

United Airlines at LAX. Angel DiBilio/Shutterstock

Source: South China Morning Post

For the most part, only one airline per European country can fly over Russia, like Lufthansa from Germany...

Lufthansa aircraft. Tupungato/Shutterstock

Source: South China Morning Post

...and Iberia from Spain.

Iberia aircraft. chamomile/Shutterstock

Source: South China Morning Post

However, England is an exception because Russia grants flyover rights to both British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

A British Airways Airbus A380. Thiago B Trevisan / Shutterstock.com

Source: South China Morning Post, South China Morning Post

While the policy was not a problem for decades, it became a hurdle for low-cost carriers during their rise in the 1990s. Particularly, Norway-based Norwegian Air Shuttle was continuously denied permission because SAS already holds Siberian overflight rights for Scandinavian carriers.

Norwegian Air Shuttle. Norwegian Air Shuttle

Source: The Barents Observer, South China Morning Post

Norwegian argued that it is based in Norway, while SAS is based in Denmark, so it should be given permission as a Norwegian carrier. However, SAS is partially-registered in Norway, so Russia maintained its restrictions.

Scandinavian Airlines. SAS

Source: The Barents Observer, South China Morning Post

While Norwegian is no longer flying to Asia due to financial struggles caused during the pandemic, Russia's refusal to grant access to its airspace was a challenge that kept the carrier from expanding east.

Norwegian Air Shuttle. Norwegian Air Shuttle

Source: The Barents Observer, South China Morning Post

As far as US airlines, there have not been any longstanding agreements between US carriers and Russia like is seen in the EU. According to Bloomberg, overfly rights have been granted on a "patchwork" basis in which Russia would renew allowances every six months or less depending on the carrier.

Southwest Airlines, Delta Air Lines, and American Airlines aircraft. DANIEL SLIM/AFP/Getty

Source: Bloomberg

In 2021, Russia approved an extension to the use of its airspace by US carriers, ensuring operations could continue.

United Airlines at LAX. Angel DiBilio/Shutterstock

Source: Reuters

That is until Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2022. Since the attack, Russian airlines are having airspace problems of their own, and most Western nations cannot fly over the country.

A convoy of Russian armored vehicles moves along a highway in Crimea, Tuesday, Jan. 18, 2022. Associated Press

Source: Fox Business

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson banned Russian flag carrier Aeroflot shortly after the invasion as part of the country's "largest-ever" set of sanctions against the Eastern European nation.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson Adrian Dennis/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo

The UK has banned all flights by Russia flag carrier Aeroflot from its airspace

Founded in 1923, Aeroflot is Russia's state-owned airline and offers flights to over 150 destinations, including four in the US: New York City, Miami, Los Angeles, and Washington DC.

Aeroflot aircraft at JFK airport in New York City. Sorbia/Shutterstock

Source: Insider

In the US, Delta Air Lines announced on February 25 that it was suspending its codeshare agreement with Aeroflot. Soon after, President Joe Biden closed US airspace to Russian aircraft.

Delta and Aeroflot. Angel DiBilio/Shutterstock

Delta is severing ties with Russia's flag carrier Aeroflot

Russia's airspace ban is part of the nation's retaliation against the West, but it is not uncommon for Russia to use its skies as a political weapon.

Russian President Vladimir Putin. AFP/Stringer via Getty Images

Source: The Washington Post

For example, in 2014, the country threatened to close its airspace to European carriers in response to sanctions against the nation, similar to what the world is seeing today.

Air France/KLM. Markus Mainka/Shutterstock

The need to "bypass our airspace could drive many struggling airlines into bankruptcy," former Russian president, Dmitry Medvedev, said at the time, according to The Washington Post.

Former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Mikhail Svetlov/Getty Images

Source: The Washington Post

Now, as sanctions continue, some analysts say the use of Russian airspace may revert to Cold War-era flying, with airlines taking long routes around the country and using Anchorage as a needed fuel stop once again.

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport in Alaska. EQRoy/Shutterstock

Source: Reuters, Twitter

Read the original article on Business Insider




The State Department is reportedly paying more than $2 million per month on security for former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and a former top aide, as the two men face "serious and credible" threats from Iran.

The Associated Press, citing a State Department report from February labeled "sensitive but unclassified," reported on Saturday that the department has spent $13.1 million between August 2021 and February 2022 on protection for Pompeo and former Iran envoy Brian Hook. The two men have reportedly been receiving 24-hour security.

Pompeo and Hook headed the U.S. "maximum pressure" campaign against Iran during the Trump administration. The report obtained by the AP said threats from Iran have continued since former President Trump departed office.

Pompeo automatically qualified for 180 days of protection from the State Department's Bureau of Diplomatic Security after departing office because of his high-ranking position, according to the AP.

Current Secretary of State Antony Blinken, however, has reportedly extended that security in 60-day blocks a number of times because of "a serious and credible threat from a foreign power or agent of a foreign power arising from duties performed by former Secretary Pompeo while employed by the department," according to the report cited by the AP.

Hook was also given the special protection after leaving office for the same reason, according to the AP, and his protection has also reportedly been extended in 60-day chunks.

Pompeo announced in August 2020 that Hook was resigning from the State Department. Pompeo served as the top U.S. diplomat until Trump departed office in January 2021.

Asked for comment on the AP's report, a State Department spokesperson told The Hill on Sunday that it does not "discuss the specifics of protective operations."

The spokesperson did, however, say that Congress approved new terms that allow ex-State Department officials to receive protection if they face "a serious and credible threat from a foreign power or the agent of a foreign power" related to their time in office.

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"Under the protective services provision, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Director of National Intelligence, determines and reports to Congressional leadership and the appropriate congressional committees if a former or retired senior State Department official would receive protection," the spokesperson added.

The State Department and Director of National Intelligence have to decide by March 16 whether or not to extend Pompeo and Hook's protection for another 60 days, according to the AP.

The State Department created the report because its special protection budget is set to run out of funds in June unless it receives more money, the news wire noted.

"As new requirements arise and threats evolve, we will seek the necessary resources to ensure mission success," the spokesperson added to The Hill.

News of Pompeo and Hook's protection comes as the global effort to revive a nuclear deal with Iran has been thrown into doubt amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Pompeo's name has been tossed around as a potential Republican candidate in the 2024 presidential election. Asked over the summer about any plans for the race, Pompeo said "I want to continue to have an impact on the things that I care about, both here and abroad."

The Hill reached out to Pompeo for comment.
SHEBOYGAN - A pre-dawn argument between brothers sent one to the hospital early Sunday with stab wounds, and the other was in jail early Sunday morning with police recommending he be charged with second-degree endangering safety.

Sheboygan police recommended the charge after a 4:12 a.m. call to a north-side home where they said the brothers had been fighting.

RELATED: Sheboygan man, 62, arrested on suspicion of stabbing brother on city's south side

RELATED: Oshkosh, Sheboygan men were arrested after a stabbing inside a Sheboygan home

The victim, whose age was unavailable, was treated at the scene, then taken to a nearby hospital for further treat.

Police said the fight did not pose a danger to the public. Further details were unavailable.

Contact Doug Schneider at 920-431-8333, or DSchneid@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @PGDougSchneider.

This article originally appeared on Sheboygan Press: Sheboygan stabbing between brothers sends one to local hospital
By Olga Vyshnevska

GDANSK (Reuters) - Somehow Teimur Aliev manages to smile. A lot.

The 23-year-old musician is in Kharkiv, a city in northeastern Ukraine that has suffered some of the heaviest bombardment from Russian forces and where dozens of civilians have been killed.

Rather than fleeing, he has decided to remain in his home town and try to help those who are either trapped or, like him, staying put.

As soon as the war began on Feb. 24, Aliev and his older brother Ramil collected all the money they had and bought food and other essentials, which they distributed to people who could not get to shops themselves.

From a small beginning, his venture has expanded with the help of social media to involve dozens of volunteers who get as many supplies as they can from wholesale warehouses and shops, bring them to a collection point and distribute them by car and on foot.

The aspiring blogger has recorded his experiences on camera and shared footage on his Instagram account.

As he drives through Kharkiv, his videos show badly bombed buildings lining wide streets, burned out cars riddled with shrapnel holes and debris strewn across the ground.

Aliev remains resolutely upbeat.

"I am a young guy, a rapper, a musician who was just lying at his home on the outskirts of the city of Kharkiv," he told Reuters, describing the start of the shelling. "I ... started waking up to a terrible rumbling noise."

"There was a very scary rumble. There were explosions everywhere, explosions, explosions, explosions."

In an interview recorded over Zoom, he added: "We will stitch up the wounds and the pain of our country and our city. We are ready to build it and we are ready to renew it when the war is over. We're not going anywhere."

Moscow has denied targeting civilians in the war, which it calls a special operation to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" Ukraine.

Aliev, who is half-Azeri, half-Ukrainian, said people from overseas had initially donated money, but that the war had made withdrawing cash from banks much harder.

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He is asking people to send food instead - still technically possible because Kharkiv is not yet cut off by Russian forces.

Footage and photographs he shared feature him and his helpers delivering groceries to families sheltering in basements and elderly people in a dormitory.

They also show friends handing flowers to women on Women's Day on March 8 - a major public holiday in former Soviet countries like Ukraine but one that was largely forgotten in the war zone. As a violinist plays, some women grin, others cry.

Aliev said that once he got over his initial fear when the shelling began, he has managed to remain positive - for the sake of himself and others.

"Well, what is the point of being afraid?" he asked. "A smile is the most important thing. A smile gives kindness to all other people."

(Additional reporting by Anna Magdalena Lubowicka, Emily Roe in Gdansk; Writing by Mike Collett-White; Editing by Frances Kerry)
by Dana Halawi

BEIRUT, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese political analysts expressed uncertainty about holding the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 15 on time, given the attempts by some leaders to put off the voting in light of the country's unprecedented financial crisis.

Lebanon is in dire need to hold parliamentary elections, which is among the many conditions imposed by the international community to extend support to the crisis-hit country.

However, the Lebanese government's decision to delay municipal elections, due to lack of material and human resources, was perceived by many as an introduction to delay the parliamentary elections as well.

Samir Ayoub, deputy secretary-general of the Sabaa party, told Xinhua that the postponement of parliamentary elections is possible because the Lebanese Ministry of Interior has not yet received funds to proceed with necessary preparations for the process.

"The shortage of funds may be used as an excuse by some parties who aim to put off voting, fearing the results of elections amid loss of confidence in the Lebanese system," Ayoub said.

Ayoub stated that Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and President Michel Aoun's son in law, has been the most prominent advocate for delaying the elections as latest polls revealed that his Christian support plummeted amid great discontent over the economic collapse that took place during Aoun's term.

Youssef Diab, a political analyst at the Lebanese University, told Xinhua that Bassil's attempts to put off elections won't succeed because his main ally, Hezbollah, has an interest in holding the parliamentary elections after the withdrawal of former Prime Minister and Sunni leader Saad Hariri from the political arena.

"Hezbollah is the strongest party today and is in favor of holding the elections because it is expected to gain more seats after Hariri's withdrawal and in the absence of a united front to face the Shiite party," Diab said.

He added that "Hezbollah is keen to win the upcoming elections which would guarantee the appointment of a president who is supportive of its policies."

Meanwhile, Ali Mourad, a professor of Public Law at Beirut Arab University, told Xinhua that the international community has been pushing for timely elections, seeking to see some changes in Lebanon before they can offer any support in the future.

"Political parties intend to delay elections, but what may push for voting to happen is the international community's pressure in this direction," Mourad said.

The United Nations called on many occasions for timely elections and pledged to offer logistical support to ensure the success of the event.

Meanwhile, the European Union (EU) Delegation to Lebanon announced in February that it will deploy an EU Election Observation Mission to observe the elections.

Mired in debt, Lebanon has been in negotiations with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), but has so far failed to implement necessary reforms to unlock the billions of U.S. dollars in foreign aid. 
BERLIN (Reuters) - Up to 30,000 men, women and children joined an anti-war demonstration in central Berlin on Sunday, with many waving Ukrainian flags or holding banners with slogans opposing the Russian invasion.

Gathering near the Brandenburg Gate, symbol of a divided Germany during the Cold War, protesters - including people in wheelchairs and toddlers in pushchairs - walked through the streets of Berlin, at times chanting and singing.

Slogans on posters and banners included "Stop Putin", "Stop War", "Russian soldiers go home" and "Solidarity with Ukraine!"

"Above all, its extremely important for Ukrainians to see that we will not forget them, not in two weeks and not after that," said protester Helene Krass.

"If we take to the streets every other Sunday for a year thats okay too, she said.

Some demonstrators even backed deliveries of weapons to Ukraine. The Russian invasion has prompted Germany to break a post-World War Two taboo of not supplying arms to conflict zones and is now sending Ukraine anti-tank weapons and Stinger surface-to-air missiles from its military stocks.

"Sanctions can be introduced which hit the economy and thats important but we should also consider whats of help to the Ukrainian army in times of war and sadly, its weapons," said another protester.

Police said between 20,000 and 30,000 people joined the demonstration, less than half the 100,000 who took to the streets two weeks ago, according to police.

It follows a demonstration in the Tuscan city of Florence on Saturday where thousands gathered to show their support for Ukraine.

Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation" that it says is not designed to occupy territory but to destroy its neighbour's military capabilities and "de-Nazify" the country.

(Reporting by Madeline Chambers; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)




Former President Trump on Saturday denied reports that his personal plane has been "mothballed" in New York, calling the stories "fake news."

Trump's personal Boeing 757 was a hallmark of his 2016 campaign, but last year it was reported to be sitting idle in a state of disrepair in New York.

The former president, however, disputed the news on Saturday, seemingly referring to assertions from publications including the Daily Mail that he didn't believe he would need to use the plane until 2025, the year after the next presidential election.

"The story is Fake News about my plane being 'mothballed' in Stewart Airfield in Newburgh, New York, because 'I didn't think I would need it until 2025,'" Trump said in his statement.

"My plane, a Boeing 757, is going through a major scheduled maintenance program, which will be completed in approximately 90 days," he added. "It will then be put back into service. I was not allowed to use it during the Presidency, and didn't."

This comes after Trump earlier this week requested donations in an email sent through his Save America PAC to help fund a "Trump Force One" plane.

The fundraising email claimed Trump had "a very important update on his plane" and reminded potential donors that he used to travel on his personal plane, dubbed "Trump Force One," before he became "the greatest President of all time."

Last week, a private plane carrying Trump made an emergency landing after one of its engines failed following his appearance at a Republican National Committee-hosted donor retreat in New Orleans. The plane was reportedly heading back to his Mar-a-Lago residence in Florida at the time of the incident.
TUNIS (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of a hardline secularist Tunisian party protested on Sunday against President Kais Saied for his march towards one-man rule and failure to avert an economic crisis, showing the increasingly broad opposition to his actions.

The protest is the biggest by the Free Constitutional Party since Saied seized executive power last summer, dismissing parliament and saying he could rule by decree in moves that many of his rivals have called a coup.

However, the party and its fiery leader Abir Moussi are no stalwarts of the democratic system Tunisia introduced after its 2011 revolution, pushing instead a nostalgic vision of the autocratic regime of Zine el-Abidine Ben Ali that preceded it.

"Saied you are going the wrong way... your plans are catastrophic for the country," said Karima Jouini, 44, a teacher attending the march in central Tunis that was led by Moussi.

The most vocal opposition to Saied has come from the moderate Islamist Ennahda party, the largest in the suspended parliament and a key player in successive governments since the revolution.

Moussi and her Free Constitutional party are bitterly opposed to Ennahda, casting it as the cause of Tunisia's main problems over the past decade and she has not criticised any of Saied's moves targeting Islamists.

However, while Saied has focused almost entirely on reconstructing the political system and purging his opponents, he has done very little to address Tunisia's economic problems.

"Rest assured, we will not let them dismantle the state and continue with individual rule," Moussi said, addressing the protest.

"If we remain silent, we will become a country whose food is sent to it in planes, like the poorest countries in the world," she added.

The country faces a crisis in public finances for which it has embarked on talks for a rescue package with the International Monetary Fund, but Tunisians already face shortages of staple goods including flour, semolina and sugar.

"Saied kidnapped the country just to impose his own project, but he has led it to famine," said another protester who gave his name as Imed.

(Reporting by Tarek Amara, Writing by Angus McDowall,; Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis agreed in talks on Sunday to improve ties, despite the long-running disagreements between the two NATO members, Ankara said.

Both countries have key roles to play in the changing security situation in Europe after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and their increased cooperation would have benefits for the region, the Turkish presidency said in a statement.

Turkey shares a maritime border with both Russia and Ukraine in the Black Sea, has good relations with both countries and has offered to mediate in the conflict.

After a five-year hiatus, Greece and Turkey agreed last year to resume exploratory talks to address their own differences in the Mediterranean, but little progress has been made so far.

"Despite the disagreements between Turkey and Greece, it was agreed at the meeting to keep communication channels open and to improve bilateral relations," the statement said.

"Pointing out that Turkey and Greece have a special responsibility in the changing European security architecture with Russia's attack on Ukraine, the meeting focused on the mutual and regional benefits of increasing cooperation between the two countries," it added. Russia calls its actions in Ukraine a "special operation".

Ankara and Athens have been at odds for years over issues ranging from conflicting Mediterranean maritime claims to air space and migration.

Greece said that both sides stressed building a positive agenda mainly in the area of the economy, where they hope to make progress in the coming months.

"We have big differences which cannot be overcome just like that," Mitsotakis told Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew after meeting Erdogan.

"I believe we set the foundations to improve our relations," he said, adding that if there was good progress, Greece might organise in autumn a High-Level Cooperation Council meeting, a mechanism the two countries set up in 2010 for their rapprochement.

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The countries came close to confrontation in 2020 when Turkey sent a drilling ship to contested Mediterranean waters. The situation eased after Ankara withdrew the vessel, and the neighbours resumed bilateral talks in January 2021.

They made little progress in 60 rounds of talks from 2002 to 2016.

(Additional reporting by Yesim Dikmen; Writing by Daren Butler; Editing by Hugh Lawson and Andrew Heavens)
Two people died this week in the Florida Keys after two separate incidents on the water  one scuba diving, one snorkeling.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jon Lassus, 61, from Fort Wayne, Indiana, was scuba diving Molasses Reef off Key Largo when he began to struggle in the water, according to the Monroe County Sheriffs Office. The crew of the Rainbow Reef Dive Center vessel took him on board and began CPR.

As the vessel returned to shore, the crew continued CPR, but Lassus lost consciousness, sheriffs office spokesman Adam Linhardt said. Once on land, medics transported him to Mariners Hospital in Tavernier, where doctors pronounced him dead at 3:42 p.m., according to the sheriffs office.

Foul play is not expected to be a factor in the investigation, Linhardt said in a statement. Autopsy results are pending.

On Thursday, Karen Ruth Zaslow, 69, died after snorkeling off Sand Key near Key West, the sheriffs office said. She was swimming off a charter boat around 2:30 p.m. when she began struggling. The boat crew took her on board and began CPR.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat took her to shore, and from there medics took her to Lower Keys Medical Center on Stock Island, where she was pronounced dead at 3:38 p.m., Linhardt said.

As with Lassus, police do not suspect foul play in Zaslows death, although autopsy results are pending.
LOUISVILLE, Ky.  The creative forces behind the Melanin Art Series have known for two years they wanted to feature Breonna Taylor in a portrait series memorializing people who have died.

The "Missing You" show was first planned for 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic and other issues kept delaying it, K.U.L.A. Gallery director Brittany Sleeth said.

But when K.U.L.A.'s one available weekend fell on the same weekend that marked two year's since Taylor's death, Sleeth knew: "It was fate."

"I realized that's just something we couldn't do on our time," she said. "It had to be done on God's time."

More on Taylors : Louisville's Black leaders urge unity as anniversary of Breonna Taylor's death approaches

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Around 100 people showed up to the K.U.L.A. Gallery in downtown Louisville Saturday afternoon  one day shy of the two-year anniversary of Taylor's death  for the unveiling of a new, larger-than-life painting of the late 26-year-old.

Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's mother, takes in a work of art created by Charles Rice after it was unveiled at K.U.L.A. Gallery on the eve of the second anniversary of the killing of Taylor.

Background on Breonna Taylor

Taylor, a Black woman and emergency room technician, was fatally shot by Louisville Metro Police officers after they forced their way into her apartment with a battering ram around 12:40 a.m. on March 13, 2020, with a search warrant to look for drugs and cash as part of a larger narcotics investigation.

Brett Hankison, the only officer to face charges for the shooting, was found not guilty by a jury earlier this month of wantonly endangering three of Taylor's neighbors.

You need to be reminded of Breonna: How a tiny city park became the heart of a movement

Local health news: To mask or not to mask? The latest public health guidance for Kentucky as mask rules ease

No one has been charged for Taylor's death.

Tamika Palmer, Taylor's mother, reminded the crowd of that fact.

"The thing is to not forget that we still ain't got justice," she said, prompting a chorus of agreement. "The real goal is to get justice."

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Palmer was joined by other relatives and loved ones of Taylor, including Taylor's younger sister, Juniyah Palmer; aunt Bianca Austin; and boyfriend Kenneth Walker. Jacob Blake Sr., the father of a man paralyzed by a 2020 police shooting in Kenosha, Wisconsin, also attended.

Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's mother, reacts when she sees a work of art created by Charles Rice after it was unveiled at K.U.L.A. Gallery on the eve of the second anniversary of the killing of Taylor.

Artist Charles Rice incorporated more than a dozen images of Taylor into the acrylic painting: one where she's embraced by Walker, a snap with her sister, and a rendition of the same selfie that also graced the cover of O, The Oprah Magazine.

Sleeth said it was important to include Taylor in the collection because "she's an icon now."

"People all over the world are going to be celebrating Breonna Taylor on this weekend," she said. "How could we not?"

A work of art created by Charles Rice of Breonna Taylor was unveiled at K.U.L.A. Gallery on the eve of the second anniversary of the killing of Taylor.

Reach Tessa Duvall at tduvall@courier-journal.com and 502-582-4059. Twitter: @TessaDuvall.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Breonna Taylor remembered with new mural at Louisville KULA Gallery
Ukrainian refugees in Moldova GIL COHEN-MAGEN/AFP via Getty Images

The United Kingdom government will offer 350 pounds ($456) per month to people who provide spare rooms or properties to house Ukrainian refugees for at least six months, the BBC reported.

Both the hosts and the refugees will be vetted.

Housing Secretary Michael Gove told the BBC on Saturday that the U.K. could absorb tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees. Under the new "Homes for Ukraine" scheme, Ukrainian war refugees are allowed to enter Britain even if they do not have family there, Reuters reports.

Gove also told BBC that around 3,000 Ukrainian refugees have already been issued visas. They can remain in the country for up to three years and will be permitted to work and access public services.

According to Reuters, the U.K. government will also provide local authorities with "just over 10,000 pounds per Ukrainian" refugee to pay for additional demands on public services.

The office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees reported Saturday that nearly 2.7 million people have fled Ukraine since Russian invaded, a number the UNHCR says could rise to as high as four million.

Poland has absorbed more than 1.6 million Ukrainian refugees, increasing its total population by 4.4 percent since the war began on Feb. 24, according to Cato Institute scholar Alex Nowrasteh.

2,698,280 Ukrainian refugees, about 156k more than yesterday. The 1,655,503 Ukrainian refugees in Poland increased that countrys population by 4.4 percent since February 24th. Weve seen nothing like this rapid pace of movement in history.https://t.co/A5kJZe1kQw pic.twitter.com/mbOwPvQFme  The Alex Nowrasteh (@AlexNowrasteh) March 13, 2022

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The United Kingdom is looking at potentially housing Ukrainian refugees in properties owned by Russian oligarchs who were sanctioned as a result of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

Asked by BBC Television if homes belonging to sanctioned Russian oligarchs could be utilized to house Ukrainian refugees, British Housing Minister Michael Gove said he wants to look into the possibility.

"I want to explore an option which would allow us to use the homes and properties of sanctioned individuals for as long as they are sanctioned for humanitarian and other purposes," Gove said, according to Reuters.

He noted that a "high legal bar" would have to be met to carry out such a plan, but said Britain would be on board with the measure if it is feasible.

"There is quite a high legal bar to cross and we're not talking about permanent confiscation but we are saying, 'you're sanctioned, you're supporting Putin, this home is here, you have no right to use or profit from it' and ... if we can use it in order to help others let's do that," he added.

The U.K has sanctioned a number of Russian oligarchs since Moscow began its invasion of Ukraine. The sanctions froze assets and imposed travel bans.

Targets of the penalties include Chelsea Football Club owner Roman Abramovich, leading industrialist Oleg Deripaska, Russian energy company CEO Igor Sechin and individuals close to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Sunday, the British government said that it will pay its residents 350 pounds, which is equal to about $456, to house refugees fleeing Ukraine.
Russian soldiers occupy Vanda Chernyshovas hometown of Kherson in southern Ukraine. Now she and other residents are determined to show where their loyalties lie.

Chernyshova, 28, was among the hundreds who faced off with the Russian invaders to protest the war. Videos shared on social media last week and verified by NBC News showed crowds marching in Kherson, as well as in Nova Kakhovka and Melitopol in Ukraines south, carrying flags and shouting go home to the Russian troops.

It was scary, said Chernyshova, who works stints as a receptionist on international cruise ships, of the protests in which she has taken part. You just dont know what to expect from them.

A military tank is seen on a street of Kherson (Video obtained by Reuters)

She was among the protesters who took to the streets in Kherson on Monday. She said the crowd marched toward the city council building now under Russian control, stopping within about 550 yards of the Russian soldiers. The Russians, who she said were armed and masked, did not move although some filmed the protesters, she added.

Such protests strike at the heart of Russias stated reason for invading Ukraine. President Vladimir Putin has used the pretext of protecting Russian speakers from what he termed genocide and oppression by the government in Kyiv to justify his invasion of Ukraine.

Chernyshova, a Russian speaker, and others were angered and alarmed by reports in the Russian state media suggesting that the residents of Kherson  a city of almost 300,000 that is a two-hour drive from Russian-annexed Crimea  welcomed the invading troops. This allegation shocked and angered many in the city who fear Russia will try to annex the region, where many people are bilingual but speak Russian as their first language.

Protests are now being planned every day in Kherson, Chernyshova said, and she plans to attend more in the future, although she understands the risks of showing her allegiance to Ukraine in a city full of Russian troops.

We have become braver and stronger than on the first day, she said. We want to show that Kherson is Ukraine.

Story continues

The danger to protesters like Chernyshova becomes clearer every day.

On Wednesday, Kherson Mayor Ihor Kolykhayev said the Russian forces have been tightening their control over the city.

They had detained pro-Ukrainian activists and seized Khersons TV towers, giving them control over what information gets transmitted, he said. With food and medical supplies dwindling, he said the Russians have moved in humanitarian aid and some locals have started taking it out of desperation.

People gather for a ceremony to mark Unity Day in Kherson, Ukraine, on Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2022. (Brendan Hoffman/The New York Times) (Brendan Hoffman / The New York Times / Redux)

He added that the Russians had also been trying to persuade residents that the only safe way for them to avoid catastrophe was to go to Crimea, which is controlled by Russia, while not allowing exit corridors into Ukrainian territory.

Ukrainians throughout the country have taken strength from the show of defiance, including President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In the south of our country, such a national movement has unfolded, such a powerful manifestation of Ukrainianness that we have never seen in the streets and squares there, he said in a video address Monday. And for Russia, its like a nightmare.

Some 130 miles east of Kherson is another largely Russian-speaking city  Melitopol in the Zaporizhzhya region  now also occupied by the Russian troops.

Ukrainian officials said Saturday that Ivan Fedorov, the mayor of the besieged city, was captured by Russian forces and later large crowds gathered to demand his release.

Unlike Kherson, the city has been spared and homes not shelled, resident Diana Karavai, 20, said by phone Tuesday. Still, she said, shes had to hide in her bathroom with her family in case shelling begins at night. There are severe food shortages in the city and looting is commonplace, she said.

Like Kherson, though, residents of Melitopol have declared their allegiance to Ukraine.

Videos verified by NBC News showed people in the city yelling at the Russian military to leave and physically pushing Russian military vehicles as if to keep them from moving. The city has been holding daily pro-Ukrainian rallies, which Karavai, a nail studio owner, also attended.

She said it was important to her to make her position known because she wants her old life back.

Imagine strangers coming into your town and telling you its actually theirs, not yours  even though you have lived here all your life, you had your children here, you built your business here, you had your friends here, Karavai said. Thats why we take to the streets  we dont want to fight, we want to be left alone. We want things to be as they used to be.

She said her city does not need protection from Russia.

This is our country, this is our motherland, Karavai said. We dont need to be rescued.
By Pavel Polityuk and Natalia Zinets

LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) -A barrage of Russian missiles hit a large Ukrainian base near the border with NATO member Poland on Sunday, killing 35 people and wounding 134, a local official said, in an escalation of the war to the west of the country as fighting raged elsewhere.

Russia's defence ministry said the air strike had destroyed a large amount of weapons supplied by foreign nations that were being stored at the sprawling training facility, and that it had killed "up to 180 foreign mercenaries".

Reuters could not independently verify the casualties reported by either side.

The attack on the Yavoriv International Centre for Peacekeeping and Security, a base just 15 miles (25 km) from the Polish border that has previously hosted NATO military instructors, brought the conflict to the doorstep of the Western defence alliance.

Russia had warned on Saturday that convoys of Western arms shipments to Ukraine could be considered legitimate targets.

Britain called the attack as a "significant escalation," and U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken responded with a post on Twitter saying "the brutality must stop."

White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan, speaking on CBS's "Face the Nation", warned any attack on NATO territory would trigger a full response by the alliance.

Regional governor Maksym Kozytskyy said Russian planes fired around 30 rockets at the Yavoriv facility.

Russian defence ministry spokesperson Igor Konashenkov said Russia had used high-precision, long-range weapons to strike Yavoriv and a separate facility in the village of Starichi.

"As a result of the strike, up to 180 foreign mercenaries and a large amount of foreign weapons were destroyed," he said.

The 360-square km (140-square mile) facility is one of Ukraine's biggest and is the largest in the western part of the country, which has so far been spared the worst of the fighting.

Story continues

Ukraine, whose aspirations to join NATO are a major irritant to Russian President Vladimir Putin, held most of its drills with Western countries at the base before the invasion. The last major exercises were in September.

In the weeks before Russia's Feb. 24 invasion, the Ukrainian military trained there, but according to Ukrainian media all foreign instructors left in mid-February, leaving behind equipment.

"The dining room and dormitory were destroyed. So were the barracks," said Colonel Leonid Benzalo, an officer in the Ukrainian medical reserve who was thrown across the room by one of the blasts. "The most important thing is we're still alive," he told Reuters after treating the wounded there.

While Western nations have sought to isolate Putin by imposing harsh economic sanctions and have been supplying Ukraine with weapons, the United States and its allies are concerned to avoid NATO being drawn into the conflict.

"There are no NATO personnel in Ukraine," the NATO official said, when asked if anyone from the alliance was at the base.

STOCKPILING FOOD

Heavy fighting was reported on multiple fronts.

Air raid sirens wailed across the capital Kyiv and authorities said they were stockpiling two weeks worth of food for the 2 million people who have not yet fled from Russian forces attempting to encircle the city.

Ukraine reported renewed air strikes on an airport in the west and heavy shelling on Chernihiv, northeast of the capital.

Interior Ministry official Vadym Denyenko said Ukrainian forces were counterattacking in the eastern Kharkiv region and around the southern town of Mykolayiv. Reuters was not able to verify those statements.

An American journalist was shot and killed by Russian forces in the town of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, and another journalist was wounded, the regional police chief said.

Britain's defence ministry said Russian naval forces had established a distant blockade of Ukraine's Black Sea coast, isolating the country from international maritime trade.

"We must hold on. We must fight. And we will win," Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said in a nighttime video address.

Despite the violence, both sides gave their most upbeat assessment yet of prospects for progress at talks held periodically.

"Russia is already beginning to talk constructively," Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podolyak said in a video online. "I think that we will achieve some results literally in a matter of days."

A Russian delegate to talks, Leonid Slutsky, was quoted by RIA news agency as saying they had made significant progress and it was possible the delegations could soon reach draft agreements.

Neither side said what these would cover. Three rounds of talks between the two sides in Belarus, most recently last Monday, had focused mainly on humanitarian issues.

Zelenskiy said the countries' delegations have been speaking daily by video link and a clear aim of his negotiators was to "do everything" to arrange for him to meet with Putin.

'VIOLENT AND INHUMAN'

In the weeks since the invasion began, Russia has asked China - which has not condemned the assault on Ukraine - for military equipment, the Financial Times and Washington Post cited unnamed U.S. officials as saying.

A spokesperson for the Chinese embassy in Washington said he had not heard of such a request and that the priority was to prevent the situation "from escalating or even getting out of control."

Russia's invasion has sent more than 2.5 million people fleeing across Ukraine's borders and trapped hundreds of thousands in besieged cities.

"It is terrifying how violent and inhuman it is," Olga, a refugee from Kyiv, told Reuters after crossing into Romania.

Ukraine's human rights monitor said Russia used phosphorous bombs in an overnight attack on the town of Popasna in the eastern Luhansk region, calling it a "war crime". She shared a photograph purporting to show the alleged attack. Reuters could not immediately verify any of the reports.

Phosphorus munitions can be used legally in war to provide light, create smokescreens or burn buildings. But its use in populated areas has been a persistent source of controversy.

In eastern Ukraine, Russian troops were trying to surround Ukrainian forces as they advance from the port of Mariupol in the south and the second city Kharkiv in the north, the British Defence Ministry said.

The city council in Mariupol said 2,187 residents had been killed since the start of the invasion. Reuters was not able to verify that toll.

Kharkiv has suffered some of the heaviest bombardment. Videos from one resident, Teimur Aliev, showed bombed buildings lining streets, burned-out cars riddled with shrapnel holes and debris strewn around.

"We will stitch up the wounds and the pain of our country and our city," said Aliev, a 23-year-old musician. "We're not going anywhere."

In Chernihiv, northeast of Kyiv, firefighters rescued residents from a burning building after heavy shelling, video from emergency service - and verified by Reuters - showed.

Moscow denies targeting civilians. It blames Ukraine for failed attempts to evacuate civilians from encircled cities, an accusation Ukraine and its Western allies strongly reject.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said more than 140,000 people had been evacuated from conflict zones, but a humanitarian convoy had been unable to reach Mariupol due to shelling.

The Kremlin describes its actions as a "special operation" to demilitarise and "deNazify" Ukraine. Ukraine and Western allies call this a baseless pretext for a war of choice.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaus; Writing by Michael Perry, Philippa Fletcher, Alex Richardson and Matt Spetalnick; Editing by William Mallard, Frances Kerry, Daniel Wallis and Lincoln Feast.)
TEHRAN, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Iran's economic benefits has been the focal point in the indirect talks between Tehran and Washington for the past months in the Austrian capital Vienna, said Iran's Foreign Ministry Spokesman Saeed Khatibzadeh on Sunday.

"The nature of the fundamental discussions between us and the United States is that the economic benefits for the Iranian people must be observed," Khatibzadeh was quoted as saying by Iran's Tasnim news agency while addressing university students in Mashhad city in northeastern Iran.

The sanctions prevented Iran from enjoying the economic advantages of the 2015 nuclear pact, formally known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), said Khatibzadeh, adding that the entire chain of sanctions on Iran must be terminated as a result of the negotiations in Vienna, he said.

Iran does not accept the so-called "red lines" in the anti-Iran sanctions imposed by the United States, he added.

On Friday, Josep Borrell, EU's high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, announced a pause in the negotiations, saying that "a pause in Vienna talks is needed, due to external factors."

Iran signed the nuclear deal with the world powers in July 2015. However, former U.S. President Donald Trump pulled the U.S. 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.

Over the past days, reports from Vienna suggested that the negotiators were "close" to an agreement with few key issues remaining which required "political decisions" of the parties. 




At least 35 people were killed on Sunday when a Russian strike hit a base near the Polish border as the violence continues in Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Lviv Gov. Maksym Kozytskyi announced that the strikes killed at least 35 people and injured 134 others, according to The Associated Press.

Russian forces deployed more than 30 cruise missiles aimed at a training center in Yavoriv, according to the AP. It is less than 15 miles from Ukraine's closest border with Poland, the AP reported, citing Kozytskyi.

The Center for Strategic Communications and Information Security in the Ukrainian government wrote on Twitter that the strike was "thought to be the westernmost carried out by #Russia in 18 days of the war."

Most of the missiles dispatched "were shot down because the air defense system worked," Kozytskyi said, according to the AP.

The base is also known as the International Peacekeeping and Security Center, according to the AP. It has hosted international drills with NATO and has served as a facility to train Ukrainian military forces, with instructors sometimes hailing from the U.S. and other NATO nations.

Ukrainian Minister of Defense Oleksii Reznikov wrote on Twitter on Sunday that foreign instructors were on the base when the attack occurred. He called the incident a "terrorist attack" and called for a no-fly zone over the country.

"This is new terrorist attack on peace&security near the EU-NATO border," Reznikov wrote. "Action must be taken to stop this.Close the sky!"

He also said information about victims of the attack "is being clarified."

The strike on the facility in Yavoriv came in the third week of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, which began last month when Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military operation in the country.




Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman on Sunday said the U.S. does not believe the American consulate in Iraq was the target of an Iranian missile strike that morning, instead calling it an attack on Iraq's sovereignty.

"We do not believe the consulate was the target of this attack... this was an attack on Iraq's sovereignty," Sherman said during an interview on "Fox News Sunday."

A dozen ballistic missile strikes hit Erbil, the northern Kurdish regional capital of Iraq, early on Sunday, which the Iranian Revolutionary Guards took responsibility for, according to Reuters.

The strike reportedly left material damage and injured one civilian, Reuters reported, citing the Kurdish interior ministry.

Iran's Revolutionary Guards wrote in a statement that the offensive was against Israeli "strategic centres" in Erbil, Reuters reported, citing Iran's state media.

"Any repetition of attacks by Israel will be met with a harsh, decisive and destructive response," the Iranian Revolutionary Guards added.

A Kurdish spokesperson for the regional authorities said the missile strikes on Sunday were not aimed at a foreign base, but were instead intended to hit civilian residential areas, according to Reuters. The spokesperson asked the international community to look into the incident.

A U.S. State Department spokesperson said no Americans were injured in the strikes and no U.S. facilities in Erbil were damaged, but called the incident an "outrageous attack," according to the news wire.

The missile strikes came as the international community is working to revive the nuclear deal with Iran. Those efforts, however, have been thrown into doubt amid Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
HIGHLAND COUNTY  Virginia State Police said a man was shot Friday night in Highland County, according to a press release.

Police said at 7:30 p.m, a 47-year-old Highland County man was standing in his driveway in the 3000 block of Mill Gap Road when a man driving a Jeep yelled obscenities at him as he drove by.

The man told investigators he got into his GMC van and pursued the Jeep.

Still on Mill Gap Road, near the 100 block, the driver of the Jeep allegedly fired a single shot into the van. Police said the driver, a 22-year-old Mineral man, continued driving the Jeep into West Virginia to the Pocahontas County Sheriffs Office. The man and a female passenger were both taken into custody.

Authorities recovered a handgun from the Jeep, the press release said.

Police said the Highland County man in the van was struck by the gunshot. He was flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville and is being treated for serious injuries.

The Highland County Sheriffs Office is assisting with the ongoing criminal investigation. Charges are pending, police said.

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Brad Zinn is the cops, courts and breaking news reporter at The News Leader. Have a news tip? Or something that needs investigating? You can email reporter Brad Zinn (he/him) at bzinn@newsleader.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Staunton News Leader: Highland County man shot after following driver
Mar. 12WILLMAR

 A three-year board agenda and new science curriculum are on the agenda for the Willmar School Board meeting Monday.

The board will meet at 4:30 p.m. Monday at the Willmar Education and Arts Center.

The board is scheduled to adopt its three-year agenda and provide a report on the workshop meeting earlier this month when it was developed. During that meeting, Superintendent Jeff Holm announced that he would be retiring in 2024, and the board discussed how to handle the transition to a new top administrator.

The agenda for Monday includes the adoption of a new K-12 science curriculum. The plan includes printed textbooks and digital materials, along with a variety of equipment for use in instruction.

The board is also scheduled to award a contract for improvements at the Roosevelt Elementary School entrance this year, and to accept gifts and donations to the district.

The board sets aside time at the beginning of the meeting for comments from the public related to items on the agenda. Those who wish to speak on issues not on the agenda are allowed time to speak to the board at the end of the meeting.
Woody Norman arrived at the BAFTAs wearing a pin in the colours of the Ukranian flag. (Getty Images)

Woody Norman has shown his support for Ukraine by wearing a ribbon in the colours of the Ukranian flag on the BAFTAs red carpet.

The CMon CMon actor, 13, is the youngest nominee at this year's EE BAFTAs 2022 and is up for the best supporting actor category for his role in the film about a radio journalist, played by Joaquin Phoenix, who takes his energetic nephew on a road trip.

Arriving on the red carpet at the Royal Albert Hall, the British school boy looked smart in a black suit and bow tie, which he accessorised with the blue and yellow ribbon.

The British schoolboy was also wearing a ribbon to attend the Nominees' Reception at BAFTA on March 12. (Getty Images)

While interviewed on the red carpet, the actor said he felt it was important to spread awareness of whats happening in Ukraine.

He also talked of sending love and prayers to the Ukrainian people.

The youngsters was also wearing a ribbon to attend the Nominees' Reception at BAFTA, which was held yesterday.

Norman isn't the only star who also showed their support for the people of Ukraine, Benedict Cumberbach also donned a yellow and blue badge to highlight his solidarity.

He also spoke out about the the situation while interviewed on the red carpet.

"We have brothers and sisters who are suffering in our industry in Ukraine or who have managed to escape it whose homes and families are at risk," he told Sky news.

"Who are being shelled and killed and made homeless.

"It is shocking time to be the European two and a half hours flight away from Ukraine," he continued.

Watch: Prince William to miss BAFTAs for second year

The actor went on to say that while tonight is a celebration he was trying to show that he was standing "side by side with his brothers and sisters who are going through this".

The star added that he hopes to be part of the government's new humanitarian scheme to host Ukrainian refugees.

Daisy Edgar Jones accessorised her incredible fringed dress with a tiny badge in the yellow and blue hue of the Ukranian flag.

Daisy Edgar-Jones pinned a yellow and blue ribbon on her incredible fringed dress. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images)

The Normal People star's small badge was a subtle way of showing solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Story continues

Meanwhile fellow actor Stephen Graham also donned a ribbon to reveal his support.

Read more: BAFTAs 2022: Best red carpet fashion

Benedict Cumberbatch and Sophie Hunter arrive at the BAFTAs, Cumberbach showed his support for Ukraine by wearing a badge in the colours of the Ukranian flag. (Getty Images)

Stephen Graham also showed his support for Ukraine by wearing a pin. (Getty Images)

The Boiling Point actor, 48, opted to wear a ribbon in the colours of the Ukrainian flag.

During his red carpet arrival he said that though it is its an honour to be here he felt it was vital to also show support and solidarity to Ukraine.

Meanwhile former EastEnders star Jessica Plummer, 29, wore an incredible black dress to which she pinned a Ukrainian ribbon.

Jessica Plummer looked incredible in a body-skimming black dress with a Ukraine ribbon pinned to it. (Getty Images)

This isn't the first red carpet event in which celebrities have shown their solidarity with the people of Ukraine.

Over the past couple of weeks, the blue and yellow of the Ukrainian flag has become a familiar sight of on the lapels of stars.

Read more: Holly Willoughby channels 70s glam in stunning sequin split dress

At the recent SAG awards, celebrities including Tyler Perry, Michael Douglas and Shari Belafonte wore ribbons or pocket squares in yellow and blue, while actor Greta Lee wore a blue skirt and yellow polo neck.

Even the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, who as senior royals typically remain politically neutral, have shown their support for Ukraine.

Earlier this week, in a visit to the Ukrainian Cultural Centre in Holland Park, the couple wore pin badges of the Ukrainian flag with a white heart, the Duchess on her jumper and the Duke on his lapel.

Read more: Statements on the red carpet: 5 times celebrities made a sartorial stand for women

To double down on their support for the community and volunteers, the Duchess also made a rare political statement with her fashion choice, opting to wear a blue Alexander McQueen cashmere jumper, in a shade similar to that of the Ukrainian flag.

Although the senior royal couple largely remain neutral when it comes to both UK and global politics, the pair made a rare statement in response to Russian troops entering Ukraine at the end of February: In October 2020 we had the privilege to meet President Zelenskyy and the First Lady to learn of their hope and optimism for Ukraines future, the tweet read.

Today we stand with the President and all of Ukraines people as they bravely fight for that future  W & C.

Making a political statement on the red carpet has become a thing in recent years. Following on from the Harvey Weinstein revelations, a wide range of celebrities arrived at the 2018 Golden Globes wearing black.

Celebrities including Jessica Chastain, Tracee Ellis Ross, Angelina Jolie and Issa Rae chose to shun colour in favour of wearing black hued outfits in support of the Times Up organisation, which was started as a response to the #MeToo reckoning in Hollywood.

And at the 2018 Brits, women and men in the music industry followed in the footsteps of those at the Grammys by carrying long-stemmed roses that represented a drive for equality.

Watch: Rebel Wilson can't wait to celebrate 'James Bond' and 'Harry Potter' at the BAFTAs
As the City of Lynchburg continues to focus on ways to improve lifelong learning for its residents, City Manager Wynter Benda presented a new way to jumpstart that improvement: A new branch of the Lynchburg Public Library at the River Ridge mall.

During Lynchburg City Councils work session Tuesday, Benda brought forth an unsolicited proposal from Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) to allow the commercial real estate company to invest $1 million to create the library with a five-year lease and an additional five-year option.

According to Bendas presentation, there already has been an investment of more than $53 million since 2017 at the shopping mall.

It is good for us here in Lynchburg that there has been this kind of investment in an asset that is transitioning, Benda said.

Benda said he has been driven by some councilors to look at how spaces are used in a different manner, and this is a bold step in that direction.

According to the presentation, 28.6% of visitors to River Ridge mall are households with children, and the city believes that the reciprocal patronage from the library, as well as the increase in foot traffic, will bring in additional tax revenue for Lynchburg.

The proposal calls for a 9,000-square-foot library in the mall, beside the movie theater, that the nearly 26,000 library card holders in Lynchburg will have access to.

Beverly Blair, Lynchburgs library director, said the library will have a fireplace, a coffee bar, new books and materials, as well as study rooms and meeting spaces for cardholders, something Blair said they desperately need to have.

Staff and council also will face a decision as to what to do with other library branches.

Currently, the city operates the main library branch in the Plaza shopping center, in addition to the downtown library branch on Church Street. Should the new mall branch open, it will be the third branch, putting Lynchburg on par with similar localities in Virginia.

Blair said cities such as Roanoke, Suffolk, and Williamsburg operate at least three library branches, but Lynchburg also could opt to save money on full-time employees and close the downtown branch in exchange for the proposed new mall branch.

The presentation shows that, in addition to the full-time employees, there would be a $350,000 one-time cost for new furniture, fixtures and equipment; $48,000 recurring annual cost for books and materials that will be offset by aid from the state, and $100,000 annual cost for rent.

Ward III Councilman Jeff Helgeson gave his thoughts on the branch options, saying he preferred just operating two larger branches because when a company makes a new splash ... like Chick-fil-A did, they close the other one, because then you actually have that focus.

Helgeson did say that he thinks its a win-win to have a good partnership with the mall.

The mall wants this to be successful, so hopefully more people will come to the mall, read some books, and go buy a new sweater. We kind of want to help have that incentive by not having another branch.

Ward II Councilman Sterling Wilder wasnt as fast to say he wanted to close the downtown branch if a new branch is built, instead saying he wants to check with members of the community about how much the downtown branch was used prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, since the branch has been closed for some time due to the pandemic and construction.

If the city were to operate three branches, it would need to hire two new full-time employees at $140,000 total annually. If the city were to close the downtown branch, it would only need one new full-time employee at $80,000 annually, according to the presentation.

Benda said money for the new library branch already has been allocated in the proposed fiscal year 2023 budget that he presented to council Tuesday night.

For this week, Council took no official action on the proposal.

Lauren Spencer, the malls retail marketing manager, said while council hasnt yet voted to approve the library, mall officials would love to see the library come to River Ridge.

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A new archery business is opening next month in Amherst County.

Reedys Archery will occupy a 12,000-square-foot building and feature 20- and 30-yard ranges plus a separate 10-yard range for schools and organizations such as Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts.

Once renovations are complete, the shop will open at 137 Ambriar Plaza near the Briar Patch restaurant.

Owner Chris Reed opened the first store in 1993 in Middleborough, Massachusetts, on a dead-end street across from his parents house.

And it took off real fast, he said. Within two years, I had to move from about a 2,000-square-foot building to an 8,000-square-foot building.

The business stayed there for 20 years in the middle of the small town until he built a brand-new building for the shop.

Now we have an upstairs range, a downstairs range, an outdoor range. We have a barbershop on the first floor and a gun shop on the first floor and usually have 800 bows, Reed said.

Reed said he always has been attracted to the area and has been riding his motorcycle and hunting in the Amherst area for more than 20 years.

I just loved the area, he said. I have never gotten such a warm welcoming from any town. The town has been so good. Every single person in this town has been great about wanting the shop to come in.

Reedys also does custom bow work, along with tuning and repair, and provides instruction as well as childrens birthday parties and events. The business also offers custom strings and accessories.

Amherst County Board of Supervisors member Claudia Tucker during a recent county meeting voiced excitement about the archery business coming to the Ambriar shopping center.

Tucker spoke highly of Reeds efforts for public safety, supporting veterans and other civic outreaches.

This guy is awesome, Tucker said. Hes going to be an asset for our community.

Victoria Hanson, executive director for the Economic Development Authority of Amherst County, said Reedys Archery is a great fit in Amherst County.

The county has become a niche for archery enthusiasts, she said. There are many bowhunters in the community and archery is popular among the youth. Hundreds of Amherst schoolchildren participate in a nationally recognized school archery program. These kids have competed in regional, state, and even world level competitions.

Hanson said some people may be surprised to learn that world-renowned archery products are made in Amherst County by two companies: T.R.U. Ball Archery Releases/AXCEL Archery Sights and Quality Archery Design. Olympic gold medal-winning tournament products were manufactured in Amherst by T.R.U. Ball.

Reedys Archery is a welcome addition to the archery ecosystem in Amherst County, she said. Chris Reeds outstanding knowledge of archery products and his decades of experience will draw many archery enthusiasts to his Amherst store.

Ed Hedrick, a gunsmith with Amherst Arms and Supply at 4811 S. Amherst Highway in Madison Heights, said no business likes to have too much competition, but he has checked out Reedys Archery and said its a quality shop.

They carry some really nice Mathews bows, and were not a Mathews dealer, so that really doesnt affect us there, but hopefully we wont see a big downturn and I think theres a lot of people in the area that do archery, so our opinion is we wish them the best, he said.

Reed said there are 189,000 archers in Virginia.

Theres a lot more people to work with, he said. I love the South and love the people from the South.

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Vladimir Putins war on Ukraine became inevitable when President Volodymyr Zelenskyy declared he wanted his country to be a member of NATO. That was a red line for Russia.

Russias military buildup against Ukraine began soon after. Zelenskyy had the choice of withdrawing his call for NATO membership or preparing for war. He chose to resist Putins threats because he assumed NATO, especially the U.S., would pressure Putin to stop short of war. He was wrong; his country is paying a terrible price.

Zelenskyy now has two choices: He could resign and make way for another government that doesnt seek NATO membership, or he could fight on and be a hero for Ukrainians and others who think its better to defend their freedom even though it destroys the country. Its a tough call. But as Ukraines cities are destroyed and refugees pour into neighboring countries, the question should be asked: Was this worth it?

Putins political pressure on Ukraine will not cease even if Zelenskyy withdraws his request for NATO membership. The Russian leader has held power for22 years; he is determined to bring back to power in Kyiv a pro-Moscow leader like the one ousted by a 1914 uprising. He would not stop pressuring Kyiv until it ousts Zelenskyy.

When will this war end? Not until Zelenskyy is gone and Russia controls major ports on the Black Sea and large cities in the eastern half of the country. Putin says he doesnt intend to deprive Ukraine of sovereignty, but it must cooperate with Moscow and, in effect, become a satellite country.

What happens to three Baltic states, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, that were part of the Soviet Union, not satellites, until the USSRs breakup in 1990? As fully functioning democracies, they applied for NATO membership and were accepted in 2004. If Putin chose to undermine their independence, he would face the combined forces of NATO; it already has troops stationed there to warn Moscow.

President Putin called the Soviet Unions breakup the greatest strategic disaster of the 20th century. Experts on Russia claim he is determined to recreate a Soviet-type sphere of influence in Eastern Europe that would include Poland, Hungary, and Romania.

Its now clear that Putins larger ambitions will not bear fruit. His invasion has united Europe in a way that appeared impossible earlier. Nowhere is this more evident than the decision of Germanys new government to cancel the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, greatly increase defense spending, and reverse a policy on sending arms to Ukraine. Putin realizes NATO will hold firm against his ambitions.

It is time for diplomacy to find a solution to this national tragedy. Frances President Macron has talked to Putin but this has not succeeded. Another country, China, may have more influence with Putin because he and President Xi Jinping recently concluded an agreement to support each other. This was before Putins war in Ukraine, and could now give Beijing more leverage in Moscow.

How long will Vladimir Putin remain in power? One possibility is those closest to him politically will work against him when economic sanctions threaten their livelihood. Another possibility is Putins health will force him to share power with one or more leaders. This occurred in 1953 when a very ill Joseph Stalin was replaced by a troika of leaders who chose detente over confrontation with Washington.

But its also possible that Putin will never give up, and depend on the police and intelligence services to support him.

The good news is that Ukraines war has unified the West, triggered an insurgency that slows the invasion, and ruined Russias economy. Could Kyiv turn out to be Putins Waterloo?

Donald Nuechterlein is a political scientist who lives near Charlottesville. E-mail him at nuechtd@cstone.net.
CANBERRA, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has called for more dams to be built to boost the country's flood resilience on Sunday, acknowledging the role of climate change in flooding that has hit Australia's northeast.

However, he said that instead of focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, more needed to be done to mitigate the impacts of future floods and fires.

At least 20 people have died and thousands of buildings have been destroyed in floods that began late in February when parts of Queensland and New South Wales received a year's worth of rain in a matter of days.

"Dealing with climate change isn't just about getting emissions down, it's about resilience and adaptation," he told Nine Network television.

"You want to deal with resilience on bushfires, you have to do fuel load management," he said. "You want to deal with floods, you have to build dams."

The federal government has been criticized for failing to immediately deploy resources including the Australian Defense Force (ADF) to the flood zone.

Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk on Thursday rejected federal assistance, saying it was offered too late and criticizing Morrison for funding only three of the 20 flood mitigation measures she has proposed since November 2020.

In response, Morrison said the federal government deployed resources as quickly as it could. 
DES MOINES  This morning, Iowans will join most of the rest of the nation in springing forward into daylight saving time.

If state lawmakers go along with legislation already approved by the Iowa House, it could be the last time Iowans have to go through the twice-a-year ritual of changing their clocks  if Congress agrees, too.

Its not the chore of changing clocks this weekend and then falling back to standard time come Nov. 6 that inspired Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, to propose Iowa adopt permanent, year-round daylight saving time. Today, technology to a large degree takes care of changing clocks automatically.

Instead, its the time change impact on families, schools, mental health and public safety that prompted his bill, House File 2331.

In a floor debate, Sexton cited research from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine warning of the dangers of seasonal time changes.

An abundance of accumulated evidence indicates that the acute transition from standard time to daylight saving time incurs significant public health and safety risks, including increased risk of adverse cardiovascular events, mood disorders and motor vehicle crashes, he read from the academys journal.

Sexton and Iowa arent alone. An Economist/YouGov poll in November 2021 found that 63% of people nationwide wanted to stop clock changing. Looking at just political parties, the poll found that 67% of Democrats and Republicans favored year-round daylight saving time.

Over the past seven years, state legislatures have considered 450 bills and resolutions on the topic, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. This year, 28 states are considering 68 pieces of legislation addressing daylight saving time. Of those measures, 11 propose the adoption of permanent standard time, one gives voters a non-binding choice and the remaining 56 establish year-round daylight saving time.

There is precedent for Sextons proposal. Year-round daylight saving time was implemented around 1942 for the duration of World War II and again during the global energy crisis of the winter of 1973-74.

In the United States, daylight saving time dates to World War I when it was implemented as a temporary measure to conserve energy and provide more usable hours of daylight. However, the concept can be traced to Benjamin Franklin, who posited that if everyone went to bed earlier and got up earlier there would be less need for candles.

The policy debate has many angles. Studies have called into question the degree of energy savings resulting from daylight saving time. Other studies have shown negative impacts on peoples health and circadian rhythms because of time changes as well as a higher number of car crashes and workplace injuries in the days after a time change.

However, the federal Department of Transportation promotes daylight saving time for its energy savings as well as claims that it saves lives and prevents traffic injuries, and reduces crime since people tend to be out and about more in daylight hours as opposed to the night when most crimes are committed.

Any change in the twice-a-year clock change also would be dependent on Congress because federal law does not allow full-time daylight saving time. Under the Uniform Time Act, states may exempt themselves from daylight saving time. Hawaii, American Samoa, Guam, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and most of Arizona do not observe daylight saving time at all.

Year-round standard time is the recommendation of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.

Current evidence best supports the adoption of year-round standard time, which aligns best with human circadian biology and provides distinct benefits for public health and safety, according to the academy.

That wasnt an issue in the House debate. Republicans accepted a Democratic amendment to make it more clear that year-round daylight saving time would not go into effect until Congress changed federal law. Sexton was pleased HF 2331 the chamber passed with strong bipartisan support, 82-13.

Its the kind of issue that if your grandma thought it was a terrible idea, you probably voted against it. If your grandma thought it was a good thing to do, you voted for it, Sexton said.

The bill now goes to the Iowa Senate, where Sexton is somewhat optimistic theyll do something.
DES MOINES  Iowa Senate Majority Leader Jack Whitver made it official this week, filing nomination papers to seek re-election in a new district.

Whitver, R-Ankeny, will run in the new Senate District 23, which encompasses the rural, northern areas of Polk County outside the city of Ankeny.

While Ankeny has been trending in Democratic direction in recent elections, the registered voter makeup in the new District 23 leans more Republican.

The 41-year-old lawyer filed his nominating paperwork with the Iowa Secretary of States office on Thursday.

For the last five years, I led an agenda to implement conservative budgets and pro-growth policies to make transformative tax relief a reality, Whitver said in a statement.

In this post-pandemic economy, the competition is fierce for jobs and workers. I will continue to ensure Iowa can compete for jobs and workers, making our state and its economy stronger than ever.

Under his leadership, the Republican majority in the Iowa Senate has grown to 32 of the 50 members.

DEM LEADERS ENDORSE DEJEAR: Democratic leaders in the Iowa Legislature, Senate Minority Leader Zach Wahls and House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst, have endorsed Deidre DeJear, the partys likely candidate for governor.

DeJear, a Des Moines businesswoman, likely will challenge Republican incumbent Gov. Kim Reynolds this fall. No other Democrat is actively campaigning for governor.

Iowans are ready for a fresh start, Konfrst said in a news release from the DeJear campaign. Were tired of politics and worried about our communities. Were sick of division. Were exhausted and sometimes it feels like we just cant catch a break. And were ready for a new governor.

Wahls said, Its clear that after five years of a Kim Reynolds administration, we need new leadership. Iowans deserve a governor who will put them first every single day.
The Mexico-Morocco Friendship Club has reiterated its support for the autonomy plan as the only solution to the regional conflict over the Sahara, and condemned the separatists attempts aimed at destabilizing the Sahara and Sahel region.

We reiterate our support for the Moroccan proposal for autonomy and we condemn the separatist plans which attempt to undermine security and stability of the Sahara and Sahel region, underlined the members of this Club in a letter sent to the ministers of Foreign Affairs of Mexico and Morocco.

Mexico has always respected the rights and sovereignty of countries and condemns any separatist attempt or inclination, said the members of the Club, which includes personalities from the political, cultural and academic worlds, in addition to businessmen and associative actors.

It is for this reason that we support Morocco to thwart these doomed attempts, the letter signatories point out.

They also highlight the friendly relations that bind Morocco and Mexico, noting that the two countries have always opted for dialogue and democracy and supported the security of countries against separatist goals.

On this occasion, the coordinator of the Club, MP Miguel Vargas Mendosa, told MAP that this letter is an expression of the solidarity of the Mexican people towards the first cause of Morocco and an appeal to the Mexican authorities to reject any separatist attempt fueled by external agendas.

Mr. Mendosa paid tribute to the unwavering commitment of King Mohammed VI to peace and security in North Africa and the Middle East and his endeavors to promote the development and well-being of the peoples of the region.

The letter was issued as Mexico City was hosting the 40th session of the Forum of Presidents of the Legislative Bodies of Central America and the Caribbean Basin (FOPREL).

Morocco is an observer member of FOPREL since 2014. The grouping brings together the speakers of the parliaments of Guatemala, Belize, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

The Final Declaration adopted by the FOPREL 40th session has expressed support to the proclamation of Rabat as capital of South-South cooperation, adopted by the Forum of Parliamentary Dialogue of Senates and equivalent councils of Africa, the Arab world, Latin America and the Caribbean, held recently in Rabat.

For FOPREL, the objectives set out in the Rabat Declaration are consistent with its action plan on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, establishing peace, universal health coverage, ensuring safe and orderly migration, promoting human rights, transparency in governance, economic and social recovery, food security and adaptation to climate change.

The FOPREL Final Declaration adopted several recommendations, including the establishment of mutually beneficial partnerships, and the launch of human and social development projects through the acceleration of cooperation strategies based on the values of solidarity, justice and shared interests.

It also stipulates the adoption of effective and continuous mechanisms capable of eradicating famine and ensuring food security, improving nutrition and promoting sustainable agriculture.
The Moroccan carrier Royal Air Maroc inaugurated, this Sunday, March 13, 2022, the first direct flight of its regular line linking Casablanca to Tel Aviv.

To celebrate this event, a Moroccan delegation made up of economic operators and other personalities were aboard the plane of the inaugural trip to take part in a series of economic and cultural meetings with their Israeli counterparts, the company said in a statement.

We are happy to inaugurate this direct link to Tel Aviv, the first in the history of the national company, RAM CEO Hamid Addou, was quoted in the statement as saying.

Upon his arrival at Ben Gurion airport, Abdelhamid Addou, was quoted by local media as saying that this new connection at this historic moment will be a factor of rapprochement between the two peoples.

These connections are based on very old ties between our monarchy and the Jewish people. Today, it is about reconnecting a family, he said, adding that the direct flights between Morocco and Israel will facilitate travel for families and the business community which has established an unprecedented partnership in the economic and commercial fields, which is very promising for the future.

Morocco is a unique destination and offers endless options for those who love to travel, it has an incredible richness due to its history and its geographical position. Morocco has a very rich culture, of which the Hebrew culture is an integral part, he said.

Flights are scheduled from Casablanca every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday while flights from Tel Aviv to Casablanca are scheduled every Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, RAM had said, noting that the number of frequencies will increase to five flights per week later.

RAM and Israeli carrier El Al had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to govern their ties in order to offer the best services to customers in October last year.

The MoU will allow the two companies to explore the possibility of concluding a Codeshare partnership on the direct routes operated between Morocco and Israel, as well as on the routes of their networks beyond their respective hubs.

The first direct commercial flights between Israel and Morocco had landed in Marrakesh on July 25, 2021, marking the launch of non-stop flights between Morocco and Israel since the two countries agreed to resume diplomatic ties in December 2020 under a US-brokered deal.

The two flights that landed that day in Marrakech were operated by Israir and El Al.

The launch of the direct air route is a boon for Moroccos Covid-19-hit tourism sector which aspires to attract up to 200,000 tourists from Israel where up to 1 million people are of Moroccan origins.

The launch of non-stop flights makes it easier for Israelis to visit Jewish shrines and tourist attractions in Morocco.

Morocco recognizes the Jewish constituent as a component of its national identity and upon directives from King Mohammed VI, the country refurbished Jewish shrines, cemeteries and synagogues.
GIBBON  People in the Platte Rivers 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 isnt 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 then a pandemic kept them away.

They are buoyed by the half-million dollars in advertising the Nebraska Tourism Commission is spending to attract tourists from cities like 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 cornfields, 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 Audubons Rowe Sanctuary southwest of Gibbon and the Crane Trust south of Alda to host crane watchers.

The problems started on March 13, 2019, when flooding sparked by a bomb cyclone made Rowe Sanctuarys Iain Nicolson Audubon Center inaccessible for much of crane season.

In 2020 and 2021, COVID-19 forced the two non-profits to close visitors centers and cancel or severely limit tours to view cranes on river roosts, education programs, fund-raising 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 Nebraskas rural graveled 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 Taddickens house a mile west of the center. If we got a tenth of an inch of rain, you couldnt 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 Rowes annual $1 million budget, dropped significantly.

Crane Trust roads held up better, but president Brice Krohn said, The visitor appeal wasnt there. Because of the high water, the cranes werent roosting on the river channel. Some tours were canceled because one river blind was inaccessible.

About half of the trusts $1.8 million annual revenue comes during crane season. In 2019, visitor numbers were down 25 percent.

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 on 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 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 Rowe 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 fund-raiser 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 Islands 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.

Rowes 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.
GIBBON  Cody Wagner sat in a mustard-colored canvas blind along the Platte River on a cold March 2021 night and focused a night vision scope on a half-dozen sandhill cranes among the tens of thousands settling onto overnight roosts.

A symphony of trills, bugles, hoots and squeaks filled the air as cranes circled, lowered their feet, curved their extended wings and floated hang-glider style down to crowded river sandbars.

Some, including the small group Wagner was observing, flew up to try again for more comfortable spots to spend the night.

He watched as one crane struck the lowest of five strands of wire on a 69-kilovolt power line spanning the Platte west of Rowe Sanctuarys Iain Nicolson Audubon Center southwest of Gibbon. As it fell, the other cranes in the group flew away.

The crane was still upright. It started walking back to the roost and was calling to all the other cranes there. It wasnt capable of flying, said Wager, the Sanctuarys conservation program manager. It was really hard to watch. Seeing that kind of thing makes you want to do anything you can to keep the birds from dying.

Wagner and two other central Nebraska crane experts spent the 2021 crane season collecting data about how cranes behave near the power line, and searching for something that will lower the number of collisions that maim and kill cranes.

Now they think they have an answer: Shining powerful UV light on the power lines, making them more visible, appears to save the lives and damaged wings of sandhill cranes as well as whooping cranes, an endangered species.

A new avian avoidance collision system, installed at the Rowe Sanctuary, decreased collisions by nearly 90%, say the experts, who have captured the promising results in soon-to-be-published research.

It shows that this kind of technology can be effective for use on other structures that also are potential hazards to cranes, Wagner said.

Wagner knows this work is important because he knows the fate for a crane unable to fly from the river the next morning to feed in area grasslands, wet meadows and harvested cornfields. The birds must be healthy enough to continue a spring migration of 2,000-plus miles from southern Great Plains wintering areas, primarily in Texas and New Mexico, to breeding grounds in northern Canada, Alaska and Siberia.

Most of the nearly 1 million large gray, red-headed sandhill cranes congregating in the Central Platte Valley use the Kearney-to-Grand Island river segment  many of them flying right by the power line. Their late winter-early spring stop to rest and refuel is one of the worlds great migration events.

A few weeks later, endangered whooping cranes flying roughly the same migration route stop for a few days at some of the same south-central Nebraska habitats. Researcher Dave Baasch, threatened and endangered species specialist at the Crane Trust near Alda, said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service staff sightings indicate whooping cranes spend a quarter of that time on the Platte River.

Sandhill cranes are big, with wingspans up to 7 feet. And fast  they can fly 35 miles per hour. They are also tough, able to stand for hours in freezing water and survive blizzards.

But the cranes arent always agile enough to evade collisions with power lines they see at the last minute.

To try to help, the Sanctuary installed a collision avoidance system that includes battery-powered light boxes and solar panels in February 2021.

It was this avoidance system that Wagner, two other experts, University of Nebraska at Kearney students and a group of volunteers studied. Wagner and Rowe colleague Amanda Hegg spent many 2021 crane season nights in the south riverbank blind, watching cranes interact with the power lines and observing how UV light might be able to help. They watched crane behaviors near the power line and collected data to determine if shining UV light down such lines can reduce crane collisions, especially at night.

The research paper by Wagner, Hegg and Baasch has been approved for publication by the Journal of Avian Conservation and Ecology.

The findings are stark.

When the lights were on: One crane collided with a power line.

When they were off: 63 did.

When the lights were on, cranes avoided the power lines sooner, Baasch said. Not only were the collisions reduced, the reactions were quicker.

The team determined the likelihood of power line collisions decreased by 88% when UV lights were on. Hegg said the light is mostly invisible to human eyes.

While in the blinds, one person used binoculars  night vision after dark  to watch cranes behaviors near power lines and give verbal descriptions. Climbing up and over lines. Flaring, when a line is seen and dangerous aversion actions take cranes up, over or through lines. Reverse, when cranes saw the lines from a distance and turned around.

The second observer took notes on a form for later database downloading.

There were a few days when the weather made it difficult to record things, but we never didnt want to go out and do it, Wagner said, including times when water entered the blinds and high winds made it unsafe to stay for a full shift.

The light boxes remained on after crane season to help eagles, hawks, geese and other birds avoid the power lines.

Its unknown if UV lights are as effective in other seasons and for other species.

We only know what they do this time of the year, Hegg said. Not all birds may see the same.

Baasch hopes the Rowe lights last at least 10 years.

Man-made structures are far from the only hazard for sandhill cranes. Other dangers: Legal late-fall-into-winter crane hunting in other Central Flyway states, predators, disease and habitat changes that include growing water demands for agriculture, municipalities, businesses and other uses.

There also are the perils of migration in general, Hegg said, primarily body mass loss. Weight gain is the main reason sandhill cranes make a mid-migration stop at the narrowest point in the hourglass-shaped Central Flyway.

While many migration season hazards for sandhill cranes cant be eliminated, central Nebraska conservationists now know that simply shining a light on power lines can save lives.

The Flatwater Free Press is Nebraskas first independent, nonprofit newsroom focused on investigations and feature stories that matter.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Farm Bureau and Gov. Pete Ricketts are reminding Nebraskans to claim their property tax relief through the states refundable income tax credit based on property taxes paid to K-12 schools according to a press release. Ricketts and Nebraska Farm Bureau were strong advocates for the Legislatures passage of LB 1107 in 2020, which established the new credit to provide property tax relief for owners of real property.

LB 1107 delivered historic property tax relief for Nebraskas hardworking men and women, Ricketts said.

Nebraska Farm Bureau President Mark McHargue said those who were unaware or opted not to claim the credit last year can still do so. They will want to take a closer look when filing their taxes this year, due to the significant increase in state dollars allocated for the tax relief in 2021. Last year, on average, Nebraskans could expect to see tax relief equivalent to 6% of the property taxes they paid to K-12 schools through the credit. This year that tax relief is equivalent to more than 25%.

We estimate on average the tax credits will be worth $718 per household in property tax relief for residential property owners, McHargue said. Finding how much the credit is worth to you is as simple as grabbing your property tax statement, finding the amount of taxes you paid to local schools based on the real property you own, such as your home, farm, or commercial business and multiplying that amount by 25%.

Nebraska Farm Bureau has developed a three-step guide to help Nebraskans claim the credit, which is available on the Nebraska Farm Bureau website at nefb.org. Nebraskans can also visit the Nebraska Department of Revenues website at revenue.nebraska.gov for more information.

Providing property tax relief continues to be one of my highest priorities as Governor, and that priority is shared by the Nebraska Farm Bureau. While we want Nebraskans to claim the credit and secure their tax relief, there is more work left to do, Ricketts said.

The Nebraska Legislature is currently considering legislation (LB 723) introduced by Sen. Tom Briese of Albion to ensure the amount of state dollars allocated to the refundable income tax credit for property taxes paid to schools stays at or near its current funding levels and does not roll back to a lower amount in future years. The legislature is currently dedicating $548 million in funding to the tax relief program.

I encourage Nebraskans to let their state senator know that property tax relief must continue to be a top priority and that means ensuring that funding for this tax relief program continues to grow, not go backwards, Ricketts said.

In echoing the governors support, McHargue noted that Nebraskans can also help protect the property tax relief provided by the state by encouraging their peers serving on local government and school boards to hold the line on spending, particularly in areas where property valuations have climbed significantly, creating a windfall allowing those entities to collect more property taxes.

Controlling spending at the local level is key to reducing property taxes and preventing erosion of the property tax relief the Legislature has provided through the tax credit for property taxes paid to schools, McHargue said. We look forward to continuing to work with Governor Ricketts, the Legislature and local elected leaders to provide property tax relief for Nebraskans.
Other key items on Tuesdays packed North Platte City Council agenda include the citys latest one- and six-year road plan and nominations to replace state Sen. Mike Jacobson on two local boards.

The 2021-22 road plan, required for the city to receive state highway funds toward local projects, mainly highlights top-priority work from last years plan.

Topping the documents one-year project list are the widening of North Lakeview Boulevard from West A to Front streets and asphalt resurfacing on 14 city streets. Work on them all should start soon, depending on the weather, City Engineer Brent Burklund said.

The short-term list also includes the extension of Sunrise Drive between U.S. Highway 83 and South Willow Street.

Mid-Plains Community College is paying for that project to provide additional access to North Plate Community Colleges South Campus, Burklund said.

Council members will decide whether to ratify Mayor Brandon Kellihers nominations of Randy Billingsley to the North Platte Airport Authority board and former Planning Commission Chairman Greg Wilke to the Community Redevelopment Authority board.

Jacobson had been chairman of both boards before Gov. Pete Ricketts appointed him Feb. 23 to complete the last 10 months of resigned Sen. Mike Groenes final term in District 42.

The five members of the CRA  which primarily works on tax increment financing proposals  are appointed by the mayor subject to council approval.

City voters separately elect the five-member Airport Authority, but state law requires the mayor and council to fill midterm vacancies.

Billingsley, 520 E. Ninth St., would serve the rest of Jacobsons airport board term through July 2025.

He had filed for the airport boards lone open seat in the 2022 election prior to Jacobsons resignation.

Billingsley withdrew from that race before the March 1 filing deadline, said Lincoln County Clerk Becky Rossell.

That leaves two candidates  Daren Wilkinson and Corban Heinis  for succeed Greg Hanna for a six-year term.

Wilkinson and Heinis now will automatically advance to the Nov. 8 general election, Rossell said.

Wilke, a retired banker, would serve out Jacobsons CRA term until June 1. Kelliher would have to reappoint him for him to stay on after that.

In other business, the council will:

 Take its third and final vote on an ordinance creating a street improvement district for the Nebraska Department of Transportations expected 2023 reconstruction of U.S. Highway 83 (South Jeffers Street) from First to Leota streets.

 Decide whether to renew the citys self-insured health and accident coverage for the policy year starting April 1.

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The Lincoln County commissioners Monday will consider proposals from Johnson Controls for hardware and software upgrades for HVAC and smoke control at the Lincoln County Sheriffs Office.

At the Feb. 28 commissioners meeting, Sheriff Jerome Kramer expressed frustration that the company was not available to answer questions about the proposal.

The problem is with software and hardware that is 11 years old, Chief Deputy Sheriff Roland Kramer said at that meeting. Johnson Controls offered two proposals to correct the problem for about $25,000.

The board also will:

 Consider a contract with Winston Michael Contracting Inc. for a salt shed for the Department of Roads.

 Authorize the chairman to sign a right-of-way application submitted by Hershey Telephone Co.

 Consider appointment of a Lincoln County representative to the Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska

 Consider authorizing the chairman to sign the special designated liquor application by Big Red Liquor LLC for a fundraiser March 26 at the Lincoln County Fairgrounds

The meeting begins at 9 a.m. in the Commissioners Room at the Lincoln County Courthouse.
HANOI, March 13 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam reported 166,968 new COVID-19 cases on Sunday, a decline of 1,751 cases from Saturday.

The health ministry said the new infections, logged in 62 localities nationwide, included 166,953 domestically transmitted and 15 imported.

Vietnamese capital Hanoi remained the epidemic hotspot with 29,269 cases logged on Sunday, followed by the central Nghe An province with 10,243 cases, and the central highlands Dak Lak province with 7,569 cases.

On Sunday, health authorities also documented 42,533 COVID-19 cases detected earlier in the northern Bac Giang province.

Newly recorded infections in the country brought the total tally to 6,112,648 with 41,385 deaths. Nationwide, a total of 3,163,571 COVID-19 patients, or 52 percent of the total cases, have recovered.

Around 200.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the Southeast Asian country, including 183.1 million shots for people aged 18 and above, said the ministry.

Vietnam has by far gone through four coronavirus waves of increasing scale, complication, and infectivity. As of Sunday, it has registered over 6.1 million locally transmitted COVID-19 cases since the start of the current wave in April 2021, said the health ministry. 
Tuesdays North Platte City Council meeting will decide the fate of the citys largest proposed annexation in 45 years.

Council members will take their third and final votes on a quartet of ordinances that would extend city limits east along East Fourth Street and U.S. Highway 30 to encompass Lee Bird Field.

Before those votes, public hearings and first-round debate are planned on two ordinances addressing peripheral issues raised since the annexation process started in December.

The council meeting begins at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall council chambers, 211 W. Third St. Itll be broadcast on the citys public-access channel and livestreamed on its YouTube channel.

Final approval of the nearly 2,000-acre annexation package would bring the North Platte Regional Airport into the city for the first time in its 103-year life.

The North Platte Airport Authority board asked for the annexation in a Sept. 21 letter to aid its goal of developing an industrial air park west and south of the 1952 terminal.

City and airport leaders have said annexation would let the city offer tax increment financing and access to other assistance to lure possible employers needing air access.

It also would reduce the citys percentage of land declared substandard and blighted  the standard for allowing TIF  from 26.4% to 21.6%. Cities North Plattes size cannot have more than 35% of their land deemed TIF-eligible.

Lowering that percentage by expanding city limits would give the council more flexibility to offer regular TIF throughout North Platte and open up more neighborhoods to the states 2020 microTIF rehabilitation program for older homes and buildings.

But the annexations TIF angle has split the eight-member council, with each annexation ordinance advancing by 5-3 margins both Feb. 15 and March 1.

Each ordinance addresses a different part of the overall annexation package:

 The westernmost segment, owned by North Platte businessman Alan Erickson and bounded by North Bicentennial Avenue, Orscheln Farm & Home, East Fourth Street and the Union Pacific Railroad.

 The middle segment, containing the Croell Inc. sand and gravel plant and bounded by the railroad, the North Platte River and U.S. Highway 30 on its west and south.

 The eastern and largest segment, including the airport itself and stretching north across U.S. 30 to the railroad.

 The southern segment, consisting of Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District land between Lee Bird and the river.

After an initial review at a nonvoting Dec. 14 work session, council members voted 6-2 Jan. 4 to trigger the formal annexation process.

The Planning Commission voted 7-0 to recommend council approval after a public hearing Jan. 25. The council held its own hearing Feb. 15 before its initial votes on the annexation ordinances.

State annexation laws ruled out the councils usual option to waive one or two votes on those ordinances.

Thats not the case with Tuesdays two related ordinances, which would enact one special zoning overlay district and set the stage for a second.

Overlay districts dont change existing zoning in the areas they cover. But they define additional activities allowed or forbidden beyond the regular zoning.

Both additional ordinances involve land at or near the Platte River forks and concerns that annexation would put an end to firearms hunting there. City codes normally forbid firing projectiles inside city limits.

One ordinance would enable the council to define specific areas where firearms could be discharged. Existing exemptions would be continued for licensed shooting galleries or live shows duly authorized or licensed.

Council members then could follow up by approving an overlay district allowing firearms hunting, Planning Administrator Judy Clark has said.

The second ordinance would adopt an overlay district covering the southern annexation parcel, which includes the Tri-County Project diversion dam just east of the forks.

Clark said the overlay district responds to concerns raised by Central, which owns the land and operates the diversion dam.

The ordinance would confirm Centrals right to manage hunting access to its property, which it typically grants only to employees and board members.

Centrals overlay district also would reinforce the districts right to operate the diversion dam and build structures if theyre necessary for operations.

Finally, Central would be exempted from the citys regular codes on vegetation but would be required to maintain trees, shrubs, vines or flowers on or near public rights-of-way as to not cause an obstruction or impede public travel.

Planning Commission members unanimously recommended both ordinances to the council at a special meeting March 8.

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Mother Nature reminded us it is still winter, but with the warm up forecast for this coming week, the fishing bug is biting a lot of local anglers  me included. I was talking about fishing, particularly crappie fishing, with an avid angler a couple of days ago. The topic of finding and attracting fish came up and it brought back some memories of a lesson I learned from an old crappie fisherman I only remember as Willie. I met Willie many years ago in South Carolina. Willie fished the same few lakes for crappie almost every day and always caught fish. He was a wealth of knowledge and I wish I would have been able to spend more time with him and write down a lot of what he told me.

So you do you attract fish? With deer, elk, coyotes or waterfowl we can use calls, but Ive looked through the Bass Pro spring catalog and I havent found a fish call, yet. I had a flashback. I remembered that the Ol Willie had told me that you attract crappie with a bait ball.

A bait ball is a swarm of minnows in a tight cluster. Biologists believe this phenomenon occurs when small fish bunch together in a tightly packed spherical formation. They think it is done for one of two reasons:

 A mass of small fish has a much bigger look to it and predator fish see it as one big fish and avoid it, or

 It is a last-ditch defensive measure adopted by small schooling fish when they are threatened by predators. Youve probably seen these balls of bait fish in the water or on your sonar.

Like the old adage says, there is safety in numbers. It is hard for a predator fish to pick out a specific target in a swirling mass.

So how do you make a bait ball of minnows and keep it together in the water? That is when Willie showed me a large glass jar. His jar was big enough to hold a couple gallons of water. He filled the jar with water from the lake so it looked right. He added his minnows to the jar and put the lid on it. The lid had an eye hook attached so he could tie on a rope and lower it into the lake. Underwater, the clear jar almost disappeared and the minnows inside looked very much like a bait ball.

I called T.J. Harding at the Minnow Bucket and asked him if I could stop by and borrow some minnows and show him a crappie fishing trick. Harding was a little suspicious about me borrowing some minnows, but he agreed. I think he just wanted to see what kind of a weird idea I had to show him. When I got to the shop and explained what I wanted to do, Harding just shook his head. Ive never seen or heard of anything like that, was all he said. I grinned  its not often I can show Harding something he doesnt already know.

When you lower the jar of minnows into the water, any predator fish in the area sees it and can come closer to investigate. As crappie or bass come closer, thinking they are showing up to a feeding frenzy, you have a much better chance to catch them. Ive actually seen crappie and bass hit my jar while trying to grab a minnow.

I do think a clear plastic jar would be better. I dont want to leave any broken glass in a lake. Another thing I need to mention is that you need to make sure you have less than 100 minnows in the jar so as not to violate any state fishing laws. I have to thank T.J. for that reminder.

Thanks for the crappie fishing tip, Willie. Im passing it on.

Day of Clays

MidwayUSA Foundation invites shotgunners to attend Day of Clays  Nebraska on April 10 in Tekamah. This will be a 100 target sporting clays tournament and is open to four-person squads. Every registration benefits the youth shooting program of the squads choice. Participants can also enjoy side games like Flurry Challenge and Long Bird. Registration for Day of Clays  Nebraska is open now along with a multi-prize sweepstakes. Every dollar doubles as a donation to the youth shooting program of the squads choice and will qualify to receive matching funds through MidwayUSA Foundations Matching Program.

Its a unique and exciting way for tournament participants to see the true impact of their dollars, said MidwayUSA Foundation Relationship Manager, John Linquist. Each registration grows a youth shooting programs endowment and in turn, grows their annual cash grant that assists with crucial expenses like ammo, targets, travel, and more.

Currently, there are over 2,800 youth shooting teams and 70 organizations that hold an endowment with MidwayUSA Foundation that can receive donations.

In addition to the sporting clays tournament and side games, MidwayUSA Foundations Day of Clays  Nebraska will offer a sweepstakes to award several top quality prizes, including a Browning BT99, Crosman Air Rifle, Browning X-Bolt Fiber Fusion, Absorbits Bone-Dri Dual Rifle Bag, Vortex products and more. Sweepstakes entries are just $20 and can be purchased online by anyone.

Every squad will be fed a lunch, get a sweepstakes entry for each shooter, and may attend a trick shooting exhibition by Trent Leichleiter. Winning squads will receive exclusive belt buckles. For more information, go to midwayusafoundation.org/day-of-clays-nebraska. If you would like to help sponsor the event, contact John Linquist at jlinquist@midwayusafoundation.org or 573-219-7688.

Bassn Basics

Look at your watch. Did you set your watches/clocks forward last night, or have you been late for everything today?

If you have or know a young angler, you may still have time to get to Bassn Basics at the D&N Event Center. The event is open to any youngster, age 5 to 13, who wants to know about fishing and it runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. today. This is the 44th year that the Lincoln County Bassmasters has hosted the event. There is no registration, just walk in the door  and it is free!
Filmmaker and journalist Brent Renaud. Photo: Handout/Nieman Foundation

Award-winning American filmmaker, photographer, and journalist Brent Renaud was killed on Sunday in Ukraine while reporting in the city of Irpin, a suburb of Kyiv that has become a front line in the battle between Ukrainian and Russian forces. Two others traveling with Renaud at the time, Colombian-American photojournalist Juan Arredondo and a Ukrainian, were also wounded.

Precisely what happened remains unclear. After Arredondo was transported to a hospital in Kyiv, he said in a brief interview that the car he and Renaud were traveling in came under fire as they attempted to get to a bridge in order to film civilian refugees fleeing the area. We crossed a checkpoint and they started shooting at us, he said, so the driver turned around and they kept shooting at us, the two of us, my friend Brent Renaud  hes been shot and left behind. A medic at the scene told the AFP that a Ukrainian who was in the car with the reporters was also wounded; a surgeon who tried to administer emergency medical care to Renaud said he died instantly from a gunshot wound to the neck.

My friend is Brent Renaud and he's been shot and left behind.



From a hospital bed, Juan Arredondo described his eye-witness account of the attack that killed U.S. journalist Brent Renaud on Sunday while covering the war in Ukraine https://t.co/oVrhBqLQdt pic.twitter.com/8XQAKr4oaG  Bloomberg Quicktake (@Quicktake) March 13, 2022

Time said in a statement on Sunday that in recent weeks, Brent was in the region working on a TIME Studios project focused on the global refugee crisis.

Our hearts are with all of Brents loved ones, the Time statement says, emphasizing that the organization was devastated over his death. It is essential that journalists are able to safely cover this ongoing invasion and humanitarian crisis in Ukraine.

Renaud, 50, had worked in numerous conflict zones across his career, including Afghanistan and Iraq, and had collaborated with multiple news organizations, including the New York Times, Vice News, and NBC News. He and his brother, Craig Renaud, have won multiple awards for their films, including a Peabody for their 2014 documentary series, Last Chance High, about at-risk youth at a Chicago high school. Renaud was also a 2019 fellow at Harvards Nieman Foundation for Journalism.

Our Nieman Fellow Brent Renaud was gifted and kind, and his work was infused with humanity. He was killed today outside Kiev, and the world and journalism are lesser for it. We are heartsick. https://t.co/ZbQWAtiGp4  Ann Marie Lipinski (@AMLwhere) March 13, 2022

One of Renauds colleagues, Christof Putzel, told CNN on Sunday that Renaud had rushed to Ukraine after the start of the war, which has forced millions of Ukrainians to flee the country. Brent had this ability to go anywhere, get any story, listen and communicate what was happening to people that others wouldnt otherwise see it, Putzel said. It is a devastating loss to journalism today.

The initial report of Renauds death came from Ukrainian authorities in Kyiv, who said that the two journalists were fired upon by Russian forces, and released images of Renauds body on a stretcher, as well as his U.S. passport and a New York Times press ID he was wearing. In a statement on Sunday, the Times said, We are deeply saddened to hear of Brent Renauds death. Brent was a talented filmmaker who had contributed to The New York Times over the years. Though he had contributed to The Times in the past (most recently in 2015), he was not on assignment for any desk at The Times in Ukraine. Early reports that he worked for Times circulated because he was wearing a Times press badge that had been issued for an assignment many years ago.

Gutting to hear of the death Brent Renaud in Irpin, Ukraine today. A filmmaker without parallel who was working on a global film project about refugees. My thoughts are with his brother and his friends and family.  Simon Ostrovsky (@SimonOstrovsky) March 13, 2022

The Committee to Protect Journalists also denounced the attack and said it was shocked and saddened to learn of Renauds death. Whoever killed Renaud should be held to account, CPJ said, adding that Russian forces in Ukraine must stop all violence against journalists and other civilians at once.

Renaud is the second journalist confirmed to have been killed in Ukraine since the beginning of Russias invasion on February 24. A Ukrainian cameraman, 49-year-old Yevhenii Sakun, was killed on March 1 during the Russian bombardment of the a television transmission tower in Kyiv. As of Saturday, the United Nations had been able to confirm at least 1,581 civilian casualties in the country during the war, including at least 579 deaths  but the U.N. believes the actual numbers are likely much higher.

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did we just get bombed by Iran? 2022 is truly out of control!

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luckily no one was killed



Edited at 2022-03-13 01:12 am (UTC)

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The following message appeared in the Iranian telegram channel:

"To all our friends who are follow or joing us from Russia, Chechnya, Belarus and China,



You are welcome best regards from Iraq

V and Z you are not alone" pic.twitter.com/bqkS4Dz6FB  NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 13, 2022 I posted this in the last post:

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They're really trying it, aren't they? He was mostly joking, but my spouse today said he's going to go ahead and buy the Corvette he's always wanted because, well, *gestures broadly at 2022*

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motherfucker is about to do something evil in Ukraine and so his buddies are giving right-wingers something else to shriek about on the sunday morning shows

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The attacking supplies from the West thing is interesting to me because I assume that Russia was already trying to do that when the supplies entered Ukraine. So, either 1) Russia has been incompetent in not trying to destroy those things before now when the supplies enter Ukraine or 2) Russia has already been doing that and now they're going to attack the supplies in other countries, which would be NATO countries.

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They set the stage for it yesterday when they announced that they would view American supplies coming into Ukraine as targets in other words crossing the polish border. In order to completely isolate Ukraine they have cut them off from nato borders and Im sure he wont plan to do that delicately

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In light of Ukraine invasion, Ireland is realizing the wisdom of that decision, viewing the Embassys plans as a threat to Irelands nation state.



when you do clownery, russia

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That whole article is wild af!

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It was so wild...like why do you need a large basement and a huge compound for 30 people? The majority of which don't have any connection to diplomacy!

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the Irish know an imperialist incursion when they see one.





*wrong icon



Edited at 2022-03-13 01:27 am (UTC)

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Putin appears to be truly unhappy with the FSB in Ukraine: he attacked the 5 Service SOiMS (FSB's foreign Intelligence branch). Sergei Beseda, head of the Service, and his deputy Bolukh, head of the DOI, placed under house arrest, according to my sources inside.  Andrei Soldatov (@AndreiSoldatov) March 11, 2022





Edited at 2022-03-13 01:17 am (UTC)

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Shoot I forgot that in the writeup! Sorry.

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pls, you go above and beyond with the work you put into these already!!

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Well, maybe if you didn't make people afraid of telling you things you don't want to hear, then you would have been provided with more accurate intelligence Putin.

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I wonder what would need to happen for the FSB/other Russian intelligence agencies to decide to take him out.

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love to see turmoil at the top of Russian leadership!

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This how russian tv looks like. This was this weeks topic on that program. pic.twitter.com/0dRzukaVrX  rpvilao (@rpvilao) March 12, 2022



Cringe opener aside, this video is scary Cringe opener aside, this video is scary

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we in the baltics and other EE countries have been trying to tell the west the entire time that this is what russia is like, this is what the average russian believes, this is what many of the russian diaspora in our countries believe. it's honestly terrifying to live next to russia and i don't know if NATO is going to be of any use.

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One of my best gaming friends is Finnish and the other is Norwegian and the conversations theyve had with me are eye opening as an American. My Norwegian friend was like oh yeah every once and a while a Russian submarine will be seen in Norways waters. LIKE WHAT.

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my spouse is from a former iron curtain country and with all the rich russian diaspora and russians living in the country (nowhere near as many as in ukraine and nowhere near as tight knit as belarus is to russia for example) it is terrifying the precedence that russia is setting with both crimea, luhansk, donbas, and saving russophones from abuse by nazis excuse as their casus belli.



Edited at 2022-03-13 02:18 pm (UTC)

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Ooh just posted this too! Its insane



The potential of a world war is something I really hope nato is discussing the idea its just Ukraine is insane if it was just Ukraine he would have taken a piece of it like he did crimea

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I honestly feel like there's going to come a point in the future (not sure how long it'll be) where Ukraine or a big part of it is going to be given to Russia by other Western countries in the hope that it will appease Putin.

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Lots of boomers are a fucking mistake at this point. Same goes with Putin: it's a guy who can't let go of the past, doing botox and invasions to prove that he's still young or whatever.





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the thing with the drone crashing in croatia is so weird. and that thing was from like the 70s????

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I think the general consensus is that it's probably something Ukraine pulled out of storage and it malfunctioned becuase it's ancient.



The really scary part is that it made it all the way to Croatia, over multiple NATO countries, without being detected. You'd think NATO would have that airspace HEAVILY monitored...

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The alarming thing about the drone is that it flew over Hungary for at least 20 minutes and they didnt alert Croatian authorities. NATO countries should know better. But yeah, it was definitely just a malfunctioning old drone.

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doesn't orban kind of hate his fellow nato countries? i mean he laughs in the face of eu policies and while those two are not the same orgs, it is still so 

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Also anyone catch the Russian propagandist starting talking points that the sanctions in place make an argument for going into nato territory?



https://twitter.com/alexkokcharov/status/1502609663476514822?s=21





If zelensky met with Putin I feel like he would use a bio agent or some shit on him I dont trust itAlso anyone catch the Russian propagandist starting talking points that the sanctions in place make an argument for going into nato territory?

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Yeah, I don't like the idea of Zelenskyy in a room with P*tin and his stooges.

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The only reason I'm even aware about these talking points is because I've seen the alt-left/tankie wing parrot them, and so this is where tf we are now. (:

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Shut the Russian Embassy in UK.



They're not even trying to be professional or classy. Just shut it down, send them home. pic.twitter.com/D4yuj6yU7A  Mike Galsworthy  (@mikegalsworthy) March 10, 2022

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I keep reporting that account hoping it will do something but I know it wont





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I keep reporting, like, Glenn Greenwald and other stupid fucking westerners trying to make Ukraine out to be made of all neonazis who deserve to be invaded.

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They've removed some of their tweets at least but they should just ban them at this point.

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https://twitter.com/jimsciutto/status/1502351199869276163?s=21



The cynical part of me is like is a news outlet asking for a larger war? But most of me is like screaming hes not wrong and do something I wish I knew how to embedThe cynical part of me is like is a news outlet asking for a larger war? But most of me is like screaming hes not wrong and do something

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I keep this webpage up with ONTD on my phone to do Twitter embeds. You just need to paste the link into it.

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Thank you!

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Heads of State right now are in one of the most extreme examples of being in an impossible position. You either do the max you can--in the form of military and humanitarian aid--while avoiding direct engagement, but that means millions of Ukrainians still die (plus you abet a power-hungry madman); or you get directly involved and spark WW3 and/or nuclear warfare, killing 100s of millions, if not more.



I'm at a loss.

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you can also click the three dots on the top right corner of the tweet, the embed tweet option will pop up :)

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Thank you again OP for this.



I hadn't seen the article on the embassy in Ireland before. The whole thing was eye brow raising but the water pump really got me. And how have employees they have there given the Russian population, it doesn't make sense.

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The fact that Ukraine still is making great use of their drones is so puzzling to me. You would have thought that Russian air defenses would have been doing their best to take those out.

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https://www.nytimes.com/2022/03/11/us/politics/ukraine-military-drones-russia.html I just read a great, short article specifically about combat drones and air superiority during this conflict (to date).

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In a Kyiv Basement, 19 Surrogate Babies Are Trapped by War but Kept Alive by Nannies https://t.co/PszzlwUVVU  Farai Chideya (@farai) March 13, 2022 The fact that Ukraine has such a high number of surrogate mothers creeps me out. Rich white people are definitely taking advantage of Ukrainian women.

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outlaw commercial surrogacy worldwide, tbh.

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This is seriously pissing me off. The surrogates are not allowed to leave because if they give birth outside of Ukraine the babies will not automatically be the bio parents kids legaly. If they try to leave they would be "stealing" the "product". So they are trapped in a warzone and have to give unsafe births in bomb shelters guarded by armed private security that are there to protect the kids. And the parents that bought this service in Ukraine, specifically because people there are poor so its cheap, have the nerve to complain about how difficult this is for themselves?? They never mentions the surrogates that are put in an extremely difficult and dangerous situation just so that these rich people can get biological kids. Im sorry but I find it disgusting.

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This is why my friend's neighbours were there, to get their surrogate baby. I initially thought they were going to adopt from an orphanage. The hospital the baby was born was shot at. They made it out and are now in Sweden. I asked my friend is the surrogate mom was OK and she said "I think so". Imagine giving birth in a war zone and it's a fucking business deal.

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I got my nieces out of Ukraine. They have never been on a airplane before  here is one of them flying the Ukrainian flag in front of passport control before embarking on new life #ukraine #refugees pic.twitter.com/7MSCkdMGBe  Vladislav Davidzon (@VladDavidzon) March 12, 2022





Slava Ukraini. Heroiam Slava.  Especially to this little gem:Slava Ukraini. Heroiam Slava. 

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I'm glad he was able to get his nieces out of Ukraine and that they have somewhere safe to be. <3

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This is a good map.



But lets add some context:

-the circumference around Kyiv is 30 miles

-theres a major river flowing through the city

-3 million people live w/in the city limits

-the 3 arrows (axis of advances) on left (30k RU troops) have been stalled for 96 hours

1/4 https://t.co/VGbx2QH4nJ  Mark Hertling (@MarkHertling) March 13, 2022

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A 30 mile circumference is a lot. Not an expert obviously, but it seems like you would need a large, large number of troops to be able to keep it cut off for days/weeks/months.

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It also seems like their forces would need to be spread pretty thin which would make them easy targets.

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Oil prices could soar even higher if new sanctions are levied on Russias energy industry.

Russias aggression in Ukraine, and the subsequent retaliation from the West, have sent global supply chains into chaos.

Metals prices are all over the place, with rapid rises to record levels followed by sharp falls and considerable anxiety  anxiety that has also applied to surging oil prices. Agricultural commodities have likewise seen an unprecedented surge in prices since the war in Ukraine broke out. There is a risk of unrest in parts of the world where food prices have toppled governments in the past.

However, arguably the most important single commodity price point is oil.

Oil prices on the rise

Oil prices and, particularly in Europe, the natural gas price, impact energy costs. As such, oil prices can have a direct impact on national economies, if not the global economy.

A sustained high oil price could usher in a recession (quite possibly will in Europe). High prices drive demand destruction over the longer term. In the short term, consuming countries are encouraging alternative sources of supply to Russia, such as OPEC, to pump more oil, so far with little effect. The U.S., in particular, has been opening negotiations with previous pariah states like Venezuela to open up new sources of supply. So far, no special concessions have been offered to Iran in negotiations over a nuclear deal.

Executive action

President Joe Bidens executive order to ban Russian oil and distillates imports will have only a modest impact on Russias exports, nor on the US supplies, as the trade is a relatively low percentage of the total for both countries.

About 8% of the U.S.s total imports of crude and fuel came from Russia in 2021. Crude will be easier to switch to Canada and elsewhere. However, distillates will be more challenging.

But while the decision may have a low impact on the U.S. it is having an outsize impact on global purchases of Russian oil. U.S. allies and companies are scrambling to switch supplies away from Russia. Russia will likely find a home for much of its output. Meanwhile, big buyers like China, India and those large trading houses that will not be able to resist making a quick buck will demand a steep discount for the pleasure.

Apart from China, which gets much of its Russian oil by pipeline, seaborne cargoes are being hit much harder by what the Financial Times calls a buyers strike as consumers fear reputational risk in handling Russian oil and worry that if they place orders they may not be able to take delivery or ship cargoes if the situation escalates.

Russia has threatened retaliation, saying it has every right to take a mirror decision. That means cutting off or restricting European supplies of natural gas and oil  a step that would be

Whats next for oil prices?

The greater the loss of Russian oil to the market, the higher the price will go.

This week, Brent and WTI crude prices surged but have since retraced. Yesterday, they traded around $116/barrel for Brent (May) and $112.60/barrel for WTI (April) as the market takes profits and pauses to see what comes next.

A complete ban on Russian oil could drive prices over $200 a barrel. However, such a ban is unlikely. Furthermore, it could not be sufficiently widely enforced to be effective.

Russia is not Iran. It has buyers and resellers who could move products by pipeline, if not by sea. But the aversion to Russian oil and distillate products is already having an impact on Russian refineries. As the demand mix changes and causes refinery changes, that chokes domestic crude demand.

Related: U.S. LNG Export Boost To Europe Scrutinized By Environmentalists



In the long term oil, companies are acutely aware a lengthy period of elevated prices will result in demand destruction. As such, rising oil prices will accelerate the move to alternative energy sources. Japan and Germany are both reviewing their decisions to close nuclear power plants. Regardless of the unreliability of supply, governments will encourage greater investment in renewable energy sources.

Have we seen oils peak?

Almost certainly not.

Sanctions  both official and a result of corporate decisions  are likely to be extended as the death toll increases and the rest of the world becomes increasingly angered by the indiscriminate destruction and deliberate loss of life. Current events are driving commodity prices. While we have a period of apparent market calm just now, that could  and probably will  all change as events unfold.

By Stuart Burns via AG Metal Miner

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
President Biden is finding himself in a dilemma as the need for greater oil production is clear, with global energy security under threat. But greater development poses the risk of environmental disaster. Alaskas oil industry is fighting to stay alive, with the potential to carry out more exploration and production operations in the coming years. But local communities and environmentalists across the U.S. are pleading with Biden to stop oil operations due to their impact on the environment. Last week, the Wall Street Journal warned of a potential climate disaster of Bidens making if a new Alaskan oil project gets underway. The ConocoPhilips Willow oil drilling project on Alaskas North Slope threatens to undermine the presidents renewable energy and climate change goals. The Willow project would see an output of 160,000 bpd for the next three decades, requiring the construction of 250 wells, 37 miles of roads, 386 miles of pipelines, airstrips, and a new central processing facility The firm plans to produce around 590 million barrels by 2050. It would, according to a Center for American Progress analysis, dwarf the greenhouse gas emissions cut through Bidens 2030 commitments.

Perhaps ironically, ConocoPhillips plans to utilize specialist technology to mitigate the threat of climate change in the region as it carries out its project. Conoco will use chillers to ensure the Arctic tundra frozen beneath its roads and oil drilling pads stays frozen. Natalie Lowman, a spokesperson for the firm, explains Where necessary we use cooling devices (thermosyphons) that can chill the ground enough in the winter to help it remain frozen through the summer.

Despite being approved by the Trump administration, and initially supported by Bidens administration, the Willow project has been opposed by a federal judge in Alaska. The judge cited serious errors in an environmental review of the project, with inadequate analysis of the climate impact. President Biden is now expected to conduct another assessment to determine whether the project can go ahead.

Yet, Biden has already come under fire repeatedly over the last year for halting oil leases and canceling pipeline projects at a time when oil firms deem ongoing oil production necessary to meet the global demand. Since his inauguration, Biden has repeatedly placed pauses on new oil and gas leases, creating a backlash from many states who have taken legal action against these pauses in an effort to continue with their oil and gas plans.

Related: Russia Halts Exports Of Over 200 Products But Excludes Energy

Oil prices have been steadily rising following the 2020 pandemic, as the world returns to its normal activities. And now, in the face of war, oil prices are skyrocketing with fears of severe shortages. Some U.S. oil majors have already begun to ramp up production as fuel prices hit $4 a gallon, with Exxon Mobil and Chevron boosting their output in the Permian Basin. But based on cutbacks of oil workers during the pandemic, as well as green policies introduced by Biden, investors are reluctant to fund fossil fuel projects due to the uncertain outlook. This means that even if the U.S. ramps up its production it is unlikely to be able to fill the gap left if sanctions are imposed on Russian oil in its current state.

Some are now saying that Biden must act to encourage the U.S. oil industry to develop more projects to safeguard Americas energy security. In the face of war, many are worried about the lack of oil available to replace the global shortage that would be caused by sanctions on Russia, particularly as the U.S. continues to curb its oil operations. Despite the potential environmental impact of the Alaskan Willow project, some say that Biden should allow Alaska to sell its oil across North America and Europe to help manage this shortage.

One things for sure of the Willow project, it has huge potential. The question is whether the probable environmental cost is too high. The greater Willow Area is thought to hold between 400 and 750 million barrels of oil equivalent and has the potential of producing over 100,000 bpd. In addition, the State of Alaska expects to see around 50 percent of the royalties earned from the project, an anticipated $4.8 to $12.9 billion. This means that while several local communities and environmental activists are opposed to the development, Alaska has been generally favorable to the project.

This is just one more difficult decision needed to be made as the energy sector is thrown into turmoil once again. As countries are getting on track in their green energy goals, the priority could soon shift. Biden may have to temporarily choose between his climate change targets and U.S. energy security when it comes to projects such as Willow in Alaska.

By Felicity Bradstock for Oilprice.com

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A few days ago, Moscow made good on its threat to weaponize its energy exports in retaliation for Western sanctions by imposing wide-ranging export bans. 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. 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. Well, the last part is not an accurate assessment of the situation. According to estimates by Standard Chartered commodity analysts, Russia will soon be forced to start shutting-in oil production as it will be unable to sell all the oil displaced from European markets in other regions.

StanChart says continuing consumer reluctance to buy from Russia and shortages of capital, equipment, and technology will continue to depress Russian output over, at least, the next three years. The commodity experts have predicted that Russia's output will fall by 1.612 million barrels per day (mb/d) y/y in 2022 and a further 0.217mb/d in 2023, with the y/y decline peaking at 2.306mb/d in Q2-2022.

Oil prices and energy stocks are trading at multi-year highs after international refiners adopted a self-imposed embargo, with many reluctant to buy Russian oil and banks refusing to finance shipments of Russian raw materials. 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 about measures directly targeting oil exports.

Big Supply Deficit

Russia's difficulty in marketing its oil is likely to open up a significant supply deficit.

StanChart says that rebalancing the oil markets would require around 2mb/d extra supply for the remainder of 2022, mainly due to the current very low inventory levels, and an additional 2mb/d in Q2 to ease the dislocations caused by the displacement of Russian oil. StanChart's model assumes that the current OPEC+ deal continues, no increase in Iran's exports and U.S. output growth Y/Y is just over 1.5mb/d.

Related: Oil Rises As UAE Backtracks On OPEC Output Boost Statement

But here's the main kicker from the StanChart report: only OPEC can bridge the big supply deficit.

StanChart estimates that an Iran deal could potentially provide an extra 1.2mb/d in H2-2022, still leaving a significant gap that can only be realistically filled by those OPEC members with spare capacity, particularly Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

And the oil markets might just get their wish.

The UAE's ambassador to Washington, Yousef Al Otaiba, told CNN on Wednesday that the country wants to increase oil production and will encourage the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to ramp up supply. So far, OPEC+ has defied pressure by developed nations to sharply ramp up production to meet the growing deficit, choosing to stick to its earlier policy of increasing production by 400,000 b/d every month.

"The UAE cracked. They were one of the last holdout. Now that they said it, you can expect the Saudis will say the same thing,"Robert Yawger, vice president of energy futures at Mizuho Securities, has told CNN.

And more help might come from yet another oil and gas powerhouse: the United States.

In the friendliest rhetoric yet from the Biden administration, U.S. Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm has appealed to energy companies to ramp up their oil and gas production to help meet global demand and bridge the shortfall left by Russia's war in Ukraine.

"We are on a war footing. The DoE and the Biden administration is ready to work with you... We need oil and gas production to rise to meet current demand," Granholm told the CERAWeek by S&P Global energy conference in Houston.

Fearing a repeat of the past decade, a majority of U.S. producers are eschewing production growth, opting to return excess cash to shareholders. Over the past five or so years, U.S. shale, in particular, earned the ire of Wall Street for its trigger-happy production policy, leading to mounting debts and years of poor shareholder returns.

However, a growing number of producers are now willing to go against the grain.

Exxon Mobil Corp. (NYSE:XOM) says it's planning to significantly grow production and increase Permian production by as much as 25% in 2022. Meanwhile, Devon Energy (NYSE:DVN) and Pioneer Natural Resources (NYSE:PXD) have indicated a willingness to increase production, with Pioneer CEO Scott Sheffield recently saying that the industry could grow production by ~1mb/d annually for three years. Sheffield went on to say his firm would participate in a coordinated effort to accelerate U.S. production growth.

The world is facing an extraordinary energy crisis, and investors are likely to be much more welcoming to the idea of U.S. shale opening up the taps again.

By Alex Kimani for Oilprice.com

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Europe became the largest customer of U.S. producers of liquefied natural gas recently, taking in more than 50 percent of total U.S. shipments over the last three months. But U.S. LNG, as well as LNG from other sources, would only provide short-term relief.

For starters, there are the long-term contracts that all LNG producers in the U.S., Australia, and Qatar already have with other buyers.

Then there is the question of insufficient LNG import capacity in Europe. Germany has announced a decision to urgently build two LNG terminalsthe country has none currentlybut chances are they will not be ready in a month or two. For context, building an LNG export terminal takes three to four years. Import terminals dont need liquefaction trains, but they do need regasification facilities.

Finally, competition from Asia is not going to diminish anytime soon, and energy industry insiders note there is limited LNG carrier capacity and LNG tankers take quite a bit of time to build: about two years and a half.

Yet the European Union has set itself the ambitious goal of reducing imports of Russian natural gas by as much as two-thirds by the end of the year.

REPowerEU will seek to diversify gas supplies, speed up the roll-out of renewable gases and replace gas in heating and power generation. This can reduce EU demand for Russian gas by two-thirds before the end of the year, the European Commission said earlier this week when it unveiled its plan for independence from Russian fossil fuels.

The measures outlined in the plan include mandating EU members to have their gas storage facilities filled up at 90 percent of capacity by October 1 this year, increasing LNG imports and diversifying pipeline imports, and boosting energy efficiency. Of course, a buildup in wind and solar generation capacity is also part of the plan, as is the increased production of hydrogen.

The increase in LNG imports appears to be one of the quickest ways to reduce dependence on Russian natural gas. The plan to build import terminals suggests this plan is long-term. However, as an analysis from Energy Intelligence strongly suggests, the chances for success of this specific part of the REPowerEU plan are quite slim.

The author of that analysis, Sarah Miller, makes several points that should sound an alarm in Brussels that they may be in over their heads. Some of these points concern the availability of LNG, as noted above, and the medium-term global plans for capacity expansion.

One very important point, however, has to do with the price of the commodity. LNG remains a viable fuel source for Asia at the moment only because most of it is still price-linked to oil and therefore much cheaper than spot cargoes. Thats true even though oil is now well over $100 per barrel, Miller writes.

In other words, Asian buyers mostly get their LNG through long-term contracts. Europe does not have this luxury at the moment because there is not enough LNG for producers to commit to such large new buyers. And there wont be enough LNG for a while yet, given the time it takes to build a liquefaction plant, even without delays, which seem to be common in the LNG industry.

The situation is quite ironic because the EU has been trying to reduce its reliance on long-term contracts with Gazprom and increase the share of spot deals in natural gas in the past few years, perhaps acting on the assumption that gas supplies will always be abundant and therefore cheap.

Now, gas is not only through the roof, but LNG producers, as Energy Intelligences Miller notes, are demanding commitments of between 15 to 20 years from potential buyers.

Will European buyers be ready to accept such extensive future obligations in order to deal with a near-term problem? Miller asks, and answers her question with Perhaps, if things get bad enough, noting that even if things do get bad enough, deals will take time to seal.

The EU does not exactly have that time. The new heating season begins in less than seven months. That means less than seven months for member states to fill up their storage caverns at 90 percent with gas that will have to come from somewhere, although it is unclear where.

It also means less than seven months for a massive buildup in wind and solar capacity. Again, it is unclear how exactly this will happen and, not unimportantly, how much it will cost in light of the latest trends on the metals market. Also unclear is what happens when the wind stops blowing, which is what quite often happens during the European winter.

These are only a fraction of the questions that the EUs energy independence plan raises. The answer to the question of whether LNG could replace the 40 percent of European gas consumption that Gazprom provides currently, however, seems crystal clear. There is no physical possibility for that.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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I love Jesus

If someone asked if I loved Jesus, Id quickly say yes. After all, isnt that the crux of my Christianity? Ive been a Christian all my life, born into the church by full-time ministers, who encouraged a personal relationship with God beyond the traditions of the church.

I dont recall anytime where my relationship was forced by external routine that my parents demanded us to subscribe to. They always pointed us to an understanding of Jesus as our personal Lord and Saviour.

From a tender age I had an appreciation for the presence of God. But inherent in this personal relationship with God is its ebbs and flows that each individual must contend with, regardless of the fortitude of one's background.

For many years I tried to understand the dynamic of loving God from a place of genuine affection and my love for Him expressing itself only through being a submissive child or servant.

My history

Id question, what comes first? Do I work on loving God so much that anything He sasks Ill do? Or do I work myself into obedience so much that I begin to love Him? Balance has been a constant feature in my prayers for a while now and it also filtered into this area.

I dont want to become a hippie Christian so strung out and high on the mushy love of Christ, which Ive seen lead to inactivity. Nor do I desire the opposite of lifeless legalism where I work and work but never have any true cherishing of my Masters character.

Love and obedience

This grand design of the congruence of love and obedience had to be unfolded to my finite mind in stages. So I believe each year God would enlighten me on another part. In one phase I learnt that loving God isnt completely reduced to mushy nice thoughts about Him. Then I gained an appreciation that obedience is Gods love language, as my sister-in-law had shared with me once.

This one rung true to me especially as I studied the book of St. John. Then there was a part B to this revelation, that God is a great and powerful God and should be feared and obeyed. Literally all these revelations refined more of my understanding of Gods perception of love. Finally, He has been putting together how they come together.

A video

I watched a video with Francis Chan, who essentially asked if you could have heaven with no sickness, no danger, none of earths bad components, with all this earths pleasures and the people you love and value, but Jesus wasnt there, would you be satisfied?

Is it the prospect of a lifetime with Jesus that excites my heart about heaven, or is it the promise of eternal bliss? This question gets to the root of what we really treasure and it brought home to me, that maybe I havent yet gotten to a place of cherishing Jesus enough, I might only see Him as my sufficiently likable employer/master.

A call to this generation

Treasure isnt a word that finds common use in our modern vernacular but in recent times has become a telling word for me. I read an article soon after watching the video that essentially shared that we are wired to serve the things that we love/treasure.

Jesus is our ultimate example and I believe he exemplified the balance of truly loving the Father and then that genuine treasuring resulting in action. John chapter 14, verse 31 says But that the world may know that I love the Father; and as the Father gave me commandment, even so I do.

The call to this generation is to fall in love with Jesus, not an overly romanticized infatuation that only leads to butterflies. But rather a radical treasuring of Jesus as our true portion and possession, delight and reward that leads to ignited service. This I believe is done through intentional intimacy with God where we respond like the Psalmist, your face will I seek. God brings everything into balance after that. We see this plainly through the life of Jesus.
A proposal heading before the Omaha City Council on Tuesday would strip decision-making powers from the city health director in the event of an epidemic.

Under the proposed ordinance, the city health director would only have the power to certify the presence of an epidemic. After a threat is recognized, a newly established special epidemic health director would be responsible for coming up with a plan to manage it.

The ordinance states the special epidemic director would assume the powers previously held by the citys health director during an epidemic. However, any order from the new epidemic director could be rejected by the mayor. The City Council also would have the ability to weigh in on the order.

Omaha Mayor Jean Stothert, who requested the ordinance along with Councilman Vinny Palermo, told The World-Herald that the measure is intended to provide accountability during future epidemics.

Nearly two months ago, Douglas County Health Director Lindsay Huse issued a mask mandate for Omaha amid a surge of COVID-19 infections. Huse issued the mandate under her authority as the citys health director. She cited an astronomical spike in cases and already overburdened health care system as her justification for the mandate.

At the time, it appeared to have the backing of a majority of City Council members. Some health officials, including the chief of the University of Nebraska Medical Centers infectious diseases division, also voiced support for the mandate.

But a trio of council members vocally opposed it, as did Gov. Pete Ricketts and Stothert, though she conceded Huse had the authority to issue the mandate. The mayor said neither she nor the council could void the mandate, which Huse eventually lifted in February.

It was something that I opposed and the council had no say in it, Stothert said. Those making the decisions for the people of Omaha should be those elected to serve them.

Huse could not be reached for comment Saturday. A spokesperson for the Douglas County Health Department declined to comment on the proposal.

Under the ordinance, the newly created special epidemic health director position would be filled by the physician medical director at the Omaha Fire Department.

Stothert said they opted to designate someone already on the citys payroll so the city wouldnt have to scramble to hire a new person during an epidemic.

The Douglas County health director would still serve as the citys health director. But during an epidemic, their role would be limited to activating the new special epidemic director, who would then make recommendations regarding precautions and regulations.

The mayor would have the power to approve or reject those recommendations. If she decided to take no action, the order would go into effect after 24 hours. The proposed actions would also be placed on the agenda at the City Councils next meeting, during which the council could uphold or reverse the mayors decision.

We learned a lot. We learned how the citizens feel about mandates and forcing them to do things, Stothert said Saturday. We hope that we dont have another one of these, but if we do we have to be prepared.

Tuesdays meeting would be the first time the proposed ordinance comes before the council. A public hearing is scheduled for March 29.

The councils meeting is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. Tuesday in the citys legislative chambers, 1819 Farnam St. A livestream can be accessed via www.cityofomaha.org.

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Here's a look at today's COVID-19 news around the country.

Obama diagnosed with COVID

Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, though he's feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative.

Ive had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise, Obama said on Twitter. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.

Read more here:

A near-death experience changed her

The doctor pleaded with Paige Deiner to close her eyes and sleep. But she refused to listen. She was terrified.

"If I go to sleep, I'm not going to wake up," she told him.

It was an October night in 2021, and Deiner was fighting for her life, and the life of her 24-week-old baby. She was in the intensive care unit of a Delaware hospital after being diagnosed with Covid. She had lost 30 pounds in 12 days after being put on a ventilator. A doctor later told her that at one point he estimated she had a 5% chance of survival.

Read more here:

Why are gas prices soaring?

There's pain at the pump for American drivers as US gas prices soar to record highs.

Although the United States barely uses Russian oil, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is still a big factor in the gas-price spike  among other reasons.

Confused? We'll walk you through it.

Read more here:

A 4th dose of Covid-19 vaccine will be needed, according to Pfizer's CEO

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.

***

Check out more of today's COVID news here:

***
Chinese vice premier urges strict measures to stem COVID infection in shortest time

Xinhua) 16:16, March 13, 2022

BEIJING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Sun Chunlan on Saturday urged regions experiencing severe epidemic outbreaks to clear COVID-19 cases among the general public in the shortest time possible.

Sun, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks at a national teleconference of the State Council joint prevention and control mechanism against COVID-19.

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Popular actor Mark Wahlberg revealed that he received resistance from both Hollywood and the Catholic Church about his upcoming faith-based movie "Father Stu," but he felt the world needed to experience the powerful testimony.

The devout Catholic spent several years pitching the religious drama to Hollywood studios. But in his words, "Hollywood doesn't make films like this."

The movie is based on actual events and tells the story of boxer-turned-priest Father Stuart Long and his incredible journey from "self-destruction to redemption."

Wahlberg, who used his own money to partially fund the film, plays Father Stu. He is joined on-screen by Academy Award-winner Mel Gibson, who plays his father, Bill Long.

The Sony Pictures film features heavy vulgarity and is rated R, but is inspiring at its core, sharing the power of transformation in Christ.

"It's so nice to hear the kind of reaction that we're hearing and people all being touched by the film for one reason or another," Wahlberg shared with The Christain Post.

"Nothing worse than being like, 'OK, I'm obligated to go out there promote with you because I was paid to do the movie.'

"It's a different thing when you actually paid for the movie yourself," he continues.

"But the movie was so blessed, and really many times there was a real intercession from some sort of higher power, I would have to say it would be God."

Wahlberg spent six "slow years" trying to get to where the movie would finally be made. And when the time came, the project was filmed in 30 days during the pandemic in 2021.

After combing through many failed scripts, it was the script by Rosalind Ross that captured Father Stu's true essence. So Wahlberg asked Ross to both write and direct the film.

The journey was not an easy one, though.

"I was met with resistance not only from studios to make this movie, but also from the Church, which I was really surprised about," Wahlberg said.

"But then I realized, they opened to Page 1, and Bill's using the F word, and in Page 2, he used it again. Then next thing you know, 'this is vulgar and this is unacceptable' without really understanding what the message was."

"I think if you'd left the 'Passion of the Christ' 20 minutes before the movie was over, you get the wrong message too," the actor continued.

"So it was important for us to just say, 'OK, let's go make the movie on our own and then bring it to them and then see what their response is.' Then if it's not, I will continue to grow to challenge why people are turning away, or why people are not accepting it because of various reasons or why this wouldn't be accepted because of language?"

Wahlberg maintained that the movie is about "love, hope and redemption," showing that "nobody is beyond redemption."

The actor admitted that he was worried about sending the film to certain people, including the archbishop.

"I had to send him the movie, and you know, he was really supportive of me making the movie, but he was not supportive of the language. He was still pushing back on the language before he saw the film," he said.

"Then when he finally came down to seeing the movie, he watched it with a new bishop-elect, and I believe a couple of other priests and maybe one other bishop. They watched the movie, sat there in silence, in tears, took about 10 minutes to kind of recover, compose themselves. They talked about it, and he wrote the most glowing review for the movie.

"He talked about how it does have harsh language, and there is violence, but it is so important to really explain and understand his journey."

The actor admitted that he, too, still uses vulgar language at times but wants to promote God's message of acceptance and transformation.

"What I really need to be working on and focusing on, and especially being an example of, is going out there and doing the work. It's one thing to say. It's another thing to do it," Wahlberg commented. "So this is the beginning of my journey to continue to try to do more."

"Doing it was trying to just wear two hats. Being the producer who had to be really responsible financially because we had a ticking clock, and when you're writing the check, you feel a lot more responsible to get everybody there on time and to make your days," Wahlberg said of the pressure of being both actor and producer.

"Then, of course, the responsibility that you have to getting it right and honoring Stu, his legacy, most importantly his legacy as Father Stu, which was the most important thing."

The Diocese of Helena in Montana, under which Father Stu served, praised Wahlberg's passion for making the film, saying in a statement that it appreciates "the thoughtful and diligent work of the production team."

"Father Stuart Long's dramatic conversion to Christ before becoming a priest led many people to Christ and the Catholic faith. His courageous witness left a special legacy in the Diocese of Helena," the statement reads.

"Viewers should be warned that the film contains objectionable language, violence, and adult content. However, it's our hope that the redemptive story of Fr. Stu's conversion will invite viewers to faith and strengthen believers."

Joining Wahlberg as a producer is his producing partner and manager, Stephen Levinson, along with Jordan Foss. Miky Lee and Colleen Camp are named as executive producers.

Ross has been romantically linked to Mel Gibson, with whom she shares a child.

"Father Stu" will hit theaters on Good Friday (April 15).

 The Christian Post
LINCOLN  Nebraska lawmakers are looking to up the ante on a package of incentives meant to attract more teachers to Nebraska.

Legislative Bill 1218 would create the Teach in Nebraska Today Program, which would provide first-year educators up to $5,000 a year for up to five years. The bill is one of the Education Committees priorities this year, as lawmakers look to address the teacher shortage impacting Nebraska schools.

The program was added as an amendment to a bill that, as introduced, would strike the requirement for a basic skills test and provide other avenues for candidates to enter the teaching profession.

State Sen. Lou Ann Linehan of Elkhorn, a member of the Education Committee, said the teaching crisis is a long time coming. Teaching vacancies have been increasing for years across the U.S., but the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the issue. Some educators left the profession due to burnout.

According to the Nebraska Department of Education, 14% of teacher positions across 143 school districts were unfilled during the 2021-22 school year. In addition, the number of districts that reported open positions increased from 53 to 143 from 2020-21 to 2021-22.

Linehan said one of the reasons for the shortage is the low pay most teachers earn early in their careers, which discourages many students from pursuing teaching jobs. She said many teachers dont earn high pay until later in their careers.

Its not a 21st century pay scale, Linehan said.

The Teach in Nebraska Today Program would incentivize Nebraskas teaching students to stay in the state, but could also recruit teachers from out of state, said Sen. Lynne Walz of Fremont, chair of the Education Committee.

The Nebraska Department of Education would choose which applicants receive aid. Though Walz said the program would prioritize first-year teachers, remaining money could be allocated to teachers in their second or third year. The program could award up to $5 million each fiscal year, according to the bill.

The program is designed as student loan assistance, according to the bill, but Linehan and Walz confirmed that teachers would not need student loan debt to qualify for the program. Linehan said the aid could also help teachers with other financial needs, such as submitting a down payment on a house or buying a car.

Weve got to do something, Linehan said.

Teachers would need to be working full time in order to qualify for the program. The bill defines full time as, at a minimum, working an average of four hours per contract day.

The Education Committee recently approved LB 1218, but it has not been debated by the full Legislature yet. It needs to clear three rounds of debate and pass Gov. Pete Ricketts desk before the program becomes reality.

If passed, the program would begin in 2023.

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In terms of Nebraska history, it doesnt get more high-profile than to have a congressman on trial for three felonies while hes running a reelection campaign.

Historic. Climactic. Dramatic? Thats left to be seen.

Certainly, the result will be dramatic, as U.S. Rep. Jeff Fortenberry, Nebraskas 1st District congressman, fights for his political, electoral and reputational life. In the past century, Nebraska has seen other high-profile elected officials face felonies, including a Nebraska attorney general in 1984.

As a sitting U.S. congressman, Fortenberry takes that potential ignominy to a new level.

But that doesnt mean Fortenberrys trial, which starts Wednesday in a downtown Los Angeles courtroom, will be cinematic.

In fact, strip away the fact that hes a congressman, and Fortenberry is no different from the hundreds of federal defendants who get charged every year with lying to the FBI. In other cases, such charges are exactly as they appear in Fortenberrys case: essentially secondary charges to the underlying charge. In his case, Fortenberry was being investigated on suspicion of accepting a foreigners campaign contributions through a conduit. It is illegal for U.S. politicians to accept money from foreigners or to use U.S. citizens as conduits to obtain foreigners money.

Fortenberrys campaign raised $30,000 of such money at a 2016 fundraiser. And prosecutors say Fortenberry, despite having misgivings about the source of that money, later asked a connection if he would be able to put a second fundraiser together.

Federal prosecutors allege he lied to agents about the contributions during two separate interviews.

Fortenberry and his attorneys deny he lied. Attorneys John Littrell and Ryan Fraser said the congressman was set up and that he was misled when he was assured he was trending towards a witness, not a target, in the investigation into the illegal campaign contributions. They will argue that any misstatements were simply a product of a fallible memory of a 61-year-old man, not of a deliberate attempt to deceive.

The four- to five-day trial  which will take place where Fortenberrys fundraiser did, in Los Angeles  is as high-stakes as it gets.

A preview of the key players and issues, based on numerous court filings and public statements in the case:

Fortenberry

A graduate of Catholic High School in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Fortenberry was an executive for Sandhills Publishing in Lincoln and was an at-large member of Lincolns City Council from 1997 to 2001 before running to replace Doug Bereuter, who retired at the end of 2004. His win in 2004 was the only time he faced a Republican primary challenger. He has been reelected eight times and is now seeking a ninth term.

He is stringently anti-abortion and has advanced several conservative causes during his time in office. He also has experience in foreign policy matters. He once co-sponsored the Middle East Partnership for Peace Act, which aims to ease tensions between Israelis and Palestinians by giving grants and loans to startup businesses. In 2014 and 2015, Fortenberry led efforts to obtain the passage of two resolutions publicly condemning the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.

At some point, those interests led to a relationship with Toufic Baaklini.

Baaklini

In 2014, Baaklini founded In Defense of Christians to advocate for the protection of Christians in the Middle East.

A U.S. citizen of Lebanese descent, Baaklini has served as a go-to guy for a controversial figure and Nigerian billionaire at the center of this case, Gilbert Chagoury. Baaklini assisted Chagoury with financial and political dealings in the United States, according to federal prosecutors.

One of the aims of Baaklinis IDC group was to get more U.S. congressional involvement surrounding these issues, and (Fortenberry) became an important political ally for Baaklini and his organization, prosecutors wrote.

In turn, the two developed a close relationship, texting and emailing often.

How many of you have ever been able to tell Toufic Baaklini no? Fortenberry once asked at an IDC dinner in 2018, looking into the audience for a show of hands. Its unanimous: no one, he said.

Prosecutors say that Fortenberry had his own request of Baaklini. In late 2015, after introducing the resolution to condemn the persecution of Christians, Fortenberry asked Baaklini to assist him in identifying supporters who would contribute to his reelection campaign.

Baaklini advised defendant that he had a group of Lebanese donors in Los Angeles who wanted to support defendant, and defendant, in turn, directed his fundraising consultant, Alexandra Kendrick, to coordinate the event with Baaklini.

Baaklini is now a cooperating witness in the governments case and has agreed to pay a $90,000 fine for his actions.

Chagoury

He is Nigerian-born, of Lebanese descent and lives in Paris.

Prosecutors allege that Chagoury is the source of $180,000 in illegal political contributions to four political candidates, including the $30,000 that was funneled to Fortenberrys campaign.

It is not the first time Chagoury has sought to purchase influence or been linked to corruption.

A household name in Nigeria, Chagoury is well-known among people who look into corruption challenges around the world and among people who know about some of the most corrupt episodes in recent Nigerian political history, said Matthew Page, a former U.S. State Department expert.

Chagourys role of adviser to a notorious Nigerian dictator in the 1990s is well-documented, and he has had other brushes with scandal since. In addition to the $180,000 in illegal contributions to four political candidates, Chagoury separately routed $50,000 to then-United States Secretary of Transportation Ray LaHood, in the form of a purported loan that LaHood never disclosed, as required.

In 2015 and 2016, national news outlets reported that he was a top Clinton Foundation donor. Such a donation was legal but was nonetheless controversial as Hillary Clinton was campaigning for president at that time.

He was a key initial financial backer for Baaklinis nonprofit, IDC.

Through Baaklini, Fortenberry also came to know Chagoury based on their shared commitment to (In Defense of Christians) and the cause, and the two personally met twice: once in Washington D.C. and once in Paris, prosecutors wrote.

Chagoury agreed to cooperate with the federal investigation and pay a fine of $1.8 million for his actions.

Individual H

Fortenberry developed a third friend over his work for In Defense of Christians. Prosecutors have referred to the Los Angeles physician in court documents only as Individual H, who also is of Lebanese descent. A former board member of IDC, he also has agreed to cooperate with the government.

In January 2016, Baaklini provided $30,000 of Chagourys money in cash to Individual H at a restaurant in LA with instructions that Individual H host a fundraiser for Fortenberry and recruit other individuals (conduits) to contribute Chagourys money to defendants campaign, prosecutors wrote.

Alexandra Kendrick

At the time, Kendrick was a fundraising consultant for Fortenberry.

In early February 2016, Baaklini introduced Kendrick to Individual H as the host of the Los Angeles fundraiser. In the lead-up to the 2016 fundraiser, Kendrick repeatedly emphasized to (Fortenberry) the potential risk of illegal foreign and conduit contributions with this event, prosecutors said.

She relayed ... a cautionary tale in which she coordinated for a different client a fundraiser that similarly had ties with foreign nationals from the same community. (She) later learned that the contributions from that event were illegal foreign and conduit contributions.

Kendrick was so concerned that she told Fortenberry that she would insist that the donors complete the contribution forms in person at her table, given her concerns about possible conduit contributions.

The critical issue

Will prosecutors be able to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Fortenberry knowingly and intentionally lied or tried to conceal the contributions?

It is not enough for Fortenberry to just have been mistaken; he has to have been deliberate in any lies to federal agents.

Prosecutors say Fortenberry wasnt just mistaken.

A short time after the 2016 fundraiser, (Fortenberry) saw Baaklini in Washington, D.C., prosecutors wrote. In a private conversation, defendant asked Baaklini if he thought anything was wrong with the 2016 fundraiser. Baaklini falsely told him no and inquired why defendant was asking.

In response, defendant noted that the money had all come from one family. Baaklini again falsely told defendant nothing was wrong with the fundraiser.

A month later, Fortenberrys resolution condemning the persecution of Christians in the Middle East passed.

Over the next two years, Fortenberry and Individual H kept in contact, largely through texts. In the spring of 2018, Fortenberry was readying for reelection. He went back to Individual H.

Fortenberry asked Individual H if he would host another fundraising event in Los Angeles for him, prosecutors Mack Jenkins and Susan Har wrote. Individual H agreed to look into it.

On June 4, 2018, Individual H, who by then was cooperating, called Fortenberry while FBI agents were recording, according to prosecutors.

During that nine-minute call, Individual H repeatedly discussed with defendant that Baaklini had given Individual H $30,000 cash to contribute to the 2016 fundraiser. He mentioned that Chagoury was probably the ultimate source of the money ... because he was so grateful for (Fortenberrys) support (for) the cause.

Fortenberry did not express surprise or concern or seek clarification about Individual Hs admissions that illegal foreign cash had been funneled to his campaign, prosecutors wrote.

Instead, defendant continued to push the second fundraiser, explaining that he hoped to have some continuation of the fine generosity that he had received from the first fundraiser, prosecutors said.

Fortenberrys defense

Fortenberrys attorneys, John Littrell and Ryan Fraser, have argued that the call was a setup, that Fortenberry relied on assurances he was trending toward being a witness and that he never deliberately misled authorities. Littrell and Fraser also tried to introduce a memory expert to testify to the unreliability of memory. But the judge has declined to allow that persons testimony, in part because, he says, the expert is simply stating the obvious when it comes to memory. The attorneys can argue such matters, the judge ruled.

Chad Kolton, Fortenberrys campaign spokesman, said the case centers on an approximately 10-minute-long phone call prosecutors directed their informant (Individual H) to make to Jeff Fortenberry to implant information with him they knew he did not have.

FBI agents then used false pretenses to interview Fortenberry in his home nearly a year later, and when he failed to recall the details of the brief call to their satisfaction, California prosecutors moved to indict him, Kolton said. Something the FBIs own materials show they planned to do before the interview even took place.

The judge

Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. is a longtime judge in California who was on the state bench for 15 years before becoming a federal judge. He was appointed to two judgeships by celebrities-turned-politicians  to the state court bench by then-California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2005 and to the federal court bench by then-President Donald Trump in 2020.

No-nonsense but polite, he comes to hearings with a command of issues and pointed questions. He cuts off attorneys who veer off topic. Notably, he has bristled at the Fortenberry teams requests to delve into the political views of jurors, and the political donations of Mack Jenkins, the lead prosecutor.

He once was incredulous at an attorneys comment that the judge should recuse himself unless he was planning to dismiss the case against Fortenberry. Maybe give me a serious response, the judge scolded.

Blumenfeld himself served for four years, early in his career, in the same U.S. Attorneys Office that houses the prosecutors in this case. Blumenfeld was, however, an attorney on the civil side. As a state court judge, he presided over more than 200 criminal trials.

The jury

As often is the case in federal court, the judge will do all questioning of prospective jurors. Fortenberrys team fought hard to have the case moved to Nebraska, in part because Fortenberry is from here but also because of their fear of the political views of Californians.

Its vital that we know if people have a bias against Republicans in our jury pool, Littrell told the judge last week.

Blumenfeld wasnt so sure. He agreed that he would try to detect biases, but said a blanket political party inquiry can lead to jurors seeing an easy way out of jury duty by flatly declaring they dont like one party.

The judge suggested that very few jurors review matters only through a political lens  and he questioned if it will even come up that Fortenberry is Republican. Littrell countered that some jurors will figure it out and might assume that Fortenberry is Republican because hes from Nebraska.

In that downtown L.A. courtroom, Nebraska will seem like a foreign place, Littrell said. I think jurors will assume there are different values there.

The consequence

Its hard to overstate this. Its monumental to Fortenberry. A conviction would mean Fortenberry would face up to five years in prison on each of the three counts, though supervised release also is a possibility.

In an interesting twist, it wouldnt necessarily mean that he would be booted from Congress. Congress has had its share of felons over the years  and unless that felony involves treason, it doesnt require automatic dismissal.

That said, Fortenberry is facing a Republican primary challenger for the first time since his original 2004 run. Republican State Sen. Mike Flood of Norfolk has made the indictment the center of a recent ad. Two Democrats are vying to battle the Fortenberry-Flood winner.

Make no mistake: Fortenberry is fighting for his life as a politician and as a free man.

Jeff Fortenberry has always had great faith in the American peoples ability to judge what is fair and just, Kolton said Friday. When the jury hears the facts in this case, they will recognize his innocence.

World-Herald Chief Librarian Sheritha Jones and Staff Writer Sara Gentzler contributed to this report.

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Zane Stubbendecks world is now bursting with color.

The green tint of a Sprite bottle, the bright yellow and red of a McDonalds sign and the many glorious hues of a Nebraska sunset.

And its all because of an argument between the Lincoln teen and his buddy, EJ Soucek, a few years ago about whether there was a pink stain on Souceks sock. Stubbendeck couldnt see it. His world had always been composed of gray, tans, browns and yellows.

Thats what Ive always lived with, he said.

The discussion that day led to a test for color blindness  an issue that affects about 100,000 Nebraskans, 13 million people in the United States and 350 million worldwide  and a vow by Soucek that someday he was going to get his friend a pair of glasses to correct the problem.

That day finally arrived for Stubbendecks recent 19th birthday. Soucek and several friends pooled their money and bought Stubbendeck a $250 pair of EnChroma outdoor glasses, which help people with color blindness see color.

They hid them in a Burberry sunglasses case at the bottom of a Nike bag stuffed with wrapping paper.

At first, it was really nerve-wracking, Soucek said. I didnt know if they were going to work. I knew his color blindness was really severe.

Stubbendeck was nervous, too, just because of all of the attention surrounding his surprise gift. A few seconds after putting on the glasses, his hands began to shake.

Then he began to cry.

When you do put on the glasses, things start to fade into color out of the gray, he said. Seeing it slowly change was kind of a surreal moment. I looked over and saw a bright color. It was red, but I didnt know it was red.

No words can express it because Id never felt that before.

Several people recorded the emotional moment when Stubbendeck could see pinks, reds and greens for the first time. A social media post by Souceks sister, Alyssa Osorio, has almost 400,000 views.

The video caught the eye of EnChroma, which asked Stubbendeck if he would like to be a brand ambassador for the company.

They also gave him a pair of indoor glasses that Stubbendeck hates to take off, no matter how misty they get at the car wash where he works until he can figure out how to make it as a social media influencer.

EnChroma has told him that if he wears the glasses consistently, they can start to correct his vision. Stubbendeck isnt sure how it all works, but hes been more than willing to give it a try.

Taking them off makes me feel like Im missing out, he said. Whenever I take them off, its a little bit sad.

He says hes so grateful to his friends for a present he wished he would have known about long ago. Its hard to describe being color blind, he says. But putting on the glasses is like flipping a switch. Everything turns vibrant and colors pop.

The day after giving Stubbendeck his present, Soucek took his fellow Lincoln Northeast graduate to the top of a parking garage to watch the sunset. Theyd always been a favorite of Stubbendecks, because he could see the yellow. But thats nothing compared to what he can see now with his glasses.

I always told him I was going to get them for him, so I feel like I did a pretty good thing, Soucek said. He talks about it every time Im with him. Its definitely the most meaningful thing Ive bought him. Im glad I did.

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LIMASSOL, Cyprus  Dozens of Russian nationals joined Ukrainians in the coastal resort town of Limassol, home to a sizeable Russian expatriate community, to protest the war in Ukraine.

About 50 Russians converged on Limassols promenade prior to joining with other protesters Sunday to chant slogans including Stop the war, stop Putin and Russia without Putin." They waved blue and white flags that they said were the Russian national flag without the red stripe that represented blood and violence.

Protester Evgeniya Shlikava, who has been living and working in Cyprus for five years, told The Associated Press that despite Russian propaganda, Ukraine didnt deserve this action from our government and that protesters are demanding an immediate end to the war that we dont support.

Read more of the latest developments in the Russia-Ukraine war here:

***
Omaha Police Chief Todd Schmaderer made an important and provocative statement recently about the value of investing in Nebraska communities as a way to reduce crime and incarceration.

Id rather have 1,000 jobs strategically placed in the right part of our city to affect poverty, Schmaderer told state senators last month. That would reduce violent crime far more than 1,000 more police officers.

At a time when Nebraskas prison system has become the most overcrowded and fastest growing in America, we should pay attention to Omahas top law enforcement officer.

In a World-Herald article last Sunday, reporter Henry J. Cordes took a detailed look at racial disparities in the Nebraskas prison population. He found that Nebraska locks up people of color at far higher rates than the nation as a whole. And Nebraskas gaps between its low White incarceration rate and high rates for racial minorities are among the widest in the country.

Some readers shrugged at those facts, commenting online that this disparity could be easily explained. Maybe people of color are more heavily represented in prison simply because they commit more crimes.

Actually, the World-Herald story looked at studies about that, and the results arent definitive. Blacks are more likely to be arrested than Whites, for example, though its not clear whether thats because of higher levels of offending among the Black population or unequal enforcement by police. Its a topic that could be debated a long time.

But that wasnt the key issue raised by last weeks article. Instead, the story examined what has become a pipeline from certain neighborhoods into the states prisons and jails. Multigenerational poverty, a lack of ready jobs, elevated levels of broken families and school struggles have helped create conditions that make it far more likely that people growing up in those areas will wind up in prison.

Cordes reported on a Harvard University study that traced an entire cohort of Americans who were roughly 27 to 32 years old in the 2010 Census. Using census and tax records, the researchers determined where those people grew up and what their lives were like in 2010.

The analysis showed that a handful of North Omaha neighborhoods produced some of the highest incarceration rates found anywhere in the country. In the four census tracts centered on 30th Street and Ames Avenue, 20% or more of the males who grew up in those tracts were incarcerated on the day of the 2010 Census. Those tracts ranked in the top 250 out of some 73,000 census tracts nationally in terms of male incarceration.

Thankfully, individuals can overcome their environments. A majority of kids from those neighborhoods did not wind up in prison. And when Cordes interviewed some of those who have been incarcerated, they took responsibility for their own mistakes.

But its indisputable that the circumstances of a young persons upbringing, the prevalence of nearby gangs and the shortage of positive role models in their lives can make those mistakes more likely.

Thats what Schmaderer is getting at. Changing the environment  as hard as that might be to do  is ultimately more of a solution than hiring a lot more police officers to arrest wrongdoers. It just makes sense that having fewer wrongdoers in the first place would be better for Nebraska, reducing the need for costly prisons.

Legislative Bill 1024, introduced by State Sens. Justin Wayne and Terrell McKinney of Omaha, is aimed at improving conditions in North and South Omaha. It would tap $450 million in federal pandemic recovery money to fund housing, job training programs and business development in those areas. The proposal is working its way through the Legislature.

Were not in a position to say the amount that should be spent on such efforts. Nor should anyone think it will be easy to fix deep-seated societal problems.

But theres no excuse for failing to try. The alternative is to accept growing numbers of people in prison, swelling the prison population at great cost to Nebraska taxpayers.

More tax dollars for police. More taxes for courts and prosecution. More taxes for prison buildings and guards. Thats just the part of the price for not addressing the conditions that have at least contributed to high incarceration rates from North Omaha and other places.

Other ways that Nebraskans pay for crime: the cost to victims, a broader sense of fear in the community, the lifelong impact on those who become unemployable after their release, now that they have a criminal past.

The path we are on isnt a productive one. Its not good for the young people who are lured into a self-destructive lifestyle of crime. Its not good for Nebraska taxpayers, either.

But were not likely to get off that path merely by hiring more police officers and putting more people in prison.

Omahas police chief says more jobs, more opportunity and more hope would go a long way toward changing the conditions that contribute to crime. We should listen to him.
Marking the 175th anniversary of the Battle of Buena Vista

Story by Sgt. 1st Class Joshua Mann, Ohio Army National Guard Historian

On Feb. 23, 1847, American forces under Maj. Gen. Zachary Taylor defeat Mexican troops under Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna at the Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico. The 2nd and 3rd Ohio Volunteer Infantry Regiments were active in the battle, guarding Taylors supply depots and escorting wagon trains that were rushing needed supplies to the battle. Near Aqua Fria, a detachment of troops from the 2nd Ohio were attacked by a force of 1,000 lancers. The troops formed into a square and continued their march while engaging with the enemy force until they reached San Francisco.

When the two regiments were being sent back to Ohio in May 1847, Brig. Gen. John E. Wool published in orders number 190, The Second and Third Regiment will return to their homes with the consciousness that they have done great credit to their state, rendered good service to their country, and that they bear with them the hearty good will and sincere admiration of the companies and commander.

Today, the 148th Infantry Regiment displays a campaign streamer for Buena Vista on its organizational colors as a descendant of the 2nd Ohio.
Bloomington-Normal

Galleries, museums

Some cultural institutions are open or making plans to reopen under current COVID restrictions. Check with each facility for indoor, online or outdoor programing. Open facilities have face covering, distancing and other guidelines in effect; see websites or call for details.

Angel Ambrose Fine Art Studio; 101 W. Monroe St. Suite 201, Bloomington; Open First Fridays 5-8 p.m. and by appointment; 309-825-4655; angelambrose.com.

David Davis Mansion; 1000 Monroe Drive, Bloomington; open for tours, 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Wed.-Sat.; groups of 10 or less; $10 per person; $100 minimum; daviddavismansion.org; 309-828-1084.

Eaton Studio Gallery; 411 N. Center St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturdays; 5-8 p.m. First Fridays, or by appointment or ring bell; eatonstudiogallery.com; 309-828-1575.

Illinois Art Station; 101 E. Vernon Ave., Normal; Gallery open Saturdays 10 a.m.-2 p.m.; illinoisartstation.org; 309-386-1019.

Inside Out: Accessible Art Gallery & Cooperative; 200 W. Monroe St., Bloomington; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Wednesday-Friday; Saturday 8 a.m.-2 p.m.; by appointment Sunday-Tuesday; and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. First Friday; insideoutartcoop.org; 309-838-2160.

Jan Brandt Gallery; Normandy Village, 1100 Beach St., Building 8, Normal; by appointment; janbrandtgallery.com; 309-287-4700.

Joann Goetzinger Studio and Gallery; 313 N. Main St. Suite A, Bloomington; open first Fridays 5-8 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m.-4 p.m., also by appointment; masks and social distancing required; 309-826-1193.

Main Gallery; 404 N. Main St., Bloomington; 12-5 p.m. Thursdays, Fridays; 10 a.m.-2 p.m., Saturdays; By chance or appointment at 309-590-6779.

McLean County Arts Center; 601 N. East St., Bloomington; open; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Tuesday, 12-4 p.m. Saturday; masks and social distancing required; mcac.org; 309-829-0011.

McLean County Museum of History; 200 N. Main St., Bloomington; 9 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesday; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Saturday; closed Sundays, until further notice; reservations at education@mchistory.org or 309-827-0428; mchistory.org; 309-827-0428.

Merwin and Wakeley Galleries; Illinois Wesleyan University; Bloomington; open; 12-4 p.m., Monday through Friday; 7-9 p.m., Tuesday evening; 1-4 p.m., Saturday through Sunday; iwu.edu/art/galleries; 309-556-3391.

Prairie Aviation Museum; 2929 E. Empire St., Bloomington; closed until April; prairieaviationmuseum.org; 309-663-7632.

University Galleries of Illinois State University, Normal; open; 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Thursday, 9:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday, noon-4 p.m. Saturday, Sunday; 309-438-5487; galleries.illinoisstate.edu/about/visit/.

Central Illinois

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum; 9 a.m.-5 p.m. daily, 212 N. Sixth St., Springfield; advance reservation required; adults $15, seniors $12, under 5 free; presidentlincoln.illinois.gov; 217-558-8844.

Art Center at Greater Livingston County Arts Council; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday; noon-4 p.m. Sunday; 209 W. Madison St., Pontiac; pcartcenter.com; 815-419-2472.

Contemporary Art Center of Peoria; Riverfront Arts Center, 305 S.W. Water St., Peoria; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; peoriacac.org; 309-674-6822.

Dickson Mounds Museum; 10956 N. Dickson Mounds Road, Lewistown; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 309-547-3721.

Illinois State Museum; 502 S. Spring St., Springfield; open, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Monday-Friday, free; illinoisstatemuseum.org; 217-782-7386.

Lincoln Heritage Museum; Lincoln Center at Lincoln College, 300 Keokuk St., Lincoln; 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; 1-4 p.m. Saturday, closed Sundays, Mondays and on Lincoln College breaks; $4-7; museum.lincolncollege.edu; 217-735-7399.

Peoria Art Guild; 203 Harrison St., Peoria; open; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday-Friday or by appointment; peoriaartguild.org; 309-637-2787.

Peoria Riverfront Museum; downtown riverfront Peoria; open 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday and Friday; 9 a.m.-6:30 p.m., Tuesday-Thursday; 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday; and closed Sunday; adults $11, seniors, students $10, ages 3-17 $9; peoriariverfrontmuseum.org; 309-686-7000.

Simpkins Military History Museum; 605 E. Cole St., Heyworth; Open Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 1-5 p.m.; Free admission (donations accepted); Private tours - call first; 309-319-3413; Open House, 1-5 p.m., March 19, marking 63 years of collecting military items.

Time Gallery; 9 a.m.-5 p.m., Monday-Friday; 9 a.m.-12 p.m., Saturday; Closed Sunday; Clock Tower Place Building, 201 Clock Tower Drive, East Peoria; 309-467-2331.

U of I Krannert Art Museum; 500 E. Peabody Drive, Champaign; open; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday; Thursdays until 8 p.m. when classes are in session; closed Sunday and Monday; kam.illinois.edu; 217-333-1861.

Exhibits

"Community: African American Experience During Migration"; through Spring 2022; Owens Gallery; "American Verses: Terry Adkins, Mark Bradford & Kerry James Marshall"; through Spring 2022; Owens Gallery Annex; "Cinderella, Snow White & Pinocchio"; Classic Disney Art from the Collection of Steve Spain; Oberhelman Gallery; through May 8; "OP Art: Illusions from the Permanent Collection"; Experience Gallery, through May 8; "Moon"; Experience Gallery, through May 8; "Uncovered: The Ken Burns Collection"; Galleries 1 & 2; through June 5; Peoria Riverfront Museum.

"Sacred/Supernatural: Religion, Myth and Magic in European Prints, 1450-1900"; through May 15; "To Know The Fire: Pueblo Women Potters and The Shaping of History"; through Sept. 3; "Reckless Law, Shameless Order: An Intimate Experience of Incarceration"; through April 2; U of I Krannert Art Museum.

"Work, People, Art"; Lower level gallery; through April 1, 2022; Dickson Mounds Museum.

"Kevin Standberg"; Armstrong Gallery; through April 1; "Susan Holifield"; Dolan Gallery; through April 1; "95th Annual Amateur Art Exhibition"; Brandt Gallery; through April 8; McLean County Arts Center.

"The Space Between Us"; John Heintzman; March 2022; Peoria Art Guild.

"CAC Member Artists Biennial Exhibition"; through April 16; "Ann B. Coddington"; through April 9; Contemporary Art Center of Peoria.

"I love An Artist"; Rick & Melanie Picl; photography and mixed media art exhibit; through March 31; Time Gallery.

"Thickets...that which surrounds our struggles"; Drawings and inks by Herb Eaton; through April 20; Eaton Studio Gallery.

"MFA Thesis Exhibitions"; through April 4; University Galleries.

"2022 Honoring the Iraq and Afghanistan War Veterans"; through Nov. 12; Simpkins Military History Museum.

"Edgewise"; second floor gallery; through Sept. 3; Illinois State Museum.

"Abandoned"; Tony Crowley; through April 9; Lincoln Arts Institute.
NORMAL  It may have been a wee bit frosty on Saturday, but that didnt stop leprechauns from making a magical appearance in uptown Normal.

Held five days in advance of St. Patricks Day, the 10th Sharin of the Green Parade kicked off celebrations at 1 p.m. Saturday, led by the Irish Heritage Society of McLean County. Groups stepped off from North and School streets and promenaded through the Uptown Circle through Beaufort Street.

Donations were collected for Childrens Home and Aid, which offers services to the most disadvantaged low-income families of McLean County and surrounding areas. Laura Cordero, their development associate, said in an email to The Pantagraph that $398.34 was collected.

Normal Fire Departments Local 2442 Honor Guard marched from the start. Additional firefighters from NFD and the Bloomington Fire Department joined forces to help fill the boot for the childrens organization.

BFD firefighter and paramedic Clayton Matteson said they normally focus on fundraising for the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and that its nice to give back for another cause.

Adam Fox, theater and civic arts manager for the Town of Normal, said 27 entrants joined the parade, which equated to almost 400 people who walked or cruised their way through uptown. Several more hundred onlookers attended as well.

He added the Irish Heritage Society has always worked with a nonprofit to benefit for the parade, and theyre a great partner for the town.

Theyre a great organization, and were happy to be able to work with them on it, said Fox, but theyve made it really easy.

Fox said the Irish group handled all the registrations, coordinated volunteers, and took on the tasks that made it a wonderful event.

He also said it was great to have everyone out, even if the weather was a bit cold.

I think everybody out here embraced it and dressed warmly, Fox said. While it was a shorter parade than usual, he said it was very full of life. He noted the parade returned this year after a two-year absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

JohAnna Chambers was there with Myles Chambers, 12, and Katharine Chambers, 10.

Were Irish, thats why were here, said JohAnna, adding she was looking forward to seeing WJBC show host Scott Miller.

To her, sharing green means sharing culture and diversity.

And to Normals Stephanie Heppe, sharing green means donating to a charitable cause. She planned to give cash to Childrens Home and Aid at the parade.

Heppe added she was excited to be out and about in the sun.

Towandas Chris Netsky was there as well with children Addali and Elli. He said it was a short parade, but still good to come out.

He agreed that the childrens organization is cause worth supporting.

Scott Whitman, pipe major for the Celtic Cross Pipes & Drums band, led a performance just after the parade at Maggie Mileys pub, 126 E. Beaufort St. Eight pipers and four drummers played several tunes, with some planning to perform at several other bars in the Twin Cities later that day.

Whitman said they were looking forward to marching in the parade, but decided they couldnt for the sake of their instruments. Some of the pipers carried wooden pipes.

Warm, moist air going into an instrument with freezing temperatures outside, you run the risk of cracking them, the pipe major said.

He added they look forward to returning to the parade next year, with hopes for better weather.

Whitman agreed its great seeing crowds react to pipe music.

Theres a lot of spirit around St. Patrick's Day, especially in a college town.

Contact Brendan Denison at (309) 820-3238. Follow Brendan Denison on Twitter: @BrendanDenison

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CHICAGO  A longtime area staple with its wagon wheel decor and "Roy Rogers ribeye," The Ranch Steak House is fighting to reopen as one of the last sit-down restaurants in the once-flourishing Black Chicago neighborhood of Roseland.

About 13 miles away near Indiana, Christopher Cain and wife Deja Cousins-Cain sought a new market for their wine bar that promises "Good Vibes Only," settling on the suburb of Lansing, where growth has included a steady increase in Black residents.

The two enclaves of roughly 30,000 people reflect how Black migration patterns in the 21st century are changing the makeup of metropolitan areas nationwide. For decades, Black residents have been leaving some of the nation's largest cities while suburbs have seen an increase in their Black populations. Those two trends have now spread to even more areas of the country, according to the 2020 U.S. census.

The patterns echo the "white flight" that upended urban landscapes in the 20th century. Like those who left cities before them, Black residents often move because of worries about crime and a desire for reputable schools, affordable housing and amenities. But there are key differences: Leaving Black city neighborhoods that are starved for investment is often more of a necessity than a choice, and those who do settle into new suburban lives often find racial inequities there, too.

From 1990 to 2000, 13 of the United States' biggest cities lost Black residents. By 2020, it was 23. According to the census, roughly 54% of Black residents within the 100 biggest American metro areas were suburbanites in 2020, up from 43% two decades ago, according to Bill Frey of the Brookings Institution.

While New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia all lost Black residents from 2010 to 2020, the change was especially notable in Chicago, which gained population but lost 85,000 Black people, the highest number after Detroit, according to the 2020 census. Those numbers could vary slightly, as the Census Bureau reported last week that 3.3% of the Black population was undercounted in the 2020 census, a rate higher than in 2010.

The official count found that a section of Roseland measuring less than 1 square mile lost 1,600 Black residents. Now, the area near where former President Barack Obama was a community organizer  located about 20 minutes south of downtown  doesn't even have a grocery store. That makes Judy Ware, who bought the Ranch restaurant in 2018, more determined to hang on.

"We take pride in trying to keep this institution in the neighborhood," she said. "It's needed."

For others, though, the suburbs offer a fresh choice.

Cousins-Cain and her husband surprised themselves in choosing Lansing, which wasn't always friendly to Black people.

Settled by Dutch and German immigrants, the city has seen a roughly 50% increase in its Black residents, who now represent almost half the population. Lansing recently elected its first Black trustee.

"It just feels like we are finally getting an opportunity to bring something to the table and bring something to the conversation," Cousins-Cain said.

___

The trends are nuanced. Part of the explanation is that Black residents are continuing to move to Southern cities in a reversal of the Great Migration, a movement that began in the 1910s and resulted in millions leaving the South for northern cities to escape discrimination. But more recently, some of the starkest changes are happening within metro areas as suburbs of major cities see Black population growth.

Black residents, who represented roughly 40% of Chicago's population in 1980, now make up less than 30%. Their presence increased, meanwhile, in dozens of Chicago suburbs from 2010 to 2020.

Chicago residents and demographers offer no shortage of reasons for the urban exodus:

 The decline of the steel industry and blue-collar jobs starting in the 1970s.  The war on drugs.  The dismantling of public housing in the 2000s that displaced thousands of Black residents.  School closures in 2014 that disproportionately affected Black and Latino children.

"It's really hard to point to one specific thing," said Dan Cooper, director of research with Chicago's Metropolitan Planning Council. "And when you look at the confluence of factors, Black folks haven't been centered in policy or they are centered in wrong ways."

Chicago, long a segregated city, continues to report disparate outcomes by race when it comes to home ownership, income, transportation access and more. In Roseland, residents note persistent crime, delayed city services and a train line that ends at Roseland's northern edge. Worries persist about population loss diluting Black political power as drafts of a political remapping show fewer majority-Black wards.

Many said those issues forced them to leave.

Truck driver Chris Calhoun, 32, sought more peace in suburban South Holland in 2014.

The deciding factor for him, he said, was, "Where can I live where my kids can go outside and ride their bikes, or we can take a walk around the block as a family without looking over my shoulder?"

Crystal Fenn left in 2015 for law school in suburban Atlanta, where she's now an attorney.

"If you could do anything better for yourself, why would you want to be there?" she said. "The lack of economic dollars, it's almost like the city doesn't care about Roseland anymore."

Once a Dutch enclave, Roseland was annexed into Chicago in 1892. Within decades, there was an influx of Black families.

Marc Pullins, 56, recalls four nearby grocery stores and has fond memories of Kohn Elementary School.

"Half the neighborhood went to that school," said Pullins, a current resident and activist. "They're all gone."

Kohn is located within the section of Roseland that lost more than 1,600 Black residents. The school sits vacant, a green "For Sale" sign out front. It is among the roughly 55 schools targeted by former Mayor Rahm Emanuel in the nation's largest mass school closure.

Nearby homes and businesses, including a candy shop, are shuttered. The vacancies extend down a once-thriving business corridor that Preservation Chicago has deemed among Chicago's "most endangered places."

Kisha Pleasant, 41, bought her first home in Roseland, but violence and dwindling amenities pushed her out.

"I can't retire in this area," she said. "I want to come outside, and I don't want to be scared that somebody will be shooting at me."

Last year, she moved to Lansing.

___

Sameerah and Jerrell Miller moved with their daughter to a leafy Lansing street six years ago after living in Chicago and neighboring Oak Park.

They bought a home near a top school for less than what they would have paid in Chicago. Lansing's median home price is about $195,000, less than half the city's median.

"Lansing, to this day, still has kids outside in the summertime playing," said Jerrell Miller. "You don't really get that in the city without worry."

The growing Black population prompted Micaela Smith, who moved to Lansing in 2002, to seek office. She became the suburb's first Black trustee last year, after a challenging campaign in the predominantly white suburb.

"I had to do more persuasion to convince the voters," Smith said.

Activists say Lansing has had its fair share of issues involving race. In 2017, a Black teenager was held down and threatened by a white off-duty police officer, a confrontation that led the city to enter a memorandum of understanding with activists and the U.S. Department of Justice.

Pastor David Bigsby of In The Upper Room Ministries recently held a community call about disproportionate traffic stops, noting a major thoroughfare largely divides Black and white residents.

"It's still segregated in town," he said.

Still, the 76-year-old, who moved into the parsonage six years ago, has about 250 congregants now, an increase of about 20%.

Lansing is also seeing a boost in Black-owned businesses. Cain and Cousins-Cain opened their chic S.L. Wine Bar last year, with R&B and jazz setting the mood. Support, particularly from Black customers, has been strong.

"We want our own version of 'Cheers,'" Cousins said.

___

Roseland residents who remain take pride in Obama's work there, and say they've seen signs of a turnaround.

Chicago officials recently launched a $750 million program to improve neglected neighborhoods, including Roseland, and have detailed plans for a train line extension. The Greater Roseland Chamber of Commerce hopes a community hospital will grow into a medical district.

Judy Ware is preparing to resume table service at the Ranch after struggling through the coronavirus pandemic. A fire set during unrest following George Floyd's killing in Minneapolis destroyed the restaurant's interior, and takeout-only couldn't sustain the business, which has been operating for more than 50 years.

After renaming it Ware Ranch Steak House and installing new flooring and orange booths, Ware is feeling optimistic as she prepares to reopen this month.

"If we can weather the storm, I think we'll come out good on the other side," she said. "There is a lot of stuff waiting to happen in Roseland."

___

Associated Press writer Mike Schneider in Orlando, Florida, contributed to this report.

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EDWARDSVILLE  The Madison County State's Attorney's Office has charged a St. Louis man with three felonies in connection with a crash that seriously damaged a historic Collinsville funeral home last year.

Joseph T. Burke drove his 2017 white Ford F-150 truck through the side of Kassly-Meridith Funeral Home on Aug. 22, 2021, according to a Collinsville police report released this week.

Burke, 59, was charged on March 7. The counts include aggravated driving while under the influence; unlawful possession of a weapon by a felon; and driving with a revoked license due to a previous driving while intoxicated conviction in Missouri.

The police report states that Burke told investigators he takes a variety of prescription drugs without following instructions or heeding warnings and also gets opiates from other people for back pain. Some of the drugs are known to cause dizziness, blurred vision or drowsiness.

"(Burke said) he wasn't aware that he should not have taken any of his medications before driving and does not feel any impairment due to his medications," Detective Sgt. Keith Jackson wrote.

Toxicology tests found the tranquilizer clonazepam in Burke's system, according to the police report. Medical staff who treated him at Anderson Hospital in Maryville described him as "sleepy" with "slurred speech" and at risk of falling because of his "altered mental status."

The Madison County charging document states that when Burke drove with the drug in his system, it was "unlawful use or consumption of a controlled substance."

Drugs, not alcohol, at issue

Toxicology showed no significant concentration of alcohol in Burke's system at the time of the accident, according to the police report.

Jackson wrote that Burke told him he was working on a house in Belleville before he headed to O'Fallon to pick up a friend who needed a ride, lost his way, found himself in unfamiliar territory and wasn't able to "negotiate the curve" in front of the funeral home.

The police report also stated that:

Burke had multiple DWI-related charges on his Missouri record, including a 2011 felony conviction for aggravated driving while intoxicated that led to incarceration.

His driver's license had been revoked because of the 2011 conviction.

Investigators found a bowl of medications, as well as pill bottles throughout the cab of his truck.

There was a loaded 45-caliber semiautomatic handgun on the dashboard that belonged to his son.

Burke told police he didn't know the gun was in the truck and he hadn't been drinking alcohol or taking illegal drugs before the crash.

Burke speculated at different times that he may have fallen asleep or suffered a heart attack.

An event data recorder showed that the truck was traveling at 58 mph in a 30 mph zone before it veered off Vandalia Street in Collinsville and that the driver didn't brake until a few seconds before impact.

"(Burke said) he knows he does not have a license, but still needs to drive," Jackson wrote. "... He is currently trying to get his license back."

There were no bodies being kept at the funeral home at the time of the accident. Burke was treated for minor injuries at Anderson Hospital and released. No one else was hurt.

On March 7, Madison County Associate Judge Ron Slemer set Burke's bond at $100,000. He remained at large as of Thursday, according to Collinsville police.

Funeral home open for business

Kassly-Meridith Funeral Home, formerly Herbert A. Kassly Funeral Home, is at 515 Vandalia St. (Illinois 159) in Collinsville. The brick building with stained-glass windows is a local landmark that dates back to the 1930s.

Burke's crash occurred about 3 a.m. on Sunday, Aug. 22, 2021. It woke up several neighbors who came outside to see what was going on.

The truck had crossed the parking lot, knocked out a pillar, climbed a flight of concrete stairs and plowed through a side door. It landed with its hood and cab inside the chapel and its bed outside, lodged under a precariously drooping porte cochere (covered drive-thru).

The spectacle resulted in a steady stream of local residents driving by for two days before a crane was used to stabilize the structure enough to remove the truck.

"It was just a mess," said John Schemerhorn, funeral director at Kassly-Meridith.

The funeral home has stayed open the past six months by using its parlor for small gatherings and arranging for larger memorial services to be held at local churches.

The business lost revenue because many people thought it was closed, but some of that was offset by funerals for family members with prepaid arrangements, according to Schemerhorn.

Sale caused complications

A complicating factor in the aftermath of the accident was that Jim Meridith, owner of Highland-based Meridith Funeral Home, was in the process of buying Kassly in August. The sale wasn't completed until December.

"We finally got the insurance and everything squared away," Schemerhorn said Thursday.

Meridith hopes to see a contractor start repairing and rebuilding the structure in about a month with the goal of completing the project by late spring or early summer.

Plans call for construction of a longer and wider drive-thru, using original bricks to retain the historic character of the building, as well as a larger side door with a wheelchair ramp.

"It's going to be put back pretty much like it was, but we're going to do some updating, which I think is a good thing," Schemerhorn said.

The crash also caused serious interior damage, mostly involving the chapel, which has solid-oak pews, stained-glass windows and ornate light fixtures shaped like the papal tiara (pope's hat). Meridith is still trying to determine if the organ can be saved.

The former Kassly Funeral Home company was founded in 1906 by John Kassly in East St. Louis. John's son, Herbert, bought the old Keith Funeral Home in Collinsville in 1936.

Herbert renamed the business Herbert A. Kassly Funeral Home, which operated out of Keith's building at 313 Vandalia St. while a new building at 515 Vandalia St. was being constructed. It became a city of Collinsville landmark in 2008. Herbert's son, Paul Kassly, operated the business until his death in 2019.

Meridith also owns funeral homes in Highland, Lebanon, Pocahontas, West Salem, Allendale, Albion and Cisne.

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CHICAGO - A second suspect has been charged with murder after the pair shot a man selling Jordan gym shoes on Facebook Marketplace after arranging to rob him the West Side in August, prosecutors said.

Roger L. Cooper, 21, appeared at a Saturday hearing that was live streamed on YouTube where Cook County Judge Kelly McCarthy ordered him held without bail.

Cooper, of the 3300 block of West Fulton Boulevard, was charged with first-degree murder and attempted armed robbery in the death of 26-year-old Torrence Sumerlin, police said.

Earlier, another suspect, DeShawn London, 20, was taken into custody for the same fatal shooting that happened Aug. 20 in the 2400 block of West Polk Street. London, who was in court earlier this week, was also charged with trying to escape, police said.

In court Saturday, prosecutors said a witness who was asked by London and Cooper to hang out the day of the fatal shooting told investigators she thought they were going to buy weed, but the two were planning a snatch and run robbery of a man who was selling a pair of Jordans online.

The witness drove the two to the Polk Street address where London and Cooper exited a silver BMW and walked to gangway where they waited for Sumerlin, who arrived in a black Dodge Charger.

The suspects left the gangway wearing ski masks. The witness heard a gunshot, followed by another, before Cooper and London returned to the BMW and sped away, prosecutors said. Sumerlin dropped the yellow shoes as he collapsed from being shot in the chest.

Sumerlin was pronounced dead about 20 minutes after the attack, at 10:58 a.m. that day. He died of a gunshot wound to the chest and his death was ruled a homicide, according to the Cook County medical examiners office.

Sumerlin had recently opened an online store where he sold hard to come by Nike gym shoes, according to a police report. Hed meet customers in person and took a gun with him that day because he did not know the people he was selling to, the report said.

At some point Cooper was questioned by detectives about the fatal shooting, and he lied telling them he was just a lookout, but eventually, several witnesses identified him as one of the robbers, prosecutors said.

Cooper, who is on probation, has a pending case for another Marketplace robbery, and has two armed-robbery convictions, is due back in court Tuesday.

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Ranking Member of Parliaments Health Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh says Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta is the most difficult person to work with.



He claimed the lax-looking minister has made things extremely difficult for his committee and does not conform to directives from other committees in parliament as well.



Mr Mintah Akandoh, however, said his working experience with Mr Ofori-Atta is not the best after describing him as stubborn and a pretender.



When he [Ken Ofori-Atta] comes to parliament for something hell be so nice to everyone, after, he will show his true self. He doesnt listen to anyone, he said



I have never seen a finance minister in my entire political life as stubborn as Ken. He is the cause of Ghanas woes and economy failures, he told Kwesi Aboagye in an interview on NEAT FMs morning show, Ghana Montie.



Mr Mintah Akandoh was discussing claims that Ken Ofori-Atta has not paid National Health Insurance (NHIA) levies collected since July 2021 into the National Health Insurance Fund.



According to the Juaboso MP, this development will have adverse effects on ordinary Ghanaians.



Since July 2021, the Minister responsible for finance has not paid the levies collected in the name of the National Health Insurance Levy to the National Health Insurance Fund and therefore, the service providers for the scheme are threatening to withdraw their services. This is how bad it is, he stated whiles addressing the media in Parliament on Thursday.

Source: King Edward Ambrose Washman Addo/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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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.
General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia, has denied some posters having his pictures and that of the logo of the party vying for national chairmanship position.



The NDC Scribe who is allegedly testing waters for his next step in his political career in a sharp move has come out to say he has not authorised anyone to campaign or project him as a candidate for any of the national executive slots or the flagbearer position within the party.



Interesting, its out there that Mr Nketia is eyeing the National Chairmanship position. He was even said to had photoshoot session to project himself prior to the 2020 elections when Mahama was looking for a running mate, but he said he has not authorised the publication of any campaign posters in his name.



In a statement, he smartly reminds the party members that while thanking those who count him worthy of these positions, the NDC is a party of laws and has time for all its internal processes.



He noted that in his position as the General Secretary of the party, he is in charge of monitoring and enforcing the rules of engagement in all internal party elections to ensure fairness to everyone and, therefore, it is unethical for him to be seen breaching the same laws that he is enforcing against other members at the lower echelons of the party.







Source: Daily Guide









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A team of researchers used the brown rat, commonly used in lab experiments and seen in this photo, as a modern reference species to help reconstruct the genome of the extinct Christmas Island rat.

Ever since the movie Jurassic Park, the idea of bringing extinct animals back to life has captured the public's imaginationbut what might scientists turn their attention towards first?

Instead of focusing on iconic species like the woolly mammoth or the Tasmanian tiger, a team of paleogeneticists have studied how, using gene editing, they could resurrect the humble Christmas Island rat, which died out around 120 years ago.

Though they did not follow through and create a living specimen, they say their paper, published in Current Biology on Wednesday, demonstrates just how close scientists working on de-extinction projects could actually get using current technology.

"I am not doing de-extinction, but I think it's a really interesting idea, and technically it's really exciting," senior author Tom Gilbert, an evolutionary geneticist at the University of Copenhagen, told AFP.

There are three pathways to bringing back extinct animals: back-breeding related species to achieve lost traits; cloning, which was used to create Dolly the sheep in 1996; and finally genetic editing, which Gilbert and colleagues looked at.

The idea is to take surviving DNA of an extinct species, and compare it to the genome of a closely-related modern species, then use techniques like CRISPR to edit the modern species' genome in the places where it differs.

The edited cells could then be used to create an embryo implanted in a surrogate host.

Gilbert said old DNA was like a book that has gone through a shredder, while the genome of a modern species is like an intact "reference book" that can be used to piece together the fragments of its degraded counterpart.

His interest in Christmas Island rats was piqued when a colleague studied their skins to look for evidence of pathogens that caused their extinction around 1900.

It's thought that black rats brought on European ships wiped out the native species, described in an 1887 entry of the Proceedings of the Zoological Society of London as a "fine new Rat," large in size with a long yellow-tipped tail and small rounded ears.

Key functions lost

The team used brown rats, commonly used in lab experiments, as the modern reference species, and found they could reconstruct 95 percent of the Christmas Island rat genome.

That may sound like a big success, but the five percent they couldn't recover was from regions of the genome that controlled smell and immunity, meaning that the recovered rat might look the same but would lack key functionality.

"The take home is, even if we have basically the perfect ancient DNA situation, we've got a really good sample, we've sequenced the hell out of it, we're still lacking five percent of it," said Gilbert.

The two species diverged around 2.6 million years ago: close in evolutionary time, but not close enough to fully reconstruct the lost species' full genome.

This has important implications for de-extinction efforts, such as a project by US bioscience firm Colossal to resurrect the mammoth, which died out around 4,000 years ago.

Mammoths have roughly the same evolutionary distance from modern elephants as brown rats and Christmas Island rats.

Teams in Australia meanwhile are looking at reviving the Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine, whose last surviving member died in captivity in 1936.

Even if gene-editing were perfected, replica animals created with the technique would thus have certain critical deficiencies.

"Let's say you're bringing back a mammoth solely to have a hairy elephant in a zoo to raise money or get conservation awarenessit doesn't really matter," he said.

But if the goal is to bring back the animal in its exact original form "that's never going to happen," he said.

Gilbert admitted that, while the science was fascinating, he had mixed feelings on de-extinction projects.

"I'm not convinced it is the best use of anyone's money," he said. "If you had to choose between bringing back something or protecting what was left, I'd put my money into protection."

Explore further Forget mammothsThese researchers are exploring bringing back the extinct Christmas Island rat

More information: Jianqing Lin, Probing the genomic limits of de-extinction in the Christmas island rat, Current Biology (2022). www.cell.com/current-biology/f  0960-9822(22)00249-4 Journal information: Current Biology Jianqing Lin, Probing the genomic limits of de-extinction in the Christmas island rat,(2022). DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.02.027

 2022 AFP
An octopus swims at the zoo in Frankfurt, Germany on Friday, Nov. 25, 2005. In research published Tuesday, March 8, 2022, in the journal Nature Communications, scientists have described the oldest known fossil ancestor of octopuses  an approximately 330 million-year-old specimen found in Montana. Credit: AP Photo/Bernd Kammerer, File

Scientists have found the oldest known ancestor of octopuses  an approximately 330 million-year-old fossil unearthed in Montana.

The researchers concluded the ancient creature lived millions of years earlier than previously believed, meaning that octopuses originated before the era of dinosaurs.

The 4.7-inch (12-centimeter) fossil has 10 limbsmodern octopuses have eighteach with two rows of suckers. It probably lived in a shallow, tropical ocean bay.

"It's very rare to find soft tissue fossils, except in a few places," said Mike Vecchione, a Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History zoologist who was not involved in the study. "This is a very exciting finding. It pushes back the ancestry much farther than previously known."

The specimen was discovered in Montana's Bear Gulch limestone formation and donated to the Royal Ontario Museum in Canada in 1988.

For decades, the fossil sat overlooked in a drawer while scientists studied fossil sharks and other finds from the site. But then paleontologists noticed the 10 tiny limbs encased in limestone.

The well-preserved fossil also "shows some evidence of an ink sac," probably used to squirt out a dark liquid cloak to help to evade predators, just like modern octopuses, said Christopher Whalen, an American Museum of Natural History paleontologist and co-author of the study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications.

The creature, a vampyropod, was likely the ancestor of both modern octopuses and vampire squid, a confusingly named marine critter that's much closer to an octopus than a squid. Previously, the "oldest known definitive" vampyropod was from around 240 million years ago, the authors said.

The scientists named the fossil Syllipsimopodi bideni, after President Joe Biden.

Whether or not having an ancient octopusor vampire squidbearing your name is actually a compliment, the scientists say they intended admiration for the president's science and research priorities.

Explore further New species of extinct vampire-squidlike cephalopod is the first of its kind with ten functional arms

More information: Christopher Whalen, Fossil coleoid cephalopod from the Mississippian Bear Gulch Lagerstatte sheds light on early vampyropod evolution, Nature Communications (2022). www.nature.com/articles/s41467-022-28333-5 Journal information: Nature Communications Christopher Whalen, Fossil coleoid cephalopod from the Mississippian Bear Gulch Lagerstatte sheds light on early vampyropod evolution,(2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-28333-5

 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
Millions of civilians of different nationalities and faiths who lived peacefully in Ukraine are facing a humanitarian catastrophe caused by Russia's military invasion, air and missile strikes on residential areas, food warehouses, hospitals, maternity hospitals, schools, and other critical infrastructure facilities in Ukrainian cities.

As a result, since the beginning of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, at least 82 children have been killed and more than 100 children have been injured. Russian troops damaged or destroyed more than 200 schools, 30 hospitals, and 1,500 residential buildings, including apartment buildings, and these numbers continue to increase.

Hundreds of thousands of civilians were besieged by Russian troops in the Kyiv region, Mariupol and Volnovakha in Donetsk region, without food, water, medical care, and other means of subsistence. At least 2187 civilians have already become the victims of the Russian blockade in Mariupol  they were killed as a result of constant shelling, including during attempts to evacuate through pre-agreed humanitarian corridors.

Since there is nothing more valuable than human life, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations repeatedly calls on world leaders, OSCE member states, the EU, and NATO to take urgent measures to introduce a no-fly zone over the territory of Ukraine or to provide the Ukrainian army with modern air defense systems and fighter jets that can protect Ukrainian civilians from regular bombing and missile strikes by the Russian invaders.

In addition, the Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations appeals to the leadership of the Russian Federation, international organizations, church hierarchs, and religious figures of the peoples of Russia to take urgent measures to organize humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of residents of Ukrainian cities and towns from areas where active hostilities continue to safe places of their own choice, as well as the immediate exchange of prisoners of war between Russia and Ukraine.

We emphasize once again that in order to avoid any provocations, the evacuation of the civilian population through humanitarian corridors can be carried out by civilian volunteers and ministers of Churches and religious organizations, either accompanied by Ukrainian police officers or without their participation.

Even in times of the greatest upheavals, wars, and disputes, we must not forget about humanity and mercy. Each of us must do everything possible to preserve human life and establish peace through negotiations.
CAMBRIDGE  School board member Neil Gifford criticized school board President Jessica Ziehms leadership just before a revote on Thursday night of last months resolution to mount a legal challenge to state Education Commissioner Betty Rosa.

The board was ready to vote to retire the schools controversial Indian mascot last March, Gifford said, but Ziehm persuaded the board to take the issue to mediation. The effort failed to bring about a compromise between the two sides and cost the district $53,000. The board voted 3-2 to retire the mascot in June.

One of Ziehms first moves after she took over as board president in July was to hold a revote and overturn the previous months resolution. That opened the door to a petition by several district residents to have the July vote annulled. Rosa agreed with the petitioners and ordered the school to retire the mascot by July 1 of this year.

The board missed a February filing deadline for a challenge, Gifford said, because a meeting on Feb. 16 was disrupted by a protest against the state mask mandate. The protesters were mostly mascot supporters.

The schools reputation has suffered locally, regionally, nationally, and beyond, Gifford said.

What will you do if you fail again? he asked Ziehm.

He urged Ziehm to reconsider this vote. Saying that the board has to challenge Rosa or district residents may vote down the school budget is not an adequate reason, Gifford said.

I think theres a way out of this, Ziehm said.

How the school handles Rosas order will help students get back on track and set a precedent for small rural schools who are facing pressure, she said.

To me, its a no-brainer, said school board member Dillon Honyoust said.

Honyoust, who has Native American ancestry, said he hasnt heard from any Native people in the district who arent in favor of the Indian.

Locals are our most important voice, not statistics from elsewhere, he said. School board member Shay Price called appealing the order a matter of principle.

Results of the revote were the same as the original vote on Feb. 23. Ziehm, Honyoust, and Price voted to proceed with a challenge. Gifford and school board member Caleb Breault were opposed.

At the beginning of the meeting, Ziehm said the board was holding the vote again because of community concerns that the Feb. 23 meeting may have been unlawful because it was rescheduled, remote or without a public comment period. To be on the safe side, the boards attorneys recommended redoing the vote after a public comment period.

In other matters:

The 2022-2023 budget would increase by 3.79%, to $23,923,743, according to school Business Manager Anthony Cammarratas budget presentation. The tax levy would increase by $183,500, or 1.99%, just under the states tax cap. Employee benefit costs will go up by 4.31%, driven by increases in health insurance, retirement expenses and workers compensation costs. BOCES expenditures will decrease $87,544, or 4.19%, because fewer students are in career and technical education programs and there were some changes in special education placements, although the schools share of BOCES administrative, rent and capital expenses will rise $2,547, or 1.8%. State aid projections will be updated in late March, Cammarrata said. The school may receive more aid due to increases in the consumer price index, which could go to offset higher fuel costs, he said. The board is expected to adopt a budget at its April 14 meeting. The budget will go before voters on May 17.

The board approved three propositions for the May ballot, including $60,000 for the Cambridge Public Library, authorizing the leasing of four 70-passenger buses for up to five years at a cost not to exceed $441,500, and establishing a capital reserve fund of up to $2 million for up to 10 years, to finance capital improvements and equipment purchases. The reserve would be funded from unallocated fund balances and budget surpluses. Cammarrata said a capital reserve fund would give the school financial stability for long-term planning. Voters would have to approve expenditures from the fund.

Ziehms term ends this year and the seat will be up for election. Candidate petitions are due April 18.

Voters will have to show ID when they arrive at the polls this year. Silvernell said notification will be in the districts budget newsletter and a separate mailing.

A committee is interviewing candidates to replace elementary school Principal Colleen Lester, who is retiring, school Superintendent Douglas Silvernell reported. One candidate will be presented to the board for approval in April.

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FORT ANN  Five years ago, Katelyn Moskos and her husband, John, were living paycheck to paycheck to provide for their family.

My husband thought I was crazy, but we emptied our retirements and 401(k)s and made our first investment in a property, Moskos said with a laugh.

The risk paid off. The couple now owns and operates a successful luxury vacation rental company.

As she spoke, sunlight streamed through the windows in an upstairs nautical-themed meeting room at the office for Northern Living on Route 9 in the town of Lake George.

The Moskoses own nine properties, but also facilitate rentals for homeowners that only occupy their residences for a portion of the year.

Im not a Realtor. We strictly handle short-term rentals. I was in hospitality in Lake George for years and I just saw the need for this, she said.

Things were going well for the new business, Moskos said, until about two years ago when they were approached by Washington County regarding their properties.

We received a call from the county telling us we needed to come in and meet with them, and we walked in to a table with files of all our properties spread out. They told us, we have to shut your homes down for this code violation and that one, Moskos recalled.

She said the county had received a letter from the Fort Ann Town Board stating the properties were not up to code.

However, Northern Living was able to prove the accusations were false and the houses remained open. Moskos said a few minor septic upgrades were made where necessary.

The Town Board still felt differently regarding the business.

In a spring 2021 meeting, town Supervisor Sam Hall expressed his concerns regarding the properties owned and operated by Northern Living.

At this point, Moskos said she had never met or interacted with the supervisor, but his comments were brought to her attention by those in attendance at the meeting.

Hall suggests the business is being run like the Wild West, explaining that the owners should be held to some rules and regulations.

A neighbor of one of the short-term rentals managed by Northern Living, Jeffrey Pepper, agreed. He called Moskos with a complaint, claiming she makes her own rules, to which she replied, yes, because the town didnt have any.

Hall suggested that the property owners be charged a permit fee to be able to operate short-term rentals in the town, even though other local municipalities have shied away from charging owners.

When you look at some of the rates they are receiving over there at Northern Living, it would be embarrassing and a waste of time to charge them $50 when they get $250 a night, he said at the meeting.

The cost of short-term rental permits range across the state between $25 and $375. Hall suggested a possible flat rate of $500 per property or a sliding scale fee that would be based off of the income acquired at the property.

Board member George Smith agreed with the supervisor on a fee of at least $500, citing the extra work that would be put on the town code enforcer.

Moskos said she feels the town has launched a personal attack on her business, despite taking precautions for security and liability purposes without being required to by the town or any short-term rental service apps.

She explained that people interested in their properties must complete a rental application and, pending approval, must review local lake and boating laws as well as sign a rental agreement outlining the rules of the property.

After Moskos was made aware of the views of the town officials, Hands Off Our Homes, an online campaign and petition, was launched to gain support in opposing short-term rental laws in both Fort Ann and the town of Queensbury. The website offers the opportunity to receive a lawn sign displaying support of the movement and the ability to e-sign the petition, which has received over 580 signatures.

Fort Ann resident and business owner Cliff Nelson said he thinks the campaign is a marketing ploy used to surround (the Moskoses) with cannon fodder.

Nelson claims the issue is often misconstrued when minor details surrounding code enforcement are focused on.

The real core issue here is the change of use in the properties once they have been purchased, he said.

He explained that the homes now owned by Northern Living once belonged to single families and now operate as motels.

As a business owner, he stated he is not anti-business, but recognizes the negative impact these properties have had on a community he has been a part of for over 20 years.

I can see how these properties are tearing at the fabric of the community. These homes are meant for couples and families, not 10-12 new guests a day, Nelson stated.

He cited turnouts at Town Board meetings over the past year in reference to the number of concerned citizens, adding that conversations between neighbors and Moskos often end in loud, heated exchanges.

Like most municipal laws that are crafted after a problem is discovered, Nelson said he thinks Northern Living brought these proposed laws upon themselves. He speculates it is only a matter of time before nationwide laws are established to regulate short-term rental properties.

The town of Fort Ann has yet to set a public hearing on the proposed short-term rental law, and the town supervisor could not be reached for questions by The Post-Star after two attempts over a two-week period.

Queensbury update

Despite the recent conversations to amend the towns laws in Queensbury, a local couple is still facing hardships as the neighbors of a busy short-term rental property.

The Queensbury couple asked to remain anonymous due to an ongoing legal battle surrounding the matter that has cost them over $20,000 in legal fees.

When the young family chose their home on a quiet dirt road, it seemed like the ideal place to raise their kids, they said.

In recent years, though, they said they lost the sense of having a true neighbor and instead now experience a constant revolving door of traffic, which has often disturbed their children and precluded them from using outdoor furniture once enjoyed in their front yard.

The wife explained that the couple did not always feel negatively toward the changes next door and found the short-term rental owner to be friendly and willing to work with them.

According to the woman, the cooperation was short-lived and her texts were soon answered with short, sometimes sarcastic, responses when she reached out with a concern about a guest or group.

After reporting their complaints to the town, the couple said they were threatened and subsequently sued by their neighbor.

The woman claims she has had guests curse and charge at her, her children have been yelled at, and in one instance, people having sex outside could be heard from their property.

She decided to join Queensburys short-term rental committee tasked with reviewing the current town law and suggesting recommendations for any changes necessary.

While the couple is hopeful the new law may help with some of the issues they have seen, both are concerned after learning Megans Law does not apply to short-term rental properties or renters.

Megans Law is a federal law that requires law enforcement to make information regarding sex offenders available to the public. This includes when a perpetrator moves, but time in short-term rentals, similar to hotel stays, are not required by law to be reported.

Town Board member Harrison Freer said any changes made to the short-term rental law would not be put into place until Jan. 1, 2023.

While the couple has experienced problems at their own residence, they both claim more short-term rental property owners should follow the lead of the Moskoses and Northern Living, where they got it right by closely monitoring their guests and properties.

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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QUEENSBURY  Khrystyna Bolinovska woke up to a phone call from her cousin at midnight on Feb. 24 informing her that Russia was invading Ukraine.

Bolinovska, a senior at Queensbury High School who moved to the United States four years ago, immediately went into her kitchen and called her grandmother still living in Ukraine. She said that her grandmother was crying on the other end of the line.

She heard crying and screaming through the phone, and her grandmother informed her that an airport was being bombed.

I didnt understand what was happening because Im still half-asleep, Bolinovska said.

Her extended family made the decision to stay in Bolinovskas family home that they still own in Ukraine for the night. She said that the basement is very spacious, so they would have a good place to lay low.

The next day her extended family decided to head for the Carpathian Mountains to meet up with her cousins mother-in-law. Bolinovska said that they have remained there ever since, watching the news and praying for things to resolve.

She said they are unsure of what their next move might be, but noted that they may try to get to Poland.

It was just a horrible night, she said. I was not sleeping. I was watching news until 4 a.m. I could not fall asleep until they woke up.

For the past two weeks this has been the reality for Bolinovska.

She has been keeping tabs on the news and making sure that her family in her home country is safe.

I have just been sitting and watching news. If something happens while they are asleep, I can call and let them know, she said. Were just hoping that everything is going to change, that there is going to be peace between Russia and Ukraine as it used to be.

Her family is from Ivano-Frankivsk, which is in the western part of Ukraine.

Bolinovska and her older sister Viktoriya would visit their grandmother who lived in the Queensbury area during the summer months prior to the family making the move.

Bolinovska said that her mothers side of the family also lives locally. She made the move with her mother, father and sister.

But her fathers side of the family still lives in Ukraine, and she still has friends and relatives in her home country.

I am contacting them so often, Bolinovska said. Im praying for them, and all of my friends are in Ukraine. Im trying to get in touch with them.

The stress has been building for Bolinovska and her family. She said that she could not believe what was happening as she watched from her Queensbury home.

She would see and hear news of families being killed and 1-month-old babies losing their lives due to attacks on civilians.

Youre sitting here in the United States and youre glad that you are here, but you cant do anything, Bolinovska said.

Support from school

When she started going back to school following the start of the invasion, students showed support to Bolinovska. She walked into school and saw a Ukraine flag hanging on the wall.

She couldnt help but start to cry.

Bolinovska said that a lot of her classmates hugged her and offered her support. They told her that they were with her during this difficult time.

She said that members of the faculty stepped up too.

I had support from my friends, from family and even from the faculty. Thank God for my English as a New Language teacher (Jennifer) Roca. She gave me the first push for all of the donations in the school.

Bolinovska has been collecting supply donations to bring to the St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church in Watervliet. The church is collecting supplies that will be sent to Ukraine to offer humanitarian aid to injured Ukrainian soldiers and refugees.

On the second day that she was collecting donations at the school, Bolinovska was called down to Rocas classroom.

Bolinovska stepped into the classroom and saw a table full of donations, along with more than 50 packages full underneath the table.

It just felt so good that people actually care, she said.

The church is only accepting medical and tactical supplies currently since they are priority items that are needed the most in Ukraine right now. A full list of supplies being accepted can be found at 518ukrainians.com.

I felt like I could do something for them, she said.

She spoke with the student government and Damian Switzer, the high school principal, to get everything set up.

She said they have already received a plethora of donations from the student body. She packs her car and drives what donations she can fit down to St. Nicholas Church.

She was sent a picture of an 18-wheel truck filled with donations being sent out, and she started to cry.

I felt like the best way to gain more donations would be through the school, Bolinovska said. I know that there are so many students out there that can actually help and want to help, and Im just so grateful.

Those looking to donate financially can visit 518ukrainians.com to learn more.

Bolinovska said that there are more people either from Ukraine or who are of Ukrainian descent in the Capital Region.

While she is the only student from Ukraine at Queensbury High School, she said there are a lot of Ukrainian people in areas like Cohoes and Clifton Park.

I really enjoy whenever I have a chance to go to Ukrainian church and see all of those Ukrainian people. I feel like its another side of New York, Bolinovska said.

She was accompanied by friends, family and other Ukrainian people at the Capitol building in Albany for a protest on Feb. 27. They were calling for peace in Ukraine.

People were holding signs that said No More Russian Aggression, and I Want to See My Family Alive, while Ukrainian flags were flying high in the air.

Bolinovska said it is incredible seeing how many Ukrainian people there are locally. With so many protests and fundraising efforts going on, along with events showing solidarity with Ukraine, she is grateful that so many are showing that they care.

We have so much support. Its not just from the United States, its all over the world. Were just so thankful for that. We are so thankful to the people who pray every day, who bring donations, who are trying to help and do something for our country, she said.

Jay Mullen is a reporter for The Post-Star covering the city of Glens Falls, Warren County and crime and courts. You can reach him at 518-742-3224 or jmullen@poststar.com.

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Tedra Cobbs Backroads PAC supports rural Democrats as they run for Congress, but its being criticized for how much money it actually gives to candidates.

Since March 2021, the political action committee has raised over $375,000, and spent about $9,500 on direct contributions to eight candidates across the country, including two candidates in New York, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.

Meanwhile, the organization has paid Cobb $34,500 for consulting work and a health insurance stipend, as well as $25,701 to Mauranda Stahl-Simmons, a communications consultant. Overall, 2.5% of the PACs money has gone to candidates, 81.5% has gone to administrative costs for the PAC, and 16% has gone to Cobb and Stahl-Simmonds.

Maggie Bartley, chair of the Essex County Democratic Committee, said shes disappointed to see that breakdown, and feels that Backroads PAC has been taking money out of Cobbs former campaign district  New Yorks 21st Congressional District  without sowing any money back into the local Democratic field.

When I looked at her (FEC reports) I was amazed at how little money was going to candidates, Bartley said.

Bartley, who has worked with Cobbs campaign during both her runs for Congress, said she and other local Democrats believed Backroads PAC was going to direct as much money as possible to candidates, and help out in the Democratic race for NY-21.

She said the 9% spent on stipends and consulting fees for Cobb should never have been spent.

When people donate to a PAC, they expect their money is going to be going to candidates, she said.

Money used for salary, benefits

In a video interview Thursday, Cobb said the PAC has been more successful than she initially expected, and the money that has been spent on establishing the organization and paid to herself and Stahl-Simmons is nothing out of the ordinary.

Organizations have fixed costs, Cobb said. Theres the cost of making sure you can do emails, the cost of reporting to the FEC, theres a credit card processing fee.

She described the payments to herself and Stahl-Simmonds as simply payment for work performed.

I feel that everyone should get paid for the work they do, she said. I do work for this PAC, Mauranda does work for this PAC, and we are working for those candidates.

Cobb said her two campaigns for Congress, while unsuccessful, showed her a lot about running for office in a rural district in the modern political climate. Her second campaign against Congresswoman Elise Stefanik, R-Schuylerville, netted her a large social media following, and a lot of donors, advantages she said she has also leveraged for candidates supported by Backroads.

Im able to support candidates in other ways, help them raise their profiles to start their campaigns, she said. The other thing is, I have a really great email list and Im able to share news about candidates, and Im able to raise funds for those candidates.

The organizations largest single bill is from GBAO Strategies, for $58,100. GBAO is a research and strategy firm in Washington, D.C., and it worked with Backroads PAC to administer a June 2021 poll of 10 counties in states considered to be senatorial battleground states: Arizona, Georgia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Nevada, Iowa, Ohio, Missouri, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin.

Cobb said that poll has informed the PACs decisions on who to support, and has provided strong insight into how Democrats can chart a path to victory in areas that have long supported Republican candidates. A summary provided to the Times says the polls results showed that veterans, small business owners and veteran candidates who discuss issues rather than discuss former President Donald Trump are the best bet for Democrats to win in rural areas in 2022.

We are able to share that information with everyone, all the candidates who are running and all those sitting congresspeople as well, she said.

According to the FEC documents, Cobb received $21,000 of the $34,000 paid to her by the PAC for health insurance, in $1,500 monthly increments over the last year. She said, because she is not part of a larger organization that provides health insurance, her individual payments for coverage are the most expensive on the market.

For me, its expensive and my deductible is over $10,000, she said.

Cobbs primary focus during her congressional campaigns was health care, making it more affordable and accessible for rural and low-income families. She said its important to her that everyone has access to health care, including herself.

Backroads PAC, while run day-to-day by Cobb, is overseen by a board of directors that includes former Michigan Congressman March Schauer; Clinton Britt, the former chief of staff to Congressman Paul Tonko, D-Albany; and Corine Bartow, head of banking company Fintech Partnerships. That board unanimously voted to provide Cobb with health insurance.

PACs are given wide leeway on how funds can be used, and paying for employee or consultant health insurance costs is an allowed expense.

Of the $9,500 provided directly to the eight candidates supported by Backroads PAC, Cobb said she didnt expect to be able to provide any money at all to candidates in the organizations first year. Its not uncommon for political groups to take years to establish donor bases and resources substantial enough to endorse and support candidates, and shes excited to see Backroads take that first step now.

Cobb wont donate in primaries

Bartley said she and other Democrats in Essex County were convinced that Backroads PAC was going to support a candidate in NY-21, since many of Cobbs donors have been from NY-21.

Her name recognition is here, she never won office so her recognition is only really here in the North Country, Bartley said.

Bartley said Backroads PAC has absorbed money that would otherwise have gone to support a candidate in NY-21, and she has started suggesting donors support candidates directly, rather than donate to PACs.

Cobb said the PAC, in most cases, will not get involved in primary races unless there is a clear frontrunner or an incumbent who fits its criteria running for reelection.

She recalled the campaign of 2018, when she ran in an 11-way primary for the Democratic nomination for NY-21. It was important to her then that the voters decide who was the Democratic nominee without party influence, and that remains the same now.

In the case of New York 21, we dont have a candidate yet, and we wont until the primaries are over, she said. For each of the candidates, Ive met with them, Ive been to a couple of events, Ive been available on the phone and I have been there for them. I will be there for whoever comes out of this primary.

Stahl-Simmons, the PACs communication consultant, is also a communications consultant for Matthew Putorti, one of the Democrats in the race for NY-21, as well as other candidates nationally. Cobb said the PACs compliance consultant, Campaign Compliance Inc., has monitored both her and Stahl-Simmons work to ensure there is no crossover between the PAC and any other campaigns, something she and Stahl-Simmons take seriously.

It isnt uncommon for campaign consultants to work for multiple organizations, especially when they are involved with PACs.

As a consultant, you always work with multiple people, and you keep track of these things, Cobb said. Our compliance firm has made sure that we do things always transparently, with integrity.

Now, with about $68,700 left in cash on hand and more donations anticipated, Cobb said Backroads PAC is on a strong upward trajectory, and she expects to be able to endorse and support up to seven more candidates.

Once the primaries are done, we will continue to support candidates, she said.

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Employees from the Folsom-based South Jersey Gas Veterans Engagement Team helped collect nearly 4,900 pounds of food, enough to feed approximately 270 military families, for the second annual food drive for the Red Cross Service to Armed Forces program. The VETS team is an employee resource group that supports the personal and professional development of former servicemen and women who have transitioned to the workforce. SJG customers and employees set up drive-thru collection points throughout South Jersey on Feb. 26. Volunteers then delivered several truckloads of food to the Red Cross for distribution at the Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst.
Atlantic

Brutus Fluke Tournament: The 24th annual Brutus Fluke Tournament, hosted by Egg Harbor Township Elks Lodge 2563 and Somers Point AMVETS Post 911, will be held from 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. June 18, organizers announced. Prizes are awarded for fluke, bluefish, striper and Junior Division entries. The tournament proceeds support both local veterans and handicapped childrens charities. The entry fee is $40 per angler and fishing may be done from boat, pier, or beach. Deadline for registration will be at the end of the 6 p.m. Captains meeting on June 17. Registration includes snacks during registration and an awards buffet after the tournament. To request a registration form or for more information, email BrutusBoy6665@aol.com. Registration forms can also be picked up in the Somers Point/Ocean City area at Point Tackle Marine, Somers Point Marine, Tight Lines, Gregorys Bar, Fin-Atics, Back Bay BBQ, AMVETS Center in Somers Point and the EHT Elks Lodge.

Masonic scholarship available: Justice Lodge, part of Trinity Justice Unity Lodge #79 of F&AM, offers scholarship money to graduating high school seniors and students already attending college. To be eligible, the applicant must be the daughter, son, granddaughter or grandson of a Mason belonging to a lodge in the 23rd Masonic District encompassing Atlantic County. The applicant must show academic achievement, financial need and good character with recommendations. To apply, visit trinityjusticeunity.com and click on the 2022 scholarship link. Applications must be received by April 18.

Video, podcast contest: Students enrolled in a New Jersey college or university are invited to participate in the Step Up Vax Up contest for a chance to win cash prizes up to $5,000. Digital content can be submitted in the form of a video or podcast that highlights health equity across campus and the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. Cash prizes will be awarded to the top-rated student submissions for first place, second place and third place. Five honorable mentions will also be awarded. Faculty and staff are encouraged to support student participation for a chance to receive a school staff champion prize. The submission deadline is April 1. Videos and podcasts can be submitted online at stepupvaxup.com/submit

Male mentors needed: Big Brothers Big Sisters of Atlantic & Cape May Counties is in the midst of a 60 Bigs in 60 Days volunteer recruitment campaign. The agency has an urgent need for male volunteers to become mentors for boys currently waiting to be matched. Mentors commit to spending time twice a month with their match. Training is provided. For more information, visit BeBigSouthJersey.org or call 609-573-5029, ext.12.

AARP free tax help: The AARP Foundation offers free tax return preparation and filing at the following Atlantic County tax sites: Atlantic County Library, Farragut Ave., Mays Landing  10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays through April 8, Community Center, 265 42nd St South; Brigantine  10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays through April 6, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays through to April 9; AMVETS Building, 415 Shore Road, Somers Point  10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesdays through April 6, and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursdays through April 7. Reservations are required, no walk-ins. Visit taxaide.aarpfoundation.org or call Ken at 609-829-8846 from 1 to 4 p.m. Fridays.

Cape May Womens Community Club hosts guest speaker: Lynda Towns, from the Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May, will give a presentation at the monthly meeting of the Womens Community Club of Cape May 1 p.m. March 17 at Price Hall, Seashore and Academy Roads in Cold Spring. Social time is 12:30 p.m. with prepackaged snacks and coffee. Guests are welcome. For more information about the club, call 609-972-1496.

Fly fishing club: South Jersey Coastal Fly Anglers invites the public to learn about fly fishing and fly tying 7 p.m. March 17 at the Howard S. Stainton Senior Center in the Ocean City Community Center, 18th and Simpson streets, Ocean City. There will be tying stations set up to teach basic fly tying. Admission is free. For more information, call Joe at 609-412-9604.

Vendors sought for 4-H Fair: Applications are available for exhibit space for commercial and food concessions (including food trucks), non-profits and educational displays at the 2022 Cape May County 4-H Fair to be held at 4-H fairgrounds in Cape May Court House. Public hours will be from 3 to 9 p.m. July 21, and 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. July 22, July 23. The theme is Christmas in July. Vendors who offer family friendly novelties and quality crafts and goods, including holiday themes, are encouraged to participate. For applications, visit cmc4h.com. For more information, call 609-465-5115, ext. 3606.

Cumberland Miss Tri-City Scholarship Pageant: Young women ages 16-18 who live or go to school in the Vineland/Millville/Buena area are invited to participate in the Miss Tri-City Scholarship Pageant. The pageant will be held May 14 at the Landis Theater in Vineland. Spots are limited. For more information, visit misstricitypageant.com. Maurice River Music salon concerts: The La Bernardinia Baroque Ensemble will be featured at the March 27 salon concert at a residence in the Mauricetown area. Seating is limited to 20 persons, advance reservations are required. All concerts will be at 2:30 p.m. Donations to assist in covering expenses will be accepted. Those attending should be fully vaccinated and must wear masks. To reserve seats, receive directions, or receive more information on the series, call 856-506-0580, email at info@mauricerivermusic.com or visit mauricerivermusic.com. For those not wishing to attend in person, a video recording of the concert will be sent by email to those who send a check in the amount of their choosing and made out to the artist, with a deadline of arrival by the Friday before the concert. Checks must be sent to Maurice River Music, PO Box 133, Mauricetown, NJ, 08322. include your email address and telephone number on the check.

Southern Ocean Special library card features Baby Yoda: The Ocean County Library offers a new limited edition library card design featuring Baby Yoda, also called Grogu or The Child, from the Disney+ series The Mandalorian. Cards, for new and existing library members, will be available at all 21 library branches and reading centers beginning March 28. The card also features an easy-to-read, enlarged-font barcode number on the opposite side. For more information, visit theoceancountylibrary.org.

National Vietnam War Veterans Day ceremony: All Vietnam veterans are invited to the third annual event hosted by Thanking Vietnam Veterans in Barnegat Foundation and co-sponsored by Barnegat American Legion Post 232 and Barnegat VFW Post 10092, to be held 3 p.m. March 29 at Gazebo Park. The foundation will present 600 Vietnam veteran lapel pins to vets in attendance. The pins are provided by the United States of America Vietnam War Commemoration Dept. Prior to the event, veterans who need help with VA claims or forms are invited to meet with members of the VA, Vet Center and DAV at the American Legion, beginning at 9 a.m. For more information, call Jimmy Cavagnaro at 908-461-8409 or visit the groups Facebook or Twitter sites.

Prom Dress Giveaway returns: The Ocean County Library will conduct its annual Prom Dress Giveaway from 3 to 8 p.m. April 5 and 6 at the Little Egg Harbor branch library at 290 Mathistown Road in Little Egg Harbor Township. Donated formal wear will be given free of charge, no registration is required. In the interest of health and safety, the number of simultaneous occupants in the meeting room will be regulated. For information, visit theoceancountylibrary.org.

Veterans museum fundraiser: Veterans United Military Memorial Museum in New Gretna will host a fundraiser from 7 to 9 p.m. April 29 at Calloways Restaurant & Bar, 597 Route 9, Eagleswood. The cost is $25 and includes beer, wine, pizza and wings. For more information and tickets, call 609-513-6454.
Bald eagles in New Jersey were reduced by DDT to one active nest in Bear Swamp, Cumberland County  and for six straight years the pesticide-thinned eggs there failed to produce an eaglet. We watched in 1982 as an intrepid wildlife worker for the states Endangered and Nongame Species Program climbed to the nests dizzying height, while menaced by the eagle pair, and removed the egg for careful incubation and return as a fledgling.

Those hatchlings and healthy young eagles from Canada were released for several years. These first new bald eagles in more than a decade began a wildlife restoration so successful that the nations symbol was removed from the federal endangered species list in 2007.

The recent annual report by the New Jersey Bald Eagle Project confirms the happy trend continues. Last year it found 22 new active bald eagle pairs in the state, 12 of them in South Jersey.

Overall, wildlife biologists counted 247 nesting sites and 222 of them with eggs. They produced almost 300 young eagles. The Delaware Bay region remained the states eagle stronghold, with roughly half of all nests located in Cumberland and Salem counties and the bayside of Cape May County, said the report.

As great as the restoration of bald eagles has been, it was held back by another poison. Eagles could better thrive and be assured of an enduring place in natural America if steps are taken to prevent them from eating toxic lead.

Researchers from Cornell University have found that lead poisoning has reduced the population growth of bald eagles on average 6% for male birds and 4% for females in each of the past 30 years. Bald eagles scavenge as well as hunt, and they ingest the lead pellets from birds and animals shot by hunters.

The metal is a neurotoxin that, even if it doesnt kill the eagle outright, can leave it debilitated and vulnerable to vehicles, powerlines and other threats. The eagle survey counted 48 eagles killed by such causes last year in New Jersey, including two by poison, while 10 were able to be treated and released.

Every eagle that comes into a rehab center gets tested for lead, said Kathy Clark, supervising biologist with New Jerseys Endangered and Non-Game Species Program. To be impaired for a wild animal is really going to lessen their survival.

Were seeing eagles come in with all kinds of problems, but almost all of them come in with an unhealthy level of lead, even if the issue they were rescued for didnt appear to be lead, said Peggy Sue Hentz, founder of Red Creek Wildlife Center in Schuylkill Haven, Pa.

While lead shot has been banned from waterfowl hunting for 25 years, much of it remains in the environment where it can move through the food chain and up into eagles.

Lead shot is still allowed for other kinds of hunting. Hunters can help by ensuring no game or part of an animal with lead shot in it is left in the wild to be consumed by eagles or other wildlife.

Putting toxic lead into the environment  at the same time Americans are challenged to pay for the costly removal of it from their water  shouldnt continue. There are sufficient alternatives to it to prohibit its use.

A bigger, healthier population of majestic bald eagles would be just one benefit. Much other wildlife and people too would gain if there is an end to knowingly spreading lead around.
SPRINGFIELD  For more than three decades, Marcus Hargrett's version of getting ready for work included holstering a semiautomatic pistol before reporting to the Cook County Jail.

Now retired, Hargrett and thousands of other similarly situated former county sheriff's officers say a federal law allows them to carry weapons anywhere in the nation. But state government administrators have blocked them from doing so for nearly two decades.

In Illinois, the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act, signed by President George W. Bush in 2004, permits as many as 10,000 retired officers to carry concealed weapons anywhere "notwithstanding any state or local law."

But the office that governs the Illinois program created rules that preclude ex-correctional officers  guards who operated the jail such as Hargrett  and court services officers, or bailiffs. The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board determined that they are not "retired law enforcement officers."

Hargrett, 63, spent a large part of his career in a squad car patrolling the nation's largest single-site jail. It meant transporting inmates to and from court, the hospital or doctors' visits. It also meant apprehending troublemakers.

"We'd make vehicle stops or investigate suspicious persons around the jail complex," Hargrett said. "We have many times intervened and made arrests. ...

"It's just inane to tell us that we're law enforcement officers who take law enforcement action, but then when we retire to say we're not retired law enforcement officers."

According to federal law, they are. The approximately 6,000 retirees in Hargrett's shoes meet the LEOSA requirement that they spend at least 10 years as an officer with arrest powers.

But in Illinois, there's an additional wrinkle. The training and standards board defines "retired law enforcement officer" as any police officers who during their career were "primarily responsible for prevention or detection of crime."

To confuse matters, the application for a LEOSA card includes a form requiring applicants to affirm that they meet the state definition of "retired law enforcement officer." But in the same application, there is a second form on which the officer's former employer must attest that the retiree meets the broader federal definition.

Despite repeated phone calls and emails seeking comment, neither Keith Calloway, the standards board's interim executive director, nor chief legal counsel John Keigher responded to requests for comment from The Associated Press. Neither was in the Springfield office on Friday when the AP visited.

The differing requirements have prompted Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart to steer clear of green-lighting corrections and court deputies for universal concealed-carry eligibility, although he was the lead signatory on a 2015 letter to the standards board pleading the LEOSA case for the retirees.

"The sheriff has been clear in his support of these officers' cause and remains supportive to this day," Dart spokesman Matthew Walberg said. "Unfortunately, Illinois' requirements are more narrowly constructed than federal law."

Not every sheriff feels so constrained. In Sangamon County, corrections deputies are not eligible for the concealed carry program, but Sheriff Jack Campbell confirms the eligibility of retired court deputies who, during their service time, often arrest people for such crimes as attempting to take contraband into the courthouse.

The retired deputies could qualify under state civilian concealed carry law. But only half the states honor the Illinois permit. Hargrett recounts confrontations with ex-Cook County inmates while visiting trade shows, once in Atlanta and once in New Orleans, both situated in states without reciprocity.

Washington, D.C., correctional officers went to federal court in 2016 when their employer denied LEOSA credentials, claiming they had no arrest powers. But the officers prevailed, producing evidence that they did. Officers also testified to finding "kill lists" of guards in inmates' cells. One recalled how he was confronted by an ex-inmate while on vacation with his family in a distant state.

"If you're a criminal and you spend 20 years in jail, when you get out, are you more likely to target the officer who arrested you 20 years ago or the guy who exercised control over your daily existence for 20 years?" said the officers' attorney, Aaron Marr Page, who has advised Hargrett. "The idea that they don't face these threats is ridiculous."

Barron Alston, 59, a retired Cook County corrections veteran of 30 years assigned to electronic monitoring, checked defendants confined to their homes while awaiting trial and arrested those who broke the rules.

In retirement, the Hillside resident said he regularly encounters people he arrested "for drugs, guns, a little bit of everything ... murderers, rapists, arsonists, people who mess with kids."

The issue has gone to court in Illinois, too. The January 2018 federal ruling went against eligibility for five Cook and DuPage County sheriff's corrections and courts retirees.

But U.S. District Judge Gary Feinerman didn't rule on whether the retirees are unfairly excluded. He found that they could not use the federal civil rights statute to litigate whether they were improperly shut out.

In part, the ruling revealed a concealed-carry Catch-22: LEOSA requires a photo ID from the retiree's former agency. Feinerman decided that because by definition they don't meet state requirements to obtain the photo ID, denying universal privileges to carry a firearm causes no harm.

The retirees, meanwhile, are flummoxed by the finger pointing. Dart won't sign off on the corrections and courts deputies because state rules declare them ineligible. The board sees it differently. In a 2018 letter to Hargrett, former Executive Director Brent Fischer suggested he plead his case to Dart who "has far more discretion" than the board.

Alston got the same reaction late last fall during a visit to the standards board's Springfield office.

"They told me they had no problem with it," Alston said. "They said it's the sheriff holding you back."

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A 70-year-old Bettendorf man is dead after a two-vehicle crash that occurred at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, Bettendorf Police Sgt. Andrew Champion said.

The crash occurred on 18th Street between the intersections of Lincoln Road and Parkway Drive.

Champion said the initial investigation indicated that a 2007 Honda Ridgeline pickup truck was northbound on 18th Street. The driver lost control of the vehicle, drove off the roadway and struck a signpost on the right side of the roadway.

The driver of the pickup appeared to overcorrect, went back onto the roadway and traveled north in the southbound lanes of 18th Street.

The pickup then struck a 2013 Toyota Highlander driven by a 66-year-old woman head-on.

The impact caused the Ridgeline to roll. The driver was not wearing a seat belt and was thrown from the pickup. He died of his injuries.

The woman was taken to Genesis Medical Center East, Davenport, for evaluation and then released.

The name of the man was not released Saturday night pending notification of family.

The crash remains under investigation by the Bettendorf Police Department and Scott County Medical Examiners Office.

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Rose Moore of Davenport said she voted for Republican former Iowa governor Terry Branstad every time he was on the ballot. Moore, too, voted for current Republican Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in her first election in 2018.

But on Sunday, Moore, who said shes registered as an independent, came to a Davenport panel that included Democrat Deidre DeJear, whos running to unseat Reynolds, to hear something different.

The way I feel right now? Anybody whos running against Kim Reynolds has got my vote, Moore said, citing Reynolds end to pandemic federal unemployment benefits as one example of why she turned away from Reynolds.

But I loved what Deidre had to say, too, she added. This was her first time seeing DeJear.

DeJear is the presumed frontrunner to face off against Reynolds. She has been traveling the state to introduce herself to voters like Moore, whose opinion reflects statewide polling that Reynolds, with soaring approval ratings among Republicans, is a polarizing figure. DeJear, though, faces a steep uphill climb  both in terms of fundraising, momentum and name recognition among Iowa voters.

The latest Des Moines Register/Mediacom Iowa Poll that surveyed likely midterm election voters showed Reynolds held an 8-point lead over DeJear. Of those likely voters surveyed, 51% said they would back Reynolds, while 43% said theyd support DeJear. A third of respondents said they didnt know enough about her to rate their feelings toward her; and among those who favored DeJear, 61% said they didnt know enough about her to form an opinion.

Moore was one of about 30 people in a basement meeting room below a Davenport real estate office that came to hear DeJear as part of a Women We Rise panel.

In a speech and in a question-and-answer session afterward, DeJear cited statistics and anecdotes that Iowa has backslid in education rankings and the number of psychiatrists and mental health beds per capita under Reynolds leadership.

She called herself a problem solver, "because I believe it is a strength to acknowledge our challenges."

"I want to make sure that this is a state that's welcoming that our kids aren't focused on leaving but they want to stay," DeJear said. "I want to make sure that your grandbabies are born in the state of Iowa, not in California or Florida."

State Rep. Phyllis Thede, a Bettendorf Democrat, was one of the organizers of Women We Rise, an organization that promotes women in politics. Thede worked with DeJear on now-vice president Kamala Harris presidential campaign, and said DeJear was a prolific organizer and small business owner.

Referring to the Iowa Poll, Thede said she believed it was still early in the race before most of the general public is paying attention, saying that she wasn't worried about the poll numbers but viewed them as a "challenge."

"We know Reynolds is a force to be reckoned with, but that doesn't stop us," Thede said. "But I think people are just like, you know, I'm not sure if I want to go there (run against Reynolds). Deidre has always been there; she's been there ready to go. And so I think that says a lot about her."

DeJear is the only Democrat actively campaigning for governor. Ras Smith, a Democratic lawmaker from Waterloo, dropped out of the race in January citing in part challenges raising funds for a race some political pundits have rated as uncompetitive. Election forecasters Sabatos Crystal Ball has rated Iowas race as "safe Republican."

Reynolds filed for reelection earlier this week after giving the GOP response to President Joe Bidens State of the Union address. Shes put particular emphasis on recent legislation signed into law including a tax cut that would phase in a flat income tax to 3.9% by 2026 and cut taxes on corporations.

The most recent financial reports showed Reynolds started 2022 with about $5 million on hand; DeJear reported $8,500.

DeJear said the campaign was on an "upward trajectory," with campaign donations in the early months of 2022.

"The basis of any campaign, if you're doing it, right, you're meeting people where they are. And that's where people truly get to know you," DeJear said. "Now, this is an opportunity for me to one get out there and reconnect with folks. And also remind people of who I am."

DeJear ran for Secretary of State in 2018 but lost to incumbent Paul Pate.

The primary election is set for June 7, and the general election will be Nov. 8.

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Marilyn Andress has lugged tires, wash machines and building materials out of an Illinois prairie that other people used as an illegal dump site.

She spearheaded the Quad-Cities first-ever bio blitz in which anyone interested  particularly families  were invited to the wetland area known as Milan Bottoms to see how many species of life they could find in a 24-hour period.

And she and her husband, Don, personally restored swaths of prairie, forest and wetland on what was an eroded, rundown farm in Rock Island County.

For these and other works in education, stewardship and environmental advocacy, Andress, 70, of rural Illinois City, will receive this years Oberholtzer Award for present-day conservation leadership from Nahant Marsh Education Center, Davenport. The presentation will be March 26 at The Bend Event Center, East Moline.

The award is named for Ernest Oberholtzer (1884-1977), a Davenport native, explorer, author and champion for the protection of natural areas in northern Minnesota. In addition to present-day conservation, other awards will be for past and future (student) leadership, and there will be two honorary citations. The purpose is to recognize individual efforts in protecting the natural world, to promote awareness and to inspire others to action.

Why does Andress do what she does?

Because its the right thing to do, she said one recent day, sitting at the dining table of her 134-year-old farmhouse. Perched atop a bluff with sweeping views of the Mississippi River, the house was abandoned when she and her husband Don bought it and an adjoining 36 acres in 1992.

The first thing one might notice in talking to Andress is how quiet and unassuming she is.

The second thing, once she begins telling her story, is that she didnt start out in conservation.

She grew up in Rock Island where she played in city streets and the sand castings discards at Franks Foundry at 41st Street and 5th Avenue. Schools didnt have programs to connect kids with nature. The closest thing I knew about nature was watching the squirrels in the oak trees in my neighborhood park, Long View, and sitting on the porch with my grandfather feeding peanuts to the blue jays that would perch on the utility wires along 6th Avenue, Andress said.

From deputy to conservationist

Her earliest thoughts about the earth came as a college student during the first Earth Day celebration in 1970.

But at the time, Andresss mind was trained on other things. She wanted a career in law enforcement  and unusual choice because it was nearly an all-male profession then  and was studying for a degree in whats now called criminal justice at St. Ambrose University. She was something of a rebel.

While still a student she got a part-time job as a communications dispatcher for the Rock Island County Emergency Communications Center and, in 1976 and after graduation, she became a deputy, supervising the center. In 1978, she cracked the patrol division, the first woman to hold that job.

Over the next 24 years, she held a variety of jobs including as tactical firearms instructor, field training officer, traffic crash investigator and as a teacher of drug- and gang-awareness and resistance programs in the countys elementary and junior high schools.

But meantime, other things happened and were happening in her life: In the early 1980s she began volunteering with a nature group that tackled cleanup of the Thomson-Fulton sand prairie in Whiteside County, Illinois.

It was nothing but a junkyard, but his eye saw the plants, Andress said, referring to the groups leader. He saw the ornate box turtle, a species whose population is threatened in Illinois. Helping haul junk out of this natural area was different from what I was doing, she said. It was a good escape to go out and work on the land.

Hiking with an Augustana College professor who had a passion for native plants inspired her to do her own learning.

Other life-changing events were the birth of her and her husbands daughter, the purchase of the farm that theyve transformed and expanded to 77 acres and the restoration and enlargement of the propertys house.

Among influences were Aldo Leopolds A Sand County Almanac in which the Burlington, Iowa, native explains that people are members of a community of interdependent soils, waters, plants and animals that must be treated with love and respect, and an environmental ethics class taught by the Rev. Bud Grant at St. Ambrose University. It was in listening to Grant that Andress concluded the reason to do conservation is because its the right thing to do.

Conservation as a job, major accomplishments

By the time Andress retired from the sheriffs department in February 2001, she was more than ready to start a second career in conservation. Two weeks after hanging up her badge, she reported to work as education coordinator for the Rock Island Soil and Water Conservation Service, a job she held for the next dozen years.

The new role allowed her to spread the message of love and care of the land and everything on it to thousands of people, from little kids to senior citizens.

She brought unprecedented energy to the position, Lynn Abel, of Moline, said in nominating Andress for the Oberholtzer award. Work included amassing environmental education materials, designing intergenerational curriculum and building partnerships with school communities in the Q-C area.

Particularly significant was Andress role in helping to create a county Master Naturalist program that educated people in various areas of conservation  ethics to endangered species  and required volunteer work for certification. The program continues to this day and is a model for programs across the state.

Other programs Andress established during her second career:

The areas first 24-hour scientific bio blitz; this program also continues with the next scheduled for June 24-25 at Davenports Sunderbruch Park.

A volunteer stewardship organization now operating under the name of Guardians of the Prairie and Forest that does education as well as hands-on work such as pulling invasive species from native areas. Through this group and personally, Andress continues to regularly host students, pre-school through college, to Prairie Rose Acres, the name theyve given to their property. The most shes had at one time is 160 junior high school students from Moline. She also organizes the groups annual native plant sale. This years date is May 21 at Hauberg Civic Center, 1300 24th St., Rock Island. The sale feeds her goal of saving the prairie one plant at a time.

A certified fire training program in which she brought in instructors to teach people how to conduct prescribed burns of natural areas, including prairies and forests, that curtail the spread of invasive species and rejuvenate natives.

Although training is no longer held, Andress continues to help plan and organize prescribed fire events on both public and private land. The adrenaline rush reminds her of some of her days in law enforcement, she said.

And, at home, she and her husband continue to work on habitat restoration. Its a never-ending process, she said. Youre never done. Thats because if natural areas arent managed they will become degraded by non-native species.

She also passed her values to her family  to her daughter, Amber Schorg, now a biologist with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service in Moline, and to her granddaughter, whose journey is just beginning.

As Abel wrote in her Oberholtzer nomination, she leads by example.

But Andress is quick to credit all the passionate nature people who influenced her and helped with the gritty, sweaty, hands-on volunteer work of conservation, including her family.

Without them, I couldnt have done all the things Ive done over the past 35 years, she said.

We were going to change the world, she said, thinking back on her life and the formative 1960s and 70s. Where did we screw up?

Then, after a pause, Were still fighting, she said.

In a quiet, unassuming way, Andress is on the front line every day, doing what she loves.

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CHICAGO - A man who is believed to have burglarized a Ukrainian Church in the Humboldt Park neighborhood has been arrested and remains in custody, according to a notification from Chicago police.

Around 1:10 a.m. Saturday, a man reportedly stole several items from the Holy Protection Parish of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the 900 block of North Washtenaw Avenue.

Police met with a custodial worker who said the church had been burglarized. Investigators determined a broken window on the side of the church was one of the points of entry.

A man was seen on video surveillance taking several unidentified items from the church, according to the police notification.

Area three detectives are investigating and charges were pending Sunday morning.

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Americans have been horrified at what theyre seeing in Ukraine. Russias relentless and inhumane bombings of civilians have killed men, women and children. Those who have survived are huddling in fear or sent fleeing to other countries.

The numbers change daily, but the latest reports say Russias war has sent more than 2 million Ukrainian refugees to other countries. We've seen estimates that say the figure could reach 4 million.

These are staggering numbers.

Most, so far, have sought haven in Europe. But all countries will probably feel the impact of this latest wave of people fleeing for their lives.

The Biden administration announced a week ago it would grant temporary protected status to Ukrainians now in this country. That will provide help to more than 75,000 people in the United States. But much more needs to be done. The administration  all Americans, really  need to make clear we stand ready to help Ukrainians fleeing this war.

The president said the other day the U.S. will share the cost of taking care of Ukraines refugees, and Congress has approved a package of financial assistance.

These are good moves, but countries like Poland and Moldova that are bearing the brunt of these refugees should not be alone in resettling Ukrainians scattered by this war. Sooner or later, other countries will need to open their doors wider, too.

That should include the United States.

Already, we are seeing Ukrainians at our doorstep. Reuters reported a week ago that, while the numbers are small for the moment, people from Ukraine are beginning to appear on our southern border seeking asylum.

We should welcome them, and we should process their asylum claims quickly.

The administration also should raise the cap on the number of refugees allowed in this country. The cap is currently at 125,000, but that comes after years in which it was far lower. The U.S. also should redouble its efforts to fix the resettlement system that was largely dismantled in previous years.

Individual Americans can help in this area, too. Be prepared, and willing, to welcome Ukrainian refugees into this country; be willing to help resettlement agencies that will surely be called upon to help these families.

In recent years, the United States has not done enough to help people fleeing persecution and violence, whether it was in Syria, Afghanistan, Central America or elsewhere. We must step up to the plate this time. It is not enough to just fly the blue and yellow colors.

Yes, we are rightly outraged at the images we see in Ukraine. And while we support the Biden administrations decision not to commit American troops, we know this is not a war in which this country will remain fully immune.

The most obvious example, thus far, is rising gas prices, which already were high before the U.S. ban on Russian oil imports. We should be prepared for more of the same and realize the price were paying pales in comparison to the suffering going on in Ukraine. It might also be helpful to remember the privation other generations of Americans underwent during times of war and realize we dont have it so bad.

Many Americans already get the idea that the oil import ban will cost them, and they're OK with that. (A Wall Street Journal poll that said nearly 8 in 10 Americans supported the import ban on Russian oil even if it meant higher gas prices.)

The impact of the U.S. action will be relatively limited. Europe relies more heavily on Russian energy products, and so far there doesnt seem to be an appetite there to shut off the spigot. Still, in this country, it was the right thing to do.

Americans also should prepare themselves for other potential effects as this war continues. We dont know what steps Vladimir Putin will take as the international sanctions imposed by the United States and other NATO countries squeeze Russia. But he has rattled the nuclear sword, and there always is the threat of cyberattacks.

This may well be a long war. Already, Ukraine has stalled Russian advances more than military experts expected, and the Ukrainians have vowed not to give in. These are unsettling times, but we should continue to support the sanctions that hold out our best hope for weakening Russias resolve over the long time. We also should stand ready to do our utmost to help refugees from Ukraine who are fleeing this war.

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WeCrashed isnt a look at the rise and fall of WeWork, the flexible workspace company, but the couple behind it, producers say.

What was fascinating to us was there was a relationship  like a love story  at its heart, says Executive Producer Drew Crevello.

Tracking the partnership between Adam Neumann and Rebekah Paltrow gave actors Jared Leto and Anne Hathaway something other than investments and deals to play.

Were these idealistic visionaries or was there a cynicism there? Crevello asks. Or both? People want black and white answers here but theres a lot of gray. We feel confident that weve laid out our story and provided enough for you to draw your own conclusions.

Leto pictures the story in artistic terms: This is a painting, its not a photograph. Its not a documentary. Its impressionistic.

Both he and Hathaway did considerable research into the Neumanns' lives. They learned about the lifestyles they led, the effect success had on them and the mistakes they made with employees.

The insurance against things slipping into caricature is to dive into as much truth as possible, Leto says. To capture the Israeli billionaires accent, he watched hours of footage and became buried in the interviews. He was very verbose.

Hathaway also took a deep dive into her characters background. Shes very interested in spirituality, sharing the books that shes read, so I immersed myself in those, the Oscar-winning actress says during a Zoom conference. I also worked with a researcher who gave me amazing, amazing research on Rebekahs life, world. It is a world I was not born into but I am familiar with. I just sort of did my own investigative reporting. I would find people that knew her and I asked them questions. It was very interesting to kind of hear peoples experience with her versus the way shes portrayed in the media.

Among Paltrows contributions: WeGrow, a private school. When WeWork started to experience financial issues, she stepped down as CEO of WeGrow.

Gwyneth Paltrow, Rebekahs cousin, is mentioned in WeCrashed, but shes not a character. I think Gwyneth is someone who gets a lot of attention from the media and shed probably prefer I just say, Were good, and leave out the details," Hathaway says.

WeCrashed does detail the kind of work environment the Neumanns created.

At the beginning, you see that these are people who had very sincere intentions, Hathaway says. I really think they wanted to make the world a better place. How they executed that is a lot more complicated. I do think they were people  certainly in my characters case  who looked at the world and was trying to leave it better than she found it.

Adam Neumann set out to build something that he was proud of, Leto says. I think he set his sights on a pretty impossible goal and achieved something pretty remarkable.

Nevertheless, theres still the story of a company questioned about its business model and its ability to turn a profit. Both Neumanns left the company and others were charged with changing its fortunes.

Executive Producer Lee Eisenberg says WeCrashed investigates how a persons past informs the present. Those who have seen it debate Neumanns motives  did he believe anything he was saying or did he fly too close to the sun?

Because so much was written about the companys rise and fall, the love story appealed to the producers. You dont talk about the love story in the founding of Facebook or Uber, Crevello says. So it felt very unique to us. And, honestly, it felt like the truth of WeWork. There was not a way to tell the story of WeWork without telling the story of Adam and Rebekah.
A Virginia State University student was found dead in an off-campus apartment early Saturday morning.

In a release from the Chesterfield County Police Department, officials said they were called to the University Apartments at Ettrick at around 2:30 a.m. after campus officers alerted them to the body. Police said there were no signs of trauma.

Chesterfield police are investigating the death, and an autopsy is underway at the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond.

The students name and age is not being released until the family has been notified.

This students death was the second at the University Apartments at Ettrick in three months. Another VSU student was killed there in a shooting in December.
Despite a lack of any unintended consequences, the General Assembly passed a bill Saturday to largely undo a 2021 law opening up more police records to the public and press.

Two lawmakers who opposed the bill said it would hinder the ability of the press to investigate crime and police misconduct.

Debate over the legislation this year was riddled with misinformation, and several lawmakers acknowledged during the process that they misunderstood the Virginia Freedom of Information Act.

The bill relates to criminal files in closed cases in which release of the records would not hinder any potential prosecution.

Last year, after study, the legislature changed how police and commonwealths attorneys handle such records.

The FOIA had given them discretion over whether to release the records, and they generally withheld even closed-case records from the public and press. The 2021 law required the records to be released, but with numerous exceptions. Photos of a victim cannot be released, and police can withhold records that would identify a confidential source or records that would constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy.

Some lawmakers during hearings on the bill this year falsely claimed anyone could get the records of a confidential source, and said disgusting photos of victims could be released under current law even though thats not possible.

Lawmakers also heard from families of two college students who had been murdered, who feared that new records could be released under the 2021 law and that release would traumatize their families.

But there was no actual example of any sensitive records being released in the eight months since the 2021 law has been in effect. A TV production company asked Albemarle County police for records in the murder cases, but dropped the request in December after police demanded more than $76,000 to even begin examining which records could be released.

In a suicide case in Charlottesville, police responded to a FOIA request by redacting nearly all the information, citing the privacy provision of the 2021 law. Thats evidence that even under the 2021 change, police are still withholding records in closed cases.

The bills backers included the Virginia Association of Commonwealths Attorneys, which presented no evidence this year that any sensitive records had been released.

Both chambers on Saturday passed House Bill 734 from Del. Rob Bell, R-Albemarle, which shifts FOIA back to allowing police and prosecutors to withhold all records from the press and public in inactive investigations. Police and prosecutors would be required under the new law to provide records to family members of homicide victims and to lawyers doing post-conviction work. The bill goes to Gov. Glenn Youngkin.

The GOP-controlled House voted 55-39 for the bill. The Democratic-controlled Senate voted 25-15 for the bill after six Democrats joined Republicans.

Republicans and some Democrats who backed the legislation did not hide their desire to allow police and prosecutors to withhold records in the closed cases.

We say as a policy decision that everybody just doesnt need to see the details in that closed criminal file, said Sen. Richard Stuart, R-King George.

Sen. Adam Ebbin, D-Alexandria, asked what harm had happened under the 2021 law that justified its essential repeal. He noted the 2021 law has victim protections that are being used by police, and said prosecutors had been unable to illustrate any harm to anyone that happened under existing FOIA.

We should give the law a chance to work and stay in the company of states as diverse as Tennessee and Connecticut that allow access to the closed investigative files in the hands of the police and prosecutors, Ebbin said.

He gave an example of what will happen under the new legislation: If the press wants to investigate a bad apple police officer by requesting files on other cases on which the officer worked, police and prosecutors will withhold those files.

Sen. Scott Surovell, D-Fairfax, said it was unfortunate that the Senate went along.

There is a way to address the concerns of these victims without completely undoing what we did last year, he said.

Del. Danica Roem, D-Prince William, a former newspaper reporter, asked Bell, the bill sponsor, about the balance between protecting victims and allowing press access.

She said the bill takes away the ability of reporters to do their jobs.

In his response, Bell misgendered her, calling her the gentleman.

Excuse me. Its delegate, she said.

Speaker Todd Gilbert instructed Bell: Youd say to the delegate. 

I would say to the delegate, Bell said. Im sorry. I  whatever I said. He then referred to Roem as Ms. Roem and the gentlelady, and said crime victims are terrified that information about their loved ones will make it onto the internet.

This was our  my  best effort to try to find the right place for that line, Bell said.

The Senate Democrats who voted for the bill were John Bell of Loudoun, George Barker of Fairfax, Lynwood Lewis of Accomack, Dave Marsden of Fairfax, Jeremy McPike of Prince William and Creigh Deeds of Bath.
Simply tapping her cellphone screen to rouse it from sleep mode raises Nataliya Marushchaks heart rate.

For Marushchak, a Henrico County wife and mother of two girls, 12 and 8, the absence of morning text messages from her Ukrainian mother sends her into a tailspin of what ifs. Equally terrifying are messages with details:

That sirens have gone off where her mother  an administrator in a womens hospital in the western Ukrainian village of Ivano-Frankivsk  is hiding in the hospital basement with fatigued pregnant women, scared new mothers and newborns.

That Russian soldiers are ransacking their food supplies in town and theres no bread.

That a colleagues apartment windows were blown out that morning by a nearby bomb.

That traversing up and down the hospitals four floors, moving patients to and from the basement when those sirens go off, feels more like 20 stories for her mothers tired body.

Tap, tap.

With a sad smile, Marushchak, who came to the United States 15 years ago, said recently that she no longer needs coffee to wake up. Real life-and-death news about her mother, her aunt and teenage nephew  caught in the clutches of an increasingly bloody war they did not want  jolts Marushchak more than the boldest shot of caffeine.

The eyes of the world are on Ukraine.

The Russian invasion that began just last month has spiraled into a conflict that world leaders increasingly say has no endgame.

The implications are dire and getting worse as a humanitarian crisis deteriorates by the day. The United Nations says a total of about 2.7 million Ukrainian people have fled the country since the invasion began on Feb. 24. More than 1.5 million have gone to neighboring Poland, while the others have fled to Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Moldova. Smaller numbers have gone to Russia or Belarus.

More than 500 Ukrainian people  children included  have been killed, though some wonder if that number is too low. Just last week, a maternity and childrens hospital in the southern coastal city of Mariupol was bombed, killing three and sparking international outrage.

While world leaders strategize and bombs drop, for some in the greater Richmond area, watching from afar as images of Ukrainian carnage dominate daily news reports is an exhausting exercise in testing the limits of the human soul.

They pray. They send money or old-school battery-powered radios to loved ones whove lost electricity and internet service, hoping the items reach their destination. They watch Ukrainian news reports and fume over the upside-down misinformation propagated by Russia. They look at their phones, waiting daily and sometimes hourly for the short message that will settle their nerves, if only for a little while: Were alive.

***

Marushchak recalled the night she first heard that the invasion started.

It was late, near midnight, which would have been morning in Ukraine given the seven-hour time difference. She and her husband were watching Netflix. As she does every night, Marushchak checked her cellphone to make sure her alarm clock was set.

She saw a news alert that stopped her  Russia had invaded Ukraine.

We stayed up all night; we didnt sleep, she said. They consumed all the news they could from all sources  American, Russian and Ukrainian. She frantically tried to reach as many of her loved ones as possible.

For the first two days, Marushchak said, I was broken.

I couldnt tell them anything  I couldnt say Im sorry, she said. I felt guilt that Im not there, guilt that Im too lucky in life [and] Im here and they are not.

She sent encouraging messages, as uplifting as she could muster. Marushchak said she reached an old friend from high school and college, a woman  like her, in her upper 30s  who also now had two children and a life.

At the time of the call, the woman was hiding in her high-rise apartment bathroom with her children.

You just dont know what to tell them, Marushchak said. She had already asked her mother about leaving Ukraine, before the war started and after.

Where do you want me to go? was the reply. Everything I have is here.

***

Across town, on the night the war started, Richmonder Anna Lobkov learned of the news while alone.

Her husband, Stan, was visiting his father in the northeastern city of Kharkiv, one of the hardest hit areas thus far. Lobkov said goodbye to her husband on Feb. 1. He was supposed to come home March 1, but by then, Ukrainian airports were closed. He arrived back on U.S. soil on March 5, having escaped Ukraine through Poland, eventually making his way to Warsaw where he could fly home.

Lobkov, a mom of two children ages 5 and 1, recalled feeling anxious about her husbands trip. But in the months and weeks leading up to the invasion, there was some skepticism that Russian President Vladimir Putin would follow through on his threats, she said.

We thought [Putin] was just trying to scare Ukraine, she said recently. Even after the war began, when her husband was there and she was here, my husband was saying, Its going to be two days and its going to be over, she said. But now ... we realize its not going to be over.

Lobkovs sister and a cousin fled to Poland in the week after the invasion started. Her sister left behind her boyfriend and their two cats  Ukrainian men 18 to 60 have been banned from leaving the country.

She cried the whole night on the train  shes still not sure if it was a good idea, said Lobkov, her voice trailing off. She continued softly: I think it was for the best ... but I dont know what I would do in that situation.

***

Some of Ukraines most vulnerable were already facing hellish conditions even before the war started.

For Ukrainian orphans, particularly those with special needs, life is not easy. Their sheer existence is a miracle, given the cultural realities that abortion rates for Ukrainian fetuses identified as having special needs is staggering. If the babies are born, orphanages are havens in name only, often understaffed and operating with substandard conditions. And at age 5, if special needs children arent adopted, theyre shifted to adult mental institutions, or boarding schools.

Serge Zevlever, a Ukrainian American government official who worked with international adoptions, knew all of this.

He knew the odds were stacked against these innocent children from the beginning. Thats why he spent his lifes work getting as many of them as he could into loving homes  even if those homes were on the other side of the world.

Zevlever was the rock on which Louisa County resident Erika Rogers and her ex-husband leaned when they needed help navigating the tricky, often bumpy process that exists within international adoptions. The couple adopted four Ukrainian children in 2011 and 2012, all with Down syndrome.

Including those four, the couple has 10 children.

Going to a foreign country that you really dont know anything about, its pretty intimidating, Rogers said this month in the midst of her bustling household. Eight of her children still live at home. Her four Ukrainian children are Clare and Malachi, age 12; Caleb, 18; and Jessica, 25.

Everyone was wearing blue-and-yellow T-shirts  a nod to the colors of Ukraines flag. Rogers wore a T-shirt that read: Lead Like Zelenskyy/Advocate Like Serge/Love Like a Mother.

The shirts refer to Zevlever, but also to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Shes selling them on Facebook to raise money for aid.

Zevlevers reputation was two-sided, Rogers said, both bulldog and teddy bear. Which one you experienced depended on where you stood with him.

When he needed to get stuff done, it would get done [and] he didnt let anything stop him from getting these kids into families, she said. Having him there ... really just gave you a sense of calm in the middle of this nerve-wracking storm.

Zevlever had dual citizenship, spending years in St. Louis. His grown children live in Missouri. When the war started, he could have fled to the U.S., Rogers said.

He stayed in Ukraine.

Rogers was in between church services on Feb. 27 when she learned through her adoption network on social media that Zevlever had been killed. News reports  including information given by one of his children in Missouri  indicated that he was in Kyiv. When sirens went off in his area of the city, he began helping residents in his apartment building evacuate to a nearby bomb shelter.

He went back and forth to help as many as he could when he was hit in the chest by a sniper bullet.

According to those news reports, Chechen snipers were positioned several stories above him in the same apartment building in which he was helping others evacuate.

He was a hero to the orphans all his life, and then he became a hero to Ukraine, Rogers said.

Thats the reason Rogers sells T-shirts to raise money for aid and why she and her children have been to Washington, D.C., to participate in rallies and marches. Shes doing what she can  and wonders if the world will follow.

His death felt like a gut punch.

Ukraine is standing alone against a Goliath and [the people are] fighting with everything in them, she said.

Ukrainian people are being bombed every day and every night, killed in the streets, she said. I dont feel anyone in the world is doing enough.

Shes seen first-hand the tenacious spirit of Ukraine.

The Ukrainian people will never live under bondage again  their spirit is indomitable [and] Serge showed that just by going back out [to help others evacuate], not worrying about his own safety.

Still, her thoughts turn to the orphans who remain in the war-torn country. They dont have parents to hold them or comfort them, she said. And, now, they dont have Zevlever.

Rogers said shes grateful for the man who helped bring four sweet children into her life, even if they dont understand whats happening in their homeland.

They dont recognize the name Serge Zevlever, nor will they ever know his role in their lives. Spunky Malachi, however, perks up when he hears the name of his homeland.

Hes learned to say Slava Ukraini  glory to Ukraine.

***

Its hard to be hopeful some days. Forced optimism only goes so far.

Just Friday morning, Marushchak said by text message that she heard from her mother, who told her that their town, Ivano-Frankivsk, was bombed again that morning while she was on a bus going to work.

Marushchak said its hard to understand through a phone call how her mother feels. The news is relayed matter-of-factly, without emotion. Meanwhile, Marushchak struggles to keep hers in check.

She understands the precarious position the U.S. and other NATO countries face. Shes not asking for American boots on the ground  just the help that was promised, she said, during the 1990s when Ukraine gained its independence, and in doing so, agreed to denuclearize as long as Russia, the U.S. and the U.K. protected Ukraines security.

Were only asking for what was promised, she said softly. Were not afraid of work  we are fighting as much as we can, but our resources are limited.

She prays NATO will support a no-fly zone, something the U.S. and its allies have yet to do.

I do ask them to protect the skies  well do the rest in our land, she said.

Lobkov, too, watches as the world considers what to do with fascist Putin.

Hes not giving up  hes trying to remove our culture, our language and make us Soviet Union again under Russia, she said. Putin expected us just to surrender, but Ukraine is really fighting back.

She continued: Part of me wants the U.S. to go and help, but another part is saying ... its too dangerous for the whole world.

Living in Richmond, she said, she and her family know many within the Russian community. Lobkovs mother was Russian, and her father was Ukrainian.

Many of them support us  they dont like Putin as well, she said. There is no hate.

Within the fear and worry, Marushchak also feels the pride of her homeland. She has only ever known independence. She started school as a child in 1991, about a month after the nation declared itself free from Russian control. Now, with her own children, she wants them to know Ukraine as she remembers, the one where freedom and democracy ruled.

Were a great nation, were democratic  we never wanted war, she said. The grim reality that Ukraine could fall under Russias control, that an entire countrys identity would be removed one bloody act at a time, is a notion she barely allows herself to think about.

Its unbearable pain, that they are trying to take that away, she said. But they will never be able to break us down.
Relatives of Bashirah Tripp and James Duke Johnson Jr. agree the couple had a highly toxic and volatile marriage.

The two were frequently seen arguing and cursing at each other, according to testimony offered by three relatives Friday during a sentencing hearing in Norfolk Circuit Court. Sometimes, their fights got physical. Eventually, one turned deadly.

It all came to a head in August 2020, when Tripp needed to see an oral surgeon about two chipped front teeth her attorney said were damaged when her husband struck her in the mouth, and gave her a black eye.

On the afternoon of Aug. 6, 2020, Tripp picked Johnson up from work and the two got into an argument. Johnson wanted her to drive him home, but Tripp insisted on taking him to her dental appointment at Janaf Shopping Center in Norfolk, according to a court document.

After they arrived, Johnson called his wife selfish for refusing to drive him home. Tripp responded by throwing his belongings out of the car and driving off, leaving Johnson behind.

She returned a few minutes later, however, when she realized her cellphone was among the things she threw out.

What happened next was caught by a nearby surveillance camera and witnessed by several horrified onlookers. As Johnson stood talking on his phone, unaware his wife had returned, he stepped from the shopping centers sidewalk onto the roadway. Tripp then accelerated her car and drove straight into him, knocking him into the air, and then striking two other cars.

Afterward, she grabbed the bumper that had come off her car in the crash and threw it at her husband  motionless on the ground. Johnson, then 35, remained in a vegetative state for 14 months before he died as a result of his injuries.

On Friday, Norfolk Circuit Judge Jerrauld C. Jones sentenced Tripp to 18 years in prison.

Tripp, now 35, of Portsmouth, pleaded guilty to aggravated malicious wounding last year.

While Johnson remained alive, she accepted a plea deal with prosecutors that indicated she would not be charged with any higher offenses if he died, said Assistant Commonwealths Attorney Graham Stolle.
Tickets for the show will go on sale beginning Monday, March 14 at 8 a.m. Reserved seating tickets will be $35 and will be available for purchase online only at www.nr.edu/fiddle . General seating tickets will be $25 in advance and available online or in-person at the NRCC Business Office and Visitor Center in Dublin (cash and checks only for in-person sales). General seating tickets will be $30 when purchased at the door.

Five-time Grammy award winners individually, three-time Grammy award nominees collectively, four-time DOVE Award Winners, and winners of 35 IBMA Awards altogether (including 3-time IBMA Entertainer of the Year Award winners and 3-Time Vocal Group of the Year Award winners), Jamie Dailey and Darrin Vincent, backed by one of the best bands on tour today, are some of the most reputable and elite entertainers in American music; bluegrass, traditional country and gospel music. The concoction of the fantastically instinctive vocal blends of Daileys tenor and Vincents reedy harmonies has gained them well-deserved praise for their own distinctive style and worldwide recognition as American music gold. Dailey & Vincent has garnered world-wide attention with their first national, top-rated television series, The Dailey & Vincent Show, on RFD TV and over 500 airings of their PBS special Dailey & Vincent ALIVEIn Concert. Their CD, Dailey & Vincent ALIVE, debuted at #1 on the Billboard Bluegrass charts and remained at the top position for over 15 weeks. In 2017, the duo was inducted into the prestigious Grand Ole Opry, an exhibit in the Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame celebrating A Decade of Dailey & Vincent  an All-American Music Journey, along with other standout performances including their third appearance at Carnegie Hall, plus hosting their annual music festival LandFest in The Mountains in Hiawassee, Ga. Fans can also catch Dailey & Vincent appearing on the world-famous WSM, as they host their monthly radio program.
The Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine at Virginia Tech Open House will be held on Saturday, March 19, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Visitors will be given opportunities to learn about veterinary medicine and the college through tours, exhibits, demonstrations and lectures. This event is free, and all are welcome.

The open house will take place on the veterinary colleges Blacksburg campus, located at 205 Duck Pond Drive. Parking will be available in the fenced commuter/graduate parking lot (known as the Cage) off Duck Pond Drive. A sign will be placed to direct visitors to the parking lot entrance.

Attendees are encouraged to stop by the check-in area inside the entrance to the veterinary college to pick up event information. QR codes will be posted throughout the event space to access the schedule of happenings and a college map.

Those interested in tours are encouraged to register in advance on our website and look out for an email confirmation with more information. Tours will depart every 15 minutes beginning at 10 a.m. and will last approximately 45 minutes (the last tour will leave at 2 p.m.) Tours are led by veterinary students and will cover the colleges 270,000-square-foot complex, including the Veterinary Teaching Hospital.

This family-friendly event features numerous activities designed specifically for children, includes an exotic pet show-and-tell, fleece blanket making, a high-fidelity cow model that can be milked and more. Children may also bring a stuffed animal (one per child) in need of surgery, which will be performed by third-year students during a Teddy Bear Repair Clinic.

Lectures and information sessions will address such topics as equine gut anatomy, pet first aid and what prospective students need to know about applying to veterinary school. Demonstrations will include ultrasound examinations on dogs, live horses painted to represent their internal anatomy, police canine drills and more.

Hethwood Market and local food trucks will provide meal options in the colleges front parking lot. In addition, a silent auction with gift certificates and merchandise from local merchants will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with winners announced at 2:15 p.m.

Please note that pets and other animals are not permitted at the open house. However, the college encourages attendees to bring dog and cat food, litter and pet toys that students will collect and donate to the Montgomery County Animal Care and Adoption Center.

If you are an individual with a disability and desire accommodation, please contact Olivia DAmato at 231-0465 or odamato@vt.edu during regular business hours at least three business days before the event.

For more details, including a map of the vet school portion of the campus, visit https://vetmed.vt.edu/about/open-house.html.

- Submitted by Virginia Tech
A Radford man was sentenced last week to serve nine years and 10 months behind bars, wrapping up a case that began in November 2019 with a fight at a party, then a wild drive around the city with men firing shots from a car window.

At a Monday hearing in Radford Circuit Court, Marquay Christopher Lee Alston, 22, received a 15-year prison term for his conviction last year of aggravated malicious wounding, five years for shooting from a vehicle, and 12 months for reckless handling of a firearm. The terms of incarceration are to be suspended after Alston serves the nine years and 10 months, Judge Joey Showalter said.

The active sentence was the midpoint of a range recommended by state guidelines.

Alstons time behind bars was the longest assigned in the case, which also involved Terelle OShay Maurice Todd, 22, of Dublin, and Michael Antoine Lassiter, 27, of Smithfield. In 2020, Lassiter was sentenced to serve four years; and Todd, six months.

Alstons sentencing followed two bench trials, on separate charges, at which he was found guilty.

According to statements made in December at Alstons second trial, and by Commonwealths Attorney Chris Rehak after the trial, the three mens arrests followed a party in the Copper Beech apartment complex where there was a fight. Alston punched someone, knocking teeth out. Alston, Todd and Lassiter then went on a ride around Radford, with another man driving, and fired a pistol out the window.

No one was injured by the gunshots, but calls from alarmed residents had police scrambling around the city, Rehak said at an earlier hearing.

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Roanoke Countys Vinton District would absorb some of the Hollins District, due to the increase in the latters population, and voting precincts would be added to various magisterial districts, based on a redistricting proposal now under consideration.

County officials recently got a look at the newly proposed boundaries for each of the five board of supervisor districts, a process that must be undertaken each decade and uses the latest Census data.

County Attorney Peter Lubeck went over the proposed map with supervisors at a meeting last week.

The county formed a committee headed by Lubeck to work on the redistricting process, which included Registrar Anna Cloeter, Philip Thompson, the director of Planning and Development Services and Kelly Dooley, an employee in the Information Technology Department.

Lubeck said the group put a lot of effort into making the changes as simple as possible, while also adhering to state guidelines.

The main changes to the map include the Vinton/Hollins situation, and the addition of voting precincts.

Additionally, there will be some split precincts within the district as it concerns state and federal boundaries, though none at the local level, Lubeck said.

Among the legal considerations for how the districts are drawn are contiguity, compactness, population equality, communities of interest, clearly-defined boundaries and changes cannot abridge a citizens right to vote on the basis of race or skin color, according to state law.

Populations in each district must remain essentially equal, with a deviation of plus or minus 5%.

The proposed population for each district according to the plan is: 19,971 for Catawba; 19,929 for Cave Spring; 19,202 for Hollins; 19,280 for Vinton; and 19,247 for Windsor Hills.

Those numbers may change slightly after Hollins District Supervisor Phil North asked Lubeck and his committee to consider a change in the proposed maps.

He asked if it would be possible to keep approximately 260 of the 1,142 Hollins residents, all east of West Ruritan Road, from joining the Vinton District, so the proposed maps will have to be slightly redrawn before being put on the county website, according to Lubeck.

North said after the meeting that he wanted to keep that area in his district due to ongoing concerns from citizens about projects in the area, and he wanted to keep working with them, as opposed to handing it off to Vinton representative Jason Peters.

Lubeck said a website where citizens can look at the proposed maps using the countys GIS system and leave comments should be operational sometime this week.

Lubeck said that while he understands people might have an affinity or sense of belonging to a particular district, the process is unavoidable, and essential to the democratic process.

The changes are supposed to be made every decade in the year ending with the numeral one, but Lubeck said the process has been held up because the COVID-19 pandemic delayed the release of the latest Census data, and Virginias new state and congressional districts first had to be approved by the Virginia Supreme Court.

While magisterial districts are drawn based on population, precincts within those districts are determined by the number of registered voters within those districts, according to Lubeck.

The supervisors passed the new map on first reading, and the county will hold a second reading and public hearing on the matter at its next meeting on March 22.

Following approval by the board of supervisors, the county will send its proposed maps to the state where it will await approval from the Virginia Attorney Generals office. Once that is done, the county will work on a multifaceted campaign to alert citizens of any boundary changes or precinct changes within a given district.

The proposed districts will go into effect for the upcoming election this year, Lubeck said.

The presentation given at the meeting can be found on the countys website under meeting agenda and minutes.

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Season Kincke picked up plastic cups and food containers from a tray as Mary Lou Rakes settled into the blue recliner in her room at The Glebe Retirement Community.

How do you need to be set up? Kincke asked. I know you need your tray. Do you need your pillow over here?

She dragged the wheeled tray over to the recliner and positioned the TV remotes closer to Rakes.

No, I think Ive got everything I need right here, Rakes said.

Kincke, The Glebes quality assurance director, left Rakes room and walked down the hall to the next resident.

Kincke has worked at The Glebe for close to four years. As quality assurance director, she investigates fall incidents and develops solutions to prevent accidents and ensure the best quality care for residents. Shes also a registered nurse, and during the COVID-19 pandemic has picked up floor shifts to cover gaps in staffing.

After two years of living through COVID-19 case surges and declines, Kincke still has trouble describing what it was like to work in a nursing home during a pandemic.

There were days where you were either going to laugh about your situation or collapse in a puddle of tears, she said. Wed grab a pizza and sit and decompress because you had to, you were the only ones in it.

Nursing homes and assisted living facilities were among the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic. More than a quarter of the states nursing home patients died from the virus and staff members juggled ever-changing rules intended to keep their patients safe.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, nearly every industry has seen a decline in their workforce as people left their careers to seek better opportunities. However, just like the pandemic itself, this trend has affected nursing homes more than others.

The Virginia Health Care AssociationVirginia Center for Assisted Living conducted a survey in October and found that the workforce situation for nursing facilities was worse in 2021 than 2020. Nearly 60% of the 200 facilities surveyed said there were few to no applicants applying for positions and many were nearing a crisis situation.

Recent numbers from the Bureau of Labor Statistics show the trend has continued into this year  the assisted living industry in Virginia has lost nearly 12% of its workforce and isnt seeing the same recovery as other sectors.

The residents and patients we care for have many underlying conditions that made them particularly vulnerable and susceptible to COVID, said Amy Hewett, vice president of strategy and communications at the Virginia Health Care Association. It was physically and emotionally difficult to care for people in this environment, and that strain has been felt. I think for many people, it was just a lot to continue to work in the sector.

Kincke said the Glebe did not experience the same infection rates as many others in the area. She said that took the pressure off some of the nursing staff, but it didnt make the job any easier.

The hardest part, she said, was having to lock families out of the facility to keep the residents safe during the early days of the pandemic. Unless there was a crisis situation, no one came in or out.

Keeping up with changing guidelines, explaining to families why they couldnt see their loved ones, and maintaining her own familys safety proved to be draining.

There were definitely days where we questioned why we went into the field that were in, Kincke said. But we all know why were here. Were here because number one, they need us. And because whatever higher power you believe in, God has put me here for a reason. Im here to make someone elses day better, to take care of things they cant take care of. Its been humbling to work through this.

Three quarters of the facilities that responded to the health care associations survey said they did not have enough staff to fill all shifts and most had to ask staff to work overtime or take an extra shift.

If there isnt enough staff to care for residents, facilities have to make adjustments. According to the state health care associations survey, 37% of facilities restricted the number of residents they admitted to their communities. Almost 30% placed a hold on new admissions and more than one quarter turned away hospital admissions.

It becomes an access to care issue, Hewett said. It may mean that theres other people in the community that need nursing level of care and cant find a facility that can provide that for them.

Warm Hearth Village in Blacksburg limited its admissions a few times during the pandemic, CEO Brad Dalton said, but they were only for short periods of time and usually coincided with surges in case numbers.

Dalton said the facility has focused on cross-training staff so they could fill multiple roles, and has evaluated each position to make sure resources are going toward jobs that directly care for the patients.

Dalton said Warm Hearth has seen a 10% decline in its workforce since the start of the pandemic. In his 15 years of skilled nursing, he said there has always been a steady decline, but COVID-19 exacerbated it.

Im just really thankful for our team members, he said. They have really stepped up and taken on a lot of extra duties and responsibilities during this time.

Warm Hearth also reevaluated its pay and benefits package to try to recruit more applicants. Dalton said 10 years ago the facility may have been able to analyze its package once per year, but now that review is conducted continually to remain competitive.

According to the health care association, 93% of its survey respondents offered bonuses for overtime and 77% increased pay.

Ellen DArdenne, executive director of The Glebe in Botetourt County, said the facility tried to get ahead of the curve once the pandemic hit. They raised their base pay to $15 per hour, including for sanitary and kitchen staff, which helped recruit and retain those workers. The community was quick to require the vaccine for its staff, so it didnt experience a large exodus of workers as mandates worked through the court system.

And long before the pandemic, The Glebe offered certified nursing assistants a 30-40 program, where they work 30-hour weeks but get paid for 40 hours as a bonus, DArdenne said.

The community also operates a house on site where staff who live out of the area can stay between shifts or during inclement weather. Free employee meals, flexible schedules and paid time off if they were infected with COVID-19 are benefits that keep employees at The Glebe, DArdenne said.

Our organization knew we had to get ahead of it, and not wait for the fallout and try and get as many of the most qualified individuals in here as we could, she said. What works for you, as someone coming into this organization, well try and meet you there because we value you and youre going to bring a lot to our community and to our residents.

The Glebe has maintained its census throughout the pandemic and shifts have been covered. The nursing leadership team jumps in when there is a shortage and maintains the staffing ratio.

Thats one thing that Im very proud of the clinical team here, that they are of the mindset that theyre going to get in and support and be beside the rest of the team to make sure that the residents get the support and care that they need, DArdenne said.

Officials from Friendship and Richfield Living, other large-scale Roanoke Valley retirement facilities, declined to comment for this story.

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Stacker compiled the most popular baby names for girls of the 1970s in Virginia using data from the Social Security Administration.
Next Game: vs. New Mexico State 3/13/2022 | 1:00 PM (ET) Next Game Full Schedule Mar. 13 (Sun) / 1:00 PM (ET) vs. New Mexico State

TEMPE, Ariz.  The Rutgers softball team opened the day taking an early lead and going on to collect at 11-7 victory over New Mexico State, but fell 5-1 in a top 25 match up with host Arizona State on day two of the Arizona State/Grand Canyon Classic at Farrington Stadium.



The Scarlet Knights pounced early on the Aggies in game one and maintained the lead after New Mexico State came up with five runs midway thru.



Rutgers also took an early edge on No. 22/23 Arizona State with a Kayla Bock solo home run in the second, but the nationally-ranked Sun Devils used four home runs of their won for the win.



The Sun Devils are ranked No. 22 by USA Today/NFCA Poll, No. 23 by ESPN/USA Softball, No. 24 by D1Softball.com and No. 25 by Softball America.



RU moved to 2-2 on the weekend and 15-9 overall.

Rutgers 11, New Mexico State 7

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

Phoenix, Arizona native Taylor Fawcett was 4-for-4 with a double and home run totaling three RBIs and two runs.

was 4-for-4 with a double and home run totaling three RBIs and two runs. Classmate Payton Lincavage also posted a home run going 3-for-4 on the day with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored.

also posted a home run going 3-for-4 on the day with a pair of RBIs and two runs scored. Sophomore Kyleigh Sand also added three RBIs with a double.

also added three RBIs with a double. Freshman Lily Orozco scored her first collegiate run while Megan Herka , Kiersten Withstandley and Kobie Hura all contributed runs as well.

, and all contributed runs as well. Junior Jaden Vickers got the complete game, her second straight and sixth of the season. She registered five strikeouts to improve to 10-2.

THE RUNDOWN

Taylor Fawcett kicked off her day giving Rutgers the lead five batters into the contest with an RBI double in the first. Payton Lincavage added another run in RU's first at-bat scoring off a New Mexico State miscue at third.

kicked off her day giving Rutgers the lead five batters into the contest with an RBI double in the first. added another run in RU's first at-bat scoring off a New Mexico State miscue at third. The Scarlet Knights exploded for five runs extending its lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the third. Lincavage kept the ball just right of the left-field foul pole for a two-run dinger and Kyleigh Sand knocked in three runs with two outs on a double to left-center.

knocked in three runs with two outs on a double to left-center. Four hits, including two Aggie home runs, in the top of the fourth cut into the Scarlet Knight lead, 7-5. Back-to-back double led New Mexico State to get onto the scoreboard while Paige Knight had a straight-away three-run shot and Hannah Lindsay swung for a solo trip around the bases.

Rutgers put the top half of the inning behind them and responded with a trio of runs when they returned to the plate. The Scarlet Knights went over the wall for a second time in the fourth with Fawcett going deep into left for two and Kiersten Withstandley sent home Lily Orozco finding the gap in right-center.

sent home Lily Orozco finding the gap in right-center. Fawcett scored RU's final run of the contest in the fifth when Megan Herka drilled the ball down the right-field line.

drilled the ball down the right-field line. The Aggies were able to sneak in one last run in the seventh on an error a third.

No. 22/23 Arizona State 5, Rutgers 1

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

The Sun Devils were the second top 25 program RU has faced this season. The Scarlet Knights were edged 4-3 versus No. 23 Notre Dame last weekend at the Liberty Softball Invitational.

Sophomore Kayla Bock knocked in her second home run and RU's 10 th of the 2022 campaign for RU's lone run against No. 22/23 Arizona State.

knocked in her second home run and RU's 10 of the 2022 campaign for RU's lone run against No. 22/23 Arizona State. Two-time All-Big Ten Rookie of the Week Maddie Lawson was 2-for-4 with a double against the Sun Devils' All-Pac-12 freshman Lindsay Lopez.

was 2-for-4 with a double against the Sun Devils' All-Pac-12 freshman Lindsay Lopez. Also collecting hits were sophomore Kyleigh Sand and redshirt junior Katie Wingert .

and redshirt junior . Junior Ashley Hitchcock tossed a complete game striking out seven Sun Devils along the way.

THE RUNDOWN

Kayla Bock hit a bomb to right-center putting Rutgers up 1-0 on the top 25 Sun Devils with two outs in the top of the second.

hit a bomb to right-center putting Rutgers up 1-0 on the top 25 Sun Devils with two outs in the top of the second. Arizona State took the lead in the third and scored all five of its runs off home runs.

In the third, a Yannira Acuna solo home run knotted the score at 1-1 and Jazmine Hill used a two-run hit over the fence in left to give the Sun Devils a 3-1 lead.

Savannah Price added another solo long-distance ball to center in the fourth and Cydney Sanders led off the fifth with a solo shot to left.

UP NEXT

- RU -

The Rutgers softball team wraps up the Arizona State/Grand Canyon Classic on Sunday meeting up once again with New Mexico State at 1 p.m. at Farrington Stadium on the ASU campus.Follow Rutgers softball on Facebook Twitter and Instagram
" " One of two golden-tongued mummies discovered in the temple of Taposiris Magna, currently being excavated by archaeologists outside Alexandria, Egypt. Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities

There are probably some really boring things about digging up ancient dead bodies, but the reward probably comes in when you find the weird thing  the mysterious thing. Like mummies with golden tongues, for instance.

The Ancient Egyptians were a treasure trove of unusual funerary practices  for at least half of the 6,000-or-so years they buried their VIPs, it's obvious they were perfecting the process of preserving the soft tissues of their physical bodies, as well as streamlining the travel necessities for the deceased's journey to the afterlife. As their culture grew, so did the stories around the paces the dead would be put through in the Great Beyond.

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The process of mummifying somebody was long  it took a bunch of specially trained priests with detailed knowledge of human anatomy around 70 days to complete. It was also expensive, which is why it's the wealthy and royal ancient Egyptian people archaeologists find mummified in sarcophagi, tucked in among treasures and mummified cats and sometimes servants to take care of them in the afterlife, occasionally with their tongues covered in gold foil.

In a statement made by the Egyptian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities in January 2021, two of the 16 mummies discovered in the temple of Taposiris Magna, currently being excavated by archaeologists outside Alexandria, were found with gold foil tongues stuck in their mouths. The Ministry statement explained this would have been done by the priest who prepared the bodies "to ensure their ability to speak in the afterlife"  particularly to Osiris, the Egyptian god of the dead.

Gold was as precious in ancient Egypt as it is today, and golden tongues have been found in Egyptian mummies before, but it is not known why some of the mummies got these precious prosthetics while others did not. However, the practice is mentioned in the Book of the Dead, the ancient Egyptian text outlining funerary practices. The text explains that placing gold foil on the tongue would ensure the deceased would be able to breathe, eat and speak in the afterlife.

The mummies found at Taposiris Magna were not in particularly good shape, but they were buried with some other treasure, including coins depicting the face of Cleopatra, which means they were entombed around 2,000 years ago, during the Ptolemaic Kingdom of Egypt. The team that uncovered the 16 burials at Taposiris Magna has been working for years to find the tomb of Cleopatra, the last ruler of the last dynasty of ancient Egypt, which is believed by some to be submerged under the harbor in Alexandria.

Now That's Interesting During the mummification process, ancient Egyptian embalmers removed every organ but the heart, which was left so that the gods could weigh it.
What the world needs now is the empathy it takes to live in a small town, says Producer Jenny Bicks. Small towns represent what we all should be aiming for.

Thats why she and Paul Feig, a former producer of The Office, created Welcome to Flatch, a mockumentary about life in a small town.

Theres a real honesty to the comedy in the Midwest, Feig says. Were much less tolerant of things that feel fake to us.

In the series, actor Sam Straley and comedian Holmes (she goes by one name) play Shrub and Kelly, cousins who are trying to make the most of life in Flatch. Theyre always looking for the next thing that can make them rich and theyre not afraid to poke fun at authority.

Straley, who grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio, and Holmes, who grew up in Omaha, are well aware of the mindset.

If you drive 15 minutes out of (Cincinnati), youll find yourself in a Flatch, Straley says. I think theres a real beauty in small towns that I think our series explores in a really nice way.

Adds Holmes: I would go to summer camps in different places and people would say, Oh, do you play with cows every day? And Id say, Not really, but I have met a few. I feel grateful for it because you get creative with how you learn to have fun.

Midwestern roots

Many others in the cast have Midwestern roots as well.

Seann William Scott, who plays the town minister, was born in Cottage Grove, Minnesota. Aya Cash, who plays his ex-girlfriend, went to school in Minneapolis, and Justin Linville, who plays Shrubs friend Mickey, grew up on a military base just outside Box Elder, South Dakota.

Theres not so much to do, but we just tried to make the most out of what we did have, Linville says.

For the series (which is based on the British comedy This Country), Feig and Bicks encouraged their actors to improvise.

When you have actors who are great on the fly, you can catch things super quickly, says Bicks. You dont do a lighting setup for half an hour and then turn around and do another lighting setup. Everything moves more quickly, so the comedy flows much more clearly.

Holmes says doing improv for four years helped prepare her for Flatch. Having the camera feels like you have an audience there, she says. The Office has always been this huge inspiration for me. Working with Paul and Jenny to do a docucomedy was really just a dream of mine.

Straley says the format adds another character to the story, which is the documentary crew.

'Office' appeal

Like The Office, Flatch has those confessional moments where characters address situations directly to the camera. It takes some time to get used to, the actors say, but quickly theyre in the fold and ready to try more.

While Scott says he never thought of himself as a minister, my mom definitely could. When I said, Im playing Father Joe, shes like, Amen. Finally. Thank you, Jesus.

Used to less sedate characters, Scott says he enjoys playing someone whos just trying to keep it together. But I definitely should never be a pastor, ever.

Because there are so many characters in Welcome to Flatch, episodes can focus on different combinations of residents. They join forces at town festivals and dance classes and show it takes more than a village to make a village.

If were not representing the world on screen the way that it actually is in real life, then weve completely failed, Feig says. Even in all our scouting, the smallest town wed go through, there was diversity there. We just wanted this to be very inclusive in a very honest way.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Florence residents have an opportunity to hear from a state League of Women Voters official this evening.

League Vice President Lynn Teague will virtually address the Florence chapter on the value of Womens History Month at 5:30.

Teague was born in Orangeburg, grew up in Columbia and moved to New Mexico when she got married. She served as a professional archeologist and worked at the Arizona State Museum for several years. Teague and her husband moved back to South Carolina when they retired and she has served as the state Leagues vice president of issues and action since 2013.

The event will be held virtually.

The program will be live streamed on the League of Women Voters-Florence County Facebook page. League members can also participate via Zoom. If a person is unable to attend, video of the talk will be available on the leagues Facebook page.
FLORENCE, S.C.  Donald Trumps supporters flocked to Florence to attend his Save America Rally.  Among them were people like Bill and Vicky Dowell from Chesterfield. They were Trump supporters from the start.

We voted for Trump in 2016 and 2020. We are here to show our support, and we are very concerned about the direction America is taking, Bill Dowell said. President Trumps tweets were a little brash, but his policies and actions showed that he really cared for America. I believe what he did was good for America in the long run. His presidency demanded accountability for society and that is important for a functioning society.

When asked how Trump would change the direction of America in 2024 if he ran and was elected again, Dowell said, Donald Trump would secure the border and he wouldnt think twice about being involved with foreign conflict.

Government spending would be more directed as well, Dowell said.

James Eplay was a vendor at the Save America Rally.

We own a trademark brand called the silent majority, Eplay said. We sell patriotic-themed merchandise. This is all about American values and freedom. We promote patriotic-themed apparel.

Eplay said, This company only promotes American ideologies  life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

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FLORENCE, S.C.  Former President Donald Trump denounced the Democratic Partys climate crisis hysteria, President Joe Bidens actions in office, the U.S. response to Russias invasion of Ukraine and hinted he may run for president in 2024 during Saturdays Save America Rally in Florence.

We may have to run again, Trump said, causing the rally crowd to erupt into cheers.

Trump claimed Russia wouldnt have invaded Ukraine if he were still president and reiterated his claims that he actually won the 2020 election.

The fake news said my personality got us into a war, Trump said. But actually, my personality is what kept us out of war.

Trumps speech lasted nearly an hour on a cold, windy night in Florence. The rally was held at the Florence Regional Airport.

The speech allowed Trump to reclaim his influence with the Republican Party, reaffirm his support for South Carolina Gov. Harry McMaster, support his two preferred candidates in the South Carolina congressional races and lambast two other South Carolina members of the U.S. House of Representatives that he claimed were Republicans in Name Only (RINOS),

Rep. Nancy Mace was one of Trumps earliest supporters in the state, but fell out of Trumps favor by voting to certify President Joe Bidens win in the 2020 election, as well as her support for holding Steve Bannon in contempt of Congress, her frequent television appearances blaming Trump for the insurrection and her ties to a top Trump critic, Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo.

Rep. Tim Rice supported the second impeachment of Trump in the aftermath of the Jan. 6, storming of the U.S. Congress by Trump supporters during the vote to uphold the Electoral College results that handed the presidency to Biden.

About 40 minutes into his speech Saturday, Trump turned up the intensity on Rice and Mace.

You currently have two atrocious RINOs, theyre bad people, in the House who went to Washington, sold you out, and partnered with the Democrats to stab the Republican Party and frankly to stab our country in the back, Trump said.

He is respected by no one, Trump said of Rice, whom he called a disaster who is laughed at in Washington.

Mace, Trump said, is crazy and a terrible person who has no idea what shes doing, drawing loud boos from the crowd.

Thankfully this June you have the chance to dump these grandstanding losers and replace them with two rock-solid, America first champions, he said.

Trump has endorsed Russell Fry and Katie Arrington to replace Rice and Mace.

Dump these grandstanding losers, Trump said, and replace them with two rock star America first candidates.

Arrington, a former state lawmaker from Summerville, is making her second attempt at the U.S. House seat held by Mace. In 2018, Arrington defeated then-Congressman and Trump critic Mark Sanford in a Republican primary, but lost the general election to Joe Cunningham, a Democrat. It was the first time in decades the seat had slipped out of Republican control.

Fry is a member of the state Legislature, where he represents Surfside Beach. He is challenging Rice for his Myrtle Beach congressional seat in the states 7th District. He has made his campaign largely a referendum on Rices impeachment vote.

 The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Seguin, TX (78155)

Today

Windy. Cloudy skies will become partly cloudy this afternoon. High around 90F. Winds SSE at 20 to 30 mph. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Cloudy skies early with scattered thunderstorms developing late. Low 73F. Winds SSE at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 50%.
Colleges across the U.S. are pulling students from study abroad programs in Russia, ending research partnerships and cutting financial ties as part of a global wave of condemnation over the invasion of Ukraine.

At the same time, colleges have promised to support Russian students on their campuses, opposing calls from a few in Congress to remove them from the country as a sanction against their homeland.

The moves are mostly symbolic  U.S. colleges have little power to sway Russia or squeeze its finances, and academic exchange between the nations has always been meager. But the suggestion that some or all Russian students should forfeit the opportunity to study here has drawn new attention to the role of universities in global disputes.

Last academic year, U.S. colleges hosted nearly 5,000 students from Russia, less than 1% of all international students. Advocates for international education say losing those students would forgo a chance to expose them to western ideals, and they say Russians who choose to study in America are already more likely to want change back home.

"Leaders need to make a distinction between Putin and Russian people who want a better life," said Jill Welch, a senior adviser for the Presidents' Alliance on Higher Education and Immigration, a coalition of university presidents. "Sending anyone back wouldn't shorten any war by a day."

Many universities have called for compassion for students from Russia who, like those from Ukraine, may fear for the safety of family members or face sudden financial difficulty.

In a message to students, Columbia University's president said students from both countries face a "bewildering and uncertain road ahead."

At the University of Washington, President Ana Mari Cauce said the campus stands with Ukraine but "must also take care to not let the actions of Russia's authoritarian government affect our treatment of Russian students, scholars and community members who have no role in its policies."

Some in Congress have pushed for visa restrictions against Russian students. Speaking on CNN last month, Rep. Eric Swalwell, D-Calif., said the U.S. should consider "kicking every Russian student out of the United States" as a way to stir backlash against Vladimir Putin in Russia.

The idea has gained little support in Washington, but the White House later suggested that its separate sanctions against Russian oligarchs are partly intended to block access to U.S. universities.

College leaders aren't fighting the idea that oligarchs and their children should lose access to American education. But wider action against Russian students would carry echoes of America's discrimination toward Japanese and German immigrants during World War II, advocates say.

"In our country, we do not punish children for the crimes of their parents," said Barbara Snyder, president of the Association of American Universities and a former president of Case Western Reserve University.

For many colleges, the first priority has been to remove American students studying in Russia or Ukraine, although few are believed to have been there. A total of 1,400 Americans studied in those nations in 2018, and overall study abroad figures have plummeted during the pandemic.

Middlebury College in Vermont suspended a study abroad program in Russia at the end of February citing safety concerns, urging the 12 students to return home. Among them was Zavier Ridgley, who was studying in Moscow when he was told to book a flight home quickly.

The 22-year-old said he respects the decision but was disappointed. A senior at Tulane University, he had been trying to get into the Middlebury program since 2019, but it had been delayed by the pandemic.

"The month I've been here has been nothing short of the opportunity of a lifetime, and to have it cut so short so abruptly really is terribly sad," said Ridgley, who has since returned home.

Other schools have joined in barring student travel to Russia, and some including Dartmouth College have canceled upcoming study abroad programs. A growing number are also severing financial and academic ties as a rebuke of Putin, but the U.S. response has been more scattered compared with Europe, where nations including Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark have ordered colleges to freeze academic exchange with Russia.

Soon after the invasion began, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology said it was ending its partnership with the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology, a research university it helped found near Moscow in 2011. MIT officials called it a rejection of "the unacceptable military actions against Ukraine."

After Colorado Gov. Jared Polis urged universities to cut investments with Russia last week, the University of Colorado said it was divesting all holdings in the country, including $3.5 million in mutual funds.

Several other states have also told colleges to pull investments, including Virginia, Ohio and Arizona.

Presidents of Arizona's public universities notified the state Monday that they were ending financial and academic ties with Russia in response to an order from the state's board of regents. Arizona State University announced it will part with a corporate training center in Moscow affiliated with its business school.

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This story was produced by the Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism-IowaWatch, a non-profit, online news website that collaborates with news organizations to produce explanatory and investigative reporting.

SAC CITY  This city is home to the Worlds Largest Popcorn Ball, but theres more than that popping in Sac City.

The city initiated a successful streetscape project, renovated a former school building into a community center recreation complex and has some rolling North Raccoon River Valley topography that lends itself to some picturesque recreational trails. It is a county-seat community with several agricultural-based industries, some classic older homes and a historic Chautauqua campground featuring the only Chautauqua building left in the state, constructed in 1908.

The community also has been able to secure a major grant to study a possible re-use of a building that will no longer house a middle school after this academic year.

Sac City is a town that, as the saying goes, has some good bones to build on. And it has a broad base of leadership open to new ideas and willing to take a multipronged approach to make, as another saying goes, everything old new again.

This is a community that declined in population from 2,220 in 2010 to 2,063 in 2020 and lost a third of its population since the 1980s.

Its the towns accomplishments, and overall positive outlook of its residents despite its shrinking population, that caught the attention of Iowa State University researchers who identified Sac City as one of the states six Shrink Smart communities. Residents responding to annual ISU surveys in those towns reported a significant increase in the quality of life over time. ISU researchers went to those communities to see what residents are doing to improve the quality of life and if it can be applied to other towns. IowaWatch visited Bancroft, Elma and Sac City as part of a series on the program and its impact on quality of rural life.

Sac Citys grant writing success and ability to maintain many services are key to the quality of life residents enjoy there.

Theyre able to access resources beyond the typical resources. The town functions similar to a large community, ISU professor and Shink Smart researcher Kimberly Zarecor said.

While the town has seen the fruits of its labor within the past decade, it was a slow climb, against a tide of ebbing population.

The farm crisis is what spurred this down period, not just in Sac City, said banker Steve Irwin.

He points back to when Lear Sieglers Noble ag equipment manufacturing division closed its plant in Sac City in 1982. The town has lost a net 1,000 people since then. In fact a 2000 Time magazine article carried the headline, Sac City Fights for Survival. The article deemed the town, as Irwin said, emblematic of many of ills befalling rural communities since the 1980s farm crisis and recession.

Now, population has continued to drop, he acknowledged. Before you can grow, you have to stop the decline. I dont think were far from that.

City Council member Bruce Perry, a member of the executive board of the Iowa League of Cities, which represents 870 towns, said, The farm crisis in the 80s was critical, but the decline in family size was huge also, just because you have fewer people from whom to draw. If you have families of six or eight, chances are better one of two of them will stick around than if you had families of one or two or three.

Brandy Ripley, executive director of Sac Economic & Tourism Development, said her grandmothers family had 14 children, compared with two in her own  she and her brother.

Despite the continued trickling population decline, economically the towns on an upswing. Now Id have to say its a boom, Irwin said.

I moved back here 10 years ago Ripley said. My perspective is, 2012 to 2014, the town had a feeling like it was changing in a positive way. Id say I really felt like I started seeing it in 2015, when we had the facade project ,where we restored some buildings. You started seeing some really positive things.

The facade project was funded through a $500,000 federal Community Development Block Grant. Some 20 storefronts were involved.

I felt around 13 there were a lot of empty storefronts downtown, and things looked pretty bad, Ripley said. I think that just makes everybody get geared up and want to make things look better.

That project spurred other businesses to make improvements.

You get synergies with that, whenever you do something like that, Irwin said.

In Sac Citys case, the work led to $5.7 million community beautification and improvement gift from the estate of longtime resident John Criss, a bachelor of a multi-generation community family. The Criss family operated Chief Clothing store on Main Street. Criss died in 2015 at age 88. He was council member Perrys next-door neighbor.

Sometimes there are just fortuitous things that happen that just change the direction, Perry said. The stars line up and some communities get a break and some dont. That would be a situation, I believe, where Sac City got a break.

And in January, the Sac Development Corp., of which Perry, Irwin and Ripley all are board members, received a $20,000 Iowa Economic Development Authority grant for a feasibility study for reuse of the to-be-shuttered middle school building and adjacent green space.

The funding came from Gov. Kim Reynolds Empower Rural Iowa Initiative. Perry wrote the grant application and the development corporation raised an additional $10,000 in local matches for the study. Architects and engineers began touring the school in late January.

The community has been successful in reusing buildings, particularly schools. When the community built a new elementary school years ago, local residents converted a portion of the old elementary building into the Sac Community Center. It has a full-size gymnasium, the first and oldest continuously operating indoor school pool in the state of Iowa, exercise equipment, a childrens playground, meeting rooms and other activities.

The pool will mark its 100th anniversary in 2024 and the centers board secured a grant for an architectural study last fall to preserve the historic building and plan for future needs.

Even before the facade project, Ripley said, positives included quality child care and the coming of VT Industries, a counter top manufacturer headquartered in nearby Holstein. The operation located in the former Lear Siegler/Noble manufacturing building in the late 1990s. Roughly 100 people work there.

Another success is Loring Hospital, a critical access rural hospital affiliated with UnityPoint Health, and ranked in the top 100 in the country by a national rural care consulting organization. The hospital is marking its 80th anniversary this year.

Perry said, its been helpful for the hospital adding or expanding services in the past several years.

There is also Oak Terrace, an independent living senior facility, and Park View Rehabilitation Center.

So weve got a pretty good complement of medical facilities. We have dentists, chiropractors, eye doctors, said Perry. So in some ways, people are seeing this as a place where, maybe you can come and retire and have most of your physical needs met.

The same is true for retail needs. Besides mens clothing, for the most part, you dont have to go out of town to shop, Ripley said.

The demand for real estate and housing has increased, she said.

When I moved back here there were a lot of houses on the market, Ripley said.

Listings are scarce now. Some people shopping online from out of town found bargains and opted for a small-town lifestyle.

And, for people who can work online from anywhere, theres strong internet service. Thats a big selling factor, said Ripley.

Sac City is also relatively close to other towns, between Storm Lake and Carroll, with Fort Dodge and Sioux City an hour or less away.

People are realizing they can choose where to live and work from there, Perry said, other than saying Ive got to go where theres a job.

Human capital is probably our greatest need at this point, Perry said. That doesnt mean theres necessarily a shortage of volunteers.

One example was when the Registers Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa made Sac City an overnight spot in 2021. We needed 400 volunteers and we got them, Irwin said.

Matched with a need for more human capital, though, is a need for more space for people to live.

Weve had a focus on housing here for about two years. You can start feeling it. Its picking up some steam, Irwin said.

Some families are now willing to sell land for development with the passing of previous generations of landowners. More could happen eventually to the north, toward four-lane U.S. Highway 20, which opened in about 2012, Ripley said.

The county and city also have taken the lead in marketing the old highways path through town as a historic route.

Sac County was the first county in the state to agree to do historic Highway 20 and we have four communities that it runs through, she said. We just got state approval of that route last year, after five years of work.

With the exception of heavy truck traffic no longer rumbling through town, vehicle traffic through town has been maintained since the new relocated highway opened.

In fact we just got an Iowa tourism grant so were redoing the billboards out on (U.S. Highways) 71 and 20 east and north of town, Perry said. We have, to be honest, used the billboards to drive people to the Popcorn Ball.

The title of the grant proposal was Sac City: Beyond the Popcorn Ball, Perry said, laughing. So when we get to the Popcorn Ball, we will have a kiosk  and itll happen this summer  with QR (smartphone scanning) codes on it that say, Here. You want to see public art? Well send directions to your phone. Or, You want to go shopping? Well send directions to your phone. You want to see parks? You want to see trails? Well take you there. Once theyre here, once theyve been to the Popcorn Ball, one of the things we need to do is leverage what weve got.

The town even reinvented the popcorn ball in 2016  for the fourth time. The city, home to Noble Popcorn, built the first one in 1995 to celebrate its popcorn industry, and built a new one each time another locale tried to wrest the distinction away in the Guinness Book of World Records.

When city leaders discovered the Indiana State Fair built a bigger one in 2016, they imploded their old one and started over.

The Sac Economic & Tourism Development webpage reports, Hundreds of volunteers of all ages came out to help create the new popcorn ball, many climbed the six foot ladder next to the mold to get their chance at stomping down the hot kernels. They were popped in 60-pound batches.

Sac City produced a popcorn ball that is 12 feet tall and tipped the Iowa Department of Transportation official scales at more than 9,300 pounds.

Proof positive that Sac City is a town used to doing some heavy lifting.

Pat Kinney is a longtime Iowa journalist who previously was a reporter and editor at the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier.

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LOS ANGELES  On the opening night of Silk Sonic's residency at the Park MGM in Las Vegas, Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak revived some of the best things about the 1970s: warm, sensuous grooves, tailored polyester suits and the throwback joys of an evening without a smartphone.

As mandated by the band, audience members were made to lock their mobile devices in small pouches for the evening, courtesy of a company named Yondr. Once secured in their pouches, they could only be unlocked electronically at a station near the entrance of the venue.

"We're taking your phones a-way!" Mars sang out to the crowd near the start of the concert.

"That was one of the best parts of the show," said Margaret Whitener, 51, who attended the Feb. 26 performance. "It's nice to be in the moment with no electronic distractions, especially during the pandemic, when many are forced to be more connected than ever. And if people can share concert footage online, why would others want to pay to go?"

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the live music industry has been operating in fits and starts over the past two years. Artists and fans tried to make due with living-room livestreams and video chats, but with omicron receding and masking and vaccine requirements dissipating, many acts are now returning to the road, with some seeking respite from a pandemic-exacerbated dependence on technology.

"Being the master of ceremonies and being able to read the room  understand the dynamics of what this room needs to feel like  that feeling goes away when you're looking at a wall of (phones)," Mars told the Los Angeles Times. "With the cameras, you're like, 'I don't know if I want to try out this dance move tonight,' or you're afraid this joke might go on the internet."

Graham Dugoni believes this problem far predated the pandemic: He founded Yondr in 2014, after attending San Francisco's Treasure Island Music Festival the year before. "I kept seeing so many people on their phones, texting other people in other places and then recording someone who didn't know they were being recorded and violating their privacy," said Dugoni. "Once the intention leaves the room, it's hard to get back."

The business grew throughout the 2010s, as Yondr began to be implemented in schools and courtrooms. Alicia Keys, John Mayer and Jack White became Yondr's most high-profile ambassadors, opting to use the service on tours. Although the pandemic significantly curbed in-person events, Dugoni is pleased to report that in 2022, business is booming once more.

"During the pandemic, people have become aware that it's not great to be looking at the screen eight hours a day," he said. "The ability to step into a space and be temporarily kind of unplugged is valuable."

With venues selling out at levels comparable to pre-pandemic times, concertgoers are clearly eager to get literal face time with their favorite artists  but their interactions remain, to the frustration of artists, mediated by their phones. Many performers, from Jeff Tweedy to Bjork, have asked fans in good faith to refrain from using the devices during concerts.

Indie-rock star Mitski performed to a sold-out audience at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium, but not before issuing a prerecorded announcement just prior to taking the stage that asked fans to curb their excessive phone use, "so I can see you when you sing along."

Yet the frosty glow of smartphone screens still obscured this reporter's view of Mitski and her band during her opening number, "Love Me More."

"They gotta get it for TikTok," hissed one young man in the crowd.

The issue came to a head for Mitski fans in late February, when the artist, who left social media in 2019, posted a rare series of tweets addressing the glut of phones at her shows.

"When I'm on stage and look to you but you are gazing into a screen," she wrote, "it makes me feel as though those of us on stage are being taken from and consumed as content, instead of getting to share a moment with you."

While some fans sympathized, others said that smartphones were a necessity for young concertgoers. Some argued that phones helped alleviate issues like social anxiety and dissociation amid big crowds. After a day or two of inflamed discourse between her fans, Mitski's tweets were deleted. (Mitski declined to comment for this story.)

Among Mitski fans at the Shrine, divisions abounded  and were surprisingly varied across generational lines.

"(Mitski) is at odds with the digital age because she only wants to be performing when she's onstage," said writer Chingy Nea, 28, who also attended the show. "It has to be hard as a performer when everybody would rather be an amateur videographer than an active participant."

"I think she has such a liberated approach to music-making," said Rocky, 21 (they declined to use their surname). "I used to record everything, but I realized that whatever satisfaction I (can get) watching those videos, it wasn't worth the attention I was giving my phone in real-time."

Krystle, 36, disagreed: "A video is a souvenir, and it doesn't cost as much as a T-shirt," she said. "Just don't use flash and you won't bother anybody."

The unrelenting demands of social media have many emerging artists, expected to market themselves online with the same fervor with which they make their art, on the verge of fizzling out. In January, electro-pop artist Chelsea Cutler, 25, professed as much in an Instagram post that accumulated over 104,000 likes and support from artists like Maren Morris, Hayley Kiyoko and James Blake.

"I don't feel like a content creator, I feel like a musician and a performer," she lamented in her post. "I don't know how to keep up with how insatiable our content culture has become."

"TikTok is a massive discovery platform for music, but users post 10 seconds of a song in videos, and it goes viral without anyone knowing who the artist is, the story behind it or anything," Cutler explained to The Times. "It all feels super disconnected. And when we're in the studio, the lack of attention span these days makes an artist think about writing shorter songs, instead of thinking about the art."

Putting smartphones in sealed bags may seem like a dramatic action to take in what is now the third decade of the internet's existence, but it's a concession that some artists believe will bring people together.

"Without phones, there's no fear involved," said Mars. "You just get to paint  truly live in the moment. And I think there's a beauty in seeing something fail and then being able to talk about it with the crowd."

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SIOUX CITY -- After spending roughly 16 hours standing in long lines inside Kabul's international airport, sitting amongst discarded trash, and having tear-filled conversations with her mother over the phone, Halima Shokuri felt emotionally drained.

Shokuri had traveled from her homeland back to Iowa at the end of summer break multiple times before, but, this time, things were different. She would be boarding a plane unsure when, or even if, she would have the opportunity to return to Afghanistan again.

"It was a very low moment in my life. The whole time I was just crying," the 25-year-old business administration and finance major, who is in her senior year at Northwestern College in Orange City, said. "I knew that if this time I go back to the U.S., I had no prospect of going back to Afghanistan and visiting my family. I don't know how many years it's going to take us to reunite again."

The afternoon of Aug. 22, Shokuri grabbed her laptop and a backpack, which contained two sets of clothes and a few other necessities, and left her home in Afghanistan's capital city for the besieged airport, where thousands of Afghans hoping to flee the country were waiting outside and members of the Taliban were roaming with rifles slung over their shoulders.

No goodbyes

Shokuri didn't get to hug and kiss her mother and five sisters goodbye. In fact, due to security concerns, she had to inform her family via phone that she was at the airport. Shokuri, who has 10 siblings total, would leave her mother and sisters behind in Kabul, along with her fiance Ali Ahmad Akbari, whom she also refers to as her husband. He has since relocated to Pakistan.

Shokuri became engaged to the software engineer in June. The couple went to the court to apply for a marriage certificate, but it wasn't safe for them to have a wedding.

At 5 a.m. on Aug. 23, Shokuri called Akbari from the airport and told him, "Please come and pick me up. I want to go back home." He urged her to wait five more minutes, and, if no one came to take her to the plane, then he would pick her up.

"I waited like two minutes and, then, the American soldier came," Shokuri, recalled months later, as she sat in a bright, modern meeting space in Northwestern College's Ramaker Center. "At that point, I could not think straight. But, now that I think about it again, I'm glad that I came back, because if I were home, I wouldn't be able to do anything for my family."

Shokuri, who speaks Dari, has been working as an interpreter for the Mary J. Treglia Community House. The nonprofit is helping Afghan refugees resettle in metro Sioux City.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said in September that at least 50,000 Afghans are expected to be admitted into the United States following the fall of Kabul as part of an "enduring commitment" to help people who aided the American war effort and others who are particularly vulnerable under Taliban rule.

Relocating in Iowa

So far, the Mary J. Treglia Community House has assisted 19 Afghans who are currently living in Siouxland, as well as a few others who have since moved on. The first family arrived in Sioux City in December, according to Becky Carlson, the nonprofit's executive director. She said many of the Afghans already have jobs, primarily in the production field.

"We're seeing a lot of progress and support within the community for them," she said.

Katie Hagen, service coordinator for Lutheran Services in Iowa, said the nonprofit human services agency has taken in around 15 refugees since Jan. 24. She said they live fairly close to one another and many of them go to the mosque on Friday afternoons to pray.

"Given the circumstances, they seem to be doing very well. They're just very grateful for the assistance they've had and the friendships that they have made," she said. "They are all very eager to get working. A lot of them have been talking about saving up money to buy a car."

Finding safety

Reza Akrami said he feels like a hero. The 28-year-old general contractor was able to get not only himself, but nine of his family members out of Kabul to safety. Akrami's niece, who was born in a refugee camp in the United States, increased the family's size to 11.

"We are so happy that we are safe," Akrami, the father of a 2-year-old daughter and 3 1/2-year-old son, said. "We guarantee the lives of our children."

Akrami said he couldn't accept living under Taliban rule and had no other option but to apply for humanitarian parole, temporary permission to enter and remain in the United States for two years. He and his family were airlifted out of Kabul on Aug. 18. They spent 100 days at Fort Bliss Army base in El Paso, Texas, in a camp with other Afghan refugees, a great deal of whom had been separated from immediate family members.

Since humanitarian parole doesn't provide a path to lawful permanent residency, advocates are calling on Congress to pass the Afghan Adjustment Act. The act would allow the refugees to apply for lawful permanent resident status and prevent them from losing their jobs or being deported while their applications are pending. Carlson said the U.S. immigration system is backlogged and that there is a nationwide shortage of immigration attorneys.

"The Afghan refugees have had quite a different process than what a typical refugee would have. The minute they touched United States ground, their time starts then to actually apply for asylum," she said. "We are partnering with other organizations to help with that process."

A new life

Akrami had hoped he and his family would be sent to Virginia, where many other Afghan families have been resettled. However, immigration officials informed him they would be going to Iowa, a state he had never even heard of.

When the family arrived in Sergeant Bluff on Dec. 4, the frigid weather they encountered was a shock. The lack of people out and about was so unsettling that Akrami's brother likened the isolation to a zombie apocalypse. He was used to the bustling streets of Kabul.

Akrami also noted that his wife and sister shed quite a few tears in those early days. But, now, he is convinced that they ended up in the best possible place.

"They have very warm hearts," he said of Siouxlanders. "We make a lot of friends here. It seems that here is the best place of America."

Akrami got a job at Wells Enterprises, an ice cream and frozen treat manufacturer in Le Mars, and, he joked that he is "getting sweeter," as a result. His mother has learned how to navigate public transit. She faithfully rides the bus to the Mary J. Treglia Community House, near Sioux City's downtown, to attend English classes. Akrami's brother is studying for his driver's license test.

"The challenge here is transportation. That has never been more glaring than when we've welcomed folks in," Carlson said. "Every time I come down here, it doesn't matter what way I get here, I see some of them walking."

Akrami is embarking on a new life in Siouxland. He said relatives and former colleagues who weren't able to leave Afghanistan are constantly in his thoughts. He worked in the American University of Afghanistan, in Kabul, until it was attacked by the Taliban. Then, Akrami took a job with the United Nations working as a construction engineer.

"All the people in Afghanistan, they are not living. They are struggling to be alive," he said.

Can't go back

Before returning to Orange City on Nov. 9, Shokuri lived with more than 20 single women for 2 1/2 months in a big room at Fort McCoy, a military base located in west-central Wisconsin.

Looking back on her time at the base, Shokuri said she has "positive" feelings. But, initially, she said the situation was difficult. More than 13,000 Afghans were temporarily housed there, as they underwent additional screening and vetting.

"I remember, one time, I stood in line for five hours to get dinner," Shokuri said. "I left my room around 4:30 p.m. and, then, I went back to my room at 9:30 p.m. I was so tired that I did not feel hungry anymore and I just put the food aside and slept."

Shokuri said she and the other women played music and danced to distract themselves. Putting her interpretation skills to use at the vaccination center, welcoming refugees alongside military personnel and handing out clothing, also helped her pass the time.

"They did not come with much. Those who brought suitcases, their suitcases were missing, so we started distributing clothes to the refugees," she said. "It was fun and I enjoyed it."

The other women often came to Shokuri with questions, since she has been living in the United States since 2016. Shokuri finished her final two years of high school at Pella Christian, before continuing her education at Northwestern College.

The women asked Shokuri, "Which states are better?" "What kinds of jobs are available?" "How do I get into college?" Sometimes, Shokuri and the women would just talk about fleeing Afghanistan.

"We would sit around each other and share the stories of how we came to the U.S. and how it was for us at the airport, how many days we stayed behind the gate to be able to get inside. Everybody had so much to talk about," she said. "A lot of the girls had their families left in Afghanistan."

Shokuri was fortunate her taxi driver took her to a gate that wasn't flooded with people and that she was allowed to enter the airport by showing previous years' visas and a letter from Northwestern College. The support of Shokuri's family members and their pride in her accomplishments encouraged her to return to the United States and finish her education. Shokuri is able to stay in contact with them via phone and social media apps.

"It's crazy how I cannot go back anymore and I don't know if I will ever be able to go back," she said. "I would like to go back and do something for my country."

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SIOUX CITY -- Multiple times during her speaking engagement hosted by Woodbury County Sheriff Chad Sheehan, KrisAnne Hall, who lists herself as a constitutional attorney, told the crowd of more than 100 people who came out to Western Iowa Tech that she was there to teach "facts" about foundational legal documents.

"Everything I'm going to show you today is based on principles," Hall, a former Florida prosecutor, told them at one turn. Yet, within 10 minutes of saying she was there to show facts and not teach opinions, Hall asked the crowd. "Anybody believe that we've lost more liberty in our own hands in the last two-and-a-half years than we have in the past 150 to foreign invaders?"

With a shade less than 30 minutes until the event started, there were about 30 people spread throughout the Rocklin Conference Center on the WITCC campus. Some folks were already seated at one of a number of circular tables while others were milling around, looking down at their cellphones or checking out the wares being offered at the merch table. There, there were at least three different books being sold, including "Bed Time Stories for Patriots" and CDs touching on subjects such as "religious liberty."

Not everyone at those circular tables was there to offer support for Hall's message. More than one attendee said they believed Hall was dangerous.

"I think it's scary, the interpretation of the Constitution," Marlene Sturdevant said. "I don't know what her real qualifications (are) and I don't know why she's being paid to speak."

However, others were there to support Hall during her two-hour lecture.

When she said: "(The) only purpose of government is to secure your rights, not to provide them, not to give you health care, welfare, food, shelter, but to secure your right to obtain them on your own," one person applauded. Before the event began, one gentleman was so excited that he broke into Hall's speech to ask her if she would join in a recitation of the Pledge of Allegiance which then got going. In one stretch, Hall asked how many people in the room had ever heard of Crispus Attucks, the freed slave who died in the Boston Massacre of 1770. About half of the people in the room raised their hands.

While Hall did have one person during the Q&A portion of the event challenge her on the idea of non-compliance with the government, others asked her to expand on how to best fight legislation they found onerous. The final question of the afternoon went to a woman who wanted to know how to best teach Hall's material to students.

Hall, who posted in 2014 about the the 14th and 15th Amendments to the Constitution being "dangerous and unnecessary," especially focused on the 1st and 2nd Amendments to the Constitution as being paramount to that pursuit. In the case of the latter, she said: "Your right to keep and bear arms is a natural right." With the former, the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly and petition, Hall quizzed people about what it says.

"If you dont know what your rights are, how do you know theyre not already gone?" she asked.

When theorizing about which way freedoms and authorities flow, Hall said the order is: God-Man-Society-Government. "Creator is the highest power," Hall said.

In January 2014, Hall posted the following to her Facebook page: "Sheriffs, Police Officers, Public Servants UNITE to declare the Federal Government has NO POWER outside the Constitution and no authority outside the PERMISSION of the Sheriff!" At WITCC, she expressed a similar sentiment.

"Your sheriff is the most powerful ally you have in defense of your rights," Hall said.

At a recent Woodbury County Board of Supervisors meeting before the event, four speakers objected to Hall's appearance, as well as the constitutional sheriffs movement, which views federal and state government authorities as subordinate to county sheriffs. "While you may have read things on the internet, they can be certainly skewed, I am in no way a person thats above the law," Sheehan said at the March 1 meeting.

When asked about what people should when such "allies" don't defend rights and instead enforce segregation in the 1960s or brag about running concentration camps of jailed citizens, Hall suggested people contact county commissioners or local legislators. If those efforts fail, Hall had another suggestion: Community members band together.

"I know specific towns in Oregon did that when the sheriff wasn't supporting them. They came together and defended their owns rights and their own property and that sort of thing, she said." In 2016, Oregon Live reported: Hall spoke with people who were occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeast Oregon.

"In the weeks since the beginning of the (armed) standoff, Hall has taken to the airwaves multiple times to express support for the occupiers' mission to wrest land control from the federal government," a Feb. 11, 2016 story from Oregon Live noted.

As Sheehan introduced Hall, he expressed surprise that so many people objected to her both online and in-person.

"Perhaps in my naivete, I had no idea bringing a speaker on the Constitution would become so controversial," he said.

Jared McNett is an online editor and reporter for the Sioux City Journal. You can reach him at 712-293-4234 and follow him on Twitter @TwoHeadedBoy98.

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Before they went to bed Saturday night, Siouxlanders set their clocks one hour ahead, as most of the U.S. moved to Daylight Saving Time.

If some Iowa lawmakers get their way, the time-honored practice of "springing ahead" in March and "falling back" in November would be discontinued in the Hawkeye state. The House voted 82-13 last week to pass a bill that calls for Iowa to adopt year-round Daylight Saving Time as soon as Congress allows states to make the switch.

Proponents makes a somewhat persuasive case for keeping clocks an hour ahead of Central Standard Time all year long. Rep. Mike Sexton, R-Rockwell City, said the time changes have been linked to increases in workplace accidents and their severity, miscarriages and suicide rates. He hears from parents and teachers that the twice-a-year switch disrupts childrens lives.

But we agree with Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines, that making DST permanent could create issues with neighboring states, such as our tri-state region. Hunter related how his his parents experienced year-round Standard Time when they spent winters in Bullhead City, Arizona, located near the border of Nevada and California.

It was a pain in the butt, not only for them, but for businesses, Hunter said.

We can envision similar frustrations for Siouxland residents and businesses if Iowa adopts Daylight Savings Time year-round while Nebraska and South Dakota keeps on springing ahead and falling back.

If a group in South Sioux City schedules a meeting for 1 p.m. for example, will Iowa residents arrive an hour early or an hour late, depending on the time of year? If shoppers in Nebraska and South Dakota check store hours in Sioux City in December, will they realize the store is closing an hour earlier than the time in their own states?

Arizona is the only state that currently doesn't observe Daylight Saving Time. (Hawaii currently observes 6 time zones all year.) Eighteen other states have plans like Iowa's to switch to permanent DST, pending federal approval.

Supporters point out that even if the Iowa Senate passes the House bill and Gov. Kim Reynolds signs it, nothing would change immediately. But Hunter argues that enacting a law that depends on Congress passing legislation it has so far been unable or unwilling to approve is at best code clutter.

We would agree. We think it's time for legislators to put this questionable idea to bed.

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SIOUX CITY  During warmer months, students at Bishop Heelan Catholic School have a new outdoor space to learn, eat and relax with friends.

The new Crusader Courtyard is outside the schools main entrance. An area full of tables and benches, it was developed from unusable sloping space next to the OGorman Fieldhouse.

The idea came from Larry Walsh, a 1951 Heelan grad, after supporting the placement of the Blessed Virgin Mary statue from the old Heelan school outside of the fieldhouse doors.

Heelan president John Flanery said Walsh wanted a space where people could see the Mary statue and make the space useful.

Once the COVID-19 pandemic began, the need for an outdoor space became even more apparent.

The pair began recruiting supporters and eventually the project was fully funded by donors and a $50,000 grant from Montana-Dakota Utilities Foundation and Sioux Citys Knife River Construction and Jebro Inc.

Volunteer project manager Terry Hegarty worked with Ryan Callaghan, LiteForm, RP Constructors, Haugen Incorporated, Masaba and Bacon Creek Construction and Design.

The supporters created a design, installed foundation fill, built retaining walls, installed terraced concrete, installed hand railings and completed landscaping.

The area officially opened in August and Flanery said it has been an outstanding space. He said in the fall and spring students and teachers are utilizing it during study halls, lunches and classes.

The space will also be used for outdoor banquets and gatherings.

The tables, benches, planters and receptacles are sponsored by donors and have plaques. Flanery said it is a way to furnish the area, but also a way for the community to honor a loved one or former teacher and for the graduated classes and families to show support.

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SIOUX CITY  With only a few steps remaining for construction, the new Hunt Elementary is on schedule to welcome students in August.

Workers are busy installing built in cabinets, painting, putting up drywall and installing the suspended ceilings.

The midtown neighborhood school, under construction just north of 19th Street between Jackson and Nebraska streets, has been progressing quickly and is on track to open for the 2022-23 year.

The L-shaped building will be about three times larger than the previous Hunt, which once stood nearby the construction site. The old school, built in 1906, was demolished in June 2019.

Hunt Elementary Principal Cami Barker said some of her students tell her about the brand new school going up by my house. She said for the second graders, they were never in the old school.

Since Hunt was officially closed in 2019, the school's students have attended classes in the former Crescent Park Elementary School at 114 W. 27th St.

Tim Paul, the district's director of operations and maintenance said construction has gone smoothly, with only a few bumps due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Because the project started before the pandemic, many items were able to be ordered before the shortages.

The district will take possession of the building on June 1. The summer will be spent installing furniture and finishing touches.

Recently, the large "Hunt" carved into the sandstone from the original school building have been incorporated into the new lunch room. This has been done in multiple new school constructions in Sioux City to remember the original building and provides a nostalgia feel.

Because Hunt is named the A-plus for arts and music school, there is a performing arts stage in the gymnasium that also features terra cotta aspects that were part of the original building.

Barker said the teachers incorporate the arts in lessons every single day and the arts are utilized to teach the standards. The school theme was known before the design process, so specific rooms were designed such as a specific gallery room to display art.

A majority of the school is on one floor, but a lower level features additional classrooms. Because of the design of the building, each classroom features large windows, except the schools black box theater.

One of the highlights of the new building is a large windowed stairwell that looks out onto Jackson Street.

There will be three outdoor playgrounds, with each geared to a specific grade level, the same as other recent elementary schools built in the district.

As with other new schools, the new Hunt will have one main entrance, with a security system during school hours to keep pupils safe. Visitors will be directed solely to the principal's office area.

The entire school is also geothermal, a more efficient heating and cooling system.

Barker said it is amazing to see the building now, comparted to when she saw the architect designs.

For our kids, a lot of them live in the surrounding area and they dont leave the surrounding area, she said. To have something brand new, its going to amazing for them.

She said 95 percent of the kids walked to the original school.

The total cost of the project is estimated at $22 millon. The project is being financed by the district's share of a 1-percent sales tax the state designates for new and expanded schools and other physical improvements.

The school was named for Dr. Andrew Hunt, a physician and dentist who was also the first president of the Sioux City school board, the previous school was easily the district's oldest. The oldest remaining is now Sunnyside Elementary, which dates to 1957.

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SIOUX CITY -- Music has been a cornerstone at Morningside since its first official year of classes in 1895. Back then, a total of 196 students enrolled in collegiate, commercial, musical, and medical departments.

Today, Morningside is home to nearly 1,200 full-time undergraduate students, many of whom spend their days filling the halls of Eppley and MacCollin with the sounds of music - and it shows in the level of musicianship and quality of performances displayed by the students and faculty.

One of the keys to Morningsides success in music is that involvement in the ensembles and productions is open to all students, regardless of major. For newcomer Martin Gaines, this inclusivity is fundamental to music itself.

Regardless of your background, where you are from, how you were raised, or what you believe, music is about people and community, said Gaines, who joined the music faculty in fall 2021 as the director of instrumental activities and an assistant professor of music. To me, this is the spark that cultivates the lifelong passion for learning that we seek to instill in our Morningside students.

The tradition of lifelong learning is also on the mind of Ryan Person, director of choral activities and assistant professor of music. Since taking the helm of the choir program in 2018, Person has embraced the traditions of choral music at Morningside while infusing it with new energy and direction.

Travel, both domestically and internationally, remains an integral part of the choir experience today, and the Morningside Choir will take flight once again in 2022 for a May term to the Czech Republic, Austria, and Germany in conjunction with the applied agriculture and food studies program.

At Morningside, we take pride in providing life-changing experiential learning opportunities for students. For generations, choir tours have been very important to the fabric of the Morningside choral experience. I feel that international travel remains essential as the Morningside Choir strives for increased visibility and notoriety as one of the finest collegiate choral ensembles within the United States, Person said.

My hope is that we will have a monumental impact on the music patrons and alumni in attendance and inspire our international audience to take interest in American choral music performance, particularly at Morningside.

Opportunities like those offered in the Morningside Choir, treble choir Cantabile, tenor-bass choir Camerata, Morningside Symphonic Chorus, and the forever festive Christmas at Morningside are all part of Person and the music departments mission to increase visibility for the programs both on and off-campus. Person is especially excited to continue fostering relationships with alumni with initiatives like the alumni choir during Homecoming and the development of the CODA Legacy Award.

From singing The Morningside Hymn to our annual choral retreat at Lake Okoboji, I feel blessed to associate with the customs that are important to our current students and alumni, Person said. In doing so, I also believe the incorporation of traditions with new ideas has been essential in the development of our forward-trending program.

This song of tradition and transformation can also be heard in the jazz program, led by assistant professor of music and director of jazz studies Erik Mahon. He joined the Morningside music faculty in 2018, and he has seen an increase in the number of students interested in jazz each year. Now that the Morningside Jazz Ensemble has reached its capacity, he hopes to start a second ensemble in the near future to offer more opportunities for students to learn about and play jazz music.

The annual jazz festival is one of the ways that students and the community can engage with jazz music at Morningside. Mahon says the festival is the largest and longest-running anywhere in this area, dating back decades to when jazz was more present in daily life and the whos who of the art form played on Eppleys stage.

During this three-day event, Morningside welcomes over 1,000 visitors to campus including high school students whose experience may result in their enrollment.

Jazz is Americas music. Jazz is not an exclusive art form - rather it is the exact opposite. All are welcome, whether they participate or enjoy as a listener. We as a music faculty simply want to welcome students into our musical communities and enrich their experiences, musically and otherwise, at Morningside, Mahon said.

While the ensembles at Morningside are open to all students, the experience they provide for music and music education majors is especially invaluable. From learning critical listening skills and having the opportunity to direct their peers to seeing their faculty model excellence in teaching and performing their own recitals, students majoring in music and music education are set up for success and ready to teach the next generation.

I believe our students have an infinite ceiling to their potential, Gaines said. We hope to foster and inspire their dedication, and then shine a light on their talents.

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SIOUX CENTER, Iowa -- Sioux Center's new high school is unlike most in the area.

An open floor plan, massive windows, career specialty areas and a multi-use gym are just a few of the differences.

The school officially opened on Aug. 24 for the first day of 2021-2022 school year. The $42.5 million project had been five years in the making.

The district had outgrown the old high school, with around 41 students being added to the district each year. After passing a $24.9 million bond with 77 percent approval, the construction began.

"Learning on display" was the main concept for the building. Most classrooms have all glass walls in the hallways, allowing students to see in and out of the classroom. High School Associate Principal Mark Hulshof said people were concerned it would distract students, but he has seen students more engaged because it is on display.

The designs were inspired by schools in the Kansas City metro area that district officials toured. Superintendent Gary McEldowney said they took what they saw and fit it to the Sioux Center districts needs and price range.

The high school was built with growth in mind. There are currently around 460 students in the high school, but the building has the capacity for 800 and was built to be expanded if necessary at a future time. A performing arts center will be added to the east and classroom spaces can be added to the west side of the structure.

The career and technical classes are in the center of the building, allowing students to see - and possibly become interested in - different specialty courses such as construction, welding, robotics and fashion.

A unique change is that some teachers don't have a permanent classroom assignment. With a variety of different classroom styles - some small, some large and some without walls - the classes can be held wherever it best fits. Math, English and social sciences teachers are in two or three different classrooms throughout the day.

McEldowney said it was a big change, but he felt it was a change the staff would handle wonderfully.

Teachers have a separate office space called the professional learning center where they can collaborate.

The amount of windows is also a refreshing change. McEldowney said they were committed to having more windows for mental health reasons.

There are no academic lockers throughout the building, because McEldowney said students dont use them. If a student does want a locker, there are enough in the locker rooms for each student in the building.

Seniors Ellee Vogel and Isaac Roskan both said the new building is amazing and different. The space is something the pair said is a massive improvement from the old high school.

Vogel said she likes how open the building is. Roskan said the weight room and wrestling room are his favorite areas.

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VERMILLION, S.D.  This fall, the University of South Dakota will welcome students into a new School of Health Sciences building.

The three-story structure will house many programs of the School of Health Sciences, including dental hygiene, nursing, physician assistant, addiction counseling and prevention, medical laboratory science, public health and health sciences, and social work.

The 45,000 square-foot building will be connected to the Andrew E. Lee Memorial Medicine and Science Building. In addition to the Delta Dental Oral Health Center, there will be modern classrooms, health science labs, simulation centers, study spaces and faculty offices.

Housing all the programs together allows students to collaborate in the type of real-life practical situations they will encounter every day in hospitals and clinics across South Dakota.

"The new building will stimulate collaboration and innovation among our students, faculty and staff, said Haifa Abou Samra, School of Health Sciences dean. Unifying the many health sciences programs under one roof with innovative technologies will create a transformative and dynamic learning environment that allows our faculty to prepare students for the emerging and increasingly complex needs of health care.

Over the last decade, 4,400 people have earned degrees from the USD School of Health Sciences, with 63% living and/or working in South Dakota. With nine health education-focused departments, 22 programs, two dental hygiene clinics and two significant public service centers, the School of Health Sciences is the largest and most comprehensive source of teaching and clinical preparation of health care in South Dakota. Many of USDs health care programs are unique to South Dakota and are only offered at USD.

By providing the next generation of health care professionals an opportunity to learn and grow as professionals, we will ensure future generations of South Dakotans and their families have the opportunity to live happy, healthy and productive lives, USD President Sheila K. Gestring said.

USD broke ground on the project in April, as the university announced a $1 million gift from the Delta Dental of South Dakota Foundation.

The gift from the South Dakota dental benefits providers foundation will support USDs dental hygiene program. In honor of the gift, the new community dental hygiene clinic at USD will be named the Delta Dental Oral Health Center.

We are honored to receive the gift from the Delta Dental of South Dakota Foundation and delighted to be able to celebrate their generosity as well as the groundbreaking of the new School of Health Sciences building, Gestring said. As the state's only comprehensive school of health sciences, we prepare our students to fill critical needs in so many areas vital to South Dakotas health and wellbeing.

Oral health plays a significant part in overall health," said Scott Jones, president and CEO of Delta Dental of South Dakota. "Expanding the dental hygiene program at USD helps ensure access to oral health care for South Dakota's future. The new facility also offers unique oral health learning opportunities among all of the health sciences programs.

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SIOUX CITY Sioux Citys new vibe academy had a successful first semester, with more than 500 students enrolled.

The Virtual Institute for Brighter Education, or VIBE Academy, is not software or an outsourced program, it's Sioux City teachers instructing in a synchronous learning environment, Superintendent Paul Gausman said.

Kindergarten through high school students can enroll in the program, regardless of where they live in Iowa. Of the roughly 520 students in the first year, with the largest increases in high school and middle school, Principal Dave Vickery said.

Vickery said there are kids finding success in the virtual learning model where they didn't in traditional learning environments.

The virtual school isn't intended solely for parents and students worried about the COVID-19 pandemic.

There are 100 different reasons why a student may choose this model, Vickery said. Some of the students may have social anxiety or behavioral issues, some may be pregnant or dealing with different home circumstances, and still others may have health problems or be bedridden, Vickery said. Every family has a unique situation, he said.

Ive always looked at it beyond COVID, he said. What is the purpose of this school beyond a pandemic and thats what were kind of focusing on.

for a student to enroll in the VIBE Academy, Vickery has a in-person conversation with the students and parents to ensure virtual learning is a good option for them.

Since starting in August intervention enrichment has been added to the middle school, afterschool homework help and tutoring and special education has been increased.

"We're trying to meet the needs of all the students," Vickery said.

Sioux City students can choose to move to the virtual academy at any time throughout the year.

Vickery said there are students enrolling who didn't live in the school district, such as nearby Le Mars and even one from Ames. Students from outside the district have until March 1 each year to open enroll for the next year.

There are 28 teachers and full-time counselors. Students can experience all classes including, art, music and physical education.

Some of the teachers taught virtually last year and chose to continue. Others are brand new to teaching, Vickery said.

He said the teachers have been adjusting to the new teaching environment and are continuing to improve the experience for students.

Vickery said one of the focuses is teaching the students to set themselves up for success.

getting up in the morning, eating breakfast, getting dressed and finding a particular place to learn helps the students focus more on class than being at home.

Rachelle Barnum has been teaching since 1997 in the Sioux City district. With COVID-19 prompting the district to offer students a choice of learning environments last year, Barnum taught virtually last year and enjoyed it.

"It was just really neat to revitalize a career and have a different experience and challenge myself," she said.

Barnum, a high school social studies teacher, said teaching virtually gives her an opportunity to find new ways to teach things she's done in the past.

The state's Department of Education approved the academy in February, giving the staff a lot of work to do between then and the start of school.

Vickery said it was a team effort, and every staff member worked together to design the program.

Its been a challenge but Ive got a great staff, a great technology department, really a great everything, he said. Weve persevered through it all.

On Aug. 10, the school signed a lease with the Ho-Chunk Centre to operate the academy on the fourth floor of the downtown office building.

It was important to the district to have all of the virtual academy administrators and teachers in one location. Vickery said it allows the teachers to build the program and solve problems together.

The staff worked quickly to set up the space in a way that will be workable for the beginning of the year, Vickery said.

The fourth floor space is a large square, with a kitchen, elevators and bathrooms in the middle and outer walls of all windows. The teachers' desks line the outer walls all around the floor, facing outside with a unique view of downtown Sioux City and the Missouri River.

Since opening in August, the teachers have customized their work areas and new desk and equipment has been installed.

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SIOUX CITY -- Western Iowa Tech Community College will continue to offer free tuition for the third year.

The Last-Dollar Scholarship Program, which was first offered to WITCC students in 2019, covers tuition and some fees for specific programs that align with high-demand jobs in Iowa.

The scholarship is available to recent Iowa high school graduates and adults ages 20 and older, who are enrolled in an eligible program, and who are attending WITCC part-time or full-time.

A wide variety of programs are covered with the scholarships in areas such as agriculture, health administration, building trades, health, police science, cyber security, computer networking, robotics, engineering, and culinary. Additional programs in business, administration and paralegal have been added for the fall semester.

The Last-Dollar Scholarship is part of Gov. Kim Reynolds' Future Ready Iowa initiative, which aims to build a pipeline of skilled workers, fill worker shortages in certain industries, and keep Iowa competitive to other states. The scholarship was first offered to WITCC students in 2019. Since then, 1,240 of students have received the scholarship and over $2.7 million in scholarships have been awarded.

Without seeing the scholarship commercials last summer I would have not considered enrolling in college because of the financial barrier," WITCC student Courtney Akins said. "The scholarship has been what I owe my college success to for having been given the chance to attend college and making the most of this opportunity. I appreciated being rewarded with this financial boost and didn't want to waste it."

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SIOUX CITY -- When they launched a renovation project more than a year ago, Siouxland Community Health Center officials envisioned ways to make accessing patient services easier.

The ease of navigating the campus near downtown Sioux City was realized just in time to accommodate a growing number of patients.

"Even with the increased volumes, it feels more relaxed, and people are able to move around in the building more easily," CEO Mari Kaptain-Dahlen said.

In its Sioux City and South Sioux City locations, the health center had a combined 131,596 patient visits in 2021, a 9.2% increase over 2020.

A months-long renovation project at the 1021 Nebraska St. location in Sioux City wrapped up in December with the completion of a large education room providing space for prenatal classes, diabetes education and other meetings.

Because of increasing patient visits, another round of renovations at both sites is either in progress or soon will be.

"We really have a growing and strong patient base in South Sioux City, and you want to make sure you're providing them with all the services that a health center typically offers and are offered at (the Sioux City) campus," Kaptain-Dahlen said.

At the Sioux City campus, work is expected to begin in March on renovations of medical and dental exam rooms and education and meeting spaces. The $800,000 project, paid with American Rescue Plan COVID relief funds, is expected to be done by the end of September.

Work is already ongoing and should be completed this spring on a number of changes to the health center's South Sioux City facility at 3410 Futures Drive, changes made possible after buying the building in April.

"That was a very big milestone for us in our South Sioux City presence," Kaptain-Dahlen said.

Much of the building is currently being renovated, including exam room remodeling, expansion of the laboratory and the addition of a pharmacy and drive-up window for picking up prescriptions. The $200,000 project is being paid out of the health center's cash reserves.

The work to be completed at both campuses this year wraps up some $7 million in improvements during the past two years.

Phase 1, a $6 million project funded through cash reserves, included renovations to improve efficiencies in the Sioux City building, which was built in 2008.

The pharmacy and urgent care clinic were relocated from the upper level to the ground level and are now easier for patients to access.

Through the renovations and relocations, eight new medical exam rooms and two new dental exam rooms were created. The prenatal program and behavior health services also gained enlarged areas. With the expansions, more dental and behavior health workers were hired, and the health center staff has increased to 320, a long way from the one provider and 12 others on staff when the health center opened in 1992.

When COVID struck in early 2020, the health center instituted electronic patient registration and curbside pickup and delivery services from the pharmacy to accommodate social distancing and cut down on traffic inside the building. Those services continue. A mobile clinic unit bought to use for COVID testing is now used for mobile COVID vaccination clinics.

"That's gone over well," Kaptain-Dahlen said. "It's an opportunity to really connect with people."

More expansion is likely on the way.

"Our board is now looking into the future," Kaptain-Dahlen said.

The board hopes to increase services provided in South Sioux City to mirror the Sioux City center's offerings. There's room to grow at the South Sioux City site, and a building expansion could be in the future plans.

Expansion also is likely at the Sioux City campus, either into another downtown location or at the existing site. Parking is already at a premium at the current location and will factor into any expansion decisions.

"We're really looking at how we expand our presence in the downtown area," Kaptain-Dahlen said. "The board has been studying those options and will be studying them very seriously. We value our location and think it works well for our patients."

All expansions will be done while keeping in mind the health center's mission of serving everyone in the community regardless of their pay source, race or ethnicity.

"I think we give great care here and have great providers and great staff," Kaptain-Dahlen said.

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Its a boom time for the Black Death. Interest in the bubonic plague that burned through Europe and Asia in the 14th century, and then returned in waves of outbreaks for three centuries afterward, has been rekindled during the COVID-19 era. For two years now, hot takes about the worst pandemic in history have rolled through the media landscape with the grim persistence of a Monty Python corpse collector calling out, Bring out your dead.

Plague most recently struck the New York Times in February (In Medieval Europe, a Pandemic Changed Work Forever. Can It Happen Again?). In January, Vice (What the Black Deaths Labor Shortage Can Tell Us About Our Own). December of last year brought coverage of the Black Death and conspiracy theories from Salon, as well as the plague and economics in both Insider and Investors Chronicle. In November, a pair of quantitative social scientists explained in Politico What the 14th Century Plague Tells Us About How COVID Will Change Politics. And lest anyone think contemporary uses of the Black Death are all doom and gloom, the stage-blood-spewing, latex-monster-costumed metal band Gwar just announced its upcoming Black Death Rager World Tour.

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As a novelist who has spent much of the past two years afflicting fictional characters with the pestilence in question, I would like to believe the recent ubiquity of the Black Death signals a resurgence of medieval interest like the one that made Umberto Ecos The Name of the Rose a publishing phenomenon a generation ago. The more likely explanation is bleaker: Death on a mass scale cries out for precedent. Today we are interested in that bygone plague mainly because we hope it will shed light on our own.

Yet the world in which the bacterium Yersinia pestis led to the deaths of tens of millions from 134653 was very different from the one brought to a standstill by coronavirus 2019. Facile comparisons between the two risk obscuring the facts of each, all in the name of illumination.

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There are a lot of what I call rainbow connections that are being made in popular media, historian Matthew Gabriele said in a Medieval Academy webinar early in the pandemic. This tendency to try to leap from the moment now back to some moment in the past, skipping over anything in between, and see some kind of direct causal connection between then and now.

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A professor of medieval studies and chair of the Department of Religion and Culture at Virginia Tech, Gabriele is the author, with David M. Perry, of The Bright Ages: A New History of Medieval Europe. He first began using the phrase rainbow connection in 2017 when describing efforts to view terror attacks through the lens of the Crusades. He sees the tendency to draw these arcing lines as even more prevalent today.

The idea is really simple, he told me. A rainbow connection is an attempt to draw a line directly from today to some moment of the past, but to leave out, jump over, all the events and ideas that occurred between now and then that complicate the picture. Its a way of sanitizing the past in order to make a specific contemporary political or cultural point, to leave out the contingency and debate within history and by historians to make a moral argument.

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But history is messy because were talking about people, and people are messy, Gabriele says. Anyone who tells a simple story about the past is selling something, and we need more scholars pointing out the carnival barkers for what they are.

Scholars are rightly aggrieved by casual or cynical deployments of historical periods they have spent careers trying to understand. Yet for every drive-by exegete eager to place an op-ed (or sell a book), there is a curious audience drawn to century-straddling comparisons simply because they hope context might help make sense of a frightening time. Contemporary Americans are relatively inexperienced with infectious disease compared with our ancestors; in search of explanations, many have reached for what seems closest at hand in popular culture and popular history, where the plague has always loomed large. Though the connections made can be fanciful, invocations of the Black Death have become, for better or worse, an abiding part of our pandemic experienceand the ways it has been used are continuing to evolve.

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In the beginningway back in 2020the plague mostly served as shorthand, offering an odd kind of reassurance. Along with the 1918 influenza pandemic, it was enlisted to suggest that, yes, things might get bad, but weve seen worse. Writing for NBC News in August of that year, the historian Michael Oren argued, As we wrestle with our contemporary challenges, its important that we look back and learn from those who survived and ultimately surmounted similar ones 700 years ago. Doing so may give us something were short on: hope.

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Some comparisons from the pandemics first year even strained to imply that we would be better off in the long run, as did NBCs headline for the Oren piece: COVID-19s Death and Suffering Could Lead Us to Rebirth, as the Bubonic Plague Did in Europe. A few weeks later, National Public Radio likewise used the plague as a pep talk. The Black Death was one of the worst pandemics in human history, tearing apart the social fabric of medieval Europe and inflicting a gruesome death on up to half the population, NPRs Planet Money noted before making this remarkable transition: But theres another side to it that we dont usually talk abouta sort of silver lining.

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The silver lining argumentthe idea that the plague cleared away the dead wood of the Dark Ages and allowed the Renaissance to bloomis well worn. Writing in the Journal of the History of Biology in 1991, medievalist Faye Marie Getz, author of Medicine in the English Middle Ages, cited an actual National Enquirer headline that would set any historians teeth on edge: Even Though 55 Million Died, Black Death That Wiped Out Europe Had a Good Side!

The desire to put a positive spin on catastrophe is understandable, but it more often reflects current emotional needs rather than an accurate accounting of the past. Humanity can rest assured that no disaster, no matter how terrible, is without redeeming social content, Getz observed sardonically. History, like a novel, ought to make sense, and how could the death of most the population of Europe have happened for no good reason?

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More than three decades ago, in the midst of the AIDS epidemic she has acknowledged was an influence on her work, Getz explained that historically, there have been two broad approaches to interpreting the Black Death and its aftermath. The first, developed in the 19th century and informed primarily by medieval accounts of the plague as an essentially religious event, offered a Romantic or Gothic understanding of the loss of millions as a world-renewing cataclysm, in the manner of the biblical flood. The second interpretation, championed by historians of the French Annales school a century later, sought data from less biased sources, including municipal records that provided a view of the enduring nature of medieval social and intellectual institutions rather than the kind of rupture and rebirth described in scripture, which had subtly informed secular tales of a civilization resurrected after its near demise.

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In either view, interpretation of the Black Death has not been merely a matter of describing a global health crisis from long ago. It has at times amounted to a creedal statement about the nature of history: One either believes catastrophic events are leading somewhere, imbuing upheavals like pandemics with a unifying purpose across time, or one admits they are just one damned thing after anothera messy complex of damned things that cries out for elucidation, to be sure, but not the ultimately simple story any teleological understanding provides.

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Medievalism to me seemed a door into something that always interested me, Getz told me recently, the axiomatic notion in so much of the history of science that we bear witness to the unfolding of a master narrative of progress from a dark age into an enlightened era. This narrative, she suggests, has roots in deeply embedded millennial thinking. It looks to dramatic epochal turning points shaped by singular figures and events to explain how things became as they are, rather than grappling with the diverse, diffuse, slow-moving complexity of the past.

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Something similar in the movement from Gothic interpretations of the plague to more open-ended views of social change seems to have emerged in popular comparisons of medieval and contemporary pandemics. While silver lining arguments endure, most Black Death stories do not aspire to the same muddy optimism they once did. Gone are the arguments that somehow this will all be for the best, a revelation that will lead to a better world, replaced with sadder, truer, assessments that we are living through, as the Annales school historian Elisabeth Carpentier said of the 14th-century plague, one catastrophe amid others. Or as Getz told me, I think we are in that anti-apocalyptic narrative with COVID now.

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It is perhaps telling that the most recent widely distributed news about the history of the Black Death did not provoke explicit connections to our current predicament at all. Research released last month in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution presented the possibility that the great mortality was not quite so great as usually supposed. Amplified by newspapers around the world, including the New York Times, the Daily Mail, and Haaretz, an international team of 62 researchers argued that palaeoecological evidence of variable rates of pollen production suggest common estimates of half the population of Europe succumbing to the sickness should now be revised.

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Two full years into the pandemic, all historical comparisons wear thin. Analogies that may have been comforting when they set thousands of deaths beside tens of millions have become less so as the difference in the number of zeros has decreased. With any suggestion of a bright side seeming as crass in 2022 as it no doubt would have in 1348, maybe all we want to hear is that, at some point in the distant future, it all may seem not quite as horrific as it does today.

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Historys real usefulness in times of crisis is not found in either counting the dead or finding a practical purpose for their suffering. Its a matter of reckoning with what it means to survive. The most significant piece of literature to emerge from the Black Death, The Decameron of Giovanni Boccaccio, included searing descriptions of the sickness itself, but it was primarily a chronicle of how humans passed the time: 100 stories shared by 10 narrators, each an exile from the lives they had known, spinning yarns to distract themselves from the fate of a city where despite all that human wisdom and forethought could devise to avert it  the doleful effects of the pestilence began to be horribly apparent. Between the lines, we can glean in the gathered tales an entwined tedium and dread that seem uncannily familiar.

Among those living in the plagues shadow, Boccaccio reports that some banded together, and, dissociating themselves from all others, formed communities in houses where there were no sick, and lived a separate and secluded life, which they regulated with the utmost care. Others, meanwhile, the bias of whose minds was in the opposite direction decided instead that to drink freely, frequent places of public resort, and take their pleasure with song and revel  was the sovereign remedy for so great an evil.

Every age has its own normal to which it longs to return. Yet history also expands our notion of what normal and its return might mean. Early in The Decameron, when one of its protagonists laments the paralysis living in fear of death has brought, she asks: What do we here? What wait we for? What dream we of?

To be mired in uncertainty as one plague year becomes another, to again and again change ones life and choices and possibilities, all the while addled by conflicting notions of how one should behavein perilous times such as theirs and ours, this is normal. The lessons to be learned from plagues of the past are not merely about how many died, but that those left alive struggled as we do, waiting and dreaming.
The bench is located in one of the Kysuce villages.

A giant bench in the village of Skalite, Kysuce region. (Source: MY Kysuce/Pavol Stolarik)

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A giant wooden bench on a hill above the village of Klastor pod Znievom has been the largest bench in Slovakia, but it is no longer the case. The Kysuce region boasts an even larger bench.

The bench is five metres long and three metres high, and the motto The right love lasts forever is engraved on it.

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The bench is currently placed in the village of Skalite, next to the Polish border.

Kysuce hilltops

Our plan is to move up the bench to the Trojak [Kykula  845 m] hilltop above our village, the Skalite mayor Jozef Cech told the My Kysuce website.

From the grassy hilltop, located about four kilometres from the village, hikers can enjoy splendid views of several peaks such as Velka Raca, Velky Vreten and Rochovica.

Thematic walks

The bench should later become part of a path of love and friendship, which Skalite plans to build. The trail will lead through places with nice views and panoramas.

We want to highlight the power of nature, mutual understanding and love, the mayor added.

Different elements, ranging from a heart to a ladder, will be installed at these places.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/rbp8reDCu3g

Similar trails, focusing on fairytales and outlaws, could spring up in other parts of the Kysuce region, according to a regional tourism organisation.

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https://sputniknews.com/20220313/at-least-six-killed-several-injured-after-kiev-forces-fire-on-volnovakha-hospital---medics-1093820175.html

At Least Six Killed, Several Injured After Kiev Forces Fire on Volnovakha Hospital - Medics

At Least Six Killed, Several Injured After Kiev Forces Fire on Volnovakha Hospital - Medics

Most of the doctors and patients, including women in labor from the maternity ward, survived by hiding in the basement. One of the doctors told Sputnik that... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T03:11+0000

2022-03-13T03:11+0000

2022-03-13T05:00+0000

russia

ukraine

hospital

civilians

volnovakha

situation in ukraine

shelling

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Ukrainian troops fired from a tank and Grad MLRS at a hospital with patients during the retreat from the city of Volnovakha, eastern Ukraine, killing at least six people, a Sputnik correspondent reported, citing the accounts of hospital staff at the scene of the incident.Prior to the incident, the Ukrainian military fired at the Donetsk People's Republic troops from grenade launchers and tanks from the building and courtyard of this hospital, hiding behind patients, including women in childbirth, as a human shield. When they were leaving the area, they mined the buildings.The building of the Volnovakha Central Hospital was seriously damaged: the walls were pierced in several spots, some of them collapsed, windows on three floors were almost all broken; medical buildings, wards, and patient rooms were damaged, the Sputnik correspondent reported from the scene.According to the hospital staff and soldiers of the DPR army, they counted at least six bodies of dead civilians on the square in front of the hospital, but the count is still underway, since the rubble has not been cleared.In addition, on the territory and inside the building, the Sputnik correspondent reported two bodies in the uniform of the Ukrainian military, and according to doctors retreating from the medical facility, the Ukrainians finished off their own.A hospital employee told Sputnik on video that the Ukrainian military shot "directly from a tank," although they were "drinking tea" there before, as the hospital staff "fed them, treated them." Later, the military "drove off and started shelling" and came back "to see what was happening here."According to the employee, during the shelling, not only were patients hiding in the hospital, but also residents of nearby houses who do not have basements under their homes.He added that, when shelling with Grads, Ukrainian troops were guided by calls from patients and hospital staff on mobile phones for aiming. Saranov explained that people went to the upper floors to talk on the phone, because "at least there was connection available," and the projectiles hit the spots.According to the Sputnik correspondent, DPR forces discovered British NLAW anti-tank missiles as well as other weaponry at the hospital, with the wooden crates and metal boxes marked in English.Among the weaponry they also found corking boxes for 30-mm VOG-17M grenades, for automatic grenade launchers of the AGS series. In addition to VOG-17M, ammunition is marked as IO-30, which indicates bu the use of this name that they are produced by companies in Bulgaria.After the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics requested assistance in defending themselves against Kiev forces in late February, the Kremlin launched a special military operation. The goal of the special military operation is stated to be the demilitarization and "denazification" of Ukraine, with only military assets being attacked by Russian forces. The purpose, according to Russian President Vladimir Putin, is to protect the people of Donbass, "who have been subjected to abuse, genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years." During the special military operation, the Kremlin has been pointing to the "particular cruelty and cynicism" of Ukrainian nationalist and neo-Nazi formations who continue to attack Donbas and use civilians, including foreigners held hostage in Ukrainian cities, as human shields.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/20220312/russia-seeing-humanitarian-crisis-of-catastrophic-levels-as-far-right-ukrainians-take-hostages-1093815694.html

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Notes collected from participants answering the question "Who should we talk to?" about the COVID-19 pandemic are organized by Samariya Smith, community history project manager for the Connecticut Historical Society. Smith is organizing the effort that includes gathering oral histories and artifacts as part of a new project exploring life in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

When COVID-19 first hit in the spring of 2020, the Connecticut Historical Society quickly put out a call for photos, stories and artifacts that would convey the experience of living through a modern-day pandemic. The organization had kept almost nothing from the 1918 influenza pandemic and didnt want to make the same mistake again.

But as submissions arrived, staff realized they were collecting material almost exclusively from just one subset of Connecticuts population: white, affluent, educated and suburban.

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We did not have a diverse and inclusive representation of COVID, said Ilene Frank, the Connecticut Historical Societys chief curator. We [realized] that if we want to make sure that we are creating a diverse and inclusive archive that will be used by future generations, then we have to be more intentional about that.

And so the historical society applied for grant funding with plans for a more focused, deliberate approach to documenting the pandemic. Thus emerged the Community History Project, a new two-year initiative that seeks to capture 100 oral histories from Connecticut residents, with a particular focus on people of color in Hartford, New Haven and Norwich.

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Samariya Smith, Community History Project manager for the Connecticut Historical Society, is organizing an effort that includes gathering oral histories and artifacts as part of a new project exploring life in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

Our goal is to hit the pavement and find people with unique stories  good, bad, ugly and indifferent about the pandemic, said Samariya Smith, who is leading the project. We want to capture those stories ... so that when the next pandemic hits people will have a reference point as to how we made it through.

The project, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services in partnership with Central Connecticut State University and several public libraries, recently conducted its first oral history interviews, with a group of Hartford teenagers.

[ Weekly coronavirus updates: Hospitalizations decline; 100 additional deaths reported ]

At a kickoff event for the Community History Project on Thursday, some of those teens discussed what the pandemic has been like for them. Deajah Cunningham, a 14-year-old freshman at Weaver High, described the difficulty of wearing masks during her first year in high school. Asia Hamilton, a 15-year-old sophomore, said shed developed social anxiety. Carlos Ortiz, a 15-year-old freshman, lost his grandfather to COVID-19.

My maturity levels had to get higher, said E.J. Alers, also a 15-year-old freshman. I just had to grow up way quicker than a teenager or a child should grow up.

Thursdays event included a display of mementos from the pandemic submitted by Connecticut residents, including a plush doll of Dr. Anthony Fauci, vaccine vials from Yale New Haven Hospital and an absentee voter souvenir card from the secretary of the states office.

Hartford, Ct. - 03/11/2022 - Notes collected from participants answering the question "Who should we talk to?" Are held by Samariya Smith, community history project manager for the Connecticut Historical Society. Smith is organizing the effort that includes gathering oral histories and artifacts as part of a new project from the Connecticut Historical Society exploring life in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic gathering Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

Guests were encouraged to write on foam boards that posed questions such as, What did you lose during the pandemic? Under that prompt, one respondent wrote my sense of time. Another wrote a child.

Paula Mann-Agnew, a 61-year-old Windsor resident, offered five answers: my hair, my mind, my job, my security, my fear. The pandemic, she said, had led her to better appreciate her friends and family.

I was reminded of the basics again, Mann-Agnew said. I kind of lost sight of that, but sitting home quarantine all that time really made me reevaluate.

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Unequal experience

In many ways, poor people and people of color  in Connecticut and elsewhere  have experienced the pandemic more acutely than other groups. According to state numbers, Black and Latino people have been disproportionately likely to catch COVID-19 and to die from it, and surveys show they are also more likely to have lost a friend or family member to the disease.

Meanwhile, Black, Latino and poor people have also faced greater financial hardship during the pandemic, with those who have the lowest incomes more likely than those with higher incomes to say they are worse off financially than they were two years ago.

[ Connecticuts richest residents got richer while poorest residents got poorer during pandemic, survey finds ]

What the pandemic did was highlight, if not exacerbate, existing fractures in our society, said Tekisha Everette, executive director of the Hartford-based Health Equity Solutions. Blacks and Latinos and Native Americans and the low-income have borne the brunt of the pandemic in ways we have not seen in a long time.

Frank, from the Connecticut Historical Society, describes the pandemic using the analogy of a stormy sea.

Breaking News As it happens Get the latest updates on Coronavirus and other breaking news events happening across Connecticut >

We were all on the same stormy sea, but we all had different ways on being on that sea, Frank said. Some people were on a yacht, and other people had doughnut life-preservers they were holding onto.

A sign with responses from participants designated in dots rests in a room at the Connecticut Historical Society with its collection of signs from inns and taverns. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

At the launch event Thursday, Andrew Woods, executive director of Hartford Communities that Care, described catching COVID-19 during the earliest days of the pandemic, then spending much of the next two years working to combat gun violence exacerbated by the crisis.

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Along the way, Woods observed up close how some communities suffered more than others.

Theres a saying that when white America catches the cold, Black America catches the flu, Woods said. And this impact of COVID, to us, was similar to that analogy, to where the less resources you have, the less you have to combat and deal with challenges such as COVID.

Samariya Smith studies a poster board of responses to the question, "Greatest lesson you learned during the pandemic?" One of several similar efforts including the gathering of oral histories and artifacts as part of a new project from the Connecticut Historical Society exploring life in Connecticut during the COVID-19 pandemic. Photograph by Mark Mirko | mmirko@courant.com (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

These are the types of perspectives Frank and Smith hope to collect as part of the Community History Project. Smith says Connecticut residents  especially people of color from Hartford, New Haven or Norwich  interested in being interviewed can contact her at samariya_smith@chs.org.

This is creating history, Smith said. This is creating history as we live it.

Alex Putterman can be reached at aputterman@courant.com.
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/family-of-gabby-petito-accuse-her-killers-parents-of-planning-to-help-him-escape---report-1093819248.html

Family of Gabby Petito Accuse Her Killer's Parents of Planning to Help Him Escape - Report

Family of Gabby Petito Accuse Her Killer's Parents of Planning to Help Him Escape - Report

The 22-year-old Gabby Petito was murdered in August 2021 by her boyfriend, Brian Laundrie, while they were on a motor trip across the United States. Laundrie... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T02:27+0000

2022-03-13T02:27+0000

2022-03-13T02:25+0000

us

lawsuit

murder

florida

police

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Brian Laundrie's parents have been accused by Gabby Petito's family of knowing their son had killed his fiancee during the entire search period - and even intended to help him flee the country, the Sun reported, citing a new lawsuit.This week, Petito's parents, Joseph Petito and Nicole Schmidt, filed a civil action against Chris and Roberta Laundrie, demanding at least $100,000 in damages.According to the report, in the suit, there are previously unknown details in the infamous case of the vlogger's death by her lover, whose own death was confirmed in October 2021. Petito died of blunt force injuries to her head and neck, according to coroner findings filed in the civil lawsuit, despite the fact that her cause of death is officially ruled to be by manual strangulation. Petito's body was discovered on September 19, 2021, at a campsite about 300 meters (1,000 feet) from where her van had been parked. Before her remains were recovered, she had likely been dead for three to four weeks.Petito's mother's asserted that Roberta Laundrie blocked her phone number as well as her Facebook account. Prior to Petito and Laundrie's trip, the future in-laws reportedly enjoyed a friendly relationship.Brian Laundrie sent text conversations with Schmidt from Petito's phone, according to the lawsuit, in an attempt to cover up her death. Earlier, investigators said that Laundrie was accused of using "unauthorized debit cards after Gabby Petitos death," as he was the only person of interest in the case.Petito's murder was reportedly known to Laundrie's parents, because Brian Laundrie confessed to them after he returned from the journey. The parents hired a lawyer that same day.After Brian Laundrie drove home to North Port alone, driving Petito's car on September 1, according to Petito's parents, the two families had not been in touch. The Laundrie family reportedly "went on vacation to Fort DeSoto Park" while the "plaintiffs were extremely distraught and were attempting to locate Gabrielle Petito."The case reportedly claimed that the Laundries were covering for their son by concealing his location. They also suspect Brian's parents were planning his departure from the country.Petito's parents allege that the Laundries knew that by divulging what they knew about Gabby's whereabouts and well-being, they may help ease some of Gabby's family's mental pain and sorrow. However, the family contends that Brian's parents acted with malice toward Gabby's parents' rights by refusing to do so.In late January, the FBI revealed that Laundrie admitted to killing her in a notebook discovered near his body in a Florida swamp. It was the first time officials directly blamed Brian Laundrie for Petito's killing, despite the fact that he had been the leading suspect all along.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/20211021/human-bones-found-in-florida-wilderness-park-confirmed-as-belonging-to-brian-laundrie-1090114762.html

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https://sputniknews.com/20220313/gop-rep-cheney-agrees-with-fellow-republican-lawmaker-who-called-trump-would-be-tyrant-1093837216.html

GOP Rep Cheney Agrees With Fellow Republican Lawmaker Who Called Trump 'Would-Be Tyrant'

GOP Rep Cheney Agrees With Fellow Republican Lawmaker Who Called Trump 'Would-Be Tyrant'

Former US President Donald Trump calls GOP Representative Liz Cheney a "RINO" - an acronym for "Republican in Name Only", which means someone who, in the view... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T19:27+0000

2022-03-13T19:27+0000

2022-03-13T23:02+0000

us

gop

republican

liz cheney

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GOP Representative Liz Cheney agreed with fellow Republican member of Congress Tom Rice, who recently observed that Trump is a "would-be tyrant."She noted that the United States "needs Republicans to be sane, responsible, and speak the truth."Rice's statement follows a Trump rally in which the former reality TV producer called Rice a disaster and total fool. Trump also criticised Rice for voting to impeach him after the deadly Jan 6, 2021, Capitol riot, which Trump is accused of inciting. At the time, both Rice and Cheney voted yes to impeach Trump.Trump, who, according to multiple reports, values loyalty in his employees above any other ability, has described every Republican who backed his impeachment as a "RINO". The former president endorsed GOP primary challengers against Rice and Cheney, supporting Russell Fry - a Rice rival who spoke at the Trump rally on Saturday.Taking a dig at his Republican opponent and slamming Trump after the event, Rice noted after the Trump rally that if you want a congressman who supports political violence in Ukraine or in the United States Capitol, who supports party over country, who supports a would-be tyrant over the Constitution, and who makes decisions based solely on re-election, then Russell Fry is your candidate.Let's 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/20220313/iran-nuke-deal-talks-were-paused-due-to-us-seizing-tankers-with-iranian-oil-media-claims-1093828527.html

Iran Nuke Deal Talks Were Paused Due to US Seizing Tankers With 'Iranian' Oil, Media Claims

Iran Nuke Deal Talks Were Paused Due to US Seizing Tankers With 'Iranian' Oil, Media Claims

On 11 March, representatives of Iran and the EU announced that the talks on reviving the nuclear deal, which had been close to completion, had been put on... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T12:16+0000

2022-03-13T12:16+0000

2022-03-13T12:16+0000

iran

us

iran nuclear deal

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The decision by US authorities to seize two Greek ships carrying "Iranian oil" was among the reasons for a pause in negotiations on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), the Middle East Eye (MEE) has reported. Tehran repeatedly warned Washington against seizing the two Greek ships in Houston and the Bahamas during the ongoing talks in Vienna, but these calls went unheeded, MEE reported without revealing its sources.The two ships carrying $38 million worth of alleged Iranian crude were seized on 10 March, a day prior to the suspension of the JCPOA talks, on the grounds of breaking the US sanctions against the Islamic Republic.Yet, the seizure of the tankers was reportedly not the only issue that derailed the nuclear talks that were approaching conclusion and the signing of a new accord that would revive the JCPOA. According to MEE, the US made new unspecified demands as part of the new deal that "angered" Tehran.Washington has also been refusing to remove the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) from the list of foreign terrorist organisations, where it was placed under the Trump administration.The negotiations were also hindered on 8 March by Russia's demand for the US to provide written guarantees that its sanctions policy against Moscow won't affect its trade with Iran. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov explained that under the original nuclear accord all participants of the JCPOA are supposed to receive "equal rights" in developing cooperation with Iran. Russia is one of the signatories of the original 2015 nuclear accord.MEE suggested that the provision requested by Moscow is also imported for Tehran  the two economies are intertwined and Iran might fear it will prevent US companies from entering the Iranian market out of fear of sanctions.According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, the US refused to negotiate the sanctions waivers for Russia in trade with Iran, but are contemplating an alternative nuclear deal that would not include Moscow as a signatory.Iranian and EU representatives to the talks announced a pause in negotiations on 11 March. EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said that "external factors" prompted this decision, but did not elaborate on them.The talks to revive the JCPOA have been going on with intermittent breaks for around a year now, but have had little success until recently. The breakthrough came amid the rapid growth of gas and oil prices on global markets, largely prompted by the Western sanctions against Russia over the situation in Ukraine. The negotiations are aimed at returning the US and Iran to compliance with the 2015 nuclear accord.Tehran stopped adhering to its provisions a year after the US under the Trump administration announced its withdrawal from the JCPOA and reintroduction of sanctions against Iran. The move crippled the country's oil trade and forced most Western companies to abandon their business in the Islamic Republic despite considerable financial losses associated with it.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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iran, us, iran nuclear deal
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/iraqi-foreign-ministry-summons-iranian-ambassador-following-erbil-missile-attack-1093836593.html

Iraqi Foreign Ministry Summons Iranian Ambassador Following Erbil Missile Attack

Iraqi Foreign Ministry Summons Iranian Ambassador Following Erbil Missile Attack

Earlier in the day, Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the overnight missile attack in the Iraqi city of Erbil. Tehran... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T17:45+0000

2022-03-13T17:45+0000

2022-03-13T18:36+0000

middle east

iraq

iran

irgc

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Iraqs Foreign Ministry summoned the Iranian ambassador on Sunday to protest against the missile attack that occurred in the city of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan, according to the state-run Iraqi News Agency.According to INA, Iraq expects "frank and clear clarifications from the Iranian side" regarding the incident. On Sunday, the Ministerial Council for National Security held an extraordinary meeting headed by Prime Minister Mustafa Al-Kadhimi to discuss the aftermath of the attack.Earlier on Sunday, Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) claimed responsibility for the ballistic missile attack in Erbil, saying that the target of the attack was a "strategic centre of Israel".The Iraqi Health Ministry said that the attack did not result in any casualties. According to media reports, 8 to 12 missiles were fired from Iranian territory into Erbil, landing in the vicinity of the local US Consulate.According to the US State Department, no American facilities were damaged as a result of the strike and Washington had "no indications the attack was directed at the United States". State Department spokesman Ned Price demanded that Iran stop its attacks and pledged Washington's help for regional partners to defend themselves.The French Foreign Ministry on Sunday warned that the Erbil attack could undermine ongoing efforts to revive the nuclear deal with Iran. Additionally, France said that the incident threatened the stability in Iraq and the entire region.Germany also condemned the attack, with Berlin saying that it would not let a "regional escalation" hinder the progress made in the nuclear talks in Vienna. Germanys Foreign Office also said that "those responsible must be brought to justice".Let's 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/20220313/israeli-twitter-users-outraged-by-ukrainian-envoys-impudence-over-his-lawsuit-1093823093.html

Israeli Twitter Users Outraged by Ukrainian Envoy's 'Impudence' Over His Lawsuit

Israeli Twitter Users Outraged by Ukrainian Envoy's 'Impudence' Over His Lawsuit

After Israeli Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked set up a limit of 5,000 refugees, Yevgen Korniychuk appealed to the country's High Court of Justice to annul her... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T06:17+0000

2022-03-13T06:17+0000

2022-03-13T06:17+0000

middle east

israel

ukraine

refugees

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Israel continues to receive a flow of Ukrainian refugees, as Russia's military operation in Ukraine enters its 18th day.So far, more than 4,000 Ukrainians have already arrived at Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv. Thousands of others are still on the way.Refugees Not Welcome?The flow of refugees, most of whom are non-Jewish, presents a problem for Israel that grants citizenship to people of Jewish heritage only. This is why, in a bid to stem that stream, the country's Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked has already set up a limit of 5,000 people that the state would be willing to take in.She also agreed to allow 20,000 of those who have already landed in the country to remain in Israel until the hostilities in the Ukraine subside.That policy has sparked anger among Israel's liberal circles, who were outraged by the images of Ukrainian children and women lying on the floor of the airport.On Saturday evening, scores of protesters gathered in front of Shaked's residence in central Israel. Demonstrators called her "evil" and a "fascist". They urged her to "wake up" and allow more refugees in.Ambassador Against the StateBut Shaked's headache didn't stop end there. On Saturday, it was reported that Yevgen Korniychuk, the Ukrainian ambassador to Israel, had filed a lawsuit against the minister with the country's High Court of Justice.The article that featured the Ukrainian ambassador's appeal has since gone viral, but many Israelis didn't appreciate the diplomat's "audacity"."The Ukrainian ambassador submits a petition against the State of Israel, the country that hosts him? Impudence, horror.. it cannot be forgiven", wrote one netizen."You can already tell the ambassador that he can go straight home", wrote another.Going Too Far?This is not the first time that Korniychuk has spoken out against Israel. At the beginning of March, he sparked outrage after he accused the Israeli national airline EL AL of "making money soaked in Ukrainian blood", alleging that the company was accepting Russia's MIR cards, an equivalent of Visa and Mastercard.EL AL rebuffed these allegations, and the ambassador rushed to apologise for jumping to conclusions but the damage his statements dealt to his reputation was irreversible.For Israeli social media users, his recent move was just a step too far.Another person wrote: "We need to expel him. Russia has always supported Israel. The Ukrainians have always murdered Jews and they will keep on doing so"."Send him to hell, immediately", a third penned.Yet, despite the outrage, the diplomat's efforts, coupled with the actions of some liberal circles, have borne fruit. Shaked is expected to expand the quota of Ukrainian refugees in the next several days, but the question that begs to be answered is whether the largely conservative Israeli public will be able to swallow it.Let's 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/20220313/jussie-smollett-placed-in-jail-psych-ward-after-court-outburst-actors-brother-reveals-1093835197.html

Jussie Smollett Placed in Jail Psych Ward After Court Outburst, Actor's Brother Reveals

Jussie Smollett Placed in Jail Psych Ward After Court Outburst, Actor's Brother Reveals

As he was being sentenced to 150 days in prison for faking a hate crime against himself, Jussie Smollett delivered an emotional speech, assuring the public... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T16:31+0000

2022-03-13T16:31+0000

2022-03-13T16:31+0000

viral

society

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Actor Jussie Smollett, who was found guilty of staging a "racist and homophobic" attack on himself, has been placed in a psych ward at Cook County Jail, according to his brother Jocqui.The latter took to Instagram to share the latest news about the condition of Jussie.Smollett, once a TV star known in particular for his performance in "Empire", was sentenced to 150 days behind bars after being found guilty of filing a false police report - a class 4 felony that has a maximum sentence of four years. The court found that he had faked a hate crime against himself in order to improve his publicity. After the judge announced the verdict, Smollett suddenly delivered a bizarre and emotional speech, yelling that he was innocent and "not suicidal"."If anything happens to me in there I did not do it", he asserted, apparently concerned that he could potentially find himself in a situation similar to Jeffrey Epstein's - a late American financier and sex offender whose death in 2019 was ruled to be a suicide. The official version is still disputed by some.The judge called him "a charlatan pretending to be a victim of a hate crime". Back in 2019, when Smollett made his claims, he was publicly defended by many media and political figures, among them even Joe Biden and Donald Trump.Despite the "hate crime" case having taken an unexpected turn, Smollett continues to insist that he is innocent. The actor reportedly even told his attorneys that he would receive a harsher sentence because he is black. However, the judge ruled that if he behaves behind bars, he could leave jail after just 75 days instead of serving his full sentence.

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Zelensky Wants Talks With Russia to Result in Effective Guarantees

Volodymyr Zelensky says that the aim of the Ukrainian delegation at talks with Russia is to get certain guarantees that would work, and to try to arrange a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.



"Our goal is that in this struggle, in this complex negotiation work, Ukraine gets the needed result, which is necessary for us. For peace, for security. So that we have guarantees, normal and effective. Not like in Budapest, not like in our skies. And such that the Ukrainians could say - this works, these are guarantees indeed," Zelensky said in a video address.



He added that talks with Russia are necessary and have already contributed to the creation of multiple humanitarian corridors in Ukraine.



"Representatives of our delegations, the delegations of our countries, talk in video format every day. Our delegation has a clear task - to do everything so that a meeting of the presidents takes place, a meeting that, I am sure, people are waiting for," Zelensky said.
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/metas-move-to-allow-hate-speech-against-russians-fosters-xenophobia--racism-journalist-warns-1093827066.html

Meta's Move to Allow Hate Speech Against Russians Fosters Xenophobia & Racism, Journalist Warns

Meta's Move to Allow Hate Speech Against Russians Fosters Xenophobia & Racism, Journalist Warns

This week, Facebook and Instagram's parent company Meta announced that calls for violence and death against Russian armed forces and President Vladimir Putin... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T11:09+0000

2022-03-13T11:09+0000

2022-03-13T11:10+0000

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meta

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hate speech

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Meta global affairs president Nick Clegg has claimed that the company "does not tolerate Russophobia or any kind of discrimination, harassment or violence towards Russians", and said that the new hate speech policy allowing calls for violence against Russians will be applied in Ukraine only.Talking to Sputnik, Taylor Hudak, journalist and editor with AcTVism Munich, has explained what Meta is trying to achieve with this policy, why it fits the Western narrative, and how this decision is affecting Russian citizens.Sputnik: Meta has always portrayed itself as an inclusive platform opposed to racism and xenophobia. What do you make of the media giant actually encouraging hate speech against a specific nationality?Taylor Hudak: This demonstrates how Meta and other Silicon Valley tech giants interfere in politics and foreign relations as Meta is a US government contractor. As a so-called private company, it is completely inappropriate for Meta to change its policies to support US interests and thus act as the right arm of the empire. Russian citizens are being targeted and are suffering now because of how the mainstream corporate media has spun the issue in Ukraine. Facebook and Instagram have ridiculous speech regulations and that is another issue, but to allow hate speech against one group of people while protecting another group fosters xenophobia and racism against Russians.Sputnik: Are they going to get away with this? Are we looking at any public outcry at all?Taylor Hudak: Any serious person should be able to see that allowing for death threats against Russians is despicable. Unfortunately, this aids in the continuation of the tension and aggression between the west and Russia and it helps to serve the purpose of all out war in the region. Metas decision to soften the hate speech regulations against Russians and Russian entities does not advance any peaceful solution but encourages more violence and aggression.Sputnik: The EU and the US have been claiming they would try to regulate Meta's activities, but it turns out that they're now neglecting clear violations. What do you make of such a double standard?Taylor Hudak: I am not surprised by the double standard here given that Meta is a US government contractor, and it is the parent company of Facebook, which openly admitted to collaborating with the FBI in the past. There is a strong propaganda effort taking place to ensure that people in the west support military aggression against Russia. After the mainstream corporate media lied about Iraq, Afghanistan, Russian interference in the 2016 election and COVID, I do not think we should ever trust them again.Sputnik: How exactly does it serve the Western narrative towards Russia?Taylor Hudak: It helps to foster anger and hatred toward Russian people and the Russian government so that people in the west will be more supportive of military aggression against Russia and not have sympathy for them.Sputnik: Where are all the human rights organisations in this?Taylor Hudak: Human rights organizations should acknowledge the censorship that happens on the traditional platforms like Twitter, for example. Twitter users who question the official western narrative regarding the conflict in Ukraine are being suspended and shadowbanned. This is never a good sign. People should have the ability to freely express themselves.Sputnik: Who gave Meta the right to decide who to hate? How is such a witch hunt against one particular nation even possible in the 21st century?Taylor Hudak: Meta/Facebook/Instagram and Twitter should not act in the interest of any government or intelligence agency. Social media and Big Tech giants serve the interests of Washington.Sputnik: Do you believe Meta's current actions should lead to enhanced regulation of social media platforms that overtly allow its users to call for violence?Taylor Hudak: I do not believe more regulation is the answer here, and I support free speech that is legal and does not call for violence in any way shape or form. The real problem is that these social media companies are tied to US intelligence and western interests. The major social media platforms do not serve the interest of their users.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/20220311/russia-demands-that-us-stop-extremist-activities-by-meta-as-company-okays-calls-for-violence-1093765133.html

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opinion, meta, facebook, instagram, russia, hate speech
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/missile-attacks-on-erbil-targeted-secret-israeli-bases-report-suggests-1093823605.html

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Claim Responsibility for Missile Attacks on Erbil

Iranian Revolutionary Guards Claim Responsibility for Missile Attacks on Erbil

The capital of Iraqi Kurdistan was attacked overnight, with ballistic missiles landing near the US Consulate, reports said. 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T05:58+0000

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The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps has claimed responsibility for the missile attacks on the Iraqi city of Erbil, Iranian TV has reported.Tehran reportedly stated the military was targeting an Israeli "strategic centre", and warned there would be a "harsh, decisive, and destructive response" in case of possible Israeli attacks.In the meantime, the governor of Erbil has denied reports about "Mossad facilities" in the city.Previously, media outlets suggested that 8 to 12 missiles were fired from Iranian territory. According to the Iraqi Health Ministry, the incident did not result in any casualties.The attack comes just about a week after two officers from Iran's Revolutionary Guard were killed in Syria, with Damascus accussing Israel of carrying out the strike.The city, which houses American forces, has been attacked several times over the past year. A drone strike last July triggered sirens in the US Consulate in Erbil, but there were no casualties or property damage recorded at the time.

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middle east, iran, israel, erbil, missile attacks
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/poll-shows-majority-of-brits-want-prime-minister-boris-johnson-to-resign-1093825685.html

Poll Shows Majority of Brits Want Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Resign

Poll Shows Majority of Brits Want Prime Minister Boris Johnson to Resign

The leader of the Conservative Party has seen his approval ratings fall during the coronavirus pandemic, with critics accusing the government of failing to respond quickly to the problem. Johnson's numbers have plunged even further due to several scandals involving Tory MPs as well as the politician himself.

2022-03-13T09:18+0000

2022-03-13T09:18+0000

2022-03-13T09:18+0000

uk

boris johnson

britain

approval rating

uk conservative party

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keir starmer

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A majority of Britons want Prime Minister Boris Johnson to resign, a new poll conducted by the market research and insight agency Opinium has shown. Although the survey demonstrated that there has been a 10 percent decrease in individuals who want to see the politician go (compared to January polls), most of those surveyed (53 percent) said Johnson should resign.The discontent with his performance covers several areas. One of them is the response to Russia's special operation in Ukraine, which Moscow said is meant to de-Nazify Kiev and protect the residents of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics from the genocide waged against them by Ukraine's leadership. Kiev and the West subsequently condemned the Kremlin's actions, describing them as an "invasion" and slapped the harshest sanctions on Moscow to date.Fifty-two percent of those surveyed believe that British authorities have not gone far enough in accepting hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees into the UK. Overall, a majority of respondents surveyed are concerned about Britain's economy, with 71 percent expecting the financial situation in the country to worsen over the next year, while 57 percent expect their personal finances to take a hit.Only 27 percent of respondents have a favourable opinion of Boris Johnson's performance and 35 percent of the Conservative Party, while 54 percent of those surveyed disapprove of the prime minister's performance. Quite often a decrease in the popularity of a governing party means an increase in popularity of the opposition, but this was not the case here. The ratings of Keir Starmer, leader of the Labour Party, remain unchanged. When asked who they prefer as prime minister the answer "none of these" was the top choice, although when forced to choose the respondents chose Labour over the Tories.Johnson's approval rating has been decreasing slowly since he became PM in the summer of 2019. This was caused by the UK's intense negotiations on Brexit with the European Union. His first big challenge, however, came in 2020, when health experts accused the government of failing to show an adequate response to the coronavirus pandemic. In October 2021, an inquiry conducted by several MPs revealed that the government's slow response during the early days of the coronavirus pandemic cost thousands of lives.The PM's popularity continued to tumble after the government was hit by several scandals, including allegations of nepotism after the Health Ministry awarded medical equipment contracts worth millions of pounds to companies owned by friends of officials. The Conservative Party was also accused of awarding peerages in exchange for massive donations and the mishandling of the Owen Paterson scandal.Prime Minister Johnson himself has been accused of wasting taxpayer money on the lavish makeover of his residence on Downing Street. But his biggest challenge came when local media outlets reported that UK authorities, including Johnson himself, were in breach of the coronavirus safety rules, the very regulations they themselves had set.Photos showed MPs, ministers, and the PM attending different gatherings and parties during lockdown or when such gatherings were banned. Johnson faced calls to resign, but has dismissed statements by his critics.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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Elena Yurchuk saw families with children blown up and the hospital she worked in reduced to rubble during Russias invasion of Ukraine.

I dont know if I have a home or not, said the 44-year-old nurse from the northern Ukrainian town of Chernihiv. Our city is under siege and we barely escaped.

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Yurchuk has arrived to safety in the Romanian border town of Suceava, which has welcomed thousands of refugees fleeing the Russian invasion of Ukraine in the past days. Chernihiv, she said, now resembles a ghost town.

People in cars are blown up by mines, a car with children and a young family was blown up  literally behind us, Yarchuk said.

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While the number of people arriving in neighboring countries from Ukraine appears to have eased in the past week, the refugees harrowing accounts of destruction and death are evidence of the continued suffering of civilians in Ukrainian cities besieged by Russian forces.

At the train station in Przemysl, Poland, refugees described traveling in packed trains and people sleeping on each other during their journeys to safety. Some heard explosions as they passed through a western region of Ukraine near Lviv in the area where Russian missiles pounded a military training base, killing at least 35 people.

When I went through Lviv there was an explosion. They bombed two military bases, said Elizaveta Zmievskaya, 25, from Dnipro. The sky became red.

More than 1.5 million refugees have arrived in Poland since the start of Russias invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24  out of a total of around 2.7 million people that the United Nations say have fled so far.

But Polish border guard spokeswoman Anna Michalska said that the numbers of refugees arriving have eased in the past week with about 79,800 arriving on Saturday, compared to 142,000 a week earlier. In Romania, 29,636 refugees arrived on March 7, with the number dropping to 16,676 on Saturday.

Still, the refugees said their escape to safety was as hard as ever.

Roman Titov Chuguyev, 16, traveled with his brother for more than 10 hours in a crowded train before meeting their mother who was already in Poland.

We had to travel by ourselves, he said. It was very crowded, lots of people sleeping on each other. In the cabin for six people there were eight to 10 people inside. It was just very hard.

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His mother Svetlana Titova said she was relieved that her two sons have finally arrived.

I had no connection with them, she said. I was worried, but I was here with others who were waiting.

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For Natalia, a 55-year-old Ukrainian refugee from Zaporizhizhia, this was her second time fleeing, after leaving the Crimean Peninsula in 2014, when Russia annexed it.

It was scary, she said. We did not wait for them (Russians) and this is not our first experience. But it was scary.

Most of the refugees fleeing Ukraine have been women and children, because men from 18-60 have stayed behind to fight and are forbidden from leaving the country. Many already have moved to other countries in Europe, mostly to stay with friends and family there.

At dawn on Sunday, a bus carrying about 50 Ukrainian refugees overturned on a major highway in northern Italy, killing one person, Italian firefighters said.

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In Britain, the government announced it will pay a monetary reward to people who offer their homes as a refuge to Ukrainians fleeing the Russian invasion. Officials said Sunday the Homes for Ukraine program, to be introduced this week, will see sponsors receive a government payment of $456 per month.

But refugees like Svitlana Prihodnia, a 55-year-old from Dnipro, just wish they never had to leave at all.

Everybody dreams that they will go back home soon, she said.
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/prince-harry-promotes-charity-games-in-dutch-amid-decision-to-avoid-granddads-memorial-1093818111.html

Prince Harry Promotes Charity Games in Dutch Amid Decision to Avoid Granddad's Memorial

Prince Harry Promotes Charity Games in Dutch Amid Decision to Avoid Granddad's Memorial

Earlier, Prince Harry announced that he would miss a memorial service for his late grandfather, Prince Philip, who died April 2021, citing "security" reasons... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T00:58+0000

2022-03-13T00:58+0000

2022-03-13T00:57+0000

uk

prince harry

queen elizabeth ii

uk royal family

prince philip

memorial service

society

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Just a day after refusing to attend his grandfather's memorial ceremony, another outcast of the British royal family, Prince Harry, dressed up in orange to make a video promoting his charity, the Invictus Games, to be held in April. The development comes as the Duke of Sussex, who with his wife Meghan Markle left his native UK for the United States, claimed last month that he would feel "unsafe" in the wake of losing his taxpayer-funded personal security.In a video shared on social media on Saturday, Prince Harry can be seen learning the Dutch language while dressed entirely in orange, a sartorial decision said to be in preparation for his trip to the Hague, the Netherlands, in a few weeks. Harry appears in a video chat with four others, studying Dutch.Harry then is reminded to get his hat, so he dons an orange hat, sunglasses, then unzips his jacket to reveal an orange T-shirt, then stands up to display orange pants. A little earlier, Prince Harry's grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II, withdrew from Monday's Commonwealth Day celebration, raising concerns about her health, as she reportedly continues to recover from COVID-19.After declaring he would be "unsafe" if he attended his grandfather's memorial, Harry warned the Queen of his snub a quarter of an hour before his statement regarding Prince Philip's service, according to the UK media reports.According to the reports, Harry is in the middle of a UK High Court battle concerning his personal safety. Experts believe he would have had appropriate security during the Westminster Abbey event on March 29 and during a stay in Windsor. The event is expected to be attended by the Duke's friends, colleagues, and representatives of organizations he supports. All the senior royals, including the Queen, are expected to attend as well.Despite Harry's refusal to attend the memorial, it is uncertain whether he will attend the Invictus Games next month. Since leaving for the US in 2020 with his wife, Harry has only returned to the UK twice.He returned for Philip's burial in April 2021, and he attended the unveiling of his mother Diana's statue at Kensington Palace two months later.Let's stay in touch no matter what happens! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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https://sputniknews.com/20220313/russian-mod-up-to-180-foreign-mercenaries-killed-in-russian-strikes-on-ukrainian-training-centres-1093834690.html

Russian MoD: Up to 180 Foreign Mercenaries Killed in Russian Strikes on Ukrainian Training Centres

Russian MoD: Up to 180 Foreign Mercenaries Killed in Russian Strikes on Ukrainian Training Centres

Moscow has repeatedly warned foreign countries against allowing their citizens to travel to Ukraine in order to take part in the hostilities there. The Kremlin... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T15:50+0000

2022-03-13T15:50+0000

2022-03-13T17:22+0000

russia

ukraine

airstrike

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https://cdnn1.img.sputniknews.com/img/07e6/03/0d/1093836191_256:0:1280:576_1920x0_80_0_0_078a6009d2a7048182945be41bd11319.jpg

Up to 180 foreign mercenaries were killed in precision strikes carried out by Russia against Ukrainian training centres located at the Yavorovsky military compound and near the settlement of Starichi, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov has stated. He elaborated that these centres were being used to train and organise foreign mercenaries to fight Russian troops in Eastern Ukraine, as well as to store weaponry sent to the country by foreign nations.In addition, the Russian Air Force and air defences destroyed several Ukrainian aircraft, including one Su-24 (NATO reporting name: Fencer) attack jet and 11 unmanned aerial aircraft. Two of them were Turkish-made Bayraktar TB-2 attack and reconnaissance drones.Russian drones also destroyed 46 military objects of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, including three command centres, one air defence missile system, and two ammunition warehouses, as well as various military vehicles, the Defence Ministry's spokesman said.Moscow has repeatedly called on foreign countries to prevent their citizens from travelling to Ukraine in order to join the hostilities there as the Russian Armed Forces conduct a special military operation in the country. Moscow noted that anyone attacking Russian troops will be considered a valid target.President Vladimir Putin ordered the start of the operation on 24 February, following a request from the newly recognised Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR). He insisted that Moscow was left with no other choice after Kiev failed to implement the Minsk agreements and following continued attacks against the Donbass republics. Western countries condemned the operation, labelling it an "invasion" and expressed readiness to supply Ukraine with weapons, but stopped short of pledging other military assistance, citing fears of triggering a third world war.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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russia, ukraine, airstrike
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/tensions-in-jerusalem-flare-up-but-will-it-lead-to-new-confrontation-between-israel--hamas-1093822022.html

Tensions in Jerusalem Flare Up But Will It Lead to New Confrontation Between Israel & Hamas?

Tensions in Jerusalem Flare Up But Will It Lead to New Confrontation Between Israel & Hamas?

In recent weeks, Israel has carried out a number of arrests in the east of the disputed city and the West Bank. Several Palestinians have been shot dead amid... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T05:08+0000

2022-03-13T05:08+0000

2022-03-13T05:08+0000

middle east

israel

palestinians

gaza strip

hamas

palestinian islamic jihad (pij)

escalation

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For the past 18 days, the world has been following Russia's military operation in Ukraine, meant to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" the country.But while the globe has been busy, Israel, says Hani Al Masri, a Ramallah-based political analyst, has been using the events in Ukraine to "increase its persecution of the Palestinians".Rising TensionsIn recent weeks, tensions between Israel and the Palestinians have escalated.Israel continues to confiscate Palestinian properties in the disputed Sheikh Jarrah neighbourhood in East Jerusalem, prompting a confrontation with local residents. Tel Aviv continues to push forward with its policy of demolishing the houses of those suspected of terrorist activity, and the authorities continue to arrest and shoot Palestinians, as was the case last week in the city of Jenin amid clashes with Hamas loyalists. The group governs the Gaza Strip and is deemed a terrorist organisation by Israel.In response, Palestinians have stepped up their assaults on Israeli military personnel and civilians. The past week has seen several such terrorist acts, resulting in injuries to several policemen.According to Al Masri, the Israeli government sees the Russian operation in Ukraine "as an opportunity". Not Only Israel's FaultYet, the escalation of tensions cannot be attributed to Israel and the Ukrainian crisis only. And the analyst says the spike in violence is also connected to internal Palestinian issues.Hamas' frustration with the lack of progress in reconstructing the Gaza Strip is among them. Last May, the Islamic group fired a barrage of rockets at Israel in response to what it saw as a violation of Palestinian rights on the Temple Mount, a plateau sacred to Muslims and Jews alike.At the time, Israel retaliated, launching "Operation Guardian of the Walls", that devastated the infrastructure of the Gaza Strip. When the campaign ended, Egypt, which brokered the truce, promised to help in the reconstruction process. It pledged Palestinians half a billion dollars and sent its construction firms to the area, but almost one year down the line Al Masri says nothing has been achieved.Licking Its WoundsThe recent Israeli operation caused significant damage to Hamas' military capabilities. During the eleven days of fighting, the IDF struck over 1,500 terror targets, including launch sites, and command and control centres. They dealt a devastating blow to the group's tunnel system, destroyed weapons depots, and killed hundreds of Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives.It is unlikely that Hamas, which is struggling to raise money, would be willing to go to another war with Israel, but Al Masri says the situation is so explosive that it could still spiral out of control.Since 2015, there has been an increase in the number of so-called lone wolf attacks, individuals who carry out terrorist acts but who do not affiliate themselves with any group.They are believed to have been pushed to terrorist activity not only by Israel's policies, but also by the dire economic situation in the West Bank, and the analyst believes they might become a trigger again and an element that could bring about another escalation of tensions.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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middle east, israel, palestinians, gaza strip, hamas, palestinian islamic jihad (pij), escalation
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/uk-security-chiefs-reportedly-warn-priti-patel-against-open-door-policy-toward-ukrainian-refugees-1093822894.html

UK Security Chiefs Reportedly Warn Priti Patel Against 'Open-Door Policy' Toward Ukrainian Refugees

UK Security Chiefs Reportedly Warn Priti Patel Against 'Open-Door Policy' Toward Ukrainian Refugees

On Monday, the UN refugee agency revealed that almost 2.6 million civilians have fled Ukrainian territory since 24 February, when Russia launched its special... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T05:43+0000

2022-03-13T05:43+0000

2022-03-13T05:43+0000

ukraine

russia

uk

priti patel

refugees

crisis

visa

special operation

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The chiefs of the UK's MI5 and MI6 have warned Home Secretary Priti Patel against easing visa requirements for Ukrainian refugees, purportedly due to the risk they could include Daesh* militants and mafia-linked criminals, the Daily Mail reports.The newspaper quoted unnamed senior intelligence sources as saying that "no one disputes that this is a humanitarian tragedy, and that 99.9 percent of the refugees [from Ukraine] are genuine".The source, however, cautioned that the British government "cannot just allow a complete open-door policy", adding, "Ukraine is a melting pot at the moment, and we have already been presented with fake passports".They also advised against the Home Office's plans for an online visa system to receive Ukrainian refugees, asserting that such a system would be too vulnerable to hacking by alleged Russian security agents.The claims come a few days after Patel told lawmakers in the Commons that the government plans to water down its rigid entry requirements for Ukrainian refugees.This followed Roger Gale, a senior lawmaker from the Conservative Party, accusing Patel of misleading the parliament over a visa application centre (VAC) for Ukrainian refugees she said her department was setting up in the French port of Calais.She claimed in an address to MPs on Monday that "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, we're supporting those that have been coming to Calais".Europe's 'Fastest Growing Refugee Crisis'Earlier this week, UN estimates revealed that nearly 2.6 million refugees had fled Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian special military operation in the country on 24 February. Neighbouring Poland has so far received the most refugees, with others travelling to Hungary, Slovakia, Moldova, and Romania.Russia launched its special operation in Ukraine in order to demilitarise and de-Nazify the country, following a request for help from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, which saw weeks of intensifying shelling from the Ukrainian Army. The goal of the operation is to destroy Ukraine's military infrastructure with high-precision weapons, which do not target civilians, according to the Russian Defence Ministry.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus*Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State) is a terrorist group banned in Russia and many other countries.

ukraine

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ukraine, russia, uk, priti patel, refugees, crisis, visa, special operation
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/us-national-security-adviser-beijing-will-face-consequences-if-it-helps-moscow-dodge-sanctions-1093837483.html

US National Security Adviser: Beijing Will Face Consequences If It Helps Moscow Dodge Sanctions

US National Security Adviser: Beijing Will Face Consequences If It Helps Moscow Dodge Sanctions

Washington previously issued similar warnings after Beijing was alleged to have purchased sanctioned Iranian oil. The US has periodically slapped smaller... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T20:00+0000

2022-03-13T20:00+0000

2022-03-13T19:59+0000

situation in ukraine

us

russia

us sanctions

china

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Washington will "absolutely" respond if Beijing attempts to help Moscow cope with the consequences of the crippling economic sanctions imposed on Russia by the US and its allies over the Kremlin's special military operation in Ukraine, according to US national security adviser Jake Sullivan. Sullivan added that the Biden administration has communicated with the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP) about the consequences, but refused to go into additional detail.Sullivan did not elaborate on whether Washington plans to punish Beijing over intelligence asserting that the CCP knew of the Kremlin's plan to start a military operation in Ukraine. The US national security adviser dodged a direct question on whether the the Biden White House considers Xi Jinping, the Chinese president, as a "co-conspirator" of Russian President Vladimir Putin. Sullivan admitted, however, that Washington suspects the CCP of having knowledge of the Kremlin's plans ahead of 24 February, when the special military operation in Ukraine was put into force.The US national security adviser further stated that the Biden administration is monitoring material and economic support that the CCP is allegedly extending to the Kremlin and added that it was a "concern" for the White House.The US and its close allies across the globe have introduced harsh sanctions against Russian financial, aviation and energy assets, as well as the nation's central bank, over the Kremlin's 24 February launch of its special military operation in Ukraine. Putin said that he was forced to start the incursion amid a continuing shelling of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR) by Ukrainian troops and Kiev's failure to implement Minsk agreements.Beijing refused to follow Washington and its allies, repeating that Moscow remains the CCP's "most important strategic partner". Xi has reportedly not publicly announced special measures to aid the Russian economy hit by significant sanctions.Beijing has rejected allegations that it had insight into plans that Putin would start his special military operation in Ukraine, calling such claims "speculation".Let's stay in touch no matter what happens to us! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

china

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us, russia, us sanctions, china
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/us-ready-to-sacrifice-iranian-nuclear-deal-to-keep-anti-russian-sanctions-in-place-report-says-1093828765.html

US Ready to Sacrifice Iranian Nuclear Deal to Keep Anti-Russian Sanctions in Place, Report Says

US Ready to Sacrifice Iranian Nuclear Deal to Keep Anti-Russian Sanctions in Place, Report Says

After imposing harsh sanctions on Russia over its military operation in Ukraine, the United States said that the restrictions are not connected to the Iran... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T12:22+0000

2022-03-13T12:22+0000

2022-03-13T12:22+0000

us

jcpoa

iran

nuclear deal

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Washington will not negotiate any exemptions from the Ukraine-related sanctions for Russia in order to save the Iranian nuclear deal, The Wall Street Journal has reported, citing a senior State Department official.According to the report, in the event of Russia not giving up its demands regarding the deal, the US would try to strike an alternative agreement that would not include Moscow.The official told The Wall Street Journal that if Russia continues to demand guarantees or does not reply "in the coming week", Washington would need to "very quickly consider an alternative path".Now that Washington is reportedly eyeing the possibility of striking an alternative deal without Russia, it is unknown whether Iran would opt for such an accord. Per The Wall Street Journal, European officials on Friday indicated their readiness for an alternative agreement without Moscow.When the JCPOA was inked in 2015, it envisaged Iran significantly scaling back its nuclear programme in exchange for sanctions relief. The signatories were Iran, China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, Germany, the European Union, and the United States - but in 2018, former US President Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew Washington from the deal and reinstated sanctions against Iran. The move prompted Tehran to breach the nuclear limits imposed by the JCPOA.Restoring the nuclear deal was one of current US President Joe Biden's main foreign policy goals. Since April 2021, negotiations to revive the accord have been ongoing in Vienna, with their seventh round wrapping up in December. The talks restarted in February 2022. On 5 March, Russia rolled out a demand that its trade with Iran would not be affected by the slew of sanctions imposed on Moscow over its military operation in Ukraine. The demand prompted condemnation from other nuclear deal signatories, particularly the so-called E3 - Germany, the UK, and France. The group said that "nobody should seek to exploit JCPOA negotiations to obtain assurances that are separate to the JCPOA", warning that Russian demands for guarantees could risk the collapse of the nuclear deal.The US Department of State asserted that the Ukraine-related sanctions are separate from the JCPOA and should not impact the Vienna talks.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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us, jcpoa, iran, nuclear deal
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/us-security-adviser-sullivan-cant-confirm-death-of-american-journo-in-ukraine-1093831159.html

US to Work With Kiev on Probe Into Death of American Journo Brent Renaud in Ukraine, Sullivan Says

US to Work With Kiev on Probe Into Death of American Journo Brent Renaud in Ukraine, Sullivan Says

According to reports, which have not been confirmed yet, the reporter died in Irpen, in the Kiev region.

2022-03-13T13:14+0000

2022-03-13T13:14+0000

2022-03-13T15:32+0000

ukraine

us

/html/head/meta[@name='og:title']/@content /html/head/meta[@name='og:description']/@content

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The United States will work with the Ukrainians to investigate the death of an American journalist near Kiev, White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Sunday.We'll be consulting with the Ukrainians to determine how this happened and then to measure and execute appropriate consequences as a result of it, he said in an interview to CBS News.He went on to claim that the death of Brent Renaud, a 50-year-old contributor of the New York Times daily, was part and parcel of the Russian military operation in Ukraine and promised that Washington would be responding accordingly.After the reports of the killing emerged on Sunday, deputy managing editor of The New York Times Cliff Levy stated that Renaud was a talented photographer and filmmaker, but stressed that he was not on assignment for the newspaper in Ukraine.Unconfirmed photos of a NYT press card and the body of a man were previously published on social media.The situation in Ukraine remains tense, with Russian forces and Donbass militia repelling Kiev's troops amid a special security operation there. The op was launched by Moscow on 24 February, with President Vladimir Putin stressing that it is meant to protect the people of Donbass, suffering from an eight-year-long war waged against them by Kiev. He stressed that the aim of the operation is the denazification and demilitarisation of Ukraine.Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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ukraine, us
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/us-taxpayers-footing-2-million-monthly-bill-to-protect-pompeo-aide-from-credible-iranian-threats-1093821349.html

US Taxpayers Footing $2 Million Monthly Bill to Protect Pompeo, Aide From 'Credible' Iranian Threats

US Taxpayers Footing $2 Million Monthly Bill to Protect Pompeo, Aide From 'Credible' Iranian Threats

Trump-era Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook, the State Department's special envoy for Iran, led the administration's "maximum pressure" campaign... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T04:05+0000

2022-03-13T04:05+0000

2022-03-13T04:04+0000

mike pompeo

iran

us

u.s. department of state

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The US Department of State is dishing out more than $2 million per month to provide around-the-clock security detail to former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Brian Hook, according to a "sensitive but unclassified" report obtained by the Associated Press. The threats have persisted well into US President Joe Biden's administration, according to the report. Overall, taxpayers have covered $13.1 million worth of security between August 2021 and February 2022. While the former Secretary of State was provided 180 days of post-office security detail by the US State Departments Bureau of Diplomatic Security, the protection has been extended in 60-day increments. With the most recent renewal set to expire, Blinken and the the Director of National Intelligence must decide whether to extend protection for the faces of crippling Trump-era sanctions against Iran. The Trump administration's penalties against Iran include Pompeo and Hook's "foreign terrorist organization" designation for Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. Let's stay in touch no matter what! Follow our Telegram channel to get all the latest news: https://t.me/sputniknewsus

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mike pompeo, iran, us, u.s. department of state
https://sputniknews.com/20220313/woman-in-us-stabs-date-in-revenge-forassassination-of-irgc-quds-force-chief-soleimani-1093823684.html

Woman in US Stabs Date in Revenge for...Assassination of IRGC Quds Force Chief Soleimani

Woman in US Stabs Date in Revenge for...Assassination of IRGC Quds Force Chief Soleimani

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - A woman in the US state of Nevada has been charged with attempted murder after she stabbed her date in revenge for the assassination of... 13.03.2022, Sputnik International

2022-03-13T06:11+0000

2022-03-13T06:11+0000

2022-03-13T06:11+0000

us

qasem soleimani

quds force

iran

iranian revolutionary guard corps navy (irgcn)

stabbing

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According to the police, the suspect is 21-year-old Nika Nikoubin. She met the man in question on a dating site called Plenty of Fish. The couple agreed to have a romantic date in a hotel room on 5 March.While at the hotel, Nikoubin blindfolded the man with a bandage and turned off the lights. A few minutes later the man "felt a pain on the side of his neck", the police said, as quoted by KLAS-TV. The victim managed to push the woman away and ran out of the room to call the emergency services.According to a police report, quoted by the media, Nikoubin attacked the man "for revenge against US troops for the killing of Qasem Soleimani in 2020". The woman herself came out of the room after the attempted murder and told hotel staff that she had injured the man.In addition to attempted murder, the woman is also charged with causing physical injury with a deadly weapon and robbery.Qasem Soleimani, the commander of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard's elite Quds Force, was killed by a US drone strike in Baghdad on 3 January 2020. The US claims that it took out Soleimani after receiving intelligence that he was planning attacks on US embassies in the region, but failed to present evidence for these claims. Washington's actions sparked concerns that a full-scale war might erupt as a result, but Tehran's initial response was limited to missile strikes on bases in Iraq hosting American forces, which resulted in injuries among US servicemen, but no fatalities. Tehran imposed sanctions against a number of US citizens over their involvement in the assassination of the top general, and has vowed revenge for his killing.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/20220109/irgc-quds-force-chief-us-may-face-revenge-for-soleimanis-assassination-at-home---report-1092123026.html

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us, qasem soleimani, quds force, iran, iranian revolutionary guard corps navy (irgcn), stabbing
Robert M. Ziegler, pictured in 2018, is the president of Emergency Resource Management, which is based in Portland. Ziegler operates seventeen ambulance locations throughout Connecticut. (Courant file photo) (Patrick Raycraft / Hartford Courant)

COVID-19 is retreating, and employers are again promising to reopen offices this spring after being closed for two years.

Companies have said before they would order workers back to the office, at least a few days a week. They were stopped by the omicron variant that swept the globe, though it caused fewer fatalities and hospitalizations.

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For the annual Top Workplaces program, recognition gives employers and employees credit for what theyve accomplished in difficult circumstances, raises the profile of a business or organization and gives prospective employees a look at how a workplace excels.

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The final deadline to nominate has been extended to April 22, and publication will be in September.

"I'm very fond of communal workspaces, " says Drew Taylor, at right, CEO of AstroPrint, about the Stanley Black & Decker Inc. digital accelerator in downtown Hartford. Tayor is collaborating on a project with Dmitry Skomorokhov, director of sales, of startup Kwambio. (Patrick Raycraft)

The Courant is looking for companies, nonprofit organizations and other groups to tell us how they have continued their work during the pandemic. We want to know what companies should be ranked among the best places to work in Connecticut.

So far, 100 companies have signed up to participate in Top Workplaces. Any organization with 50 or more employees in Hartford, Middlesex, New London, Tolland and Windham counties is eligible to participate.

Five Things You Need To Know Daily We're providing the latest coronavirus coverage in Connecticut each weekday morning. >

Organizations may be public, private, nonprofit or a government agency.

Workplaces are evaluated by their employees using a 24-question survey, and companies will be surveyed through May.

Energage, the research partner for the project, conducts Top Workplaces surveys for media in 61 markets and surveyed more than 2 million employees at more than 8,000 organizations in 2021.

Nominations may be made at https://www.courant.com/nominate or by calling 860-256-4476.

Last year, 817 organizations were invited and 82 were surveyed. Fifty-eight winners were recognized.

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The number of employees represented by organizations that were surveyed numbered 34,079. Of that, 30,116 were invited to take the survey and 16,119 responded.

Stephen Singer can be reached at ssinger@courant.com.
After making a $17,000 yearling purchase from the 2017 London Selected Yearling Sale, David Ratchford was told that he got the buy of the sale from horse transporter Chuckie Symes.

That statement has proven to be tremendously prophetic.

Ratchford's purchase, a Mach Three yearling by the name of Century Farroh, was retired at the conclusion of his five-year-old year in 2021 after a career with 22 wins and 43 top-three finishes from 59 starts, more than $1.55 million in earnings and three O'Brien Awards  including the 2020 Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year Award.

"We were just in awe," said Ratchford of Century Farroh's career in a recent conversation with Trot Insider. "I'm still in awe. I'm actually getting more out of watching the videos  the rare time we watch them  than I did when he was racing. We just couldn't believe, and it didn't sink in that he was what he was."

A longtime horseman from his base in Cape Breton, Ratchford provided the son of Mach Three - Beachy Girl with his early lessons in Nova Scotia and always felt that the colt had something. Of course, that something could pretty much be anything when the bar for comparisons isn't as deep as it might be in a different province or region. But the astute developer of standouts the likes of Ms Mac N Cheese and Silver Dragon had an inkling that Century Farroh would make the transition to Ontario's harness racing circuit.

"The horse seemed to be special. A few of these babies, when you break them, not very long after...say a week or so...you know you have something a little bit different than most. And I've had three or four or five of them in my lifetime. But anyway, we knew he was a nice colt straight from the time we broke him."

With Grand Circuit wins on both sides of the border, Century Farroh validated Ratchford's intuition with respect to his colt's ability. However, the horseman had concerns after Century Farroh's first tests in Ontario.

"We were really surprised; it took a little while for him to adjust to the racing aspect of it because when he was training we could do pretty much anything we wanted with him. I can't say I was disappointed but you know a little bit taken back when we first sent them up there...I don't know what I thought he was gonna be but after four or five starts, he certainly got to what we were looking for, that's for sure."

Left in the capable hands of Dr. Ian Moore, Century Farroh ended his two-year-old season in fine form with four straight victories including an open-length romp in the 2019 Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Final. Ratchford felt Moore would be a good fit for the colt from the get-go, and spoke highly of the fellow Maritime horseman with whom he's fostered a longtime bond.

"I've known Doc for a number of years, almost since he graduated [from UPEI] I guess. He's someone I consider a friend of mine through the industry before he left the Maritimes."

Building off that foundation Century Farroh gained in the Grassroots, his career reached its zenith over the next two seasons as the bay garnered back-to-back divisional titles in Canada and overall Horse of the Year honours in 2020. Off the racetrack, Ratchford's star developed a following of his own in Cape Breton  one that transcended the harness racing industry.



Dave Ratchford (fifth from left) with family and connections at the 2019 O'Brien Awards

"One of my friends here said to me, 'you know what? He made a lot of people happy on Saturday night.' The following here was unbelievable, even with people that don't watch harness racing. My four girls all work here in the area, and the janitor at the school where one of them works, he'd report to them before I did."

Now living the retired life in the stud barn at Seelster Farms, Century Farroh provided the humble Ratchford with thrills of a lifetime that the horseman hopes will help provide new thrills to his family. The ownership of Century Farroh changed this past fall to the Ramosaco Group Inc. of North Sydney, N.S. The horse wasn't sold  although Ratchford admitted he did get some "substantial" offers to sell the stallion  but he's now owned by Ratchford and his four daughters.

"The biggest reason I turned the offers down was because of my family," said Ratchford, noting that the Ramosaco Group name came from an amalgamation of the starting letter of the individuals' last names:

RA from Ratchford

from Ratchford M from McNeil

from McNeil O from O'Grady

from O'Grady SA from Sampson

from Sampson CO from Cox

Giving the horse to his family is Ratchford's way of sharing Century Farroh's second career, enabled by the stardom attained during his first one. Ratchford thoroughly appreciated the ride, even though he wasn't between the shafts for most of it.

"The list is so lengthy; I certainly say thank you to anybody who was involved with Century Farroh as a result of the pandemic, with a special thanks to his drivers and Ian and his team."

Now, the 73-year-old has a handful of horses that he'll shift his focus to once stakes season starts this spring. Though those horses are in the stable of noted developer Danny Romo, and he doesn't think there's necessarily a Century Farroh in the group, Ratchford still speaks, hopes and dreams with the same enthusiasm that one day another eye-catching yearling purchase will produce the heart-pounding thrills that only a stakes-winning Standardbred can provide.
GRAND ISLAND  The University of Nebraska-Lincoln announced plans to develop the Small Meat Processing Plant of the Future during a roundtable discussion on Feb. 26, at the Nebraska Association of Meat Processors annual convention in Grand Island.

The Small Plant of the Future will be a multi-disciplinary center to strengthen the meat industry in the region, Clint Krehbiel, head of UNLs Animal Science department during the roundtable said. The plant, which will be located alongside existing UNL Animal Science facilities, will serve as a regional processing hub for local cattle producers, as well as a prototype for other small and very small facilities.

As part of the initiative, UNL will look at making equipment upgrades to the Loeffel harvest and processing facility on East Campus, hire and train staff to maintain regular slaughter operations, and establish a suite of resources available to those looking to set up or expand small processing operations. The project is structured to have a multiplying effect across the region.

Krehbiel said that the COVID-19 pandemic illuminated issues that small meat processors had faced for years, including the insufficient capacity of small processors to keep up with rising demand, barriers to implementing new technologies, and widespread workforce shortages. The Small Plant of the Future aims to address those issues.

Multiple processors at the roundtable raised the issue of labor and staffing challenges. To help strengthen the workforce, the Small Plant of the Future will include a set of workforce development programs, including an internship program that will pair meat science students with small meat processing businesses across the state. UNL continues to look at other ways to integrate both degree and non-degree programs into its Small Plant initiative. This may include training programs including workshops for employees new to the meat processing industry, partnerships with community colleges, continuing education opportunities for more experienced meat processors, and more.

UNL has been a leader in meat science for over 100 years, Krehbiel said. We want to be part of the solution.

Representatives from USDAs Agricultural Marketing Service and Food Safety and Inspection Services were present at the roundtable; USDA Rural Development personnel joined remotely. The event came just two days after the USDA announced it was making available $215 million in grants and other support to expand meat and poultry processing options, strengthen the food supply chain, and create jobs and economic opportunities in rural areas. UNL hopes to look to this program as one potential source of funds; other fundraising efforts for the plant are already underway.

The Small Plant of the Future concept comes at a time when the University has already committed millions to building and expanding existing UNL food facilities, including the Food Processing Center and the Feedlot Innovation Center, said Mike Boehm, NU vice president and Harlan Vice Chancellor for UNLs Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources.

The Small Plant of the Future is a natural extension of what weve been building at a time when the industry is in dire need, Boehm said. The Small Plant of the Future is a dream initiative for a land-grant institution like UNL -- one that marries academic programs with hands-on application and deep community partnerships that strengthen the regions economy.

Chad Lottman, who attended the roundtable, said the discussion on workforce development caught his attention. Lottman and his wife, Courtney, own Landmark Snacks in Beatrice, which produces meat sticks and other processed snack foods and employs around 200 people. Prior to starting that business, the Lottmans ran C&C Processing, a small meat locker in Diller. Processors of all sizes are struggling to find reliable, qualified employees, he said.

We need a skilled workforce, he said,

Lottman said an internship program in particular would be valuable to his business, which already employs several UNL graduates in its food safety division. For smaller processors, he said, help implementing new software programs and other technologies would be invaluable.

For the small processor, thats difficult.

Krehbiel said he anticipated that some workforce development programs could be in place by fall of 2022, with the addition of more programming and facility improvements incrementally over the next several years.
The Morrill Board of Education approved a contract with Barry Schaeffer to be the new Morrill Public Schools superintendent for the next two years at its Jan. 17 meeting, following Schaeffers Jan. 13 interview with the board.

The contract states his employment for Morrill Public Schools will begin on July 1, 2022, and expire on June 30, 2024, and his salary will be $130,000 a year.

Since being hired in January, Schaeffer has been doing what he can to get to know the district and the community while still finishing out his duties at Arthur County Schools, where he has been superintendent since 2013.

Im working in one district at this time and transitioning to Morrill, he said. Im not as able to put the time in (right now)  although there has been good communication between myself and staff and the board and so forth at Morrill.

Schaeffer said once he is able to get his foothold more solidly in the Morrill community, he hopes to help Morrill Public Schools create a vision that aligns with its mission and leadership.

I think the biggest thing is developing a vision for the district, and aligning the mission to the vision, and our leadership, also, to that vision, he said. I see (a) school system that will develop foundational skills for all students, so that when they leave Morrill  walk out the door of Morrill  theyll have the foundational skills to be successful in whatever avenue they choose to go.

Finding that vision was part of the reason the school district hosted the community meeting that recently took place. Board President Art Frerichs said the meeting was to help get the school district and the community on the same page for themselves and for Schaeffer.

Its something to help him with getting to know the community, Frerichs said. The main thing is the schools wanting to continue to get the community as involved as we can with the school and their thoughts and ideas on the school, making sure that its just a community effort with the school.

Frerichs said he hoped the meeting would give stakeholders in the school and community the opportunity to share what the district is doing well and what it can be doing better.

(We want to) get out of what the community themselves might see as a vision for the school and things theyd like to see, he said. Is there something that we can do that were not doing that were unaware of? And, just whatever we can do to help the community be involved and also make Morrill a better place for the students and anything we can give to them in the future.

While Schaeffer couldnt make it to the meeting due to other obligations, he said hell be filled in by school board members and staff. He also said that despite not being at the meeting, he wants the community to know hes fully invested, and they can come to him with questions or concerns once he gets into the office, which will officially be on July 1.

In the future, when Im there and we have those types of meetings, I will be there and I will be available, he said. And, I would just like to let the community members know that, hey, when I get there, (if) you want to stop by the office and say hello, and maybe offer some encouragement or maybe drop by a concern or something that they may have that maybe doesnt come up at this meeting, please do so. Id be glad to listen and take the information into account and see what we can do with it.

Ultimately, his goal is to make Morrill a great place for families and students to live.

I want to bring in a sense of unity and family in the district, Schaeffer said. Everybody that is working there, has the students best interests in mind. Our leadership team has not only students, but the staff members interests in mind, and making sure that we can all work together to do our jobs to the best of our abilities and help our kids perform at the best of their abilities. Every kid is not going to be a straight A student, but every kid can be a successful student, and they can help to determine their own success  I want them to understand we care about them and that we want what is best for them.

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SCOTTSBLUFF Breastfeeding mothers can give the gift of human milk through Mothers Milk Bank donations at Regional Wests Birth and Infant Care Center.

Since 2018, Regional Wests Birth and Infant Care Center has been a collection site for the Mothers Milk Bank network, a Colorado-based nonprofit program benefitting babies nationwide. Area mothers who produce excess breast milk can drop off bags of milk with the Birth and Infant Care Center. The milk is tagged and safely stored in a freezer until it is ready to distribute to babies in need.

Though the COVID-19 pandemic continues to unfold, donating breast milk remains safe. All Mothers Milk Bank donors are screened for COVID-19 and asked to refrain from donating if they are experiencing COVID-19 or other respiratory virus symptoms. Donations are handled with personal protective equipment (PPE) and pasteurized using a special heat treatment recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

We appreciate every ounce of milk donated from our regions generous mothers, said Erika Carmody, RN, MSN, director of Regional Wests Birth and Infant Care Center. Breast milk provides excellent health benefits for both babies and mothers, and we are proud to facilitate life-saving milk donations.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, breastfed children experience improved dental health and neurodevelopmental outcomes, in addition to decreased risk of SIDS, leukemia, and asthma. Mothers have a lesser risk of breast cancer, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. Breastfeeding is also known to help protect against many illnesses, including COVID-19.

Donors can drop off milk at Regional Wests main entrance. All milk donations must be frozen and labeled with the full date that the milk was pumped, including the year, plus your last name and donor number. Please call the Birth and Infant Care Center at 308-630-1550 prior to arrival so a staff member can come and collect the donation.

Women interested in donating breast milk may complete a donor application form at https://rmchildren.org/mothers-milk-bank/donate-milk/become-a-donor/ or call 303-869-1888. A blood test is required and will be provided free of charge. To learn more about donation, visit www.milkbankcolorado.org.

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The men of St. Matthews Episcopal Church in Alliance, Nebraska played host to a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper on Tuesday, March 1. Shrove Tuesday is also known as Fat Tuesday and is celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday Conversation.

A freewill donation was taken for the meal that included pancakes along with ham or sausage, milk, water, coffee and orange juice.

Dean Huckfeldt was the man in charge of the group of 25-30 men that volunteered to help cook, serve, and clean up during the event.

We ran out of pancakes and had to go get more batter, Huckfeldt said. We ran out of sausage and I ordered the same amount that we have always had excess of during past pancake suppers. Next year Ill have to buy more.

The first pancake supper hosted at St. Matthews was estimated to be in 1971 but due to the COVID-19 pandemic they have been unable to host one since 2019.

Great, great turnout, Huckfeldt said. I cant tell you how much we appreciate the support from the community.

Ken and Dales have donated the pancake batter and butter and the Alliance Eagles Club have donated to-go boxes for the event for the past 31 years.

All of these guys helping are from St. Matthews as well as other churches in the community and they all donate their help, said Huckfeldt. I appreciate every one of them.

The crowd has been amazing, volunteer Bill Reno said.

We went through six gallons syrup, 60 pounds of pancake mix, 240 sausage patties and we ran out, noted Huckfeldt.

We just had to put in a new furnace in here at the church so some of the funds raised will go towards that, he said. Then 10 percent will go to our out-reach program.

We had both grills going and still couldnt keep up, volunteer Michael Mittlestadt said. Everybody and their cousins showed up and it was fantastic. People are really looking for those things to do to get them out of the house. Its so nice to see everyone sitting around together and enjoying some good conversations.

Shrove Tuesday marks the day before Lent. The word shrove comes from the word strive, meaning to administer the sacrament of confession to. Lent is recognition of Jesus 40 days in the wilderness, up to and including his crucifixion. Lenten Luncheons will be held at noon in Alliance: March 17-Holy Rosary, March 24-First Baptist Church, March 31-United Methodist Church.

Easter falls on April 17 this year as it falls on the first Sunday following the first full moon after the Spring Equinox.

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High ability learners (HALs) students from Bluffs Middle School and Gering Junior High School participated in Nebraska extension educators Inventure Day program at the Gering High School on Monday, March 7.

The entrepreneurial adventure is designed to encourage middle school age students to think creatively about starting a business.

Sarah Avila, eighth grade HALs leader for Bluffs Middle School, said this is the first year the school has participated in the activity and the first time the two schools have joined their HALs program. Inventure Day is designed to foster creativity and give the students a better understanding of a business start-up plan. Students from the combined schools were intentionally mixed to encourage them to learn to work together with people they may have just met.

The two schools working together, I think that is something that they dont get to do a lot, Avila said. Its really nice for them to get a chance to meet new people who are like-minded and kind of get into that idea of entrepreneurship. It gets them thinking about how they can benefit their communities and I think they had a good time.

Students were assigned to teams and asked to develop a product inspired by an unusual widget. Extension educator from Sydney, Laura Narges, explained the students were first given a widget or random object to give them inspiration. They used that inspiration to develop a product for their business.

The widget they are using today is actually an egg turner, Narjes said. An egg turner is used in an incubator to help rotate eggs so you dont have to manually move them every day. They are actually 3-D printed so we can mass produce them quite easily.

Gerings high school gym was set up with tables so each team could begin collaborating on their creative process. Though many of the students were seeing an egg turner for the first time, ideas began popping up quickly.

Narjes said once teams had gone through the product development process, they moved through different stations to discover their next steps for target markets, branding and financing.

They learn about financing, she explained. The things to think about with financing (are) how much is it going to cost to make your product, what materials are you going to use, what are you going to charge for you product, what kind of margin do you need to be successful to have a profit at the end of the day.

At the end of the day, teams entered a Quick Pitch Competition and presented their business plan. Judges were Julie Siebke, Laura Narjes, Byron Olsen and Nathan Rice.

It is a lot like Shark Tank, Narjes said. We have some fun swag for them if they win from their judges. Students also pick their favorite, and we have some fun little giveaways for those students too.

Winning business ideas and team members were:

- Dooder Shooter: Hope Mitchell, Eain Peterson, Rachel Boyd, Natalie Larsen, Landon Heine, Breianna Bauer.

- AimBot: Nyah Bruner, Libby Baum, Cara Schothauer, Carter Lathrop.

- Better Buckle: Chase Cline, Copper Robbins, Abigail Hecheroth, Joel Ramierez, Alex Sabala, Allison Baer.

- APT Table: Aurora Harkins, Kolin Harmon, Chase Asselin, Jacey Cochran, Parker Marlow, Reece Knight, Alexis Gonzalez-Saldana.

Avila said the day was a great opportunity for the HALs students to experience inventing and entrepreneurial aspects. Scottsbluff middle schoolers in the HALs program are also lead by Leah Massey in the sixth grade and Jon Amundsen in the seventh grade. Each leader develops enrichment programs throughout the school year such as a Shark Tank project, learning to work a Makey Makey circuit board, an escape room or a variety of STEM projects.

My last project is a combination and a choice project for (eight grade HALs), Avila said. If they want to focus on STEM, they can, or focus on history. They can do whatever they want to do, but its a requirement that they do a project.

After completing their final project, Avila intends to take the students to an archeological site in Sunrise, Wyoming.

Nicole Heldt is a reporter with the Star-Herald, covering agriculture. She can be reached at 308-632-9044 or by email at nheldt@starherald.com.

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As Western nations continue to respond to Vladimir Putins invasion of Ukraine, theres no question increasing trade partnerships with countries who share our values would benefit the United States and the world. Realizing the administration seems content to sit back and let others lead on trade, I recently led a bipartisan Congressional delegation to the United Kingdom (UK) to discuss trade opportunities and challenges.

As Republican Leader for the Ways and Means Committees Trade Subcommittee, I take my responsibility to help build and maintain trade relationships seriously, and I have been outspoken in encouraging the Biden administration to pick up where the Trump administration left off in pursuing a trade agreement between the United States and the UK.

This is an historic time for the UK as it untangles itself from the restrictive policies of the European Union (EU). The British people are now able to determine for themselves the direction theyd like to take in terms of economic and trade policy. This means we have a narrow window of opportunity to establish strong trade relations and mutually beneficial trade rules with the UK before our competitors do the same without our input. A strong, mutually beneficial partnership with the UK would also incentivize the EU to come to the table. While we have made solid progress with the EU, we cannot allow them to obstruct the economic benefits that can be reaped through new trade relationships.

While in the UK, our delegation had the opportunity to meet with and gain insight from key UK officials and business leaders, including Minister for Trade Policy Penny Mordaunt, Minister for Europe and North America James Cleverly, Financial Secretary to the Treasury Lucy Frazer, and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland Brandon Lewis. We also participated in productive meetings with both the public and private sectors in addition to receiving a warm welcome from the British-American Parliamentary Group. During these meetings, I had the opportunity to raise the role agriculture must play in any comprehensive trade agreement between the US and the UK. Nebraskans know free and fair trade is beneficial to our economy, and we know farmers and ranchers can step in to help alleviate some of the anticipated shortages from Russias war in Ukraine. To do so, though, the agricultural community must have new, strong markets to export to. As I said during these meetings, farmers are steadfast champions for trade, and any trade agreement between our countries must include agriculture.

We also discussed pending negotiations between the United States and the UK on the Section 232 tariffs on steel and aluminum. I have consistently raised concerns with tariffs as they ultimately end up being passed on to American consumers. Agriculture is often caught in the crosshairs of tariff disputes and is one of the first sectors targeted by other countries for retaliatory action. Following agreements with the EU and Japan, I am pleased the administration is finally coming to the table to address these tariffs with the UK, and I look forward to the final result of these conversations.

Finally, we spoke about international taxes and the importance of not putting American companies at a disadvantage. In a global economy increasingly reliant on data and technology, we must ensure we are at the table setting a foundation that does not hurt or hamstring American innovation.

I appreciate the opportunity to meet with my UK counterparts and explore the benefits of potential new trade relationships. Last week the Biden administration released the presidents 2022 Trade Policy Agenda, and I was disappointed with the lack of focus on new trade agreements. Negotiating new trade agreements is never easy, but the time is now. The longer we wait, the harder finding common ground will be and the larger advantage our competitors will gain. As a legislator, I will continue to do my part to move the needle on trade in a way that benefits American producers, innovators, and consumers.
Around the country, states have been taking on the task of coming up with new lines for congressional districts. And with about two-thirds of the districts for the next decade mapped out, a recent New York Times analysis found something discouraging. The people drawing redistricting maps, wrote Reid J. Epstein and Nick Corasaniti, are on pace to draw fewer than 40 seatsout of 435that are considered competitive based on the 2020 presidential election results.

To be sure, its not like we used to live in a political paradise of competitive districts, where each voter could believe that he or she might make a difference: Even in the best of times, the bulk of House districts leaned toward one party or another. Politicians always want a district drawn for them that gives them the advantage, and over many decades both parties have amassed great expertise at creating districts whose voters suit them.

Still, a decade ago there were 73 competitive districts, which was hardly ideal but was certainly better than what were facing now. As one former Republican member of Congress tells Epstein and Corasaniti, the parties are taking the voters out of the equation. November becomes a constitutional formality.

Why does this matter? To make things simple, lets look at a current example: New Hampshire, which has just two congressional seats. At the moment, theyre both held by Democrats. But that is likely to change after this year, since the GOP-led state legislature has redrawn one of them to pack in more Republicans. Though the plans backers argue theyre just leveling the playing field, in fact that district swung between the parties in four consecutive elections not that long ago. The new map creates a Blue Hampshire seat and a Red Hampshire seat, a prominent political scientist said when it first came out.

Maybe that seems okay for a swing state. But if youre a Democrat in the Republican seat or a Republican in the Democratic seat, you can see the problem: It feels like your vote doesnt matter. In fact, it feels like the only election that does matter is the primary.

Theres no way to soft-pedal it: This dynamic is harmful to our system. For starters, its one of the big drivers of our hyper-partisan politics. If the only voters who really matter are a partys true believers, then theyre the ones a politician will appeal to, avoiding any positions that might smack of moderation or compromise. And that, in turn, leads to gridlock in closely divided legislative bodies and no-holds-barred legislating where one party has a clear advantage. Neither produces thoughtful policy that can stand the test of time, and both stoke cynicism in the electorate.

Representative democracy depends, above all, on the willingness of ordinary people to believe that the system has integrity and that they have a stake in what happens. Congressional and legislative districts that are clearly drawn to favor a single political party at the expense of seeking actual voter input deny all of this: Many voters are under no illusions about whose nest is being feathered and consider their own participation meaningless.

I recognize that attempts to foster the impartialor, at least, bipartisandrawing of congressional district lines have not always been perfect. But this does not mean we shouldnt try. Representative democracy is one of humanitys greatest inventions. To work properly, however, it needs an underlying integrity and impartiality that reassure participants the rules are fair and the results arent rigged. Once we violate that basic understanding, the system falters.

At the moment, its not entirely clear which party will benefit most from this years pitched redistricting battles. The GOP has scored victories in plenty of states, but the Democrats have done their best to counter in two district-rich states, California and New York. For political partisans, this is all well and good. But for people who care about the legitimacy of our representative democracy, we already know who the loser is going to be: all of us.
China-Laos Railway puts freight transport on fast track

Xinhua) 16:20, March 13, 2022

Aerial photo taken on March 11, 2022 shows a view of the China-Laos Railway's Muangxay Station in Muangxay, northern Laos. Since its opening in December 2021, the China-Laos Railway has been injecting impetus into the development of the business hub in northern Laos, Muangxay, by facilitating logistics and the passengers' travelling, and promoting the trade between China and Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

KUNMING, March 12 (Xinhua) -- The freight volume of the China-Laos Railway has hit 1.2 million tonnes, as the landmark project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation marked 100 days of operation Saturday.

Opening to traffic on Dec. 3, 2021, the China-Laos Railway stretches over 1,000 km and links Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, to the Laotian capital Vientiane.

According to the China Railway Kunming Group Co., Ltd., 13 provinces and municipalities including Beijing, Shanghai, and Sichuan have opened cross-border freight train service on the railway.

As of 100 days of its operation, the imported goods via the China-Laos Railway exceeded 120,000 tonnes with the value exceeding 500 million yuan (78.98 million U.S. dollars), while the exports hit 70,000 tonnes with a value of over 1.7 billion yuan.

The product portfolio in the freight trains has expanded from rubber and fertilizer at the initial stage to electronic products, communication equipment, automobiles, and flowers.

To further facilitate the logistic transport, operators have launched the Lancang-Mekong Express service, which takes 26 hours from Kunming to Vientiane, shorter than the general freight transport.

Meanwhile, the passenger service on the railway has maintained a steady increase. It has so far transported over 1.8 million passengers since its launch, with an average of 23.5 pairs of passenger trains every day along the route on the China side.

Photo taken on March 11, 2022 shows a mobile phone store selling Chinese brands products in Muangxay, northern Laos. Since its opening in December 2021, the China-Laos Railway has been injecting impetus into the development of the business hub in northern Laos, Muangxay, by facilitating logistics and the passengers' travelling, and promoting the trade between China and Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Photo taken on March 9, 2022 shows people at the China-Laos Railway's Muangxay Station in Muangxay, northern Laos. Since its opening in December 2021, the China-Laos Railway has been injecting impetus into the development of the business hub in northern Laos, Muangxay, by facilitating logistics and the passengers' travelling, and promoting the trade between China and Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

Aerial photo taken on March 9, 2022, shows a view of Muangxay, a business town along the China-Laos Railway in northern Laos. Since its opening in December 2021, the China-Laos Railway has been injecting impetus into the development of the business hub in northern Laos, Muangxay, by facilitating logistics and the passengers' travelling, and promoting the trade between China and Laos. (Photo by Kaikeo Saiyasane/Xinhua)

(Web editor: Zhang Wenjie, Bianji)
Brian (a pseudonym) has encountered waitlists and insurance coverage denials for intensive treatment after disclosing he was sexually abused by a relative, and his mother is seeking correct care for him. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

In 2020, when Brian was in middle school, he kept getting suspended. He behaved inappropriately in class and often seemed angry and impulsive. A social worker at his Connecticut school began to suspect he was exhibiting signs of abuse. During one conversation together, she asked if anyone had ever hurt him.

When we are alone, Brian said, according to documents from a Department of Children and Families investigation.

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Subsequent police and forensic interviews determined that over the past five years, Brian allegedly had been sexually assaulted by a relative more than a dozen times.

To Brians mother Jessica, the disclosure was devastating. Brian is on the autism spectrum and has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or ADHD, which can make communication challenging, she said. (Jessica and Brian are pseudonyms. The Courant does not identify victims of alleged sexual abuse and is withholding the mothers name because it would identify the child.)

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It was horrible. We had no idea, Jessica said. Wed ask, Hey, are you OK? Is everything OK? Is anything bothering you? I dont think he knew anything different.

In the wake of the disclosure, Jessica soon faced a new challenge: securing behavioral health care for her son. With the combination of his learning disability and his experience of sexual assault, Brian required a high level of support, but Jessica said she has found it extraordinarily difficult to obtain. Fifteen months later, her son is still without regular, intensive care.

Jessica is not alone in her struggle.

Two years into the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut faces a deepening crisis in childrens mental health care. Emerging from a tumultuous period of limited social contact, educational disruption, disease and death, many children are in distress  and with more severe symptoms than ever, experts say. But providers throughout the state, from large hospital systems to community programs, say they are understaffed and stretched thin, often overwhelmed by surging demand. Meanwhile, structural issues involving how behavioral health care is insured and paid for can create barriers to access, obstructing families in desperate need of services. In recent months, the state legislature has made addressing the crisis a priority.

There is no question that there are many, many children who have need for treatment and support that they cannot access because they lack adequate coverage, or now, because they have the adequate coverage, but theres no way to get the service, Connecticuts child advocate Sarah Eagan said.

A month after Brians disclosure, the relative was arrested by local police in Connecticut and allegedly confessed to having had repeated sexual contact with him, according to police records. The individual currently faces multiple felony counts of sexual contact and assault in a case that remains pre-trial.

For Jessica, the arrest brought relief, but little closure. As she attempted to help her son, she encountered waitlists and insurance coverage denials, as have many other Connecticut families seeking behavioral health care. When she did manage to enroll Brian in promising programs, they ended after a few weeks. It could feel like being trapped on a merry-go-round of referrals.

Without steady care, Jessica cobbled together what she could. In the past year, Brian has attended an intensive outpatient program, an extended day program and a partial hospitalization program, health records and medical bills show. He has received trauma-focused therapy and multisystemic therapy. He has been taken to the emergency department six times. Through it all, he has not had a consistent psychiatrist for more than two months.

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Youre dealing with all this trauma and then you have to deal with the logistics of calling people and shopping around for your sons medication to stabilize him  while working full time, Jessica said. Its horrifying.

A fractured system

Connecticuts behavioral health system had a shaky foundation long before 2020, said Dr. Linda Mayes, the director of the Yale Child Study Center and a professor of child psychiatry at the Yale School of Medicine. But when the pandemic arrived, it was as if a hundred people crowded into a house built on that shaky foundation.

In Connecticut and nationwide, parents like Jessica who seek care for their children can become entrapped in a complex web of issues. The behavioral health workforce is significantly strained, as providers struggle to attract and retain employees and have to meet increased demand with fewer staffers. Meanwhile, experts and providers say, lower reimbursement rates for behavioral health care can constrict access, forcing families to pay out-of-pocket for mental health services. (While there are state and federal mental health parity laws, many advocates in Connecticut, including Eagan, have called for tougher enforcement measures.)

Jessica is insured. But her high-deductible private insurance plan has only covered some of the treatments she has sought for her son. Even with $1,000 of her monthly income going toward health insurance, Brian continued to be bounced around like a hot potato from provider to provider, she said.

It is not uncommon for Connecticut residents with private insurance to struggle to find  and pay for  behavioral health care, said Ted Doolittle, the states health care advocate, who is tasked with assisting consumers who have problems with health care and health insurance plans.

We see this difficulty all the time, he said.

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Health care providers have the benefit of operating in a sellers market, Doolittle said, in which some patients are willing to pay for out-of-network care and health insurance companies can be reluctant to bring providers in-network by raising reimbursement rates.

Even when a patient manages to secure a provider, behavioral health care can become truncated by how many sessions an insurance carrier is willing to cover, Mayes said. Other times, a social worker or clinician might be reimbursed for one area of care, but not another. The result, she said, is a fractured system.

Searching for an available provider, navigating reimbursement issues and, in many cases, having to settle for costly out-of-network care loads a lot of administrative burden, anxiety and stress on the parent, Doolittle said.

Right at the moment where our families are dealing with what should be overriding problems of getting their kid healthy and back on track, they have to become the maestro of out-of-network payments and filing claims, he said.

Some days, Jessica would call everyone from the governor on down, trying to line up providers for her son. Other times, exhausted, all she could do was take an ibuprofen and go to bed early.

I have to run around like a chicken with my head cut off, to try to access care and afford it, she said.

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Brian (a pseudonym) has encountered waitlists and insurance coverage denials for intensive treatment after disclosing he was allegedly sexually abused by a relative. (Mark Mirko/The Hartford Courant)

An at-home option

Last spring, Brian was beginning to make progress. After a series of visits to the emergency department for out-of-control behavior, he landed a spot in an intensive outpatient program (IOP) at Yale New Haven Hospital.

During one group therapy session, Jessica said, Brian took part in an empty chair exercise, in which he imagined his abuser sitting across from him and addressed the person directly, putting words to his trauma. For a young boy who tends to avoid conversation, it was a significant moment, she said.

Dr. Andrea Asnes, a child abuse pediatrician and associate professor of pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine, describes sexual abuse as a high-grade traumatic exposure, which she likens to a medical emergency. When helping child victims obtain mental health care, she will often remind families, If you know youre exposed to a deadly disease, we dont say, Call three times and if you dont engage in getting the medication, well let the case go.

Sexual abuse can significantly increase a childs risk of facing negative consequences later in life, including sexually transmitted infections, substance use and misuse, depression and suicide. High-quality care and supportive caregivers, Asnes noted, can temper those risks.

The abuse itself is horrible, she said. What happens after is so important.

When Brian reached the end of his six-week IOP program, the Yale staff recommended enrolling him in an Intensive In-Home Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services program, his discharge papers show. Through IICAPS, a licensed mental health clinician and a mental health counselor would visit Brian at home multiple times a week, typically for six months.

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Its a two-person team focused on helping the family, the parents, decrease the stress and become more capable of helping the child, understanding the childs difficulties and helping them become more effective, said Dr. Joseph Woolston, a professor of child psychiatry and pediatrics at the Yale School of Medicine, who co-founded the program in 1996.

To Jessica, it seemed like the perfect option for Brian. She liked that the program would bring clinicians directly into her home to work with him, develop a treatment plan and help her navigate providers.

Enrolling Brian in IICAPS, however, proved complicated. Only a few private insurance carriers cover IICAPS in Connecticut and many families receive coverage through Medicaid (HUSKY A), according to multiple providers. Jessicas insurance didnt cover IICAPS, so she attempted to obtain temporary Medicaid, she said. Through DCF, she was connected to the Voluntary Care Management Program, operated by the behavioral management company Beacon Health Options. But the company declined to issue temporary Medicaid, she said.

Jeff Blunt, the public relations director for Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield, which oversees Beacon Health Options, said in a statement  speaking broadly and not about any specific case  that many factors influence a service decision.

In determining the appropriate service type, Beacon starts with understanding the familys needs and their vision for their childs care, as well as the recommendation from the childs treating behavioral health care provider and current standards of care published in peer reviewed medical journals, Blunt said.

To Jessica, being unable to enroll Brian in IICAPS was crushing. She worried he would lose the progress he had made in the IOP program.

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Whether you can gain access to that treatment, that level of care, is entirely dependent on who the payer is, not what the need is, Eagan, the child advocate, said of IICAPS and related programs. Thats a fundamental, foundational, egregious problem with our health care system, with no resolution in sight.

No faith

In December, Brian was hospitalized after kicking Jessica in the face. In the year since he had made his disclosure to the school social worker, his care had been sporadic.

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He just wants to be a kid, Jessica said following his discharge. Hes not quite ready to process all these negative emotions, but they bubble up.

After the hospitalization, Brian had returned to an extended day treatment program, where he seemed to be acclimating well. But the following month, Jessicas insurance carrier declined to authorize future sessions, she said, effectively dropping him from the program. Brians hospital discharge papers had included another IICAPS recommendation, so she sought assistance again  to no avail.

I just want a clear and consistent program with people that are dedicated to my sons healing, she said last month. Ive had four different psych prescribers and I have to look for a new one. Theres been no continuity of care.

In the General Assembly, lawmakers have proposed a number of measures to address the issues that Jessica and other Connecticut families have faced in seeking care. A bill introduced this month in the Childrens Committee would create a fund for minor victims of sexual assault or child abuse and neglect, to cover the cost of out-of-network medical care. State lawmakers also recently unveiled a series of measures that would strengthen the behavioral health care workforce, expand school-based mental health resources and analyze reimbursement rate disparities.

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As the cogs of the Connecticut legislative machine begin to shift into motion, life at Jessicas home remains largely the same, with all its attendant anxieties and frustrations. Brian still doesnt have the steady, intensive care he needs most.

At this point, Im just a little bit jaded by the system. I have no faith, she said recently. Youve fought so hard. Youre so tired.

Eliza Fawcett can be reached at elfawcett@courant.com.
In case you missed it, Tuesday, March 1, was Mardi Gras. While this is not a big holiday here in North Carolinas piedmont, it is a Big Deal along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and particularly in New Orleans, also known as The Big Easy.

Judy, son Chris and I, and our dog, Skippy, lived on the west bank of the Mississippi in the New Orleans suburb of Gretna in 1974 and 1975 when I was a member of Navy Band South.

Mardi Gras is French for Fat Tuesday, and gets its name from being the last day before Lent (Ash Wednesday) when one can eat meat, drink, and generally make merry before the solemnity of the Lenten season and Easter prevails.

I might point out that Mardi Gras is celebrated for much of the month preceding it, not just on Tuesday, and that there are many parades, not just a single big one as you may have thought. You owe it to yourself to go at least once.

In some countries such as Brazil, Mardi Gras goes by the name Carnival, which comes from two Latin words, carne meaning flesh or meat, and vale, Latin for farewell. So carnival literally means, farewell to meat.

Being in the Navy Band, our 60-some musicians, in various combinations, would play in perhaps half a dozen of the parades, sometimes playing from a float and other times on foot.

The parades are named after social clubs called krewes (pronounced crews), decorating their floats and obtaining a variety of specially-minted aluminum coins in various colors and strings of plastic beads to throw to the crowds lining the streets. Currently, there are believed to be something like 80 krewes.

The krewes are generally named for mythological deities. The biggest parade is put on by the Rex (King) krewe. Some of the other large krewes are Bacchus, Orpheus, Endymion, Thoth and Cleopatra. The last-named was a new krewe when we lived in New Orleans. Some of the krewes, however, date back a hundred or more years. Following the parade, there are parties, dinners and balls held all over the city and in Louisianas Jefferson and Orleans parishes (counties).

Many of the floats and parade participants are colored purple, green and gold, the Mardi Gras colors, representing Justice, Faith and Power, respectively.

One gains the attention of a gaudily-dressed, masked float-riding krewe member by shouting the magical four words, Throw me something, mister! and the man on the float usually responds with a handful of beads or coins thrown in your direction. You must quickly put your foot over the coins before they are snatched-up by a fellow reveler. Then one tries to retrieve the coin without ones hand being trampled.

The light metallic coins, I should point out, are not legal tender, but are souvenirs, with the year and the krewe name and symbols stamped on it. Some New Orleans folks collect them; there are shops downtown specializing in selling older and rarer doubloons, as they are commonly called.

People book reservations at the New Orleans-area hotels far, even years, in advance so as to have a good location to observe and/or to partake in the festivities.

I saw Jim Nabors (1930-2017), TVs Gomer Pyle, on the balcony of a hotel as I participated in one of the parades. Someone in the band spotted him and our leader at that particular parade, Chief Musician Bill Mark, had us direct our instruments toward where Mr. Nabors was standing. We then played The Marine Corps Hymn, known affectionately to us in the Navy as The Grunt Stomp.

In character of Private Gomer Pyle, USMC, Nabors snapped to attention on the balcony and saluted us, a very large grin on his face. I was told that Nabors, born in Sylacauga, Alabama, rented that same hotel room with balcony every year.

A large part of the crowd lining the streets were in the state of inebriation, not to be confused with the state of Mississippi, which is on the other side of the Big Muddy.

As this was the only year I participated in Mardi Gras, I did not know what to expect. These parades go for miles, not just five or six blocks, so it was important, especially for trumpet players such as myself, to not play too loudly, that is, to save something of my lips and lungs (chops) for the rest of the parade.

Cant make it to New Orleans next year? I discovered that the town of Beaufort has been holding its own version of Mardi Gras since 2012, with parades, floats, krewes, Cajun foods, etc.

Sounds like fun! Think about a five-hour drive to Beaufort versus a 12-hour drive to New Orleans.

Interested? Contact Ms. Liz Kopf at lizkopf@gmail.com or 252-728-7108. The Beaufort Mardi Gras will be celebrated in 2023 on Feb. 18, from 2-6 p.m. and the parade kicks off at 3 p.m. sharp.

As they say in Louisiana, Laissez le bon temps rouler! Let the good times roll!

O.C. Stonestreet is the author of Tales From Old Iredell County, They Called Iredell County Home and Once Upon a Time  in Mooresville, NC.
In early May of 2021, Iredell County resident Ken Poindexter led a normal, seemingly healthy life, owning a real estate company and serving on the Iredell-Statesville Schools Board of Education. Later that same month, though, he felt something was wrong.

Having difficulty breathing, Poindexter visited his primary care provider. Unbeknownst to him, his provider informed him his right lung was almost half full of fluid  and he was in atrial fibrillation.

Poindexter was immediately rushed to the hospital, where a CT scan revealed shocking results. Though he had never smoked in his entire life, Poindexter had stage 4 lung cancer that had already spread to this liver, spine and brain.

Unsure of the health care opportunities in his hometown, Poindexter and his wife set out on a quest to find the best care possible. Poindexter traveled to various hospitals, receiving treatment in Charlotte and Huntersville, as well as Houston, Texas.

I didnt know what to expect. It was all new to me, he said.

After receiving treatment at an out-of-town facility, Poindexter became very sick. As a resident of Iredell County, he was admitted to the closest hospital to him, Iredell Memorial Hospital.

I was getting better treatment at Iredell than I received at some of these other, much bigger, and seemingly better hospitals. But, I found Iredell Memorial superlative in every way, said Poindexter.

While at Iredell Memorial Hospital, he was told he needed radiation in several different places.

Choosing to go to Iredell Memorial Hospital was a great decision because it led me to the radiation therapy center, he said.

And, it was there, at the J. Allen Knox Radiation Therapy Center, where he knew he could stop searching for the best care, because he had found it at Iredell.

Upon receiving his radiation treatment, Poindexter was relieved when doctors explained to him the side effects of radiation and what to expect; he had not received that thorough of an explanation at centers he visited previously.

The doctor at the center here actually told me exactly what was going to happen and what to expect. I was much more prepared this time, said Poindexter.

Because of intense pain in his shoulder, Poindexter received 10 days of targeted radiation on his shoulder, taking the discomfort away.

Poindexter was highly impressed with the excellent radiation therapy treatment he received right here in his home county.

We just felt we got so much better treatment and service at the radiation therapy center at Iredell. Other places Ive been to just didnt have a culture of patient care like the radiation therapy center here does, he said.

And though he understands the gravity of his current health situation, Poindexter is incredibly thankful for the compassionate care the center provides.

Its an unpleasant situation, but they are making it as pleasant as it could possibly be. Im just so grateful to be able to come to the center here and really feel like Im a human being. They do care, and I just want to thank everybody for making it as good as it could be, he said.

Poindexter continues to receive treatment at the J. Allen Knox Radiation Therapy Center as needed for pain management. At every appointment, he is grateful to always get the same warm welcome.

Poindexter wants people to know that every single person deserves quality, compassionate care.

I believe people deserve the opportunity to get the very best care they can, and I think that if they go to Iredells radiation center, theyre going to get just that, he said.

The J. Allen Knox Radiation Therapy Center utilizes state-of-the-art radiation equipment, including the Varian TrueBeam, an advanced radiotherapy system. For more information about radiation therapy and other cancer treatments, talk to your provider or call the radiation therapy center at 704-878-4615.
A Check man faced additional questions from Floyd County Circuit Court Judge Mike Fleenor this week after claiming Floyd County deputies were telling lies in a summary of evidence, after he had already agreed to a deal with Commonwealths Attorney Eric Branscom.

The judge asked Michael Dean Davis if Branscoms presentation in court March 8 was true and represented enough evidence by the prosecution to secure a conviction involving a Schedule II drug, identified as methamphetamine, found in Davis car in May 2021, the prosecution stated.

Im not sure what happened, Davis said. Someone is lying.

Fleenor asked Davis about the material presented to the court and if he agreed it was enough to convict and suggested Davis confer with his attorney, David Rhodes of Christiansburg.

The defendant eventually gave the judge an answer he could accept saying, Yeah, I guess thats what happened.

Certain questions are asked by judges after pleas in an agreement to certify that the judge is satisfied with defendants understanding of the proceeding.

The judge certified the responses by Davis, found him guilty of possession of methamphetamine, and handed down a sentence of five years with one year in prison and four suspended. Davis must also serve three years under supervised probation and stay out of trouble or face additional jail time.

As part of the agreement, a second charge of possession of a gun while in possession of the drug was dismissed, but the judge ordered the weapon confiscated and not returned. Felons are not allowed to possess guns.

Davis hearing was part of a long day of court beginning with drug court and including a docket with more than a dozen trials.

Most of the trials were continued while others were settled with pleas.

In a sentencing hearing, Brooke Rene Fortune of Dublin was given a two-year suspended sentence for possession of schedule I or II drugs from a case that began in 2018. Fortune was given a chance to avoid a felony record with a deferral on final action, but got into trouble again and now has a criminal record.

In other matters before the court March 8:

Judge Fleenor revoked probation for Hunter Nathaniel McCallister and sentenced him to prison for two years with another year and nine months suspended. The probation violation was the third misstep by McCallister.

Ryan Matthew Schoonover of Pilot lost his probation and received nine months of jail time and a new probation period of a year from his conviction of possession of schedule II drugs.

A show cause trial for Christopher Joseph Kandies of Meadows of Dan was cancelled when the Commonwealth dismissed the charge.
A woman died after lighting a fire and then stabbing herself in the neck near a Longview gas station in early January.

Now the family is questioning why their loved one died after her encounter with the officers who were called to help her, as police and mental health professionals continue to grapple with how to help people who might not want aid.

Police say a roughly six-month-old program to house mental health professionals in the Longview Police Department is linking people in need with care and limiting repeated crisis calls, but even the added effort can fall short.

Sometimes, these things just end up as tragedies, said Longview Capt. Branden McNew.

911 call

Stephanie Harlan said she and her husband, David Harlan, Sr., were leaving the Longview Snap Fitness around 5:30 p.m. Jan. 9 when they saw a woman on the corner of Ocean Beach Highway and Cascade Way near the Shell gas station light a fire inside a suitcase.

The couple pulled over to call 911 and took video of people trying to put out the flames, Stephanie Harlan said.

Kehden Brewer, 19, of Kelso said he carried the gas stations bin of windshield wiper fluid from the Chevron across the street and extinguished the fire while the womans back was turned.

24/7 Mobile Crisis Hotline General line: 1-800-803-8833. Cowlitz County: 360-425-6064. Grays Harbor County: 360-532-4357. Source: Columbia Wellness.

She soon relit the flames. Another person approached, and the woman lit aerosol can spray like a torch to fight him off, Brewer said.

When the police arrived, the woman pulled out a small tool and stabbed herself twice in the neck, David Harlan said.

Both David Harlen and Brewer said officers asked her to drop the weapon, but the woman held on. She was tased, David Harlan said, and she slumped forward. A police report says she then dropped the weapon and told an officer, Let me die when he started to administer aid.

When they approached her, they immediately started CPR, David Harlan said. Those officers did everything they could to help that woman.

Maria Mannon

It took several days for Julie Cole, 44, of Puyallup to find her missing cousin Maria Mannon, 43, of Chinook, Wash., which is roughly an hour and a half west of Cowlitz County on the Coast.

PeaceHealth hospital staff reached out to her and other relatives through Facebook, saying Mannon was on life support from a heart attack and lack of oxygen to the brain after an encounter with police, Cole said.

Mannon was in the hospital for eight days, when the family chose to take her off life support. She died the next day, on Jan. 18.

The last Cole had heard, Mannon was having issues with her long-term boyfriend, who had called the Chinook police looking for her. From a police report Cole learned Mannon had hitched a ride to Longview from neighbors, who said she seemed upset.

Cole had to dig through social-media posts and police records to piece together what happened in her cousins final hours, she said.

I found out because I kept looking, Cole said.

Mannon had a history of depression and anxiety, Cole added.

Now, Cole is left wondering why her cousin is gone after officers were called to help her and why it took so long for her family to be notified.

My cousin was a good person, she said. She was a sweet, loving person. Maria didnt need to die that day because she needed mental help.

Threat to her life

A mental health professional contracted with the Longview Police Department was at the scene of Mannons crisis, said Longview Capt. McNew, but didnt have time to help. Officers and the counselor approached the scene as Mannon was stabbing herself, he said.

McNew said Mannon was tased because she was an immediate threat to her life, and officers could not safely come close to disarm her.

An officer aimed a taser toward her waist on dart mode and two probes hit, according to police records. McNew said shocks on this mode last up to 5 seconds and can be administered from up to 35 feet away.

Officers attended Mannons neck wounds, then worked to resuscitate her when she lost consciousness, he said. An ambulance took her to PeaceHealth St. John Medical Center in Longview, then later a Vancouver hospital, he added.

The Clark County Coroners Office reports results of Mannons cause and manner of death are pending. A PeaceHealth representative said Mannons medical records could not be released.

Reports of officers use of force, including deploying tasers, are reviewed internally, McNew said, but no issues arose with this case that sparked further investigation.

He said police dont typically follow up when people they encounter are sent to the hospital, in part, because they dont have enough staff.

The what ifs

Longview police have contracted three mental health clinicians to work in their Hudson Street station since the fall to help officers respond to calls when people are in crisis.

Members of this Behavioral Health Unit wear bulletproof vests labeled counselor, and join officers on calls involving suspected mental crises, from trespassing reports to bomb threats.

Before the counselors started working at the department, they fielded similar emergency calls through the regional behavioral health nonprofit Columbia Wellness. Columbia Wellness Chief Executive Officer Drew McDaniel said the Longview-based organization has the contract for a state-sanctioned mobile crisis team in Cowlitz, Wahkiakum and Grays Harbor counties which fields calls from 911 dispatch centers to concerned family members about people in crisis.

When Longview police took three of the nonprofits clinicians, Columbia Wellness hired three more to replace them, McDaniel said. A clinician also works at the Kelso Police Department, he added.

The counselors at police stations help people connect with needed services, like medication and housing. They dont carry caseloads like a social worker, McNew said, but follow up with people they encounter in the field to ensure they get the help they need.

Since the counselors joined the Longview department around August, they have responded to 376 calls, McNew said, out of the roughly 10,000 calls the department receives a quarter. Unlike the crisis team at Columbia Wellness that is available 24-7, the clinicians at the police department are only available during the day.

And their presence is working. McNew said crisis calls are down because the team has linked people in need with organizations that can help them.

Before the behavioral health team, officers had few options to stop repeated reports about the same people in crisis, he added.

There is only so much you can do as a police officer if they didnt break the law, McNew said. The Behavioral Health Unit has given us this service we wanted to provide for a long time.

There are more local mental health providers helping people in crisis thanks to the program, but there still is a need for more, McDaniel said. Behavioral health treatment should be considered as necessary as medical help, he added.

Despite all the efforts and collaboration between police and mental health professionals, McDaniel said, every person isnt saved.

The whys and what ifs will drive us so far away, because we might not always have the answers, he said. Its saddening, it breaks my heart, when every great intention is there, but tragedy still occurs. We look at every situation and say, Is there anything we can do more, is there anything we can do better, so we can help the next person?

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Saturday was the first day after Washingtons indoor mask mandate ended. Many business owners and customers in Longview said they expected limited changes, whether they supported masks or were glad to see them phase out.

Gov. Jay Inslee put the statewide mandate back into effect in August as the Delta variant took off over the summer. Case numbers in Cowlitz County and across Washington have dropped below their levels before that surge, leading Inslee to remove the indoor mandate again beginning March 12.

Its a little bit of relief to a lot of people, said Victor Murphy, manager at Longview Sewing who also works security at a handful of local bars. I see people come in who are a happier, I can see their smiling faces again.

A handful of businesses throughout Longview kept signs in the window on Saturday morning about face covering requirements. Individual businesses can still require them for customers, though its unclear how many places will take that approach

The Merkantile Cafe opened in the Merk building in December, so Saturday was officially the first day it had operated without the mask mandate. Owner Randy Burns said he didnt expect that much to change without the mask requirement.

A lot of people havent been wearing it already. The only place where I really see it is the grocery stores, Burns said.

That pattern could be seen seen later that morning at WinCo Foods in the Triangle Shopping Center. During a 15-minute stretch Saturday morning, a little more than half of the customers came into the store with masks on.

You never know where other people have been or what they might have. And I have people in my family who are immunocompromised, said Ian Hazelton, one of the masked customers at the store.

Masks are still required for healthcare facilities and congregate settings, such as long-term care facilities. RiverCities Transit buses require them as part of a federal mandate for airplanes and mass transit systems.

Kathleen Thompson works in healthcare and said she was happy to see the requirement stay in place there. As she and her husband David went through downtown Longview Saturday morning, they wore high-quality masks and said they werent planning to drop their guard against the virus.

Weve made it two years without catching COVID. I know there are still variants and dangers out there, so I will take the extra safety, Thompson said.

At Heavenly Donuts, manager Jose Abzun was requiring his employees to wear masks but not requiring it for his customers. He said that could change as the situation with the pandemic continued to evolve.

Ive had no complaints about it. But its the first day, so I wouldnt know how that changes, Abzun said.

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Capitol Dispatch is a weekly politics feature focusing on the actions of our local representatives during the 2022 legislative session. It will run every Sunday during the session.

Washingtons short legislative session wrapped up late Tuesday night.

The Democrat majority in both chambers led a series of major supplemental budgets and financial investments through during the 60-day session. Republican officials said their lack of input was especially stark this year, which they argued made things worse for the people of southwest Washington.

We have always been able to get things done by using a carrot and this year was the year of the stick. It was a year of the haves and have-nots, Sen. Ann Rivers, R- La Center, said.

Sen. Jeff Wilson struggled to get his non-controversial bills passed. Measures to allow firearm transfers to museums and increased safety measures for tow truck operators cleared one chamber but not the other. His catalytic converter bill only passed after being folded into a similar bill by Democrat Rep. Cindy Ryu.

Wilson said he was far from the only Republican who left the session without any of the bills he primarily sponsored passing. He said the same single-party domination applied to the $16 billion transportation package, Move Ahead WA, which was created and largely passed without the input of Republican legislators.

It completely ramrods projects that have lasting implications, like the Move Ahead WA plan, into place. That should not have happened in the way it did, Sen. Jeff Wilson said.

The biggest frustration for Republicans is the almost complete lack of tax relief coming out of the session. Even a limited three-day sales tax holiday for Labor Day weekend, which passed the House with overwhelming support, ended up stalling out. The sales tax holiday was not approved as a standalone bill in the Senate and did not get attached to any of the supplemental budgets.

Mixed success

for policing changesOne of the Republican priorities that did see success were the policing changes.

Three of the four major bills responding to the police reform efforts in 2021 ended up passing by the end of the session. Two of them have already been signed into law by Gov. Inslee.

House Bill 2037 is the third bill awaiting Inslees signature. The act makes it easier for police to stop suspects from fleeing if they have reasonable suspicion they were involved in a crime.

The policing bill that failed this year would have broadened the reasons for police to engage in high-speed car chases. Rep. Jim Walsh said the change, which had broad bipartisan support through the multiple forms it took before it stalled in the Senate Thursday night, was arguably the most crucial of all the policing measures that had been considered.

Without that, the sum is less than its parts. Sheriffs and police officers said they needed that to stitch all the other improvements together, Walsh said.

Limited housing billsThe need for more affordable housing in Washington was another issue that frustrated Republicans this session. Wilson argued that the new environmental requirements for homes and home construction that were approved would actually make the shortage worse by increasing construction costs.

We are around 250,000 units short on housing and we left the session without any significant measures whatsoever to tackle the housing crisis, Wilson said.

Democrat-supported housing measures did not fare much better this year. A bill supported by Inslee that would have expanded multi-family housing options into the single family zones of many cities never made it out of committee. A bill that would have moved accessory dwelling unit requirements out of citys hands and into the state government ended in the Senate.

The death of the ADU bill was fine with Rivers, who works as the community development director for Longview and is currently working on an update to the citys ADU regulations.

Losing that was a bonus because it allows the city and the local planning commission to do something that passes the muster of the people here, Rivers said.

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You can get Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G for Rs. 27000 on Flipkart with huge discount, exchange and bank offers. Check details here.

With a huge number of smartphones launching in India over the last few weeks, users have got the opportunity to pick from a wide variety of options. The only thing that matters is the budget and required features. Even ecommerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart among others also provide offers on newly launched models making it more accessible to people. If you are waiting to buy Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G, then you should know that Flipkart is offering discount, exchange and bank offers on the phone. You can get the phone originally priced at Rs. 47,990 for Rs. 26,999. Want to know how this has become possible? Here is all you need to know about the offer on Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G.

Oppo Reno 7 Pro 5G price cut on Flipkart

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Waves price: The founder of a Russia-rooted blockchain project has revealed his Ukrainian background, after the price of his projects token went parabolic -- partly thanks to its association with Russia.

The founder of a Russia-rooted blockchain project has revealed his Ukrainian background, after the price of his projects token went parabolic -- partly thanks to its association with Russia. In a volatile crypto market whipsawed by geopolitical tension, Waves, the native token of the Waves blockchain, has jumped by more than 170% in the past two weeks. Valued at more than $2.7 billion, the token is now the 51th largest cryptocurrency by market value, according to data on CoinGecko. Waves is best known as a public blockchain with strong links to Russian entities such as state-owned manufacturing giant Rostec and private bank Alfa-Bank after collaborations with the organizations.

The direct cause of Waves skyrocketing prices can be attributed to the Western nations Feb 27 statement to cut some Russian banks from the SWIFT message system, said Peter Guo, a researcher at Hong Kong-based crypto investment firm Babel. Some people could be rushing into Waves in response to potential economic sanctions and limited traditional payment channels.

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A Google search shows interest in Waves has risen in the past few days, with many online references calling it Russias Ethereum.

Waves founder Alexandr Sasha Ivanov told Bloomberg in an interview from Dubai that both he and the project have cut their relationships with Russia.

Maybe people associate me with Russia, but I am actually Ukrainian, said Ivanov, who claims to hold citizenship for both nations, adding that he lived in Ukraine until he was 17, and moved to Russia for school and work. He didnt attribute the Waves price move to current events.

I dont think theres any connection between the situation in Russia and the current market action around Waves, Ivanov said.

Waves development team started moving out of Russia last summer, and the main office and the majority of the Waves staff have reloaded to Miami, Ivanov said. Some of the staff are also in Dubai and the Netherlands.

The project debuted with a partnership with the Russian state-owned defense conglomerate and another with Alfa-Bank. Waves later distanced itself from Russia by selling its Vostok -- Russian for East -- brand in 2019 and registered the Waves brand in Switzerland.

Russias invasion of Ukraine seems to have undermined the development at Waves, according to Ivanov, who pointed Waves price returns as a market reaction to a recent announcement of the projects roadmap for 2022.

We had announcements about our plans for this year a couple of weeks ago and after that, markets just reacted to it, he said.

Blockchain data doesnt seem to back that perspective. Waves 2022 roadmap was announced on Feb, 10. Waves price dropped by nearly 9% on the same day. The price run-up took off on Feb 28, according to data from TradingView and Binance.

Data from blockchain data firm Nansen shows that since Feb. 28, the total amount of Waves tokens going into the FTX exchange went from nearly zero to as much as 135,242. Nansen told Bloomberg the Wave tokens that went to a FTX-labeled deposit wallet were generated, or minted, by an address closely associated with the Waves project itself.

Blockchain security firm PeckShield said that a sudden increase of a tokens supply on an exchange is usually associated with market making, an area thats hard to track on a centralized exchange.

It is hard to make a conclusion on why the project is minting tokens to FTX, Babels Guo said. From what weve known in the past, this sort of flow usually comes with large sell pressure or exchanging for a stablecoin or fiat.

There was no involvement with the tokens supply flow, Ivanov said. The tokens on FTX were a wrapped version of Waves on the Ethereum blockchain that has nothing to do with the native token, which is on Waves blockchain, he said.

This is not true at all, we dont do business with FTX, nor market making with them, Ivanov said.

A FTX representative said the exchange does not provide any market making services for cryptocurrencies and they dont know the reason behind Waves supply surge to the exchange. No notable flows of Waves token were seen from popular crypto market maker GSR and Wintermute, they told Bloomberg.

In an October 2020 statement, Waves announced it started issuing tokens on Ethereum to enhance interoperability between the two blockchains. Ivanov said he did not want the Ethereum version of Waves in the first place, saying that FTX did not want to list Waves until they integrated the Ethereum version of Waves token.

FTX only counts a tiny amount of Waves trading volume. The token is mostly traded on Korean exchange Upbit, according to CoinGecko. Upbit didnt respond to a request for comment.
Deanna Humennyj saw a problem and decided to do something about it.

The problem, occurring half a world away, hit home for Humennyj.

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Not only is she of Ukrainian descent, giving her a direct connection to the now war-torn nation, she also is a postpartum nurse at the Hospital of Central Connecticut in New Britain.

And having seen reports that Ukrainian women had given birth in bomb shelters, Humennyj choose to take action.

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With an idea in mind, she asked for help.

The leadership of Hartford HealthCare decided to give that help.

The first items in a $250,000 donation of medical supplies have been sent on their way to Ukraine, where the situation is grim, and a humanitarian crisis of suffering grows as millions become refugees.

Around Connecticut, it is no surprise that the support for Ukraine has grown too; Nutmeggers often show their generosity and now are strong in their opposition to what Vladimir Putin has wrought.

As The Courants Eliza Fawcett noted in her reporting, among other actions, the states Ukrainian-American community rallied recently at the state Capitol, calling for peace and freedom; the Hartford treasurers office moved to divest the citys billion-dollar pension fund from Russian-owned assets.

Opinion Weekly Perspective on the week's biggest stories from the Courant's Opinion page >

Yale New Haven Health also announced a donation of more than $1 million in medical supplies to Ukrainians through the U.S. Cooperative for International Patient Programs.

This is exactly what should occur when individuals, organizations, communities, states or nations oppose the actions of others: show it in words and changes, or, as in this case, generosity.

It is a generous donation by Hartford HealthCare, and Humennyj was not alone in the health system in her connection to Ukraine. Darlene Sawczysyn, a senior analyst of treasury services at Hartford HealthCare, said her great-grandparents emigrated from Poland and Ukraine, and settled and raised their family in Connecticut.

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She recalled that while she was growing up, her family gathered clothes they outgrew and sent them to Ukraine. Another show of generosity.

The donation from Hartford HealthCare included N95 masks, isolation gowns, exam gloves and bandages. Those are the kind of items needed in peacetime, but even more as the war continues.

More will be needed as millions continue to suffer. And we would bet on Connecticut residents, as well as many other Americans, continuing to offer their generosity and hearts to people half a world away.

Humennyj said her heart is broken by what is going on in my familys homeland.
Love old or unusual movies but never know when theyre on? Here are several I recommend.

Flee (2021): Sometimes secrets can be so powerful that theyre the foundation for an entire life. Such is the case of Amin, an immigrant leading a successful life in Denmark. Because of his upcoming marriage, he and his filmmaker friend decide to face his past head on for the first time. Because his identity still needs to be protected, the film is animated and all of the names changed. Why? Because Amin has lied to authorities about the circumstances which led him to end up in Denmark as an underage refugee from Afghanistan. The results are a stunning film which recently made Oscar history by being the only film ever to be nominated for animated feature, documentary feature and international feature!

Now streaming on Hulu.

Nowhere Boy (2014): The year before his big hit Kick-Ass, Aaron Taylor-Johnson starred in this surprisingly affecting riff on the teenage life of John Lennon. Turns out young Johns family life was quite fraught and complicated, and he was mostly raised by his mothers sister (the wonderful Kristin Scott Thomas) and separated from his hard-living mother (Anne-Marie Duff) and absent father (Colin Tierney). The film shows his first meeting with the 14-year-old Paul McCartney (Thomas Brodie-Sangster). The film goes deeper than you might expect, and Taylor-Johnson is terrific in the role of the young musician/poet. Interesting tidbit: The word Beatles is never spoken in the film.

Now streaming on Showtime and fuboTV.

Yojimbo (1961): Kurosawas hilarious ronin Western is a grand example of cultural churn. Its based on Dashiell Hammetts novel Red Harvest and in turn was the basis for Sergio Leones A Fistful of Dollars. John Belushis SNL samurai character was based on star Toshiro Mifunes iconic, laconic samurai-for-hire. Once again, the director uses Toho Studios wind and rain machines to great effect. My only puzzlement: Why is there almost no effort to make the swordplay anything close to realistic? It comes off like boys playing with sticks. No matter. Its still a blast to watch the crafty Mifune turn the towns two criminal gangs against each other.

Now streaming on The Criterion Channel.

Stepmom (1998): Oh, how I love this resolutely old-fashioned crate of cornball. Its like a 40s movie filtered through 80s sensibility with 90s movie stars. Heres the setup: Susan Sarandon learns she is dying of cancer, and she decides she has to somehow work things out between her, her ex-husband (Ed Harris) and her ex-husbands new girlfriend (Julia Roberts). Just imagine the possibilities in this irresistible Chris Columbus confection. All of the adults want whats best for the two kids (Jena Malone and Liam Aiken) but no one agrees on what that is. Its funny, its sad, its sweet and its surprisingly smart. No heroes or villains, just people doing their best.

Now streaming on Netflix and TVision.

Trivia Question 939: For what movie did Julia Roberts receive her first Oscar nomination?

Answer to Trivia Question 937: John Magaro had an uncredited role in the Oscar nominated Captain Phillips (2013).

Ray Ivey is a writer and movie fan in Hollywood, California. He would love to hear from you at rayivey@ca.rr.com.
Russias invasion of Ukraine has prompted some of Americas most prominent evangelical leaders to raise a provocative question  asking if the world is now in the biblically prophesied end of days that might culminate with the apocalypse and the second coming of Christ.

Theres no consensus on the answer, nor on any possible timetable.

Megachurch pastor Robert Jeffress, addressing his congregation at First Baptist Dallas, said many Christians are wondering, in the face of carnage in Ukraine, Why does God permit evil like this to continue? . Are we near Armageddon and the end of the world?

We are living in the last days, Jeffress said, Weve been living in the last days for the last 2,000 years. We dont know, is this the end? Is this the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning?

The curators of raptureready.com  which shares commentary about end of days prophesies  suggest things could move quickly. Their Rapture Index,  on which any reading above 160 means Fasten your seatbelts  was raised this week to 187, close to its record high of 189 in 2016.

One of the most detailed alerts came from televangelist Pat Robertson, who came out of retirement Feb. 28 to assert on The 700 Club that Russian President Vladimir Putin was compelled by God to invade Ukraine as a prelude to an eventual climactic battle in Israel. Robertson said verses of the Old Testament Book of Ezekiel support this scenario.

You can say, well, Putins out of his mind. Yes, maybe so, Robertson said. But at the same time, hes being compelled by God. He went into the Ukraine, but that wasnt his goal. His goal was to move against Israel, ultimately.

Its all there, added Robertson, referring to Ezekiel. And God is getting ready to do something amazing and that will be fulfilled.

Also evoking Ezekiel  and a possible attack on Israel  was Greg Laurie, senior pastor at a California megachurch whose books and radio programs have a wide following.

I believe were living in the last days. I believe Christ could come back at any moment, Laurie said in a video posted on YouTube.

Citing the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic, he said biblical prophesies are being fulfilled in our lifetime.

We are seeing more things happen in real time, closer together, as the scriptures said they would be, Laurie said. So what should we do? We should look up. We should remember that God is in control.

Predictions of an imminent end of days have surfaced with regularity over the centuries. Robertson, for example, has inaccurately predicted apocalyptic events on previous occasions.

One of the characteristics of apocalyptic thinking is that the most recent crisis is surely the worst  this is the one that is going to trip the end times calendar, Dartmouth College history professor Randall Balmer said.

Now, admittedly, there may be some evidence for that, especially with Putin mumbling about nuclear weapons, Balmer added via email. But I also remember the urgency of the Six Day War and George H. W. Bushs Persian Gulf War and, of course, 9/11.

The suggestion that God is somehow using the Russia-Ukraine war to fulfill biblical prophesies troubles some Christian scholars, such as the Rev. Rodney Kennedy, a Baptist pastor in Schenectady, New York, and author of numerous books.

This evangelical insistence of involving the sovereignty of God in the evil of Putin borders on the absurd, Kennedy wrote recently in Baptist News. Rapture believers fail to understand that if they assist in bringing about world war, there will be no Superman Jesus appearing to snatch all true believers into the safety of the clouds. The rapture is an illusion; the rupture caused by Putin is a deadly reality.

Russell Moore, public theologian at the evangelical magazine Christianity Today, said its wrong to try to connect world events to end-times prophecy, noting that Jesus himself said his second coming would be unexpected and unconnected with wars and rumors of wars.

Its not consistent with the Bible and its harmful to the witness of the church, said Moore, noting that the world has outlived many episodes of end-times speculation.

Moore said most Christians hes talked with are more concerned about Ukraines well-being.

Im surprised at how little I am finding the idea that these events are direct biblical prophecy, he said. Im just not seeing that in the pews.

Thats a change from the recent past, he noted, when many evangelicals tried to interpret world events as a road map to the apocalypse  driving sales for hugely successful authors Tim LaHaye (Left Behind) and Hal Lindsey (The Late Great Planet Earth).

Its very rare for me to find someone under the age of 50 preoccupied with such views today, Moore said.

Jeffress said members of his congregation in Dallas are very troubled by the atrocities being committed against the Ukrainian people and think we should push back forcefully against Putins aggression.

However, they are not headed toward their bunkers and preparing for Armageddon  yet, Jeffress said via email. Most of our members understand that while the Bible prophesies the end of the world and return of Christ one day, no one has a clue when that day will be.

Laurie, in a written reply to questions from The Associated Press, said his congregation at Harvest Christian Fellowship isnt fixated on the end times.

My message for Christians during this time and really all people in general is dont panic, but pray, Laurie advised. Live every day like it may be your last.

The war in Ukraine has heightened anxieties for some members of Mercy Hill Chapel, said Oleh Zhakunets, lead pastor of the small Southern Baptist church that holds services in Ukrainian and English in Parma, Ohio, a Cleveland suburb.

Several members have close relatives in Ukraine  some in more dangerous zones in eastern Ukraine and others who are welcoming refugees in the west, he said.

Its a bag of mixed feelings, said Zhakunets, citing their worries for loved ones and their hope that God is in control.

Congregation members believe in biblical passages detailing signs of Jesus return, he said, but they dont see Russias invasion as fulfilling a specific prophecy.

A lot of that is just guesswork, Zhakunets said. We have hope that hes coming, but in terms of specifics, were not going to give that kind of what we see as a false hope.
Rep. Adrian Smith, the only Nebraska congressman to vote against the Postal Service Reform Act, opposed the bill because of the additional burden it will put on Medicare.

The bill, which has passed both houses of Congress, adds to the unfunded obligations of Medicare, Smith said.

Medicare Part B currently has over $87 billion in unfunded obligations and this would add another $50 billion on top of that, Smith said in a phone interview this past week.

The House passed the Postal Service Reform Act by a 342-92 margin last month. U.S. Reps. Don Bacon and Jeff Fortenberry, also from Nebraska, voted in favor of the bill.

The measure also passed the Senate, where it was favored by Sen. Deb Fischer and opposed by Sen. Ben Sasse. President Joe Biden is expected to sign the bill, which ensures the continuance of six-day mail delivery.

The bill will require retired postal employees to enroll in Medicare when eligible, while dropping a previous mandate that forced the Postal Service to cover their health care costs years in advance.

The bill ends the requirement that the Postal Service finance workers health care benefits ahead of time for the next 75 years. Instead, it will integrate future Postal Service retirees into Medicare, which all of its employees already pay into, and it will allow those who are already retired to decide if they want to switch.

The Medicare obligation and Smiths familiarity with the topic as a member of the Ways and Means Committee are what has me concerned, he said.

When you talk about benefits, pensions and health care, we need to think literally decades down the road. We need to plan for that, Smith said.

The Postal Service enjoys some personnel benefits that other federal agencies do not, Smith said. So I think the Postal Service has some decisions to make.

USPS, he said, no longer wants to be a self-sufficient agency, which creates some complications. One of those is adding to the unfunded obligations of Medicare, he said.

Does the Postal Service want to be a standard federal agency or a standalone operation?

Its difficult to impossible to be both, Smith said.

He also thinks there are other reforms that could make the Postal Service a more vibrant agency, and those reforms so far are not being pursued.

He hears from constituents whose charge to rent a post office box have more than doubled. Every time a postal customer rents a post office box, it saves the Postal Service money. But yet as a customer they have to pay more for that, he said.

There needs to be more flexibility afforded the Postal Service, he said. USPS has tremendous assets with thousands of locations across the country.

Postal officials arent using those assets like they could and should, Smith said. If we need to provide flexibility for that, OK. Im willing to look at that.

But right now, USPS doesnt seem to have any innovative approaches at leveraging its assets in order to serve customers more effectively and efficiently, he said.

The Independent received an email from a reader who points out that the Postal Service is especially important in the very rural areas of Nebraska. In some areas, thats all that they can depend on for deliveries.

Smith says the Postal Service is very important across America, and especially in rural areas. Thats why I think more significant, more meaningful reforms can and should be pursued.

The Postal Service needs to be provided some of the flexibilities it needs to grow its market share and attract more customers across America who want to utilize the Postal Service more than they currently are, he said.

Smith knows the bill has been passed.

But he hopes we can encourage the Postal Service to be more innovative in their approach moving forward.

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YORK  Julie Hoffman of York has been named as this years Star of the State honoree, chosen from a number of nominees from across the state.

This program honors extraordinary voluntary efforts to make this world a better place. Hoffman has worked with others to pursue the fundraising and creation of the Peyton Parker Lane Playground project in York.

This local project will result in a more than $1 million, 22,000-square-foot all-inclusive playground. It will be the largest of its kind in Nebraska.

The mother of two sons  Peyton and Parker  Hoffman learned about the joys, challenges and blessings of having special needs children in a family.

They were perfect in every way, Hoffman says of her two boys, who needed constant care but also provided constant love to her, their family and everyone around them.

In 2010, Peyton unexpectedly passed away at the age of 11. Parker died in 2019 at the age of 19.

It was exactly three years ago this month when Hoffman said she was consumed with grief and a wonderment of who I really even am now, if I dont have a child at home to care for.

When her boys were alive, Hoffman and her husband, Chad, were committed to making sure their sons were included in everything at school, in activities with other kids, regardless of their physical abilities. She watched them be included by other kids and in many school activities  which created lasting bonds and deeper understanding of the fellow man.

Peyton and Parker benefitted from those friendships, those experiences, but the other kids did as well, Hoffman says. To this day, those kids reach out to me and say their friendships with Peyton and Parker led them to wanting to work with special needs kids, or be in medical care, and they say they see the world in a different way because of knowing them. When you have a special needs child, you are blessed. We were blessed. We would have never been the parents we became without them, we would have never become who we are as people.

Along the way, they met other parents with similar family blessings, like Paul Jaekel and April McDaniel, who in January 2020 invited them to come to a grassroots meeting about possibly pursuing an all-inclusive playground in York that could provide equal access and opportunity for everyone  of all ages and abilities.

We went to the meeting and I was asked if I just wanted to run with it, Hoffman recalls. I said, Absolutely.

The newly formed committee went before the York City Council in March 2020, where they received the citys blessing and promise the large playground can be located at Mincks Park, just north of the aquatic center.

The pandemic began shortly afterward, but that didnt stop Hoffman, McDaniel and the rest of the committee members from pursuing funds.

The project needed at least $1 million, they knew that from the start as this will be the largest all-inclusive playground in the state when it is finished.

And in just 16 months, we were just slightly under our goal of $1 million, all locally raised, Hoffman said. It has been an incredible, humbling experience, to see this entire community come together in such a way. So many people are so excited about this project and we are blown away by the generosity as well as the understanding of its importance.

The Star of the State program was created to recognize individuals who tackled the challenges of the past year with grace and fortitude. Nominations came in from across the state and were reviewed by a committee within Lee Enterprises.

The program is sponsored by Woodhouse Auto Family.

Hoffman has been working tirelessly behind the scenes, doing presentations, speaking to groups, making phone calls, staying in contact with the York Community Foundation, which has been the agency collecting the funds and helping plan the features. Hoffman also handles all the writing of thank you cards on Monday mornings  to the many donors who have come forward.

Suddenly a woman with a broken heart because her sons had passed and uncertainty about navigating her own life had a new purpose, a new passion and a way to keep alive the memories of her boys.

She certainly acknowledges McDaniel in this effort  McDaniels son, Lane, had special needs and also passed away at a young age in his sleep in 2014. His name is also included in the title of the all-inclusive park, Peyton Parker Lane Playground. These two mothers took their grief and turned it into action.

She also notes the idea for this project was Jaekels and their grassroots committees work is what has made this a success.

We couldnt have done any of this without so many volunteers and so many who came forward with funds, Hoffman says.

The project price has exceeded $1 million, but they are getting very close to the end goal, she said, with only about $118,681 still needed.

Donations continue to come in and so do the calls from other communities in the state, including Hickman and North Platte, who have heard about the Peyton Parker Lane project and are interested in pursuing the same where they live.

Former Husker great Eric Crouch and Unlimited Play are the contracted creators of the playground, as they specialize in this type of work. She said the equipment has been ordered and arrangements have been made for the project to begin in May.

This is going to be a place of joy, for children in wheelchairs to be at the same eye-level of their peers on play equipment, for grandmothers who want to be able to play with their grandchildren regardless of their abilities, for people of all ages and strengths to just enjoy life, Hoffman said. This has been a wonderful experience and we just cant wait to move closer to seeing this dream become reality.

Other finalists throughout the state are: Tara Dunker of Beatrice, an extension educator and community volunteer; Connie Giese of Fremont, community volunteer; Sandy Manfull of Grand Island, Paws for Prevention and Out of the Darkness Walk event coordinator; Jamie Rejda of Lincoln, executive director of the Downtown Syndrome Association for Families in Nebraska; and Dan Kathol of Omaha, a community volunteer.

To donate to the Peyton Parker Lane Playground project, Hoffman can be reached at Jeppp62495@hotmail.com.
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Hundreds of people gathered Thursday in Bonham for a Courthouse Rededication, marking the end of a two-decade project to restore the citys an

Fannin County Courthouse History

W.C. Dodson, of Dodson & Dudley architects, created his most complex facade when he designed the 1888 Fannin County Courthouse in the Second Empire Style. The countys sixth courthouse has seen many changes in its 134 years of existence.

The 1888 courthouse served the citizens of Fannin County well for 40 years, but on Dec. 31, 1929, a fire started in the cupola and quickly spread throughout the tower and roof. The 1930 remodeling greatly altered the external appearance. Gone were the cupola and clock tower. The steep gables and supporting stone columns were removed, and the roof was flattened.

In 1964, the county commissioners decided that the 76-year-old building was in need of modernization. All the windows and doors were replaced with aluminum and glass units, and the exterior was sheathed in a neutral colored Lueders stone with green panels inserted beneath each window unit. A dedication ceremony was held on Oct. 20, 1966, with a special address given by John Connally, governor of Texas.

Today, the county courthouse facade and inside have been restored to its 1888 grandeur.
CHARLESTON  Over 300 young farmers, ranchers and ag enthusiasts ages 18-35 years old met recently for the annual South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation Young Farmers and Ranchers Conference in Charleston.

Members from across the state gathered to network, become better leaders in their communities and learn how to overcome challenges within the agriculture industry.

Conference attendees had the opportunity to listen to a wide variety of speakers on topics addressing all aspects of agriculture  including direct marketing, animal agriculture, farm safety, womens leadership and advocacy.

We were excited to host young farmers and ranchers from across the state at our annual conference this past weekend, said newly elected SCFB YF&R Chair Adrian Wilkes (Fairfield). This conference is special because it brings together professionals from every sector of ag in our state to allow us to work together for the betterment of the future of agriculture and related industries. I look forward to working with this fine group of people as we continue to strive to have some of the best food and fiber in the world come from the great state of South Carolina.

Wilkes was elected the SCFB YF&R chair at the SCFB Annual Meeting in December and will serve his term throughout 2022 leading the program to follow SCFBs mission and goals.

Cadie Giba of McCormick County won the 2022 Young Farmers and Ranchers Excellence in Agriculture Award. The competition consists of a written application and an oral presentation in front of a panel of judges. Giba won $500 cash, $7,000 towards the purchase of a new ATV compliments of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, and has the opportunity to represent South Carolina Farm Bureau on trips to the 2022 American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference in Louisville, Kentucky, and the 2023 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Excellence in Agriculture Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who do not derive the majority of their income from an owned agricultural operation, but who actively contribute to agriculture and Farm Bureau. Award prizes are compliments of Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, and South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation.

Rachael Sharp of Allendale County won the 2022 Young Farmers and Ranchers Achievement Award. Rachael was awarded $1,000 compliments of the Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, $33,750 towards the purchase of a new Ford truck and has the opportunity to represent South Carolina Farm Bureau on trips to the 2022 American Farm Bureau Young Farmers & Ranchers Leadership Conference in Louisville, Kentucky and the 2023 American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

The Achievement Award recognizes young farmers and ranchers who derive the majority of their income from an owned agricultural operation and have excelled in their farming or ranching operations while exhibiting superior leadership abilities. Participants are evaluated on a combination of their agricultural operations growth and financial progress, Farm Bureau leadership and leadership outside of Farm Bureau. Award prizes are compliments of Southern Farm Bureau Casualty Insurance Company, Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company, South Carolina Farm Bureau Federation and Ford.

Darlington County Farm Bureau chapter received the award for the Largest County Delegation, boasting 24 young farmers and ranchers in attendance at the conference.

Attendees from Orangeburg County included: Wesley McKeowen, Lacey McKeowen, Sara Hutto, Kayla Shuler, Christle Tindall, Zane Clardy and Holly Clardy.

Plans are already underway for the 2023 Young Farmers and Ranchers conference scheduled for Feb. 3-5, 2022, in Greenville.

For more information about Young Farmers and Ranchers and to learn how to get involved, contact Heather Barberio at hbarberio@scfb.org.

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York-Poquoson Sheriff J.D. "Danny" Diggs speaks to the media about the Dylan Peters murder during a press conference Thursday afternoon. (Jonathon Gruenke / Daily Press)

York County  York-Poquoson Sheriff J.D. Danny Diggs said Friday hes stepping down at years end to run for a seat in the Virginia Senate.

Diggs, 64, has been sheriff for nearly 23 years, making him the fifth longest-serving sheriff in the commonwealth.

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But after a 45-year career in law enforcement, Diggs said hes retiring Dec. 31 to run in the November 2023 election for the seat held by Sen. T. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg.

I feel really good about this, said Diggs, saying he will run as a Republican and wants to be a strong voice for law enforcement in Richmond. This is not a great feather in my cap or anything, its just something I really want to do.

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With Democrats holding the Senate by a slim 21-19 majority, the 2023 race for control of the chamber is expected to be intense.

I feel like to get the things done that Governor Youngkin wants to do, the Republicans need to be in power, Diggs said. And to get in power, youve got to take the majority. And this is a seat that is crucial. Its a must-win seat.

Mason was elected to the House of Delegates in 2012, then won a special election to the Senate in 2016 following the death of Sen. John Miller, D-Newport News. Mason then ran unopposed in 2019, winning a four-year term.

I havent announced, but I have every intention of running and holding the seat, Mason said Saturday as he drove back to Williamsburg following the end of this years legislative session. I go into every election expecting opposition. I think thats good for democracy.

York County sheriff Danny Diggs speaks to gun rights protestors gathered on the Capitol Square in Richmond Monday January 20, 2020. (Rob Ostermaier/The Virginian-Pilot)

Diggs said the states newly drawn district lines have made the seat hes running for  Senate District 24  more favorable to the GOP than were the lines of District 1, the seat Mason now holds.

The Virginia Public Access Project calls the new seat competitive, estimating that Youngkin would have carried the district in November by 3.4%. More than half its voters will be in Newport News, with 32% in York County.

Mason, for his part, called the result of the new lines a fair district.

Its a competitive seat, he said. Ive represented the bulk of the district in either the House or the Senate for (nearly) the last 10 years. It should be a good district for me. I work with people on both sides of the aisle all the time. You want someone who is a moderate  who works with Republicans and Democrats without a concern about what letter is next to their name, but with a concern for the policy youre trying to initiate.

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Diggs said his decision to retire as sheriff and run for Senate came about six weeks ago. He was talking with friends about the recent redistricting when George Clark, a friend from Newport News who serves on the Colonial Soil and Water Conservation Board, told him he ought to think about running.

While Diggs said his heart was set on running again for his seventh term as sheriff, the conversation gave him a change of heart of what office to seek.

Diggs, who grew up in Poquoson, began as a police dispatcher there in 1976 at age 19, then worked as a corrections officer with the York County sheriffs office before becoming a Gloucester sheriffs deputy in 1989, ascending to the rank of major.

Sen. Monty Mason, D-Williamsburg, left, and Sen. Lionell Spruill, D-Chesapeake, right, confer during the floor session of the Virginia Senate inside the State Capitol in Richmond, Va., on Monday, March 7, 2022. (Bob Brown/Richmond Times-Dispatch via AP) (BOB BROWN/AP)

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Diggs lost a close race to York-Poquoson Sheriff Preston Press Williams in 1995, then won a four-way race in 1999 after Williams resigned from office. Diggs then ran unopposed four straight times before carrying more than 75% of the vote in a 2019 race against the Williams son, Scott Williams.

With a staff of 114 employees  including 107 sworn sheriffs deputies  the sheriffs office serves both York County and Poquoson.

While the Poquoson Police Department is the main law enforcement agency in that city, the sheriffs office is the primary law enforcement agency in York County. The agency also serves court paperwork in both jurisdictions and provides security at the York-Poquoson courthouse.

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My success really comes from my deputies treating people well and doing a good job, Diggs said. Because theyre the ones out there day and night, 24/7. Theyre the ones who made me look good and give me the good reputation that people feel that I have.

Under a process outlined in state law, Diggs said that his chief deputy, Major Ronald G. Ronnie Montgomery, will fill the sheriffs role on an interim basis beginning Jan. 1. Montgomery plans to run for sheriff in the November 2023 election, Diggs said.

It will be bittersweet, Diggs said of leaving law enforcement after 45 years. Ill miss it. But I really look forward to going to Richmond and being a strong voice for public safety ... I feel like Im in the right place at the right time.

Peter Dujardin, 757-247-4749, pdujardin@dailypress.com
CCTC names fall

honor students

SUMTER  Four residents of The T&D Region have been named to Central Carolina Technical Colleges 2021 fall Dean's List for Part-Time Students.

They are Jeffry Birkland of Cameron; Kasandra Duley and Taylor White, both of Orangeburg; and Lauren Weatherford of St Matthews.

Bochette named

to Emerson

Dean's List

BOSTON -- Hailey Bochette of Elloree is among the students named to Emerson College's Dean's List for the fall 2021 semester. The requirement to make Dean's List is a grade point average of 3.7 or higher for that semester.

Bochette is majoring in media arts production and is a member of the class of 2025.

BJU students

named to Dean's List

GREENVILLE -- Sarah Proett of Orangeburg was among the students named to the Bob Jones University Dean's List for the fall 2021 semester. The Dean's List recognizes students who earn a 3.00-3.74 grade point average during the semester.

Proett is a junior interior architecture and design major

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KINGSTREE  Williamsburg County Clerk of Court Sharon Staggers was unhappy with her nearly $62,000 annual salary  and County Councils refusal to raise it  before she unilaterally gave herself a controversial $30,000 pay raise last year, according to a top county official.

Staggers felt she deserved more money because she performs duties as the countys register of deeds as well as clerk of court, County Supervisor Tiffany Cooks told The Post and Courier and Kingstree News. That apparently led Staggers to hike her own pay from a pot of federal dollars she controls, Cooks said.

That explanation will be under intense scrutiny in the coming weeks. Investigators from the State Law Enforcement Division are probing Staggers office in connection with the raise, the newspapers reported March 7 as part of an Uncovered investigation.

Officials from the state Department of Social Services also are reviewing the veteran clerks spending from a fund that is meant to enhance Williamsburg Countys child support enforcement efforts.

A DSS spokeswoman said the agency was scheduled to meet soon with SLED to compare notes.

Staggers declined to comment for this story, saying she would tell her side when she is ready.

Tension over Staggers raise simmered for weeks within Williamsburg County government before it was exposed as part of Uncovered, a Post and Courier-led effort to partner with community newspapers in investigating questionable conduct by officials in small-town South Carolina.

Leaders of the states second-poorest county said they were shocked to learn Staggers could boost her own pay by 50 percent without their OK.

Some decried the apparent lack of guardrails preventing Staggers and South Carolinas 45 other clerks of court from dipping into money that is meant to keep the states child support program running smoothly.

Neither the state nor the federal government checks to see how clerks of court spend money from that fund, authorities acknowledged. Instead, they blindly trust those elected officials to be responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.

No one anticipated or expected that she would do anything like this, longtime Williamsburg County Councilman Eddie Woods told The Post and Courier. Everyone thought she was above board and would do what was in the best interest and benefit of Williamsburg County.

Sonny Reel, Edgefield Countys clerk of court and the vice president of the S.C. Association of Clerks of Court and Registers of Deeds, strongly questioned Staggers decision.

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

Its a very unfortunate situation, Reel said. I will say that the majority of clerks that I know would not have done something like that.

The Post and Courier and Kingstree News retrieved and combed through nearly 150 pages of Staggers spending records as part of Uncovered. Among the findings so far:

Even before the $30,000 raise, Staggers was already paid more than her peers in five similarly sized counties, most of whom have clerks who also double as registers of deeds.

Staggers did not seek advice from the Ethics Commission or Attorney Generals Office before giving herself the raise.

Staggers is only the latest in a string of S.C. clerks whose spending decisions have come under scrutiny. At least four others have faced criminal charges for dipping improperly into child support accounts.

Critics say the episode provides even more evidence that South Carolinas oversight of local government officials is sorely lacking.

Dedication and integrity

Williamsburg County voters first elected Staggers as clerk of court in 2012, putting the Democrat in charge of managing dockets, tracking fines and fees, maintaining court records and a host of other administrative duties.

Staggers had worked in the office for 16 years before running to lead it.

I am running for Williamsburg County clerk of court because the clerk of court should be accountable to all citizens, not a select few, Staggers told The Florence Morning News ahead of that election. The clerk of courts office should be ran by someone with integrity and someone who conducts themselves first in a respectable manner.  I have the experience, education, dedication and integrity.

She was most recently reelected in 2020, coasting to victory without any challengers.

But by then, Staggers had begun to complain about her pay, according to Cooks, the county supervisor and its most powerful official.

Cooks began posting employee salaries on the county website in 2019, and Staggers was annoyed to see other employees making more than her, Cooks said. Staggers thought she deserved more money because she also doubled as the countys register of deeds, recording all property transactions and records, Cooks said.

But County Council declined Staggers requests for pay hikes, reasoning that there wasnt enough money in the budget because county revenues were stagnant, Cooks said.

Still, even before the raise, Staggers was already making more than the clerks of court in Dillon, Edgefield, Jasper, Union and Chester  the five S.C. counties closest in size to Williamsburg, an Uncovered analysis found.

None reported earning more than $59,400 on their most recent ethics filings. In four of the five counties, the clerks of court also serve as the register of deeds, like Staggers.

Staggers raise brought her annual pay to more than $92,900.

Not about the money

Staggers gave herself the $30,000 raise from a little-known and scarcely regulated pot of federal dollars, records show.

The money comes from Title IV-D of the 1975 Social Security Act, which requires states to operate child support enforcement programs, helping parents by establishing paternity, getting court orders and collecting payments.

The federal government gives South Carolina nearly $6 million a year to pay for those efforts. The states Department of Social Services, in turn, shares nearly half of that money with the Palmetto States 46 clerks of court, who help out by scheduling court hearings for child support cases and handling other administrative duties.

Clerks must follow one overarching rule as they spend that money: Every dime must go toward enhancing child support enforcement efforts.

Clerks have used the money in the past to purchase new copiers, upgrade courtroom audio-visual equipment, travel to conferences, hire temporary employees for special projects and reward employees who go the extra mile with one-time bonuses.

Less clear, though, is whether Staggers decision to direct the money to herself was appropriate.

As justification for the raise, Staggers forwarded county officials a brief 2015 email from a DSS official advising clerks that they could use Title IV-D money to pay salaries for employees in their office. It did not clearly say whether clerks could boost their own pay with the money. She also sent them a copy of her contract with DSS.

But in February, in response to questions from The Post and Courier, DSS said clerks cant use Title IV-D money to pay for salaries that should be a part of the countys annual budget.

It is unclear whether Staggers sought outside legal advice before hiking her own pay.

She didnt ask the Ethics Commission or Attorney Generals Office for advice, those agencies said. DSS would not say whether Staggers contacted the agency for permission to pay herself with Title IV-D funds, citing the ongoing SLED investigation.

The agency is still reviewing Staggers spending records and hasnt drawn any conclusions from them yet, it said.

Reel, the clerks association vice president, said he doesnt think it was right.

Staggers knew what the job paid when she ran for it, Reel said. If she wanted more money, she should have persuaded County Council to give her a raise in the annual budget, he said.

Were elected officials, Reel said. Were held to a higher standard than the average citizen. Were supposed to do our best. Its not about the money.

John Crangle, a longtime government watchdog who has pushed for stronger ethics laws, called the raise a serious conflict of interest.

I think its a violation of the Ethics Act because its a use of public office for personal gain, Crangle said.

A string of scandals

Staggers is far from the first clerk of court to run into trouble.

Clerks and their staffs handle a bonanza of fees, fines and payments that are collected by the court system  pots of money that have proven too tempting for some.

At least eight clerks or their employees in South Carolina have been arrested since 2010 and convicted of mishandling public funds or evidence, according to The Post and Couriers Uncovered database. Half of those cases involved officials siphoning off money intended for child support enforcement or related efforts. Among those were:

Former Beaufort County Clerk of Court Elizabeth Mason Smith, who pleaded guilty in 2011 to embezzling $68,500 from child support enforcement accounts. She was sentenced to six months of home confinement, then two years of supervised release.

Former Cherokee County Deputy Clerk of Court Melanie Sparks, who pleaded guilty in 2012 to stealing more than $60,000 in funds intended for child support. Sparks was sentenced to eight months imprisonment followed by eight months of home confinement and ordered to pay restitution.

Julia Chandler Phipps, who used her position as deputy clerk of court in Union County to plunder more than $10,000 from the countys child support account in 2018. She pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 18 months in prison and three years of probation.

Staggers isnt even the only S.C. clerk of court currently facing a SLED probe.

The agency is investigating in Allendale County after a forensic audit last summer revealed the clerk there had paid $13,195 in Christmas bonuses to herself and her staff out of a discretionary fund in 2020. The bonus checks ranged from $1,295 to $3,720, but the clerk didnt account for them in the county payroll system or report them to the IRS on W-2s, the audit states.

Reel said the state clerks of court association has worked to counter those trends by strengthening the qualifications for office.

Currently, a candidate for clerk of court need only be a registered voter and a resident of the county where they seek office.

Reels group has tried to persuade state lawmakers to require a four-year college degree or equivalent experience working in a clerks office, but so far they havent garnered much interest.

Its extremely difficult to get legislators to change laws, he said.

A major lack of supervision

On the heels of the Staggers controversy, local officials and legislators are already talking about ways to prevent the next dust-up over Title IV-D money.

Some were surprised to learn that DSS doesnt check behind clerks of court to see how they spend the money, merely trusting that clerks will follow the federal guidelines and use good judgment.

That means clerks can spend tens of thousands of dollars each year from those accounts with no one looking over their shoulder.

And as they dug into Staggers dealings from Title IV-D accounts, Williamsburg County officials said they had a hard time getting straight answers from DSS about the rules for how that money could be spent.

We definitely need to shore up the standards and requirements for the use of the money, said state Rep. Cezar McKnight, D-Kingstree, who said he has seen outrage from constituents over Staggers raise. We need to evaluate that and do a better job of putting in parameters of how the money can and cant be used. Thats abundantly clear.

Crangle said the Staggers controversy is the kind of mess that can unfold when local officials are left to their own devices.

There is a major lack of supervision, which is a chronic problem in local government across South Carolina, Crangle said. There are a lot of positions where people can just do whatever they want. Clerks are that way. Sheriffs are that way.

Crangle noted the states Attorney Generals Office and 16 solicitors havent followed an 1837 law that requires them to conduct examinations of sheriffs, clerks of court and registers of deeds  local elected officials who have repeatedly run afoul of the law.

Even now, some legislators are working to repeal that legislation.

State Sen. Dick Harpootlian, a Columbia Democrat who sits on the Senate Judiciary Committee, has vowed to block that effort.

He said the law provides an important tool for oversight and a place whistleblowers can turn to to ensure their concerns are looked at. Without the law, there is no deterrent to any of these public officials, he said.

If they want to repeal it and replace it with something better, fine, Harpootlian said. But just repealing it wont do any good. That just eliminates a tool.

This story was produced in collaboration with The Kingstree News, an Uncovered partner.

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(TBTCO) - Thi truong ket thuc thang 4 voi muc giam 8,4%, tro thanh thang giam sau nhat trong vong 2 nam. Hang loat co phieu chiet khau gia cuc sau tuy gay thiet hai rat lon cho nhieu nha au tu, nhung cung se tao co hoi cho cac nha au tu khac.
Art 321 will host three Ukrainian Easter egg decorating workshops to help raise money for Ukraine as it faces a devastating invasion by Russia.

The eggs, called psanky, are ornamented with intricate folk designs made with colored dye and wax.

The workshops will be taught by Lisa McDonald, a substitute teacher for the Natrona County School District. McDonald, who is of Ukrainian heritage, has been decorating psanky for over 50 years, according to Art 321s website.

The workshops will take place March 15 and 16 from 6 to 9 p.m., and March 20 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Only 25 spots are available for each class, and attendees must register in advance. The workshops will be live streamed for those who cant attend in person.

Visit www.art321.org for more information, and details on how to register. The registration fee is pay-what-you can.

Ukraine was invaded by Russian forces Feb. 24. Since then, Russia has shelled many Ukrainian cities, targeted civilians and prompted more than 1.5 million Ukrainians to flee their country for safety elsewhere.

Money raised during the workshops will go toward relief efforts in Ukraine led by Caritas, the humanitarian aid branch of the Catholic Church.

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The University of Wyomings Gender and Womens Studies Department is safe for now.

But a requirement for producing a report, which replaced a budget amendment that would have defunded the department, is still raising questions.

Wyomings Joint Conference Committee reached a compromise on March 4 regarding an amendment brought by Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Lingle, that would have stripped funding from the University of Wyoming Gender and Womens Studies Department.

The House and Senate each approved a provision under the Legislatures general budget bill requiring the university to report on its general education requirements to two legislative panels. It also stipulates that the university must outline policies and regulations that incentivize or disincentive students to take certain coursework outside of their majors.

UWs general education requirements fall under the university studies program.

That program consists of 30 credit hours of general education requirements that every student must complete in order to graduate. A complete list of course options for the general education requirement is available on the UW website.

There are eight areas of general study that students must complete with courses on this master list.

Three of these areas have course options from the gender and womens studies department, which was the target of Steinmetzs initial amendment.

Even in these areas, however, courses from the department make up just a handful of the available options. Students could complete the university studies program without taking any classes in the department.

But it appears legislators are attempting to address their concerns about other coursework and university practices as well.

One of these concerns regards the amount of required coursework outside of students majors in general.

People have written and talked about their taking as many as 25 extra hours in various other general education courses that had nothing to do with their major, Sen. Drew Perkins, R-Casper, said. We just want to find out about these things and see if its a problem or not a problem.

But UW is obligated to maintain the 30-credit hour general education requirement to maintain its accreditation, UW Vice Provost for Strategic Planning Anne Alexander told the Star-Tribune. Without it, the university would not be eligible to receive federal financial aid funds like the Pell Grant that help students pay for their education.

Alexander explained that students also meet with an academic adviser who helps them figure out which general education courses to take. Students can choose to prioritize taking general education classes that overlap with their major.

The accreditation requirement doesnt necessarily mean, however, that every part of the university studies program is set in stone.

UW spokesperson Chad Baldwin told the Star-Tribune that the university is certainly willing to engage in a discussion regarding the content of its general education program.

In fact, UW already reviews and sometimes revises the university studies program every 10 years, Baldwin said.

The last review, which involved dozens of faculty members and student affairs professionals across campus, according to UWs website, began in 2012 and was completed in 2014. The new program was put in place in fall 2015.

Coincidentally, this 10-year review process of the university studies program is currently underway.

The co-chairs of what Baldwin said the university is calling the Next Gen USP committee are law professor and School of Culture, Gender and Social Justice Director Jacquelyn Bridgeman, professor of English Susan Aronstein and Senior Lecturer in English Rick Fisher.

Alexander, who is also involved in reviewing the university studies program, said the committee is currently gathering feedback from campus and external constituents. External constituents include stakeholders like prospective employers, community college representatives and legislators, she said. At this point, the university is still trying to figure out how the legislative report requirement will impact this process, she added.

Legislators had other concerns about general education requirements and university processes, such as student registration bumps that they said incentivized or disincentivized enrollment in courses. (UW professor and Rep. Cathy Connoly, D-Laramie, said she had never heard about student registration bumps before).

Some of those concerns pertained to required onboarding material for incoming students.

Perkins cited in particular an alcohol education and sexual assault prevention training that is part of UWs required onboarding material.

The alcohol education program is meant to equip students to make well-informed decisions about alcohol and help them reflect on and consider college drinking related issues. The sexual assault prevention module informs students about healthy relationships and the importance of consent, among other topics, according to UWs website.

The onboarding material doesnt count for academic credit, nor does the university charge students for completing the modules. Baldwin said the training is separate from UWs academic courses.

Students cant register for classes if they dont complete the training.

Perkins said this is an example of a disincentive or an incentive that they use that doesnt say you have to do this, but it might as well be.

Once students complete the training, however, the hold on their registration is lifted and they can enroll in classes once their class cohort is eligible. The university also works one-on-one with students and under some circumstances will temporarily remove a hold if completion of the training is their only barrier to registering in classes, according to UWs Enrollment Management and Student Success and Graduation offices.

Alexander said these onboarding materials are not required as part of the universitys accreditation but that they are standard practice in many other universities (according to UWs website, these trainings are used on nearly 1,700 campuses nationwide).

While the modules arent necessary for the schools accreditation, the university is still obligated under federal law and Title IX to educate students about sexual violence and resources.

There are some ways that the university determines priority for class registration, although these prioritizations arent meant to incentivize or disincentive registration in certain courses.

Students in the Reserve Officers Training Corps or in the Honors College, for instance, get priority registration. Seniors register before freshmen.

Theres prioritization because we cant have thousands of students registering at the same time, Alexander said. (UW currently has over 10,000 students.)

Questions still remain about the footnotes place in this legislative session.

We continue to question whether the new footnote is germane to the budget bill and are closely following the legislative process, UW President Ed Seidel and Provost and Executive Vice President Kevin Carman said in a statement to the UW community on Monday.

The Gender and Womens Studies Program will continue to be an important part of the rich tapestry of academic programs at the University of Wyoming, they said. The Senate budget amendment, while unfortunate, has stimulated an important discussion in which we will participate to further the best interests of Wyoming and its university.

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The Point is to Change the World, a collection of writings by Guyanese political activist Andaiye, was in the spotlight on Thursday, the first day of the 2022 Bocas Lit Fest, which kicked off with a series of virtual events.

Thursdays conversation centred on Andaiyes writings and legacy.

Journalist Sunity Maharaj said while Andaiye left a legacy through her work, she also used her platform to be open and honest about every aspect of her life, including her battle with cancer.
Osmond Baboolal will be 40 years old soon. Those who know, will always see him as a child.

He could have been saved. He deserved being saved. But we all failed him.

This is how.

NEAR the junction leading to the mud volcano and narco mansion of Piparo is the turn-off to Pooran Street in the former sugarcane village of Williamsville.

Here you will find the ruins of a burnt-out house hidden behind the bushes.
The USS Constitution, with its topsails unfurled, is towed through Boston Harbor past Boston's financial district skyline in August 2014. (Stephan Savoia)

Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell, 39, is the first female commander of the USS 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 Farrell lives with her husband, Paul Farrell, also in the Navy, and their two children, ages 6 and 3.

Launched in 1797, the Constitution saw action against pirates in the Barbary Wars and in the War of 1812, where it won its Old Ironsides title as astonished sailors watched British cannonballs bounce off its wooden hull.

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Before taking on her new command, Billie Farrell served as executive officer on the Norfolk-based guided missile cruiser USS Vicksburg.

The conversation has been edited and condensed.

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U.S. Navy Cmdr. Billie J. Farrell. (AP)

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, Kentucky, 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?

My family took a road trip from Kentucky to Boston when I was 16. But first, we stopped in Annapolis so that I could see the Naval Academy. By then, I knew I wanted to join. Then we continued onto Boston and visited the ship. In those days, I was able to take a tour and talk to the crew. I had bought a U.S. Naval Academy hat and wore it for that picture. Standing on the deck, I experienced the history and realized that the ship is a battlefield and place where sailors gave their lives to serve the country.

How important do you think mentorship has been to your career?

I was fortunate that all the captains of the ships I served on took me under their wings and taught me lessons that I carry with me today. But these lessons were by actions, not words. The most important one I learned is that bad news doesnt get better with time. If you know something, say something so that the situation can be helped or resolved in the best possible way. The other big lesson is to keep your calm. If youre reactive, people wont feel comfortable coming to you.

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Whats your favorite story from the history of the Constitution?

The battle with HMS Guerriere, a British ship, during the War of 1812. Its where the ship earned her Old Ironsides nickname. When sailors saw British cannonballs bouncing off the sides of the Constitution, they shouted, Huzzah, her sides are made of iron. In fact, theyre made of wood, but the story speaks to her resilience as well as to the resilience of the sailors who fought during that battle.

Since there are so many women serving in the Navy  around a third of your crew is female  how big a deal do you think your appointment is? Does being the first still matter?

My appointment is significant because it gives me the platform to support the 70,000 women who are serving in the Navy today and to show them whats possible. And, yes, being the first does matter. Its great to highlight accomplishments so that they can inspire others to set goals beyond what they thought were possible.

Can you describe your day-to-day duties?

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The Constitution is still an active sailing ship that goes into Boston Harbor seven times a year. That means that my crew of 80 are active-duty sailors.

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Also, were not a museum, but we do give tours, so we study a lot of Navy history and heritage. We also do a lot of community outreach programs. For example, Boy Scout troops will spend nights on the ship and get a taste of our lives.

There were women pioneers on the Constitution going back to 1986. Have you been in touch with them?

In 1986, Rosemarie Lanam was the first woman to serve on the ship, and when I took command, she sent me the warmest message. Claire V. Bloom (appointed in 1996) was the ships first executive officer, and she came to the ceremony when I was officially appointed. We met briefly, and she told me that she was so excited for me. I could feel her support.

Can you share your future ambitions?

The USS Constitutions 225th birthday is on Oct. 21, and I am focused on celebrating that. I definitely want it to be a big event.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
And so it has come to pass. One week after the island-wide blackout of February 16, we told you in this space that, from among the best authority available, there would be, there could be no one to blame for what happened.

We told you that the determination had already been made as to what happened, how and why, and that nobody could have been held responsible for that. It was a warning against the natural national tendency to go for blood. Loud had been the shouts of sabotage, the result of worker discontentment, and a clamour for heads to roll.
Patrick, a runaway slave, left civilization behind and returned to the land of his captors as a missionary bishop. There his crude Latin  an embarrassment in the civilized world  fit those to whom he wrote, notably Coroticus, a British slaver who called himself a Christian. No Christian are you, said Patrick, for you are a tyrant, kidnapping, enslaving and slaughtering the innocent.

Patrick didnt write much besides his letter to Coroticus but he did write an apologia of sorts  an account of his own fitness for ministry and his credibility as a witness to the saints. It was rough and ready, more like something from the letters of Paul of Tarsus than the literary Confessions of Augustine of Hippo.

His feast we celebrate just a few days before the equinox in March. St. Patricks Day has become a drinking holiday, like so many American days, but in an earlier century it was an occasion for Irish immigrants that had newly become American to proclaim their love for and loyalty to their new country. But now it is often an occasion for the wearin o the green simply to avoid being pinched, or buying the house a round.

And so we are more likely to associate the equinox with another feast of the Christian year, the Annunciation. If we celebrate the Nativity of our Savior on Dec. 25 it is only sensible that we count nine months back to celebrate his expectation. Here am I says Mary, the angels let out a long held breath, and the redemption of creation begins anew.

Hence, a month after the equinox, Earth Day. This year that day falls just after Easter. And so we have some time between now and then so we can prepare with proper Lenten expectation, repentance and humility to recall our place in creation.

We nowadays seek to celebrate more than our own survival, our rescue from the pit of sin or despond: We want to mark a day in spring as a reminder of Gods creation of all things, and our place among them.

Let us remind ourselves that among Gods creatures are the least of people, the forgotten, the invaded, the captive: those assaulted in their own homes and drawn away to a foreign land, as the people of Patrick were, and all those who have ached for the release from captivity, the oppression of violence, for the healing of wounds, and the balm of the Spirit Marys son bears.

From the Iona Community:

A Universal Prayer for Peace

Lead us from death to life, from falsehood to truth.

Lead us from despair to hope, from fear to trust.

Lead us from hate to love, from war to peace.

Let peace fill our lives, our world, our universe.

Peace, peace, peace.

Amen.

Tucson faith leaders, we would like to include your original sermon or scriptures of encouragement. Sermons must be written by the person submitting them, not borrowed from another source or writer. If you are a faith leader from any religion or denomination, please contact Sara Brown at sbbrown@tucson.com.

Meet the Pastor The Rev. John Leech is ordained in the Episcopal branch of the Jesus movement and has served as a pastor in Northern California and western Washington, and now in Southern Arizona.

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Its ironic that the COVID-19 pandemic began to disrupt life in the United States, forcing lockdowns and major constraints on gathering  right around Purim time in 2020. Ironic because this joyous Jewish holiday emphasizes the importance of community and gathering together.

The four significant observances of this holiday, which begins at sundown on Wednesday, March 16, and concludes at nightfall on Thursday, March 17, are hearing the reading of the Megillah  the Book of Esther, exchanging gifts of food, donating charity to the poor and sitting down for a festive feast.

What unites these observances is that they are typically done with others  and theres a reason for that.

In the story of Purim in Persia of the 4th century BCE, the viceroy Haman describes the Jews as scattered and divided among the peoples of the Persian empire. They were divided and so they could be conquered, Haman told King Ahasuerus. In response, the Jewish leader Mordechai called for Jews to gather to pray. After Queen Esther spoiled Hamans plot, the Jews gathered again to defend themselves against their enemies.

Throughout history, our unity has kept us alive. We unite to celebrate, and we unite in the face of danger. As Ukraine came under attack, people from around the world lent whatever material, financial or even emotional support they could to Jews and others in harms way. This happened while we also prepared to celebrate Purim. We are best in all respects when we are united.

The pandemic has given us even more important lessons about our need to be together. Over the past two years, communities have faced incredible challenges in maintaining their coalescence. For the sake of our health, in-person gatherings vanished, but at least we had technology that could hold us together. Our communities were not conquered by this plague.

The greatness of Zoom and other online platforms gave us a stopgap and even provided some new opportunities. Ive been giving classes on behalf of the Rohr Jewish Learning Institute online since the start of the pandemic, and people from California, Montana, New Jersey, Minnesota  even Israel  joined them.

But our souls have craved gathering in person because that is how we are designed.

In joyous reclaiming of our ability to be together, we have restarted our physical connections here in Tucson. We recently restarted in-person Torah classes, and attendees indicate how much they like being together. We were able to safely restart in-person pre-Shabbat programs for the elderly  which had also migrated to Zoom during the worst of the pandemic  and it was again clear how much people have yearned to be able to interact with other people again.

Purim reminds us that our communal celebrations dont just happen to be communal. Theyre collaborative by design and by nature because community is the reason we are celebrating in the first place. So while virtual celebrations were a miracle for when we had no choice, the miracle of being able to unite in person as a community is not to be underestimated  especially at Purim.

Meet the Rabbi Rabbi Yehuda Ceitlin is the outreach director at Chabad Tucson. He was born in Canada, educated in Israel, ordained in Brooklyn, New York, and has guided Jewish communities in Europe, the former Soviet Union, Namibia and Nepal. He has been living and teaching in Tucson with his wife and four children since 2010.

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The following column is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

They drove 64 miles in a circle.

Thats the length of the Capital Beltway, the ribbon of asphalt that loops around Washington, D.C. For over four hours on Sunday, the so-called Peoples Convoy, estimated at about a thousand trucks, RVs and cars drove that circle in protest.

In protest of what? Well, take your pick. Many drivers  nearly all white, nearly all men  flew flags supporting Donald Trump or opposing Joe Biden. Some displayed Confederate battle flags and placards against vaccine and mask mandates, even though those mandates have largely been lifted. One lady told The Good Liars, an online comedy platform, that shes protesting because she doesnt want them to digitile us, a word that does not appear in Merriam-Websters dictionary. The drivers uniformly claim to be fighting against tyranny.

Meantime, another convoy of trucks rumbles out of Berlin, bound for Ukraine. It carries donated toilet paper, batteries, medicine, pet food, baby food and other necessities of everyday life impossible to find in Ukraine since Russia began mauling that country almost two weeks ago. Somebody has to do this, Vadim Pashkiuskiy, a 29-year-old Ukrainian driver, told The Washington Post. My war is to deliver goods. It may be dangerous, but its my responsibility to my country. Im not hiding. Im doing whatever I can to help.

The contrast between the convoys is painful. And telling.

In the almost 15 years since Barack Obamas election panicked a certain subset of Americans, many of us have become inured to their performative displays of supposed patriotism. Weve seen them don tricorner hats and wave Dont tread on me signs, storm the Michigan statehouse, carry long guns to make a Starbucks run, and, yes, ransack the U.S. Capitol. Now theres this.

Such behavior has always seemed absurd, delusional and pathetic. But never so much as it does now, as Ukraine fights for its life.

Towns and lives reduced to rubble. Walls sheared off buildings, bedrooms and kitchens left open to the sky. Streets littered with chunks of masonry and blackened husks of cars. Parents weeping over their toddlers corpse. And yet, defiance reigns. A man hops atop a Russian military vehicle waving a Ukrainian flag. An unarmed crowd advances on armed Russian troops, forcing them back. In a bomb shelter, a little girl sings in Ukrainian that favorite anthem of little girls, Let It Go from Disneys Frozen, and her thin, sweet, childs voice brings a world watching via social media to tears.

But were supposed to think refusal to wear a mask in a pandemic is fighting for freedom?

If these people had even a molecule of decency, theyd be ashamed. But they dont, so they wont.

For those of us who do, Ukraine is a reminder that resisting tyranny is not a performance, not something you cosplay. That reminder is vital, given that American democracy is fast eroding  not because of medical mandates, mind you, but because of attacks on the right to vote, protest and speak freely. Against that troubling confluence of threats, the truckers who descended on D.C. provide vivid illustration that even at this dangerous extremity, the American capacity for blithe idiocy remains intact.

One would happily trade the thousand drivers of the Peoples Convoy for one Vadim Pashkiuskiy. In the name of freedom, hes driving his truck into a war zone.

Meantime, theyre driving theirs in circles.

Leonard Pitts Jr. is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may contact him via e-mail at lpitts@miamiherald.com .

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RICHMOND  A police officer in Virginia has been sentenced to one year in prison for fatally shooting his then-fiancees dog with a 12-gauge shotgun.

WRIC reports that Richard Chinappi III was sentenced Friday in Powhatan County Circuit Court. The Richmond police officer had pleaded guilty to a felony charge of torturing or maiming a dog or cat and making a false report to police.

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Powhatan Deputy Commonwealths Attorney Rob Cerullo told the news station that prosecutors presented evidence that Chinappi killed the beagle-hound mix at close range in October.

Cerullo said that Chinappi initially claimed a bear had attacked the dog in the home he shared with his now-former partner. He then allegedly changed his story to say he had shot the bear and killed the dog in the process.

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But the dogs body had been killed with a 12-gauge shotgun from exceedingly close range and there were no signs of damage caused by a bear, Cerullo said.

Chinappis attorney, Mark Bong, declined to speak about the case on Friday to the news station.

Richmond police said in a statement that Chinappi remains on leave without pay. In light of his sentencing today, the department is very close to concluding the internal investigation and administrative process.
Tucson is making plans to waive the impact fees it charges private companies constructing affordable housing units in the city.

The move is part of the citys plan to address the dwindling supply of affordable housing in the region, outlined in its housing affordability plan City Council adopted in December.

Tucson charges impact fees to entities constructing developments in order to fund the infrastructure and services needed to serve the new residential growth. The total amount depends on the scope and purpose of the development, which could increase the need for roads, parks and police and fire services.

The council last amended the code for impact fee subsidies in 2019, setting aside $1 million to subsidize impact fees for nonprofit affordable housing providers.

Since then, the city has seen only five projects utilizing the subsidy and spent about $265,000 in subsidies waiving the impact fees. City staff said more for-profit organizations are developing affordable housing in Arizona than nonprofit, limiting the current programs reach.

The issue right now is were not using the full amount thats been allocated. We want to rectify that, said Terry Galligan, the deputy director of Tucsons Housing and Community Development Department. We dont want to leave any money on the table that could help bring more affordable housing to Tucson.

At its March 9 meeting, mayor and council directed city staff to move forward with the same incentive for private entities and plans to make the change official at its March 22 meeting.

State statute holds that if a municipality waives impact fees for development, it must reimburse the amount waived. The city uses general fund dollars and its Highway User Revenue Fund to pay for the impact fees it cancels.

That means instead of developers paying the fee, city taxpayer dollars will.

The change is meant to lure in for-profit developers with the criteria they create units for households that earn 80% or less of the area median income and sustain that requirement for at least 15 years.

The median household income was $53,379 for the Tucson region in 2019, according to the Economic and Business Research Center in the University of Arizona Eller College of Management. The median sales price of a single-family home in Tucson was about $238,900 in 2019.

City staff said the impact fee subsidy for private companies will make Tucson more apt to receive projects with funding from the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit, a competitive federal program that subsidizes affordable housing. Projects with waived impact fees earn more points on applications to qualify for the credit.

In 2021, Tucson had two housing developments that received the competitive tax credit grant, and Phoenix had seven projects utilizing the funds, according to data from the Arizona Department of Housing, which issues the credits.

If we can provide this, the competitiveness of projects that theyre wanting to develop in Tucson will increase, Tucsons housing department Director Liz Morales told City Council.

The city budgets for impact fee subsidies every year based on the number of developers they have received interest from. While that figure is yet to be known for fiscal year 2023, Galligan said, We communicate very closely with the for-profits and not-for-profits so we have an idea of what needs to be set aside.

City Manager Michael Ortega recommended the council put a cap on the number of developers taking advantage of the program. He said staff will look into how we can get up to a million dollars of investment out annually.

While most council members expressed support for the change, Councilman Steve Kozachik said, Im not sure it goes far enough.

Kozachik mentioned that the impact fee waiver is currently calculated based on the amount of money from the private sector funding a development and does not take into account the public money from government agencies that is often used in affordable housing projects. Developers still pay impact fees for the portion of public money funding a project, so the councilman suggested offering the waiver for both funding sources.

Weve got this 80% of AMI (area median income).  Quite frankly, somebody earning 100% of AMI right now, thats $53,000 a year. Thats about a $1,400 monthly payment. Thats not buying much in this market right now, he said. If were really trying to get more options on the table, Im not sure we shouldnt offer a waiver for publicly funded portions of a funding waterfall and consider looking at offering these for projects up to 100% of AMI.

Based on Wednesdays conversation, the Housing and Community Development Department plans to work the councils recommended changes into a new impact fee waiver policy, but the first step is to make for-profit developers eligible for the program.

Ortega said expanding the eligibility may come up on the regular agenda for March 22 to make the April deadline for the federal tax-credit programs applications.

Were really looking forward to changing this ordinance and getting it out to the public as soon as possible, Galligan said.

Contact reporter Nicole Ludden at nludden@tucson.com

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Here's a look at today's COVID-19 news around the country.

Obama diagnosed with COVID

Former President Barack Obama said on Sunday that he had tested positive for the coronavirus, though he's feeling relatively healthy and his wife, Michelle, tested negative.

Ive had a scratchy throat for a couple days, but am feeling fine otherwise, Obama said on Twitter. Michelle and I are grateful to be vaccinated and boosted.

Read more here:

A near-death experience changed her

The doctor pleaded with Paige Deiner to close her eyes and sleep. But she refused to listen. She was terrified.

"If I go to sleep, I'm not going to wake up," she told him.

It was an October night in 2021, and Deiner was fighting for her life, and the life of her 24-week-old baby. She was in the intensive care unit of a Delaware hospital after being diagnosed with Covid. She had lost 30 pounds in 12 days after being put on a ventilator. A doctor later told her that at one point he estimated she had a 5% chance of survival.

Read more here:

Why are gas prices soaring?

There's pain at the pump for American drivers as US gas prices soar to record highs.

Although the United States barely uses Russian oil, Russia's invasion of Ukraine is still a big factor in the gas-price spike  among other reasons.

Confused? We'll walk you through it.

Read more here:

A 4th dose of Covid-19 vaccine will be needed, according to Pfizer's CEO

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.

***

Check out more of today's COVID news here:

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Photos: 2 years of images tell the story of the pandemic

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PHOENIX  Attorney General Mark Brnovich is using a lawsuit challenging Arizonas early voting laws to instead attack two Democrats.

In filings with the Arizona Supreme Court late Friday, Brnovich, a Republican, sidestepped the question of whether he believes the state constitution permits people to cast their ballots by mail and ahead of election day. That is the heart of the complaint by the Arizona Republican Party to which he was responding.

Instead, the states top prosecutor who is running for U.S. Senate is telling the Arizona Supreme Court that portions of the signature verification guide put out by Secretary of State Katie Hobbs are inconsistent with Arizona election law. And Brnovich, who has repeatedly sparred with Hobbs over election issues, also said her policies on the use of ballot drop boxes is illegal.

But Brnovich is not limiting his criticism of Democrats in his new court filing to just Hobbs who is running for governor.

He also is using the filing to takes some swipes at Adrian Fontes, the former Maricopa County recorder who is running for secretary of state, suggesting that the signature verification process for early ballots became less diligent after he took office. And that critique in the legal papers comes even though Fontes is not a party to the litigation.

Brnovich, in his filing, told the justices the guidance Hobbs has provided to county election officials on signature verification is flawed.

For example, he said that guidance says there are two types of signature characteristics.

The first are broad characteristics, like type, speed, spacing, size and slant. The other are local characteristics like internal spacing, letter size, curves and pen lifts.

Brnovich said Hobbs is telling election officials they can approve a signature based solely if a signature complies with just one of the set of characteristics. And it says the only time they can flag a signature for a second check is when there is a combination of characteristic differences.

Even then, he said the guide says a signature can be accepted if the person doing the review can reasonably explain the differences.

That is much too amorphous to ensure the maximum degree of correctness, impartiality, uniformity and efficiency in election administration, Brnovich said.

He also said the guide instructs election officials to accept electronic signatures that appear to be cut and paste, so long as that signature matches what he said is the already flawed review process.

Allowing voters (or others) to skirt the signature verification process by utilizing electronically scanned and cut-and-paste signatures could result in election fraud or unreliable results, Brnovich told the court. At the very least, there is no authority under Arizona law for accepting such signatures.

Brnovich told the justices the whole signature verification process is vulnerable to non- and malfeasance. He said thats particularly true given the fact that close to 90% of the 3.4 million ballots in the last election were cast early and all needed to be properly verified in that five-week early voting period.

And he questioned how  and if  that took place in Maricopa County in the last two elections when the recorders office was being run by Fontes.

He said that in 2016, when Republican Helen Purcell was county recorder, her office got nearly 1.25 million mail in ballots. The county rejected 2,209 due to missing signatures and 1,451 over mismatched signatures.

Two years later, with Fontes in charge, Brnovich said the number of mail-in ballots was close to the same. But just 1,856 were rejected due to missing signatures and 307 due to mismatched signatures.

And by 2020, with more than 1.9 million mail-in ballots, the county rejected only 1,455 ballots due to missing signatures and 587 due to mismatches.

Brnovich acknowledges the legislature ahead of the 2020 election did create a 5-day post-election period where people whose signatures did not match could cure them by explaining the disparity to election officials. But he said that doesnt account for what he said is a dramatic decrease in ballots with missing signatures between 2016 and 2020, and the drop in mismatched signatures from 2016 to 2018.

One possible explanation for these trends, and the AG acknowledges there could be others, is that Maricopa County became less diligent with signature review beginning in 2018, Brnovich says. And he told the justices that his office already has asked the county to provide information about its signature verification policies and procedures.

But thats not all. He also pointed to the results of a special review of 100 random signatures ordered by Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Randall Warner in one of many unsuccessful lawsuits filed by Republicans to void the election results that showed Joe Biden won the state.

In that case, an expert for challengers found six signatures inconclusive while the one for the county said 11 fell into that category. Brnovich said the fact that even the countys own expert found 11 percent were inconclusive suggest that improvement is needed in the verification process.

But what neither expert found any signs of forgery of simulation in any of the ballots.

More to the point  and unmentioned by Brnovich  is the judge said every one of the reviewed ballots listed a phone number that matched a phone number already on file.

The evidence does not show that these affidavits are fraudulent, or that someone other than the voter signed them, Warner ruled. And the judge said there also was no evidence ... that there was any misconduct, impropriety, or violation of Arizona law with respect to the review of the ballots.

Separately, Brnovich also took a swat at Hobbs over her procedures on the use of ballot drop boxes, something that also has become a political issue for Republican at the Capitol.

Hobbs contends she is entitled to adopt procedures for drop boxes. And those procedure allow for unstaffed drop boxes, including those outside, as long as they are physically secured to prevent moving or tampering.

But Brnovich said even if they are permitted  a point he is not conceding  Arizona law requires they be properly staffed.

Election officials must do more than simply set up a ballot drop box and leave it for the duration of the early voting period, Brnovich told the court.

Instead, ballot drop boxes must be monitored by an election officials staff, he continued. Such staffing must be sufficient to secure the purity of election and in such a manner that secrecy in voting shall be preserved.

All this comes as the Senate has approved a measure to require video cameras on all drop boxes to take pictures of those who drop off early ballots. The boxes also would be programmed to not accept more than seven ballots from any one person, a provision Sen. Kelly Townsend, R-Apache Junction, said is designed to help deter people from stuffing the boxes with multiple ballots.

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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Three strikes and youre out

I not only voted for Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I campaigned for her  big mistake!

Strike one: Sinema, in her campaign for Senate in 2018 made prescription drug costs a key part of her platform saying no family should be bankrupted by medical bills.

The Democrats crafted a proposal to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices directly with the drug companies. Sinemas no vote killed the plan.

Strike two: Also, in one of her 2018 campaign ads Sinema railed against her opponent Martha McSallys support for Trumps huge tax breaks for the wealthy and large corporations at the expense of our middle class.

In 2021, after she was elected, she told President Joe Biden she will not raise a single penny in taxes on the corporation side and/or wealthy people, period!

Strike three: Sinema supported and even voted for voting rights bills.

However, to make those voting rights bills law, the Senate had to vote against keeping the filibuster. Sinema voted to keep it, thus killing the bills.

Alan Garland

Northeast side

The humanity of democracy

Like most civilized human beings, I am appalled by the horror that Vladimir Putin is inflicting on Ukraine. But rather than see this as random acts of a uniquely deranged leader, I think we can better define this as the inevitable result of allowing one human being unlimited power. Our own nation barely escaped a similar monster on Jan. 6 of last year. We need to find ways to stop narcissists like Putin, Hitler and Donald Trump before they attain such power. Let us never forget which of our political parties is admiring Putin and praising ruthless violence over the humanity of democracy.

Craig Wunderlich

West side

Easing gas and grocery costs

A few things to consider to help ease raising gas and grocery costs:

1. Employers should encourage working from home. Less driving, less child care costs.

2. A tomato plant or herbs in a container on the back porch would be beneficial for a dinner.

3. Donate to the community food bank. Many will need help with food costs.

4. Visit the Tucson Festival of Books. A good time to stock up on good reading.

5. Invest in solar, EV, etc. to secure a better, reliant future.

A reader was worried about socialism (a collective good to help everyone  Social Security, Medicare). He needs to be more concerned about communism  who is trying to take everything away.

Defy communism  work from home to avoid high gas prices, eat homegrown vegetables, help others in need and promote reading a good book.

Ray Bynum

Northwest side

Economists have earned distrust

The law of supply and demand is not a divine immutability. It is a euphemism made up over centuries, not given this name until 1767, by economists as a cover for greed, trying to make it seem as a naturally occurring economic event. Though greed is rampant, it remains one of lifes seven deadly sins. Despite its sinfulness, economists dress it up with entire chapters in textbooks with rationales, formulas and graphs to send into the world people whose purpose is to make greed seem divinely blessed, a naturally occurring necessity and socially acceptable  another reason to distrust economists. Hogwash! Its just another cheap example of people with taking advantage of people without. If we had a president, governors, legislators with honest interest in constituents, they would call out price increases in times of shortages for what they are, unadulterated greed. Nothing has gone up except the willingness to cheat.

Charles Larson

Green Valley

Treatment for the deserving

Re: the March 8 letter Who deserves treatment?

This letter made me sit up and take notice. The writer suggested that along with the unvaccinated and maskless that medical treatment in hospitals also be denied to the obese, smokers and others who engage in dangerous behavior. Hmmm, I think he might be on to something. Perhaps we could also find funding to pay people to monitor what is eaten in restaurants? French fries on your plate? Gooey dessert? Huge steak? Too much fat? Too much sugar? No treatment for you! Can you show on your app how much you exercised today? I think you get the point. I could not help embellish a bit to show just how fascist the whole idea of singling people out for nontreatment is. And certainly not very American. Shame on those who allow their anxiety to get so out of control that they become so judgmental and cruel.

Anne Groth

Oro Valley

Fee-free buses and world at war

Whether in physical or economic distress, people and nations are suffering from global conflict. These conflicts arise from petty squabbles, hubris or existential apocalypse.

Tucson buses are currently rideable without fees, and while this may not solve global conflict or climate change and I am disheartened by the diminishing routes available, this gets me to work, eliminates my need to complain about gas prices, traffic jams or the sad state of midtown roads, and forces me to walk a tiny bit more than I normally would.

If you can, give it a try, nod to your fellow passengers, save a few bucks, and consider that there are so many little things available that can improve our lives if we give them a chance.

David Flax

Midtown

Not technically zero emissions

Re: the March 6 article Tesla is opening a Tucson dealership.

The Stars Business page recently reported that due to a strong demand for zero emission vehicles, Tesla will be opening a dealership in Tucson. I believe electric vehicles can help clean our air and contribute to a sustainable future, but must point out that they are zero emission only when fully charged with renewably generated (e.g. wind or solar) electricity.

TEP has made a substantial investment in renewables, but most of the electricity it delivers is still generated by burning fossil fuel.

Zero tailpipe emissions is a more accurate description of currently available electric vehicles.

William Thornton

Midtown

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The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

What is the value of a life? In my husbands case it was the amount of money the governor threatened school districts he would take away if any schools closed due to COVID-19.

If you keep up with the local news, you may remember that in mid-January there were a few schools, in particular, Pueblo High School, with large numbers of staffers out sick with COVID-19. Because there were not enough substitutes available, many students were put in auditoriums, libraries and cafeterias when there were no teachers available. Administrators, counselors, basically anyone available was either subbing in a classroom or babysitting in the auditorium.

There was a discussion as to whether schools in these situations should go online for a week or two until regular classes could resume. The superintendent of TUSD was interviewed and the school board debated what to do. Ultimately, the superintendent was not willing to close COVID-infested schools, perhaps because he was afraid the governor would pull funding. That is the cost of a life.

My husband, David Montano, was an assistant principal at Pueblo. On Jan. 17 he tested positive for COVID-19. David had an underlying condition which compromised his immunity, but he was fully vaccinated and boosted, so we hoped he would be protected and if he got sick, we thought he would only have minor symptoms.

As the COVID liaison, he was well aware of the level of infection at the school. When teachers complained that the school was not closed down, David led by example and said, If I can go to work, so can you. The students depend on us. No one forced David to go to work, he went out of a sense of duty.

Friends and colleagues at Pueblo tried their hardest to shield him, but COVID was everywhere and could not be avoided. When your job requires you to be in person, it is difficult to come up with viable alternatives. He died on Feb. 8.

So, if you had asked me the value of my husbands life, I, along with our three children, would say priceless. In fact, we were wrong. The value of Davids life was the dollar amount the district stood to lose if the governor followed through on his threats.

I wholeheartedly believe children need to be in school, however, one or two weeks online for schools with high infection rates could have saved a life. Maybe David would have lived long enough to attend college graduations and walk his daughters down the aisle.

We will never know what could have been, but we for sure know TUSDs price for a life of an employee with 25 years of service.

Kerry Montano is a recent widow. She lives in Tucson.

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Hyderabad: Minister K.T.Rama Rao on Saturday warned that the government would stop power and water supply to the defence areas in the Secunderabad Cantonment limits, if the Local Military Authority (LMA) blocks roads and creates hurdles for development works planned by the state government.

Speaking during Question Hour in the Assembly, Rama Rao said the LMA has been subjecting residents to severe hardships by blocking roads frequently. Besides, check dams were constructed by LMA obstructing flow of water in the nalas, he said.

Residents of the areas to the northeast of the city have complained that the LMA closes roads passing through the Secunderabad Cantonment, cutting them off from the city and necessitating long and tedious road trips.

Rama Rao said that instructions had been issued to Arvind Kumar, Special Chief Secretary of municipal administration and urban development department, take up all these issues with the LMA and to initiate stringent measures if it continues to inconvenience residents.

He said that the defence authorities had constructed a check dam in Langar Houz, where the Balkapur nala flows into the Hussainsagar, and this structure was posing a threat to Shahtham tank.

As a means to ensure free flow of water from Shahtham tank near Golconda Fort downstream, a few works were planned but the Archeological Survey of India denied permission, Rama Rao explained.

"On one hand, the Centre denies funds for the development of Hyderabad. On the other hand, it blocks the state government from undertaking development works by imposing restrictions in Cantonment areas. Telangana is being discriminated against and treated as if it was not part of India, Rama Rao said.

We made several requests to defence authorities not to block roads and cooperate with the state government for undertaking development works. There is no response from them. We will be compelled to initiate stringent measures against them such as cutting power and water supply to their areas to safeguard the interests of residents," Rama Rao said.

The minister said that even after 18 months not a single paisa was released to Hyderabad as compensation after the city was ravaged by floods in October 2020. A team of Central officials and elected representatives had visited the city and inspected affected areas but funds were not released.

Replying to queries, he said the Centre had not contributed to the Strategic Nala Development Programme (SNDP) and the state government was taking up the project on its own at a cost of nearly Rs 1,000 crore.

"When we sought funds for SNDP, the Centre said it will include these works under Amrut Phase-2. Amrut funds will be allocated to cities that have just one lakh population but Hyderabad has a population of over one crore. If the Centre release Rs 200 crore to Rs 300 crore to Hyderabad under Amrut, what purpose it will serve, he asked.
The following is the opinion and analysis of the writer:

In what seemed a golden age, the eras leading intellectuals celebrated the triumph of economic globalization and the stability of a new world order.

As one keen observer wrote, a prosperous resident of, say, London, could order by telephone, sipping his morning tea in bed, the various products of the whole earth. He could instruct his banker to invest in African mines, global transportation networks, or the exotic produce of Southeast Asian plantations. With few impediments, millions of laborers transited Europe, the Atlantic and Pacific. Capital, goods, people and ideas flowed globally. Conflict among interdependent nations seemed unthinkable.

Yet quite suddenly, that world broke apart. Looking backward from the vantage of 1919, economist John Maynard Keynes marveled how the things that appeared to him so stable in 1914 were quickly shattered by the turmoil of racial and cultural rivalries, of monopolies, restrictions and mass slaughter known as the Great War.

That conflict brought down the ruling dynasties of Russia, Germany, Austria-Hungary and Turkey while killing about 10 million soldiers and 7 million civilians. In 1938, 20 years after the end of that war to end all wars, British and French leaders claimed to have finally secured peace in our time. A year later the Second World War began, slaughtering over 50 million people.

The optimism of the early-1990s echoed that of the pre-World War I era. The Berlin Wall had fallen, the United States led an international coalition that repulsed Iraqs seizure of Kuwait, the Soviet satellites in Eastern Europe toppled their puppet governments, followed by the peaceful dissolution of the evil empire itself. Democratic regimes sprouted like mushrooms behind the former Iron Curtain. China, too, pursued new paths, rapidly emerging as one of the worlds largest economies.

Could democracy be far behind? Like Norman Angels 1910 bestseller, The Great Illusion, which declared war between interdependent nations impossible, this new era produced what many considered its own triumphalist text, The End of History and the Last Man (1992). In it, political scientist Francis Fukuyama celebrated the victory of liberal democracy and capitalism in a rapidly globalizing world.

In spite of this optimism, 30 years later history seems to have resumed its march to the beat of a different drummer. After rallying world support following the attacks of 9/11, U.S. policy soon sputtered into a morally ambiguous global war on terror. Then came the military quagmires of Afghanistan and Iraq. Resurgent autocracy in Russia and increasingly illiberal governments in Eastern Europe, political polarization in the United States, growing immigration barriers, trade restrictions, Brexit, and a worldwide pandemic revealed the fragility of both global supply chains and democratic norms.

The Russian invasion of Ukraine and renewed Chinese pressure to reclaim Taiwan and assert regional hegemony make the current situation more closely resemble the tipping point of 1914 than a new golden age.

In the summer of 1914, few informed people imagined the rapid descent into global war. In 1898, Germanys powerful prime minister, Otto Von Bismarck, had predicted that one day a great European war might come out of some foolish thing in the Balkans. But, he cautioned, the entirety of that region wasnt worth the bones of a single Pomeranian grenadier. Many Americans reacted to the assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne by Serbian nationalists in July 1914 with similar skepticism. To the world or to a nation, declared an editorial in the Grand Forks Herald of North Dakota, an archduke more or less makes little difference.

Yet by August all the major European powers were at war, fighting for global supremacy. Three years later, after tacitly allying with Britain and France, the United States formally joined the struggle. The complex alliances of 1914 dragged nearly all the major powers into a war none specifically desired.

Then, as now, interdependence cut many different ways. Russias invasion of Ukraine had the unexpected result of reenergizing the NATO alliance and a coalition of democratic nations. In the opposite direction, it also reinforced Russian-Chinese cooperation.

We still live with many of the First World Wars unfinished and unintended consequences. In some ways, the current turmoil in Ukraine, the Balkans, the Middle East and Africa was unleashed in 1914 and has never ceased.

Michael Schaller is regents professor emeritus of history at the University of Arizona. He has written several books on U.S. history, focusing on international relations.

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An emergency can happen at any time. When it does, are you prepared?

From knowing what to do when a tornado strikes, power goes out, a water pipe breaks or fire breaks out to establishing a fire exit plan, checking smoke detector batteries and updating insurance policies, preparedness is key to working through the situation.

These and many more topics will be addressed during the 9th Annual Wagoner County Emergency Preparedness and Safety Expo planned Saturday, March 26 at Coweta High School. The event is co-hosted by the Coweta Chamber of Commerce and Wagoner County Emergency Management and presented by ONEOK.

From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., more than four dozen vendors will showcase their products and services to the community in the high school gymnasium and in the outdoor parking lot. Event sponsors include Mercy Regional EMS, Native Oklahoma Insurance, Disaster Restoration Services, Green Country Federal Credit Union, Bob Gilbert Towing, BancFirst Coweta, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Oklahoma, AiroSmith and FNB Coweta.

Meanwhile, the Oklahoma Blood Institute will conduct a Wagoner County Schools Blood Drive Challenge in the high school wrestling facility from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Donate in the name of your favorite school in Coweta, Wagoner, Porter and Okay and help the district earn points for cash awards sponsored by the Expo and BancFirst Coweta. School affiliation is not required to donate.

OBI officials say there is a critical need for blood in facilities all across Oklahoma. Donors who give will receive a special t-shirt and the choice of a ticket to the National Cowboy Museum or Oklahoma City Zoo.

At 9:45 a.m., opening ceremonies will be held in the parking lot for the 2022 Firefighter Challenge, a competition for firefighters to demonstrate their skills, agility and stamina against the clock. The competition is presented by Oklahoma Pipeline Awareness Liaison (OPAL) and begins at 10 a.m. Events will run throughout the day.

A free Kids Challenge will give youngsters the opportunity to do what the big firefighters do on a miniature scale.

The Emergency Preparedness and Safety Expo is an event the entire family can enjoy. A large crowd is expected as the expo returns following a two-year absence during the height of the pandemic.

Our vendors are excited to get back to having face-to-face interaction with the community, said Expo Chairman Sarah Wells. We want to educate the general public on what to do in the event of an emergency, how to prevent accidents from happening and who to call when those situations do arise.

The number one thing we hope to arm them with is information on how to prevent accidents from happening, Wells continued. Accidents will happen, and there are things that are not preventable. We want to make sure people have access to resources to help get them through those challenging times.

There will be non-service provider vendors as well.

While patrons stroll through the gymnasium and parking lot to visit vendor booths and see displays, youngsters ages 12 and under can participate in a fun scavenger hunt.

The expo will feature interactive displays and opportunities to get up-close looks at emergency service vehicles including fire trucks, police cars, storm chasing vehicles and helicopters. Patrons can also meet emergency service responders who work on their behalf to keep them safe every day.

There will be helicopters on display from three different agencies including News on 6, Grand River Dam Authority Police and LifeFlight.

Kountry Boys Smoked Q and SKT Concessions will offer concessions outdoors and, of course, there will be door prizes.

The Emergency Preparedness and Safety Expo is a terrific opportunity for patrons to see what products and services are offered in our community and surrounding areas, said Coweta Chamber Director Christy Wheeland. Please mark your calendars and make plans to attend!

Participating vendors include AiroSmith, Inc., AR Exteriors, BancFirst Coweta, Better Business Bureau, Best Quality Roofing & Construction, Blue Sky Bank, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Oklahoma, Camp Bandage, Century 21, Cherokee Nation Emergency Management, Cherokee Nation Marshal Service, Coweta Insurance Agency and Coweta Police Department.

Others include Davids Signs & Designs, Wagoner County Disabled American Veterans, Disaster Restoration Services, Sarah Wells Farm Bureau Insurance, Firstar Bank, FNB Coweta, Freedom Insurance Group, Generator Supercenter, Grand River Dam Authority Police, Green Country Federal Credit Union, Scentsy  Diana Harris, LifeShare of Oklahoma and The Locator 911.

Also participating are Mercy Regional EMS, Native Oklahoma Insurance, News on 6 Storm Trackers and Helicopter, Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management and Homeland Security; Oklahoma Firefighters Burn Camp, RCB Bank, ServPro of Mayes and Wagoner County and Sun Solar Solutions.

Additional vendors include Tulsa Fire Educational Clowns, Wagoner County Emergency Management, Wagoner County Health Department, Wagoner County Republican Party and Wagoner County Sheriffs Office.f

For more information or to register as a vendor, call the Coweta Chamber of Commerce at 9 18-486-2513.
Some of the most beloved works of the symphonic repertoire, as well as some more obscure orchestral works, highlight the 2022-23 season of the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra.

This season will also feature the first fruits of a new partnership between the orchestra and the University of Tulsa with a new series, the Dr. David B. Waters Chamber Orchestra Series, which will take place in the Lorton Performance Center on the TU campus.

In addition, the orchestra will offer two films in concert, with the orchestra performing the scores to the holiday comedy Elf and the classic tale of heroism, romance and not too much kissing, The Princess Bride.

We are thrilled to share with Tulsa our brand new, exciting season filled with cherished works, renowned soloists and conductors, and an unforgettable live music experience, said Keith Elder, the orchestras executive director. The Tulsa Symphony is incredibly proud to be this citys symphony orchestra and to have the opportunity to serve our community through the power of live music.

Seven concerts will make up the orchestras Patti Johnson Wilson Classics series, beginning with Magnificent: Shostakovichs Symphony No. 5, Sept. 24. Pianist Natasha Paremski will be featured performing the Piano No. 2 by Rachmaninoff, and guest conductor Marcelo Lehninger will lead the orchestra in a program that includes the titular symphony as well as the Prelude to Act III of Richard Wagners opera, Lohengrin.

The Symphonic Dances from West Side Story will be a highlight of the concert titled Unforgettable, Oct. 8. Banjo virtuoso Bela Fleck will be the guest artist, performing his own Juno Concerto, with guest conductor Gerhardt Zimmermann on the podium to conduct the Overture No. 2 by Louise Farrenc and Dmitri Kabalevskys Overture to his opera Colas Breugnon, Op. 24.

Robert Chen, the concertmaster for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, will join the Tulsa Symphony Orchestra for its Sensational concert, Nov. 19, to perform the Butterfly Lovers Concerto, by Chen Gang and He Zhanhao. One of the best-known orchestral works by Chinese composers, the piece incorporates melodies and chordal structures associated with Chinese opera.

Guest conductor Stefan Asbury will lead the orchestra in the Dance of the Comedians from Smetanas opera The Bartered Bride, as well as the Symphony No. 7 by Dvorak.

The Symphony No. 5 by Prokofiev will be the headline work for Invigorating, Jan. 14, 2023, which will be an all-orchestral concert led by guest conductor Gerard Schwarz. The program will also feature two works by Ottorino Respighi  Gli Ucceli (The Birds) and Church Windows.

The Feb. 4, 2023 concert, titled Captivating, will have a program ranging from the Suite from Peer Gynt by Grieg, to Carlos Chavezs Symphony No. 2, the Sinfonia India, to Brahms Symphony No. 1. Guest conductor Yaniv Dinur will lead the orchestra.

Oklahomas own opera star Sarah Coburn will be featured with baritone Stephen Powell in Alluring: An Evening of Opera, March 4, 2023. Conductor Daniel Hege will preside over a selection of operatic excerpts from such works as Mozarts Don Giovanni, Rossinis The Barber of Seville, Donizettis Lucia di Lammermoor and Verdis Rigoletto.

The final concert in the Classics series will be Luminous, May 20, 2023, which will feature the return of guest conductor Sarah Hicks and TSO principal trumpet Timothy McFadden as the soloist for the Trumpet Concerto by Johann Baptist Georg Neruda. The program will also feature Tombeau de Couperin by Ravel, and Beethovens Symphony No. 3, Eroica.

All Classics concerts will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will take place at the Tulsa PAC, 101 E. Third St.

The concerts in the new Waters Chamber Orchestra Series will be at 3 p.m. in the Lorton Performance Center, 550 S. Gary Ave.

The series will open Oct. 2, with guest conductor Matthew Halls leading the ensemble in the Chevalier Symphonies, No. 1 and 2, by Joseph Bologne, as well as two works by Haydn  the Symphony No. 83 in G Minor, and the Cello Concerto No. 1, with Brinton Smith as soloist.

Brett Mitchell will be the conductor for the other concert, March 12, 2023, which will include Bachs Orchestral Suite No. 3, the Concerto Grosso by Vaughn Williams, the Adagietto from Mahlers Symphony No. 5, and the Symphony No. 1, the Classical, by Prokofiev.

The Josephine G. Winter Chamber Music Series, formerly known as Fridays in the Loft, will be presented at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church, 709 S. Boston Ave.

The series will consist of four concerts. The Sept. 9 program will feature two pieces by Astor Piazzolla, along with Schuberts Trout Quintet, and a special arrangement of the rock classic Bohemian Rhapsody. Works by Oskar Bohme and Antonin Dvorak will be part of the Nov. 11 concert, while quintets by Beethoven and Mozart will make up of the Jan. 27, 2023, program.

The series concludes March 17, 2023 with Valerie Colemans Afro-American Concerto for wind ensemble, and one of Beethovens famous Last Quartets, the Op. 132.

Guest conductor Ron Spigelman will return to lead the orchestra in the two film events: Elf, on Dec. 2; and The Princess Bride April 15.

Subscriptions for the 2022-23 season are now available by calling the Tulsa Symphony ticket office, 918-584-3645, or by visiting tulsasymphony.org.

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Pity the unsuspecting reader who picks up Martha Kemm Landes book expecting to read a withering critique of the state of American cinema.

It means that said reader did not notice that the subtitle of Pity the Movie Lover, the Tulsa natives first novel, is A Pity Mystery Romp.

The first cover that we came up with was really kind of dark, Landes said. And some of my friends who read it said they had no idea that this would be a funny book because of the cover.

So we redesigned the cover to be brighter, and I decided to add the subtitle to let people know they werent getting into something heavy, she said. It was one of my daughters who came up with the idea of using the word romp, and that seemed a perfect description of the sort of story I was telling.

Landes novel centers on an elementary school music teacher in Broken Arrow. Her given name is Kitty Kole, but because one of her siblings had difficulty pronouncing the letter K and would substitute the letter P instead, she became known to family and friends as Pity.

Pitys first romp begins when she learns that extras are needed for a movie being filmed in Tulsa. The fact that the film, set during Tulsas Oil Capital of the World heyday, happens to star Pitys favorite actor is an even greater incentive to join the cast.

She is selected to serve as a stand-in, although her eagerness and her lack of experience do not endear her to some of her fellow extras, including one particular fellow whom Pity derisively dubs Smug Guy.

Unfortunately, an on-set accident puts a bloody spectacular end to Smug Guys acting career, when he ends up under the big yellow boot of a replica of Tulsas own Golden Driller being used in the film.

It does not take Pity long to realize that something more sinister is going on, and her efforts to get to the truth of the matter soon put her  and the actor upon whom she has an extreme fan-girl crush  in danger.

If that wasnt enough drama, all this detective derring-do has to be fitted in with Pitys job, and the new principal who is making everyones life miserable, the unwanted attentions of a would-be suitor, and preparations for her annual Oscar party.

I drew a lot from my life when I was living and working in Tulsa, Landes said. People who know me well will know that theres a lot of me in the character of Pity. The whole Oscar party thing, which involves making this video of parodies of all the nominated films, is something my husband and I have done for years. In fact, were in the middle of making this years video, and theres all sorts of costumes and wigs and green screens all over the place.

Landes taught music in elementary schools in Tulsa and Broken Arrow. During that time, she wrote a number of musicals based on classic childrens stories for her students to perform; some were also staged by Clark Youth Theatre and the childrens theater program of the Spotlight Theater.

Landes also wrote more than 150 songs, including Oklahoma, My Native Land, which in 1996 was officially recognized as Oklahomas State Song for Children.

When Landes married in 2006, she and her husband moved to South Dakota, where he had a job at a university. The couple later moved to New Mexico, where they currently reside.

I thought about getting back into teaching when we moved here, but when I thought about all the hoops you have to jump through, I decided to do other things, she said. A self-described multi-tasker, Landes started a photography business, took up quilting and decided to try her hand at writing.

She gravitated naturally to the mystery genre because I get bored with books where I know whats going to happen, Landes said. I always want there to be a sense of excitement to the story, and mysteries have that built in.

As the sort of mystery Landes herself preferred are those without an abundance of gore and violence, she thought her stories would fit in with the so-called cozy mystery genre.

However, she found some of the tropes that some consider hallmarks of the genre to be too limiting.

My story had to be set in Tulsa, rather than some tiny little town, Landes said. I wrote four novels trying to fit into that formula, and finally came to the decision that I wanted to write the sort of stories I wanted to write, and do them the way I thought needed to be told.

She had already established a publishing business for her musical work, and self-published Pity the Movie Lover under the Elemar Publishing banner.

The second book in the series, Pity the Garage Sale Addict, is soon to be published, followed by some non-series mysteries.

But Landes has no intentions of leaving Pity behind.

Oh, I have all sorts of ideas for her, Landes said, laughing.

Landes will talk about Pity the Movie Lover and sign copies at an event, 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 15, at Magic City Books, 221 E. Archer St.

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A new superintendent and a recent exodus of teachers are among the key reasons both Joe Deere and Derrick Smith are seeking the Ward 4 seat on Catoosa Public Schools Board of Education.

One of three seats to go before Catoosa voters during the 2022 election cycle, Ward 4 covers the far western end of Catoosas attendance area north of U.S. 412. The winner will serve the final two years of an unexpired term.

Early walk-in voting is scheduled for March 31 and April 1 from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the election boards for Rogers and Wagoner counties. Election Day is April 5.

Deere was appointed to the seat in June by the districts school board after former board member Dean Miller tendered a one-sentence letter of resignation. Smith applied for the seat, but he did not meet the residency requirements at that time.

Between June 2019 and June 2021, more than 90 employees resigned from Catoosa Public Schools, prompting concern from both men.

It really became apparent to me that as a parent, sitting on the sidelines, you have limited work that you can do, Smith said. You can do a little bit, but it is not a lot.

Now an associate editor for Vype magazine, Smith previously worked for Catoosa Public Schools Technology Department. He has three children attending elementary school in the district.

Noting that the morale has improved among his childrens teachers this year under former interim Superintendent Rick Kibbe and Kibbes permanent successor, Robert Schornick, Smith said the districts teachers are Catoosas greatest asset and that, if elected, he would maintain an open-door policy to support them.

As a former employee, I have been in the classrooms and have listened to teachers who have had to fulfill the counselor role for kids who need someone to talk to whose parents arent home at night and are struggling, he said. I really feel that our teachers, not just in our district but statewide, have been underappreciated.

Although he had a child graduate from Catoosa High School in 2020, Deere does not have any children or grandchildren currently attending Catoosa Public Schools. However, he said several friends have children attending school in the district, along with scores of constituents through his role as a member of the Cherokee Nation Tribal Council.

Although he has to abstain on votes involving donations from the Tahlequah-based tribe, he said having seats on both elected bodies has helped find ways to address needs within the district by working with the tribe, particularly in areas where state aid has fallen short.

About 15% of Catoosas students identify as American Indian or Alaska Native, according to data from the Oklahoma State Department of Education, but that figure does not include students who identify as multiracial.

When I got into the office at midterm, I wanted to listen to what the community needed, Deere said. You just dont go in and be a bull in the china closet. You have to go in, see whats going on, work with the other board members to best support our teachers and students.

Unprompted, both Deere and Smith said they would support whoever is elected to represent Ward 4.

Its not me versus him; its what the community thinks they need, Deere said. We have our different perspectives on what were looking at, but well take the vote and go from there. As long as theres someone there supporting public education, I am all for whoever gets in that seat.

Its not like I have to win or the district is screwed, Smith said. The district will be fine either way. He (Deere) does a lot of great stuff. I just want to see Catoosa be the best it can be, and if Im able to be a part of that, great. If I dont win the election, I will still be there supporting the district and teachers in whatever way I possibly can.

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CD 2: The line to succeed 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullin is forming on the right.

Literally.

With Mullin campaigning for U.S. Senate, it appears that only Republicans need apply in what is arguably the states most Trump-friendly congressional district.

Two more announced last week  state Rep. Dustin Roberts, R-Durant, and Muskogee pharmacist Chris Schiller  joining state Sen. Marty Quinn, R-Claremore, and state GOP Chairman John Bennett.

At least two more Republicans are said to be considering the race, but no non-Republicans have stepped forward.

Red Rooter: Mullin and Gov. Kevin Stitt launched their television advertising campaigns last week  although Mullin has actually been on television for some time, plugging his plumbing company.

Periodically, people ask why these ads  and Mullin Plumbings signature red panel trucks  arent considered political advertising, especially since technically he no longer owns the company.

Those questions began 10 years ago when Mullin first ran for Congress. Several people complained to the Federal Election Commission about what they said appeared to be an intentional conflation of campaign and business advertising. Mullin himself asked the FEC for an advisory opinion.

The FEC considered three draft opinions, two of which said the Mullin Plumbing ads were electioneering and had to be reported as such and one that said they were not as long as they did not plug Mullin as a candidate or attack his opponents. The commission ultimately could not agree on any of the three and so issued no opinion.

In any event, the federal electioneering laws apply only within 30 days of a primary and 60 days of a general election. Oklahomas 2022 primaries are June 28.

Legislative notes: House Republicans voted to retain Rep. Charles McCall, R-Atoka, as speaker for the 59th Legislature, which begins Feb. 6, 2023.

The House passed HB 3316, by Rep. Nicole Miller, R-Edmond, which sets up a framework of automatic expungement of criminal records under certain circumstances.

The House and Senate have each approved measures setting up a framework for the operation of driverless autonomous vehicles on the states roadways.

With approximately 300,000 completely autonomous commercial deliveries that have already been made without incident, we know this is safe, said Sen. Paul Rosino, R-Oklahoma City. This legislation will make sure we know who is operating AVs and make sure they have proper insurance and safety protocols.

COVID-19 played havoc with schools, but it also created an appreciation for the access provided by virtual public meetings.

The Senate last week passed legislation requiring that most meetings subject to the Oklahoma Open Meeting Act be live-streamed and archived online if the body has the means to do so. The House seems likely to act on the measure, since it has McCalls support.

A new voice piped in last week on the dispute over school vouchers.

American Farmers and Ranchers, formerly the Oklahoma Farmers Union, weighed in against Senate President Pro Tem Greg Treats Oklahoma Empowerment Act, which would essentially give every family of school children in the state a check to spend however they want on education services.

School vouchers put Oklahomas public schools directly in the bulls eye, said AFR Cooperative President Scott Blubaugh. This bill encourages families to remove their students  and state funding  from public schools and instead deliver those dollars to a private entity that is not held to transparency or state education standards.

Public schools are crucial to the health and vitality of any community, said Blubaugh. When a rural public school dies, the small town dies with it. Many of our rural communities are struggling just to survive. God forbid this bill further deprive our rural communities of a pillar of their very existence.

One of Rep. Jeff Boatmans priorities, creation of a Human Trafficking Response Unit within the state Attorney Generals Office, won House approval.

HB 3504, by Rep. Melissa Provenzano, D-Tulsa, which would require insurers to cover mammograms ordered by a physician, passed the House on International Womens Day.

Meetings and events: U.S. Senate candidate Madison Horn will speak to the Creek County Democratic Party at 6 p.m. Thursday at Josephs, 54580 W. Oklahoma 16, Drumright.

An April Fools Day in absentia (presumably) roast of Gov. Kevin Stitt is planned by the Tulsa County Democratic Party at 7 p.m. April 1 at the Tulsa Spotlight Theater, 1381 Riverside Drive. Reservations for the sketch comedy fundraiser are required. See secure.actblue.com/donate/roaststitt.

Campaigns and events: Retired astronaut Thomas Stafford hosted an event for U.S. Sen. James Lankford in Staffords hometown of Weatherford on Saturday. Inhofe sponsored the event but did not attend because of COVID-19. Third District Congressman Frank Lucas also hosted.

Bottom lines: Oklahomans personal income grew 1.6% from the third quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2021, according to a Pew analysis.  Lucas and Southwestern Oklahoma State University announced a $1 million U.S. Department of Agriculture grant to provide telemedicine equipment to rural western Oklahoma public schools.

 Randy Krehbiel, Tulsa World

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Legislation advancing in the Oklahoma Legislature would strip authority over school meals from the education department.

While the author of the Senate bill said his interest is strictly about creating stronger links between federally funded child nutrition programs and local sources of nutritious foods, the House author said pandemic-related concerns are also driving his legislation.

The House author told us that some in the Legislature feel too much focus was put on making sure kids were fed during the pandemic and not on educating kids, said Carolyn Thompson, chief of government affairs and deputy chief of staff at the Oklahoma State Department of Education.

House Bill 3432 would designate the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food, and Forestry as the state agency in charge of the National School Lunch Act instead of the state Department of Education (SDE).

That measures author, Rep. Dell Kerbs, R-Shawnee, confirmed he sees the move as an opportunity to take something off of educations plate and hopefully move more schools away from heat and serve meal options.

We think there were some challenges that could have been better handled (during the pandemic), Kerbs told the Tulsa World on Friday. The dissemination of that (school meal) process and the dissemination of educational products may have been out of balance in some districts. We know that is not an SDE issue. Thats a district-level issue.

He added: Theyre doing their job  the last thing we want is any child starving. But when they (schools) have these secondary things that they have to worry about, lets take something off of their plate and let them focus on education.

Senate Bill 1624 says it would grant the Board of Agriculture the authority to administer the National School Lunch Act.

The author of that measure, Sen. Adam Pugh, R-Edmond, serves as chair of the Senate Education Committee, which approved the bill 7-1 on Feb. 22. The measure was approved in the Senate Appropriations Committee 14-4 on March 2.

For me that is not where this bill is coming from, Pugh said, referring to concerns Kerbs said numerous lawmakers have. Ive run a number of bills for food policy. This is about leveraging a lot of really good things that Ag already has at their disposal, not because of anything negative happening.

I see this as better alignment of agency mission and of our services. What the goal is is health outcomes. Ive talked about (how) the way we eat and what we eat drives our health outcomes down.

Both lawmakers said they would ensure the necessary data and accounting bureaucracy are installed at the Agriculture department  with Kerbs estimating 1-2 years necessary  before the administration of the feeding program is moved over.

But state education officials say the legislation would create duplication within the states overall bureaucracy, because their department must still obtain child nutrition data for a host of purposes including calculating state aid funding, school accountability and accreditation, and the federal E-Rate Program that provides schools with discounted telecommunications services.

Jennifer Weber, executive director of child nutrition at the state education department, said: Several school districts have just caught wind of this, and I cant answer when they ask what the issue is. The additional work it would cause us is ridiculous.

Kerbs said the state would have to obtain a waiver from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to move its child nutrition program out of the state Department of Education, but he believes between 12-15 other states have obtained such waivers.

Some of us feel theres more opportunities for farm-to-table or farm-to-school programs and outside-the-box thinking with child nutrition, Kerbs said. We want to go back to the church ladies who cook at the church are also cooking in the school cafeteria. Now, more so than ever, people really want to know where their food is coming from.

Chris Bernard, executive director of Tulsa-based Hunger Free Oklahoma, said his organization remains politically neutral on the legislation. But even after reaching out to the lawmakers involved, he continues to have questions and concerns.

Bottom line: Bernard doesnt see any need for the administration for school meal programs to move.

Kids have to eat to learn, so school meals are just as important as the other things, he said. The state Department of Ed has prioritized these programs the last five years and made big strides in reaching kids in need. People think the quality of meals can get better, but thats a question for individual districts, not the state Department of Ed.

Bernard believes it is true that the Ag Department, with adequate funding, human resources and time, could be properly set up to administer the states school meal programs. But he said there is no question that bureaucracy would be increased.

Moving child nutrition to Ag does not create more dollars for Farm to Table or whatever. Its the same programs, same reimbursement for schools, and schools will have the same paperwork and same data requirements, he said. Schools already have to deal with SDE and DHS (the Oklahoma Department of Human Services), but they would add a third state agency as a party to complicate these data-sharing processes, which can create more opportunity for challenges.

Tulsa Superintendent Deborah Gist is among school leaders who have just taken notice of the advancement of this legislation and are questioning the need for a drastic change in program administration.

This is a solution in search of a problem, Gist said. Making a change to the way in which these federal funds are distributed in our state to serve children and families means creating and adjusting entire bureaucracies to accommodate the change, and quite honestly, no one has time for that.

Tulsa Public Schools offered drive-through pickup on Friday for packets of snacks and meals for children 18 and under to help local families get through next weeks spring break.

Child nutrition workers prepared enough for 250 children  100 more than normally turn out for such events. Each one received 1 gallons of milk, five shelf-stable snacks such as applesauce, cheese crackers and corn tortilla chips, and five frozen dinners with an entree, fruit and vegetable.

TPS ran out with 20 minutes remaining in the two-hour pickup window the district publicized to parents.

Sen. Jo Anna Dossett, D-Tulsa, cast the lone no vote on Senate Bill 1624 at the education committee level.

One of my questions is about duplication of bureaucracy. I am concerned about the child nutrition data the SDE must have to administer a number of other programs, and Im concerned about Ag and SDE being able to communicate, Dossett said. My own personal objection on behalf of Senate District 35 was I was not given proper evidence for such sweeping change.

Looking at the bill right now, we are authorizing the Board of Ag to and incur any expenses as may be necessary for the accomplishment of this. Thats very permissive language. Im not sure whats broken such that we need to fix it.

Staff writer Lenzy Krehbiel-Burton contributed to this story.

Tulsa World Newsroom: Reporter Andrea Eger talks about the latest developments in the investigation of Epic Charter Schools.

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As news broke of President John Kennedys assassination in November 1963, several Tulsa officials gathered around a television on the mezzanine of the historic Pythian Building, a three-story Art Deco landmark at Fifth Street and Boulder Avenue.

The Pythian had become a hotbed of Democratic Party politics in mid-century Tulsa. But it hadnt started out that way.

The building was designed in the late 1920s as a ritzy hotel, with architect Edward Saunders envisioning a 13-story tower with a luxurious golden ballroom at the top. The intricate terracotta exterior included narrow vertical piers running up the sides of the building to emphasize its height.

Or what was supposed to be its height. Construction stopped after the stock market crashed in 1929, and the building never got more than three floors off the ground. Giving up on plans for the hotel, the original developers sold the property to the Knights of Pythias, a nonsectarian fraternal organization. And as Tulsa sank into the Great Depression, the building had to find a new purpose.

The location, just a block north of the original Tulsa County Courthouse at Sixth and Boulder, quickly made it a popular choice for law offices. Even after the courthouse moved to the Civic Center in 1955, the Pythian Building remained an easy two-block walk.

Tenants included Frasier, Frasier & Hickman, where prominent attorney Thomas Dee Frasier served as a longtime chairman of the Tulsa County Democratic Party, according to the archives of the Tulsa World.

The Public Defenders Office moved into the building 25 years ago, carrying on the Pythians long association with the legal profession. But the group will leave the building at the end of this month to work out of the courthouse itself.

The departure will leave roughly half of the Pythian Building vacant, according to property tax records. And thats not to mention the closings of three ground-floor restaurants since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020.

Like it did in 1929, the Pythian Building is facing a whole new set of circumstances. And like the rest of downtown Tulsa, it will have to adapt to a post-COVID world.

Remote work is creating less demand for office space. And with more people working from home, downtown is seeing smaller lunch crowds, driving multiple restaurants out of business.

Will the Pythian Building attract new office tenants? Or, like many other historic landmarks, will it convert into lofts? Or will it find a third option?

Owner Stuart Price, chairman of Price Family Properties, doesnt know yet. But where others might see a problem, he sees opportunity.

Its exciting, Price recently told the Tulsa World. Well see what the next iteration of this beautiful building is.

Tulsa World Newsroom: Tulsa World reporter Michael Overall talks about the rising cost of living in Tulsa

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From a flat-footed start, mounting a viable statewide campaign for governor or U.S. Senate usually takes one to two years and many millions of dollars.

Which is why the past two weeks have been such a scramble for those getting into and thinking about the race to succeed U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe.

Provided the Oklahoma Supreme Court does not throw out the entire special election cycle, Inhofes successor will almost certainly be chosen in the June 28 Republican primary or possibly an August runoff, thus cutting that one-to-two year timeline to a few months. That isnt much time to put together a campaign team, raise money, and get out a name, face and message capable of winning over voters.

In that respect, 2nd District Congressman Markwayne Mullin begins with something of an advantage. His operation has been in place for years  although it has not really been tested much since his first election in 2012. He also ended 2021 with almost $1 million in a congressional campaign fund hes now putting to use in a bid for the Senate.

First District Congressman Kevin Hern would have a similar advantage, should he get into the race. Hern holds a highly coveted seat on the House Ways and Means Committee, and giving that up would be a sacrifice not only for Hern but for the states congressional delegation.

Hern reportedly plans to meet with former President Donald Trump this week before making a decision.

Former Inhofe chief of staff Luke Holland is apparently inheriting some of his old bosss network. Inhofe had about $200,000 left in his 2020 campaign account at the end of December and another $230,000 in his leadership PAC; some of that could wind up in Hollands campaign.

Former Oklahoma Speaker of the House T.W. Shannon, meanwhile, is starting almost from scratch, although he does have a lot of connections, as witnessed by his name-dropping and the guest list at last weeks campaign kickoff.

State Sen. Nathan Dahm, R-Broken Arrow, has actually been campaigning since September but is still at a disadvantage. Even more so is the fifth person in the race to date  Alex Gray, who was National Security Council chief of staff during the Trump administration but who is largely unknown to voters.

At least for now, Googling Alex Gray Oklahoma is as likely to bring up the website of Alexandria Gray, a Black female University of Oklahoma student from Oklahoma City, as it is the campaign of Alex Gray, a white male Oklahoma State and Georgetown University graduate now working as a trade consultant in Oklahoma City.

Getting his name to the top of the list in a field that could get even more crowded in the weeks ahead will be a difficult task for Gray, particularly with this years compressed calendar.

Doing things like that takes a lot of money.

How much money candidates will need to be competitive in this race is unclear, but Shannon spent $1.8 million to reach the 2014 GOP runoff against James Lankford, which Lankford won decisively.

Lankford, who had been in Congress for two terms, spent $4.3 million in winning the seat.

And the cost of politics has only gone up, even in relatively noncompetitive, low-cost states such as Oklahoma. In 2020, Inhofe spent $5.5 million to win reelection.

Some think replacing him may cost nearly twice that amount.

Tulsa World Newsroom: The story behind U.S. Sen. Jim Inhofe with political reporter Randy Krehbiel

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If ever there has been a time to educate more quality physicians to serve Oklahoma, its now.

While the pandemic has presented unprecedented health care challenges, the last two years have only served to exacerbate an existing health care workforce shortage. And this same workforce is getting older.

According to the American Medical Association, our states primary care physician workforce is aging, with 57% of rural doctors at the age of 55 and 27% over the age of 65. In addition, Americas Health Rankings 2021, a recent report by United Health Foundation, ranked Oklahoma 45th in the nation for health outcomes, a situation intensified by a lack of health care access in many rural areas.

For 50 years the Oklahoma State University College Of Osteopathic Medicine has been working hard against these statistics. In 1972, and with dwindling numbers of primary care physicians in rural Oklahoma, the charge by the Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education was to train doctors of osteopathic medicine in the field of general practice.

The demand is expected to intensify as baby boomers age and the need for quality health care continues to increase in both urban and rural settings across Oklahoma.

Im incredibly proud of what this medical school has achieved. What began with an inaugural class of 36 here in Tulsa is now one of the top osteopathic colleges in the nation and boasts more than 3,700 graduates, most of whom went on to practice across the state of Oklahoma.

In the Tulsa area alone, 385 of our alumni are practicing today in family medicine as well as pediatrics, OB/GYN, cardiology, anesthesiology and other subspecialities.

Keeping these physicians in our state is a priority. Our data show that medical students are most likely to establish a practice within 90 miles of where they complete their residency.

With that in mind, the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine at the Cherokee Nation in Tahlequah was created in 2020 with a goal to educate physicians in rural Oklahoma and inspire them to someday practice in a rural environment. This landmark partnership established the nations first tribally affiliated medical school in the heart of the Cherokee Nation reservation.

Doubling down on supporting our local teaching hospital is also an important part of the solution. According to the American Hospital Association, most teaching hospitals are anchor institutions in their communities, contributing significantly to the health, economic and social well-being of area residents. Many teaching hospitals provide social services and interventions that are targeted to address health disparities and other needs that are unique to their community.

Supporting OSU Medical Center is tantamount to supporting the heart of Tulsa.

As a land grant institution, OSU is focused on providing solutions that solve societys most pressing needs. Partnerships help make our mission possible, most recently seen in the collaboration between OSU, the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, the Zarrow Foundation, our congressional delegation, state legislative leaders, the city of Tulsa and Tulsa County to bring forth a game-changing project known as the Veterans Hospital in Tulsa.

This project anchors what will become a downtown academic health care district that includes the teaching hospital, a new mental health hospital, research centers and a parking structure.

The new downtown district will add 100 new residency positions to help underscore our commitment to educating tomorrows physicians  and it will go a long way toward addressing the pressing need of better health outcomes in our state.

No one can predict the future, but the next 50 years undoubtedly will bring increasing health care challenges. With the support of our loyal alumni, donors and community partners, the OSU College of Osteopathic Medicine will still be here, serving on the front line in Oklahoma.

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Johnny Stephens, Pharm. D., serves as the president of the OSU Center for Health Sciences and interim president of OSU-Tulsa.

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Gov. Kevin Stitt is known for making the call for Oklahoma to become a Top Ten state in a variety of areas. That vision is thrilling because who wouldnt want to be in one of the top 10 states to live in the U.S.?

But when it comes to Oklahomas residents with intellectual and developmental disabilities, some Oklahomans might be shocked to know we rank in the Bottom Ten.

The idea of a Top Ten ranking brings up images of a thriving state filled with Oklahomans who are excited about their home and confident in the place they live. Chasing this ideal is a worthy goal, and one we must ensure is inclusive of all Oklahomans.

Unfortunately, research by students at Oral Roberts University suggests that Oklahomans with intellectual and developmental disability are being are excluded from that vision.

Legislators must take action to see this changed.

The waitlist for services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities is above 5,400 people. This type of lengthy waitlist has been a problem for more than 15 years, with the list at times exceeding 7,500 people.

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services, which is responsible for providing services for these individuals, is asking the Legislature for funding to provide services for those currently waiting and to enable contracted service providers to staff qualified workers for open positions.

Should funding be made available, Oklahomans with intellectual and developmental disabilities might finally have a chance to be part of the Top Ten ranking envisioned by Stitt.

SOAR Partners commissioned a research project through ORUs College of Business with the graduate competitive business intelligence class. Working with these students, we sought to understand the Oklahoma waitlist and available services compared to other states.

The students found that Oklahoma ranked very low for its care for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Our waiting list is the 7th largest in the nation per capita. Stated differently, Oklahoma ranked 44th in the nation for providing individuals with services.

Sadly, this surprised no one, only confirming what individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their caregivers already experience. Caregivers shared with SOAR about waiting years, and decades to receive any kind of services.

Clearly, Oklahoma must do better. As Oklahomans, we must take action to see Oklahoma become a Top Ten state for members of the intellectual and developmentally disabled community  members of our community.

To get this done, we need to be having conversations with legislators and advocating for this group to receive full funding this year. The state must adopt innovative technologies that can enhance delivery of services.

Oklahoma needs a marketplace exchange where self-advocates, families and a provider network can easily and efficiently connect individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities to an appropriate provider.

Most importantly, this outlook looks like neighbors across the state, with and without intellectual and developmental disabilities, knowing about the issues and committing themselves to a new Top Ten vision  one that includes every Oklahoman.

To read the ORU research project, to go soar.partners/oru-research-study. For questions about how to get involved in making a difference for the Oklahoma intellectual and developmental disabilities community, email bfredricks@soar.partners.

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Brooklyn Cadwallader is vice president at SOAR Partners, a Tulsa-based social impact technology and consulting company.

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Many app-based drivers in Ho Chi Minh City have expressed their concern after their income was significantly reduced by the most recent spike in gasoline prices.

Nguyen Hung, a GrabBike driver, said he and many of his peers have been immensely worried after gasoline prices reached nearly VND30,000 (US$1.3) a liter following the adjustment session on Friday afternoon.

Although Grab has increased the fare to compensate for the surge in fuel cost, the overall income of drivers is still affected, Hung continued.

In addition, the fare increase does not take into consideration the distance between the drivers location and pick-up point.

It sometimes took me 10 minutes and cost me a lot of gas to reach the pick-up point because the location was really hard to find, Hung elaborated.

He also predicted that people would be less likely to use the service now due to the fare rise.

Drivers of such other apps as Be, Gojek, and Baemin also expressed similar opinions.

In order to shorten the distance between them and the pick-up points, they often park near places with high travel demand, namely apartment buildings, bus stations, and schools.

Nguyen Van Canh, a Be driver, said it cost him only VND50,000 ($2.2) to fill his tank, but now he has to pay VND90,000 ($3.9).

Gasoline prices have surged while the fare and discount rate remain the same, which causes a big drop in our income, Canh complained.

As the fare of many apps has yet to be adjusted, drivers decided to take a break from their job, explaining that fuel cost has eaten into most of their daily earnings.

We just hope that the company hike the fare so that it can make up for the gas money, said Bao, a ShopeeFood driver.

An app-based motorbike taxi driver is pictured on a street in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo: Quang Dinh / Tuoi Tre

Representatives from Be, Gojek, and Baemin told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that they have not planned to increase the fare.

To encourage drivers, the firms will run various reward programs to provide them with extra income.

We are monitoring the market and other factors to come up with appropriate policies that will benefit both drivers and customers, a Gojek representative said.

Changes to fares will certainly affect our customers.

A ShopeeFood representative said the company has just launched a fuel incentive package exclusively for its delivery partners.

The package is available to all ShopeeFood drivers from March 11 to May 31.

A representative from Grab, which has already raised the rates of all services, stated that increase would help drivers partially offset operating costs and encourage them to work more.

However, the company has also offered many discounts to customers from March 11 to 31.

Petrol prices in Vietnam reached a new high on Friday afternoon after the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade adjusted them upward for the seventh consecutive time this year.

The price of E5RON92 gasoline jumped VND2,910/liter to VND28,980/liter, while that of RON95-III fuel climbed VND2,990/liter to VND29,820/liter. ($1 = VND22,873)

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Finland's much-delayed Olkiluoto 3 nuclear reactor started test production on Saturday, operator TVO said, delivering power to the national grid which over time is expected to reduce the need for electricity imports and lead to lower prices.

Plagued by technological problems that became the subject of lawsuits, the 1.6 gigawatt (GW) reactor had originally been due to open in 2009. It is Finland's first new nuclear plant in over four decades and Europe's first in almost 15 years.

Olkiluoto 3 started test production at just over 0.1 gigawatt, a small fraction of its capacity, with a ramp-up to full, regular electricity output planned by the end of July.

"OL3 significantly improves Finland's electricity self-sufficiency and helps in achieving carbon neutrality goals," operator Teollisuuden Voima (TVO) said in a statement.

Once fully operational, it is expected to meet 14% of Finland's electricity demand, reducing the need for imports from Russia, Sweden and Norway.

"Olkiluoto 3 will decrease Finland's import dependency and it will become a cheaper price zone," Aurora Energy Research economist Alexander Esser told Reuters.

Finland's net imports of power averaged 13 terawatt hours (TWh) over the last few years, which should drop to 5-8 TWh by 2025 with Olkiluoto 3 in operation, Esser said.

Nuclear power remains controversial in Europe, with some countries such as Germany phasing out reactors amid safety concerns, while others including France and Britain discussing new developments.

TVO is owned by Finnish utility Fortum and smaller energy and forestry firms.

Finland is the only Nordic country with a large power deficit, said Marius Holm Rennesund, a partner at Oslo-based consultancy Thema.

Thema predicts that Finnish wholesale power prices will drop to 60 euro per megawatt hour (MWh) in 2023 from a predicted average of 70 euro/MWh in 2022, although the expected reduction will also come from lower gas prices.

In 2024, Finnish wholesale power prices will likely fall further to 45 euros/MWh, Rennesund said.
A Museum of Modern Art patron whose membership card was recently revoked for unruly behavior stabbed two MoMA employees on Saturday when they denied him admission to the famed midtown Manhattan site and then fled, police said.

The two victims, both women, were rushed to a local hospital for treatment of multiple stab wounds to their upper bodies, but "we're told they're going to be OK," John Miller, deputy New York City police commissioner, told a news briefing afterward.

New York City Police Department (NYPD) officers launched a manhunt for the suspect, whom Miller said was familiar to MoMA staff as a museum "regular" and to police from previous "disorderly conduct" incidents, including at least one at MoMA, in recent days.

NYPD was not aware of any record of arrests or other brushes with the law, Miller said.

Members of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) search the area near the entrance of the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) after an alleged multiple stabbing incident, in New York, U.S., March 12, 2022. Photo: Reuters

A letter revoking the man's MoMA membership card was sent to him on Friday, and he showed up late on Saturday afternoon "with the stated intention" of seeing a film being screened at the museum, Miller said.

When he was told that his membership card had expired and was refused entrance, he became upset, jumped over the reception desk and stabbed the two employees, according to Miller. Surveillance video footage showed him fleeing the museum moments afterward on foot.

The New York Post posted photographs showing each of the two women being moved on gurneys to waiting ambulances outside the museum. The Post said the stabbings triggered a chaotic scene that sent visitors scurrying from the museum, renowned for one of the world's largest and most influential collections of modern art.
Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh offered incense at the Gac Ma memorial complex in south-central Khanh Hoa Province on Saturday to pay tribute to the naval soldiers who perished protecting Gac Ma (Johnson South) Reef in Vietnam's Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago in 1988.

PM Chinh visited the venue during a fact-finding visit to Cam Lam District as part of his business trip in Khanh Hoa Province.

The premier offered incense and paid homage to the 64 heroes who laid down their lives protecting Gac Ma Reef in the Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago on March 14, 1988.

The 64 soldiers of the Vietnam People's Navy were heroic and selfless to defend the sacred sovereignty of the fatherland and are shining examples of nationalism, the leader stated.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his delegation visit the Gac Ma memorial complex in Khanh Hoa Province, March 12, 2022. Photo: X.T. / Tuoi Tre

The Gac Ma memorial complex covers an area of over 25,000 square meters in Cam Hai Dong Commune, Cam Lam District.

Costing more than VND130 billion (US$5.6 million), the construction was finished in July 2017.

During his visit to the complex, PM Chinh discussed the future expansion of the venue with secretary of the Khanh Hoa Party Committee Nguyen Hai Ninh and leader of the provincial labor federation.

Later the same day, the government chief visited and handed gifts to soldiers of the 189th Submarine Brigade and 162nd Brigade under the 4th Naval Region.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh pays tribute to the fallen soldiers at the Gac Ma memorial complex in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, March 12, 2022. Photo: X.T. / Tuoi Tre

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and his delegation take a photo with soldiers of the 189th Submarine Brigade in Khanh Hoa Province, Vietnam, March 12, 2022. Photo: Vietnam News Agency

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Police in Binh Phuoc Province, southern Vietnam have arrested a 19-year-old man for stabbing to death another person during a fight that arose from the formers loud drinking party.

Officers from the provincial Department of Public Security confirmed on Saturday they had appended Sam Quang Nhuan, 19, for murder.

Several of Nhuans friends were also summoned to the police station to facilitate the investigation.

Preliminary information showed that Nhuan and his friends held a drinking party near the house of Nguyen Thi Hon in Tan Binh Ward, Dong Xoai City on Friday night.

As the group made a lot of noise, Hoans family asked them to keep their voice down.

The location where Sam Quang Nhuan and his friends held their drinking party in Binh Phuoc Province, Vietnam. Photo: B.A. / Tuoi Tre

Nhuan and his friends yelled at and threatened the family, forcing Hoan to call her son, 26-year-old Cao Khac Tien, who lives at another house, over to help her.

Tien later arrived and had an argument with Nhuans group, which quickly escalated violence.

Tien hit one of Nhuans friends on the head with a crash helmet, before Nhuan took out a knife and stabbed Tiens back.

Tien was rushed to the hospital but later succumbed to his wound.

Nhuan and his group left the scene following the incident.

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A three-year-old Vietnamese girl hospitalized in Hanoi with nine nail-like objects in her skull in a suspected child abuse scandal has passed away after nearly two months of treatment.

The little girl, D.N.A., of Hanois Thach That District, died at 7:00 pm on Saturday at the city-based Saint Paul General Hospital, doctors said.

The girl could not survive despite the great efforts from doctors to save her, Dr. Tran Van Trung, head of the hospitals pediatric emergency resuscitation department, told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Saturday evening.

Her family is carrying out procedures to bring her home.

The girl was first taken by her mother to Thach That General Hospital on January 17 in a coma and convulsions, with her right arm already in a plaster cast.

After an X-ray scan of her head showed nine objects that looked like nails in her skull, the hospital reported the unusual case to local police and transferred the girl to the Saint Paul General Hospital due to her severe conditions.

After an investigation, Hanoi police arrested and initiated legal proceedings against Nguyen Trung Huyen, the 30-year-old partner of A.s 27-year-old mother, on charges of murder on January 20.

Huyen was determined to severely brutalize A. by breaking her arm, forcing her to swallow screws and drink pesticides, and hammering nails in her head.

On the morning of January 17, when A.s mother went to work, Huyen slapped A. many times after he called her but she did not answer, Huyen confessed to investigators.

The man then hammered many nails in the little girls head.

Police officers have continued to clarify the role of A.s mother, Nguyen Thi L., in relation to the case.

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Police in Ho Chi Minh City have apprehended a group of seven teenagers who had committed a score of robberies targeting local motorcyclists since January.

The gang is led by 17-year-old Nguyen Van Tam from southern Binh Phuoc Province, the municipal Department of Public Security confirmed on Saturday.

Preliminary information showed that Tam and the other six members, who are also around Tams age, had carried out about 20 robberies since the beginning of this year.

Nguyen Van Tam, the gang leader, writes his statements at the police station in Ho Chi Minh City in this supplied photo.

The suspects often rode their motorbikes and scouted local streets for potential prey, who were often motorcyclists carrying valuable belongings.

In many cases, the gang used knives, pepper spray, and guns to threaten victims before taking away their phones, bags, and jewelry.

They then sold the stolen property to earn money for their personal expenses.

Further investigation is ongoing.

Robbers' phones, knife, pepper spray, and guns are held at the police station in Ho Chi Minh City in this supplied photo.

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Vietnam expects to welcome 18 million foreign travelers by 2026, equal to the figure in 2019 when COVID-19 had yet to hit the country, according to a tourism development plan by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism.

The plan, which was approved by the national government on Saturday, was presented as the country is going to fully reopen international tourism on March 15 after nearly two years of closure due to COVID-19 impacts.

With an aim to make tourism a critical industry in the coming time, the plan outlines the key targets and tasks for the tourism sector in two phases from now until 2026.

In the first phase, from 2022 to 2023, the sector is expected to attract up to nine million international tourists, equivalent to 50 percent of that in 2019, and 65 to 70 million domestic travelers, equal to 75 to 80 percent of the 2019 figure.

Total travel revenue in this stage is projected to reach up to VND450 trillion (US$19.63 billion), or 50 percent of the amount in 2019.

In the second phase from 2024 to 2026, the tourist industry will speed up its recovery pace to welcome 18 million international visitors  equal to the 2019 figure  and around 85 million domestic tourists by 2026, earning a total revenue of VND900 trillion ($39.26 billion).

In phase 1, the ministry will assist tourism businesses in accelerating recovery via specific solutions such as maintaining reductions in value-added tax (VAT) and corporate income tax (CIT), lowering electricity charges and land rent, and extending the CIT payment deadline until the end of 2023.

The sector will launch tourism promotion events in major markets at home and abroad, while implementing pilot programs to welcome back international travelers, and boost tourism staff training, according to Cong An Nhan Dan (Peoples Police) newspaper.

The ministry will build a national network of small- and micro-sized tourism firms for mutual support in their recovery process.

Phase 2 will see the tourism sector develop high-quality human resources and build up sustainable tourism labor markets.

Other tasks include upgrading traffic and technical infrastructure in national tourist areas and spurring smart tourism and tourism development on digital platforms, according to national radio station Voice of Vietnam.

In order to achieve the goals, Deputy Prime Minister Vu Duc Dam asked the ministry to take steps to reopen tourism on the basis of safe and flexible adaptation to the COVID-19 epidemic.

The deputy PM also required the ministry to coordinate with other ministries and agencies in carrying out the tasks detailed in the nations tourism development strategy by 2030.

The ministry also needs to review and remove all difficulties and obstacles hindering the tourism sector from completing the targets.

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Vietnams Hoi An Ancient Town has been in the final sprint to promote its digital transformation in tourism following its collaboration with Bizverse, a Metaverse world for business activities.

The announcement ceremony marking the collaboration took place virtually on the Visit Hoi An Facebook page on Saturday.

Since Hoi An Ancient Town was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1999, this locality has become one of Vietnams leading tourist destinations.

The number of domestic and international tourists to Hoi An has shown steady increases over the years.

However, the COVID-19 epidemic has hit the global economy hard in all aspects, especially the tourist industry.

Travel restrictions have led to major changes in tourism trends and the way tourists approach information.

The booming of information and communication technology, plus the rapid emergence of digital platforms, necessarily prompts tourism enterprises to keep up with the latest innovations, such as Metaverse.

Metaverse, the new term that much ink has been spilled on, describes a fully realized digital world that exists beyond the one in which people live, said The New York Times.

In the meantime, Bizverse is a Singaporean software company with the mission to build a Metaverse world with digital transformation and technical support for business operations, according to its website.

In the context that virtual tourism on the Metaverse platform is becoming a worldwide trend, the Department of Culture, Sports, and Tourism of Quang Nam Province, which administers Hoi An, has joined hands with Bizverse in a tourism digital transformation project, in the hope of introducing a new look for Hoi Ans tourism.

Both are working on the final stage of building a digital transformation road map, as Visit Hoi An posted on its page on Thursday.

In the future, relic sites and traditional craft villages in Hoi An will appear on the 3D map and landscapes of the Bizverse World, featuring voice-overs of local guides.

The project promises to bring visitors new and exciting travel experiences.

Hoi An also plans to organize cultural-artistic activities and connect tourism businesses in the region to improve local tourism quality and meet the diverse needs of both domestic and foreign tourists.

Given creative and innovative solutions, Hoi Ans tourism industry is expected to bloom soon.

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The stories of Australians who say theyve been virtually abducted by the state, stripped of their assets and stopped from speaking out. 8:30pm Monday on ABC.

Outlander

Escape to the Wilderness

SAS Australia

La Brea

2022 BAFTA Awards
'Jessie and the Elf Boy' is inspired by the old legend of Ghillie Dhu, building on it in a fun and imaginative way. Teenager Jessie is disorientated by the sudden arrival of Ghillie Dhu, a peculiar boy dressed in leaves and moss who has a talent for creating wacky hairstyles. (Oh, and he's invisible to everyone except Jessie.) But she soon realizes that he can help her make a splash in the hairstyling scene, as well as finally reconnect with her distant mother.

Ghillie's invisibility leads to a stream of comic episodes as other people unwittingly encounter him.

As Jessie's career takes off, it seems like all her dreams are coming true, but it becomes increasingly difficult to keep her elf companion a secret.

Cast

The Film stars Julia Brown, an accomplished Scottish actress who is known for BBC shows such as 'World on Fire,' 'Shetland' and 'M.I. High'. Alongside her, in the role of Ghillie Dhu, is 11-year-old Huck Whittle, a newcomer to the screen and certainly one to watch. Jessie's mother is played by veteran Scottish actress Gail Watson, whose screen work includes 'Katie Morag,' 'River City,' and 'Annika.'

In addition, the film features a host of other brilliant Scottish actors and includes hilarious performances from Belle Jones and Eloise King Anderson.

Production company Fellowship Film

'Jessie and the Elf Boy' is the latest feature film from the emerging Scottish production company Fellowship Film. Their debut feature film, 'The Gaelic King,' was a fantasy action/adventure set in 800AD Scotland, telling the story of warrior-king Alpin mac Eachdach as he fights to regain his kingdom.

The film was so innovative in its approach that it received a commendation from the Scottish Parliament as a triumph of resourceful filmmaking.

Fellowship Film is based in Glasgow and run by five brothers from two Scottish families: Philip Todd, Matthew Todd, Nathan Todd, John Walkinshaw, and Tom Walkinshaw. They believe in the power of positive and authentic communities in making bold and inspiring films.

Philip Todd, the writer, director, and producer of 'Jessie and the Elf Boy' describe it as "an uplifting Scottish movie for the whole family." He says: "We filmed in the height of the pandemic, which was certainly a challenge, but we were motivated by the belief that in difficult times people need a story like this all the more  a story with laughter, friendship, magic, and a big heart."

Family film

This is a film that the whole family can enjoy together; it is all-ages-approved by Dove.org. Children will have fun watching Ghillie as he gets up to mischief and causes chaos in the chic hair salon, and parents will find Jessie's quest to heal her relationship with her mother resonant and moving.

Those who like a good drama will be satisfied by the film's ending, which is surprising and emotionally impactful. Of course, the story will also appeal to those with interest in Scottish legends.

'Jessie and the Elf Boy' will be available from April 1, 2022, in the US, Canada, and the UK on all major digital platforms, including Amazon, iTunes, and Google Play.
About 2.5m Ukrainians are thought to have fled their homes since the Russian invasion. Michael Gove said the UK will welcome 'tens of thousands'. (AFP via Getty Images)

Michael Gove has said tens of thousands of refugees are expected to come to the UK amid the Ukraine crisis.

Gove, the government secretary for housing and levelling up, revealed the ballpark figure after Downing Street released details of a new scheme to help people fleeing the Russian invasion.

The Homes for Ukraine programme, to be rolled out this week, will allow individuals, charities, community groups and businesses to bring people escaping the war to safety - even if they have no ties to the UK.

Asked on Skys Sophy Ridge on Sunday programme if tens of thousands is enough, with countries like Poland having committed to taking 1.5m people and France 100,000, Gove said: There are so many things we have to do. In a way, in the face of a crisis of this magnitude, we have to make sure we do what we can, when we can.

Thats why our approach is phased, its also why its alongside the humanitarian support that were giving.

Michael Gove said the first refugees are expected in a week's time. (Getty Images)

The first refugees are expected in a weeks time, Gove added.

Under the scheme, Britons offering accommodation to Ukrainian refugees through the new route will receive a thank you payment of 350 per month.

People sponsoring refugees will be required to commit to the scheme for a minimum of six months, but are encouraged to keep up the offer for as long as they can.

Gove, asked if he will offer a room, told the programme: Im in the process of seeking to see what I can do, yes.

Watch: Fighting in Volnovakha leaves Ukranian city devastated

It comes after the government has been heavily criticised for the speed and scale of its efforts to bring fleeing Ukrainians to the UK.

The UKs ambassador to Ukraine, Melinda Simmons, told the Sunday Times she totally gets the criticism.

And Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, appearing on Sophy Ridge on Sunday after Gove, said it has been an embarrassment.

Read more:

Households offered 350 a month to host Ukrainian refugees as Britain opens its doors

PM to host Nordic and Baltic leaders for talks on Ukraine crisis

Story continues

The likelihood of an invasion of Ukraine was known weeks ago. The Home Office have been far too slow, far too mean in relation to this.

Starmer added there should not be a cap on the number of refugees allowed into the country: We should provide sanctuary to all of those who are fleeing for their lives that want to come to the UK and play our full part.

Gove said the government has had to guard against a tiny minority who might be intent on exploitation of the scheme.
Joe Stapes Stapleton on Losing GPA Trophy, Return of EPT Prague & More

March 13 2022 Chad Holloway

The European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague is taking place right now, and someone who traveled across the pond to be there was Joe Stapes Stapleton, who commentates EPT broadcasts alongside James Hartigan. The famed duo is actually fresh off winning a Global Poker Award for their podcast, Poker in the Ears, and are excited to be reunited in person in the booth.

It was actually at the aforementioned awards that Stapes was nominated for Broadcaster of the Year, though he ultimately lost out to Jeff Platt.

It is nice to be recognized, Stapleton recently told PokerNews. I'm glad that where if I could only have won in one of the categories, I'm glad that it was for podcasts. Because that is not my win. That is a win for everyone who works in that show, for the people at PokerStars that, you know, at least have the continue letting us do it year in and year out.

He continued: I was really glad to be able to win that, to be able to text James and my boss Francine and say we won. They both thought I was trolling, by the way, and then all they could focus on is that I lost the trophy.

Losing His Global Poker Award Trophy

Stapes and the trophy in happier times.

Indeed, the night of the show Stapleton misplaced the trophy.

I didn't lose the trophy. I just want to be clear about that, he claimed. You got people who grab and poke you. Do this, be in this photo. I didn't leave it alone for any longer than two hours. I come back and the trophy is gone. To be honest, I was completely unconcerned. It's not like if you lose the trophy you lose the award. Like the award still belongs to Poker in the Ears, no matter what happens. And I just went, you know what, my guess is like nobody stole it, right? Nobody stole the fucking trophy.

He continued: My guess is somebody else picked up our trophy either knowing that I was irresponsible with it and they put it aside for us, or someone accidentally picked it up. And as it turns out, when all the dust settled, there was one trophy left behind. It was not the podcast trophy. It was the Tournament Director of the Year trophy, so logic dictated that Paul Campbell, winner of that award, picked our trophy.

Indeed, that proved to be the case and the situation was soon rectified.

Follow EPT Prague Live Updates here!

Returning to EPT Prague

Originally scheduled to take place in December 2021, the European Poker Tour (EPT) Prague was pushed to March. The festival is taking place right now and is being reported by PokerNews, which you can follow here. For Stapleton, the delay is actually a welcomed development.

I absolutely love Prague. You know, people are always like, what's your favorite empty stop? I can never really choose, but Prague is a very easy one to come to mind, he said. Now, we're not doing it during Christmas time this year, which I think adds probably a little bit of extra charm to the city of Prague. But I've never been there, not in winter.

"You feel like you're in another place. Another time, even sometimes."

He continued: So, I'm actually kind of looking forward to that. I don't know what the weather will be like in March. Maybe it will just be winter without Christmas. But Prague is a cool city for many reasons. It's very old, right? You really feel like you're in another country. You feel like you're in another place. Another time, even sometimes. And what I really like about Prague is that once you get outside, the Hilton's cheap, you know?

Prague has been a staple on the EPT dating back to 2007, and Stapes has been to many stops over the year, where hes of course formed many memories.

I remember I went out with this incredibly tall Czech girl who took me to like a club at midnight and I broadcast the next day. I was like, I really can't stay here any later, you know? You're like trying to figure out, like, if you're going to do anything after that. And she's like, let's just take over one more song. The song ended up being like 45 minutes long because it was some techno bullshit. I did end up going back to my room by myself after that.

As for actual poker in Prague, Stapleton cited two memories that really stood out. The first was Mikalai Pobal winning in 2019 to become just the second player in history to win two EPT titles, and the other was Hossein Ensan winning in 2015 and essentially introducing himself to the poker world before going on to win the World Series of Poker Main Event in 2019.

Thats probably the most memorable EPT for me as we were able to make him into such a character. And then of course, for him to then go on and win the Main Event, you're like, Oh, fantastic, this is great. Now, like, I'm already I don't have to, like, cozy up to this guy now that he's won the Main Event, I'm already in, so I'm kind of a winner too, in that respect.

James Hartigan & Joe Stapleton

The EPT Prague will also mark the return of Stapes joining his longtime co-commentator James Hartigan in the booth, and believe it or not, thats what hes most excited about.

I'm really excited about is doing live streams again with live poker players and with my live human counterpart, James Hartigan, being in the same room with me. The Stars team did a really fantastic job with the technology required to broadcast online poker over the last couple of years, but, you know, theres still a little bit of a delay. All the little technology glitches, like kind of their little but they add up. And so, to be able to sit next to James and have that sort of chemistry again, to be in the same room with him is something I'm looking forward to.

Poker fans can get more of Stapleton and EPT Prague coverage on the PokerStars Twitch Channel.

For more on Stapes, listen to his full interview on the PokerNews Podcast here:

*Images courtesy of the GPI Global Poker Awards.
Top row: wedding and honeymoon in 1954, and in the middle, a party at my grandparents' house in 1956. Middle row: Dad and me, circa 1976, 1984, and 1980. Bottom row: with my kid in 2014, with Mom and kid in 2015, with kid and me two weeks ago, not long before the end.

1.

We buried my father, Marvin Wolfe Barenblat z"l, on Friday. He was eighty-seven years old. He was generous and funny and opinionated. It will be a while before I really understand the spiritual impacts of the fact that that both of my parents are now gone.

There are so many stories. How he grew up in San Antonio with immigrant parents. How he met my mother. Work and travel and parties. (Everyone agrees that my parents knew how to have a good time!) The places he went, the stories he told, the bargains he struck. His gregariousness. His smile.

Mine are small stories, the stories of a youngest daughter. Just as the photos above are photos that are not necessarily representative of the whole: these photos show my parents as newlyweds, then my father and me, then my father and my child. These vignettes are the picture of his life that I can most easily paint.

2.

One of my earliest memories is waking up in the morning and taking my clothes into my dad's walk-in closet to get dressed there. I remember Dad splashing water at the fogged-up glass doors of his shower, and making faces at me, and making me laugh.

When I was five, my parents built a lakehouse on the Guadalupe where it feeds into Lake McQueeney, and we went there often. I used to feel sorry for our cat Leland who would yowl in the car, so I'd let him out of his carrier and he'd walk across the dashboard and Dad would yell. (Dad complained about the cat, but in early mornings he'd beckon, "c'mere, Lele," offering a ramekin of milk.) On the way to the lake we'd stop at a convenience store to get ovals of hard spicy cured sausage hanging on strings.

I remember Dad driving the boat in the evening, maybe with scotch and soda in a Texas-sized styrofoam cup that said Dad's Roadie. (Mom had those cups printed for him, back when it was legal to take "one for the road.") I remember him perched sideways on the side of the boat, his hair windblown, pushing up the throttle to pull whoever was about to ski next. I also remember that he would get frustrated if someone was struggling to get up on skis, and I never wanted him to be frustrated with me.

3.

Dad encouraged me to try new foods. As a child I craved his attention, so I became an adventurous eater. I especially enjoyed escargots (and the joke he would tell, the one with the punchline "look at that S-car go!") He always let me taste his wine. As a little girl I remember chirping, "My favorite wine is Chassagnet Montrachet!" to the amusement of his friends. Relatedly, he taught me the names of big wine bottles -- magnum, Jeroboam, Methuselah.

The year I was ten we lived in Manhattan. Dad spent part of that year in traction with a ruptured disc, but most of my memories of him from that year are of Dad enjoying city life: smoking his cigar on the tiny balcony of our 37th floor apartment, or taking Mom and me to the theater and to as many restaurants as we could visit. There was a Chinese place he really liked called Pig Heaven. For a treat, he would take me to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate.

Once when I was a teenager my mother was away and Dad took me out for dinner. I dressed up, in a denim miniskirt and big flashy earrings and lots of eye makeup. We overheard a scandalized fellow customer -- "Look at that man, isn't he embarrassed to be out with a girl that young, she could be his granddaughter!" He thought that was hilarious. When I was 14 and we visited Egypt, Dad joked with merchants in the Cairo souq about whether he would sell me if they offered enough camels.

4.

Dad had a notorious temper. (When he pitched a fit, Mom called it "having a pinata.") Relatedly, he disowned me on my 18th birthday because he was mad at me. A week later he took me out for enchiladas at Brown's on south Hackberry, where his father used to take him, and he told me, "I wouldn't sell you for $100, kid." That was his way of apologizing.

A number of years later he also took me for enchiladas at Casbeers, which sparked a poem. Both of those establishments are long gone now. Dad knew San Antonio inside and out; aside from one year in Manhattan, it was his forever home. He'd worked in construction with his father as a newlywed, and he remembered before all the elevated highways changed the shape of the city. He used to drive around and reminisce -- that's where we used to live, my mother had a chicken coop in the back yard...

When my parents were young they traveled to Acapulco with friends at least once a year, and to Las Vegas ditto. Later in life they traveled the world. They went to Kenya with two couples in 1982 -- their friend Sy was a hematologist studying blood-borne diseases in primates -- and they stayed at the Treetops lodge. They went to China with friends around then too, and when they came home they showed slides on the dining room wall.

During the years when he owned a crystal import business, they traveled in Eastern Europe several times a year for work. Once I was with them on a business trip there, and Dad took me to a place in Frankfurt that served the very best schweinshaxe -- pig's knuckles -- so I could try them too.

5.

So many of my memories of Dad involve food. He snacked on spicy pickled okra, and on Ba-tampte pickled tomatoes that he cut into quarters and ate with a fork. He never cooked, but was a master at the grill. At the Barn Door, he used to eat steak basted in butter alongside twice-baked jalapeno potatoes stuffed with cheese. He'd grown up kosher, but my parents never kept a kosher kitchen. (Though when some of their kids became kosher, they made sure that family meals were kosher so we could all eat.)

In my childhood home he always kept a box of See's toffee that came with a tiny golden hammer. He pretended it was our secret and Mom didn't know it was there. That felt conspiratorial and sweet. When I was in college he sent me boxes of that candy, much to the delight of my friends. Later in life he ordered Enstrom's toffee to arrive at my door and my sister's door every December like clockwork. He loved being able to give people food or wine that he knew they would enjoy.

When I was in my twenties, my mom encouraged him to come north and visit sometimes without her. Once he and I walked from my office to Jack's Hot Dog Stand a couple of blocks away. It was a beautiful but frigid January day, with a crystal-clear blue sky and a wind chill around -20 degrees. For years he marveled about it, retelling the story again and again: "That sky was Texas blue, but the air was so cold it was like being smacked in the face with a frozen porcupine!" What a turn of phrase.

6.

In the last 20 years or so, Dad came often to seders at my sister's house. He used to comment on how different our seders had become -- his childhood seders were speed-sung in Yiddish! He spoke some Spanish and some Yiddish because those were languages his parents spoke. I'm told he gave his bar mitzvah speech twice, once in English and once in Yiddish.

His parents died on the same day in 1971. He told me that though he said daily kaddish for eleven months when his parents died (because he knew it mattered to Nana and Papa) he didn't care if his children did the same -- unless we would get something out of it, in which case he wouldn't stop us.

Dad used to tell me that being a Reform Jew was the best thing in the world because as long as you paid your temple dues, no one would tell you what you could or couldn't do! That made me laugh at the time, though in retrospect I hear something deep in it: for him, what mattered was supporting Jewish community and taking care of that community, not whether or not you kept Shabbes or kept kosher.

I remember sitting with him on a patio in Hot Springs, Arkansas, when I was in my early 30s (so he was in his early 70s.) We were there for the wedding of a cousin who, like me, bears his mother's name. He was wearing a warm brown blazer, smoking a cigar, and enjoying the crisp cool air. He told me he'd had a great run, and wouldn't mind dying whenever the time came. I've thought of that often lately.

7.

Dad hated that Mom got sick at the end of her life and that no amount of medical intervention could save her. He would sit on his smoking porch with a cigar and shake his head and mournfully say, "I just don't understand how something like that could happen to someone as good as her." After she died, he visited her grave every day except for Saturdays when the cemetery was closed.

When we visited him last, about ten days before the end, Dad was frail and confused and skipping around in time, asking where Mom was or speaking earnest paragraphs of word salad. But he managed to ask me if I needed anything -- trying to take care of me to the very end. He was charming and flirty with his caregivers.

He told his favorite caregiver that I was his youngest daughter. "Yeah? What's her name," Eddie prompted. "You ask her!" he retorted without missing a beat -- he couldn't remember my name, but he knew I was his kid. He also said to her, "You know what my daughter does?" (No, what, she asked.) "Ask her!" He couldn't remember the word rabbi, but he wanted Eddie to know that what I did, mattered.

The last day I saw him, I sang a line of "Hey, good-looking, what'cha got cookin,'" -- released in 1953, when he and my mom were courting -- and he sang the next line back -- "How's about cookin' something up with me?"

That morning he said something like, "If I weren't here, none of you would be in jail," gesturing around the room. I asked him if he felt like he was in jail and he shrugged. I told him that we were all there to be with him, and he smiled. But looking back, I think he knew that his life was ending -- I think "jail" was his body, after COVID and a heart attack and a stroke and everything else -- and he was ready to go.
The 6.7-mile Interstate 35 project through Waco is entering the home stretch, even if each stretch of a four-year highway reconstruction feels pretty long.

Drivers this past week have been breaking in fresh northbound I-35 pavement for the first time in the $341 million effort scheduled to wrap up early next year.

For about a year, traffic in both directions had shared the newly built southbound side of the highway for the full length of the work zone. North of Waco Drive though, crews recently shifted northbound vehicles onto what will permanently be the northbound pavement. Traffic is still limited to two lanes in each direction, and plenty of work remains before all four lanes are running each way and the full complement of new bridges, entrance and exit ramps, access roads, pedestrian crossings, landscaping and decorative lighting is in place.

The contractor is on schedule to meet or beat his bid time, Texas Department of Transportation spokesperson Jake Smith said. Beyond that, we will stick with early 2023 as the completion date.

Smith said Webber LLC to date has spent 85% of the $341 million allocation, which would indicate the contractor is progressing ahead of schedule. About 73% of the initial timeline has passed. TxDOT included incentives for on-time and early completion.

The project kicked off in late April 2019, with demolition of ramps and bridges the first highly visible markers of progress. The first major lane shift started in September 2019, when all traffic headed to the old northbound side. In March last year, the southbound Brazos River bridge was the last piece in place so the new main lanes on that side could start carrying traffic for the full length of the project area, from 12th Street to the north end of Loop 340. Since then, southbound entrance and exit ramps have been completed, and frontage roads on both sides are approaching completion, though temporary traffic patterns, on the northbound side especially, can leave that frontage road progress less than obvious.

Last weeks start for shifting northbound traffic to the new northbound side marks a turn into the projects home stretch.

Closures at an interstate crossing and a northbound exit scheduled this week will make way for more progress on new northbound main lanes. Shifting of northbound traffic to the new northbound lanes between Waco Drive and 12th Street will be a milestone going forward, Smith said.

The Behrens Road underpass will be closed from evening to morning Monday and Tuesday, allowing for work on the interstate overpass, according to a TxDOT press release. Traffic will be directed to the access road to turn around at the next intersection.

The north-to-south U-turn at Behrens Circle will be closed intermittently during the daytime Monday through Friday for landscaping work. During the closures, expected to be for short periods, drivers will be able to turn around at the main Behrens Circle intersection.

Also among the coming weeks closures will be northbound Exit 334B, which serves downtown via Eighth Street, Fourth and Fifth streets, University Parks Drive and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. The exit will be closed from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. Monday to Friday, allowing for paving of new northbound lanes, according to the press release. Traffic will be directed to exit early, at Exit 334A serving 17th and 18th streets, during the closures.

Meanwhile, Smith said Fourth and Fifth streets should reopen under new interstate overpasses before the end of spring. A new underpass at 11th and 12th street, replacing an old overpass, should open for traffic to cross the interstate there in the summer, he said.

If orange construction cones and hard hats have short-circuited spending in Waco, the numbers do not show it. The Texas Comptrollers Office last week sent Waco a sales tax rebate totaling $3.9 million, a $600,000 year-over-year increase. Rebates total $13.7 million this calendar year, a 22% increase. Rebates serve as a spending barometer, reflecting taxes paid on goods and services.

These positive numbers may make one wonder how the city will perform once Interstate 35 turns from albatross to asset.

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Together by the Brazos dinner

Together by the Brazos, a dinner supporting Talitha Koum Institute and Lake Brazos Rotary Club, will run from 6 to 10 p.m. March 26 at the Olive Branch restaurant, 215 S. Second St.

The event will feature signature cocktails, cash bar, charcuterie board, four-course dinner with wine pairings, silent auction and live music by Trammell Kelly and Pat McKee.

Proceeds will be split, with 70% going to Talitha Koum and 30% going to the Lake Brazos Rotary Club Foundation.

Tickets cost $100 per person.

For general questions or information about sponsorship opportunities, email Michelle_Holland@baylor.edu.

Art Guild to host Dallas artist

Art Guild of Central Texas will host a live demonstration by Dallas artist James Gilbreath, from 1:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday at Central Presbyterian Church, 9191 Woodway Drive.

Cost is $10 for non-members, free for members.

For more information, call 254-722-9928.

Author to visit Pro-Life Waco

Tricia Ross, the author of When Wishes Change, will be the speaker for Pro-Life Wacos meeting from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday at St. Marys Church Hall, 1424 Columbus Ave.

Ross will speak on the challenges of her second pregnancy, knowing her daughters life would only be for days. Lunch will start at noon, followed by the program at 1. For more information, call 254-644-0407 or email prolifewaco@gmail.com.

Art Center exhibit after hours

Art Center Waco, 701 S. Eighth St., will have an after-hours viewing of the Ben Livingston exhibit titled Spirit Houses: Ghosts and Memory, from 5 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

For more information, call 254-752-4371.

Submit printed or typed items to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco, 76702-2588; or email goingson@wacotrib.com.
WATERLOO  A fire that claimed the life of a Waterloo woman in February has been determined to be accidental, according to fire officials.

Authorities identified the deceased as 79-year-old Mary Kaye Olsen.

The exact cause of the blaze wasnt determined, and fire officials said they didnt locate anything suspicious.

Crews with Waterloo Fire Rescue were called investigate smoke at the duplex at 1827 Commercial St. where Olsen lived. Firefighters found a blaze burning inside her downstairs apartment, and she was found dead inside.

It wasnt clear how long the fire had been burning before the fire department was called. It wasnt clear if the residence had working smoke alarms.

The duplex is located two doors down from another fatal fire two years earlier.

On March 15, 2018, passersby called 911 after seeing heavy smoke coming from 1815 Commercial St. One resident escaped, but a mother and two young children died in the fire.

Officials said they believe the cause of the fire was electrical. The house has since been demolished.

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Interesting. I wonder if they have self-reflected as to why their trust was wounded. I am one who never really questioned our medical institutions. But watching and listening to them for two years, my trust is not only wounded, it is broken. Doctors smeared for treating their patients; internationally renowned experts cancelled; research results withheld or worse, falsified. FDA-approved drugs with proven results outlawed; I could go on and on. So, what would "heal" my mistrust? How about an acknowledgement of allowing their public role to be politicized? How about accepting responsibility for knowingly misleading the public? It is a simple rule of life: If you want to rebuild trust, issue an apology. The American people deserve one. It might even heal that wound somewhat.
In Mondays Guest Editorial, John Hendrickson of Iowans For Tax Relief says all taxpayers in Iowa will see tax relief from the recently signed legislation. This statement is patently false! Iowa income taxes are graduated ranging from 0.33% up to 8.53%. Anyone making less than $28,000 a year is currently paying less than 4% in Iowa Income Tax. The new 4% flat tax will raise taxes on everyone in Iowa making less than $28,000.

Proponents say the flat tax is a fair tax but economists have shown that flat taxes are regressive, that is, they are a greater burden on low-income workers. The question should be, is the tax system equitable and just? Is the tax burden distributed among taxpayers so that taxes are equally painful for everyone? Obviously, the new Iowa flat tax fails this test. Low wage earners (predominantly young people, minorities and single women) will be paying more in taxes to subsidize a tax break for high wage earners. In fact, Iowans making $1 million dollars will get a $40,000 tax cut. Is this fair?
If everyone approached 10 fellow citizens on the street, at events or in stores, and asked "do you approve/disapprove of this Democratic administration's policies today on: border integrity, energy, the economy, honesty, immigration, national security, truthfulness, uniting Americans, etc.," how many approve without hesitation?

Not much random about polls, all deliberately formulated, leading questions with intent and oft dubious objectives. Media and polls are but tools to manipulate minds/opinions directly and subliminally, and opinions are meaningless without facts. Credible journalists would contrast the policies and their empirical effectiveness of the last and current administrations. Disturbingly, today's media is no more credible than Pelosi's fourth lynching committee. Media relentlessly assassinated Trump's character while ignoring his policy achievements, which benefited most every American. By so doing, the divisive and vitriolic media, along with the deceitful political deep state, encumbered this coup upon America. Never forget.
This is just a post to say that I have succeeded to transverse the boundaries of hate, lies and distrust that were elevated to stratospheric proportions at the very beginning of a visa run. This visa run was marred by obstacles from the very beginning and we knew that when Ukraine was to never again be a place for easy visas to Russia.that life was going to change and change forever. Things will never be the same all over the world

Simply put:

I made it back to Russia! (On March 12, 2022 I crossed the Russian border at 8:05 p.m.)

This America and or USAian as many say outside of the USA, made it back to Russia. I will talk about it in the next week. It was a ride for no one who is faint of heart. It looked really like I was stuck between a defensive Russia and a hateful Western EU and a undermining USA

I have to regroup and when I got home I collapsed for the longest sleep I have had in three weeks. I actually slept 7 hours straight and for me that is unbelievable. I was simply worn out and pushed to the point of collapse. Oh My, to be young and strong again instead of simply old and worn out

Thank you God and thank you Russia for letting me back in. Thank you to the country Turkey and for Greece having enough pro Russian sentiment to help people like me to get somewhere.the EU blocked escape routes as fast as you could find them and it was close to not be able to get out at all. The EU has censored, blocked and tried all ways to keep anyone and or anything from leaving the EU. People and or information

It was an amazing thing at how I could literally not use the internet anymore and all I could find was propaganda about how Ukraine is the bastion of flowers and hope and Russia was the bastion of the devil and fires from brimstone

Enough for today: I made it and am back with my SweetPea, in Russia

WtR